Ancient Clans Emerge from the Shadows · Zhou Yu Shatters the Array

At the summit of the Thousand Realms Sect's main peak, the sky suddenly cracked open, and the Realm Sea churned. One after another, indescribable ancient clan emblems were projected from beyond the heavens, crashing down onto the sect's grand formation. The sky seemed to burn, the void seemed to weep, all the Soul Stele trembled instantly, and the names of the disciples on each tablet fluctuated violently.

"That's... the seal of the ten clans?!"

"How is this possible? The Nether Firmament Underworld Sect, the Thunder Prison Mystic Gate, and the Crimson Abyss Divine Clan... they've all appeared in the world at once!"

The Soul Stele Square was in an uproar. Countless disciples looked up in shock. Especially under the main stele, the rankings changed rapidly, and the entire sect's World Merit system seemed to be reconstructed by some irresistible force.

Soul Hall, Sect Master Qian Xuancang and several elders gathered, discussing matters in deep voices.

"The shadows of the ten clans have appeared in my sect's territory. What is their intention?" an elder of the Sealing Hall asked in a deep voice.

Qian Xuancang closed his eyes for a long time before saying, "It could be the beginning of a calamity, or it could be a scheme by the New World. The matter of Qin Yu can no longer be concealed."

--The soul pressure surged, all eyes were on them, and a new era began.

The storm has not yet subsided.

After the Soul Sealing Trial, the atmosphere inside and outside the sect was still unsettled, but the aftershocks on the Soul Stele had already stirred up waves among the forces of all directions.

That night, deep within the Thousand Realms Sect, a secret meeting, unknown to outsiders, was quietly taking place.

Sect Master Qian Xuancang sat atop the Soul Palace Divine Platform, his brows furrowed in deep thought. His soul consciousness pierced through the void, already taking in the changes in soul pressure within the Soul Sealing Array.

Qian Ruishan and Qin Yu stood side by side at the bottom of the steps, waiting to be summoned.

"Qin Yu," Qian Xuancang spoke in a deep voice, his tone seemingly originating from beyond the divine realm, "Your soul path... does not belong to this world."

Qin Yu's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not rush to refute, only lowering his head slightly.

"Father," Qian Ruishan spoke, her voice calm yet carrying an undeniable firmness, "His soul power, though not a traditional extension of the soul path, has not deviated from its origin. In terms of the purity of his heart and soul, no one can compare."

Qian Xuancang's gaze lingered on her, remaining silent for a long time. Finally, he only sighed softly, "If your fate lies beyond the heavens... then let the world see."

At that moment, the atmosphere froze like an ancient monument. Although Qian Xuancang's words did not reveal his attitude, he had already loosened the last vestige of the Lord of the Thousand Realms' obsession.

It was at this very moment that, in a secluded mountain region of the Spirit Firmament Great Realm, a projection spanning thousands of miles quietly opened its eyes.

--Sect Master of Thunder Prison Mystic Gate, Elder Tingjin.

"Is it him...? He has summoned the Nine Abyss Silent Lightning, shaken our clan's Thunder Well, and caused the Thunder Soul Stele to tremble."

At the same moment, the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect, Grand Venerable Mingxu, also murmured during the Soul Hall Ancestral Sacrifice: "The resonance of corpse souls... that's a frequency never seen in ten thousand years."

Meanwhile, in the Divine Flame Radiant Realm, "Venerable Yanyou" observed Qian Ruishan's Soul Suppression Fluctuation Diagram, a crimson flame flickering from his fingertips. "This woman may be able to revitalize the fire patterns of my realm, allowing her soul to be reborn..."

The entire stalemate was quietly broken that night.

With the full emergence of the ten forces, the situation in the Spirit Firmament Great Realm is in turmoil. The origin of the Soul Domain beneath the floating island is faintly trembling, as if some distant cause and effect has been quietly stirred. At this moment, within the Thousand Realms Sect, the ripples caused by Qin Yu have spread to a wider cultivation system.

The seven major forces, including the Crimson Abyss Divine Clan, the Nether Devouring Hall, and the Realm Bone Ridge, have begun secretly exchanging messages, discussing the possibility of encircling and annihilating Qin Yu. Each of them has dispatched their most skilled soul envoys, assassins, and divine sense infiltrators, who are adept at tracking and stealth attacks, to infiltrate the outer perimeter of the Thousand Realms Sect, set up a trap to seal souls, and lock onto Qin Yu's aura at all costs.

Meanwhile, the three clans of the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect, Divine Flame Radiant Realm, and Thunder Prison Mystic Gate deployed their forces at the core of their respective territories, quietly communicating and intending to provide Qin Yu with absolute assistance in the upcoming chaotic battle. They did not take immediate action but remained silent, in order to shatter the enemy's plans in one fell swoop during the decisive battle.

During his ten thousand years of seclusion, Elder Tingjin Thunder Prison Mystic Gate, forcibly opened his soul vision and gazed at a certain place in the Great Realm: "This child... is the true master of the Lightning Soul-Suppressing Art."

Within the Divine Flame Radiant Realm, Venerable Yanyou stepped out of the Fire Soul Altar, facing the Eastern Realm, and whispered, "Qian Ruishan has fallen in love. If he... does not perish, then we shall establish this realm."

The Nether Firmament Underworld Sect Grand Venerable Mingxu of the Netherworld Sect stood silently within the Soul Tower, the nine soul corpses behind him slowly opening their eyes, whispering like the howls of the Netherworld: "The bond array has been sensed... One day, I will fight to shatter the Soul Realm for him."

Under the combined pressure of numerous souls, the Soul Hunting Army and the Shang Lineage made the most significant moves.

The main branch of the Shang Lineage secretly activated the "Blood Seal Divine Pact," placing Qin Yu's portrait on the wind barrier of the Soul Realm to intensify the soul pressure seal daily. Meanwhile, within the Soul Hunting Army, a secret order was thoroughly disseminated:

--[Soul-Severing Hunt Order]: Slay Qin Yu, Soul Seal will not cease, nor will the hunt order end.

For this purpose, the Soul-Severing Group quietly gathered, and three "Soul Splitters" at the Severed Phenomena Realm have appeared at the border of the Soul Realm, heading straight for the Thousand Realms Sect. Their names are "Zhan Hunchen", "Shi Guyang" and "Yan Tongwang", all of whom are notorious figures on the God-Slaying Ranking, skilled in Soul Blockade and Annihilation of Consciousness.

High above, in the heavens, Ling Jingxi stood in the Void Light Temple, gazing in the direction of Qin Yu, a shattered "Realm Evolution Remnant Seal" appearing at her fingertips. She whispered:

"If I don't intervene, the fate of the Soul Realm will no longer be in our control..."

The actions and strategic moves of all the races have begun. Only Qin Yu remains unaware that the greatest calamity since he ascended to the top of the Soul Stele Ranking has quietly descended upon him...

The place where the lightning tribulation phenomenon occurred is called "Nine Nether Lightning Abyss," one of the forbidden areas that has been sealed off for a long time in the Spirit Firmament Great Realm. Legend has it that the source of divine lightning, capable of shattering the heavens and destroying a world, lies dormant there, a severing mark of the ancient path of lightning. Shang Lineage and the Soul Hunting Army spread false information as bait to lure Qin Yu and Zhou Yu there.

Qin Yu's expression turned cold; he had already sensed something amiss from Qian Xuancang's words. He looked at Zhou Yu and Yao Wanqing: "Lei Yuan's journey might not be as simple as the strange phenomena suggest." Qian Ruishan stood to one side, her green robe swaying gently, her tone calm. "If you go, I will accompany you."

The four set off amidst wind and thunder, crossing the "Severed Cloud Ridge" and the "Void Flame River," finally arriving at the Nine Nether Lightning Abyss. Outside the Thunder Abyss, lightning stretched like mountains, the earth trembled, and space fractured under the pressure of tribulation. As the four stood there, they felt layers of soul pressure approaching.

Before they even entered the depths of Thunder Abyss, the Soul Severing Trio of the Soul Hunting Army and the three groups of Realm-Awareness experts from the Shang Lineage had already set up Life-Sealing Lightning Lock Array in the abyss, quietly turning the world into a deadly trap.

Deep within Thunder Abyss, it seemed like another dimension. As soon as Qin Yu and the others entered, they saw the shadows of thunder beasts appearing amidst the lightning, and the roar of divine soul thunder echoed in the void. Qian Ruishan's Cold Stamen Ice Tassel Sword trembled slightly, as if sensing some kind of strange soul fluctuation.

Just as the four stepped into the heart of the abyss, the Thunder Lock Array suddenly activated, and a ring of boundary-patterned thunderous explosions erupted between heaven and earth. Streams of lightning transformed into chains that shot down from the void, instantly sealing off the four's retreat. The Soul-Severing Quartet and the Shang Lineage family's powerful Realm Insight appeared, their auras cold and sinister, and the battle in the sea of thunder officially began.

Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and amidst the surging clouds, murderous intent was already brewing.

Three powerful experts at the Realm Consciousness Realm lay in ambush behind the Ninefold Thunder Ravine. The lightning shadows blotted out the sky, the array patterns twisted, and a triple Soul-Locking Illusion Killing Array was formed. The power of lightning was compressed into a Soul-Piercing Thunder Spear, pointing directly at Zhou Yu's sea of consciousness!

"A True Soul Realm Fifth Stage cultivator dares to set foot here?" One of the purple-clad Realm Awareness experts sneered, his lightning shadow like a whale, instantly engulfing the area.

Qin Yu at a distance, not making a move, his eyes fixed with a cold light. He had already realized that this killing situation was not necessarily a conventional suppression; if Zhou Yu could not break through, he would never be able to step onto a higher path of the Soul Dao.

Just then, Zhou Yu slowly raised her eyes, her expression more resolute than ever before.

He made hand seals with both hands simultaneously, without moving the sword, but a wisp of lightning, as deep as an abyss, spread from his fingertips.

"Nine Abyss Silent Lightning Canon, Second Level - Abyss Lightning Soul Shaking"

Boom!!!

Lightning struck as if time and space had collapsed, and lightning streaks extended from the sea of consciousness, piercing straight into the heavens and earth!

A surge of desolate Silent Lightning, shaking the very foundations of the earth, erupted from Zhou Yu's body, like a thunder god roaring from the depths of the abyss. His soul patterns tore through space, pressing down heavily on the three powerful beings of the realm of consciousness.

"What--!"

The array master's pupils constricted sharply, the lightning patterns above his head cracked, and his sea of consciousness felt as if it had been ripped open!

Bolts of lightning plummeted through the void, piercing the soul array—"First layer of the array shattered!" "Second layer of the soul trap collapsed!" "Third layer of the illusionary killing technique was broken!"

The triple soul-locking formation collapsed instantly under the impact of this single "Abyssal Abyss Lightning Soul Shaking" attack!

"Retreat! Retreat quickly—" someone shouted in alarm, but it was too late.

The lightning strike entered his soul, shaking his very essence. It was the Annihilation Soul Lightning, which even shattered the rules of his sea of consciousness. A powerful expert of the realm consciousness coughed up blood on the spot, and his Primordial Spirit was severed!

The other two tried their best to maintain the barrier, but were still torn apart by the lightning. Their robes turned to ash, they spat out blood and fell outside the lightning ravine, their fate unknown!

At this very moment, the entire lightning tribulation zone collapsed, as if the heavens themselves were shattered!

Qian Ruishan's eyes flickered, her heart trembling— Zhou Yu was no longer the boy who needed someone to protect him.

Yao Wanqing stared blankly at Zhou Yu, a hint of admiration in her expression.

Qin Yu, standing some distance away, nodded slightly without saying a word.

However, deep within those eyes, a cold glint gleamed, hidden yet unseen.

Qian Ruishan tilted her head slightly, as if sensing a slight tremor in his soul, and asked, "You noticed?"

Qin Yu smiled calmly, his gaze sweeping past the battlefield's remnants to the distant sky. His tone was even. "This was a trap, a deadly trap. Unfortunately... they miscalculated one thing."

Zhou Yu leaned on his sword, the Silent Lightning coursing through his body. His soul trembled slightly, but he showed no signs of fatigue. Yao Wanqing's expression was solemn. She held the Soul Needle halfway to her side and slowly withdrew it.

"We've been targeted," Zhou Yu said coldly. "From the moment we stepped into this 'Thunder Tribulation Domain,' the entire barrier was already sealed off."

"This move is something I prepared long ago," he said in a low voice.

The nine Silent Lightning soul patterns around his body suddenly lit up again, and the remaining power of the second layer of "Abyss Lightning Soul Shaking" had not yet dissipated. There were traces of soul waves moving in the air, as if crushing all the remaining array Soul Seal in the world.

"They underestimated... the power of this Thunder Codex."

As he swung the Emperor-Charging Nether Lightning Sword, three blood-red figures emerged from the lightning amidst the remaining formation in the distance. These were the surviving souls of the person who set up the formation. Before their souls could escape, they were shattered by the soul-shaking force, their Soul Sea exploding and completely annihilated into the world.

The air was silent for a moment.

Qian Ruishan's voice was gentle yet cold. "This is the work of the Shang Lineage and the Soul Hunting Army, isn't it?"

Qin Yu nodded, his eyes filled with a chilling light like snowflakes rolling across a star field. He didn't speak, but he had already resolved to kill.

He knew that if he didn't kill Shang Kui now, there would be endless trouble in the future.

But simply killing Shang Kui is not enough.

One strike must serve two purposes.

He quickly outlined his plan in his mind, and the next moment, his eyes suddenly lit up. He turned to Qian Ruishan and whispered, "I've thought of a way... not only can we kill Shang Kui, but we can also draw out all the forces behind him."

Qian Ruishan's beautiful eyes flickered. "What are you going to do?"

Qin Yu said softly, "After returning to the sect, I will ask the sect leader for permission to take on the ['Soul Poison Remnant Realm Cleansing Mission' in the Realm Calamity Tower]."

Qian Ruishan frowned. "Isn't that area... the old site where the Shang Lineage used to set up covert operations?"

That's exactly why.

Qin Yu slowly said, "I will set up a trap, secretly sending a message to Shang Kui, telling him that I will be going alone to the depths of the Soul Poison Remnant Realm to carry out a mission. If he is truly scheming, he will surely set an ambush. At that time..."

His mind went blank, and with a slight twitch of his fingertips, a wisp of cold light leaped from his palm like a soul flame.

"I'll let him die in the place he knows best."

"And..." he looked up at the distant horizon, "Forcing out the Soul Hunting Army, Realm Bone Ridge, and the Soul Path Poison Line that was truly hidden deep within him."

This time, it's not just about fighting back.

"It's hunting."