Above the ruins, the golden light of the grand array gradually faded. In the desolate void, a ring of raging fire transformed into a fiery ring, which gradually shrank under the support of immense Spiritual Strength. Within it, on two bodies, one white and one black, mysterious lights intertwined and were kneaded into a single mass.
"Buzzing..."
Streams of immense energy surged and churned within the ball of light, impacting the outermost ring of fire in an attempt to break through it. However, this time, with Xiao Xuan suppressing it and Xiao Yan exerting his full strength, no matter how much the energy struggled, it could not escape its restraint.
After a few breaths, the two intertwined energies completely merged, and the huge ball of light shrank continuously under the influence of the fire ring, eventually condensing into a strange pill the size of a longan, half black and half white.
The pill fell and was collected into Xiao Yan's palm, and a complex expression appeared on his face.
No one could have imagined that Bai Hua, who had been traveling with him just the day before, would turn into this state. This sudden change was like a bolt from the blue, making it hard for anyone to accept.
Fortunately, judging from the current state of this pill, there seems to be a glimmer of hope. The Pill Transformation Ring has simultaneously gathered the two pills together, forcibly fusing them. The two medicinal energies contained within the pills will inevitably merge into one over a long period of time. At that time, it will be Bai Hua's chance to be resurrected. As for the outcome, it will all depend on fate.
As the sun rose in the east, its brilliant light shone on Xiao Yan's face, also illuminating the ruins below and banishing all the darkness from the world. Xiao Yan stared blankly at everything before him, his eyes filled with a sense of loss and desolation.
Devastation, loss, injury... a flood of emotions surged through my mind. On the distant pavilion, figures appeared. These people had already sensed the commotion earlier, but for some reason, they had not intervened. Among them were those who were allied with the Three Great Elders and those who were allied with the clan leader Xiao Yuheng, but no matter which side they were on, they did not make a move.
Noticing those gazes, Xiao Yan slowly raised his indifferent face, his eyes sweeping coldly over the figures. At this moment, these guys no longer held any factionalism for him, and their so-called blood clan kinship was utter nonsense.
"Call..."
With a trembling breath, Xiao Yan's figure, which had been standing in the void, suddenly loosened and he immediately fell down. Xiao Xuan's expression changed slightly, but fortunately, just before landing, Xiao Yan twisted his body and stabilized himself. He then sat cross-legged on the ground, unafraid of the gazes of those people, swallowed a few pills, and began to refine them on the spot.
Seeing this, even with Xiao Xuan's composure, he couldn't help but sigh softly. His gaze swept over the courtyard below, which was now almost a ruin, and he paused slightly. The moment he looked up, a sharp glint suddenly shot from his dark eyes, sweeping towards the group of onlookers on the distant pavilion. At the same time, a hurricane swept across the sky, and astonishing sword energy soared into the heavens. The unparalleled sharpness immediately startled those people, who hurriedly withdrew their gazes, and their figures quickly retreated.
Although Xiao Xuan's cultivation level was not as high as that of the Yuan Zong, his incomparably sharp and domineering sword aura was enough to make them turn pale at the mere mention of his name. In addition, he had previously revealed his identity as an array master, so few of these guys dared to face him directly. After all, if the former were to make a move in a fit of rage, they might not be able to get a good result from it.
Having repelled those who were watching, Xiao Xuan withdrew his gaze. With a thought, the domineering sword energy that had gathered above his head quietly dissipated. Looking at Xiao Yan below, after a moment's hesitation, he turned and flew straight to the top of a giant tree not far away, standing quietly without disturbing the latter.
Xiao Xuan understood that the more things were like this, the more Xiao Yan needed to calm down on his own. Any slight external interference might not be able to calm him down, and might even have the opposite effect. Only in quiet could his heart truly find peace, and his thoughts would gradually become calm and clear.
However, to his surprise, Xiao Yan sat there for several whole days.
On a distant pavilion, clan leader Xiao Yuheng and another elder stood side by side. Their gazes pierced through countless gaps, directly witnessing everything that had happened earlier. It was precisely because of these two that no one intervened to stop the earlier commotion in the formation.
"Hehe, the clan leader has been hiding quite a bit. I never imagined that Xiao Xuan is actually a Seventh-Tier Formation Master. In the entire clan, his status is in no way inferior to that of my three brothers."
Beside Xiao Yuheng, a slightly short and stout old man stroked his beard, a glint of light flashing in his old eyes, and said with a smile.
As the head of the inner cabinet, this old man's status in the clan was unmatched by most. Almost all matters, big and small, in the clan had to go through his hands. But unexpectedly, Xiao Xuan had been in the clan for several years without him noticing the latter's identity. And looking at Xiao Yuheng's calm face at this moment, it was clear that he had known about this for a long time.
" Xiao Qian, this isn't something I intentionally concealed; it's just that Xiao Xuan's identity is rather special, and we absolutely cannot let those with ulterior motives know too much."
Xiao Yuheng frowned slightly, shook his head, and said slowly.
"What does the clan leader mean by this? I, Xiao Qian, was born for the great cause of the Xiao Clan. For the sake of the family, I am willing to give up my life. How dare you accuse me of having ulterior motives?!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qian's expression changed instantly. His smiling face immediately turned angry, and just as he was about to get angry, Xiao Yuheng spoke again.
" Xiao Qian! You must understand, these were not my original intentions. Our family is vast, and there are bound to be those with ulterior motives. To prevent gossip, the fewer people who know about this matter from beginning to end, the better; otherwise, it will surely bring disaster!"
Xiao Yuheng gritted his teeth, his tone quite solemn. He had already anticipated this scene when Xiao Xuan released the Formation Plate earlier, and from now on, Xiao Xuan's identity as an array master would no longer be able to be hidden. He just didn't know if anything else would happen.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qian was initially taken aback. After carefully considering the meaning behind the words, his old eyes suddenly narrowed, and he exclaimed in surprise:
"You mean, this is old..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Yuheng immediately made a shushing gesture, nodded almost imperceptibly, and, under the latter's bewildered gaze, slowly took a breath and continued:
"The news we received yesterday is that the Northern Remnant Stone Clan was completely wiped out overnight. All the Stone Clan members had their Soul Origin drained, and their deaths were gruesome. From this day forward, the Stone Clan will cease to exist."
"Hiss... They... Even the Stone Clan is gone. Was this done by the Ghost Gate?"
Xiao Qian's breath hitched, and a sense of shock surged into his heart. Immediately, a group of inhuman and ghostly creatures appeared in his mind. Based on their knowledge of the Ghost Gate, those guys seemed to possess some methods that could cause special damage to the Spiritual Strength. Now that this had happened, the most likely cause was naturally them.
The Northern Remnant Stone Clan, also known as the Stone Clan, is a family and race that has existed since ancient times. At its peak, it was comparable to the ancient Xiao Clan. However, with the changing times, the Stone Clan gradually withdrew from the stage of history and became what is now known as the Remnant Clan.
There are many ancient races like the Stone Clan in the Central Region. For example, the Gu Clan, which is now one of the family forces under the Ouyang Clan, was once an ancient race. It was only to protect the last bloodline of its clan that it became subservient to others, unlike the Stone Clan, which was proud and unyielding. But perhaps it is precisely because of this that it has ended up like this.
"Sigh... I don't know. Based solely on the scene at the Stone Clan's location, it's impossible to confirm who the culprit is. However, what is certain is that the person who committed this act was at least an Eight-Star Yuan Zun. Otherwise, given the Stone Clan's resources, even if they were outmatched, they wouldn't have met such a tragic end."
"Could it be Yuan Sheng?"
As soon as Xiao Yuheng finished speaking, Xiao Qian's expression changed drastically. A declining family actually attracted the attention of Yuan Sheng level expert. Wasn't that a bit too exaggerated?
"I'm not sure, but it's pretty close. I wonder when it will be my Xiao Clan's turn if things continue like this."
Xiao Yuheng shook his head with a complicated expression. He knew the seriousness of the matter. Over the years, one after another, the major and minor clans of the Central Region had been destroyed, and the person behind it had never been able to find any clues. The rapid escalation of the incident had once caused panic among the people of the three major clans. According to everyone's deduction, the main suspect in the whole incident naturally fell on the Ghost Gate.
The latter, of course, paid no heed to this, completely disregarding the opinions of outsiders. They maintained their consistent style, showing no mercy in retaliating against those who deliberately provoked them. Over time, many forces in the Central Region dared not speak out against the Ghost Gate, and everyone's subjective perception of such events naturally fell on the Ghost Gate...