Undercurrents Stirring

Ancient Sun Star Domain, Ancient God Realm.

At the center of the Ancient God Realm stood a vast, ancient, majestic city-the Imperial City of the Ancient God Clan. Countless palaces filled its grounds.

Inside the Main God Hall, a tall, imposing man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, a powerful aura radiating from his entire body.

He was Gu Tianshen, patriarch of the Ancient God Clan.

As the patriarch of the second-greatest clan across the heavens, his strength spoke for itself.

Even throughout the Great Thousand Divine Cosmos, his cultivation was considered unfathomable.

A young man of about twenty walked in.

Dressed in black, he was handsome, with swordlike brows and star-bright eyes, and carried something of a sleeping dragon's presence.

He was none other than Gu Tianshen's son, Gu Xiu.

Gu Xiu approached the patriarch and knelt. "Father, we have all but confirmed the location of the Evil Keyboard Immortal's ruins."

Gu Tianshen spoke impassively. "Go on."

"They are in the Great Thousand Star Domain. After narrowing down the possibilities, the likeliest locations are two subordinate planes of the Great Thousand World: the Dou* Continent or the Heavenly Profound Continent."

"However, a branch of the Outer-Domain Evil Clan appears to be active on the Heavenly Profound Continent. According to the reports we have received, it should be the Otherworldly Demon Clan branch, though their target seems to be the Heavenly Profound Continent's planar embryo."

"And based on our deductions, the Evil Keyboard Immortal's legacy is more likely to have ended up on the Dou* Continent."

Hearing Gu Xiu's report, Gu Tianshen slowly opened his eyes, a trace of contemplation in his gaze. He began using his divination technique.

"The Otherworldly Demon Clan is nothing but a rabble. My divinations have yielded two names from the Heavenly Profound Continent and the Dou* Continent respectively: Lin Dong and Xiao Huohuo..."

"I am certain the Evil Keyboard Immortal's legacy is on the Dou* Continent. Although we have some ties with the Outer-Domain Evil Clan, do not let them learn of this. Go and instruct the people of the Nine Nether Hells to act."

Gu Tianshen gave his orders indifferently, then closed his eyes again.

Gu Xiu rose and respectfully withdrew from the hall.

The Nine Nether Hells.

There were nine great hells here, each inhabited by one of the Nine Nether peoples.

Yet they had only one chief god: the Nine Nether Emperor.

After arriving, Gu Xiu flew straight toward the Nine Nether Emperor's palace.

When he reached the palace, a tall, formidable figure with an upright bearing stood ahead of him, clad in black armor.

At the sight of Gu Xiu approaching, a chill immediately crossed the Nine Nether Emperor's face.

Once, the Nine Nether Hells had been a force whose very name struck terror across the heavens. But after they enraged the Heaven Clan, its four Divine Lords had cut a bloody path through all nine hells.

Countless powerhouses had fallen. To preserve their peoples, the Nine Nether Hells now had no choice but to cling to the Gu Clan.

Yet their bones still held the same untamed pride.

"Young Master Gu Xiu, whatever your business is, speak plainly."

Gu Xiu bowed in greeting. "Imperial Lord, my father has a task for you."

"There is a lower plane in the Great Thousand Star Domain called the Dou* Continent. You must bring it under your control without attracting the attention of outside forces."

"That plane's barrier is very weak. Essentially, it can withstand only power at the peak of the Saint Realm, so you can slip in through breaches in the plane and slowly eat away at it. That should be what you of the Nine Nether Hells excel at, should it not? Remember, you must not attract any outside attention."

The Nine Nether Emperor felt some disdain at those words. It was merely a lower plane. Why not smash it with a single slap? Why go to such trouble?

Still, he understood that there must be something inside that Gu Tianshen wanted.

He wanted to see just what could tempt even the Ancient God Clan.

"Very well. We will act as soon as possible."

With that, the Nine Nether Emperor turned and left. Gu Xiu remained where he stood, watching his receding back as a flicker of slyness crossed his face.

Gu Xiu shook his head, then turned to leave.

He, too, hoped the Nine Nether Emperor would succeed. After all, if they truly obtained the Evil Keyboard Immortal's legacy, his father would certainly let him inherit it. Then he could become a Keyboard Immortal in his own right.

Although the Ancient God Clan had successfully captured some members of the Key Clan a thousand years ago, they had been far too weak to yield anything useful.

After Gu Xiu left, the Nine Nether Emperor summoned three people.

Two men and one woman, none of whom looked ordinary.

One of the men was burly, his whole body exuding a baleful, bloody aura. One glance was enough to tell that he was a battle maniac with considerable fighting strength.

The other man gave off a sinister feeling. Ghostly energy swirled around him, making his surroundings seem utterly lifeless!

The woman had an alluring figure, but she was shrouded in a black robe that concealed her features, lending her an air of mystery.

"Gui You pays his respects to the Imperial Lord!"

"Ying Mei pays her respects to the Imperial Lord!"

"Kuang Mo pays his respects to the Imperial Lord!"

The three greeted the Nine Nether Emperor in unison.

The Nine Nether Emperor gave an indifferent grunt and motioned for them to rise, then transmitted a message into their minds.

As they received the information, a trace of surprise flashed in all three pairs of eyes.

"Your three peoples are best suited to this task. I hope you will not disappoint me."

The Nine Nether Emperor spoke dispassionately, his tone calm, yet the three faces shifted slightly as fear flickered in their eyes.

"Yes."

The three answered in unison.

"That is all. You may leave."

The Nine Nether Emperor waved a hand, and the three hurriedly withdrew, furtively wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads as they left.

Once outside the hall, the three began discussing the matter.

They did not understand why this invasion had to be conducted so cautiously.

With the Gu Clan's strength, apart from the Heaven Clan and the Outer-Domain Evil Clan, surely none of the other God Clans would dare act rashly even if they discovered it?

Perhaps they were guarding against the Heaven Clan.

"This must succeed. Failure is not an option. Our first step is to find a breach in the Dou* Continent's planar barrier, then build a passage and send some people in to gather intelligence. We will leave that to Gui You's people for now."

After speaking, Ying Mei looked toward the other man. "As for Kuang Mo, your people excel only at fighting. When the time comes to draw in the net, you need only send in an army of Saint Realm cultivators."

"Why not simply send in a few more powerhouses and seize it with a thunderbolt strike before they can even cover their ears? They are just a bunch of natives," Kuang Mo asked in bewilderment.

Ying Mei shook her head. "The Dou* Continent's world barrier is too weak. If we went in, it would collapse outright. We can only pull the strings from behind the scenes, and the strongest people we can send are Saint Realm cultivators. Do you think the Dou* Continent has no Saint Realm natives? If they become suspicious and destroy the passage, how will our army get in?"

"Ying Mei is right. We should send some people in first to gather intelligence while building the passage. Once it is complete, we can bring our army down upon them!" Gui You pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine, we will do it your way. Just leave the fighting to my subordinates. They have not invaded another plane in nearly a thousand years, and their hands are itching for it," Kuang Mo said, patting his chest.

After reaching an agreement, the three immediately divided up their tasks. Once everything was arranged, they each went their separate ways.