A Direct Confrontation with Gu Yuan!

After personally confirming that it was the genuine Tou She Ancient God Jade, Hun Tiandi burst into hearty laughter.

"Good, very good! Tianchen, you have successfully pushed our Hun Clan's grand plan another step forward."

"You overpraise me, Father." Hun Tianchen said modestly. Just as he was about to say something else, he suddenly sensed that something was amiss and looked toward a certain area of space.

Hun Tiandi also sensed something wrong. Narrowing his eyes at a certain spot, he said calmly, "Gu Yuan, hiding here and there is not your style. Come out."

"You father and son truly have sharp eyes."

A figure arrived with a large group of people. The man at the forefront wore simple hemp clothing and had a resolute face. He appeared to be in his forties, looking no different from an ordinary middle-aged man.

But Hun Tianchen knew exactly who he was.

He was one of the two strongest people on the Dou Qi Continent.

A peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng with an Emperor Realm soul—Gu Yuan!

Gu Yuan looked at Hun Tianchen with an extremely grave expression. His first words were, "Where is my daughter?"

Hun Tiandi was just about to speak when Hun Tianchen beat him to it. He took a slight step forward, one hand clenched into a fist against his abdomen and the other behind his back. Looking at Gu Yuan with a detached expression, he said slowly, "Senior Gu Yuan, rest assured. I have not done anything to your daughter. On the contrary, I made sure she was well fed and well cared for, and I even provided her with quite a few cultivation resources."

Seeing that it was actually Hun Tianchen, a junior, speaking with him, Gu Yuan's gaze inadvertently flicked toward Hun Tiandi. He found that the latter showed no expression, yet his eyes held a trace of gratification and satisfaction as he looked at Hun Tianchen.

Hun Tianchen's status was actually this high?

Gu Yuan frowned slightly and was about to speak, but Hun Tianchen interrupted him.

"Hall Master, please invite Miss Gu Xun'er here and let her father see whether she has lost even a single hair."

"Yes, Young Master." A warmth rose in Hun Miesheng's heart. Even on such a public occasion, he still respected me, and he had even used the word "please."

He had never experienced such a feeling in the Hun Clan. The Hun Clan had always revered the law of the jungle; those with higher strength simply did not treat those of lower status as people. Yet despite Young Master's lofty status, even with the Clan Chief beginning to cultivate his abilities so that he could take the position of Clan Chief in the future, he was still willing to treat me with such respect. It seemed that following Young Master would be a choice I would never regret in this lifetime.

As he thought this, he courteously invited Gu Xun'er to the scene.

With Gu Yuan watching from the side, how could his attitude possibly be poor?

Gu Xun'er looked at Gu Yuan, who stood at the head of the opposing side, and parted her lips.

"Father."

"Xun Er..." Gu Yuan let out a deep sigh and looked at Hun Tiandi. "Hun Tiandi, what will it take for you to let my daughter go?"

Hun Tiandi glanced at the calm-faced Hun Tianchen and, as if possessed, said, "Ask Tianchen. There is no need to ask me. He will decide everything."

What?!

One stone stirred a thousand waves. Everyone stared dumbfoundedly at Hun Tiandi and Hun Tianchen.

Hun Tiandi had actually handed this authority over to Hun Tianchen?

What did this mean? It meant that Hun Tiandi had essentially confirmed that Hun Tianchen would be the future Clan Chief of the Hun Clan!

Moreover, he had deliberately allowed Hun Tianchen to face Gu Yuan, one of the most powerful beings on the Dou Qi Continent.

The Ancient Clan members etched Hun Tianchen's appearance into their hearts, determined never to forget it.

This man was the future Clan Chief of the Hun Clan.

And he would be even more terrifying than Hun Tiandi.

"Your aura is unstable on the surface, rising and falling. Are you about to break through to the Dou Venerate realm?" Gu Yuan stared fixedly at Hun Tianchen, his eyes filled with wariness.

If possible, he truly wanted to slap Hun Tianchen to death right now, eliminating the Hun Clan's future hope.

But Hun Tiandi was standing right beside him. Such an outcome was simply impossible.

"What?" They looked at Hun Tianchen in disbelief, unable to believe Gu Yuan's words.

If he was about to break through to the Dou Venerate realm, he would become the youngest Dou Venerate in history, shattering the Dou Qi Continent's age record!

A sixteen-year-old Dou Venerate!

"Worthy of Senior Gu Yuan indeed. Your eyesight is truly sharp." Hun Tianchen had not expected Hun Tiandi's decision either, but he still maintained his original composed, leisurely demeanor as he faced Gu Yuan. "As for releasing Miss Gu Xun'er, Senior Gu Yuan, do you understand what the Ancient Clan has done to my Hun Clan?"

"Our Hun Clan had just completed a mission and was preparing to head to Central State to return to the Soul Realm. Yet along the way, we encountered a large force from the Ancient Clan: a whole group of Dou Zongs and Dou Venerates, with even Dou Saint-level experts among them. The moment they met us, they spoke rudely and insulted us of the Hun Clan. They even tried to seize the Tou She Ancient God Jade that our Hun Clan had obtained with great difficulty."

Hun Tianchen narrowed his eyes and looked at Gu Yuan as he said faintly, "Senior Gu Yuan, if you faced such a situation, what would you do?"

Gu Yuan took a deep breath, his breathing no longer as steady as before.

He understood that the previous force had been dispatched under orders from others in the clan. After learning that the Xiao Clan's Tou She Ancient God Jade had been taken by the Hun Clan, most of them had flown into a rage and had even sent people without authorization to intercept the Hun Clan in the Jia Ma Empire.

What was laughable was that not only had the interception failed, they had even lost his daughter in the process.

Had he not been in seclusion cultivating at the time, he would never have allowed such a thing to happen.

"Therefore, I require an explanation, as well as compensation from the Ancient Clan to my Hun Clan." Hun Tianchen slightly emphasized his tone as he looked disdainfully over the Ancient Clan members.

"You want Miss Gu Xun'er back? Fine. The condition is... hand over your Ancient Clan's Tou She Ancient God Jade!"

Upon hearing this, Hun Tiandi looked at Hun Tianchen with great satisfaction, while inwardly marveling at his son's audacity.

One woman in exchange for one Tou She Ancient God Jade—if it truly succeeded, that would be incredible.

The expressions of the Ancient Clan members changed drastically.

"Wishful thinking! You all understand the importance of the Tou She Ancient God Jade. How could we possibly hand it over to ambitious wolves like you?"

Listening to the noisy clamor coming from the Ancient Clan members, Gu Yuan shouted, "All of you, shut up!"

"Clan Chief, you must not! The Tou She Ancient God Jade is far too important. We cannot let the Hun Clan obtain it! Once the Hun Clan gets it, they will surely find the secret to advancing to Dou Di within the Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion. At that time, our Ancient Clan will be destroyed!"

"I told you to shut up!" Gu Yuan glared furiously at the Ancient Clan elder who had spoken. "If you had not made decisions on your own, would things have reached this point?"

That Ancient Clan elder still wanted to speak, but Gu Yuan interrupted him again.

"It is not your daughter who was taken, so of course you do not need to worry. Besides, if you had informed me of this matter beforehand, would this situation have happened? You still have the nerve to speak to me?"

Seeing Gu Yuan's extremely ugly expression, the Ancient Clan elder swallowed and did not dare say another word.

Only then did Gu Yuan turn to Hun Tianchen, who remained aloof. The latter seemed like a god walking among mortals, looking down upon him from above.

If this child is allowed to grow completely, the Ancient Clan will be finished...

A trace of sorrow filled Gu Yuan's heart as he said in a low voice, "The Tou She Ancient God Jade is far too precious. Name another condition."