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

"Wait, Ying'er, Yu'er, Xun'er, listen to me—" Su Baichen still wanted to make a last-ditch effort.

"Master, don't speak." Cao Ying pressed her fingertips to his lips, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Today...you cannot escape."

Xiao Yu said softly, "Young Master, don't worry. Before we came, we obtained the 'Yin-Yang Cultivation Secret Method' from Sister Cai Die, which will ensure that it won't delay our refining of the strange fire."

"Moreover, while refining the strange fire, we can also cultivate together using secret techniques, how wonderful!"

Xun'er wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, her voice so soft it seemed to drip with water: "Brother Baichen, do you know how long we've waited for this day?"

Looking at the three beautiful faces before him, Su Baichen finally gave up resisting and said with a wry smile, "You guys... really..."

Her words were silenced by soft lips.

The myriad fire lotus slowly rotates, its petals tightly closed, revealing a spring scene within that cannot be told to outsiders.

Only faint whispers could be heard, mixed with the man's helpless yet indulgent sighs:

"I'm really... defeated by you guys..."

In an instant, a dragon battled three phoenixes within the Azure Lotus!

Chapter 370 Gu Yuan: If all else fails, I'll sell my daughter!

Within the Demon Flame Space, inside the Myriad Flame Green Lotus, a gigantic fire cocoon stands in the center.

Inside the cocoon, Su Baichen sat cross-legged, his hands forming a mudra. Gentle battle qi flowed slowly through the three women's bodies like a stream, smoothing out the meridians that had been disrupted by the impact of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame's origin.

Cao Ying, Xiao Yu, and Xun'er sat quietly with their eyes closed, their faces still flushed, and their hair stuck to their foreheads with sweat.

Within their meridians, the pure demonic fire power was being guided, circulating along a mysterious trajectory and gradually merging into their sea of ​​battle qi.

"This is ridiculous." Su Baichen opened his eyes and looked at the three women's exhausted appearance, feeling both annoyed and amused.

"In the end, I'm the one who has to clean up the mess."

He lightly tapped his fingertip, and three strands of pure battle qi flowed into their brows to help stabilize their spiritual platforms: "Once you have fully refined the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, see how I 'deal with' you."

The three women's eyelashes trembled slightly, but they were too weak to respond. The "battle" just now had exhausted all their strength, and they didn't even have the strength to lift their eyes. They could only let Su Baichen do as he pleased.

But the slight upturn of her lips revealed a hint of satisfaction after her victory.

The Soul Realm, the Soul Clan's Council Hall.

Inside the gloomy hall, hundreds of eerie green soul lamps floated in the air, casting eerie shadows that resembled ghosts and phantoms.

The Soul Emperor sat high in the main seat, his fingers tapping the black jade armrest intermittently, producing a dull knocking sound.

"Still no news of Su Baichen?" His voice was calm, yet it caused the temperature in the hall to drop sharply.

An elder in black robes bowed and replied, "Clan leader, since the Demon Flame Space closed half a year ago and Su Baichen returned to the White Dust Realm, he has not shown his face again. According to reports from our scouts, he is currently in seclusion."

“Seclusion…” the Soul Emperor murmured, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.

A yellowed scroll floated before him, the last message transmitted by the Soul Hall's Vice Hall Master before his death using a secret method: "Su Baichen, mid-stage four-star Dou Sheng."

Mid-stage Four-Star Dou Sheng!

In just a few years, he rose from a four-star Dou Sheng to the mid-stage of an eight-star Dou Sheng?

Even with such extraordinary encounters, this level of progress is still too astonishing. Soul Emperor condensed a wisp of black energy at his fingertips, outlining Su Baichen's facial features in the void.

"Eight-star Dou Sheng mid-stage... that's probably just what he wants the world to see."

He said slowly, "This boy must possess a treasure that can conceal his cultivation level."

A deathly silence fell over the hall. The elders exchanged glances, each seeing a heavy expression in the other's eyes.

"What the clan leader means is..." Elder Hun Sha began in a deep voice.

“His true cultivation level is likely to be the late stage of an eight-star Dou Sheng, or even…” Soul Emperor paused, then uttered four words: “Nine-star Dou Sheng.”

"hiss--"

A collective gasp filled the hall. A nine-star Dou Sheng—what kind of concept was that?

Looking across the entire Dou Qi Continent, there are only four people who have reached this level.

"Keep a close eye on the White Dust Realm." The Soul Emperor withdrew his black energy, his voice turning cold.

"Once Su Baichen emerges from seclusion, report to him immediately using a secret method."

"Remember, immediately."

"Yes, sir!" the elders replied in unison.

Soul Fiend hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Clan leader, what about the plan to annex the Stone Clan...?"

"Proceed as usual." The Soul Emperor spoke indifferently, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"Let the Void Devouring Flame do its work, but be careful not to leave any traces."

"Yes."

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

The northern region of Zhongzhou, the Stone Boundary.

This ancient territory of the Stone Clan, with its millennia-long heritage, is eerily silent at this moment.

The once majestic ancient city, the bustling streets, the cultivation caves... everything remained as usual, yet there was no one there.

There were no signs of fighting, no bloodstains, and not even the traces of a battle remained.

The tens of thousands of members of the Stone Clan, along with those ancient monsters who had been in seclusion for thousands of years, seemed to have vanished into thin air.

All the treasures, books, and elixirs vanished without a trace, as if this race had never existed in the world.

The news sent shockwaves through Central China.

The Flame Realm and the Medicine Realm immediately sealed off their entrances, and the high-ranking officials of the two races held an emergency meeting. The atmosphere inside the main hall was as heavy as iron.

"The Stone Clan... is gone." Yan Jin, the patriarch of the Flame Clan, had a grim face. Flames shot out uncontrollably from his fingertips, burning scorch marks on the armrests of the jade throne.

"Without a sound, the entire clan vanished overnight."

The Medicine Clan Chief, Yao Dan, closed his eyes and sighed, "Those who can achieve this are no more than three forces across the entire continent."

“The Soul Clan, the Ancient Void Dragon, and…” Yan Jin looked at the medicinal pill, and the two of them uttered two words at the same time: “Ancient Clan.”

"The Ancient Dragon of the Void has no prior enmity with the Stone Clan."

Yao Dan slowly said, "The only ones left are the Soul Clan and the Ancient Clan."

Flames flickered in Yan Jin's eyes: "The ancient clans... do they really dare to defy the world?"

"Don't forget how the Xiao clan perished."

Yao Dan sneered and said, "Back when the Xiao Clan was destroyed, we both knew perfectly well what the ancient clans did behind the scenes. Now, do you believe that the Stone Clan's affairs have nothing to do with them?"

After a long silence, Yan Jin gritted his teeth and said, "Let our two races form an alliance. The Flame Realm and the Medicine Realm shall immediately establish a communication channel between them. From this day forward, the two races shall watch over and help each other. If one realm is attacked, the other realm shall immediately provide support!"

“That suits me perfectly.” Yao Dan nodded, then hesitated and asked, “Should we invite the Thunder Clan?”

Yan Jin shook his head with a wry smile: "No need. The Thunder Clan has already replied—they have allied with the White Dust Realm, and the spatial passage has long been completed."

"White Dust Realm... Su Baichen," Yao Dan murmured.

Compared to the fear of the Yan and Yao clans, the ancient clan is in a more awkward situation at this moment.

Ancient Realm, Council Hall.

"You bastard!" Third Elder Gu Lie slammed his palm down on the jade table beside him, his hair standing on end in fury.

"Those fools outside dare to doubt that the Stone Clan's affairs were the work of my ancient clan!"

The Supreme Elder, Gu Dao, remained calm, but deep weariness lurked in his eyes: "Their suspicions are not entirely unfounded. Besides the Soul Clan, only my Ancient Clan and the Ancient Void Dragon possess the power to do this. And the Ancient Void Dragon has no motive, so..."

"So the blame is being placed on our heads?" Gu Lie laughed angrily.

"Enough," Gu Nanhai said softly, his voice desolate.

"How others doubt us is no longer important. What matters is the attitude of the Yan Clan, the Medicine Clan, and the Thunder Clan—they don't believe us either."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Gu Nanhai slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over each elder present: "Regarding the Xiao Clan's affairs back then, although we did not personally intervene and watched everything unfold, we later divided their resources to strengthen ourselves. At that time, I said that this action violated morality and would surely damage the ancient clan's reputation for ten thousand years."

He gave a bitter smile: "Now, retribution has come. The Stone Clan has disappeared, and the first thing everyone thinks of is us."

"Because in their eyes, the ancient race is no longer the upright and honorable ancient leader, but a hungry wolf that will stop at nothing to achieve its goals."

"Gu Nanhai!" Gu Lie shouted sharply, but found himself speechless.

Sitting in the main seat, Gu Yuan closed his eyes and after a long while, slowly said, "What happened back then is a done deal. What we need to do now is to deal with the current crisis."

"Issue the order: martial law is to be declared throughout the Ancient Realm. All clansmen residing abroad must return immediately. Furthermore..."

He opened his eyes, a resolute glint in them: "Send someone to the White Dust Realm to find Su Baichen. Even I haven't been able to gauge his strength. If we can get his support, we might be able to break this deadlock."

"Clan leader, Su Baichen's origins are mysterious and his stance is unclear. What if he takes advantage of our misfortune..." an elder said worriedly.

Gu Yuan gazed at the gloomy sky outside the hall, his voice as fleeting as cotton:

"The ancient clans have nowhere to retreat, and the fate of the Central Plains... is about to change."

"If all else fails, I...I'll..."

Although Gu Yuan didn't finish his sentence, everyone understood what he was going to do, and they all rolled their eyes in disdain.

[So you're selling your daughter, aren't you!]

Chapter 371 The Ancient Clan with a Dire Reputation!

One month later, in the White Dust Realm.

The arrival of Gu Nanhai, the elder of the Ancient Clan's Law Enforcement Hall, caused quite a stir in this small world.

Xuan Yi and Cai Lin came out together and personally welcomed this distinguished guest into the reception room.

"Ladies, I am Gu Nanhai, an elder of the Ancient Clan's Law Enforcement Hall!" Gu Nanhai bowed respectfully, his demeanor respectful yet retaining the dignity of an Ancient Clan elder.

His gaze swept over the two women in front of him, and he secretly sighed at Su Baichen's good fortune—not only was his own strength unfathomable, but his two wives were also outstanding individuals.