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

Upon seeing these words, the usually venerable elder's kind face instantly froze, his lips twitched uncontrollably, and a chilling aura that had been suppressed for a century quietly spread out.

[Having infiltrated for a century, enduring hardship until now, our clan's great cause will finally be decided in this moment!]

"Old friend, what's wrong? Your face looks so strange. Have you gone mad from your cultivation?" Another elder guarding the ancient jade noticed the strange atmosphere and asked with concern.

"It's nothing, it's just..." The Soul Clan spy waved his hand casually, his tone so indifferent it was infuriating.

Before he finished speaking, his right hand, which had been swinging, suddenly tensed up. Terrifying battle qi frantically condensed in his palm at an extreme speed, even creating a sonic boom!

"Pfft-"

Caught completely off guard, the Yan Clan elder didn't even have time to scream before being blasted away by this severe blow, spitting out blood as he crashed heavily into a stone pillar in the distance, his fate unknown.

"You...you are...a spy!!"

The elder roared with his last ounce of strength, his eyes filled with resentment and shock.

However, the Soul Clan spy never uttered another word.

He just smiled coldly, as if the person he had just killed was nothing more than a fly that he had casually swatted.

He walked straight up to the jade platform, grabbed the ancient Tuoshe jade that shone with an alluring luster, and turned to rush out of the ancestral hall.

He walked with ease and composure, his expression calm, as if he had everything under control.

Lei Clan Ancestral Hall.

Almost simultaneously, the same scene unfolded inside the Lei clan's ancestral temple.

The elder responsible for guarding the Thunder Clan's Tuoshe Ancient Jade also launched a sudden attack, severely injuring his companion with the force of thunder, and snatching the jade away.

However, after his figure disappeared into the sky, two figures slowly emerged from the shadows inside the ancestral hall.

It was Lei Ying, the patriarch of the Lei clan, and Lei Zhen, the second elder.

"That was close..." Lei Ying breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

"If we hadn't been prepared, this Thunder Clan ancestral shrine would have been turned upside down today. I never imagined the Soul Clan's reach would be so far!"

Lei Zhen's face was gloomy, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "Yes, I really didn't expect those Soul Clan guys to have infiltrated so thoroughly, they even managed to sneak into a forbidden place like the ancestral shrine!"

A wave of fear washed over him. He knew just how important the position of elder guarding the Tuoshe Ancient Jade was.

Only those who have made tremendous contributions to the imperial family, have passed rigorous selection processes, and possess absolute loyalty can assume this role.

Yet, this very position was infiltrated by the Soul Clan for a century without revealing a single clue!

"We can't delay any longer. Let's go, we should head to the White Dust Realm." Lei Ying's gaze was deep as he looked into the distance.

"If the Soul Emperor discovers that the ancient jade he obtained is a fake, our Thunder Clan will face the wrath of the entire Soul Clan."

Lei Zhen nodded, and the two transformed into bolts of lightning, heading off to lead the Lei Clan to the White Dust Realm.

Meanwhile, above the ancient realm.

The sky seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, with several dark spatial rifts opening up menacingly.

Immediately afterwards, dozens of figures exuding overwhelming killing intent stepped out from among them, all of them Dou Sheng powerhouses!

As soon as these elite Soul Clan members appeared, they launched an indiscriminate and bloody massacre.

Screams and explosions instantly resounded throughout the entire ancient realm.

Because the incident happened so suddenly, and the attackers were all experts at the Dou Sheng level, the ancient realm was instantly filled with blood. Countless ancient clan disciples did not even have time to think about resisting before they turned into cold corpses, lying haphazardly all over the ground.

"Bastard!"

A furious roar echoed through the sky, and Gu Yuan arrived in an instant.

The horrific scene before him made his eyes bloodshot. He raised his hand and conjured a gigantic palm print that blotted out the sky, carrying a world-destroying power, and slammed it down on those Soul Clan powerhouses!

However, just as the palm print was about to strike, an even more powerful black energy barrier rose out of thin air, forcefully blocking Gu Yuan's furious attack.

Two terrifying energy shockwaves spread outwards, leveling the mountains below.

"Gu Yuan, it's been tens of thousands of years, and you're still so impatient. What's the rush?"

A slightly mocking laugh rang out as the Soul Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, hovering in front of the numerous Soul Clan powerhouses.

His face was kind, with a faint smile on his lips, but his eyes revealed undisguised contempt and arrogance.

"Soul Emperor! Are you trying to provoke a war between the imperial clans?!" Gu Yuan's pupils contracted as he forcibly suppressed his anger and stared intently at the man.

The Soul Emperor shook his head and smiled helplessly, "No, no, no, old friend, I just missed you. My sudden visit today is because I really miss the glorious days of the past."

At this point, his gaze swept meaningfully over the ancient clansmen who had just arrived behind Gu Yuan, their faces filled with shock and anger, as well as the members of the Medicine Clan not far away. His voice suddenly grew louder, loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly:

"After all, if it weren't for our joint efforts back then, how could we have so easily wiped the Xiao Clan off this continent?"

These words struck like a thunderclap from a clear sky, resounding in the hearts of every powerful member of the ancient and medicinal clans.

The members of the Medicine Clan, in particular, looked at Gu Yuan with extremely strange eyes, filled with shock, doubt, and even a hint of barely perceptible fear and alienation.

Did Gu Yuan really join forces with the Soul Clan back then?

Even some young, uninformed geniuses of the ancient clans looked at their clan leader, Gu Yuan, in disbelief!

[The clan leader and the Soul Clan have joined forces?! How is that possible?!]

The words of the Soul Emperor froze the air on the battlefield!

When Gu Yuan, the person involved, heard the bloody truth being revealed in public, his expression changed drastically, and for the first time, cracks appeared on his usually calm and composed face.

"Nonsense!"

Gu Yuan shouted sternly, trying to suppress public opinion with his powerful aura, but his slightly trembling voice revealed his inner panic.

"Soul Emperor, stop spouting nonsense and sowing discord!"

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, his gaze fixed on the Soul Emperor, and gritted his teeth as he said, "My brother Xiao Xuan clearly perished at the hands of your Soul Clan! Who in this world doesn't know this!"

At this point, Gu Yuan cleverly shifted the blame, placing all responsibility for the "destruction of the Xiao clan" on Xiao Xuan's death in battle, while remaining silent about the role the ancient clan actually played in that catastrophe.

However, the Soul Emperor gave him no chance to hide his true intentions.

"Yes, I killed Xiao Xuan, and I will never deny that!"

The Soul Emperor shrugged, a mocking smile of absolute certainty on his face.

"But! Gu Yuan, the most crucial blow that led to the complete annihilation of the Xiao clan and the near extinction of its bloodline came from your hand!"

Chapter 401 Gu Yuan goes all out!

The Soul Emperor's voice suddenly turned fierce, like a thunderclap exploding in everyone's ears:

"Xiao Xuan regarded you as a sworn brother, yet you stabbed him in the back! You are the culprit who caused the collapse of the Xiao clan!"

"Gu Yuan, you are a hypocrite who dares to do things but not admit them, and is extremely deceitful!"

"Hahaha!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Soul Emperor looked up at the sky and laughed wildly and unrestrainedly, his laughter filled with mockery and contempt.

Immediately afterwards, the dozens of Soul Clan Battle Saint experts behind him echoed in unison, their synchronized roars coalescing into a massive sound wave that shook the sky of the ancient realm:

"hypocrite!"

"hypocrite!"

"hypocrite!"

…………

Every shout was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the hearts of the ancient people.

At this moment, the young prodigies of the ancient clan looked at each other in bewilderment.

They looked at their clan leader, only to find that the usually awe-inspiring and majestic clan leader was now silent and offered no rebuttal.

A deathly silence enveloped the battlefield.

The light of admiration in the eyes of young geniuses is gradually dimming.

The image of the clan leader, who was once as perfect as a god in their hearts, has now collapsed—he really was a hypocrite who betrayed his sworn brothers and spouted benevolence and morality while engaging in despicable acts.

At this moment, the morale of the ancient tribe had already collapsed by more than half.

Gu Yuan stood in the void, his gaze sharp as lightning, instantly discerning the sinister intentions of the Soul Emperor—if he were allowed to continue speaking, the morale of the Ancient Clan and the Medicine Clan below would suffer a devastating blow.

In a flash, he launched a direct attack, his low shout booming like thunder from the heavens:

"Imperial Seal Technique!"

Before the words were finished, five dazzling seals materialized from the void—the Mountain-Opening Seal was majestic and powerful, the Sea-Turning Seal was vast and boundless, the Earth-Covering Seal suppressed all things, the Nirvana Seal contained both life and destruction, and finally the Ancient Emperor Seal, carrying the might of an ancient emperor, crashed down!

The five seals merged into one, transforming into a terrifying force capable of changing the very fabric of the world, tearing through the sky and hurtling straight toward the Soul Emperor.

Faced with this overwhelming attack, the Soul Emperor merely curled his lips into a mocking smile, without even raising his eyelids.

"Hmph, a low-level Heaven-rank combat skill? A mere trifle!"

"Gu Yuan, you underestimate me too much."

With a casual flick of his sleeve, a terrifying burst of blood-red light erupted from his body.

"Ten Thousand Layers of Soul Heaven!"

In an instant, countless thick, almost tangible, blood-red light curtains appeared one after another, protecting him like an impenetrable wall of copper and iron, with a bloody stench that made people nauseous.

Boom—!

The five seals were unleashed simultaneously, crashing fiercely into the thousand layers of blood walls.

The deafening roar shook the heavens and earth, but the result was shocking—although the blood light shattered into several layers, the Soul Emperor remained unharmed, not even a single tear in his clothes.

Gu Yuan frowned slightly, and a trace of seriousness finally flashed in his eyes.

Having failed to achieve his goal, he no longer hesitated. He suddenly formed a hand seal, and a huge crack appeared out of thin air in the sky.

"Great Extinction Finger!"

Vast battle qi gathered wildly, instantly condensing into a colossal finger that spanned the heavens and earth, its tip wreathed in annihilation power, carrying the force to destroy all things, and pressed down upon the Soul Emperor!

"Hehe, I really don't know what you've been doing with those fighting techniques of the Xiao Clan all these years."

The Soul Emperor remained standing in place, without even raising his hand to defend himself, merely glancing indifferently at the giant finger that was hurtling down.