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

She dared not be negligent, and activated her movement technique with all her might, holding the Dragon Emperor's Blood-Weeping Spear horizontally in front of her, ready for battle.

The black flame, which had gathered most of Hun Miesheng's soul power and secret techniques, seemed to have a life of its own, transforming into a ferocious black flame dragon. With a heart-palpitating devouring power, it swept towards Zi Yan, biting and devouring her!

That aura was enough to severely injure or even kill an ordinary four-star Dou Sheng.

We can't tough it out!

Without hesitation, Zi Yan unleashed the power of space within her body, her figure shifting sideways like a ghost under the pull of spatial laws, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

The black flame dragon grazed her clothes as it crashed into the clouds below, instantly evaporating the sea of ​​clouds thousands of meters high.

[Not good! A feint!]

Just as Zi Yan dodged the attack, she keenly noticed that Hun Miesheng, who seemed to be attacking her with all his might, was actually using the black flames as cover to transform into a shadowy figure that was difficult to see with the naked eye, and rushed straight towards Cai Lin and Xuan Yi, who were fighting with the Elder of the Soul Palace!

Their objective was clear—to capture the leader first, they would seize Cai Lin and Xuan Yi, and the tide of battle would turn immediately!

By then, it was too late for rescue!

Although Cai Lin and Xuan Yi sensed the danger, they were entangled by several Soul Palace Heavenly Venerables and had no way to extricate themselves!

At the critical moment—

"boom!"

With a deafening roar, just as Hun Miesheng was about to touch Cai Lin, an incredibly strong figure appeared out of thin air and blocked Cai Lin's path. A rough-looking giant fist, carrying the power to crush the void, met Hun Miesheng's palm strike, which contained a secret technique, without any fancy moves!

"Crack!"

A sickening sound of bones shattering rang out. Hun Miesheng let out a muffled groan, as if he had been struck by a giant hammer. He was sent flying backward at a faster speed than when he charged forward, with black flames flashing violently around him. He had clearly suffered a great loss!

"what?!"

Hun Miesheng steadied himself, staring in horror at the puppet that had appeared out of nowhere, feeling the aura emanating from it that was no less powerful than his own at the peak of the Five-Star Dou Sheng realm.

In particular, the familiar fluctuations of the body of an ancient Stone Clan powerhouse made him instantly realize the truth, his eyes filled with disbelief and frustration.

[Damn it! It's actually a puppet crafted from the body of a Stone Clan powerhouse! And a peak five-star Dou Sheng at that!]

As a living fossil-like powerhouse, Hun Miesheng had an extremely sharp eye. He recognized at a glance that the core material of this puppet was made from the remains of a Dou Sheng powerhouse of the Stone Clan who had been missing for many years!

[Damn it! Those brainless brutes from the Stone Clan who only know how to throw punches, they don't even know how to collect the corpses of their own powerful members lying around! What utter trash!]

Hun Miesheng mentally ranted, his contempt for the Stone Clan mingling with his frustration at his lack of intelligence.

What made him even more desperate was that the appearance of this puppet meant that the plan had completely failed, and if the fighting continued, their losses would be even more severe.

"withdraw!"

Hun Miesheng acted decisively, issuing the order without hesitation, and retreated hastily, wanting only to escape this place of trouble as soon as possible.

The Soul Palace members were already struggling to hold on, and upon hearing this, they felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They dared not linger in the fight and used their escape techniques to flee in a disheveled state towards the distant horizon, fearing that if they were too slow, they would be left behind by the Pill Tower members.

"Stop chasing!"

Cai Lin's clear, cold voice rang out, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"Letting them go, pushing them too hard, will only lead to a desperate struggle, and could cause unpredictable changes."

Xuan Yi nodded in agreement. Her newly promoted Dou Sheng senses made her understand that although the Soul Palace had been defeated, if they fought back desperately, the Pill Tower would inevitably suffer losses as well.

Zi Yan put away the Dragon Emperor's Blood-Weeping Spear, looked in the direction in which the Soul Palace members fled, glanced at the puppet guarding Xuan Yi and Cai Lin, pursed her lips, and looked helplessly at Xuan Yi and Cai Lin.

"Alright, alright, since you two, the top two leaders, have spoken, what else can I say?"

Although she was warlike, she knew what was important, but the unfulfilled fighting spirit in her eyes was still clearly visible.

Chapter 335 Thunder Clan Discussion!

Thunder Clan.

The atmosphere inside the Thunder Clan council chamber was so heavy it was almost palpable.

Almost all of the core members of the Thunder Clan came out, and even several elders who had been in seclusion for many years made an exception and showed up.

All eyes were focused on the burly, composed middle-aged man in the main seat—Lei Ying, the patriarch of the Lei Clan.

"Chief, why have you summoned us here so urgently?"

The First Elder broke the silence first, his brows furrowed and his voice tinged with impatience.

His hair and beard were all white, and his body was surrounded by lightning. He was one of the most senior and powerful members of the clan.

The other elders also looked puzzled, their gazes shifting between Lei Ying and his colleagues.

Unless the clan leader sends a message using the highest-level Thunder Seal, they would never easily interrupt their respective cultivation or affairs.

Lei Ying's expression was solemn. He tapped the armrest of his chair lightly with his fingertips, making a dull "thump-thump" sound. Each tap seemed to strike the hearts of everyone present.

"Everyone, a few days ago, Elder Mang Tianchi, the leader of our clan who went to the ancient clan, sent back a message?"

"Could the patriarch be referring to the fact that an unparalleled genius with divine bloodline was born in the ancient clan?"

The second elder replied in a deep voice. He was thin and had a cold face. He was the clan's strategist, known for his calmness.

"This matter has already spread. The girl from the ancient clan is named Gu Xun'er, and her talent is indeed amazing, but does it seem unnecessary to gather us here so solemnly for such a matter?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. While it was astonishing that the ancient clan had produced an heir with a divine bloodline, for the Thunder Clan it was more of a distant and vague shock, far from warranting a high-level council meeting.

"No!"

Lei Ying slowly shook his head, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"What I want to talk about is not this matter, but another even more shocking message that Mang Tianchi sent back using a secret method right after!"

"And the intelligence I just gathered!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his wrist, and a scroll sliced ​​through the air, landing precisely on the round table in the center of the council hall.

As the scroll unfurled, dense text and map markings were instantly revealed to everyone.

"This is... a Soul Devouring Array?!"

An elder with sharp eyes cried out in alarm, his face draining of color instantly.

Lei Ying's voice boomed like thunder in the hall: "That's right! Mang Tianchi unexpectedly learned that the Soul Clan is secretly setting up thousands of Soul Devouring Arrays all over the continent!"

"The Soul Devouring Array, viewed in isolation, is merely a sinister formation that drains the energy of living beings. But if the number of them reaches a certain level... what will happen when they intertwine and resonate with each other? I think everyone here knows perfectly well!"

As he spoke, the temperature in the council chamber seemed to drop ten degrees.

All the elders, whether they had noticed the scroll before or not, reached out and grabbed the document at the same time.

When they saw the countless red dots marked on it, covering the Central Plains and even the entire continent, a chill ran from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads.

The legendary, forbidden demonic array, capable of devouring heaven and earth and sacrificing all living beings—the [Soul-Devouring and Life-Severing Array]—clearly appeared in everyone's mind.

"A madman! The Soul Emperor is an absolute madman!"

The First Elder slammed his fist on the table, instantly cracking it in several lines. His hair and beard bristled as he roared, "Is he trying to destroy the entire continent and turn billions of lives into nourishment for the Soul Clan?!"

"Sacrificing all living beings on the continent... How dare the Soul Clan plot such a world-destroying act!" The Third Elder's face was also pale, and his voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

Immediately, the council chamber was filled with discussion, a mixture of shock, anger, and fear.

The Soul Clan was already powerful and domineering, and now they have secretly plotted such a vicious scheme, which is simply suffocating.

Lei Ying's gaze, however, bypassed the noisy crowd and landed on the Second Elder, who remained relatively quiet, head bowed, carefully studying the scroll.

"Second brother, you've always been meticulous. Take a look at this information and what are your thoughts?"

The Second Elder slowly raised his head, his usually stern face now filled with solemnity.

He pondered for a moment, then pointed to the array points on the scroll that were specially marked and whose energy fluctuations far exceeded those of the others. His voice was low and firm: "Clan leader, everyone, the situation is probably worse than we imagined."

"Based on the residual energy detected and the completion rate of the array base... the core of this Soul Devouring Life-Severing Array is probably already 90% complete!"

"Ninety percent?!"

This word, like an icicle, pierced through all wishful thinking and illusions.

Everyone stared intently at the documents in their hands once again. This time, they examined the details with a more professional eye and finally discovered the deliberately hidden clues pointing to the completion status.

Cold sweat had unknowingly soaked through the backs of several elders' clothes.

Lei Ying nodded heavily and continued, "Second Brother's speculation is the same as mine. The possibility of the Soul Emperor making a big move is extremely high, and it's almost imminent!"

A deathly silence enveloped the entire council chamber.

The previous proposals for an alliance have vanished, replaced by heavy pressure.

The strength of the Soul Clan is evident to all. The Soul Emperor, a late-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng, is already a figure standing at the pinnacle of the continent. Not to mention that he also has the Void Devouring Flame, an early-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng, and many other terrifyingly powerful high-level Dou Sheng under his command.

Such power would be impossible for even the deeply entrenched Thunder Clan to contend with head-on.

After a long silence, Lei Shuo, the youngest and least experienced elder, mustered his courage amidst extreme repression and tentatively suggested, "Clan leader, since the situation is so critical, why don't we form an alliance with the ancient clans?"

"Gu Yuan is also a late-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng. With him holding back the Soul Emperor, we can catch our breath."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the elders, who had been lost in thought or anxious, all turned their heads in unison, their gazes filled with a complex emotion that was hard to describe. There was pity, helplessness, and a deep sigh that said, "You are too naive."

Lei Shuo felt extremely uncomfortable under their gazes and asked blankly, "Everyone...did I...did I say something wrong?"

Sitting beside him was the Sixth Elder, Lei Shan, an old man who had seen many storms. He sighed and patted his shoulder earnestly, saying, "Child, you are still too young. You don't know some of the stories that have been buried by the dust of time."

Lei Shuo was even more confused: "Don't know what?"

Lei Shan's gaze was fixed on the void, as if piercing through the river of time, and his voice was desolate and distant: "Have you ever heard of the ancient eight clans, there was once a clan called the Xiao Clan?"

“The Xiao clan?” Lei Shuo tried hard to recall the scattered records in the ancient books, then shook his head.

"All we know is that they were one of the ancient imperial clans, but later... they were lost to history."

"Annihilation?" A bitter smile appeared on Lei Shan's lips.

"Hehe, the Xiao Clan was once the most powerful of the eight ancient clans! Its patriarch, Xiao Xuan, was the most recognized strongest member of the Xiao Clan at the time, a peak late-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng, one of the people closest to becoming a Dou Di!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the silent crowd, and then, word by word, revealed the truth that had been deliberately forgotten:

"Xiao Xuan and Gu Yuan, the patriarch of the ancient clan, were not only close friends of the same generation, but they had also sworn an oath by burning incense to become sworn brothers, sharing honor and disgrace!"

Upon hearing this, even the elders who already knew the truth still felt a pang of sadness in their eyes.

Chapter 336 Gu Yuan, Who Is Not Trusted!