Gu Yuan tore through space, allowing Gu Dao and the others to lead their clansmen to evacuate first, while he alone stood in front of Hun Tiandi, Void Swallowing Flame, and the others.
He couldn't help but think of Xiao Xuan—what kind of feelings did that Xiao Clan patriarch, who faced the entire elite of the Soul Clan alone a thousand years ago, have?
However, he probably felt even more burdened than himself.
The Gu Clan still retained a lot of vitality, but Xiao Xuan at that time had already burned his bridges.
I can't believe the one to repeat his mistakes will be me… A relieved smile appeared on Gu Yuan's face.
Immediately, he looked coldly at the densely packed Soul Clan army in front.
"Hun Tiandi, what are you hiding behind for? Were you scared by Xiao Xuan back then?" Gu Yuan spoke loudly, his voice echoing between heaven and earth.
Hun Tiandi's eyes flickered, and he walked out from the Soul Clan's army:
"I wasn't hiding. Compared to Xiao Xuan, you are still far behind… He truly almost reached that realm back then."
"Then come and try, let's see how far I can fight you, and how many of your Soul Clan members I can take with me?" Gu Yuan laughed heartily, battle intent surging in his eyes.
Hun Tiandi shook his head and coldly ordered: "Form up, attack!"
They did not pursue the scattered Gu Clan members, only focusing their target on Gu Yuan.
Just like Xiao Yan only killed Lei Ying, as long as Gu Yuan was dealt with, the Gu Clan would be leaderless and unable to interfere with the subsequent events.
However, compared to Lei Ying, Gu Yuan was even more terrifying; even with so much power gathered, Hun Tiandi dared not be careless in the slightest.
Black mist rose from every person of the Soul Clan, converging into a black curtain that covered the sky and obscured the sun.
Hun Tiandi formed hand seals, his soul power surging and connecting with the black curtain. As he moved, the black curtain condensed into an ancient seal, emanating a destructive aura.
"Seal of Destruction!"
Gu Yuan's expression was solemn; he quickly formed hand seals, and a brilliant energy ancient mirror condensed in front of him.
"Ancient Emperor Mirror!"
The black seal seemed slow but actually pressed forward with extreme speed. Along the way, space shattered inch by inch, chaotic energy surged incessantly, and terrifying power seemed to smash the entire Ancient Realm.
Gu Yuan mobilized all his strength to defend, but under this powerful attack, he couldn't hold on for long.
The dazzling energy ancient mirror immediately shattered, and he also spat out blood as he flew backward.
Severely injured, Gu Yuan chose a direction opposite to his clansmen's evacuation route and quickly fled.
After blocking for a moment, he planned to use his severely injured self as bait to attract the Soul Clan's attention and buy time for his clansmen's evacuation.
He knew that Hun Tiandi would not divide his forces at this time. If the other party dared to pursue him alone, he would also make Hun Tiandi understand what it meant for a cornered beast to still fight.
However, to his surprise, Hun Tiandi did not choose to pursue.
After a great battle, the entire Ancient Realm was scarred, the earth was torn apart, mountains turned into flat land, plains became ravines, and space also began to shatter.
The space, expanded and reinforced by countless generations of Gu Clan Dou Saints, if not repaired in time, would likely be swallowed by the turbulent currents in the void in the near future.
"Not pursuing?" Hun Zhang asked casually.
Hun Tiandi shook his head: "This much is enough. Gu Yuan's injuries won't heal for dozens to hundreds of years, and he certainly can't make a move in a short time.
"The cost of killing him is too great. We just need to ensure he won't cause interference in the upcoming actions."
He and Void Swallowing Flame simultaneously cast their gazes on Xiao Zhan, who was behind the Soul Clan army.
Hun Tiandi's eyes flickered: "Clan Leader Xiao Zhan, the troublesome people have been cleared. Next, it's time for us to open the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Cave, isn't it?"
His and Void Swallowing Flame's auras were firmly locked onto Xiao Zhan, subtly indicating an intention to act.
Just then, an ancient door suddenly appeared not far away, and a vast aura emanated from it. Xiao Yan, with Xiao Yu and others, walked to Xiao Zhan's side.
"It is indeed time for the next step. The Lei Clan and Yan Clan have also been dealt with, so what's the plan next?" Xiao Yan met Hun Tiandi's gaze, his eyes calm.
Looking at the arriving Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan also slightly breathed a sigh of relief. He had just felt a fleeting killing intent from Hun Tiandi.
Alone, he wouldn't be able to hold out for long against Hun Tiandi and Void Swallowing Flame.
Both sides released their auras, confronting each other from a distance. The terrifying pressure further accelerated the Ancient Realm's disintegration, and prism-like spatial fragments flew into the depths of the void, carried by the strong winds.
Hun Tiandi reined in his aura and chuckled softly:
"Regarding this, Clan Leader Xiao Zhan and I have long had an agreement. We will gather the ancient jade together, unlock the clues, and then the complete key will be held by a person from my clan.
"During the search for the Ancient Emperor Cave, the person holding the key will remain in a neutral place, and your Xiao Clan can send people to watch."
Xiao Zhan nodded: "Yan'er, are you carrying the ancient jade now?"
"I, I, it's with me." Xiao Qing bounced over to Xiao Zhan, holding a piece of ancient jade.
Xiao Zhan took the ancient jade and said, "How about right here?"
Hun Tiandi smiled: "Just as I wished."
Saying that, he lightly tapped the storage ring on his index finger with his right thumb, taking out seven pieces of ancient jade from it.
Xiao Zhan flicked his finger, sending the ancient jade fragments to Hun Tiandi, who looked at the eight ancient jade fragments floating in front of him, his heart inevitably a little excited.
After a thousand years of planning, he had finally gathered all the ancient jade!
The ancient jade floated in the air, emitting a hazy glow. The eight ancient jades shimmered against each other, vaguely radiating a peculiar light.
Void Swallowing Flame, Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yan, and the three Elders of the Xiao Clan came to Hun Tiandi's side. Everyone stared intently at the eight fragments, with a hint of fervor in their eyes.
Hun Tiandi bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of essence blood, using it as a guide to activate the ancient jade.
The ancient jade emitted a faint humming sound, its body flowing with brilliant light, exquisite and beautiful.
"The Tuoshe ancient emperor jade has been scattered for many years, and now, I shall reunite it for you!"
Hun Tiandi smiled, stretched out his hand, and clenched it hard.
The ancient jade was pressed together by a huge force. They intertwined with each other, and the humming sound grew stronger. With a few cracking sounds, the eight pieces of ancient jade merged into one.
As the Tuoshe ancient emperor jade was completely pieced together, an ancient and desolate aura permeated the air.
Within this aura, a misty light rose, forming a somewhat illusory old man's figure above the ancient jade.
He wore black robes, and the top of his head displayed several colors, each colour seeming like rising flames. Although his face was ordinary, his deep, star-like eyes resembled the indifferent eyes of a god looking down on the mortal World.
Under his gaze, everyone felt a tremor originating from their souls.
Tuoshe Ancient Emperor!
The name simultaneously appeared in everyone's minds present. This was the last Dou Emperor of the legendary Dou Qi Continent!
Xiao Yan focused his gaze on the other party's hair, and couldn't help but smooth his own flame-like hair. He could also make his hair look like that, but he just thought such colorful hair was a bit too flamboyant. If possible, he still preferred black hair.
He shifted his gaze to Void Swallowing Flame beside him…
Hmm, he was a bit greedy for his body.
Xiao Yan unexpectedly found that Void Swallowing Flame's gaze was also directed at him, with a thoughtful expression on his face.
Xiao Yan suddenly remembered that the cultivation technique awarded as the Yao Ceremony champion was rumored to be the one cultivated by Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, which was the Flame Mantra…
Wait, could it be that Void Swallowing Flame was refined by Tuoshe Ancient Emperor? Would he know some secrets about the Ancient Emperor Cave? Thinking this, Xiao Yan felt even more wary of Void Swallowing Flame.
"Hmph, playing tricks, an mere image trying to be mysterious."
Hun Tiandi's face darkened. He had just gathered the ancient jade and was feeling triumphant, but he was given a rude awakening by Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's phantom. Feeling a bit annoyed, he suddenly struck out with a palm towards the phantom.
However, just as the palm wind touched the image, a huge force rebounded, causing his expression to change and him to retreat dozens of feet.
"Be careful, after all, it's left by a Dou Emperor." Void Swallowing Flame said in a deep voice.
After gathering the ancient jade and seeing Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's phantom, some memories in his mind recovered, and he recalled some past events, his expression a bit grim.
"What do we do next?" Hun Tiandi asked, enduring.
Xiao Zhan shook his head. Their Xiao Family was now completely putting on a brave front, knowing very limited secrets.
Void Swallowing Flame smiled: "Watch me. The location of the Ancient Emperor Cave is within the eyes of this phantom."
Saying that, his pupils turned pure black, and two tiny beams of light shot out from his eyes, projecting into the phantom's eyes. The light refracted, outlining a vast region in the sky.
The image first swept across the surface of this region, then sharply descended. The Magma Sea, Flame Lizardman, and finally the ancient stone gate engraved with the four large characters "Ancient Emperor Cave" appeared one by one.
Xiao Yan's pupils contracted. He recognized at a glance that this was where Jia Nan Academy was located, and the underground Magma World was where he had once discovered the second Fallen Heart Flame.
"Void, what do you think?" Hun Tiandi asked.
"I don't recognize it." Void Swallowing Flame shook his head.
"Then send people to search for it. Even if you have to dig three feet deep, you must find it." Hun Tiandi issued the order.
Then, he looked at Xiao Zhan again: "Clan Leader Xiao Zhan, please also mobilize people to search. Gu Yuan is not dead, he just can't interfere with us for a short time, so the faster we act, the better."
Xiao Zhan nodded.
Xiao Yan's eyelids drooped. He planned to go check it out himself first. If he really couldn't get in, then he would tell the Soul Clan the news.
"Void, you, Hun Zhang, and Hun Qiu should stay here with the ancient jade."
Xiao Zhan then said to the three Elders: "Thank you, three Elders."
Void Swallowing Flame knew that the ancient jade had other mysterious uses, and therefore would absolutely not give up control of it. The Xiao Clan, on the other hand, was worried that the Soul Clan would secretly open the Ancient Emperor Cave and take the inheritance inside after finding the location.
So both clans took a step back and placed it in a common place for joint guardianship.
Hun Tiandi returned to the Soul Realm, and Xiao Zhan and others went to the Heavenly Hall. Both sides were busily preparing for the final great battle.