Clouds drifted lazily above the azure sky, while warm sunlight streamed down from the heavens, imbuing everything with a languid air.
"Swish!"
Ripples suddenly rippled through the silent heavens, and a spatial rift slowly tore open. Two figures emerged from it.
"Is this Hanyun City? The strong smell of blood! It seems the Soul Palace has been active while we were away."
Hanyun City, now affiliated with the Dan League,
was once magnificent. While not as renowned as Shengdan City, it was still considered one of the most prosperous cities in the Dan Domain.
But now, it lies in ruins, filled with grief.
Vast craters dotted the surface, as if struck by a meteor shower.
"Senior Sister's Cao family is in this city. They must have suffered significant damage!"
Although the families of the five elders of Danta had relocated their main members to Shengdan City during the period of tension in Zhongzhou, some of their roots still remained.
But now, all was gone.
Billowing smoke, accompanied by the desperate cries of the survivors, spread an intangible atmosphere of desolation, causing Chen Guan and Medusa's faces to tighten, their hearts boiling with anger.
No sane person would be able to smile before such a bleak scene.
It's said that what you hear is not as true as what you see.
Chen Guan and Medusa both knew that Zhongzhou was in dire straits, no longer as peaceful as it once was.
However, due to various coincidences, they had only seen written information, and the sights they had witnessed during their outings were not the first scenes of the war.
Only today had they witnessed it with their own eyes!
The shock was far beyond what could be described on paper.
"Soul Clan..."
Chen Guan took a deep breath, muttering the name of this great enemy, his eyes shifting slightly.
In poverty, one should protect oneself; in prosperity, one should benefit the world.
Similarly, Chen Guan's murderous intent towards the Soul Clan and the Soul Palace now intensified.
This hatred was no longer solely for himself.
"There's a ripple of fighting to the west. This is most likely the culprit. Let's go check it out."
Medusa calmed down faster than Chen Guan, using her mental power to probe, and soon yielded some results.
Her mental power was far inferior to Chen Guan's, and the fact that she could sense the fighting in such a short time meant it was close.
Chen Guan nodded, took Medusa's hand, and with a single step, vanished into the sky.
Hundreds of miles away, high above a plain, a fierce battle was underway.
From afar, black fog billowed, thunder roared like a dragon.
A brilliant cacophony of fighting spirit filled the sky, with occasional plumes of icy lightning and blazing flames filling the air, giving the entire space a sense of precariousness. Waves of battle's aftermath spread like ripples, shattering the clouds across thousands of miles.
"Hehehe, Tang Zhen, your Nine Dragons Thunder Flame is undoubtedly powerful and unparalleled, but you alone are far too arrogant to think you can stop me and the Ice Venerable."
Another exchange of blows followed, and the black-robed Soul Palace elder steadied himself, his cloudy eyes fixed on Tang Zhen across from him with a sly laugh.
With only the strength of a four-star Dou Zun, facing Tang Zhen, who wielded the Nine Dragons Thunder Flame, he was bound to lose alone.
But he had teammates. Meanwhile,
none of the Alchemy Alliance's reinforcements, save for their leader Tang Zhen, were any match.
The contrast was naturally less overwhelming.
Listening to the elder's taunts, Tang Zhen remained silent, his furious eyes ignoring him as he stared blankly at the white-robed Ice Venerable.
The Soul Palace was like a rat in the gutter, its notoriety well-known to all. Even if they committed countless evil deeds, Tang Zhen wouldn't be surprised.
In comparison, he loathed the servile and despicable people like the Glacier Valley and the Tianming Sect even more.
"Whether I kill him or not is not up to you!"
With a muffled shout, Tang Zhen charged once more.
Nine dragons of thunder and fire swirled around him, transforming into a roaring flaming dragon. A faint dragon's roar echoed through the air, its power awe-inspiring.
"Ice Venerable, attack together!"
the Soul Palace elder called out. Amidst the surging black mist, Soul Chains shot out like dragons. Beside him, Ice Venerable, without hesitation, condensed a razor-sharp ice realm and charged directly at the flaming dragon.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion echoed, and a terrifying aftermath of energy swept across like a tidal wave.
A moment later, the smoke dissipated.
The Soul Palace elder vanished.
So did Ice Venerable.
Gazing at the sky where the two had previously stood, the still-battled Soul Clan and Alchemy Alliance members exchanged bewildered glances.
Tang Zhen was also stunned.
He knew perfectly well that despite the Soul Clan elder's sickening smile, his words were the truth.
With his own strength, forcing these two to pay a small price was the limit.
Staying completely was out of the question.
Glancing at his palm, Tang Zhen was completely bewildered.
Fortunately, his confusion didn't last long. Soon, a voice reached his ears.
"Valley Master Tang, clear the battlefield and then go to Qingce Manor for a meeting."
Everything was crystal clear.
Under the puzzled gazes of the two groups, Tang Zhen nodded gently, then turned to the group of Soul Palace minions with a sinister grin.
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"Kill, leave no one alive!"
—
The two Dou Shengs' speed was only faster than the spatial wormhole.
By the time Tang Zhen finished cleaning up and arrived at Qingce Manor, Chen Guan and Medusa had already been back for almost a day.
"Has the Alliance Leader summoned us this time to prepare for an all-out counterattack?"
"I don't know, but it seems very likely. We are far more formidable now than they are."
"Yes, that Ancient Dragon Clan's Dragon Emperor is truly terrifying. A few days ago, the Soul Palace's Grand Celestial Venerable personally attacked, but was nearly smitten with a single blow. If the Soul Palace's Grand Celestial Venerable hadn't rescued him in time, there would be no Grand Celestial Venerable anymore."
"That's true, but having spared Gu You is still a great victory."
"Do you think this Zi Yan is truly the Dragon Emperor of the Taixu Ancient Dragon? Her strength is formidable, but she looks a little immature. It doesn't align with my understanding of the Ancient Dragon Clan."
"Could she be lying?"
"..."
In the meeting hall, the powerful whispered among themselves.
But it was clear that they were all filled with confidence and a fierce fighting spirit.
After all, they had just won a resounding victory, and had even captured the Soul Palace's Second Celestial Venerable, Gu You. This was undoubtedly an exciting event.
Amidst the discussions among the experts, another group of ten or so emerged from the doorway.
Chen Guan, Zi Yan, and Medusa, the three Dou Sheng masters, led the way, followed by Xiao Yixian, Tianhuo Zunzun, Qing Lin, Tian Lei Zi, Xuan Yi, and the others.
Upon seeing this group, the previously bustling hall immediately quieted, and everyone consciously moved their seats back.
Medusa, as the current leader of the Dan Alliance, naturally took the main seat. Even Chen Guan and Zi Yan were forced to sit on either side.
Glancing at the assembled experts, Medusa spoke slowly.
"Everyone, over the past two weeks, the Soul Palace and its minions, taking advantage of my absence, have launched a massive attack on the Cheng Cities belonging to our alliance. Over a million souls have perished, and six Cheng Cities have been reduced to utter ruins!"
The hall fell silent, and smiles vanished, replaced by eyes filled with anger.
They all subconsciously chose to forget about these low-ranking individuals. The cold numbers before them were truly devastating.
They had slain many powerful Soul Palace Alliance members, even surviving Soul Palace's Second Heavenly Venerable,
Gu You. But all combined, they numbered only tens of thousands.
When it came to casualties, the side with no limits would never suffer the loss!
"I'm sure everyone has noticed our problems these days. Even though the major cities are connected by wormholes, and our support has been swift, we're still struggling under the frenzied attacks of the Soul Palace's minions. If this continues, we might be able to survive, but the number of people in Zhongzhou will only dwindle."
"Furthermore, under this threat of death, more and more neutral sects will join the Soul Palace and become its minions. This is something we absolutely cannot allow!"
In less than two weeks, over a million lives had been tragically lost.
What about a month?
Half a year? A year?
The more these powerful individuals thought about it, the colder they felt in their hearts. Their murderous intent towards the Soul Palace could no longer be suppressed. They stared at Medusa's face, eager for her final decision.
"We can't go on like this. The Soul Clan is the Soul Palace's backer, but I believe the other ancient races won't tolerate the Soul Clan's intervention. They're bound to be holding each other back. So, let's unite our forces and eradicate the Soul Palace and its minions!"
"In this battle, we'll plow through the fields!"
"Do you have any objections?"
"The Alliance Leader is right. I've long since given up on those sons of bitches. This is the way it should be."
"Eliminate the Soul Palace!"
"We at Jianbaoshan are willing to contribute!"
This single move ignited a thousand reactions. No one objected; everyone had been waiting for this day.
In fact, their stance could be discerned from their joining the alliance. Those who were hesitant were now either neutral or torn between
two sides. The hall was abuzz with emotion, but only Chen Guan and his companions listened and watched quietly.
After all, this decision was made after their deliberation.
Chen Guan knew full well that the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire was about to emerge, and they would undoubtedly seize it.
But before that, not to mention killing the Soul Palace in one blow, which is not very realistic, at least the Soul Palace must be completely retreated, so that he can feel at ease.
In addition, when Chen Guan heard Zi Yan say that Gu You was slapped to death by her, he felt quite sorry.
Originally, he planned to make use of the relationship between Yin Gu and Gu You to do something.
Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes.
Gu You must have this disaster.
Chen Guan quickly calmed down about this.
Gu You is gone, so what? After all, he still has another undercover in the Soul Clan.
"Very good, since no one objects, let's discuss the issue of manpower allocation. Since we have decided to sweep the court, we must divide our forces into multiple groups."
Medusa said, and a map of Zhongzhou flew out and floated in the air in the hall.
"This time, I intend to advance in four directions. To the west, the Medicine Venerable of the Xingyun Pavilion—no, we should call him the Medicine Saint now—will lead the charge, accompanied by Senior Brother Xuanyi, responsible for clearing out the Huangquan Pavilion and other Soul Palace minions, heading towards..."
"This side will be led by Senior Brother Tianleizi. I'll send a message to the Hua Sect to cooperate and send another Semi-Saint to clear out the Tianming Sect and others..."
"This side will be led by the Second and Third Elders, responsible for clearing out the minions of the Glacier Valley and others..."
After about a quarter of an hour, Medusa had roughly determined the four teams, each accompanied by at least two Semi-Saints. She then divided the powerful warriors in the hall into their respective teams, including Little Medical Immortal, Qinglin, and Skyfire Venerable.
With such strength, eliminating even a few Soul Palace minions would be enough to carry them all the way.
Someone also noticed that Chen Guan, Ziyan, and Medusa were not included in the plan.
However, as Dou Shengs, their status was already transcendent, and it was more reassuring to have them stay in the rear, ready to respond to any emergencies.
Little did they know, Chen Guan had no intention of sitting idle.
He had long ago harbored some bold ideas about the Soul Palace, and now, it was time to act.