"Soul Command Token! You possess the Hun Clan insignia!" Yao Li's doubts vanished upon glimpsing the Soul Command Token on the black-robed figure.
Clan tokens were something the Yao Clan also possessed. Beyond being a symbol of identity, these tokens were tools provided by the clan with various benefits. They not only enabled spiritual communication abilities but could also summon powerful allies.
The Yao Clan's tokens were refined from various precious medicinal ingredients and were extremely valuable. Wearing it could not only ward off poison and evil spirits but also help concentrate the mind when refining pills.
Clan tokens were generally only granted to disciples who could participate in the clan's coming-of-age ceremony.
Similar to Xiao Yan's clan, the ceremony wasn't just a matter of reaching a certain age; one had to reach a certain level of cultivation to qualify. Only those who met the standard would become true clan disciples, while those who didn't would be sent to remote areas to develop new territories, which essentially meant exile from the clan.
The requirements of the Dou God Clans were even more strict. Only disciples with Dou God Bloodlines of Grade 4 or higher could participate. These disciples would not only receive a token representing their identity but also activate their Clan Mark.
Although each token had differences in rank, it was undeniable that only those with at least a Grade 4 Dou God Bloodline could possess one.
Yao Li himself had a token, but he had barely made the cut with a Grade 4 Dou God Bloodline.
For the Dou God Clans, cultivation level wasn't the most important thing, nor was talent. The Dou God Bloodline was what truly mattered.
Even if one's talent in alchemy was extraordinary, a subpar Dou God Bloodline could still lead to being framed and exiled from the clan.
This concept was subtly instilled in the disciples of the Dou God Clans from a young age. Thus, when Yao Li saw the Soul Command Token, he panicked, because the other party's Dou God Bloodline was at least on par with his own, if not far higher.
Moreover, the other party was a member of the Hun Clan. The Hun Clan was inherently stronger than the Yao Clan.
Xiao Yan's lips curled into a smile under the black robe. He knew that he had made the right bet. The Hall of Souls, or rather the Hun Clan, held greater sway than the so-called Yao Clan!
And what he had to do was leverage that power!
"You mean this?" Xiao Yan casually took out the Soul Command Token from his waist, letting it dangle in his hand.
With a nonchalant wave of the Soul Command Token, Xiao Yan gave Yao Li a lazy glance and said slowly, "No wonder your Yao Clan has declined; it turns out it's filled with worthless trash like you."
His words left the nearby Amethyst Winged Lion King and Mu Lao tongue-tied. The Lion King couldn't help but wail inwardly, 'Brat, you're just putting on an act! You're pointing at Yao Li's nose and cursing him. If you really provoke his anger and he tries to fight you to the death, it'll be over!'
Xiao Yan's tone was utterly arrogant. He didn't even put Yao Li in his eyes as he walked forward step by step with an air of total indifference.
"Stop right there! Even if you're from the Hun Clan, we of the Yao Clan discovered the Ten Thousand Beast Flame first!" Yao Li's voice was loud but lacked confidence, and everyone could hear the trepidation in his heart.
Xiao Yan couldn't help but scoff inwardly. How did someone with such a weak character become a 5th-tier Alchemist? Was the so-called Dou God Bloodline really that incredible that even pigs could become alchemists?
"You discovered it first?" Xiao Yan couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. With a cold snort, he said, "You think too highly of your Yao Clan. We of the Hun Clan are despicable and shameless. Today, I, Hun Yan, will seize the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. What can you do about it?"
Yao Li clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Such arrogant and contemptuous words infuriated him to the point of almost vomiting blood. As a member of the Yao Clan, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?!
"Regardless of who you are in the Yao Clan or what tier alchemist you are, today, I'm determined to take the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. If you obediently follow the rules, I can let you two leave."
"But if you want to play dirty… Then I'll go along with it! Whether you call a Dou Emperor or a Dou Ancestor, I don't care. I wouldn't mind taking your souls along with it. A 7-star Dou Emperor and a 5th-tier alchemist should fetch quite a few soul points."
Xiao Yan's tone was flat yet domineering, exuding a natural-born authority, as if he truly had the power to back up his words.
"Jie Jie Jie, a 7th-tier alchemist's soul body is indeed worth calling in some favors."
With a leisurely stride, Xiao Yan walked right between Yao Li and Mu Lao, moving with such ease and calm as if he owned the place, and headed straight toward the Ten Thousand Beast Flame.
All the while, Xiao Yan tried his best to control his heartbeat, not letting it race too quickly.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King, watching from the side, was about to go crazy!!!
Because it truly knew that Xiao Yan was just putting on an act!
Just a short while ago, Xiao Yan had to hide when Mu Lao appeared. And just now, the Amethyst Winged Lion King had sensed his nervousness, even needing to be told to hold off that 7-star Dou Emperor. This all indicated that he was just putting on a show!
If he really managed to scare off these two, the Amethyst Winged Lion King would gladly crown Xiao Yan as the ultimate master of bluffing!
In fact, neither the Amethyst Winged Lion King nor Xiao Yan knew that when the Hun Clan first started hunting soul bodies and alchemists throughout the Dou Qi Continent, the alchemists had once gone to the Yao Realm to seek the protection of the Yao Clan.
But the result was that the Yao Clan was unwilling to go to war with the Hun Clan and preferred to remain secluded in their own realm. That was why the Pill Tower was eventually established.
The Pill Tower was an organization established by the alchemists of the Dou Qi Continent to protect themselves from the Hall of Souls.
It had nothing to do with the Yao Clan.
Most of the Dou God Clans lived in the small worlds created by their Dou God ancestors. Unless a special resource appeared or there was news of a Heavenly Flame, they rarely ventured out.
Except for the Hun Clan.
The influence of the Hall of Souls spread throughout the Dou Qi Continent. They had people everywhere. It could be said that among the many Dou God Clans, the Hall of Souls had the most extensive intelligence network.
The reason why Hun Lao Gui had warned Xiao Yan was because members of both the Yao Clan and Yan Clan had inquired with the Hall of Souls about the Ten Thousand Beast Flame.
Naturally, Yao Li was afraid. After all, this was the Dou Qi Continent, not the Yao Realm. If Xiao Yan used spiritual transmission to call over Dou Ancestors or even Dou Venerates from the Hall of Souls, it would be akin to courting death.
Perhaps the Hall of Souls even had a branch hall in the Magic Beast Mountain Range!
The Yao Clan's identity truly held no sway before the Hall of Souls and might even backfire!
"Lion King, what are you waiting for? Our agreement was that I would help you eliminate the enemy's remnant soul to free the soul of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger, and the Ten Thousand Beast Flame would be mine in return." Xiao Yan feigned displeasure as he questioned.
Upon receiving Xiao Yan's cue, the Amethyst Winged Lion King hurriedly flapped its wings and flew toward the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. As expected, neither Yao Li nor Mu Lao dared to obstruct it.
Although Yao Li was so angry that he gnashed his teeth, he still didn't dare to make a move. If things escalated, his life would be in jeopardy.
Yao Li had originally wanted to use the power of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame to allow his Dou God Bloodline to advance further. But he hadn't expected to encounter someone from the Hall of Souls!
The Amethyst Winged Lion King stood before the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and asked clumsily, "So, how should I help?"
Xiao Yan shook his head in exasperation and said, "Since we already know that the Ten Thousand Beast Flame can't be inherited because it's being controlled by a soul body, you just need to use your Beast Flame and Spiritual Strength to help the remnant soul of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger eliminate the other party."
The Amethyst Winged Lion King finally understood Xiao Yan's plan. It was to take advantage of Yao Li's lack of response, join forces with the remnant soul of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger, and eliminate the soul body of that 7th-tier alchemist. Without the 7th-tier alchemist, the Ten Thousand Beast Flame would be theirs to command!
With a beast's roar, the Amethyst Beast Flame surged into the Ten Thousand Beast Flame.
The Beast Emperor of the Magic Beast Mountain Range had been deceived by a mere soul body for so long!