Chapter 43: Xiao Yan and the Records of the Fire Control Dao

People came and went in a steady stream within the Void God Realm, seemingly showing nothing out of the ordinary.

It felt as though it were a real, living world.

Had they not known the truth in advance, they would never have imagined this to be a virtual realm.

"My strength seems to have been suppressed to a certain extent..."

Fang Han spoke after attempting to channel the Emperor Qing's Wood Emperor Qi within his body.

The Wood Emperor Qi inside him was indeed suppressed to a degree.

This sensation had been completely absent back upon those ruins.

"My Dou Qi has been suppressed as well..."

Xiao Yan chimed in immediately afterward.

The others tested their abilities in succession, all confirming that their strengths had been constrained.

Only Meng Qi wore an innocent expression.

"You guys are getting suppressed? Not me, I feel like I can unleash my full power completely!"

He said in confusion.

Shi Jian shot him a sidelong glance, then explained the reason behind the suppression to the group:

"This is the Initial Land. Practitioners of any realm who enter here are suppressed down to the Blood-Moving Realm."

"Although your cultivation systems differ from mine, since the Void God Realm can manifest your cultivation levels, it can certainly suppress them as well!"

"Anyone whose power exceeds the Blood-Moving Realm will inevitably be suppressed!"

Hearing this, the others suddenly understood.

"So that's how it is..."

Only Meng Qi stood there looking deeply traumatized.

The Void God Realm suppressed everyone else yet gave him a free pass?

Sometimes, not targeting someone was a form of targeting in itself!

He felt utterly numb.

"This Void God Realm is truly extraordinary, possessing such high intelligence..."

Xiao Yan marveled at the wonder of the Void God Realm, before adding excitedly:

"Even though my Dou Qi is suppressed, I can still summon my Heavenly Flames. This is the perfect place for me to try developing the Angry Lotus of Flame!"

Xiao Yan had yet to create the Angry Lotus of Flame in his own timeline, but having read his own script of destiny, he had coveted this technique for a long time.

Now, within this virtual world, he could finally experiment and develop the technique.

Moreover, possessing the Emperor Yan's Fire Emperor Qi, he could vastly reduce the difficulty of fusing different flames.

Once the Angry Lotus of Flame was successfully developed, leaping across realms to slaughter enemies would be effortless.

"This place is indeed ideal for attempting hazardous cultivation techniques and experiments!"

Yan's eyes gleamed. The Void God Realm could perfectly simulate a real physical body, and death here merely resulted in mental fatigue for a short period...

He had plenty of bold ideas he wanted to test out.

"There should be countless peerless prodigies here, right? I wonder if I can find a satisfying battle..."

Lin Dong grew eager, his fighting spirit radiating fiercely.

The rest of the group also harbored various thoughts of their own.

At that moment, the people walking to and fro around them noticed Shi Jian and his party.

They instantly recognized Shi Jian, who had stirred up quite a storm not long ago.

"Baba is back!"

"Baba, are you here to break more records in the Void God Realm today?"

Those people stepped forward enthusiastically to greet Shi Jian.

"Baba?"

Xiao Yan and Meng Qi stared at Shi Jian in utter bewilderment, completely baffled as to why these people were calling him Daddy!

Had Shi Jian already fathered so many sons at such a young age?

"No wait... what is wrong with you, brat? Why are so many people calling you Dad?"

Xiao Yan pulled Shi Jian aside and lowered his voice to ask.

"Ahem..."

Shi Jian responded with an utterly serious expression.

Xiao Yan froze for a moment before the realization hit him:

"You're trying to take advantage of me? You really deserve to die..."

Meng Qi burst out laughing at the two of them, while the rest remained clueless about what was happening.

After brushing off the surrounding crowd, Shi Jian explained to the others: "There are numerous extreme realm records kept within the Void God Realm. Once you break these records, the Void God Realm inscribes your name upon stone steles!"

"You can use your real name for this, or choose a moniker!"

As Shi Jian spoke, he pointed toward a distant stone stele!

Inscribed upon that stele were the glorious details of the ultimate realm of physical strength he had broken.

"Baba shattered all techniques with absolute force, establishing the pinnacle realm of physical strength!"

Yang Qi read the characters inscribed upon the stele aloud.

Curious, he looked toward Shi Jian: "You are Baba?"

Shi Jian nodded with a smile: "Correct, I am Baba."

"Baba, what a strange name to choose!" Yang Qi muttered in confusion.

"There's nothing strange about the name Baba..."

Shi Jian replied, still smiling, his tone carrying an aura of infinite tolerance.

Seeing this, Yang Qi grew somewhat baffled. He felt something was amiss, yet couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong.

Xiao Yan and Meng Qi failed to hold back and burst into laughter.

Fang Han looked at the two of them thoughtfully, then asked: "Could there be some hidden meaning behind Shi Jian's title?"

After another bout of hearty laughter, Xiao Yan and Meng Qi finally enlightened the rest:

"Baba is a homophone for Daddy, and in our homelands, that is a term of address for one's father!"

"Oh..."

Fang Han and Lin Dong suddenly understood, while Yang Qi's face turned as dark as charcoal.

So that was what it meant! No wonder he felt like he had been taken advantage of.

No wonder Shi Jian had maintained such an endlessly tolerant expression.

He threw a fierce punch at Shi Jian: "Damn you, Shi Jian! I treat you like a brother, but you're out here trying to be my father!"

A wave of roaring laughter erupted from the rest of the group.

After the commotion died down, Shi Jian finally brought up the main topic: "If any of you are interested, you can also try breaking the records of this Initial Land..."

"Those who break records will receive rewards, such as primeval divine bones or other treasures. Even if you have no use for them, you can give them to me..."

Shi Jian's abacus was clicking loudly; he wanted the others to do the legwork for him.

"Even if you don't care about the rewards, leaving your name in an otherworldly realm isn't a bad deal either!"

He continued to entice them.

With that, he led the group before another stone stele.

[Fire Cloud Immortal, walked amidst burning flames, mastered the Dao of Fire to the extreme realm within the Initial Land!]

They unexpectedly laid eyes upon an ancient record.

This record dated back tens of thousands of years.

It represented the extreme realm of the Dao of Fire...

To be able to leave a record in the Initial Land, this person named Fire Cloud Immortal must have been terrifyingly powerful.

"Brother Xiao... I feel like you should try breaking this record!"

Fang Han suggested to Xiao Yan after reading the inscription.

Regarding the Dao of Fire, Xiao Yan was the only one among them who played with fire.

If Xiao Yan merely practiced the Flame Mantra, he might not be able to shatter this record.

However, Xiao Yan now also practiced the Emperor Yan's Fire Emperor Qi.

This was a supreme art that commanded all forms of fire in existence...

It was entirely possible for Xiao Yan to give it a shot.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded, a spark of fighting spirit flashing deep within his eyes as he gazed at the stele.

He might not have felt compelled to contend for extreme realms in other fields.

But when it came to the Dao of Fire...

He indeed harbored grand ambitions.

The group continued reading down the list of records.

[Demon Moon, a single thought causes flowers to bloom, withered wood regains its vitality, possessing boundless life force—unrivaled in the Blood-Moving Realm.]

This was a record from several millennia ago.

The individual named Demon Moon had set a benchmark in the domain of vitality.

Upon reading this, Yan looked utterly dismissive and quickly spoke to Fang Han:

"A single thought to bloom flowers, withered wood regaining life—these are merely petty tricks. No matter how strong this person's vitality is, could they possibly surpass you, who practice the Emperor Qing's Wood Emperor Scripture?"

"You must claim this record and show the people of this world true awe..."

Fang Han smiled bitterly, finding the reaction amusing.

Why was this fellow Yan acting just like an excitable child?

Yet, what Yan said was entirely correct.

When it came to vitality, his prowess was undisputed.

After all, he cultivated the Emperor Qing's Wood Emperor Scripture, an art capable of reviving all things—a divine technique that even Willow Deity herself found useful.

Breaking this particular record would be as easy as turning over his hand!