Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

"Moreover, the physical strength of my puppet is somewhat inferior to that of a true cultivator of the same level, and it is far inferior to those demonic puppets that can withstand heavenly tribulations and have abnormal recovery abilities. Its advantages are... that it can use combat techniques, and that it can be used as a decent 'firework' when necessary without feeling bad about it."

He spoke casually, but Zi Yan and Cai Die were terrified.

Aren't you heartbroken? A puppet at the peak of the seventh-level Dou Zun realm, you just abandon it like that?

Such skill... and considering his terrifying strength in instantly killing a half-saint and imprisoning space, the two women suddenly felt that this guy they had known for so long might still have many tricks up his sleeve.

Seeing the two women's stunned expressions, Su Baichen sighed softly, shook his head, and turned his gaze to Zi Yan, who was still in a daze.

"Don't you know my strength?" he asked, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Your father should have mentioned it to you."

Back then, Su Baichen did not deliberately conceal his aura in front of Zhu Kun.

With the discerning eyes of that ancient dragon patriarch, how could he not see through his true nature?

Zi Yan was taken aback upon hearing this, blinked, and her memory suddenly came back—that's right, her father seemed to have mentioned it, but at the time she was thinking about Su Baichen and hadn't taken it to heart at all.

Thinking of this, her face flushed, and she nodded somewhat awkwardly.

Seeing this, Cai Die's beautiful eyes widened even more, her gaze shifting back and forth between Su Baichen and Zi Yan. Finally, she pointed to her own nose, her tone unconsciously rising: "So... out of the three of us, I'm the only one who was kept in the dark? So you all knew, but I was the only one who didn't know my brother-in-law's true strength?"

The more she talked, the more aggrieved she felt, her lips slightly pursed, giving her an accusing expression that said, "You all conspired to keep this from me."

Zi Yan quickly went over, clutching her chest with one hand and feigning heartbreak, earnestly comforting her, "Oh, don't be sad! Look, I was startled just now too, didn't I? This just shows that we sisters are still in sync!"

She stood on tiptoe, patted Cai Die's shoulder in an old-fashioned manner, and said in a deliberately low voice, "Some things, you'll understand when you're older. I'm keeping them from you now for your own good!"

Looking at her pretentious little adult demeanor, Cai Die's initial grievances instantly transformed into a mix of exasperation and amusement.

She narrowed her eyes, then suddenly reached out and lifted Zi Yan up, starting to tickle her: "Little brat, trying to act all high and mighty with me? I'll teach you a lesson!"

"Oh dear! I was wrong! I won't do it again!" Zi Yan twisted and dodged while giggling and begging for mercy.

The two immediately started bickering, their cheerful laughter echoing in the wind.

Su Baichen watched their daily banter, a slight smile playing on his lips, and shrugged helplessly.

He then suppressed his smile and looked down at Luo Tian, ​​who was lying quietly on the ground below.

Luo Tian noticed his gaze fall upon him and immediately bowed his head, his voice earnest and urgent: "My lord, Luo Tian, ​​on behalf of the Luo family, hereby submits and has no other intentions!"

"Good." Su Baichen responded calmly, flicking his finger. Two streaks of shimmering white light shot from his fingertips, one of which suddenly entered Luo Tian's brow and merged into the depths of his soul.

"This is a restriction. If you harbor any disloyal thoughts, your soul and spirit will be destroyed. Do you understand?"

Luo Tian trembled, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He quickly bowed low, saying, "Luo Tian understands, and will certainly not dare to disobey!"

Su Baichen said no more and nodded slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, he took the still playful Zi Yan and Cai Die with him, and they transformed into three streams of light, disappearing into the slowly rotating spatial wormhole.

As night deepened, stars began to twinkle sporadically.

Several hours after Su Baichen and the other two left, a slightly ethereal yet imposing figure quietly appeared in the courtyard behind Luo Tian.

It was Luo Cheng, who had been slapped away by Su Baichen during the day.

Luo Tian did not turn around, as if he had already sensed the arrival of the person. He simply looked at the deep night sky and calmly said, "Father, go. Since you have made your choice, the sooner you commit, the greater the benefits you will receive in the future."

He paused, then lowered his voice slightly: "Perhaps one day, this restriction in our souls... will also have a chance to be broken."

Luo Cheng silently watched his son's straight back, a complex look flashing in his eyes, which finally turned into a barely audible sigh.

He reached out and pressed down hard on Luo Tian's shoulder.

"The Luo family is now entrusted to you."

Before the words were even finished, the figure vanished like smoke, disappearing into the night, and sped off towards Canaan Academy.

Chapter 254 Gu Yuan's Attention

Within the ancient tribes (ancient realm)!

Deep inside the main hall, candlelight flickered.

Gu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back by the window, his gaze piercing through layers of spatial barriers, as if he could see the vast world beyond the ancient realm.

He was listening to the report from the clan's semi-saint elder about a young man named Su Baichen.

"As he left, he glanced in the direction of his subordinates."

Elder Mo raised his head, his eyes still filled with lingering horror.

"That was no accidental glance, clan leader. Your gaze was as tangible as a physical object, piercing through the folds of space and landing precisely on the place where your subordinates were hiding."

The hall fell into a deathly silence, with only the faint crackling of the soul lamp's flame.

After a long while, Gu Yuan slowly leaned back, his black robe sleeves brushing against the cold armrests, making a slight rustling sound.

His deep gaze fell on Elder Mo's pale face, his voice calm yet carrying immense weight: "Remove the 'possibly.' He's found you."

Elder Mo's body trembled violently, and his already kneeling figure shrank even further, his expression extremely complicated.

Half-Saint... He had cultivated diligently for nearly a hundred years, undergone the baptism of the bloodline of the ancient clan, and exhausted countless resources before finally becoming a Half-Saint, and considered himself to be one of the top experts on the continent.

Su Baichen, though he looked to be no more than fifty years old, was at least a true Dou Sheng in strength!

An absurdly chilling sensation shot up my spine.

Has this world truly gone mad? Ancient clan bloodlines and ancient traditions are inferior to a mere rogue cultivator of unknown origin?!

"cough."

A soft cough pulled Elder Mo back from his nearly scattered thoughts.

He looked up in surprise and met the gaze of the clan chief, Gu Yuan. There was no blame in that gaze, but rather a sense of calm that came from having seen through the ways of the world.

"Elder Mo, there are always people more capable than you, and there is always a higher level to reach. Although our ancient clan is one of the eight ancient clans and possesses the bloodline of a Dou Di, we are not the sole rulers of this Dou Qi Continent. The continent is vast, and the river of time is long. It is not surprising that some exceptionally talented individuals occasionally emerge out of nowhere."

Gu Yuan's voice softened, but it still carried an undeniable air of authority.

His gaze was fixed on the endless void outside the palace, as if trying to pierce through the barriers of the ancient world and see that vast and mysterious continent.

"Go down. Today's events are sealed in a top-grade secret scroll and must not be circulated outside except by a decision of the Elders' Council."

"Yes... I understand." Elder Mo took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and bowed solemnly. When he stood up, his steps were still a little unsteady, but his eyes had regained focus.

He bowed again, then transformed into a wisp of green smoke, silently dissipating into the hall.

Gu Yuan sat alone, his fingertips ceasing their tapping at some point.

The void before him rippled slightly, revealing a scroll of light and shadow, a fragment of a scene transmitted back by Elder Mo through his soul imprint—a black-clad youth stood with his hands behind his back, his profile as sharp as if carved by a knife in the setting sun, and even through the image, one could feel the calm and profundity in his gaze as he glanced back.

“Su Baichen…” Gu Yuan murmured the name, his eyes flashing with a strange light before finally settling into a deep, still pool.

"Thirty-something years old...a rogue cultivator...a Battle Saint..."

Gu Yuan murmured to himself, each word like the sound of an ancient bell, echoing with complex aftertastes in the empty hall.

He turned and walked toward the main seat in the hall, his dark gold robe trailing silently across the smooth, mirror-like obsidian floor.

After sitting down, Gu Yuan raised his hand and gently tapped the air with his fingertips. Dozens of streams of light flew in from outside the hall and landed on the jade table in front of him—all of them were dossiers about Su Baichen.

One scroll after another was turned.

"An orphan, with no family background, no mentor..."

"First appearance in Central Continent, a nominal elder of the Pill Tower!"

"I briefly stayed at Canaan Academy in the Black Corner Region..."

"A few days ago, they turned the tables on the Soul Hall's ambush team in the Tianqing Mountains, including a half-saint..."

Gu Yuan's brows furrowed slightly.

The information in the file was fragmented and limited. This Su Baichen seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. His first half of life was unremarkable, but his second half was like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, so dazzling that people couldn't help but pay attention.

"A rogue cultivator has managed to reach this level..."

Gu Yuan put down the last volume of the dossier and tapped his fingertips lightly on the jade table. He had to admit that Su Baichen was outstanding—almost uncanny.

A young man with no background who cultivated to the level of Dou Sheng through unorthodox methods is a miracle in the entire history of the Dou Qi Continent.

But that's all.

Gu Yuan slowly closed his eyes, his mind filled with the accumulated resources of the ancient clan over thousands of years—the mountain of cultivation techniques and fighting skills piled up in the Scripture Pavilion, and the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth cultivated for hundreds of years in the herb garden…

How could a young man in his thirties, no matter how talented, possibly compare to an imperial family that has been passed down for thousands of years?

"Even among the Battle Saints, there is a world of difference."

Gu Yuan opened his eyes, a golden halo flashing in them.

He is a late-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng, an Emperor-level Soul, and the patriarch of an ancient clan.

In his eyes, a rogue cultivator who had just entered the Dou Sheng realm was nothing more than a slightly stronger ant.

What he really cared about was something else entirely.

"Xun'er..."

Gu Yuan sighed softly, a rare hint of helplessness appearing on his dignified face.

His daughter, the most pure-blooded celestial being in the history of the ancient clan, is destined to reach at least the eight-star Dou Sheng realm, and may even have the chance to challenge that legendary realm.

She is the hope of the ancient tribe and the pillar of the entire tribe's future.

But now, it seems that the heart of this pillar is about to be shaken by an outsider.

“Since this girl came back, she asks about Su Baichen every day.”

Gu Yuan recalled Ling Ying's previous report.

"During breaks from cultivation, I would often stare blankly towards the southeast..."

This is not a good sign.

Gu Yuan stood up and walked to the east wall of the main hall.

A huge map hangs on the wall, depicting the distribution of power across the entire Dou Qi Continent.

"The Soul Clan has been making frequent moves lately. That old fox, the Soul Emperor, I wonder what he's plotting now..."

Gu Yuan's finger lightly traced across the map, finally stopping at the four characters "Mountains of the Dead".

Su Baichen's counterattack and killing of the Soul Hall members there certainly demonstrated his strength, but it also meant that he had been targeted by the Soul Hall—and even the Soul Clan.