"These things should all be in the Xiao Realm. Why are they here?!"
Xiao Xuan's brows knitted tightly!
Back then, when he had made an agreement with Gu Yuan and asked the Ancient Clan to look after the Xiao Clan for a fee, he had given them Heaven-Grade Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills.
After he had left the Heavenly Tomb, he had already gone to Gu Yuan and gotten them back.
And when the Xiao Clan fought the Hun Clan,
Xiao Xuan had sealed the entrance to the Xiao Realm.
Even now, he couldn't enter it for the time being!
So why had Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills that should have been sealed away in the Xiao Realm appeared in the Ancient Clan's Earth-Grade Warehouse?
Could the Heaven-Grade Warehouse of the Ancient Clan also hold other, even more precious items belonging to the Xiao Clan?
Since the Ancient Clan had some, what about the other ancient clans?
Did they have any too?
For a moment, Xiao Xuan's mind filled with questions!
At the same time, he felt it necessary to check the warehouses of the other ancient clans!
If they really did have any, then perhaps things weren't as simple as he had imagined!
Xiao Xuan swept his hand, sending everything in the warehouse into the Heavenly Tomb!
Then he turned and left the warehouse.
"You lot, stay alert and keep your eyes peeled. Don't let even a single fly in!"
At the entrance, Xiao Xuan gave the guards a solemn warning.
"Don't worry, Elder Gu Shan!"
Xiao Xuan nodded and drifted away.
After a few turns, he went straight to the Heaven-Grade Treasury!
Gu Yuan had left a Soul Imprint here.
Normally, only elders at the Dou Sheng level or above were allowed in!
When the guards saw that it was Gu Shan,
they immediately stopped him.
"Sorry, Elder Gu Shan. You don't have sufficient clearance to enter!"
Xiao Xuan said nothing, merely raising the Elder Token!
This token was the highest-ranking one issued by the Council of Elders. With it, he could go anywhere in the Ancient Clan.
Seeing it, the guards indeed stopped blocking him.
Just as Xiao Xuan was about to step inside, a low voice rang in his ear!
"Gu Shan! I'm guarding this place, and it's perfectly safe. You... don't need to inspect it!"
Xiao Xuan turned to look.
Gu Shan's memories told him that the man before him was named Gu Ci, a Mid-Stage One-Star Dou Saint.
He looked just like his name suggested. His hair stuck up as if he'd been struck by lightning.
Like a bundle of sharp spikes!
If only his head were sticking out, anyone who didn't know better might think he was a hedgehog.
"The clan's Mystic-Grade Warehouse has been robbed. The Council of Elders is taking this very seriously and ordered me to inspect every warehouse in the clan at irregular intervals."
Xiao Xuan remained neither servile nor arrogant.
With his Emperor Realm Soul, a mere Mid-Stage One-Star Dou Saint couldn't see through him.
At his words, Gu Ci's expression darkened. "So you don't trust me?!"
Xiao Xuan had planned to attack outright, kill Gu Ci, and force his way into the Heaven-Grade Warehouse!
He wanted to see what was inside.
But just as he was about to make his move, he sensed Gu Yuan's presence. To avoid exposing his other plans and bringing them to ruin, he had no choice but to retreat for now.
Still, he would get into the Heaven-Grade Warehouse and find out what was inside!
Watching Xiao Xuan's retreating back,
Gu Ci snorted.
"A mere Dou Venerable dares to flash an Elder Token in front of me. If clan rules didn't forbid beating up fellow clansmen, I'd have given you a couple of slaps!"
Several days later.
Central Plains.
Several branch halls of the Soul Hall and some of the Ancient Clan's outlying contact points
were hit by a number of clashes!
Both sides suffered losses.
Battles between two great clans were extremely rare, especially ones that involved the deaths of Dou Venerable experts!
This also aroused the curiosity of the other great clans.
The Lei Realm, Lei Clan.
"Clan Head, why do you think the Ancient Clan suddenly started fighting the Soul Hall?"
The young clan head of the Lei Clan, Lei Dong, was puzzled.
This was quite unlike the Ancient Clan they knew!
Clan Head Lei Ying was good at fighting, but when it came to thinking things through, he wasn't much help.
"You're asking me? I'm just as puzzled. Given Gu Yuan's temperament, how could things have come to this? It's truly baffling."
"Clan Head, what's so baffling about it? It's good that they're fighting! Ever since Xiao Xuan of the Xiao Clan died, the Xiao Clan has been in decline. Since then, only the Ancient Clan has been able to put up even a little fight against the Soul Clan."
Elder Lei Ba gloated.
At present, among the Eight Ancient Clans, the Lei Clan was the strongest after the Soul Clan and the Ancient Clan!
If those two great clans fought, given their strength, the Soul Clan would most likely win!
But the Lei Clan might be able to reap the rewards as the fisherman, picking up a few benefits along the way and becoming second only to the Soul Clan among the Eight Ancient Clans!
That would be wonderful news for the Lei Clan!
Lei Yun, however, said, "There's something fishy about this. I think we should send people to look into it. We must get to the bottom of things."
"I'll leave this to you."
Lei Ying rubbed his hands together and laughed. "Lei Dong, we haven't sparred in ages. Come on, all of you, take me on and help me warm up!"
"Huh? Again?"
The Yao Clan, the Yao Realm.
Several elders of the clan gathered together.
Clan Head Yao Dan spoke.
"Everyone, what do you think of the recent clashes between the Ancient Clan and the Soul Clan?"
"The Ancient Clan and the Soul Clan have had a grudge for ages. They've had little skirmishes more times than I can count. Nothing strange about it."
Yao Wangui said dismissively.
Yao Wanhuo shook his head. "Clan Head, I think there's something odd about this."
Yao Dan was surprised. "Go on."
"In the past, when the two clans clashed, most of those killed or wounded were insignificant people below the Dou Zong level."
As he spoke, Yao Wanhuo changed tack.
"But I've heard that this time, quite a few Dou Venerables from both sides have died. Next time... it might involve the Dou Sheng level!"
In his view, this information surely concealed an even greater, hidden message!
Could this be the fuse that set off an all-out war between the two clans?
If so, given the Yao Clan's strength, getting caught up in it could mean trouble!
Yao Dan fell silent for a long while before finally speaking. "Give the order. To be safe, close the Yao Realm for now and refuse all visitors!"
"Yes."
Elsewhere.
Since Xiao Xuan had no chance to enter the Heaven-Grade Warehouse, he could only look for an opportunity to visit the Ancient Clan's Ancestral Hall.
He wanted to see whether the Ancient God Jade was still hidden there!
He arrived at the ancestral hall.
When the guards at the entrance saw the Elder Token in his hand, they didn't stop him.
Xiao Xuan entered successfully!
Before he had the chance to look for the Ancient God Jade,
he spotted one of Gu Yuan's clones meditating right in front of the ancestral hall.
That put a stop to his plans.
He could only wander around aimlessly for a while before leaving!
Gu Yuan hadn't noticed anything unusual. He simply thought this man was very reliable.
A few more days passed.
Terrible news came from the Ancient Clan!
All the Dou Venerable experts they had sent out had been killed by the Grand Heavenly Venerable of the Soul Hall!
This caused a tremendous commotion within the Ancient Clan!
The young people were especially incensed.
They all gathered in the square and demanded that the Council of Elders send Dou Sheng experts out of the Ancient Realm to kill the Grand Heavenly Venerable of the Soul Hall.
They would avenge the clansmen the Ancient Clan had lost!
Before you continue