Chapter 198: Seven of the Eight Gathered!

"Spirit Binding Net?"

Watching the gigantic net in the sky, Gu Yang remained composed and let out a cold laugh, "Don't forget, I am also from the 'Ancient Clan'!"

"Explode!"

As he spoke, he halted his movement, rapidly changing the seals in his hands. Dozens of fierce gusts of wind burst out, continuously striking various points on the giant net.

Subsequently, the fierce winds howled, causing the giant net to crack apart. He immediately looked up towards the distant sky, his figure moving, exerting his speed to the utmost as he shot up towards the sky.

Along the way, many experts from the Ancient Clan attempted to intercept Gu Yang, but his own strength was formidable. As a late-stage Five-Star Dou Saint, he was considered a medium-high level figure within the Ancient Clan.

With many of the top combatants tied up, the Ancient Clan had no one who could fully stop him.

"Gu Yang, you traitor, where do you think you're going!" Just as Gu Yang flew swiftly towards the sky, a late-stage Six-Star Dou Saint appeared in front of him, his face cold. With a wave of his boundless anger, he struck at Gu Yang.

"Keke, he's a major contributor to our clan's glory. How could I let you easily capture him?"

At that moment, one of the Four Demon Saints of the Soul Clan, Hun Sha, appeared like a ghost. A gigantic black light burst out from his palm, fiercely striking at the Six-Star Dou Saint.

"No--" The terrifying strength of the Seven-Star Dou Saint was on full display; the Six-Star's attack was instantly devoured, and even more ferocious energy surged forward.

"Hun Sha--"

A furious roar came from behind Hun Sha. An elderly figure dressed in a green robe with youthful vigor, Gu Dao, dashed in from a distance. At this moment, his green robe was somewhat tattered, and his aura was unstable, showing signs of intense battle.

At this time, his eyes were filled with sky-high anger. Wielding a lengthy green staff, he stirred the energies of heaven and earth, transforming them into endless fierce staff shadows that smashed down towards Hun Sha.

"Gu Dao, a fight isn't about who can shout the loudest!" Sensing the danger behind him, Hun Sha smiled faintly. A large ghost-headed broadsword suddenly appeared in his hand, blood-red Dou Qi swirling around it.

The blood-red blade slashed and sliced through the air, enveloping Gu Dao in a storm of sharp energy.

"Clang! Clang!"

The collision of staff and blade seemed simple, yet it generated an incredibly fierce gust of wind that twisted space within a range of thousands of feet.

"Withering Finger!"

Hun Sha roared, pointing a finger at the void. A profound black light shot from his fingertip, speeding towards Gu Dao at an imperceptible pace.

"Ancient Emperor Seal!"

In the instant Hun Sha made his move, Gu Dao countered with an Emperor Seal technique. A colossal energy handprint broke through the air, aiming fiercely at the strange black light.

"Boom--"

In such an intense clash, waves of terrifying energy struck the defensive barrier, creating a crack in the shield.

"Whoosh--" Taking the opportunity, Gu Yang transformed into a streak of black light, speeding towards the sky.

"Don't let him escape!"

Chaos erupted in the sky, with figures flashing towards Gu Yang in pursuit.

In the Ancient Clan, there was no shortage of experts at the Three-Star and Four-Star Dou Saint level. Individually, they were no match for him, but collectively, along with the Hei Yan army, they quickly cornered Gu Yang.

Seeing the surrounding encirclement, Gu Yang made a swift decision. He stomped on the void and shot towards the energy defense barrier in the sky.

Seeing him force his way through, everyone launched terrifying energy attacks at his back.

Sensing the danger, a ferocious expression crossed Gu Yang's face. Just a hundred zhang (~330 feet) from the defensive barrier, his body began to expand rapidly.

"He's going to self-destruct!"

Witnessing this, the faces of the Ancient Clan members changed drastically. The self-destruction of a late-stage Five-Star Dou Saint would be catastrophic, causing everyone to slow their pace.

"Haha, Hun Sha called you a hero for the Soul Clan. How could we let such a hero self-destruct?"

At that moment, a light laugh came from the void. A black cloud rapidly spread out, and in an instant, it enveloped Gu Yang.

A low hum, like the wailing of souls, echoed through the heavens. As the Ancient Clan's attacks hit the black cloud, they vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, Gu Yang's expanding body slowed. The black cloud dispersed, revealing a middle-aged man in black standing silently in front of Gu Yang.

"Hun Xuzi!" Seeing the newcomer, a collective gasp came from the Ancient Clan.

Feeling the terrifying aura from Hun Xuzi, comparable to the Three Ancestors of the Ancient Clan, everyone hesitated.

"Master Hun Xuzi!" Seeing Hun Xuzi, Gu Yang felt a relief, hurriedly speaking with respect. In his palm appeared a palm-sized crystalline ancient jade—it was one of the Tou She Ancient Emperor Jades of the Ancient Clan!

"You've done well, Gu Yang." Hun Xuzi praised, putting away the jade and patting Gu Yang's shoulder with a smile.

"Hmph--"

At that moment, a slightly cold hum descended from the sky, bringing an intense sense of danger to Hun Xuzi.

"Boom!"

As the sense of danger arose, the light overhead suddenly dimmed.

The sky above burst open, and a jade-white giant hand emerged from the void, grabbing towards Hun Xuzi with unimaginable force.

"Gu Yuan!"

Hun Xuzi's face turned cold. Grabbing Gu Yang, he quickly retreated.

Hun Xuzi moved swiftly, but the gigantic hand was even faster, breaking through space and grabbing down.

"Gu Yuan, it appears you've lost this round!"

Just as the giant hand was about to grab, the space around Hun Xuzi fluctuated violently. A massive palm broke through the void, colliding with the jade-white giant hand.

"Bang!" The collision of the two forces caused a destructive storm to sweep out, further troubling the already chaotic battlefield.

"Emperor Hun Tian, since you wish to start a war, my Ancient Clan will fight to the end!" Gu Yuan's voice, mixed with anger, echoed through the sky.

"Haha, during the fall of the Xiao Clan, you had multiple chances to end me. Later in the Yao Clan, you had another chance to seriously injure me. But you missed all those chances. Now... it's too late, Gu Yuan!"

In the sky, Emperor Hun Tian's soft laughter echoed. Just as he finished, a massive spatial rift suddenly appeared. Boundless black mist roared through it, exuding powerful and chilling auras.

"Woo!"

As the rift opened, the black mist poured out like a flood, quickly forming a gigantic black seal in the sky, whose immense shadow engulfed the entire Ancient Holy Mountain!

"Activate the formation!"

The light screens across the mountain glowed brightly. Majestic energy beams soared into the sky, quickly forming a giant colorful ancient mirror, floating in the sky.

"Seal of Destruction!"

"Ancient Emperor's Mirror!"

Under the wary gazes, the two terrifying attacks collided!

"Boom! Boom!"

The world seemed to collapse in that moment. Indescribable waves of destruction swept out, causing even the ancient space to crack.

"Pfft!"

With the dispersal of the mirror and the black seal, numerous experts from both the Ancient Clan below and the Soul Clan within the black mist sprayed blood, followed by agonized screams.

Clearly, both clans were evenly matched in overall strength!

The destructive storm ravaged the sky, forcing the halting of battles.

The Three Ancestors of the Ancient Clan, Yao Dan, Hun Clan's Four Great Demon Saints, and Hun Xuzi all retreated in trepidation.

Facing such destructive force, even they dared not get involved. Only a Nine-Star Dou Saint could withstand a storm of this scale.

With the ancient jade in hand, the Soul Clan strongmen wasted no time, heading towards the spatial rift.

"Stay!"

With a shout, the space rippled. Gu Yuan emerged, his face gloomy, ready to attack. However, Hun Tian Di appeared, deflecting his move effortlessly.

"Soul-Swallowing Palm!" Amidst their clash, Void Swallow Flame appeared like a ghost, launching a black hole towards Gu Yuan.

Seeing the black hole, Gu Yuan's expression changed. He retreated, watching Hun Tian Di and Void Swallow Flame stand side by side, his face darkening.

At this moment, Lei Ying and Gu Lie arrived by Gu Yuan's side, panting heavily. Their condition wasn't good. In the original work, Lei Ying plus Yan Jin barely matched Void Swallow Flame. Now, with Yan Jin replaced by the weaker Gu Lie, the situation worsened. In battle, Void Swallow Flame gained the upper hand, nearly putting both at risk.

Seeing the situation, Hun Tian Di was delighted. With a smile, he looked at the grim-faced Gu Yuan, speaking slowly, "Gu Yuan, I told you, when the Xiao Clan fell, you lost the best chance to counter the Soul Clan."

"Hun Tian Di, don't be smug. The ancient jade is divided into eight pieces. Even now, you've only gathered seven. You're celebrating too soon!" Lei Ying retorted coldly.

"Really?" Hun Tian Di's face broke into a curious smile. "The last piece belongs to the Xiao Clan, right? The Xiao family in Wu Tan City was originally the Xiao Clan. A clan without even a Dou Zong was taken down by our clan long before I came."

Hearing this, Lei Ying's face changed. Had Hun Tian Di gathered all eight pieces?

Seeing the troubled expressions among the Ancient Clan, Hun Tian Di laughed. "Unfortunately, I didn't find the last piece in the Xiao family. It must be with Xiao Yan?"

Feeling Hun Tian Di's questioning gaze, Gu Yuan remained silent. Lei Ying and others, filled with surprise and joy, glanced at him. As long as the Soul Clan hadn't gathered all eight pieces, they still had hope.

Unbothered by their expressions, Hun Tian Di continued, "That Xiao Yan entered the Heavenly Tomb, right? When he exits, Gu Yuan, tell him, if he wants to save his father, he must bring the ancient jade to Zangtian Mountain Range for a final showdown!"

As Hun Tian Di's voice fell, he and Void Swallow Flame retreated into the spatial rift.

"Hun Tian Di--"

The rift shrouded in black mist formed a giant seal, instantly silencing everyone.

Seeing this, the Ancient Clan hurriedly concentrated the ancient mirror again, ready to defend against any destructive attack.

Hun Tian Di paused, turning back to Gu Yuan with a faint smile. "Gu Yuan, this is your third chance, and the last one. I won't give you a fourth."

As Hun Tian Di's voice faded, he and Void Swallow Flame vanished into the rift. The sky's giant seal trembled and dissipated.

Facing the giant seal formed by the Soul Clan's army, even Gu Yuan dared not act hastily.

He could only watch as Hun Tian Di and the others retreated calmly.

Staring at the fading rift, the mountain range fell silent.

Many Ancient Clan experts wore gloomy expressions. Though they hadn't been defeated like the Ling Clan, they had still lost the ancient jade, suffering a significant setback.

With Lei Ying and Yao Dan's support, the Ancient Clan found themselves outmatched by the Soul Clan. Without them, could they stand a chance?

The fading light screens retracted, disappearing without a trace. This coordination had prevented the mountain range from turning to ash, saving the Ancient Clan a significant loss.

Gu Yuan looked at the rift's remnants, his face dark. Behind him, the Three Ancestors sighed.

They knew Void Swallow Flame had reached Nine-Star Dou Saint, but hadn't expected the Soul Clan's deep plotting, having insiders in key clans and seizing the ancient jade without a fight. The Soul Clan had outmaneuvered them all.

"Whoosh--"

After a long silence, Gu Yuan exhaled, signaling for Gu Dao to handle the aftermath. He then headed to the hall, saying, "Let's discuss this inside. There's no turning back now; the Soul Clan won't grant us any way out."

Lei Ying and Yao Dan exchanged glances, nodding heavily, and everyone followed him inside.

In the hall, with everyone's heavy-hearted silence, Gu Yuan spoke. "Everyone, the Soul Clan's methods are clear. Perhaps Hun Tian Di was right; if I had been tougher during the Xiao-Soul battle, things might be different." He sighed, filled with endless regret.

No one spoke. The ancient clans were never united, and no one could blame Gu Yuan. Especially with Lei Ying and Yao Dan being external supporters, they wouldn't scold him over the Xiao Clan.

"The strength the Soul Clan displayed is even more terrifying than we anticipated. Clan Leader Lei Ying, Clan Leader Yao Dan, I suppose there's no objection to the alliance?"

Under Gu Yuan's gaze, Lei Ying and Yao Dan nodded solemnly. "The alliance is essential. Hun Tian Di is beyond mad. The destruction of the Shi, Ling, and Yan clans shows how ruthless he is. If he becomes a Dou Di, the continent will be under Soul Clan control, never finding peace."

Everyone fell silent. If Hun Tian Di truly reached that level, they would lose any means of resistance.

Lei Ying looked at Gu Yuan, asking, "The final piece of the ancient jade is with Xiao Yan. When will he emerge?"

"Hoping to obtain the jade from him, Xiao Yan should understand the stakes," Yao Dan added after a pause.

Many eyes brightened. This seemed like a feasible plan. Betting on the jade added too many variables. If Gu Yuan held it, the difficulty for Hun Tian Di would increase significantly.

After all, no one could defeat Gu Yuan to seize the jade!

Gu Yuan paused, shaking his head. "That boy values his family greatly."

Lei Ying and Yao Dan stiffened, nodding silently.

"Let's wait until Xiao Yan emerges," Gu Yuan suggested, seeing the varied expressions around. He exhaled.

The Nine Nether World was a key passage to the underground world, guarded by the Nine Nether Earth Python clan. Jiang Yun arrived here without hiding.

Heading straight to the entrance of the Nether World.

"Greetings, sir!" The Nine Nether Earth Python guards, seeing Jiang Yun's token, immediately bowed to welcome him.

"Where is Yao Ming?"