Chapter 550: Pursuit

Killing intent suddenly surged within the eyes of Lei Ying, Yan Jin and the rest after Xiao Ming's words sounded. The energy around them began to fluctuate intensely.

"Set up the formation!"

Several resounding resounded throughout the sky at almost the same time. The members of the Gu Clan began to activate their formations with lightning-like speed.

Terrifying Dou Qi pillars charged to the clouds from all directions. The mighty aura caused the hearts of those observers outside of the mountain range to tremble in awe. Such a scene was truly a once-in-a-millennium spectacle!

"It seems that all of you are indeed not willing to give up…"

The smile on Hun Tiandi's face was slowly withdrawn as he stood in the sky. He once again reverted to his usual calm and carefree demeanor. He lowered his head to look at Xiao Ming and the others. It seemed that he was unsurprised at their sudden attack.

He also understood that Xiao Ming, Gu Yuan, and others would definitely not simply sit back and watch their Hun Clan obtain all eight pieces of jade and successfully open the Ancient God Mansion.

"Hun Tiandi, hand over the ancient jade. Otherwise, we will definitely join hands and flatten your Hun Clan!" Lei Ying glared fiercely, his voice booming like thunder.

Hun Tiandi involuntarily laughed upon hearing this. He flipped his hand and put the ancient jade in his hand into his storage ring before he smiled and said.

"Oh? I am quite curious. If you have such an ability, why did you end up in this situation today?"

"Hun Tiandi, the Ancient God Mansion will not be easily opened by you."

Gu Yuan's face was as deep as water. His body slowly rose into the air as a terrifying fluctuation slowly spread from within his body. Dark clouds instantly gathered in the sky, accompanied by the continuous rumbling of thunder.

Following Gu Yuan, Lei Ying, Yan Jin, and other strong members of the Gu Clan with strength above the five-star Dou Saint also rose into the air. The color of the sky changed as their auras surged.

"Hmph! Just with you people, you won't be able to hold me back!" Although he spoke with confidence, Hun Tiandi's sidelong glance at Xiao Ming betrayed a hint of unease in his heart.

Xiao Ming's strength was truly beyond his expectations. This was a huge disadvantage for his upcoming search for the Ancient God Mansion!

In a fight, the outcome was truly unpredictable.

Gu Yuan frowned. He was about to speak when Xiao Ming interjected, "Clan Head Gu, why waste words with him? Let's just start the fight!"

Xiao Ming was also somewhat exasperated at this point. He had thrown out the ancient jade, partly to hasten the start of the battle. Yet, there was still too much unnecessary talk even at this critical juncture!

Prompted by Xiao Ming's reminder, Gu Yuan no longer hesitated and shouted, "Ancient God Mirror!"

The experts of the Gu Clan were already prepared, and at once, a series of loud shouts echoed.

Boom! Boom!

As the shouts subsided, the light from the numerous light barriers throughout the mountain range intensified. Pillars of majestic energy that sent shivers down one's spine rose into the sky. The pillars quickly converged into a massive, multicolored, ancient mirror thousands of meters in size. The surface of the mirror shimmered, filled with astonishing energy fluctuations.

Without delay, the gigantic multicolored ancient mirror shot forward with a whistling sound.

The forces of the Hun Clan in the Gu Realm were not particularly numerous, and under the light of the ancient mirror, they appeared to be even smaller. However, Hun Tiandi showed no sign of panic. After casting a profound glance at Xiao Ming, he spoke.

"Let's go!"

After his voice sounded, many huge spatial cracks were suddenly rapidly formed in the empty space. Black fog surged out from within in all directions. Waves after waves of unusually powerful dark and cold auras spread from within the crack lines.

"Has the Hun Clan's army been mobilized?"

Many people's expressions changed drastically as they sensed the powerful auras emanating from the crack lines.

Ao!

Black fog surged out from the cracks like floodwaters the moment they appeared. Finally, it swiftly turned into a large black seal, whose size was not inferior to the Ancient Mirror. The black seal was suspended in the sky. The enormous shadow it cast covered the entire mountain range!

"Exterminating Seal!"

The black seals in the sky shook. Suddenly, a low and sharp voice that seemed to belong to tens of thousands of individuals, was emitted from within the crack lines.

Immediately, the black seal descended directly from the sky. It was as though a disaster had fallen onto this mountain range. With a deafening crash, it collided with the Ancient Mirror under the watchful eyes of many.

Rumble!

The entire world seemed to have collapsed at this moment. An indescribable destructive fluctuation raged crazily. Even the formidable stability of the Gu Realm's space cracked under the immense pressure, with numerous pitch-black lines appearing...

The two colossal forces collided violently in the sky, eventually collapsing amid the raging storm.

"Grug!"

Many experts from the Gu Clan below ended up spitting out a mouthful of blood after the ancient mirror collapsed. The space crack lines, which were filled with black fog, also emitted many sharp miserable wails. It was clear that this all-out clash between the two clans had resulted in quite a great loss for both sides.

The extermination storm raged within the sky. This scale of energy storm terrified even the three Immortals of the Gu Clan and the four Demon Saints of the Hun Clan. Despite their strength, they would likely end up dying if they were to be struck by this extermination storm.

As the storm wreaked havoc, it bought some time for Hun Tiandi and his group. They were seen slowly retreating into the spatial cracks in the sky and eventually disappeared from view.

Seeing Hun Tiandi flee after the exchange, Xiao Ming, who had considered intervening, paused. He decided not to rush to stop him after a brief moment of reflection.

Though the best outcome would have been to keep Hun Tiandi within the Gu Realm, it was also acceptable to allow them to exert more effort outside the realm. Either way, Hun Tiandi couldn't escape today.

Sure enough, as Gu Yuan observed the slowly healing spatial crack lines in the sky, he quickly spoke up.

"Brother Lei, Brother Yan, and Alliance Leader Xiao, there is no need to utter any nice words at this critical moment. Our only option now is to immediately pursue Hun Tiandi to resolve this crisis. If he deciphers the location of the Ancient God Mansion without our knowledge, we could be in grave danger!

Moreover, with Nihility Devouring Flame's strength diminished, this is an opportune moment. My Gu Clan will lead the way. You should all create spatial channels and gather your forces to follow."

With that, Gu Yuan tore open space, quickly forming numerous spatial channels, and stepped into one. A large number of the Gu Clan's powerful members followed suit.

Lei Ying and Yan Jin exchanged a glance, nodding with solemn expressions. There was no other option in such circumstances.

They had been preparing for battle during this time, so their reaction to the sudden escalation of the conflict was swift.

Soon, under the actions of Lei Ying and Yan Jin, numerous spatial channels quickly formed, and a large number of experts from the Lei and Yan Clans stepped out from them.

The combat proficiency of the two clans' members was high. They didn't panic amidst the sudden outbreak of war. Following Lei Ying and Yan Jin's orders, they quickly entered the spatial channels created by Gu Yuan.

Xiao Ming naturally couldn't sit idly by. Even though he was playing a part in this grand scheme, he still had to be somewhat convincing in his actions.

However, the number of people Xiao Ming summoned was somewhat modest, consisting of only some renowned Dou Saints like Ancestor Huo Yun Ancestor and the Pill Tower Ancestor, along with a few well-known Half-Saints. In total, there were just over thirty individuals.

Lei Ying and Yan Jin didn't say much about it. In their view, the Heavenly Court was different from Ancient Clans like theirs.

Although the strength of the Heavenly Court was formidable, unlike the Lei and Yan Clans who gathered in a small realm, the members of the Heavenly Court were too scattered. Gathering such a significant portion of their high-level forces quickly in response to the sudden crisis was an achievement in itself.

Moreover, the high-level forces of the Heavenly Court were genuinely powerful, and it could even be said that they were tremendously strong. There was even an eight-star Dou Saint among them whose strength was comparable to theirs, along with numerous other Dou Saints and Half-Saints. If one added someone of Xiao Ming's caliber to the mix, what could they possibly complain about?

In any case, they did not expect Xiao Ming to fish in troubled waters.

Xiao Ming had previously issued clear instructions to his people: their main priority should be to protect their own lives and those of their fellow Alliance members.

There was no need to throw themselves into battle recklessly. Instead, they should adopt a strategic approach and respond to the situation as it unfolded. Just let others bear the brunt of the fight.

The eight-star Dou Saint noticed by the heads of the Yan and Lei Clans was naturally Zhu Zhen of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. Besides Zhu Zhen, there were two other advanced seven-star Dou Saints from the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. They were guarding their Dragon Emperor at this moment.

Of course, Zi Yan, known for her fondness for excitement, was not one to miss such an event and had rushed to participate in the battle. While Xiao Ming found himself somewhat helpless to convince this spirited partner of his otherwise, he made sure that Xiao Yi Xian, Medusa, and Qing Lin did not participate in the conflict.

When Zi Yan saw Xiao Ming, she flew towards him, brimming with excitement. However, in the presence of many people, she maintained her queenly and mature demeanor. She restrained herself from clinging to him and simply stood by his side, looking like an obedient little wife.

"Xiao Ming, what is the plan for the battle?" she inquired.

"Be cautious and don't get carried away. The Hun Clan is not as simple as they seem."

Xiao Ming's advice was not only for Zi Yan, but for everyone present.

"Understood!" came the collective response of the Alliance members.

"This is Zi Yan. She is the current Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe and my future wife. She will be responsible for commanding you in battle later. A command from her will carry the same weight as mine."

Many high-ranking members of the Alliance had seen Zi Yan before, but there were still some people who had never met her until now. However, given Xiao Ming's prestige in the Heavenly Court, no one had the slightest doubt. They all nodded in agreement after seeing him adopt a serious tone.

Xiao Ming nodded and said nothing more after seeing that they understood. With his knowledge of the plot, he had an idea of the tricks the Hun Clan might have in store. He himself might be busy later. Therefore, in terms of strength, position, and trustworthiness, Zi Yan was the ideal person to lead the summoned Alliance forces.

After nodding, Xiao Ming began to explain his plan in detail to Zi Yan. She already had experience in dealing with such matters, so she concentrated on listening attentively. In fact, after listening to the plan, she even had some suggestions to add to the plan to further maximize the benefits.

Xiao Ming could only praise her inwardly after hearing her suggestions. 

As soon as their conversation was over, Xiao Ming stepped into one of the spatial channels created by Gu Yuan, with Zi Yan leading the Heavenly Court members following closely behind.

Lei Ying and Yan Jin, having seen Xiao Ming leave, delegated their responsibilities to the remaining elders and followed Xiao Ming and his group.

...

The Burial Sky Mountain Range stood in the north-western region of the Central Plains. It was likely that many on the current continent were unfamiliar with this region. However, it was well known to some of the older generation of the Ancient Clans. This was the place where the Hun Clan and the Xiao Clan had fought back then. The Great War had once shaken the entire Central Plains!

There was an ancient battlefield deep inside the mountain range. The battlefield was extremely vast, and there were usually many Magical Beasts present. It could be considered a dangerous place. Therefore, it usually seemed a bit desolate.

Today, the ancient battlefield was different than usual. The sky above the mountain range was shrouded in black fog. The numerous Magical Beasts that once roamed freely on this huge battlefield had completely disappeared. Instead, densely packed human experts filled the vast battlefield. They stood clearly divided into two distinct sides.

This was the scene Xiao Ming and his group encountered upon stepping out of the spatial channel.

"What's the situation now, Clan Head Gu?" Xiao Ming inquired as they gathered around Gu Yuan.

Gu Yuan's gaze was somber as he pointed to the battlefield, now in ruins.

"It seems that Hun Tiandi knows that today's conflict is not going to end well for him. He probably wants to settle this once and for all on the battlefield of the ancient war between the Hun Clan and the Xiao Clan."

"Could this be a trap? He didn't act earlier, maybe he was planning to trap us all in one fell swoop?" Yan Jin stepped forward and looked at the desolate ancient battlefield with concern.

Lei Ying, who was known for his fiery temper, spoke firmly, "Trap or no trap, we must fight. All the members of the Lei Clan, listen up, use the Nine Dragon Sky Lightning Formation!"

"Understood!"

Most of the forces had already been mobilized at this point.

The many Lei Clan experts replied with cold and stern faces after hearing Lei Ying's command. Immediately, many bright silver rays of light emerged from their bodies and quickly gathered into a mighty thundercloud in the sky. Inside the thundercloud, the silver light flickered, eventually forming nine colossal lightning dragons, each of them thousands of meters in size. Their roaring thunder caused the land to tremble.

"Charge!"

The moment the lightning dragons appeared, they were directed by the many experts of the Lei Clan. They charged at the Hun Clan army with devastating force, causing the space they passed through to burst open in an explosive manner!