"Kill the Grand Heavenly Venerable! Destroy the Soul Hall!"
"Kill the Grand Heavenly Venerable! Destroy the Soul Hall!"
The Ancient Clan youths' voices shook the heavens as they chanted across the square.
Even the Ancient Clan elders hadn't expected things to develop this way!
Every Dou Venerable elder who had gone out had been killed by the Soul Hall's Grand Heavenly Venerable—except Gu Shan, whose body Xiao Xuan had taken over!
Even for the Ancient Clan, these losses were undeniably severe!
As it happened!
One of Gu Shan's relatives was among the dead!
And that gave Xiao Xuan the perfect opportunity!
He went to the Elder Council Chamber.
There, he found Tong Xuan.
"Elder Tong Xuan, you have to seek justice for the elders and clansmen who died!"
Tong Xuan felt as though he had two heads, and both were aching.
He hadn't expected the Hun Clan to fight so dishonorably, even sending out a Grand Heavenly Venerable at the Dou Sheng level!
"Gu Shan, I know one of your relatives also fell during this operation, but..."
Tong Xuan sighed.
"For now, we can only leave things as they are. We can't let this escalate any further!"
"So you're saying they died for nothing?!"
"No. We'll certainly avenge them, just not now."
"Heh, I understand!"
Xiao Xuan had achieved his aim. After making a suitable show of his anger, he turned and left!
He had already set the conflict between the Hun Clan and the Ancient Clan alight.
But it still wasn't burning fiercely enough.
Xiao Xuan planned to fan the flames even higher!
He couldn't get into the Heaven-Grade Warehouse anyway.
Xiao Xuan left the Ancient Clan.
He arrived at the Soul Hall branch on the Demonic Flame Plains!
The Hun Clan had stationed people there to wait for the reappearance of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
The location was crucial, so Soul Hall's Dou Sheng experts stood guard there.
Within a radius of a hundred li, many Soul Hall Dou Zong experts were lying in wait or patrolling!
Yet against Xiao Xuan, such strength was nothing more than a matter of a single thought!
After taking care of the small fry,
he arrived above the branch's buildings.
Without another word,
he unleashed the first move of the Emperor Seal Technique: the Mountain Opening Seal!
He had gained it after devouring the souls of Gu Shan and the other two.
He had read the information from their memories and quickly mastered the technique.
An ancient, profound seal formed in Xiao Xuan's hand. It was like a meteor from beyond the heavens, trailing a piercing sonic boom.
He hurled it viciously at the Soul Hall branch buildings on the Demonic Flame Plains!
"Ancient Clan, you people are truly brazen, daring to barge into my territory!"
Just as the Mountain Opening Seal was about to hit the buildings,
a figure appeared like a ghost!
He thrust out a withered palm and jabbed with one finger!
The next instant,
Saint Hun Qing's expression changed abruptly!
He hurried to pull his hand back!
But it was too late!
A terrifying suction force surged from the Mountain Opening Seal, spreading like a black hole!
In a flash, it engulfed Saint Hun Qing completely.
He couldn't resist in the slightest before he was devoured!
Xiao Xuan then took the souls throughout the branch for himself as well!
Among them were quite a few souls belonging to the Ancient Clan.
When they saw Gu Shan,
they all lit up with joy!
"Gu Shan! You... you came to save us?"
"Haha, I knew it! I knew the Ancient Clan wouldn't abandon us!"
"Damn the Soul Hall! Next time, I'll make them pay for this in blood!"
"Gu Shan, what—what are you doing?"
"Have you gone mad?!"
The Ancient Clan souls present had been thrilled and overjoyed just a moment earlier!
The next moment, their joy turned to shock and terror.
Then, despairing expressions on their faces, they were devoured by Xiao Xuan!
"A bunch of fools. With Gu Shan's strength as a Dou Venerable, how could he rescue anyone from Saint Hun Qing?"
Xiao Xuan raised a finger and wrote four large characters in the air above an open patch beside the ruins.
Then he turned and stepped into a spatial rift.
Jia Ma Empire!
On Misty Cloud Mountain, in a quiet little courtyard behind the mountain.
"Miss, something terrible has happened!"
"What is it?"
Xun'er lifted her little face and asked.
Ling Ying's features had nearly twisted together.
"We received word that the Ancient Clan and the Soul Hall have gone to war. Dozens of Dou Venerable experts have fallen on both sides!"
"What?! How could this happen?!"
Xun'er's brows drew together.
A look of shock, far beyond her years, appeared on her youthful face.
Ling Ying smiled bitterly. "This probably started with Elder Gu Qian causing a disturbance at Heaven Burial Ravine."
The Ancient Clan now believed that the Hun Clan had started things, and that they had merely been forced to fight back.
Likewise, the Hun Clan thought the Ancient Clan had brought this on themselves!
Given the Hun Clan's number of top fighters, it was only because their clan leader hadn't given the order!
Otherwise, the Ancient Clan would have joined the Xiao Clan in the underworld long ago.
Ling Ying continued, "I'm afraid Central Plains is about to descend into chaos. Your status is exalted, and you possess a high-grade bloodline. The elders of the clan have ordered you to return at once."
When Xun'er had left the Ancient Clan, her bloodline had been assessed as Eighth-Tier. As she grew older and stronger,
that grade would rise even further!
Had it not been for Gu Yuan, the clan elders would never have let her risk going to a place like the Jia Ma Empire!
Xun'er shook her head. "No! I can't leave yet!"
"Miss!"
"I still haven't figured out what my teacher is after, or why he suddenly came back to life!"
"But..."
"Elder Ling, don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Father also said that although my teacher has no body, his soul strength is still formidable!"
Xun'er smiled.
"Besides, this place is full of people from the Xiao Clan. He's also set up a barrier here. Unless Hun Tiandi comes in person, this should be the safest place apart from the Ancient Clan."
"All right, then."
Seeing that she couldn't be persuaded, Ling Ying had no choice but to give up.
Ling Ying had only just left
when a head poked over the distant courtyard wall.
"Xun'er, come out and play with me!"
Xiao Yan leaned over the wall, grinning as he called to her.
"Sorry, Cousin Xiao Yan, but Xun'er still has to cultivate. I don't have time."
With that, Xun'er stood up and strode into the room!
Bang!
She shut the door.
"Damn! Seriously? Rejected again?!"
Xiao Yan hopped down from the wall.
He was thoroughly annoyed!
The Xiao Family's two top little beauties—one only wanted to cultivate and ignored him,
while the other only wanted to eat and ignored him.
All his flirting skills were going to waste!
It was so frustrating!
Just then, a familiar voice rang in his ear!
"Xiao Yan! Have you finished your training for today?"
"Teacher, I... I..."
Yao Lao snapped, "Double it! No rest until you finish your training!"
"Oh."
Xiao Yan felt like crying.
Zi Yan grabbed a handful of pills and tossed them into her mouth, chewing them like candy.
As she ate, she asked indistinctly, "Old man, do you know where big brother Xiao Xuan went?"
"Central Plains. I don't know what he's doing there, either."
Yao Lao's mouth twitched.
Anyone who could eat pills like that was definitely not human. They had to be some kind of powerful magical beast.
And she even called Xiao Xuan big brother!
He sensed there was more to this than met the eye.
"Honestly, big brother Xiao Xuan went out without taking me along. Hmph!" Zi Yan huffed and kept eating the pills.
As soon as she finished speaking,
a voice sounded beside Zi Yan's ear.
"Zi Yan, what are you muttering about?"
At the sound, Zi Yan turned her head and saw that it was Xiao Xuan!
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