BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

Word Count: 3,502 Words

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As She Tianhuang's chilling scream echoed across the plains, everyone understood the Sky Serpent Mansion was finished.

After the soul chains dragged She Tianhuang's soul into the Soul Command Token, black flames enveloped his corpse. A series of terrifying chewing sounds emanated from within the flames, sending a shiver down the spine of all who heard it.

Xiao Yan paid no mind to the gruesome display, instead raising his head to look at Qing Lin in the sky. There was no doubt that her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had been responsible for momentarily controlling She Tianhuang.

The spatial passage he had created with the Nihility Devouring Flame had been deliberately left open. A long-distance passage would normally collapse without maintenance, but this one had only existed for two days. He had kept it open so Qing Lin could provide support after handling her affairs.

"Qing Lin, you've also learned to arrive at the last moment, huh?" Xiao Yan said with a smile. That had been a close call. If Qing Lin hadn't arrived in time, wouldn't that Dou Venerate soul body have escaped?

Qing Lin tilted her head, not quite understanding his joke, before reporting seriously, "Young Master Xiao Yan, the Sky Serpent Mansion has been brought under control."

Three figures followed behind her. Besides Lu Man and Bai Ya, there was also the old woman who was a 4-star Dou Ancestor. Additionally, the auras of numerous magical beasts surrounded them from a short distance away. Those were the magical beast races from the Sky Serpent Mansion who had chosen to follow Qing Lin.

As for the serpent tribe leaders who had refused, they were either dead or now controlled by the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. To the serpent race, Qing Lin's power was far more terrifying than even the Woeful Poison Body.

"Tsk tsk, the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils... A mere 2-star Dou Ancestor can actually make a Dou Venerate serpent's soul lose focus. If not for that, She Tianhuang would have definitely escaped," Shi Nian observed Qing Lin with a grave expression, traces of fear in his eyes.

"Indeed, the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils are truly the bane of the serpent race. The Yan Alliance has now thoroughly controlled all serpent tribes in the North-Western Region. No serpent tribe would dare provoke them," Ting Hao said as he glanced at Qing Lin and Medusa. Without a doubt, the serpent tribes of the North-Western Region were now unified under one banner.

"Such a high-profile unification may not be entirely beneficial. The Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, one of the three great magical beast tribes, would never tolerate the emergence of a Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils user who could reach the Dou Venerate or even Dou Saint level."

They understood that while the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils granted immense power, they would inevitably draw the attention of the continent's true serpent overlords.

"Qing Lin, spare me! The Sky Serpent Mansion hasn't treated you badly in the past!" She Tianhao knew he couldn't escape. Not only was Qing Lin now a 2-star Dou Ancestor whose Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils completely suppressed him, but a Dou Venerate was also present.

The war was utterly lost!

The so-called North-Western Alliance was doomed to fail from the moment Venerable Tian Huo was resurrected and Xiao Yan bluffed away Mu Gu.

In truth, Mu Gu's plan hadn't been flawed. He had guessed that Xiao Yan wasn't dead, so he came from the Central Plains and deliberately induced the Sky Serpent Mansion to unite with other factions to besiege the Yan Alliance. If Xiao Yan appeared, he would surely come for revenge, and at that time, they could capture him in one fell swoop.

He never imagined that Xiao Yan had a connection to Hun Huzi, a fact that threw his entire strategy into disarray.

Qing Lin stared at She Tianhao's pleading appearance without a shred of pity. Her eyes even reflected anger. After emerging from the spatial passage, she had learned that Rock Desert City had been destroyed.

That was the place of her memories, her hometown.

"You destroyed Rock Desert City!" she said through gritted teeth, her eyes burning with fury. That was the place where she had first met Xiao Yan, and now it lay in ruins!

"No, no, no! It wasn't me! It was the people of the three major empires acting on their own!" She Tianhao suddenly fell to his knees and begged for mercy. He crawled toward Qing Lin, wailing and pleading.

When many experts who knew She Tianhao saw him kneeling at Qing Lin's feet, they couldn't help but shake their heads.

A once-proud ruler had fallen to such a state.

Suddenly, She Tianhao's Dou Qi erupted. With the terrifying speed of a 7-star Dou Ancestor, he lunged forward, grabbing Qing Lin's slender, snow-white neck and roaring, "All of you, get out of my way! Make a path!"

"You're not only pitiful but also quite stupid," Xiao Yan shrugged nearby, shaking his head and giving She Tianhao a pitying glance.

The Dou Qi Continent was just that cruel. The world's resources, land, and talents were always in short supply. When one faction rose, others were destined to be knocked off their pedestals.

It was only human nature – no, serpent nature – for She Tianhao to be unable to accept the shattering of his beautiful dreams.

"Qing Lin, this person is yours to deal with. Forget about his soul body; make him your subordinate instead. Consider it repayment for the Sky Serpent Mansion having nurtured you in the past. I'll spare his life," Xiao Yan said nonchalantly before flashing away to join the pursuit.

Even Bai Ya and Lu Man sighed deeply. This person had once been their Mansion Lord, after all.

Bai Ya and Lu Man could see that She Tianhao's eyes had already turned completely jade-green, and the three green flowers on his forehead were becoming increasingly distinct.

At the same time, they also felt fear and dread toward the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. She Tianhao didn't even realize when he had fallen under its control. It was too terrifying!

More astounding still, a 2-star Dou Ancestor could control a 7-star Dou Ancestor. Though it only worked on the serpent race, it was already extremely frightening.

No one knew what illusion She Tianhao was seeing, but everyone around could tell that what he perceived was entirely different from reality.

After grabbing Qing Lin's neck and shouting for a while, he slowly lowered his hand and stood behind her with vacant eyes, like a puppet, unknowingly under her control.

There was no suspense about the outcome of the war. Not to mention the North-Western Region, even in the peripheries of the Central Plains, a Dou Venerate was an existence that could dominate a region.

The so-called Four Pavilions each had only one Dou Venerate, yet they could dominate the outskirts of the Central Plains.

Venerable Tian Huo had even sealed off a portion of space, making escape nearly impossible.

The ones who killed the most fiercely were Cai Lin and the experts of the Snake-People Tribe. Their homeland had been destroyed, and some of their people had been slain. Such hatred and anger could only be washed away with blood.

"Too... too brutal."

"As expected of the infamous Queen Medusa..."

Faction experts watching from a distance saw Medusa's ruthless methods as she killed people as easily as cutting grass. With every swing of her sword, a head would fly off. Cold sweat covered their foreheads, and the smell of blood wafted over to them.

However, these faction experts failed to notice that whenever Medusa killed a Dou Ancestor or Dou Emperor, a faint cluster of black flames would appear and inconspicuously shoot out soul chains to collect the soul bodies she hadn't destroyed.

Medusa certainly had the ability to destroy both the physical bodies and soul bodies of these enemies to prevent their escape. She simply chose not to.

"Your Majesty, leave some surrendered prisoners of war. The Snake-People Tribe and Jia Ma Empire will need labor for future reconstruction," Xiao Ding stated, highlighting a harsh reality.

Cai Lin glanced at Xiao Ding. After pondering for a while, she waved her sleeve and commanded the Snake-People Tribe's experts, "Stop."

In the end, the Snake-People Tribe experts only ceased their killing and venting after Xiao Ding's persuasion.

All the Dou Ancestor experts had already been killed, along with many Dou Emperors. Only those below Dou King remained, posing no significant threat.

"Grandmaster Xiao Yan, can you refine pills to prevent them from rebelling?" Queen Yao Ye asked this as she rode over on her warhorse, clad in battle armor. The Jia Ma Empire was larger than the Snake-People Tribe and had more destroyed cities. Substantial labor was required for rebuilding.

"Rest assured. These people's cultivation is so weak that I can easily plant an Asura Soul Imprint on them. If they dare harbor ulterior motives, the imprint will destroy their souls, killing them from a thousand miles away without leaving a trace," Xiao Yan replied with a radiant smile. Truly deserving of a man who possessed the Bone Chilling Flame, his words were just as chilling.

Those prisoners with ulterior motives felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them, shattering their wishful thinking.

Xiao Yan slowly rose into the air and cupped his hands toward the various faction experts watching from the distant mountains. "Faction leaders of the North-Western Region, the show is over. It's time to disperse."

After my Yan Alliance is back in order, I will invite you all for a gathering."

Even the Sect Leaders of the Thunderbolt Sect and Profound Lion Sect felt their hearts tremble. Xiao Yan's words carried a hidden meaning!

He had made it very clear. He would invite them to the Yan Alliance in the future. This definitely wouldn't be as simple as just having a meal together, but rather to discuss the unification of the North-Western Region!

The Sky Serpent Mansion incident was a lesson for the Yan Alliance. How could Xiao Yan allow such a lesson to happen again?

With Venerable Tian Huo present, the unification of the North-Western Region was inevitable!

"Hehe, since Grandmaster Xiao Yan extends an invitation, my Profound Lion Sect will definitely attend," Shi Nian said with a stiff face as he cupped his hands.

Ting Hao, the Thunderbolt Sect's leader, glanced at Shi Nian. He similarly forced a smile, cupped his hands, and replied, "Hehe, my Thunderbolt Sect as well."

When even the leaders of the Thunderbolt and Profound Lion sects—whose strength was second only to the Sky Serpent Mansion—hinted at their submission, the other faction leaders became even more direct. They nearly swore allegiance to the Yan Alliance on the spot.

After the experts from the other factions left one after another, silence fell upon the area. The members of the Yan Alliance felt as if they had been on an emotional roller coaster. Two months ago, everything in the Yan Alliance was going smoothly. Then, suddenly, She Tianhuang broke through to the Dou Venerate realm and besieged them.

The Snake-People Tribe had borne the brunt of the attack and been destroyed. Half of the Jia Ma Empire had fallen as well. Now, Xiao Yan had returned in full force, even bringing an elite Dou Venerate. The North-Western Alliance had been annihilated, and all the serpent tribes of the Sky Serpent Mansion had submitted to Qing Lin!

It all seemed like a dream!

Xiao Yan looked at the plains covered with mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, the stench lingering in the air, and shook his head.

"Let's go back. This is our Yan Alliance's victory!" With that, Xiao Yan waved his hand and declared the conclusion of the largest faction war in the history of the North-Western Region.

Immediately, countless members of the Yan Alliance began to cheer.

Xiao Ding rubbed his forehead and smiled upon hearing these cheers. "Ah, it's finally over."

"Hehe, after today, the Yan Alliance will be the undisputed hegemon of the North-Western Region!" Hai Bodong laughed.

In the past, even when the Misty Cloud Sect attended the Great Meeting of Factions, they received many disdainful looks. In the eyes of those powerful factions, a Misty Cloud Sect without even a single Dou Ancestor expert had no right to sit at the same table as them.

At this, Jia Xing Tian and Yun Yun smiled and nodded. As two of the four original allied forces of the Yan Alliance, they felt proud as well.

Yun Yun gazed at the man in the sky with a smile on her lips. The Misty Cloud Sect's development, prosperity, and renown throughout the North-Western Region were all thanks to him.

They had never dreamed that one day they would unify the entire North-Western Region, and he would be one of the founding heroes!

Xiao Yan heard the earth-shattering cheers from the sky and breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Little Fairy Doctor and smiled. "You've worked hard."

"It's nothing, just a small matter." Little Fairy Doctor shook her head with a gentle smile.

"Don't worry. Once I've dealt with the Yan Alliance's affairs, I'll head to the Central Plains immediately." Xiao Yan knew that Little Fairy Doctor's Woeful Poison Body had worsened again. Two months ago, she had faced She Tianhuang, a Dou Venerate, alone.

He estimated that the seal, which originally had three years left, probably had at most one year remaining now.

Little Fairy Doctor simply smiled lightly, not pressing the matter, as if she had already accepted her fate.

The war had completely ended. This shocking news spread like wildfire throughout the entire Jia Ma Empire and the North-Western Region.

Naturally, the names of Xiao Yan, Medusa, Little Fairy Doctor, and Venerable Tian Huo once again reached everyone's ears during this war. The Yan Alliance, possessing two super-strong 9-star Dou Ancestors and a Dou Venerate, saw its prestige soar to unprecedented heights!

After the Yan Alliance members rested for three days, while the outside world was filled with celebration, Xiao Yan, Queen Yao Ye, Yun Yun, Cai Lin, and others gathered in the council hall of the Jia Ma Empire's imperial palace to discuss future matters.

"Everyone, although the war has concluded, post-war reconstruction is of utmost importance, especially for the Snake-People Tribe. Many Snake-People are now displaced. The Misty Cloud Sect's mountains are ultimately too small to accommodate so many Snake-People," Queen Yao Ye said.

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Yan spoke, "In that case, Cai Lin, you should no longer live in the desert. Open up a territory in the nearby Magic Beast Mountain Range and build the Snake-People Tribe's holy city there. The eight major tribes can be arranged in the Sky Serpent Empire's territory. Now that we've opened spatial passages, it only takes half a day to travel back and forth."

Cai Lin glanced sideways at Xiao Yan. Although she disliked being ordered around, after three days of discussions, the Snake-People Tribe internally also hoped for this. After all, they had been forced to live in the desert out of necessity. The Sky Serpent Empire was located in the center of the North-Western Region and had many treasure lands suitable for the Snake-People Tribe's survival.

The Yan Alliance's headquarters would still remain in Jia Ma Sacred City, primarily because the Xiao Clan was there. Having the Snake-People Tribe open a territory in the nearby Magic Beast Mountain Range made sense for the four factions to be adjacent to each other.

"How do you plan to handle the three major empires?" Yun Yun asked softly. During these past two months of war, those empires had truly contributed both money and manpower. However, empires differed significantly from factions. They contained many innocent civilians.

"Disband all disciples of the Mulan Valley and Gold Geese Sect who didn't participate in the war. Do not spare the others. Use all their factional assets for the Yan Alliance's reconstruction. As for the Chu Yun Empire, the Poison Sect, and the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate, do the same. Don't spare those war advocates in the Chu Yun Empire's imperial family. Unify all the large and small factions within the Chu Yun Empire." Unlike the other two, the Chu Yun Empire wasn't a faction-based empire but similar to the Jia Ma Empire.

"Make the three major empires into vassal states of the Jia Ma Empire. Treat civilians well and transform these empires into producers of medicinal ingredients and grain, strengthening the industrial chain, and let the Miteer Auction House handle commercial operations. The Miteer Auction House has become a symbol of our Yan Alliance. As for cultivation factions, let the Misty Cloud Sect establish branch sects in these empires to gradually replace those factions and recruit talented disciples of good character each year."

"As for the other factions in the North-Western Region..." Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened as he said solemnly, "Those willing to join the Yan Alliance can simply follow the Alliance treaty. Promote the Yan Yuan to replace their empires' currencies and provide protection. Allow the Miteer Auction House to establish branches in these factions' territories, and let the Misty Cloud Sect build branch sects there as well. If they are unwilling... then let them be."

Many present shook their heads with wry smiles after hearing these words. This wasn't Xiao Yan being kind by giving these factions the freedom to choose.

In reality, this was like cutting flesh with a dull knife.

The entire North-Western Region was under the Yan Alliance's control, even the Sky Serpent Mansion. If those factions refused to join the Yan Alliance, it was equivalent to being surrounded and isolated by the various forces of the Yan Alliance.

Especially since Xiao Yan introduced the Yan Yuan, unifying the currency among all Yan Alliance member factions. If you wanted to purchase anything from the Yan Alliance, you needed their currency; they wouldn't recognize your country's money. Over time, the entire faction would disintegrate.

Xiao Yan planned to use this pressure to his advantage!

After all, those other factions hadn't directly offended him. If he simply brought Venerable Tian Huo to slaughter them, it would easily incite hatred and invite future disaster.

What if someone emerged embodying the saying 'thirty years east, thirty years west'? Wouldn't that be terrible?

After some discussions, the leaders of the Yan Alliance reached an initial consensus. Unifying the North-Western Region couldn't be accomplished overnight; it would have to be done gradually.

After settling all matters, Xiao Yan flew toward the Hall of Souls branch with Venerable Tian Huo following beside him for protection.

Xiao Yan absolutely couldn't afford any mishaps; he had become the very soul of the Yan Alliance.

"So this is your Hall of Souls branch?" Venerable Tian Huo understood some things. There wasn't just one Hall of Souls. Some Venerables controlled one or even several branches themselves.

"You could say that, though I didn't build it," Xiao Yan replied as he pushed open the door. Xiao Li was inside the hall.

Xiao Li hadn't appeared because he had been leading some Soul Envoys from the Hall of Souls to secretly deal with the Sky Serpent Mansion.

"Second Brother, how are Father and the others?" Xiao Zhan and some of the elderly and weak members of the Xiao Clan had been taken to Xiao City in the Black-Corner Region for refuge before the war began. A cunning rabbit has three burrows, and Xiao City was one of them.

"Father and the others are fine. Don't worry."

Xiao Yan relaxed upon hearing Xiao Li's words. The clan's safety was his purpose in forming the Yan Alliance and his promise to his ancestor, Xiao Xuan.

He arrived at the altar in the deepest part of the hall and casually tossed the Soul Command Token onto it. Instantly, black fog surged out amid ghostly wails and howls as the Soul Offering Altar frantically absorbed the soul bodies within the token.

"Xiao Yan! May you die a horrible death!!" She Tianhuang roared from within.

"Heh, I don't know if I'll die a horrible death, but you're definitely dead." Xiao Yan remained indifferent in the face of such curses.

He then looked at the increasing number displayed within the Soul Command Token and wasn't very satisfied. Although it had already reached six digits, the soul body of a Dou Venerate like She Tianhuang was actually worth less than Yao Ao's!

But it wasn't surprising. A Dou Venerate's soul body might not be as valuable as a peak 7th-tier alchemist's, especially one from the Yao Clan.

"Elder Yao, have you heard of the Green Fungus Pill?" Xiao Yan slowly turned his head as he asked, his eyes gleaming.

!!!!

Venerable Tian Huo's eyes narrowed momentarily before he frowned and asked, "You intend to...?"

"Are you interested in joining the Hall of Souls?"