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

"I'll go check and get you some hot tea while I'm at it!"

Gu Yuan chuckled twice, his eyes darting around, and his feet were already uncontrollably backing away. He looked just like a child who had done something wrong and wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

He has seen through everything completely.

After that incident, his "glorious image" on the Dou Qi Continent—insidious, cunning, treacherous, and fond of taking advantage of others' misfortunes—was completely solidified.

What top expert on the continent? In other people's eyes, he's probably just a cunning old fox who only knows how to pick up bargains.

Looking at her father, who seemed to have aged eight hundred years in an instant, with a slightly hunched back, Xun'er felt both heartache and helplessness.

She sighed softly and said gently to the unresponsive communication jade pendant, "Sister Cao Ying, it's alright. My father has passed away, so you can speak with peace of mind."

Gu Yuan paused, his initial embarrassment and indignation instantly washed away by a warm feeling.

He turned back and looked deeply at his daughter, his eyes slightly red, his heart already filled with tears.

My dear daughter!

As expected, when it comes to crucial moments, you're the one who protects your father the most!

Don't worry, your father will definitely not mess things up this time! He will definitely not betray anyone!

Even if the Soul Emperor himself came to kill me, I, as his father, would reason with him and would never resort to sneak attacks again!

However, the voice of Cao Ying coming from the jade pendant instantly froze the slight emotion that had just ignited in Gu Yuangang.

"Ah...hahaha, Xun'er, you know me, I'm a rather cautious person."

"I wasn't targeting Uncle just now, it's just... his actions were just too 'brilliant,' a stroke of genius, I had to be careful!"

Gu Yuan: "..."

He stood frozen in place, his fist hardening then softening. He could only roar silently to the heavens in his heart:

Heavens above, earth below! May an apocalyptic catastrophe hasten its arrival!

Let's put an end to this shameful situation!

Xun'er was also embarrassed, her pretty face slightly red. She could only bite the bullet and try to save face for her father: "Sister Cao Ying, it's okay."

“My father did something wrong before, but he has deeply reflected on it and knows he was wrong.”

"As you can see, we have already returned all of the Xiao family's previous assets to them."

(Returned by Xiao Chen after his return!)

"Brother Baichen often says that it is the greatest virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them. Father... is really trying to correct them."

As Xun'er spoke, she glared fiercely at Gu Yuan.

Inside the White Dust Realm on the other end of the communication, Cao Ying's lips twitched as she listened to these words, inwardly cursing:

Yes, Master did say that!

But the price is too high! The entire Xiao clan is wiped out, leaving only a dilapidated Xiao family barely clinging to life!

This isn't admitting mistakes and correcting them; it's clearly taking advantage of them and then feeling embarrassed, so they're giving the bones back!

[If he could have eaten back then, that old fox probably wouldn't have even spat out the bones!]

However, Cao Ying only thought these things out loud and dared not actually say them aloud.

After all, he is Xun'er's biological father; it wouldn't look good if things got too tense.

"Hey, let's not talk about your father anymore, let's get down to business."

Cao Ying changed the subject, her tone becoming serious.

"What just happened outside was so exciting! It was like a battle between gods, with mortals watching the show."

Upon hearing the words "serious business," Xun'er and Gu Yuan inside the ancestral hall instantly held their breath, pricked up their ears, and dared not even breathe loudly, for fear of missing a single word.

"That Second Elder of the Lei Clan, Lei Zhen, is truly a shrewd fellow!"

Cao Ying described it vividly:

"He replaced the real antique jade with a fake one, and specifically sent people to guard that fake jade to set a trap for law enforcement."

"Moreover, I heard that besides the clan leader Lei Ying, only Lei Zhen himself knows about this!"

"That was a brilliant move! All the ancient jades of the other imperial clans were easily stolen by the Soul Clan's spies, but the Thunder Clan managed to keep them safe."

"Moreover, the geniuses in their clan had already hidden in the White Dust Realm, so they are very safe and have left behind their bloodline inheritance. It's like killing two birds with one stone."

"What about the Tuoshe Ancient Jade?" Xun'er asked anxiously, her heart pounding in her throat.

Are we still in the White Dust Realm?

"That's all," Cao Ying said helplessly.

"In order to exchange for the captured Thunder Clan prisoners, Sister Cailin directly suggested that Senior Zhukun use ancient jade to exchange for them."

"The transaction was over long ago, and the Soul Emperor has already left with the ancient jade."

"Moreover, Senior Zhukun is a ruthless person. Not only did he take the ancient jade, but he also took the opportunity to make exorbitant demands and swindled the Soul Emperor out of a large sum of money."

"That Soul Emperor seemed to be in a hurry, and he agreed without even blinking. His generosity was frightening."

Upon hearing this, the father and daughter in the secret room could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.

It’s over.

It's all over.

The Soul Emperor has collected all the ancient jades of Tuoshe.

Once pieced together, it becomes a map to the ancient emperor's cave and the key to unlocking it.

The Soul Emperor's ascension to the throne is a foregone conclusion!

No one on the entire continent can stop them!

Just as the two were in despair, Cao Ying's voice, tinged with schadenfreude yet also exhilarating, came through the communication jade pendant:

"However, Xun'er, don't despair too much."

"After the Soul Emperor left, Senior Zhu Kun accidentally let it slip."

"He not only knew where the ancient emperor's cave was, but he could find it with his eyes closed! And the way he talked about it was incredibly arrogant!"

"What?!" Xun'er exclaimed in surprise, even changing her way of addressing her.

"Where are you? Tell me now!"

Cao Ying took a deep breath, seemingly quite shocked by the news, and said, word by word:

"It's right here at Canaan Academy! At the very bottom of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower!"

"boom!"

The news struck Gu Yuan and Xun'er like a thunderbolt from the blue.

Canaan College?

That second- or third-rate academy located on the edge of the Dou Qi Continent, which even the elders of their ancient clans usually don't bother to give a second glance to?

Who would have thought that the ancient emperor's cave, which had been searched for across the entire continent for thousands of years and caused countless bloody battles, was actually located in that seemingly ordinary place!

Chapter 415 Run away!

Northwest Continent, Black Corner Region, Canaan Academy.

The afternoon sun shone through the high windows, casting dappled light into Elder Su Qian's office.

A languid and peaceful atmosphere permeated the air, broken only by the occasional bird song.

Su Qian leaned back in the soft armchair, holding a warm jade cup in her hands. She gently blew away the tea leaves floating on the surface of the water and took a sip.

A rich aroma of tea mixed with a faint fragrance of cinnamon instantly permeated his heart and soul, making him close his eyes comfortably.

"Tsk, my life is so good that even a Dou Sheng would be jealous..." He couldn't help but sigh, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

Since leading Canaan Academy to Queen Rainbow Scales' command back then, Su Qian felt that he had given his old bones a proper resting place.

Especially after the establishment of the "White Dust Realm", the Canaan Academy, as a core subordinate force, received outrageously good benefits.

He was given four or five kinds of pills every day, like candy, which nourished him and made his cultivation more advanced and his blood and qi more abundant; this cup of hot tea was made from spiritual leaves containing battle qi energy, which was rare even for ordinary Dou Huang powerhouses.

What comforted him even more was that the little girl Zi Yan, who was now the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Dragon Clan of the Void, still thought of him often.

Every now and then, rare and precious herbs from Dragon Island would be secretly delivered to Su Qian, each time moving her to tears. She would praise them to everyone she met: "Look, this is the child we raised! So filial!"

After learning Zi Yan's true identity, Su Qian stood taller than anyone else in the Black Corner Region, practically looking down her nose at people as she walked.

No matter if you're a Dou Zong or a Dou Zun, Canaan Academy has the backing of Ancient Dragon Island and the entire White Dust Realm!

This confidence has allowed him to live a very comfortable life over the years.

However, this tranquility and peace were shattered in the next moment.

"boom--!"

With a loud crash, the expensive and exquisitely carved nanmu wood door of the office was kicked into pieces from the outside!

Amidst the flying sawdust, a figure tumbled and crawled in.

"Holy crap!" Su Qian almost dropped the jade cup in her hand. Looking at the office that had instantly turned into an "open-air" space, she felt a pang of heartache.

"My door! That's a treasure I bought from the black market for a fortune! Are you trying to tear my house down or start a rebellion?! Would it kill you to knock on the door?!"

He looked closely and saw that it was Director Li from the college who had barged in. At this moment, the usually composed director was filled with terror, his face was ashen, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Elder! Something terrible has happened! Something terribly serious!" Director Li's voice trembled, almost breaking with tears.

Su Qian rolled her eyes in annoyance and said irritably, "Get lost! What serious thing could possibly happen?"

"In this Northwest Continent, who doesn't know that Canaan Academy is backed by the White Dust Realm and Ancient Dragon Island? Who dares to mess with us?"

Director Li stamped his foot anxiously, speaking rapidly: "No, Elder! It's...it's an urgent order from Lord Cai Lin of the White Dust Realm!"

"Let's...let's pack our things immediately and evacuate Canaan Academy!"

"Withdraw?" Su Qian was taken aback, then realized what was happening and his expression changed drastically.

"Why? Could it be that a powerful enemy is attacking?"