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

Most of the candles in the conference hall had gone out, except for the one in the center that still flickered in the wind, casting long shadows of the two suddenly returning figures onto the cold floor tiles.

After the noise subsided and he was sure no one was around, Second Elder Lei Zhen slowly emerged from the shadow of a giant pillar.

His usual composure and calmness were completely gone, replaced by a sharpness like that of a hawk.

Looking at the clan leader Lei Ying, who had also returned, Lei Zhen's lips curled into a bitter smile: "It seems that the clan leader is not just a 'brute,' as you have also noticed."

Lei Ying casually tore off the clan leader's token, a symbol of his status, from his waist and tossed it onto the table with a dull thud.

He rubbed his temples, a rare hint of weariness showing in his usually battle-ready eyes: "I may be a bit reckless and combative, but I, Lei Ying, am not so stupid as to ignore the blade at my neck."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the dark night sky outside the window, his voice low and deep: "The Soul Clan wants to set up the 'Soul Devouring Life-Severing Array.' No matter how secretly they do it, it's impossible for it to just vanish as if it evaporated."

“Even the worst, dumbest, and most blind spies in our Thunder Clan could not possibly have failed to gather any information over the years.”

At this moment, Lei Zhen slowly walked to the table and gently tapped the surface with his fingertips, each tap seeming to strike a taut string in his heart.

He pondered for a moment, then spoke the chilling conclusion on behalf of Lei Ying, his voice dry as if he had swallowed a mouthful of sand: "Therefore, there is only one possibility for the logical loop!"

"There's a traitor within the clan, isn't there?"

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Lei Ying remained silent for a long time, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force he exerted.

He had guessed it, but he was unwilling to believe that the Thunder Clan had been infiltrated by the Soul Clan to such an extent.

"Do you have anyone you suspect?" Lei Ying's voice was a little hoarse, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

Lei Zhen sighed deeply and shook his head: "The clues are too messy and point to too many things, making it difficult to be certain."

"Sigh..." Lei Ying slumped down, his fingers rhythmically tapping the cold stone table.

"It seems we can only start with the intelligence team and investigate layer by layer. But this investigation will inevitably cause internal turmoil and alert the enemy."

"This method is not very effective; it's no different from not checking at all."

A glint flashed in Lei Zhen's eyes, and he lowered his voice and said, "Clan leader, just in case, that thing must be kept close to your body."

"No matter who the mole is, his ultimate goal is definitely to take that thing at the right time!"

He stretched out his hand and pointed in the air—that was the location of the Lei Clan's ancestral shrine, where the Lei Clan's Tuoshe Ancient Jade was kept.

"As for the ancestral hall, I will personally place a fake one there to pass for the real one. Only you and I will know the difference between the real and fake."

Upon hearing this, Lei Ying couldn't help but chuckle, tapping Lei Zhen's forehead with his finger: "You, you don't even trust those old fogies who guard the ancient jade?"

"It's not that I don't believe it, it's that I can't afford to lose." Lei Zhen's expression was more solemn than ever before, his usually charming face now as hard as iron.

"The ancient jade is our Thunder Clan's last trump card and our only bargaining chip in negotiations with the Soul Emperor."

“Once the ancient jade falls into the hands of the Soul Clan, we will be deprived of even the right to kneel down and beg for mercy.”

He stared intently at Lei Ying and said, word by word, "Now, within this clan, apart from you, the clan leader, I can't sleep if the ancient jade is in anyone else's hands."

Lei Ying's smile faded; he understood what Lei Zhen meant.

He stood up and patted Lei Zhen's shoulder heavily, the force conveying an unquestionable trust and entrustment.

“Alright, I’ll personally take charge of the ancient jade matter and make sure it doesn’t go wrong. As for Su Baichen’s line of work… I’ll leave that to you.”

"Don't worry." Lei Zhen straightened his sleeves, regaining his usual composure.

"You just need to take care of the ancient jade; leave the rest of the dirty and tiring work to me."

After saying that, he turned and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness as if he had never been there.

Lei Ying was the only one left in the huge conference hall.

He picked up the clan leader's token from the table again, feeling its cool touch, and a satisfied smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

"This guy, after all these years, he's still such a worrywart, he hasn't changed at all."

Lei Ying stretched, his bones cracking and popping.

He was very fortunate—Lei Zhen was intelligent, capable, and loyal. Most importantly, this guy was also very diligent, adept at interpersonal relationships, and able to manage the clan in an orderly manner.

If it weren't for his status as a direct descendant, the position of clan leader would probably have fallen to Lei Zhen long ago.

Thinking of this, a sly glint flashed in Lei Ying's eyes.

He was inherently warlike, only interested in fighting, and most annoyed by dealing with those tedious clan affairs.

"With Lei Zhen holding the line, I can have a lot more time to cultivate in seclusion. Hehe, this Second Elder is truly my lucky star."

He whistled merrily and strode out of the meeting hall, leaving behind only flickering candles that swayed in the wind until they went out.

At this moment, the fate of Thunder Clan was also placed on the table of a high-stakes gamble.

Chapter 338 Gu Zhen, Severely Injured!

A month later, at the entrance to the second level of the Heavenly Tomb, the space slightly distorted, and three figures suddenly appeared.

Xiao Yu exhaled a long breath, feeling the surging aura of a three-star Dou Zun within his body, and a smile involuntarily appeared on the corner of his mouth.

In just one month, she kept ambushing and killing energy beings, and her battle qi cultivation level jumped from one star to three stars. Such a speed is considered remarkable among the younger generation in the outside world.

"Xun'er, how have you been these past few days?" Xiao Yu turned to look at the elegant and otherworldly figure beside her.

Upon hearing this, Xun'er smiled gently, raised her palm slightly, and a powerful energy fluctuation, far more potent than Xiao Yu's, quietly spread out.

"Hmm, not bad, you've already reached the mid-stage of the Nine-Star Dou Zun!"

She waved playfully, her tone casual and nonchalant.

Although the first level of the Heavenly Tomb is vast, the highest energy beings there are only three-star Dou Zun, which no longer pose a real threat to the three of them.

"Miss, in that case, let's hurry up and go to the second floor!"

Beside him, Gu Qingyang, dressed in ancient ethnic clothing, spoke in a deep voice, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

As the Grand Commander of the Ancient Clan, his strength had reached the peak of the late stage of the Nine-Star Dou Zun. His most important task upon entering the Heavenly Tomb was to protect Xun'er.

"Ok!"

Xun'er nodded, then turned to look at Xiao Yu and said softly, "Cousin Xiao Yu, let's come together. It'll be good for us to look out for each other!"

Xiao Yu agreed almost without hesitation: "Okay, let's go together!"

She knew very well that most of the geniuses who entered the Heavenly Tomb traveled in groups. Although she was already a three-star Dou Zun, she would inevitably suffer if she were alone in the event of danger.

Not only is it safer to stay by Xun'er's side, but the powerful senior Gu Qingyang will also surely not stand idly by.

Gu Qingyang did not refute this. He knew that Xiao Yu had an extraordinary background, being a descendant of the Xiao clan and someone specially cared for by the mysterious expert Su Baichen.

It's important to know that Su Baichen paid a considerable price to ensure Xiao Yu could enter the Heavenly Tomb, so Xiao Yu likely has some life-saving trump cards left behind by Su Baichen.

Staying by the young lady's side might actually come in handy at a crucial moment.

After passing through the spatial barrier, the three officially entered the second level of the Heavenly Tomb.

Compared to the desolation of the first floor, the spiritual energy here is so dense it's almost liquefied, and the air is filled with an ancient and desolate atmosphere.

However, Gu Qingyang's expression grew increasingly solemn, and he whispered a reminder: "Miss, be careful. The second level is full of energy bodies at the mid-level or even high-level Dou Zun level, and there are even occasional nine-star Dou Zun. Don't be careless."

In the days that followed, the three formed a team and trained in the second level.

They had a clear division of labor: Gu Qingyang was the main attacker, while Xiao Yu and Xun'er cooperated to harvest the energy, protecting each other while absorbing the energy bodies.

Time and again they joined forces to hunt down energy beings, and time and again they took turns protecting the cultivators, and the three of them became more and more in sync.

A month of arduous study has finally paid off.

Xun'er was the first to break through the bottleneck and advance to the late stage of the Nine-Star Dou Zun; Xiao Yu was not far behind and remained stable at the Four-Star Dou Zun level; even Gu Qingyang's aura became more profound and refined than before.

During their joint operations, Gu Qingyang gradually noticed a peculiar phenomenon—this Miss Xiao Yu, although her cultivation level was lower than his own young lady, was by no means weak in actual combat, and in some dangerous situations, she was even more decisive and ruthless than Xun'er.

…………

"Ok?"

On this day, Gu Qingyang, who was resting, suddenly changed his expression and looked sharply into the distance.

"Commander Qingyang?" Xun'er asked in confusion.

"Miss, come with me, I can sense Gu Zhen's aura!" Before Gu Qingyang finished speaking, his figure shot out like lightning.

Xiao Yu and Xun'er exchanged a glance and followed without hesitation.

When the two caught up with Gu Qingyang, they saw Gu Qingyang kneeling on one side, continuously feeding pills into the mouth of a young man covered in blood and with a weak aura.

That person was none other than Gu Zhen, another great leader of the ancient clan.

"Commander Qingyang, what happened to Commander Guzhen that caused him to be injured like this?"

Xun'er quickly stepped forward and saw that Gu Zhen's face was as pale as paper and the bandage wrapped around his chest was soaked with blood. She couldn't help but look worried.

Gu Qingyang frowned, channeling his battle qi to help her refine the medicine's effects, and said in a deep voice, "Miss, I don't know either. I suddenly sensed Gu Zhen's faint aura just now, and when I arrived, I found him in this state!"

After another pill was administered, Gu Zhen's breathing finally stabilized somewhat, his eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Commander Gu Zhen, what happened to you?" Xun'er squatted down and asked anxiously.

Gu Zhen struggled to sit up, his eyes still filled with shock, and said in a hoarse voice, "I and two other members of my clan... encountered an ancient insect-devouring tide, and barely escaped with our lives..."

He took a moment to catch his breath and continued, "I thought I had survived a calamity, but who knew that as soon as I relaxed my guard and recovered, those two bastards, Hun Ya and Hun Li, suddenly appeared and launched a sneak attack!"

Mentioning the names "Soul Cliff" and "Soul Fierce," Gu Zhen's eyes immediately flashed with deep-seated hatred.

"I reacted the fastest and only suffered minor injuries, but the other two members of my clan were caught off guard and were severely injured and on the verge of death!"

At this point, he slammed his fist into the ground, his knuckles turning white: "At the last moment, they risked their lives to block a blow for me, which allowed me to break through..."

After he finished speaking, the scene fell into dead silence.

"Bastard!" Xun'er's delicate body trembled slightly, her eyes burning with rage.

"The Soul Clan actually dared to poison the ancient clan members in the Heavenly Tomb!"

Xiao Yu remained relatively calm and quickly analyzed, "What should we do now? Senior Gu Zhen was injured and fled, so he couldn't have gone far. Since he's here, it means they haven't gone far."

Gu Qingyang's face was ashen as he rapidly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

"Go, get out of this area immediately!"

He made a quick decision, saying, "They are in the shadows, while we are in the light. Moreover, the other side consists of two late-stage peak Eight-Star Dou Zun! In addition, there is a heavily injured Gu Zhen. We absolutely cannot take the risk."