The blood cocoon stone was a unique stone formed of the blood devils' blood essence, a stone with wondrous usages. After the injured Du Xuanhao was placed in the blood cocoon stone, he absorbed its blood essence, strengthening his bloodline several times over.

On top of that, his body had also undergone a round of cleansing. One could say that his injuries had brought him numerous benefits instead of harm. Currently, a massive power was erupting from the blood cocoon stone, signifying that Du Xuanhao was done absorbing the power contained within the stone.

"Old Du is going to break out of the cocoon soon," said Han Pojun in excitement.

"Um," Xiang Shaoyun was also growing excited. Naturally, he would be happy to see Du Xuanhao grow stronger. After all, Du Xuanhao was on his side. He was confident Du Xuanhao would be a great helper in the future.

Bang!

A muffled sound rumbled, and the blood cocoon stone crumbled apart. From within, a figure soared into the sky. Akin to a breathtaking saber, that figure shot toward the clouds, glorious and dazzling. The sisters paled at the sight. If they weren't under Han Pojun's protection, the shockwave from the energy eruption would have been enough to kill both of them.

"Congratulations, Old Du, for reaching a new height in your cultivation," said Han Pojun earnestly.

In truth, he was the one who had found the blood cocoon stone. He had intended to break through using the stone, but now that Du Xuanhao had benefited from the stone instead of him, he had complicated emotions. Even so, he did not bear any sort of grudge toward Du Xuanhao. After all, the Noxious Blood Gang would have killed him if it wasn't for Du Xuanhao.

When Du Xuanhao landed on the ground, he ignored Han Pojun. Rather, he knelt on one knee before Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Du Xuanhao greets the young master!"

He did so without any sort of hesitation. Not even Xiang Shaoyun and Han Pojun could do anything before he was already on one knee. Han Pojun's mouth was wide agape, his eyes filled with disbelief. He understood Du Xuanhao well. He was a tough man who had comprehended saber intent and possessed a combat prowess no weaker than him. Yet such a person was kneeling before a young man. Seeing how willingly Du Xuanhao had gotten to one knee filled his heart with confusion.

Is this Xiang Shaoyun a successor of some super tier-7 organization? Han Pojun wondered.

The Han Clan sisters were similarly shocked. They had heard from Han Pojun that the person in the blood cocoon stone was a remarkable hero no weaker than him. And a hero like that was actually bending his knee before Xiang Shaoyun. It gave them a feeling that the gap between them and Xiang Shaoyun had grown even wider.

Xiang Shaoyun quickly reached out and helped Du Xuanhao up. "Big Brother Du, I told you this is not necessary between us."

"Proper rites should always be observed. If you had not appeared in time, Old Han and I would have died," lamented Du Xuanhao.

During his time in the blood cocoon stone, he had been aware of the things happening around him. Thus, he knew all that had happened, and his admiration for Xiang Shaoyun had only grown as a result. There were so many Emperors among the Noxious Blood Gang group, yet his young master had killed all of them easily. That was a feat not even he himself could accomplish.

"It's good to see that you're fine," said Xiang Shaoyun earnestly.

Suddenly, Du Xuanhao noticed that Xiang Shaoyun was now a seventh-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. He exclaimed in shock, "Young master, y-your strength...it's growing so fast!"

"You're doing quite well yourself too. You're now a full ninth-stage Emperor. Before long, you will be able to enter the Soul Foundation Realm. This is worthy of celebration!" said Xiang Shaoyun with a smile.

That reminded Du Xuanhao of something as he looked at Han Pojun with guilt on his face. He said, "Old Han, I owe you my thanks. The blood cocoon stone was something you had obtained with great difficulty, but I was the one who ended up using it. I really don't know how I can repay you for it."

The blood cocoon stone was a sovereign-grade treasure, something extremely valuable. Du Xuanhao would have a hard time repaying Han Pojun with something of equal value.

Han Pojun waved his hand and said, "Old Du, if you see me as a brother, forget about repayment. The blood cocoon stone might be precious, but you had also saved my life. Furthermore, Bro—I mean Young Master Xiang had also saved my nieces. You don't owe me anything!"

Han Pojun was about to address Xiang Shaoyun as Brother Xiang again, but when he recalled how Du Xuanhao had behaved around Xiang Shaoyun, he quickly changed his way of address.

"Fine. One day, I will definitely give you a sovereign-grade treasure comparable to the blood cocoon stone as a gift, Old Han," said Du Xuanhao solemnly.

"Sure, I will be waiting for your good news, then," said Han Pojun with a smile.

Xiang Shaoyun was listening to the conversation as he thought, Looks like I need to find a chance to repay this favor on behalf of Big Brother Du. He won't be able to forget it otherwise.

Xiang Shaoyun currently had a lot of treasures in his collection, including a considerable amount of sovereign-grade treasures. He should be able to take out a treasure comparable to the blood cocoon stone.

However, all the treasures he had were devil materials, and they were probably unsuitable for Han Pojun. The only thing he could do was trade some of his devil materials for a proper sovereign-grade treasure useful for Han Pojun. The group thus continued traveling, heading toward the fort at the Devil Domain's entrance.

As usual, the fort was bustling with noise and excitement, with people everywhere. People were entering and leaving the Devil Domain at all times. Those entering were filled with battle spirit, and those leaving possessed looks of delight for having survived the trip to hell.

After returning to the fort, Xiang Shaoyun headed toward the Contribution Stele with his contribution plate. The Contribution Stele stood tall, constantly emanating an austere aura. On its surface were the brilliant names of the brilliant heroes of all eras.

Xiang Shaoyun raised his head and looked at the name Xiang Dingtian at the very top of the stele. Suddenly, numerous random scenes surfaced in his mind, causing him to blank out. A towering figure appeared in his mind, the figure of a bold and righteous hero. He couldn't see the hero's face, but he could sense his domineering aura, an aura that made the universe seem miniscule.

With a saber in hand, the hero roared, "I, Xiang Dingtian, shall slaughter the devils. Let my name, the Overlord, suppress the Devil Domain for an eternity!"

By his lonesome self, the hero entered the Devil Domain and slaughtered countless devils. Traversing the Devil Domain, he was akin to a devil himself, creating rivers of devil blood, filling the Devil Domain with devil corpses. The name Overlord resounded throughout the Devil Domain, forcing even the Four Paramount Devil Clans to send their experts to kill this human. Even so, the hero continued his path of slaughter and left the Devil Domain unharmed, establishing his supreme dominance.

"Xiang—" Han Qianwei called out when she saw Xiang Shaoyun standing there blankly.

Han Pojun quickly dragged her away and spoke to her through voice transmission, "Don't disturb him! He might have sunk into a state of comprehension upon sensing the accomplishments of those before us. This might be a great opportunity for him!"

"Old Han, I will have to trouble you to stand guard alongside me," said Du Xuanhao, who also realized what was going on with Xiang Shaoyun. Han Pojun nodded and stood guard beside Xiang Shaoyun alongside Du Xuanhao. They both released their auras, warning the crowd around them against trying anything stupid.