"Gu Qian, weren't you supposed to go to the Xiao Family in the Jia Ma Empire on the Northwest Continent to fetch the young lady? How could you take it upon yourself to go looking for the Soul Hall?!"
Gu Shan said, exasperated.
Gu Qian gritted his teeth. "I... I just couldn't swallow my anger!"
"Couldn't swallow it? Heh. And now that you've lost a hand, you can swallow it, is that it?!"
Gu Xu said, frustrated beyond words.
He'd sensed something was wrong at the time. If he'd known things would turn out like this, he would've gone along!
Two against one—they wouldn't have let his younger brother suffer such a terrible loss.
The more Gu Qian thought about it, the angrier he became. "Hun Clan, you and I are sworn enemies!! And that woman Mo Yu—I'll pin her to the ground and beat her senseless one day!"
Gu Shan and Gu Xu supported Gu Qian on either side as they walked to the warehouse entrance.
They showed the Elder Token.
The guards let them through.
Once they entered the warehouse,
they helped Gu Qian sit and rest in a chair nearby.
Gu Shan and Gu Xu headed farther inside.
This was the Ancient Clan's Mystic-Grade Warehouse!
Even so, the medicinal herbs and rare treasures piled inside were worth more than their weight in gold. If they were put up for sale outside, money alone couldn't buy them!
Dozens of storage racks, each six meters tall, stood inside the warehouse, laden with all kinds of rare treasures.
Gu Xu and Gu Shan walked between the rows of shelves, searching for herbs that could regrow a severed limb.
Why not just claim some pills?
Gu Qian had taken it upon himself to go looking for trouble with the Soul Hall, which was already a violation of the clan rules.
But since only the three of them knew about it, it wasn't a problem.
If more people found out, Gu Qian would have to face punishment under the clan rules!
"Once I've recovered, come with me to the Northwest Continent. I'm going to get revenge for this!"
Gu Qian gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, unwilling to let this go.
Gu Xu said helplessly, "Still thinking about revenge? Heal your injuries first!"
"Just focus on recovering. When it comes to getting revenge, we'll have to plan carefully!"
Gu Shan was worried that making too much of a scene would undermine the principles their clan leader had always upheld.
Gu Qian ground his teeth. "Hmph! In the end, it's all that Xiao Xuan's fault. If not for him, those Dou Sheng Experts from our Ancient Clan wouldn't have been injured!"
If they hadn't been injured, they could definitely have persuaded someone to accompany them!
Then, never mind some mere Ninth Heavenly Venerable from the Soul Hall—even if their Hall Master showed up,
he would have to apologize politely!
But just then, a fourth voice rang out from inside the warehouse!
"Wasn't it the Ancient Clan who took the goods and then failed to deliver, breaking their word first?!"
The voice carried a hint of teasing, a hint of coldness, and a heavy measure of murderous intent!
"Who?!"
The three of them jumped in fright!
The space directly in front of them split open.
A black-clad figure stepped out!
It was Xiao Xuan!
A cold smile played on Xiao Xuan's face!
"X-Xiao Xuan!"
Gu Qian's face instantly went pale.
Thud!
He fell straight off the chair!
Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably!
Gu Xu stammered, "Y-You didn't already leave?!"
"I come and go as I please. What can you do about it?"
Xiao Xuan surveyed the goods in the warehouse.
He could only say... as expected of a great clan!
Even a single warehouse held an astonishing amount of treasure.
And the Ancient Clan had several more warehouses just like it!
Since he was already here,
Xiao Xuan had no qualms about accepting everything in this one.
He swept his sleeve!
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, the warehouse was empty!
"You..."
Gu Shan's face turned terribly grim, but he didn't dare say a word. All he could do was use every last bit of his strength to crush a message jade talisman.
He wanted to alert the Ancient Clan's experts!
"Don't waste your effort. My soul power has already enveloped this area. Even Gu Yuan will have trouble sensing it!"
As he spoke, Xiao Xuan flicked a finger.
The space in front of them split open.
Then Xiao Xuan swept his sleeve!
A surge of soul power swept forth, drawing Gu Shan and the other two into the rift!
"X-Xiao Xuan, what are you going to do?!"
Inside the Heavenly Tomb, Gu Shan and the other two huddled together.
They stared at Xiao Xuan in terror!
Xiao Xuan gave them a faint smile. "Don't be nervous. I came to ask you to help me with something!"
"??"
From Xiao Xuan's expression, the three knew it definitely wasn't anything good!
But right now, it seemed they had no choice but to refuse.
Whoosh!
Xiao Xuan's hands flashed through a series of seals. An ancient, abstruse sigil quickly took shape in front of him.
Gu Shan and the other two were overcome with fear.
"Go!"
Xiao Xuan pushed his palm forward, and the sigil shot into Gu Xu's body.
"This is..."
Gu Xu didn't get to finish speaking. His soul seemed to have left his body!
His eyes went blank!
At the same time, Gu Shan and Gu Qian realized that Xiao Xuan had disappeared too!
"Where is he?"
The two warily scanned their surroundings.
"Crack, crack, crack..."
A sound like beans popping came from inside Gu Xu's body.
Half an hour later,
an incredibly powerful aura suddenly burst out from within Gu Xu's body!
It had actually reached the Dou Sheng level!!
"S-So terrifyingly powerful! W-What's going on?"
Gu Shan and Gu Qian were utterly baffled.
"This body's a little lousy, but that won't stop me from completing my mission."
Gu Qian's eyes nearly popped out of his head!
That was clearly his older brother's body, so why was Xiao Xuan's voice coming from it?!
"Y-You're Xiao Xuan? What have you done to my brother?!"
Xiao Xuan rolled his shoulders and flexed his body.
Mm, this upgraded possession technique was great!
He could possess a body in no time at all!
Amazing!
The only drawback was that after each use, he had to wait ten days to half a month before he could use it again.
Otherwise, he'd truly be 'invincible.'
Xiao Xuan looked at Gu Qian. "Congratulations, you got it right. As for your reward... your life!"
The Northern Region of the Central Plains, Dead Soul Mountain Range.
Cold mist blanketed the entire forest.
Visibility was low, and countless terrifying magical beasts lurked within.
The Stone-Eating Demon Ants were especially dangerous. They were only third or fourth rank, but their numbers were enormous!
Even an Eighth-Rank Magical Beast could only tuck its tail between its legs and flee for the time being if it ran into them!
One careless moment, and they'd gnaw it down to bare bones.
"To keep this under wraps, Hun Miesheng really has racked his brains!"
A white-haired, youthful-looking figure stood suspended in midair.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed at the scene below, a strange smile appearing on his face.
This was none other than Xiao Xuan, who had possessed Gu Xu!
With a flash, he disappeared.
Several minutes later,
he had a bug in his hand, its body dark gold and eight pairs of wings thin as a cicada's.
It was the queen ant of the Stone-Eating Demon Ants.
The razor-sharp teeth lining its enormous mouth flashed as it snapped furiously at Xiao Xuan!
At the same time, a rustling sound rose from the jungle below.
Xiao Xuan glanced at the queen ant, thrashing in his hand.
Then he looked toward a great black palace ahead.
"Are you ready? I've come to bring you a gift."
Before you continue