"Heh, nothing but small fry? Hun Tiandi, aren't you being a little too stingy?"
At the entrance to the Xiao Realm.
Xiao Xuan muttered to himself, then struck a palm into the void.
In an instant, heaven and earth lent their power to his blow, and that palm shattered the void outright. The unfortunate Hun Clan Dou Zun hiding within it did not even have time to scream before their bodies and souls vanished.
The seemingly simple palm strike carried unmatched power, revealing just how formidable Xiao Xuan was.
Within the void, the Hun Clan Dou Zun who had escaped the attack were terrified out of their wits. They fled while sending messages back to the Hun Clan.
Unfortunately, even though they fled with all their might, Xiao Xuan's second palm strike sent them down the same path as the others. Before they could even scream, they were reduced to nothingness.
After finishing all this, Xiao Xuan sneered. He then looked up in Xiao Tian Ce's direction and gave a slight nod before vanishing once more.
Attempting to break through to the Dou Di realm would cause an enormous disturbance. If he lost control for even a moment, the entire Xiao Realm might be destroyed in an instant.
Thus, Xiao Xuan left the Xiao Realm to attempt his breakthrough in the Heavenly Star Mountain Range. Xiao Tian Ce did not follow; he had already mentioned this during their earlier discussion.
"Third Uncle, the clan leader has left. Should we follow him?"
Within the void, Xiao Qing hurriedly asked as soon as she saw Xiao Xuan leave.
Hearing this, Xiao Tian Ce shook his head and explained, "There's no rush. The clan leader's attempt to reach the Dou Di realm certainly won't be over in a short time.
"Until he fails, the Hun Clan's experts won't dare show themselves. If we head over now, Hun Tiandi and the others might discover us. There's no need to take that risk."
With that, Xiao Tian Ce kept his eyes closed and paid Xiao Qing no further attention.
Xiao Qing also understood that they could not rush this. Both they and the Hun Clan had to wait.
Time passed quickly, and three days went by in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, hundreds of figures appeared together in the void at the entrance to the Xiao Realm. Leading them was Hun Yuanpo, a peak seven-star Dou Saint of the Hun Clan. Beside him stood another three seven-star Dou Saints, though Xiao Tian Ce did not recognize any of them.
Behind the seven-star Dou Saints were a full hundred Dou Sheng experts ranging from one to six stars. Such a force showed that the Hun Clan was truly sparing no expense to annihilate the Xiao Clan.
"Third Uncle, the enemy is here."
Just as Xiao Qing was about to alert Xiao Tian Ce, she saw spiritual seals begin to appear around his hands. Their numbers grew steadily, and within moments, more than ten thousand had formed.
"Third Uncle, are you planning to act now?" Xiao Qing asked.
"It's too early to act. I'm merely making a few preparations.
"This is an eighth-tier Spiritual Array designed specifically for concealment and teleportation. I'll give you its core shortly. When they attack the Xiao Realm, follow them inside.
"With this Spiritual Array, even Hun Yuanpo won't be able to find you. You can then wait for the right opportunity to act.
"As for the clansmen you rescue, pull them into this Spiritual Array. Everyone who enters it except you will be silently teleported out.
"However, since I won't be controlling this Spiritual Array myself, it can only teleport five hundred people at most. Once all five hundred have been sent out, it will automatically dissipate, and you'll be teleported away as well.
"So you'll have to choose whom to save and whom to leave behind!" Xiao Tian Ce said gravely.
"Five hundred? I understand, Third Uncle. But once I'm teleported away too, will you be able to handle everything alone?"
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Qing looked at Xiao Tian Ce and asked with concern.
Her third uncle was powerful, but the Hun Clan had poured out of its nest in full force. Even after accounting for the losses they would suffer inside the Xiao Realm, there would still be plenty of Dou Sheng experts left.
As the saying went, enough ants could bite an elephant to death. No matter how strong her third uncle was, surely he had his limits?
Seemingly sensing Xiao Qing's thoughts, Xiao Tian Ce said quietly, "Don't worry about me. Hun Tiandi won't come here, so I won't be in much danger.
"As for the Hun Clan members entering the Xiao Realm today, since they've come, they needn't leave. Consider it a grand gift from me to Hun Tiandi. I'm sure he'll love it."
Hearing this, Xiao Qing's face filled with alarm, and she hurriedly said, "Third Uncle, that's dangerous.
"If you intend to keep so many Hun Clan experts here, let me stay and help you. With the two of us and your Heavenly Demon Puppet, even if we can't kill them all, we should be able to leave most of them here!"
Knowing her intentions, Xiao Tian Ce did not agree. Instead, he said sternly, "Qing'er, just focus on going inside and rescuing people. You don't need to worry about anything else. Don't forget, our main purpose this time is to rescue our clansmen.
"By the time you leave, the Hun Clan's Dou Sheng will have just fought a bloody battle and likely won't have much strength remaining. I'll be rested while they're exhausted, waiting by the stump for the rabbits to come to me. That gives me quite a few advantages.
"Besides, I wouldn't act if I wasn't confident."
At this point, Xiao Tian Ce gave a cold smile and said gravely once more, "Once this storm has passed, you'll have plenty of chances to put your abilities to use."
Seeing how firm he was, Xiao Qing bowed respectfully and said solemnly, "Then I'll await your triumphant return, Third Uncle."
"Mm. Take this array core. Once the Hun Clan attacks the Xiao Realm, simply follow them inside."
After handing Xiao Qing a jade pendant, Xiao Tian Ce turned his gaze toward the void where the Hun Clan's Dou Sheng experts were hiding.
Had the Xiao Clan not needed a baptism of blood at this moment, he honestly could not have borne watching his clansmen be slaughtered by the Hun Clan.
Since neither of them had revealed their auras, the Hun Clan's Dou Sheng had not discovered them. Both sides remained hidden, quietly awaiting the coming storm.
Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Star Mountain Range.
Dark clouds blanketed the Heavenly Star Mountain Range, lightning flashed, and thunder roared, followed by fierce winds and torrential rain.
Atop a mountain peak, Xiao Xuan wore a solemn expression as his aura climbed ceaselessly. Even without any deliberate effort, the aura surrounding him shook and shattered the nearby space, creating a tremendous spectacle.
Finally, when Xiao Xuan felt that his aura could rise no further, he took out all the Dou Di bloodline he had collected from his clansmen.
"Come on. Success or failure rests on this one attempt."
Xiao Xuan gave a low roar and crushed the jade bottle containing the Dou Di bloodline.
In an instant, the bloodline's power flowed continuously into Xiao Xuan's body.
Boom!
Suddenly, an even more powerful aura spread outward. Dazzling light then erupted from Xiao Xuan's body, making him resemble a celestial being whose brilliance could not be looked upon directly.
Within the turbulent void in the distance, Hun Tiandi stared intently at Xiao Xuan. Although they were enemies, he had to admit that even he admired Xiao Xuan's actions.
"Attempting it despite knowing it cannot be done. Xiao Xuan, you truly deserve to be called the strongest opponent I've faced in my life!"
Beside him, nihility devouring flame heard Hun Tiandi's lament and sighed as well. "Unfortunately, no matter how astonishing his talent, without origin qi to support him, he can never break through to the Dou Di realm."
"Indeed. No matter how astonishing his talent, recklessly seeking a breakthrough to Dou Di is a foolish act doomed to failure.
"Just wait. It won't be long now." Without turning his head, Hun Tiandi gazed at Xiao Xuan in the distance and sighed once more.
As his words fell, Xiao Xuan's body abruptly rose into the air above the mountain peak, and the dou qi between heaven and earth poured continuously into him.
"Not enough. It's still not enough..."
He felt the dou qi within his body increasing without pause, and his aura growing ever stronger. Yet Xiao Xuan understood that if this continued, he would have no chance of even glimpsing the Dou Di realm.
At that thought, Xiao Xuan roared while driving his high-grade Heaven Tier cultivation method to its utmost.
For a time, the wind and thunder intensified, rain poured down in torrents, and the dou qi between heaven and earth tore apart everything around him, as though the heavens themselves were collapsing.
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