Shen Luo frowned slightly and retreated behind the others.
Huo Xuan and Huo Zhi stood with their hands on their hips, flames surging around them as they blocked the gazes of the Emperor Clan members.
Shen Luo was right. There were two Gu Clan members, one Soul Clan member, and one Lei Clan member in the square. If they weren't going to fight tooth and nail, were they supposed to put on an act?
Huo Xuan, in particular, having lost to Hun Yu, was dying for Gu Qingyang to muster every last ounce of strength and risk his life to cripple Hun Yu.
Of course, it would be best if they took each other down.
Still, much as he wished for it, Huo Xuan knew that was utterly unrealistic.
With so many Dou Sheng present, the moment things turned ugly, they could freeze space and divide the battlefield with a mere lift of their hands.
A battle between Dou Zong hardly amounted to anything in their eyes.
In fact, Huo Xuan wasn't the only one thinking this. The members of the Spirit Clan, Stone Clan, and Yao Clan felt the same.
The struggles between the ancient Emperor Clans seemed like unruffled waters on the surface, but dark currents surged beneath. Once they struck, it would be an earth-shaking war of clan extermination.
A mighty clan like the Xiao Clan, which had possessed a Peak Nine-Star Dou Saint, had once enjoyed such glory. Yet beneath the scouring passage of time, it had ultimately vanished into dust and ashes.
What are you staring at? Never seen a handsome man before? Shen Luo rolled his eyes and popped another peanut into his mouth, grumbling inwardly.
Sitting beside him, Huo Zhi couldn't help pressing her lips together in a soft laugh.
She wore a fiery-red dress, her beauty vivid and alluring. A hint of mischief sparkled in her phoenix eyes, and she actually bore some resemblance to the Fire Fairy.
Looking at Shen Luo, she whispered, "Well said, Shen Luo. That temper of yours suits me perfectly."
"Of course. I'm going to become a son-in-law of the Yan Clan, after all." With a perfectly serious expression, Shen Luo turned and glanced at the Fire Fairy, who sat with dignified composure in the seat of honor.
The Fire Fairy seemed to sense his gaze. She turned her head slightly and rolled her eyes at him, not bothering to respond.
Her eyes were like moonlight reflected in a cold pool, cool and fathomless, their outer corners tilting slightly upward.
Her nose was straight as a jade peak, her neck slender as a swan's. Dignity radiated from her very bones, like a meticulously carved white-jade Guanyin that no one dared approach.
Every movement exuded a stately serenity polished over and over by the years and her position, as though everything in the world lay in perfect order before her eyes and nothing could make her lose her composure.
What a thrill!
The corner of Shen Luo's mouth twitched, and he quietly shifted his gaze back to the battlefield.
In the square, the battle between Gu Qingyang and Hun Yu had already reached a fever pitch.
The two tore into each other as though staking their lives on every blow. High-level Dou Techniques and Emperor Clan secret arts burst across the square like fireworks.
Blood stained their clothes. Both began abandoning defense, trading wound for wound and gambling life against life.
Of course, when it truly came down to life and death, their clan elders would intervene to protect them. Thus, they attacked without the slightest restraint, brilliant Dou Qi roaring endlessly from their bodies.
Half an hour later.
Bang!
Amid a dull crash, Gu Qingyang was sent flying. His feet plowed two deep furrows through the ground before he barely steadied himself at the edge of the barrier.
Covered in blood, he struggled to rise, yet his gaze remained sharp.
"Gu Qingyang, you've lost."
Hun Yu sneered. He hunched over in midair, breathing hard and coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
"You're hardly any better off." Gu Qingyang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly straightened, a terrifying aura emanating from his entire body.
"This next move will decide not only victory and defeat, but life and death."
"Qingyang, come down!"
Below the arena, Gu Dao opened his clouded eyes and suddenly spoke in a cold voice.
"Supreme Elder..."
Reluctance showed on Gu Qingyang's face.
"I said, come down!"
With that, Gu Dao slowly closed his eyes.
His aged face was as still as an ancient well.
Gu Qingyang's face twitched, but he left the arena all the same.
The other battlefield had also yielded a victor. Gu Xun'er's golden flames filled the sky, and a rosy flush appeared on her exquisitely beautiful face.
"Lei Dong, you've lost." Her voice was cool and calm.
Lei Dong fell silent for a moment, then suddenly grinned and slowly stood. "Yes, I lost. But next time, that might not be the case."
Lei Dong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, bitterness written all over his face.
She truly lived up to her reputation as the Gu Clan's hidden bearer of a divine-grade bloodline. This woman had piqued his interest immensely.
He leaped away, returning behind the Lei Clan elder, then sat cross-legged and began regulating his breathing.
Only Gu Xun'er and Hun Yu remained in the arena.
The Yan Clan's Dou Sheng elder stroked the beard on his chin and called out, "Rest for half an hour. The next match will be Gu Xun'er of the Gu Clan against Hun Yu of the Soul Clan."
An uproar broke out below the arena.
Though Gu Qingyang was strong, Gu Xun'er was the Gu Clan's foremost prodigy. She was also the daughter of Gu Yuan, the Ancient Clan Chief, and had been kept hidden since childhood.
It was said that she had only recently returned to the clan, and her strength was unfathomable!
A divine-grade bloodline of the Gu Clan against a divine-grade bloodline of the Soul Clan-this match carried far greater weight and better represented the contest between the two clans.
Hun Yu's expression finally turned grave. He narrowed his eyes as the black mist grew denser, almost enveloping him completely.
"Now this is getting interesting." Hun Yu licked his lips, a flash of feverish excitement crossing his eyes.
Gu Xun'er and Hun Yu exchanged a glance in midair, then each took a pill of considerable grade from their Storage Ring and swallowed it. They began quietly regulating their breathing and recovering their Dou Qi.
Munching on peanuts, Shen Luo stroked his chin with interest. "Now this is interesting. Hun Yu against Gu Xun'er... one with the Soul Clan's divine-grade bloodline, the other with the Gu Clan's divine-grade bloodline. This will be quite a fight."
"Shen Luo, who do you think will win, Gu Xun'er or Hun Yu?" Huo Zhi asked curiously.
Shen Luo scratched his head, his expression unreadable. "Their strength is pretty close. Their bloodline grades, cultivation methods, and Dou Techniques are all comparable. It's really hard to say until they exchange blows."
Huo Zhi blinked. "Then let them have a proper fight, and we'll see whether the Gu Clan is stronger or the Soul Clan has the edge."
Shen Luo chuckled. "Then let's wait and see."
In truth, Shen Luo favored Gu Xun'er. Hun Yu was strong, but defeating Gu Qingyang hadn't seemed easy for him. After beating Lei Dong, Gu Xun'er's aura seemed somewhat steadier.
In the distance, the Fire Fairy sat quietly in the seat of honor. Her gaze swept across the gathering with apparent casualness, yet always came to rest unwittingly on the figure grabbing peanuts.
She sighed softly and thought, Why is this brat so happy? He seems even more eager for the battle between the Soul Clan and the Gu Clan than these members of the Ancient Eight Clans below the arena.
You're just a One-Star Dou Zong, yet you're joining in to watch the Gu Clan and Soul Clan's drama. Aren't you afraid of throwing your back out?
She unconsciously adjusted her lapels again, the tips of her ears growing slightly hot.
That scorching embrace from the early morning seemed to linger behind her still.
"Aunt Ling, I'll reach Dou Sheng."
The young man's low, resolute voice echoed in her mind for a long time.
The Fire Fairy closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, trying to suppress those jumbled thoughts.
But the more she suppressed them, the clearer those images became.
Her face reddened again.
With the ringing of a bell, that terrifying spatial power once more spread through the square, enclosing Gu Xun'er and Hun Yu in its center. The two slowly opened their eyes and faced each other across the air.
"Gu Xun'er, is it? She's quite pretty. Clan Chief Gu Yuan had a daughter late in life, and she actually brought another divine-grade bloodline into the Gu Clan. The Gu Clan truly enjoys flourishing fortune and an unbroken bloodline."
Below the arena, Hun Yan raised his head, glanced at Gu Dao sitting opposite him with his eyes closed in repose, and spoke mockingly.
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