Chapter 682: Mu Yu's Resolve and Creating a Dou Emperor
Within the headquarters of the Yuan Sect.
Although the expedition to the Ancient Emperor's Mansion ended in failure, the allied forces had not disbanded. Everyone understood that their only chance of survival against the Soul Heavenly Emperor, who now possessed the embryonic Emperor Pill, was to stay united. If they split up, it would truly mean certain death.
Upon returning to the Yuan Sect headquarters, the leaders of the alliance, including Mu Yu, Xiao Yan, and Gu Yuan, began rallying their forces. They prepared for a grand assault on the Soul Realm, determined not to give the Soul Heavenly Emperor the chance to refine the embryonic Emperor Pill.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. The Soul Heavenly Emperor seemed to have anticipated their move. The space passage leading to the Soul Realm was destroyed, and the Soul Realm itself had vanished. The allied forces found themselves at a dead end, their efforts in vain.
Frustrated, they returned to their headquarters and took up a defensive stance, keeping a close watch on any movements across the Central Plains. As the allied forces pulled back, time passed slowly. Days turned into weeks, and tension filled the air as they waited for any sign of change.
Despite Gu Yuan's continuous attempts to locate the hidden Soul Realm, there was no news. This lack of progress weighed heavily on everyone's hearts. The more time the Soul Heavenly Emperor had to refine the embryonic Emperor Pill, the more dangerous it became for the alliance. If the Soul Heavenly Emperor succeeded in refining it, it would spell the end for them all.
Though everyone was anxious, they knew that panicking would not change anything.
"One month... already..."
Atop a tall tower in the Yuan Sect headquarters, Mu Yu stood gazing over the vast city, muttering to himself. It had been a month since the Soul Heavenly Emperor stole the embryonic Emperor Pill. In that time, the Soul Clan had seemingly disappeared from the world, with no news or trace of them. But Mu Yu was certain that the Soul Heavenly Emperor was making progress, having spent thousands of years planning for this moment.
Mu Yu's eyes narrowed slightly. Over the past month, he had not neglected his training. With the vast resources of the Yuan Sect at his disposal, his strength had grown, reaching the later stage of Eight-Star Dou Saint, a feat that impressed even Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun.
However, Mu Yu knew that despite this rapid progress, he was still a ways from reaching the Nine-Star Dou Saint level, which was his ultimate goal. Yet, if the situation became truly dire, he was determined to seek the Wind Emperor and attempt a breakthrough to Dou Emperor, regardless of whether his strength had fully matured.
"Dear..."
A soft voice came from behind him. Mu Yu turned to see Lei Fei'er approaching with her elegant, cold beauty. He smiled slightly at the sight.
"Any news from Uncle Lei or the Gu Clan leader?" Mu Yu asked. Seeing Lei Fei'er shake her head, Mu Yu sighed softly and closed his eyes, feeling a sense of helplessness. The waiting, with no way to act, was frustrating.
Seeing Mu Yu's tired expression, Lei Fei'er stepped closer and gently leaned into his embrace. She looked up at him, her delicate hands softly massaging his temples in an attempt to ease his tension.
As Mu Yu inhaled her soothing fragrance, he wrapped his arms around her slender waist and buried his face in her soft hair, murmuring, "Don't worry, Fei'er. No matter what, I won't let the Soul Heavenly Emperor destroy our lives. You, Yu'er, Cai Lin, Little Doctor, all of you... I'll make sure you all live happily on this continent."
"Mmm, I believe in you," Lei Fei'er smiled softly. "You've never let anyone down. From the day you came to our clan, proving yourself against all odds, I knew you were special. Meeting you has been the greatest fortune of my life."
"Oh? It seems you weren't too pleased with our engagement before I arrived in the Lei Clan," Mu Yu teased, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I didn't know you back then," Lei Fei'er said, blushing slightly.
"Haha, I understand. Meeting you has been my greatest fortune as well. After we defeat the Soul Clan, I'll hold a grand wedding for all of you!" Mu Yu took a deep breath and declared loudly.
Lei Fei'er, Xiao Yu, Cai Lin, Little Doctor Fairy, Qing Lin, Yun Yun, Ya Fei... Without realizing it, Mu Yu had so many loved ones across the Dou Qi Continent. This made the upcoming battle against the Soul Heavenly Emperor all the more important—failure was not an option.
"We will succeed, my love..." Lei Fei'er whispered, leaning against him with a radiant smile, full of confidence and love.
As time passed, another half-month slipped by. In this period, the Soul Clan remained eerily quiet, as though they had vanished completely from the world.
Within the alliance's grand hall, the leaders sat in silence, their faces clouded with worry. Each passing day of inaction from the Soul Clan only deepened their unease.
Sitting beside Mu Yu, Xiao Yan sighed heavily. "This waiting game is really starting to get on my nerves."
"Dammit! Are those bastards going to show themselves or not? If they want a fight, let's fight! The Lei Clan is ready to go all out. This waiting is driving me mad!" Lei Ying roared, slamming his fist on the table, shattering it into pieces. His frustration boiled over as he stood up, fuming.
"Fight who? You can't fight anyone if they don't show up," Yan Jin remarked, frowning.
Lei Ying gritted his teeth but eventually sat back down with a heavy sigh. The Soul Clan was hiding, leaving him no one to vent his anger on.
Suddenly, everyone in the hall felt a strange disturbance. All eyes turned to the center of the room, where space began to ripple. A figure materialized—it was Gu Yuan.
"Do you have news?" everyone asked anxiously.
Gu Yuan's expression was grave as he nodded slowly. But before anyone could celebrate, he said, "We found the Soul Realm... but we're too late."
A cold wave seemed to wash over the room, instantly killing any excitement. The expressions on everyone's faces turned grim.
"What do you mean by 'too late'?" Xiao Yan asked, frowning.
Gu Yuan sighed and looked up at the sky. At that moment, the entire space above the Central Plains began to tremble violently.
Mu Yu and the others rushed outside to see what was happening. In the distant sky, a black ring of light had appeared. As it spread rapidly, it enveloped the entire Central Plains.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the black ring expanded, the energy of heaven and earth across the Central Plains began to boil. Countless experts were stunned, looking up at the sky in horror.
Under the terrified gazes of everyone, the black light twisted and condensed into a colossal black cauldron in the sky.
The cauldron's size was indescribable, as though the entire Central Plains had been swallowed into it.
"What is this..."
Mu Yu and the others looked up, their expressions darkening. They could feel a familiar, ominous presence within the black cauldron—it was the Soul Heavenly Emperor!
"Soul Heavenly Emperor has begun to fuse with the embryonic Emperor Pill. He plans to use the Central Plains as his cauldron, its living beings as ingredients, heaven and earth as fire, and his own body as the pill..." Gu Yuan's fists clenched tightly, his voice heavy with dread.
"He intends to refine the embryonic Emperor Pill into a true Emperor Pill, and once it's complete, he will become a Dou Emperor!"
"We've underestimated the ambition of the Soul Heavenly Emperor!"
"Hiss..."
Everyone present drew a sharp breath, their eyes filled with shock and fear.
"Doesn't this give us a chance, though?" Lei Ying asked, his voice tense. "Since he's beginning the final step of refining the Emperor Pill, he'll have to show himself. That's when we can strike!"
Gu Yuan shook his head. "The Soul Heavenly Emperor has already fused the embryonic Emperor Pill with himself. His current strength is so great that even if Zhu Kun and I join forces, we might not be able to stop him."
"Then what do we do? Are we supposed to just watch him refine the Emperor Pill into a finished product? If we wait any longer, he'll become unstoppable!" Yan Jin's voice was filled with urgency.
The others nodded in agreement. They all understood the gravity of the situation—if they didn't act soon, it would be the end.
Gu Yuan stared at the immense cauldron in the sky, his expression dark. "For now, we must wait. Refining an Emperor Pill isn't something that can be done quickly. We need to plan the perfect time to strike."
The others fell silent, realizing that rash actions would only hasten their doom.
The Central Plains soon descended into chaos. The giant black cauldron hanging in the sky became the source of widespread panic. The oppressive aura it emanated unsettled countless experts.
Several hours after the cauldron's appearance, black light began to gather from the horizon. Under the watchful eyes of millions, the black light converged into a massive formation in the sky. At its center stood a figure with long flowing hair—none other than the Soul Heavenly Emperor.
In the next instant, beams of black light shot down from the formation, striking the ground in various places across the Central Plains.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the light hit the earth, the entire Central Plains shook violently. In cities across the region, crowds panicked as the ground beneath them began to crack open.
The black light soon pierced through the cracks, enveloping entire cities in a dark glow.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under the black light, the bodies of people within the cities began to explode, turning into clouds of blood and gore.
The black beams absorbed the blood mist, forming massive blood-red pillars that shot up into the sky, feeding into the formation above.
Panic spread across the Central Plains like wildfire.
Above one city, not far from the Yuan Sect headquarters, Mu Yu, Gu Yuan, and Xiao Yan appeared, looking down at the blood-soaked chaos with faces of iron.
"What is happening?" Yan Jin gasped.
Gu Yuan's expression was grim as he waved his sleeve, forcing the ground below to crack open further, revealing a blood-red formation filled with piles of bones beneath the surface.
"Soul Devouring Life-Ending Formation..." Yan Jin's voice trembled as he recognized the formation.
"What a ruthless technique..." Lei Ying growled through clenched teeth.
The Soul Devouring Life-Ending Formation was an ancient and extremely cruel array. It could reduce all living beings within its range into blood mist and forcibly extract energy from their remains. The formation had been banned long ago, but the Soul Clan had somehow resurrected it.
"This formation was set up by the Soul Hall. While they were publicly collecting souls, they were secretly placing these formations across the Central Plains," Gu Yuan said darkly. "The Soul Clan was fully prepared for this moment."
As they watched the horrific scene unfold, everyone was filled with anger but felt powerless to stop it. All they could do was return to the Yuan Sect headquarters, their faces grim.
When they arrived, they found Zhu Kun waiting for them outside the hall, with Zi Yan standing behind him.
"I never expected that guy to have such a terrifying plan..." Zhu Kun sighed when he saw Mu Yu and the others.
Gu Yuan nodded. "Our only option now is to gather as many strong fighters as we can. If we can destroy the formation in the sky, the Soul Heavenly Emperor's plan will fail."
But even as he said this, Gu Yuan couldn't help but smile bitterly. There were so few people in the Dou Qi Continent who could even hope to stand against the Soul Heavenly Emperor.
"We have to try. If the Soul Heavenly Emperor becomes a Dou Emperor, it's all over," Xiao Yan said with a wry smile.
Zhu Kun remained silent for a moment, then glanced at Zi Yan before taking a deep breath. "It's not over yet. If he can become a Dou Emperor... we can make one too."
(End of Chapter)
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