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Just as Soul Emperor left, a middle-aged man dressed in ordinary clothes, looking unremarkable, suddenly appeared.
"Uncle Gu," Xiao Yan said respectfully.
Gu Yuan saw Xiao Yan, frowned slightly, and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Xiao Yan nodded, "I'm fine."
"You saw him?"
"Yes, he calls himself Soul Emperor."
Gu Yuan sighed, "You were targeted by him after all, much earlier than I expected. He is an extremely dangerous fellow. A thousand years ago, your ancestor Xiao Xuan fell at his hands."
"Don't believe any of his promises. His friendliness and gentleness only appear when you are of use to him."
Xiao Yan nodded solemnly, "I understand."
"Xun Er misses you very much. Keep it up." After leaving a word of encouragement, Gu Yuan disappeared without a trace.
"Xun Er…" Xiao Yan repeated the name, his expression softening.
...
High in the sky, Gu Yuan looked at Soul Emperor with sharp eyes, "The grievances of a thousand years should end now, shouldn't they? I promised Xiao Xuan to preserve a trace of the Xiao Clan's bloodline… He is the last of the Xiao Clan."
"The last of the Xiao Clan?" A strange smile appeared on Soul Emperor's face:
"Are you truly unaware or feigning ignorance? Didn't I tell you that the Xiao Clan still exists, and their strength is probably on par with the Lei Clan and Yan Clan… and they hide even more secrets that even I must take seriously."
Strength on par with the Lei Clan and Yan Clan? A hint of doubt flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes. He didn't know how Soul Emperor came to this conclusion.
He said coldly, "Don't mention unverified guesses, unless that hidden Xiao Clan truly appears before me."
"For now, I only know that he is the only living Xiao Clan bloodline I can confirm."
"Soul Emperor, it's been a long time since we last fought, hasn't it? Let me see if you've made any progress in a thousand years."
Energy tides surged, and a gigantic palm, as if capable of obscuring the sky and sun, appeared, slowly pressing forward.
Soul Emperor's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected Gu Yuan's attitude to be so resolute this time.
"Heh… Is this your promise to Xiao Xuan? To leave a trace of the Xiao Clan's bloodline…"
Behind Soul Emperor, a massive energy tide also formed, and black mist transformed into a giant hand, meeting Gu Yuan's attack.
The moment they made their move, the sky changed color. Fluctuating energy waves dispersed the clouds, and various lights continuously flashed.
The people of Black-Corner Region looked up and saw two energy tides, originating from different directions, collide. A massive, deep gully was carved upwards, spanning the entire sky.
Subsequently, two enormous palms appeared; one radiated brilliant golden light, the other was wreathed in dark black mist. The two palms collided and annihilated in the air, the scattered energy forming an all-encompassing storm.
The vast mountain forests were flattened, towering ancient trees were uprooted and thrown into the sky, and even Dou Emperor level magical beasts couldn't maintain their balance in this fierce wind, being blown away like ants without a trace.
"This is… Uncle Gu and Soul Emperor fighting?" Xiao Yan's eyes were filled with horror. This terrifying, apocalyptic scene truly frightened him.
Is this truly within the scope of human power?
Yao Chen also couldn't help but emerge from the bone flame ring. A battle of this level was also a first for him to witness.
He let out a sigh, "The might of a Dou Saint is terrifying! I originally thought that energy tides could only be triggered by the movement of heaven and earth. It seems I was a frog in a well."
"That previous energy tide was probably man-made too, right? Was it Soul Emperor? What was his purpose in triggering that energy tide?" Xiao Yan suddenly thought of this point, his tone filled with doubt.
Gu Yuan and Soul Emperor's exchange didn't last long. After about ten seconds, they both entered the void and disappeared.
The energy tides they triggered also slowly dissipated, but the remaining power enveloped that area for a long time.
Within their residual power, cultivators who had just entered the Dou King realm would find it extremely difficult to mobilize world energy, making flight challenging.
Xiao Yan spent a long time calming the shock left in his heart from watching their distant battle.
...
At night, a bright moon hung high in the sky, its cold light spilling onto the ground. The wind stirred the not-so-thick clouds, and as the clouds moved, they occasionally obscured the moon, plunging the earth into darkness again and again.
At the Xiao Alliance's base, teams of guards patrolled back and forth, their eyes vigilant, their sharp gazes sweeping every corner.
A figure clad in a yellow skeleton robe easily and leisurely evaded the guards' patrols and entered the Xiao Alliance.
This was an old man with blood-red hair and a gaunt, skeletal face. His eyes were deeply sunken, and a faint glow emanated from his pupils, as if two ghostly flames were burning.
He was Old Ground Demon Ghost, the founder of Demon Flame Valley.
Although Xiao Yan had hidden his appearance before, his connection with Gold and Silver Elders exposed his identity. The news eventually spread, reaching Old Ground Demon Ghost's ears.
Old Ground Demon Ghost was quite wary of the combination of the Xiao Alliance's three Dou Ancestors and one peak sixth-grade Alchemist, so he didn't confront them directly. Instead, he snuck in, planning to catch them off guard and kill one of them.
In a corner of the courtyard, he suddenly saw a woman dressed in somewhat revealing clothes with heavy, eerie makeup. She was gnawing on a braised pig trotters with great relish.
The target hadn't been found yet, but he had been discovered. Killing intent surfaced in Old Ground Demon Ghost's eyes:
"Consider yourself unlucky."
His hand, withered like an old tree branch, formed a claw, seemingly slow but actually swift, reaching for the woman's throat.
Hun Xiao's forehead twitched… After confirming their gazes, it was clear they were both bad news. Couldn't he just tacitly pretend he didn't see anything?
So uncooperative!
Hun Xiao dropped the pig trotters. Black mist rapidly surged, covering her entire body, leaving only a pair of eyes with a hint of anger and a faint red glow:
"Damn it, I wasn't even planning to attack you, and you dare to attack me first? You're seeking death!"
Terrifying aura erupted. Hun Zhang regarded her as the fourth candidate for the "Three Sword Saints," securing her treatment comparable to a Young Clan Leader. With a massive influx of resources, her progress was rapid, and she was now an undeniable Nine-Star Dou Ancestor.
Feeling the overwhelming aura, Old Ground Demon Ghost's mind went blank for a moment, then he was scared out of his wits:
"Misunderstanding, this is a misunderstanding!"
"Misunderstanding your ass! Die for this Protector!" Hun Xiao roared.
Chains, imbued with imposing might, shot towards Old Ground Demon Ghost.
The latter had no choice but to react, forming a hand seal. Dark cold energy shot out, freezing the incoming chains.
"Hmm? Ice Dou Qi?" A hint of surprise flashed in Hun Xiao's eyes.
The aura of two high-level Dou Ancestors erupted, alarming everyone in the Xiao Alliance.
Gold and Silver Elders, Xiao Yan, and Little Fairy Doctor all flew into the sky, their gazes vigilant as they watched the two fighting in the courtyard.
When they saw the blood-haired old man in the yellow skeleton robe, Gold and Silver Elders gasped, exclaiming:
"Old Ground Demon Ghost!"
"Who is he?" Little Fairy Doctor asked, puzzled.
"He's the founder of Demon Flame Valley. He's probably here for revenge after we killed Fang Yan and the others, but we didn't expect him to sneak in," Gold and Silver Elders said with a hint of lingering fear.
Xiao Yan's gaze fell upon the figure completely enveloped in dark mist, and he frowned:
"People from Soul Hall? Why are they fighting here?"
Xiao Yan wouldn't be naive enough to think that because of Soul Emperor's seemingly benevolent attitude towards him, the people from Soul Hall came with good intentions.
"Fight whom?" Little Fairy Doctor asked.
Yao Chen's voice rang out, "Xiao Yan, it's better to resolve enmities than to deepen them. I can also let go of my grievances with Soul Hall. I respect your choice."
He subtly implied that Xiao Yan should reconcile with the Soul Clan… For no other reason than the power Soul Emperor displayed was simply too strong. Seeing their previous exchange, Yao Chen felt like an ant.
Xiao Yan's eyes flickered, and he replied, "Xiao Meng is still in Soul Hall's hands, my father was also abducted by them, and Teacher, your revenge cannot be forgotten so easily… Soul Emperor's words are not to be trusted."
"However, now is indeed not the time to be too reckless or show too much hostility towards them… I want to use Soul Emperor's ambiguous attitude to develop steadily for a period of time."
Yao Chen's face showed a mix of helplessness and relief, "It's your decision."
Xiao Yan quickly said to Little Fairy Doctor and Gold and Silver Elders, "First, kill Old Ground Demon Ghost!"
As he spoke, his bone wings spread open behind him, and he charged towards the blood-haired old man like a streaking meteor.
Little Fairy Doctor and Gold and Silver Elders followed closely behind.
Old Ground Demon Ghost's expression changed. He wanted to escape but found his path blocked by chains.
"Heh heh… Since you're here, don't leave!" Hun Xiao let out a sinister laugh.
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