BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Calamity Befalls the Misty Cloud Sect



Word Count: 3,415 Words

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Xiao Yan slowly extended his hand, and the two black and white koi fish seemed to possess life and spirituality as they swam into his palm.

The two fish spiraled up his arm, moving gracefully as if they were dancing with each sway of his movement.

Xiao Yan understood that refining the Yin-Yang Twin Flame meant accepting this mission.

Originally, the Xiao Clan of Wu Tan City was living peacefully, dominating the city, enjoying a life of plenty as local lords, wanting for nothing.

Now, suddenly, they had gained a mortal enemy in the Hun Clan. Moreover, Xiao Yan had just learned that there were eight Dou God Clans, each possessing a piece of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade.

This meant that it wasn't just the Hun Clan who desired the ancient jade; the other clans coveted it as well.

Xiao Yan gently stroked the two little fish with his fingers. The Yin-Yang Twin Flame was already fully matured, and not only that, it had been completely refined by Xiao Xuan. As long as one possessed the Xiao Clan bloodline and had cultivated the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change, refining the Yin-Yang Twin Flame shouldn't involve any pain.

This could be considered one of the inheritances left by his ancestor to his young descendant, the kind one could obtain just by clicking 'confirm' to sign in.

Xiao Yan pondered for a long, long time. At this moment, he was all alone. If possible, he wished there were someone who could offer him some advice.

'Sigh, actually, there's no choice. Whether it's the Yin-Yang Twin Flame, the so-called Dou God Bloodline, or the Secret Technique created by a Dou God, I need them all.' Xiao Yan shook his head with a bitter smile and sighed deeply.

The poor have no choice.

"Ancestor, I am truly grateful that you think so highly of me. As a member of the Xiao Clan, it is my duty to protect my clan, guard my loved ones, and make the clan prosper." Xiao Yan's expression became extremely solemn, without a hint of jest, and his voice was firm and resolute.

"I, Xiao Yan, may not be able to do better than you did, Ancestor, but I swear to the heavens that as long as I, Xiao Yan, live for a day, I will ensure the continuation of our clan's bloodline and take the protection of the clan as my own responsibility."

"In the name of the Little Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, I hereby swear, I shall guard the clan and sweep away our savage foes. If I die one day, I shall become a guardian spirit to bless my Xiao Clan, ensuring its eternal prosperity. Let the sun and moon bear witness to this oath, and heaven and earth serve as my judges!"

Xiao Yan extended his hand and swore with his soul, his voice resonating with his spirit to prove his sincerity.

The two black and white fish merged together as soon as his voice fell, transforming into a half-black, half-white flame that floated before him.

[Good. The people of my Xiao Clan are no cowards.]

The Yin-Yang Twin Flame suddenly surged with a booming sound. The black and white flames turned into a sea of fire that completely enveloped Xiao Yan.

His entire body felt comfortable at this moment, as if he were soaking in a hot spring. That warm sensation made him drowsy.

He closed his eyes contentedly and began to circulate the Flame Mantra, guiding the Yin- Yang Twin Flame.

The Yin-Yang Twin Flame seeped into his flesh and blood through his pores, slowly traveling along his meridians toward his Acceptance Soul.

Xiao Yan could sense the Dou God Bloodline that Xiao Xuan had mentioned within the Yin- Yang Twin Flame, but this Dou God Bloodline was extremely thin.

By the standards of the former Xiao Clan, this bloodline was merely Grade 1-the weakest kind. Forget about activating the Clan Mark; it was practically useless except for slightly enhancing talent. Without the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change, this bit of bloodline power could only marginally improve cultivation aptitude.

But that made sense. If the bloodline concentration were too high, how could it have escaped under Hun Tiandi's nose?

-

While Xiao Yan was 'receiving a blood transfusion' inside the Gate of Life and Death, he naturally didn't know that earth-shattering changes were already occurring within the entire Misty Cloud Sect.

"Have you heard? The Misty Cloud Sect has sealed the mountain."

"I've heard. They say they're going to hold some sort of ceremony and have closed off Misty Cloud Mountain to avoid disturbances. No one's allowed in or out."

At this point, nearly a day had passed since Xiao Yan entered the Gate of Life and Death to train.

Not long after Xiao Yan entered the Gate of Life and Death, Yun Shan announced the sealing of the mountain gate. He even activated the newly restored sect-protecting grand formation to completely seal off the entire Misty Cloud Sect.

Forget about entering or leaving; even spiritual perceptions couldn't penetrate.

In the Jia Ma Imperial Palace, upon discovering that something was amiss, Princess Yao Ye hurriedly gathered all the experts who had attended the confrontation between Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan two days prior.

"We haven't discovered anything unusual." Mu Chen shook his head, indicating that he didn't understand why the Misty Cloud Sect had suddenly done this.

"After Xiao Yan caused a commotion in the Misty Cloud Sect, Queen Medusa appeared, leading to Yun Shan's defeat. Xiao Yan proposed entering the Gate of Life and Death for training as compensation. Everything seemed normal." Nalan Jie also shook his head, having noticed nothing amiss.

Fa Ma seemed to recall something. His brows furrowed as he said, "Could it be that the Misty Cloud Sect has a second elite Dou Ancestor, and they've sealed the mountain to capture Queen

Medusa?"

He suddenly remembered Yun Shan's crazed words at the end. If Yun Shan had been calling for another Dou Ancestor hidden within the Misty Cloud Sect at that time, then it was indeed

possible!

"A second one?! How is that possible?! How could the Misty Cloud Sect produce two Dou Ancestors?!" Jia Xing Tian exclaimed. If the Misty Cloud Sect truly had two Dou Ancestors, then the entire North-Western Region might fall under their control.

The upcoming Great Meeting of Factions of the North-Western Region wouldn't need to be held. Two Dou Ancestors would be enough to dominate.

Hai Bodong sighed and said worriedly, "For now, let's wait and see. I have a soul jade piece made by Xiao Yan. If something really happens to him, he should crush the jade piece to notify

me."

...

Over a month passed in the blink of an eye. Since sealing the mountain more than a month ago, the Misty Cloud Sect seemed to have become a sacred land isolated from the world. It was no longer bustling with people coming and going as before. Even the once lively Misty Cloud City had become sparsely populated.

At this moment, near the Gate of Life and Death, more than a dozen thick black iron chains coiled around the stone pillars, as if trying to uproot it.

The other ends of the iron chains were connected to various altars. Upon closer inspection, one would find that these altars resembled Soul Offering Altars, except that this time, the offerings placed on them were not soul stones or soul tokens but living beings.

In just this short week, not only had the disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect who had already

joined the Hall of Souls as Soul Envoys gone out hunting, but some rogue cultivators who had joined the Hall of Souls also participated. Together, they captured many cultivators and mercenaries from various cities.

The vast majority were Dou Practitioners and Dou Masters. There were also some Dou Grandmasters and Dou Spirits. Even magical beasts and ordinary people were not spared. Protector Wu laughed sinisterly when he saw that the returning Soul Envoys had completed their tasks. "Jie Jie Jie, put all the people into the altars! As long as there are enough of them, I refuse to believe we can't forcibly uproot this Gate of Life and Death by absorbing their

souls!"

In an instant, those Soul Envoys wearing Soul Robes threw all the captured ordinary people

and cultivators into the altars.

The massive platforms immediately became crowded as the various Soul Envoys dumped all

the captured beings into them.

"Grandma! Where are you? Grandpa!" In an instant, every altar was filled with heart- wrenching cries, and wails echoed from all sides.

The huge altars were teeming with people, and a cacophony of sorrowful cries, screams, and wails intertwined, creating a scene of utter misery and despair.

Yun Shan, who was watching all this from the sky, couldn't help but feel his heart tremble at the sight.

Although he had been mentally prepared, witnessing it still made him feel distressed.

The Secret Techniques of the Hall of Souls were based on Spiritual Strength; the stronger the Spiritual Strength, the more powerful the techniques. For instance, the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique that Xiao Yan cultivated. The reason his Spiritual Strength could progress so quickly was not only due to his innately strong soul but also because, when he refined the Ten Thousand Beast Flame in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger had given him all the residual Spiritual Strength within the Heavenly Flame.

This also meant that gathering souls could collect the power of living beings to enhance

oneself.

"This is too inhumane! There are ordinary people and the elderly, women, and children in there!" Some elders who had been misled into joining the Hall of Souls saw this scene and couldn't help but become furious, their eyes nearly popping from rage.

Some were so angry they wanted to rush out but were held back by other elders beside them,

who said in a deep voice, "You're going to your death. Not to mention the several High Tian Class Soul Envoys nearing the strength of a Protector at the Dou Emperor realm, Protector Wu alone could wipe out our Misty Cloud Sect."

this time, many hidden elders of the Misty Cloud Sect were also watching with righteous

indignation, but they were powerless to do anything.

Even Yun Shan had to obey Protector Wu.

Given the forces that Protector Wu had assembled from the Hall of Souls, he could easily

sweep through the entire Misty Cloud Sect.

"Yun Shan, these people's strength is insufficient. There should be several Dou Emperors in the Jia Ma Empire," Protector Wu frowned as he looked at the people on the altars. His Spiritual Strength swept over them and found that most had low cultivation levels. The strongest were just a few Dou Kings and some low-tier alchemists. There wasn't even a single

Dou Emperor.

Yun Shan's face darkened as he said in a low voice, "Our mountain sealing has already aroused

the suspicions of the Jia Ma Imperial Family. If we make a move against Dou Emperors and it happens to draw the attention of the Alchemist Association, that would be very

troublesome."

Protector Wu's brows furrowed slightly again at the mention of the Alchemist Association. That organization was an obstacle to the Hall of Souls.

The Hall of Souls naturally didn't fear the Pill Tower, but Protector Wu alone couldn't

represent the entire Hall of Souls; a mere Protector wasn't enough to make the Alchemist Association apprehensive.

"Have you found Queen Medusa?" Protector Wu asked.

When the Misty Cloud Sect sealed the mountain, Yun Shan had immediately gone to search

the building where Xiao Yan was staying, but Medusa had detected this in advance and hidden

herself.

Even Protector Wu couldn't find traces when a Dou Ancestor wanted to hide and not appear. "No signs of her have been found yet."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Protector Wu's eyes narrowed as he glanced toward a grand hall. In a deep voice, he said,

"Remember, you are a Protector of the Hall of Souls. If necessary, you must understand that some people need to be sacrificed."

Yun Shan's expression became even grimmer upon hearing this. That place was where they

imprisoned the Misty Cloud Sect disciples who hadn't joined the Hall of Souls; even Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran had been locked up there.

Protector Wu let out a cold laugh and shouted, "Since time is of the essence, let's begin! Nine

Forest Hundred Soul Devourer! Rise!"

Protector Wu let out a shrill shout when he saw the Soul Offering Altar filled. A strange black fog suddenly surged out from the altar, enveloping everyone on it. Immediately after, the sounds of chewing and miserable screams slowly emanated from within the black fog,

making one's hair stand on end.

The gnawing sounds eerily echoed in the silent space. One could imagine the horrifying scene occurring within that black fog, and just thinking about it made one's blood run cold.

At this moment, Yun Yun and the others imprisoned in the grand hall also heard these sounds

akin to demons devouring in hell.

"Master, what should we do?" Nalan Yanran couldn't comprehend how, just over a month

ago, everything had been fine, and now the Misty Cloud Sect had suddenly become like this!

"Yanran, stand back. Wind's Peak: Killer Meteorite!" Yun Yun drew her sword from her

storage ring and, wielding it, unleashed the Di Class Dou Technique, Wind's Peak: Killer Meteorite, toward the door.

A flash of white light streaked by, but no matter how much force Yun Yun exerted, she

couldn't break the seal set by Yun Shan.

Just then, a pair of eyes appeared, footsteps echoed, and with a mere wave of a sleeve, all the

guarding Soul Envoys were reduced to ashes.

A flame gradually grew larger in the person's palm, and with a tremendous boom, Yun Shan's

seal was completely shattered.

"Queen Medusa?!" Yun Yun's beautiful eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected that their

rescuer would be the Snake-People Tribe's Queen Medusa! "That black-clothed fellow is devouring the souls of countless people, intending to forcibly

break open the Gate of Life and Death." Even Queen Medusa's face was exceptionally solemn

at this moment.

She could sense that the strength of the person called Protector Wu was skyrocketing, while

an extremely cold aura enveloped the entire Misty Cloud Sect.

Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran's expressions changed slightly upon hearing this. They hadn't

expected Protector Wu to be so ruthless, actually conducting live sacrifices to unleash a secret

technique! "Yanran, take the other disciples and leave the Misty Cloud Sect immediately. I'm going to find Master; he must have a way," Yun Yun bit her lower lip and said quickly.

Queen Medusa glanced at Yun Yun and said, "Those captives were seized under your Master's

own orders."

Yun Yun's face turned deathly pale upon hearing this. Although she had already suspected something, actually hearing it was still hard to accept. How could the Master who had raised

her become like this!

Boom!

In an instant, Misty Cloud Mountain trembled once again. Protector Wu, whose strength had skyrocketed after using the Secret Technique, grabbed the thick black chains and gave a

violent tug upward.

"Rise for me!"

Protector Wu intended to uproot the Gate of Life and Death along with the secret realm space

below!

All the Soul Envoys trembled in fear when they saw this terrifying act. Whether Dou Kings or Dou Emperors, they were scared out of their wits, their bodies shaking uncontrollably. After absorbing countless souls, Protector Wu's strength had reached the peak of a 9-star Dou Ancestor! He had even grasped Spatial Strength!

Although he hadn't achieved the Dou Venerate's complete mastery of space, he wasn't far off.

Buzz!! Suddenly, the entire Misty Cloud Sect emitted a dazzling light. Wisps of clouds and mist enveloped the area and actually collided with the black fog released by Protector Wu.

White mist surged out from the Gate of Life and Death, and silhouettes appeared one after another.

Yun Shan's eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "Those are the protective forces left behind by the previous Sect Leaders!"

Protector Wu's eyes turned cold the moment he saw this scene. His tone shifted as his voice

echoed across the sky: "Since your Misty Cloud Sect chooses to oppose me, then there is no need to support this sect any longer. Some things should be taken back!"

The elders of the Misty Cloud Sect who had joined the Hall of Souls all turned pale when they

heard the sinister laughter from within the black fog. Yun Shan seemed to realize something and hurriedly tried to retreat.

However, just as they started to move, a strange suction force suddenly erupted from that mass of black fog. This force swept down like a tidal wave. While it didn't harm ordinary people, those who had joined the Hall of Souls and cultivated its Soul Training Methods

suddenly froze. Then their bodies became as stiff as puppets, faces contorted in pain and twisted into hideous grimaces.

Even Yun Shan found himself unable to move.

"Protector Wu! What are you-?!"

"Jie Jie Jie, did you really think I was so kind as to gift you all a Di Class Soul Training Method?

The Mother-Child Twin Soul Technique was meant to be used together with the Nine Forest Hundred Soul Devourer all along!" Protector Wu revealed a savage expression. All the Misty Cloud Sect members who had joined the Hall of Souls were under his control.

After reporting about the Xiao Clan back then, Protector Wu had received many Soul Points as

a reward, allowing him to obtain this technique.

"Jie Jie Jie, you've accepted the power of my Hall of Souls. Now it's time for you to pay the

price." A chilling laugh emanated from within the black fog. "Come forth!"

Protector Wu's cold shout suddenly resounded. Following that, the bodies of nearly a dozen

Misty Cloud Sect Elders and some elite disciples instantly went limp. Illusory soul bodies

floated out from the tops of their heads and slowly rose into the air amidst countless shocked and horrified gazes, finally all being sucked into that eerie black fog. Only Yun Shan was desperately resisting, suppressing his soul from being drawn out.

With a squelching sound, Yun Shan looked down in horror to see a withered hand piercing

through his back, stabbing directly through his heart.

"Jie Jie Jie, Yun Shan, this Protector will gladly accept your soul." Protector Wu then pulled, extracting Yun Shan's soul body and directly tossing it into his mouth to chew. After devouring the souls of Yun Shan and many Misty Cloud Sect elders, Protector Wu's

strength suddenly skyrocketed to an unbelievable level.

"Bastard! Give me back my Master's soul!" Yun Yun's eyes turned red with tears. A pair of

green Dou Qi wings rapidly unfolded behind her. With a powerful flap, she soared into the sky,

charging toward that mass of black fog. "Hmph, overestimating yourself!"

Protector Wu's cold laugh echoed from within the black fog. A black energy arrow suddenly

shot out, aiming straight for Yun Yun's forehead.

Bang! Queen Medusa suddenly appeared in front of Yun Yun, her hands condensing brilliant

seven-colored light. However, the incomparably terrifying power instantly shattered her defense.

With just a casual strike, Protector Wu sent both Queen Medusa and Yun Yun flying. "Jie Jie Jie! What this Protector-no, what this Venerable-seeks, none shall hinder! That inheritance belongs to me!" After devouring countless souls, Protector Wu's strength was infinitely close to that of a Dou Venerate!

"That remains to be seen."

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from below.

Xiao Yan slowly walked out from the Gate of Life and Death, his body enveloped in black and

white flames. He surveyed his surroundings, and upon seeing the Soul Offering Altars filled

with corpses, he roughly guessed what had happened.

Protector Wu's eyes filled with greed at the sight of Xiao Yan. He casually tossed aside Yun

Shan's corpse as an overwhelming black fog surged forth.

"Jie Jie Jie, Xiao Yan, you've finally shown yourself. Quickly hand over the inheritance to me,

and this Venerable might spare your life!"

Xiao Yan looked at Protector Wu, who had amplified his strength through a Secret Technique,

with a strange expression. He said, "Do you even know what that inheritance is? And you

think you can just take it?"