"Who won?" Everyone looked nervously at the side where the figure fell.
The Xiao Clan members were fine; even if they failed, it was just a setback in one operation, not a crippling blow. But for the Lei Clan, this was a battle of life and death.
As the torn space slowly healed and the stirred dust gradually dissipated, Lei Ying's battered figure emerged from it.
"Patriarch?" The Lei Clan members looked at the strong man who was like an iron tower, and they all fell silent.
"You lost." Xiao Yan descended from the sky. Aside from his slightly hurried breathing, slightly disheveled clothes, and half of his flaming hair on his head missing, there were no other changes.
"Yes, I lost…" Lei Ying gasped for breath.
Upon hearing their Patriarch admit defeat, the other Lei Clan members' expressions all changed drastically.
Someone quickly advised, "Patriarch, forget about that bet, let's fight them! There are no cowards among the Lei Clan!"
"Right, right, let's fight them."
"If they want to take down our Lei Clan, they'll have to pay with their lives!"
For a time, the crowd was greatly agitated.
Xiao Yan's gaze was calm, but a strong sense of vigilance arose in his heart. The Lei Clan's Patriarch had not lost the ability to fight. If the opponent were to self-destruct, he couldn't be sure if he could withstand it.
When he fought the Yan Clan's Patriarch before, the opponent also tried to self-destruct at the end, but he interrupted it with a spirit power attack.
But Lei Ying was stronger than Yan Jin, and Xiao Yan was only slightly superior. In the previous confrontation, he had already given his all. If the opponent self-destructed, he absolutely couldn't stop it.
This was also the reason Xiao Yan was willing to accept the bet with Lei Ying.
To take down the Lei Clan, the Xiao Clan would also pay a heavy price. If possible, he wanted to try his best to avoid it.
Lei Ying let out a low shout, "All of you shut up! A bet is a bet…"
He looked at Xiao Yan and continued, "I will fulfill my promise. I hope you can also keep your word."
Xiao Yan nodded, "I just want to eliminate you as a potential competitor. As for the others, they don't have the ability to contend with us."
Lei Ying stared at him, then suddenly raised his right hand and slammed it hard onto his own head. Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, eyes, and nose, and he fell silent.
Xiao Yan had been watching him with spirit power, making sure Lei Ying wasn't playing tricks. With that palm, he had shattered his own brain and dispersed his soul.
Lei Ying's vitality slowly dissipated. Just then, a bright golden light suddenly shone on his body, golden dragon-shaped lightning swam on him, and a formation suddenly appeared.
Xiao Yan did not act rashly, his gaze fixed on the formation with deep concentration. He saw Lei Ying's body begin to melt, all his power condensing into a golden, human-brain-sized sphere.
On this sphere, Xiao Yan felt an intense threat.
The sphere floated in front of Lei Dong, and a voice echoed.
"This is the Lightning Tribulation Pearl I condensed with all my power by sacrificing myself. Detonating it has the power equivalent to my self-destruction. It is only to be used when our clan faces life and death… Remember…"
Lei Ying's voice slowly faded, and some Lei Clan members couldn't help but shed tears:
"Patriarch."
Lei Dong caught the Lightning Tribulation Pearl and nodded heavily, "Patriarch, I will, I will remember your instructions."
He shifted his gaze to Xiao Yan, suppressing the pain in his heart, and said, "The Patriarch has already fulfilled his promise, and I will also remember the arrangement and seal the Lei Realm for three hundred years. What else do you want?"
Xiao Yan sighed softly, "Circumstances forced it. If not for this, perhaps we could have become friends."
He tore open space and softly said to Xiao Ning and the others, "Let's go."
Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei immediately followed. Xiao Ke hesitated for a moment, then said nothing more.
The Grand Elder waved his hand, leading the rest of the Xiao Clan members out of the Lei Realm.
Heavenly Star Mountain Range. This place was originally an endless expanse of vast mountains and forests, where countless magical beasts resided.
But now, the once lush mountains and forests were gone, replaced by desolation, with crisscrossing ravines deeply carved into the earth, like wounds on the land.
In the sky, violent energy surged. The energy tides, which should have symbolized the power of heaven and earth, surged mightily, as if they could swallow everything in the world.
Three figures, like gods and demons, intertwined in the sky.
The Hun Tiandi in white, Xiao Zhan in dark blue clothes, and Gu Yuan in sackcloth, each displayed their divine abilities. Amidst the flickering light and shadows, they clashed several more times.
Gu Yuan was disheveled and looked particularly disheveled. Under the combined efforts of Hun Tiandi and Xiao Zhan, he could only barely protect himself.
He sensed something was amiss. The three of them had been fighting for a long time, and with such a huge commotion, the allied army should have discovered it long ago and sent people to support them. Why was there no movement until now?
"Heh heh, waiting for reinforcements from Lei Ying and the others? Then you're going to be disappointed, they won't be coming." The Hun Tiandi spoke with a smile.
Gu Yuan's face darkened, "What do you mean?"
The Hun Tiandi replied nonchalantly, "The Xiao Clan has already sent people to deal with the Lei Clan and the Yan Clan. Furthermore, without your Gu Clan, you can't stop the Void Swallowing Flame."
A hint of gloom flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes.
He took a step back, and the space behind him shattered.
"Annihilation Finger!"
He pointed a finger forward, slightly obstructing Hun Tiandi and Xiao Zhan, then turned and entered the void.
The Hun Tiandi tore open a void with both hands, which dissolved Gu Yuan's attack. He let out a low shout, "Chase."
Xiao Zhan hesitated slightly, then followed.
Gu Yuan rushed towards the Gu Clan, with Hun Tiandi and Xiao Zhan in hot pursuit behind him.
Just as he was about to approach the Gu Clan, a massive black seal, ten thousand zhang in size, suddenly emerged from ahead.
"Seal of Destruction!"
This was an attack launched by the entire Soul Clan combined, and even Gu Yuan dared not underestimate it.
Just then, the attacks from Hun Tiandi and Xiao Zhan also arrived.
"Soul Splitting Palm!"
"Formless Tribulation!"
A dark palm print and a starlight-flashing beam went straight for Gu Yuan's back.
Attacked from both front and back, and all were attacks that required his full effort to deal with, Gu Yuan's heart sank.
He condensed an ancient mirror, shrouding himself, and unleashed his fighting qi with all his might.
However, the ancient mirror could not withstand the three attacks for too long before it shattered with a bang.
Terrifying energy exploded, stirring up a void storm.
Such a void storm, which could tear even a Dou Zun into pieces if caught in it, was merely commonplace in the eyes of the few people fighting at this moment.
The Hun Tiandi and Xiao Zhan passed through the void storm and walked forward.
Looking at Gu Yuan, who was covered in blood, Hun Tiandi said with a smile, "It seems I have the upper hand."
The Void Swallowing Flame led a portion of the Soul Clan forces out of the Ancient Realm, surrounding Gu Yuan from another direction, and an ancient, hoarse voice sounded:
"Didn't expect it, Gu Yuan, you also have this day."
Gu Yuan gasped for breath, his eyes also showing a hint of madness—the look of a beast cornered, just like Xiao Xuan back then…
The Hun Tiandi's heart tightened, not daring to be careless in the slightest.
Gu Yuan said in a low voice, "What did you do to the Gu Clan?"
The Void Swallowing Flame revealed a sinister smile: "You didn't come too late. I only killed a small portion of the people; many are still left, desperately holding on under my clan's attack."
Not to mention the high-level combat power, even in terms of overall strength, the Soul Clan was superior to the Gu Clan.
After the Void Swallowing Flame dealt with a portion of the Gu Clan's personnel, he did his best to draw out forces and waited here for Gu Yuan's arrival, launching the previous surprise attack.
With careful planning against an unprepared opponent, Gu Yuan was indeed injured.
…
In the Ancient Realm, deep within the Ancient Saint Mountain Range, Gu Dao led the remnants of the Gu Clan, stalemating with the Soul Clan army.
"Why does it feel like the Soul Clan's offensive has weakened a lot?"
"Should we take the opportunity to break out and see?"
"Beware of tricks. With the formation, we can still resist for a while. If we go out, I'm afraid there will be heavy casualties."
Hun Zhang looked at the hesitant Gu Clan forces within the formation, a smile appearing on his face.
In reality, the Void Swallowing Flame had at this moment drawn away the clan's elite to surround Gu Yuan. The forces currently besieging the Gu Clan were not many. If the other side launched a counterattack, the Soul Clan's losses would not be small.
He ordered, "Activate the 'Myriad Soul Heaven Severing Great Formation' to cut off the Gu Clan's connection with the outside world, and don't let them notice that Gu Yuan has already arrived."
…
In the void surrounding the Ancient Realm, Hun Tiandi issued the attack command.
The Soul Clan army led by the Void Swallowing Flame, Hun Tiandi, and Xiao Zhan all attacked simultaneously.
Gu Yuan's face was grim. With such a formation, he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
Should he escape? This thought only appeared in his mind for a moment before he extinguished it.
He selflessly flew towards the direction where the Void Swallowing Flame was leading the Soul Clan army.
"Hold them back!" The Void Swallowing Flame's expression changed drastically.
However, they still underestimated Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan endured an attack from Hun Tiandi and Xiao Zhan, then raised his hand and struck two palms. The first palm repelled the Soul Clan army's attack, and the second palm sent them sprawling, their formation in complete disarray.
He directly broke through the Soul Clan army's blockade and entered the Ancient Realm.
"Chase." The Hun Tiandi's expression remained unchanged, taking the lead.
Xiao Zhan hesitated, then slowed down, following behind the Soul Clan army.
His mission was only to contain Gu Yuan in the Heavenly Star Mountain Range, and it was basically over here. He also didn't dare to rush too far ahead. After the Soul Clan dealt with Gu Yuan, they might turn their spears on him.
Gu Yuan arrived deep within the Ancient Saint Mountain Range and saw the expanse of dark mist. Without thinking, he directly pointed a finger.
Hun Zhang, who was in charge of this small portion of the Soul Clan army, his face changed drastically. Not daring to resist, he directly made way.
Gu Yuan entered the Gu Clan's grand formation and reunited with the remaining Gu Clan members.
"Patriarch!" Seeing Gu Yuan, the Gu Clan found their pillar of strength and gathered around him.
But seeing Gu Yuan's current appearance, their hearts sank, and a sense of unease emerged.
"This old man has failed the Patriarch's trust and couldn't protect the clan," Gu Dao said guiltily.
"What happened here?" Gu Yuan's tone was somewhat urgent, "Where is Gu Lie?"
Gu Dao quickly replied, "Black Nirvana King has already fallen. It was that bastard, the Void Swallowing Flame, who attacked the ordinary descendants of my Gu Clan, using his devouring power to gather their bloodlines, and then detonated them."
"Otherwise, Black Nirvana King would not have fallen. Although the Soul Clan army is strong, we could still hold on for a considerable amount of time."
Gu Yuan's face was grim: "Are all the remaining clan members here?"
Gu Dao nodded.
Gu Yuan hesitated for a moment before making a decision:
"The general trend is gone; we can no longer resist the Soul Clan. We can only retreat. I will open a gap later and block the Soul Clan here for a period of time. At that time, the Elders above Dou Saint, each take a portion of the clan members and flee for your lives."
"Patriarch… Have things become so bad?" Gu Dao's expression was heavy.
Gu Yuan showed a bitter smile: "There's no other way… We can only preserve the bloodline and wait for the future."
"Don't despair. Back then, the Xiao Clan was so down and out, yet they could make a comeback. We are not without hope."
"As long as there is still a trace of bloodline, there is still hope."