Xiao Yan stood in the sky, looking down below, dressed in black robes, his silver flame-like hair dancing in the wind, his eyes like the deep and calm waters of a forest pool.
A faint aura of malevolence lingered around him, a result of the Yan Clan's Patriarch, an Eight-Star Dou Saint in the late stage, having fallen, adding a difficult-to-describe sense of oppression to him.
Xiao Yu looked up at Xiao Yan in the sky, couldn't help but roll her eyes, and said irritably:
"Little Scoundrel, stop showing off. Hurry over to the Lei Clan to help the First Elder and the others. I'll handle things here. Once the Heavenly Flames are collected, I'll have Xiao Qing send them to the Heavenly Tomb."
Xiao Yan nodded slightly, flicked his finger, and the Nine Nether Golden Ancestral Fire and Volcanic Rock Flame transformed into two streaks of light, landing steadily in front of Xiao Qing… Now was not the time to refine them.
"We'll go with you," Xiao Ning said, walking over with Xiao Ke and Xiao Mei.
Xiao Yan nodded again, raised his hand and waved, and a dark rift was torn in space. The figures of several people flickered and disappeared from their original spot.
…
Above the Lei Realm, dark clouds hung like ink, layered upon layers, pressing down on the horizon, as if a giant hand had crumpled the entire sky into wrinkled silk.
The sunlight was obscured by the dark clouds, and electric light occasionally flickered within the clouds, like silver snakes weaving through a sea of ink.
They sometimes intertwined to form a giant electric net, and sometimes dispersed into tiny branches, spreading like tree roots within the clouds.
Deafening thunder constantly boomed, like war drums being beaten.
A burly man with dark skin, like an iron tower, dressed in blue robes, let his long hair flow freely, wantonly unleashing his power.
Golden lightning surrounded him; with every move of his hands and feet, he could shatter space and tear the sky, like a god or demon.
"Hahahaha… Do you three good-for-nothings actually think you can assassinate me?"
Laughter like thunder echoed among the clouds.
Lei Ying's eyes were cold, and golden lightning seemed to flicker within them. He looked directly at the three people in front of him, with a hint of mockery on his face:
"Although I don't know how you forcibly elevated your strength to the late-stage Eight-Star Dou Saint level, good-for-nothings are good-for-nothings.
"Dou Technique, cultivation methods, techniques—you can't keep up with any of them. Who gave you the courage to stand before me?
"If there were three people who had cultivated to this realm on their own, like Yan Jin, perhaps even I would have to temporarily avoid their edge.
"Xiao Clan, with your strength, do you dare to cooperate with Hun Tiandi?"
In front of Lei Ying were the three Elders of the Xiao Clan, all looking somewhat disheveled, with specks of blood on their bodies. Clearly, they had not gained much advantage in their battle with Lei Ying.
Especially the First Elder, who seemed to have suffered significant losses; his left hand hung limply, charred black, and there was a hole in his left shoulder. If it were any larger, his entire left arm might have fallen off directly.
Although they were at a disadvantage, none of the three showed any worry on their faces. The First Elder said calmly:
"Indeed, relying on us to deal with you is still a bit lacking… However, if you think this is all we're capable of, then you are gravely mistaken."
Lei Ying's expression sank. The Xiao Clan gave him a strange feeling, and he dared not be careless.
"Shadows roaming the heavens;
"Black hands manipulating fate;
"The hidden half of the Great Thousand World's ruler;
"I pray for your gaze, grant us aid."
A low, ancient voice echoed among the clouds, like the whispers of ancient shamans.
Lei Ying frowned, a premonition of ill omen rising in his heart. He immediately struck, thunderclouds churning in his palm. The thundercloud suddenly contracted like a heart, and then a lightning palm print swiftly flew forward.
"Thunder Tribulation Palm!"
However, it seemed to be too late. Layers of gates lit up in front of the three, and amidst the shimmering starlight, streaks of light gates tightly surrounded the lightning palm print.
This was the second time the three Elders had used prayer to awaken the consciousness of the Worms of Spirit within their bodies. This feeling was not pleasant for them; they worried that if they awakened the Worm of Spirit's consciousness too many times or for too long, they would permanently become another person.
In reality, the Worms of Spirit had always been awake; it was just that Amon had deceived them, deliberately saying that using this method to awaken the Worm of Spirit's consciousness too many times, or for too long, would cause one's own consciousness to weaken, or even disappear forever.
The purpose of this lie was to reduce the activity of the Worms of Spirit parasitizing the Xiao Clan members, allowing them to serve merely as a tool for providing power.
This way, the Xiao Clan's vigilance could be greatly reduced… Who would refuse a useful tool? Even if Xiao Yan became an Emperor, a large number of Xiao Clan members would definitely be unable to give up the convenience brought by the Worms of Spirit.
Moreover, if Amon ever needed to use a certain Xiao Clan member's body, there would be a justifiable reason for directly possessing it… It could be said that it was caused by the person praying too much.
Even if Xiao Yan discovered it and disliked it, he wouldn't turn hostile without concrete evidence.
…After all, Amon had made it clear beforehand, without concealment; it was all the clan members' own choices!
The three Elders of the Xiao Clan felt something awakening within their bodies. They had a feeling that if they wished, they could stop this awakening at any time and let their own consciousness regain control of their bodies.
They forcibly suppressed the discomfort in their hearts, let go of their minds, and cooperated with the Worm of Spirit's consciousness to take over their bodies.
Gradually, the Worm of Spirit's consciousness grew stronger and stronger, while they themselves felt as if they were falling into a bottomless abyss, eventually plunging into darkness.
The three Elders simultaneously opened their eyes, curling their lips into a smile.
The "First Elder" opened his mouth, and stardust-like light and shadows poured in. His injuries continuously recovered as the light and shadows entered, eventually becoming completely healed, even the gruesome wound on his arm disappeared.
They all raised their right hands and used Dou Qi to condense a crystal-textured monocle, which they placed in their eye sockets, adjusting it slightly to the most comfortable position.
Lei Ying looked at the three whose temperaments had drastically changed, and a strange sense of crisis emerged in his heart. He asked coldly, "Who are you? You're not those three fellows, are you?"
The "Third Elder" pinched his monocle, a smile playing on his lips: "Guess?"
"There's no reward for guessing correctly," the "Second Elder" maintained the same expression.
"You only need to know that the Lei Clan will be annihilated today, and the millennia-old grievances will be brought to an end. The victor will be our Xiao Clan," the "First Elder" pressed the lower edge of his monocle with his index finger, staring directly at Lei Ying.
The gaze of the three Elders put great pressure on Lei Ying. He snorted coldly and said unhappily:
"Playing tricks."
He unleashed another lightning palm print. This time, its momentum was exceptionally grand, as if it had received a response from the lightning in the surrounding clouds, and countless lightning bolts surged from all directions.
"Lightning Prison."
Previously, Lei Ying had relied on this move to put the three Elders in a sorry state.
However, this time, the situation was clearly completely different.
The "Third Elder" raised his monocle, and light flowed within the lens. The surrounding space was reinforced and strangely distorted. All the lightning bolts were guided into the distorted space, causing no trouble for the three.
A starlight-shimmering light gate suddenly opened on the battlefield below, and endless lightning surged out, exploding where the Lei Clan members had gathered.
"Ah…" Screams rang out. These were the screams of the Lei Clan members who had been struck by the displaced lightning.
"Bastard!" Lei Ying's eyes were bloodshot. Although the main reason was that the opponent had diverted the attack, these clan members could also be said to have indirectly died by his hand, which caused his inner fury to surge.
The "Third Elder" feigned surprise as he looked at the battlefield below, a hint of mockery on his lips:
"Oh? Didn't they say that all Lei Clan members have the ability to absorb lightning power? Why did they die? It seems this batch of Lei Clan members is unqualified.
"Hmm… As expected of the Lei Clan Patriarch, so decisive, mercilessly clearing out the inferior bloodlines in the clan. This is almost comparable to our clan's Patriarch."
Lei Ying took a deep breath, knowing that this was the opponent's scheme to anger him and disrupt his state of mind. Forcibly calming himself, his gaze towards the "Third Elder" carried a will to kill:
"Do you think this can shake my will? I'll deal with you first, and then I'll make the Xiao Clan pay ten or even a hundred times the price."
The "Third Elder" chuckled softly, a hint of playfulness in his eyes:
"Is it possible that I'm not trying to provoke you, but just find it more interesting this way?
"You two block him. I just love watching him like this—very angry, wanting to kill me, but utterly helpless."
"Die!" Lei Ying roared.
A lightning finger print, as fast as lightning, flew towards the "Third Elder."
The starlight gate suddenly lit up, blocking the lightning finger print. There was no earth-shattering collision; both were annihilated simultaneously, turning into dissipated energy.
"Your opponents are us… It just so happens that we also love watching you in such a rage," the "First Elder" blocked Lei Ying, saying with interest.
The "Second Elder" smiled and said, "The Lei Clan has no chance of winning. In such a situation, what will you do?
"Sacrifice yourself to preserve your clan? Die rather than retreat, and fight a bloody battle with your entire clan? Or abandon your clan and flee yourself?
"Speaking of which, if you choose the last one, you might actually succeed. It's very difficult for us to stop a Nine-Star Dou Saint who wants to escape."
Lei Ying's face was grim, not saying a word, only gathering his strength and enveloping the "First Elder" and "Second Elder" with a single palm strike.
Meanwhile, the "Third Elder" detached himself from this battlefield and focused his attention on the ordinary Lei Clan members.
These ancient races all had their own grand formations, which could gather the strength of the entire clan and unleash terrifying effects.
Although the three Elders had brought skilled individuals, they did not gain much advantage under the Lei Clan's battle formation.
However, this situation changed after the "Third Elder" joined. Starlight flowed in his eyes, and he did not use very strong Dou Techniques, merely striking casually.
But each attack struck at the weak points between the battle formations, dismantling the formations formed by the Lei Clan members. Some even suffered injuries from the backlash of their broken formations.
He shook his head slightly. The Dou Qi Continent's formation techniques had not formed a complete system. Even those used by these ancient races were very rudimentary. In his eyes, they were full of flaws and loopholes.
It seemed he felt that attacking one by one was too inefficient. Concentrated starlight appeared in the "Third Elder's" hand. He raised his hand slightly and tossed it upwards.
The starlight flew into the sky, scattered, and fell like meteors.
Each meteor accurately hit a node of the formation, and the dark clouds in the sky gradually dissipated as each node was destroyed.