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"You think I'd give you that chance? Slaughter Angel, Blood Angel Shura!"
Qian Renhan's eyes were completely blood-red. The Shura Sword in his hand glowed with intense crimson light, boiling killing intent flooding into it. Even the dark sky turned blood-colored, the temperature of the world dropping rapidly as battle aura surged wildly into the Shura Sword.
"He's channeling heaven and earth's battle aura… That's the power of a tiered Dou Technique at the Earth Rank, and it seems to be mid-level. I can't believe Qian Renhan was hiding something like this," Yao Chen said, frowning deeply, beginning to doubt Qian Renhan's earlier claims.
In truth, Qian Renhan didn't possess any Earth Rank Dou Techniques. This move was a soul skill he created during his final battle with Di Tian. Its power was linked to the strength of his heart of slaughter—the stronger the killing intent, the greater the power. It wasn't a conventional sword technique.
In the Douluo world, the inherited Shura Sword Technique was Qian Renhan's most powerful move. But in the Dou Qi Continent, he could only rely on self-created skills formed from his own killing intent, which still counted as personalized Dou Techniques.
"You dare kill us? You dare?! If you kill us, the Gu Clan will never let you go!" Gu Ming shouted, his voice hoarse, all traces of his previous high-and-mighty demeanor gone.
Qian Renhan didn't waste a single word. A thousand-meter-long slash of pure blood-red sword energy erupted. Wherever the energy passed, space itself was torn apart. A massive, perfectly straight spatial rift—stretching a full kilometer—was left in the sky, with no minor cracks around it.
"This...!"
Yao Chen was once again stunned. Even at his peak, he could shatter space like this—but to focus the attack so precisely, condensing all power into a single, concentrated spatial tear, was beyond him.
Gu Yun and Gu Ming were both cleaved in two, and then each received an additional strike to completely erase them from existence.
A black meteor streaked down from the sky. After retrieving the three Dou Zun corpses, Qian Renhan returned to the back mountain of the Xiao family.
"Big Brother, your injuries..." Xiao Yan looked at Qian Renhan's blood-soaked back and the missing right hand, fury burning in his heart. This Gu Clan—more arrogant and domineering than even the Yunlan Sect by a hundredfold!
Yao Chen spoke gravely, "Young friend, do you realize that the ones you killed were members of the Gu Clan?"
Xiao Yan asked in surprise, "Senior, is the Gu Clan really that powerful? Big Brother just fought three of them alone and won."
Yao Chen transmitted his voice to Qian Renhan, not wanting Xiao Yan to learn about the ancient clans too soon. "Young friend, I'll keep it brief. The Ancient Clans are the most powerful families on this continent, and the Gu Clan is the strongest among them. Their ranks even include Dou Saints, whose strength far surpasses that of a Dou Zun. The power gap is immeasurable."
Qian Renhan gave a small nod. "Elder Yao, do you have any cultivation techniques suitable for me? I'd like to exchange this medicinal herb for one."
"Seven-Illusion Azure Spirit Saliva," Yao Chen's eyes lit up. This seventh-grade herb was excellent for soul recovery and of decent quality. Absorbing it might allow him to recover to mid-tier Dou Sect strength.
"Young friend, judging by your combat earlier, your attributes should be darkness and ice. On the Dou Qi Continent, every cultivator has their own spiritual root and must choose techniques aligned with it. Changing cultivation methods later can result in loss of power—or even starting over. I only have a high-level Xuan-rank ice-type technique. If you plan to change in the future, I recommend heading to Ice River Valley—they possess ice-type Earth-rank techniques."
Yao Chen took the Xuan-level advanced technique from his storage ring.
"Do you have anything that works with both darkness and ice? Even just a darkness-type would do."
Qian Renhan asked. While ice was strong, it still fell short compared to darkness. If he trained with this ice technique, all his Dou Qi would convert to ice-type, rendering his other two attributes mostly useless.
Yao Chen sighed. "There is a category of techniques that can be cultivated regardless of attribute—exceptionally rare and extremely valuable. They're almost all kept by top-tier sects and ancient clans. Your current technique, the Heavenly Nether Art, is one of them, but its rank is too low."
Why were the ancient clans so formidable? Their foundation was unmatched: powerful Dou Techniques, advanced cultivation methods, rich heavenly energy, potent pills, and rare treasures—all essential. Even at his peak, Yao Chen's accumulated resources couldn't match a single fingertip of theirs.
"Then I don't want this technique. For me, training in it would be like drinking poison to quench thirst—it would severely damage my future potential. Since that's the case, I'll go find the kind of technique you mentioned, one that accepts all attributes."
For the first time, Qian Renhan felt a heavy weight in his heart. Starting over in a new world was truly hard. Pursued by the Gu Clan on the outside, lacking proper techniques on the inside… Worse still, his cultivation method, Flame Mantra, came with restrictions. He had just come into contact with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame and realized he might be able to absorb its emitted energy—but the core force behind it was entirely opposed to his own.
To put it simply, the core energy of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame is like that of a Holy Angel—completely opposite to Qian Renhan, who is a Fallen Angel. And the Flame Mantra relies on devouring and evolving through the core energy of different Heavenly Flames.
Flames like the Green Lotus Core Flame, Fallen Heart Flame, Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, and Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame all have a nature that matches the Bone Spirit Cold Flame. But something like the Nine Nether Wind Flame—born in extremely yin environments—might be more compatible with him. Still, Qian Renhan would have to actually find one first, and it's not like he can comb the entire continent searching for such a flame.
But even so, Qian Renhan wasn't discouraged. Who's born the main character? Who stays a peerless prodigy forever? All the glory he had in the Douluo World was backed by his heritage and connections. But here in the Dou Qi Continent, he was starting from scratch. He had chosen the path of pursuing strength—so what if he had to fall a few times along the way? He wasn't at a dead end yet. It's not like only those who cultivate Flame Mantra can become emperors on the Dou Qi Continent. Isn't Soul Heaven Emperor a perfect counter-example?
Yao Chen's storage ring glowed once again, and two scrolls of sheepskin appeared. He transmitted his voice to Qian Renhan and said, "Young friend, these are my insights into the Dou Qi Continent. They contain my experience as an eighth-tier alchemist. For anyone below eighth-tier, they are extremely rare and valuable treasures. There's also a lot of information on the continent itself. It should be of great help on your journey."
Because of the Gu Clan's arrival—and the fact that Qian Renhan killed some of their members—Yao Chen had to change his plans. He didn't dare let Qian Renhan take him to the Falling Star Pavilion anymore. Now, he could only slowly guide Xiao Yan to grow and eventually make his way to Central Plains. If the Gu Clan caught wind of things and came for them, it wouldn't just be him in danger—even the Falling Star Pavilion might be wiped out.
"Thank you. I, Qian Renhan, will remember this favor."
Qian Renhan gave his thanks sincerely. He knew just how valuable the notes of an eighth-tier alchemist were—far more than the Seven Illusion Azure Spirit Saliva he had offered in exchange. To him, this was premium start-up capital.
With this, he had taken his first real step on the Dou Qi Continent.
"Big brother, are you leaving?"
Xiao Yan asked. He still held a deep grudge against Yao Chen and didn't trust him. This old guy was so powerful—if he wanted to harm him, he'd have no way to defend himself once his brother left!
"You won't lose anything by taking Elder Yao as your master. Judging by his soul strength, he probably woke up three years ago. That bit of Dou Qi you provided was nothing to him. He must have been quietly observing you these past few years. If he wanted to hurt you, he would've done it already."
Qian Renhan patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder and then took to the skies, leaving the Xiao family and flying away from Wu Tan City.
Xiao Yan looked at Yao Chen, who was stroking his beard and waiting for him to officially acknowledge him as his master. He muttered in his heart, "Fine… Since it's come to this, I'll take this old man as my teacher. If he treats me with true sincerity, I'll honor and respect him like a father. But if he's hiding any evil intentions, I'll bite off a chunk of his flesh even if it kills me."
High in the sky, as he left Wu Tan City, Qian Renhan was thinking about how to build his fortune. No matter what world you're in, one thing remains true: you need money. Only with money can you buy the resources needed for cultivation.
There were two ways to make money: white and black. The white path involved legitimate business and family-run operations—like the marketplaces run by the Xiao family. The black path, naturally, meant earning on the edge of a blade.
Qian Renhan was all alone and being hunted by the Gu Clan. He had no time for slow, legitimate business. That left only the black path. And when it came to blacker-than-black places on the Dou Qi Continent, none were more famous than the Black-Corner Region.
(End of Chapter)