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The Void Swallowing Flame said gravely, "But have you forgotten the most critical step? Everything depends on whether you can defeat the Emp
The Void Swallowing Flame said gravely, "But have you forgotten the most critical step? Everything depends on whether you can defeat the Emperor-grade embryo pill. If you can't overcome it, everything else is meaningless."
"I'm not entirely sure of the difference between a Half-Emperor and the peak of Nine-Star Dou Saint," Qian Renhan responded. "During the battle with the Xiao Clan back then, I ambushed and killed the Flame Ancestor, but was later severely wounded by Gu Yuan. I never faced Xiao Xuan head-on."
"Even with a severely injured body, Xiao Xuan—who had broken through to Half-Emperor—still managed to seriously injure Hun Tiandi and wipe out more than half of the Spirit Clan's Dou Saints. It took Hun Tiandi a thousand years to recover from those wounds."
Qian Renhan smiled calmly and said, "If power falls short, then use external means. The Medicine Clan has accumulated Ninth-Tier treasure pills, mystic pills, and even the Spirits of powerful Dou Saints for over a thousand years."
Even a Ninth-Tier treasure pill, when thrown at close range against a peak Nine-Star Dou Saint, could cause significant injury if the target was unguarded. Even if prepared, the Dou Qi consumed would be considerable.
To a Dou Emperor, however, Ninth-Tier pills held little value. Without origin energy, no matter how many one consumed, it wouldn't aid cultivation much.
The Void Swallowing Flame gave a sly smile. "That could work. With your current strength and mastery of spatial techniques, infiltrating the Medicine Clan and stealing pills shouldn't be hard. Their current clan leader, Yao Dan, is only a Seven-Star Dou Saint. Aside from pills, the clan also holds a legacy of high-tier Heaven-rank techniques."
The Stone and Spirit Clans, once homes of Dou Emperors, also possessed advanced techniques—but all of those had long been moved to the Spirit Clan. The Void Swallowing Flame knew this but didn't dare mention it, for fear that Hun Tiandi might find out during future conflicts.
Throughout their entire conversation, Zhu Kun remained silent, simply watching as Qian Renhan and the Void Swallowing Flame—two master schemers—crafted their plan. When it came to strategy, Zhu Kun knew this was not a strength of the Taixu Ancient Dragons.
Qian Renhan's plan was as follows: within six years, he would reach peak Nine-Star Dou Saint. Once that was done, Zhu Kun would be released. With Zhu Kun and the Void Swallowing Flame working together, they would tear open the space of the Ancient Emperor's Cave and send one person in to seize the Emperor-grade embryo pill.
That person could only be Qian Renhan.
To self-destruct a Dou Saint's Spirit requires special techniques developed by the Spirit Palace—something only their Dou Qi could accomplish. Zhu Kun couldn't do it, and the Void Swallowing Flame lacked the strength.
In terms of combat ability within the same realm, Zhu Kun had heard from the Void Swallowing Flame how Qian Renhan, at late-stage Four-Star Dou Saint, had forcefully defeated late-stage Five-Star Dou Saint Huang Tian. Even Zhu Kun himself might have chosen to flee in that situation.
Then, while Hun Tiandi and Gu Yuan were inside the Ancient Emperor's Cave fighting over the inheritance, their respective clans would be defenseless. That would be the moment to activate the Spirit Devouring Life-Extinguishing Formation and perform a blood sacrifice—thus achieving Dou Emperor status.
It was a risky plan. A single misstep could doom the entire strategy. But was Hun Tiandi's own thousand-year plan any less risky? If he failed to gather all eight Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jades, or if the formation was discovered, his efforts would be wasted too.
With the plan finalized, Qian Renhan extended a hand. "Void Swallowing Flame, give me part of the flame that caused you injury. Then return to the Spirit Clan and report to Hun Tiandi that you discovered the Ancient Emperor's Cave and were wounded by Senior Zhu Kun."
"What do you mean by that?" the Void Swallowing Flame frowned in confusion.
"If I'm right, Hun Tiandi already knows you came out to kill me. With his personality, if I return unharmed and you also return unscathed, what do you think he'll assume?"
A few breaths later, the Void Swallowing Flame let out a cold laugh. A lump of flame slowly separated from his body. "I never expected someone so young to have such a deep mind and shrewd nature. I can't tell if working with you is a blessing or a curse. At most, I can buy you half a year."
"That's enough."
Some things need not be said too bluntly. As a thousand-year schemer himself, the Void Swallowing Flame instantly understood everything.
He had failed to kill Qian Renhan and returned to the Spirit Clan with injuries. Once Hun Tiandi learned of this, he would likely act personally. Mentioning the Ancient Emperor's Cave and Zhu Kun would serve as cover for the Void Swallowing Flame's weakened condition.
Their relationship was built on mutual interests, but both were wary of each other. Especially now that Hun Tiandi's thousand-year plan was nearing its climax, the Void Swallowing Flame's usefulness in preserving the Spirit Clan's bloodline had diminished.
Thus, until his injuries were fully healed, he would never return—fearing Hun Tiandi might refine him into fuel. This recovery time would be precious to Qian Renhan, buying him a chance to grow.
Later, when Hun Tiandi attacked, Qian Renhan would never use Netherworld Sky Wrath. First, he had to prevent Hun Tiandi from realizing it was he who repelled the Void Swallowing Flame. Second, even the peak Spirit of the Heavenly Realm wouldn't significantly affect the Spirit of an Emperor.
Every step had been carefully calculated by Qian Renhan to minimize risk and maximize benefit. By revealing only partial information, the Void Swallowing Flame had already inferred most of the plan.
Qian Renhan was never a brute. He wasn't just some musclehead with no brains. Quite the opposite—his perception had always been razor-sharp. In the world of Douluo, he'd faced nothing but buffoons—clowns who postured, sneaked attacks, or held him back.
Against such fools, all he had to do was focus on strength. If anyone resisted, they were crushed. Wasting even a moment of thought on them was an insult to intelligence. Arguing with them was a waste of breath—a fool's errand.
But here in Battle Through the Heavens, facing a true overlord like Hun Tiandi—the most powerful man on the continent—Qian Renhan had to use every ounce of his intelligence to grow under that shadow.
"This flame should be enough to push you to Eight-Star Dou Saint." The Void Swallowing Flame's body no longer emitted its characteristic dark flames. He handed over a lump of terrifying energy to Qian Renhan. In terms of power, it was just slightly below the blood essence of a Demon Saint. If the Void Swallowing Flame had a human face, it would be pale as death right now.
"Take this."
Qian Renhan also tossed over a jade bottle. The moment the Void Swallowing Flame opened it, a power greater than a Dou Saint surged out, pushing aside even the ancient, primal aura of the cave.
The Void Swallowing Flame let out an eerie smile. "Half-Emperor blood of the Netherworld Demon Saint… So that's what you used to elevate your body to its current state. I didn't expect you to hand this over to me."
Qian Renhan replied plainly, "I treat allies with fairness. As long as there is no betrayal, I'll never let my comrades suffer loss."
Those words stirred something in the Void Swallowing Flame. He couldn't tell if Qian Renhan was making empty promises or masking another layer of intent.
"I'll thank you then. Also, one reminder—the Heavenly Tomb is set to open in half a year. Someone from the Medicine Clan has already entered the Ancient Clan's tomb."
(End of Chapter)