"Roooaaaar~~!"
Sensing an overwhelming danger approaching, the Blue-Isle Sea Fish let out a thunderous roar that echoed in all directions. Its massive body churned the sea, stirring up towering waves that seemed to possess a will of their own. With an earth-shaking momentum, the tsunami surged forward, engulfing the colossal flaming sphere formed by the Nine Serene Golden Ancestor Flame. As thick steam hissed and billowed, both flames and waves vanished in a cloud of blinding mist!
"Nethersea Weakwater?!" Yan Jin exclaimed in shock. "No wonder it's an ancient sea beast—it even knows how to wield such a rare move! But sadly, the difference in our strength is an insurmountable chasm!"
With a fierce shout, Yan Jin's entire body ignited with exotic flames, forming a blazing cloak of fire that protected him from head to toe. The golden fire of the Nine Serene Golden Ancestor Flame surged around him, and on his right hand, a miniature golden fire dragon took shape. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth went wild; even the moisture in the air was instantly vaporized. Just breathing in the surrounding air was enough to cause one's internal organs to burn faintly!
"Take this! Golden Dragon Radiance!"
With a mighty bellow, Yan Jin hurled the golden fire dragon downward. As it soared through the air, it grew rapidly, and the space it passed through twisted and cracked under the intense heat!
The Blue-Isle Sea Fish roared again, its island-sized body surging up monstrous waves. But this time, the outcome was different. The golden dragon sliced through the waves like a scorching blade, evaporating even the mystical Weakwater and releasing clouds of white mist that spread across the sky!
In the blink of an eye, the blazing golden dragon dove straight into the Blue-Isle's abyssal maw! With a deafening boom, it exploded inside the creature's mouth, rampaging violently as it burrowed deeper into its innards!
"Raaaghh~~!"
The Blue-Isle Sea Fish howled in agony, thrashing its massive body and stirring up waves tall enough to crush mountains. But moments later, the sea calmed, and a rich, meaty aroma filled the air. The once-mighty Blue-Isle Sea Fish had fallen silent—roasted alive by Yan Jin's Nine Serene Golden Ancestor Flame! Despite the slight charred stench, the tantalizing aroma of ancient sea beast flesh made everyone unconsciously swallow their saliva.
"What a satisfying warm-up!"
Yan Jin rolled his neck and flew back to rejoin his clan.
"Congratulations, Patriarch Yan Jin! Your mastery over heavenly flame is becoming truly exceptional," said the Patriarch of the Alchemy Clan with a slight squint and a faint smile. Being from a clan of alchemists, they coveted heavenly flames more than anyone. And the Flame Clan, with the most heavenly flames in the entire continent, naturally drew both envy and admiration.
"Now that this problem is solved, let's get moving! The Soul Hall group is already ahead of us!" said the Rock Clan's Patriarch, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect before leading his clan onward. They had already lost enough time and couldn't afford further delay.
Understanding the urgency, the rest of the group transformed into streaks of light and shot off into the distance. Once again, the sky echoed with the sound of people tearing through the air at high speed...
On their way through the sea of magical beasts, these powerful cultivators and their clans swept through with overwhelming might. Within half a day, the once-emerald ocean was stained crimson with blood. Weaker rogue cultivators trailed behind, picking up scraps, though many paid for it with their lives. Of the hundreds who had set out, fewer than a hundred remained. The least casualties, naturally, came from the Central Plains' top-tier factions. And more cultivators continued to pour into this place. For them, the terrifying sea of magical beasts was no longer enough to deter anyone seeking the relics of the ancient Dou God!
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in golden hues, the survivors finally stepped onto solid land. Before them stood an enormous, ancient castle. Hearts began to pound uncontrollably.
But what greeted them was a scene straight out of a nightmare—blood-soaked ground, scattered corpses, and mutilated flesh. Everyone stood frozen, stunned by the sheer brutality of what had occurred.
Even more shocking, several magical beasts continued feasting on the remains, barely glancing at the newcomers before resuming their meal. Some had even taken humanoid forms and were casually barbecuing meat over a fire. Not a single one paid attention to the group of human elites!
Since when did magical beasts become so bold? A horde of human Saints and Emperors was right before them, and they had the audacity to grill meat like it was a picnic? Were they mocking humanity?
The human cultivators burned with fury, eyes filled with hostility. Only the leaders of the great clans looked on solemnly. The terrifying aura lingering in the air, the mountain of shattered shells in the distance... their hearts pounded violently. Whatever happened here—it had to be an earth-shattering battle!
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"That... that's the shell of a Rank-9 Profound Nether mystic tortoise, isn't it? Who could possibly have sliced its legendary shell to pieces like that?! This... this is impossible!"
An elder of the Spirit Clan stared in disbelief at the mountainous pile of broken shell fragments. Even Gu Yuan and the others wore grim expressions. Clearly, a figure of unimaginable power had passed through here. Could it be a remnant energy clone of the legendary Dou God?
As the ancient clan leaders stood in stunned silence, five figures cloaked in black flickered through the air, slipping into the castle through a gap in the bronze gate!
The others snapped to attention and immediately followed—now was no time to hesitate. Every second counted!
The shapeshifted magical beasts outside, still chewing on Profound Nether mystic tortoise flesh, glanced at the rushing humans with mocking expressions. They knew exactly what lay within that castle. These foolish humans really thought they could compete for the treasures within? Clearly, they were marching to their deaths. Why else would the beasts be loitering outside, roasting meat and avoiding the place entirely?
Inside, the main hall was nearly bare. Scattered relics and a vast, pitch-black abyss at the center drew frowns from every face present.
"We're late. Looks like the outer loot has already been taken," someone muttered. "Our only choice is to go deeper."
The groups split up and flew in different directions, each heading for the deeper parts of the ancient castle.
In a hidden chamber deep inside, multicolored light spheres floated in mid-air. Each orb contained an ancient scroll or jade tablet, radiating a mysterious brilliance.
Gu He stood beneath one of the orbs, channeling his full strength into attacking it. His hands were numb, sweat poured down his face, but his eyes blazed with excitement. These were ancient techniques, cultivation methods, and long-lost alchemy recipes!
Over the past three days, he had secured a high-rank Earth-level battle technique, a mid-rank Earth-level cultivation method, and alchemy formulas of Rank 6 and Rank 7! It was a treasure trove anyone would kill for!
Boom!
Another fierce palm strike cracked one of the light spheres. Gu He's eyes lit up in joy. "Finally, after a whole day!"
He popped a pill into his mouth, summoned more Dou Qi, and struck again!
Minutes later—crack!—the orb shattered. A scroll dropped from the air. Gu He reached out eagerly—
—but a shadow flashed.
The scroll vanished.
Unbeknownst to him, five black-robed figures had appeared in the chamber. The scroll was now in the hands of the figure on the far left.
"Who are you?!" Gu He gasped, alarmed. The aura from these five men filled him with dread—they were leagues beyond his strength.
The black-robed figures didn't answer. Instead, they stared at the floating orbs in awe.
"No wonder this is the collection of an ancient Dou God," one of them rasped. "Such rare techniques and alchemical formulas... It was worth coming here after all."
"Patriarch, this is a high-rank Earth-level soul cultivation method," said the man holding the scroll, eyes wide in surprise. Soul cultivation methods were extremely rare, especially at such a level.
These five were members of the Soul Clan—and the one in the center was none other than the Soul Clan's Patriarch: Hun Tiandi.
Hun Tiandi nodded, then looked at Gu He indifferently. "A Dou King? Someone as weak as you managed to make it this far? You must have comrades... Perhaps you opened this Ancient Dou God's Realm?"
"So what if I did? I warn you, return that scroll now—or when Lord Goku finds out, none of you will leave alive!"
Despite his fear, Gu He mustered his courage. No matter how strong these men were, could they really rival Lord Goku?
"Oh? Lord Goku?" Hun Tiandi's gaze sharpened. "Interesting. The mention of him seems to dispel your fear... The shattered profound nether mystic tortoise shell, the gap in the bronze gate... Could it all have been done by him alone? Now I'm curious... instead of asking, I'll find out for myself."
He grabbed Gu He's head. A chain of black light shot from his palm, piercing Gu He's skull and yanking his soul out of his body!
"Stop! Please—no!" Gu He screamed as Hun Tiandi opened his mouth and devoured his soul, digesting it instantly. Memories surged into his mind.
Moments later, his pupils shrank, face pale with horror, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Soul Yao, gather everything! We're leaving now!"
"What's wrong, Patriarch? What did you see?" the others asked, stunned. Their usually fearless leader seemed... afraid?
"I killed someone I shouldn't have," Hun Tiandi muttered. "I had no idea such a terrifying being still existed in this world! We need to leave—now. If we delay, none of us will make it out alive!"
The others sensed the urgency and didn't argue. Black mist surged from their sleeves as they swept up the floating orbs and their treasures into their storage rings.
"Move!"
They turned to leave—but found Gu Yuan and the other clan leaders blocking the exit.
"Old friend, leaving so soon?" Gu Yuan smiled coldly.
Hun Tiandi's face darkened.
"Gu Yuan!" Hun Tiandi spat the name through gritted teeth, eyes cold.
Standing behind Gu Yuan were the Alchemy Clan patriarch, Flame Clan patriarch, Spirit Clan patriarch, Rock Clan patriarch, and Thunder Clan patriarch—six of the Eight Ancient Clans. Every one of them stared at the Soul Clan members with hostility.
"Heh. Surprised you're still alive, old man," the Spirit Clan patriarch sneered. "What now? Planning to challenge us all? I suggest you hand over those treasures so we can divide them fairly."
Though mysterious and powerful, the Soul Clan's five Dou Saints were clearly outmatched by the other six clans.
Hun Tiandi's expression was grim. They weren't afraid of the other clans—but now wasn't the time for war. Not with that terrifying figure looming behind them. If they didn't escape soon, they might never leave at all. Their dreams of dominating the continent were in jeopardy. For now, he had to retreat.
He sighed. "It seems if I don't comply, you won't let me leave. Soul Yao—leave half the items behind. We're done here."
Soul Yao was stunned. When had their patriarch ever backed down like this?
Shaking his head, he summoned a pile of scrolls and jade tablets and placed them in front of the six clan leaders.
"Take them. Divide them however you want. Farewell." Hun Tiandi snorted and left with his followers.
His unexpected concession shocked the others. Since when was he so agreeable? Something was off...
"Something's strange. This isn't the Hun Tiandi I know," Gu Yuan murmured, deep in thought. But he didn't press the issue. Forcing a confrontation now would only lead to disaster—and the outcome would affect the fate of their clans.
"What did he see that scared him so much?" the Alchemy Clan patriarch muttered.
"Forget it. Let's divide the loot and focus on finding our true inheritance," Gu Yuan said calmly.
The others nodded. No matter how valuable the treasures were, they weren't as important as the Dou God's legacy.
---
"Patriarch, are we really letting them take the loot and walk away?" Soul Yao grumbled behind them. "Since when do we fear the other clans? This isn't like us."
Hun Tiandi's face remained dark. "You don't understand... I've just seen a monster. And we're lucky to be alive."
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