Battle Throught The Heavens: Reborn Yan Emperor Ts

Xiao Yan smiled as he watched the young cultivator slowly open his eyes. From Xiao Yan's perspective, the young man's cultivation was impressive—he could easily be considered a leader on the Dou Qi Continent and had reached the strength of a Seven-Star Dou Huang. The giant wolf Xiao Yan had previously fought was a seventh-tier magical beast known as the Howling Moon Nether Wolf. In battle, this beast was ruthless: it charged without hesitation at every opportunity, even when its opponent was near a vital point, never dodging. Many were terrified by its life-for-life fighting style; most would retreat to conserve strength, waiting patiently for the enemy to show a flaw before delivering a fatal blow. Few could hold out long against such relentless assault, and unless one was far stronger than the Howling Moon Nether Wolf, challenging it would be unthinkable. Yet the young cultivator before Xiao Yan seemed unusual—despite having seen many dead bodies, Xiao Yan sensed that this man's identity and strength were higher than his appearance suggested. He appeared to have been drawn out from his own force.

When the young cultivator fully opened his eyes and saw Xiao Yan, he sprang up instinctively from the bluestone on which he had been lying. Landing a few feet away and raising a cloud of gray mist, he quickly approached, bowed to Xiao Yan, and said,

"I am Liu Xiang. Thank you for saving my life. I didn't recognize you at first. I hope you will forgive me."

Liu Xiang spoke without hesitation, his tone straightforward and cheerful. Xiao Yan, not blaming him for the initial confusion, explained his own intentions, and the two soon left the forest together. However, to avoid unnecessary trouble and to better understand this world, Xiao Yan did not accompany Liu Xiang out of the forest.

Along the way, Xiao Yan formed a good impression of Liu Xiang. Through conversation, he learned that they were in the southwest of the continent, adjacent to the ancient southern forest. This area was rife with powerful monsters—some strong enough to rival peak human cultivators. Yet these monsters appeared to have an agreement with the humans; they could not act freely, or they would be hunted down by the strongest forces.

Liu Xiang came from Qingyang City—a modest city in the southwest—and was a member of the Liu family, one of the two major families there. For hundreds of years, the Liu and Wu families had fought openly and secretly. The Wu family had long been evenly matched with the Liu family until ten years ago, when the head of the Wu family made a breakthrough, injuring the Liu family patriarch and leaving him with lasting sequelae. Although the patriarch's condition had nearly recovered, the Wu family continued to suppress the Liu family, monopolizing most of Qingyang City's textile markets. With the patriarch still weakened and medicinal herbs scarce, the Wu family was about to attack the city. In desperation, Liu Xiang had led his family members in search of medicinal herbs. After two months and several battles, Liu Xiang finally discovered the locations of all the medicinal herbs. However, after many skirmishes, only a few of his people remained, and the final herb—the Soul-Protecting Grass—remained uncollected. This left Liu Xiang and his followers extremely anxious. If Xiao Yan had not arrived in time, Liu Xiang might have been lost to his enemies.

Time passed, and the two continued to talk as they walked. Soon they neared the city. Xiao Yan looked over and saw a dark line on the distant horizon; the ground beneath had long changed from green grass to a solid, well-traveled road. He took a deep breath, feeling the familiar human energy among the elements, and smiled softly.

"It's much nicer to be among humans! Being alone is dull. Brother Liu, I have other matters to attend to—see you another day!"

As soon as he finished, regardless of Liu Xiang's shocked expression, Xiao Yan's figure flashed and he disappeared. Only the echo of his farewell remained in the air, reminding Liu Xiang of the young man's name—Xiao Yan, roughly the same age as himself.

Liu Xiang stood there for a long time before coming to his senses. He stepped forward, nearly losing his balance. Realizing his legs were numb, he circulated his fighting spirit to restore feeling and then continued toward Qingyang City. This time, his speed was aided by martial techniques, leaving behind streaks of light as he dashed off. Muttering to himself, he said,

"Great... so fast. Only the Patriarch, at full strength, can match this pace. That means his power is at least equal to the Patriarch's—truly terrifying. With such talent, he must be a disciple of a major sect who has come to gain experience. If my Liu family is on good terms with him, even the Wu family will have to show courtesy. This matter must reach the Patriarch soon."

With that, his speed increased, and he quickly flew toward the Liu family stronghold in Qingyang City.

While Liu Xiang raced outside the city, Xiao Yan strolled along its bustling streets and smiled as he observed the lively crowds. After wandering among the people, he discovered a chamber of commerce that specialized in information. Inside, he casually flipped through various documents about the continent and smiled. He selected a book, tossed a handful of gold coins onto the counter, and left. Outside, he carefully read the dust-covered book titled Detailed Explanation of the Continent.

The book explained many aspects of the continent, but Xiao Yan focused on the most important parts: the continent, known as Yuanwu Continent, is divided into a Central Region and an Outer Region. The Outer Region is split into four parts—east, west, south, and north—which are further divided into nine states, thirty-six counties, and seventy-two prefectures. The book provided little detail about the Central Region, which did not surprise Xiao Yan.

What Xiao Yan cared about most was strength, the true pass to the continent. He noted that most power divisions on Yuanwu Continent were similar to those on the Dou Qi Continent, but differences emerged after reaching the Dou Sheng level. Beyond Dou Sheng, the realms are divided as follows: Half Emperor, Dou Emperor, Transformation Realm, Return to Origin Mirror, Origin King, Origin Emperor, Origin Sect, Origin Reverend, Origin Saint, and Origin Emperor. These realms mark the divisions of power on Yuanwu Continent, and while many parallels exist between the Ethics and Fighters to Fighting Saints, the Source Transformation Realm and the Return to Source Mirror stand apart.

The book explained that the Huayuan and Guiyuan Realms do not exhibit a nine-star difference as in other realms. Instead, they each have three stages: early, middle, and late—with the late stage further divided into two phases, the late stage and the late peak perfection. Before a cultivator reaches the Huayuan Realm, they can use the Emperor's Origin between heaven and earth for cultivation, provided they first adapt to the Zhoutian Source Energy. Xiao Yan recalled that his previous breakthrough had been hindered by an incompatibility between ** and the Source Energy. Without the jade bottle, he would have been lost at that moment.

People on Yuanwu Continent can naturally adapt to the Source Energy since they are born here, while someone like Xiao Yan will require time to adjust.

The purpose of these realms is to enable cultivators to merge the Source Energy of heaven and earth with their own bodies, making it their own. In the Source Transformation Realm, one cultivates both Dou Qi and Source Qi; upon reaching the Return to Origin Mirror, the focus shifts to Source Qi.

The human body cannot grow indefinitely. Although Dou Qi can fortify the body, unchecked growth would disrupt the natural cycle of life. Practicing Source Qi allows one to absorb and refine this energy to strengthen the body, as Source Qi is milder and denser than Dou Qi. However, its lethality is far less potent than that of Dou Qi. Fortunately, after reaching the Guiyuan Mirror, cultivators must use Source Qi, so they need not worry. Even for Dou Di practitioners, even ten peak Dou Di are no match for a strong man from the Guiyuan Realm. This gap in realms cannot be bridged solely by raw power.

The goal of practicing in the Guiyuan Realm is to harmonize the body with the Source Energy of heaven and earth, achieving perfect unity. This requires refining and absorbing the Source Energy into a pure white bead within the body—the purer the bead, the brighter the future. Once a milky white Source Energy bead is formed, multiple super sects will vie to claim you as a disciple. That is why many remain in the Guiyuan Realm until their moment of glory. Their aim is to secure a position in a super sect, which in turn grants their families unparalleled honor. The Guiyuan Realm is the ultimate foundation.