Chapter 197: Seven of the Eight Gathered!
"Soul-Binding Net?"
Watching the giant net sweeping toward him in the sky, Gu Yang was not the least bit flustered. He let out a cold sneer: "Don't forget—I, too, am a member of the 'Gu clan'!"
"Explode!"
As he spoke, he halted his body. The hand seals in his hands rapidly shifted. Several dozen ferocious, fierce gusts of force shot forth violently, continuously and successively striking every position and angle of the giant net.
Immediately after, the fierce wind howled and roared. It actually directly, forcibly blasted and shattered that giant net to pieces. Then, he hurriedly raised his head and gazed into the distant sky. His figure moved, pushing his speed to the absolute extreme as he shot toward the sky.
All along the way, a host of Gu clan experts successively attacked and intercepted Gu Yang. But Gu Yang's own strength was exceedingly high. The strength of a late-stage five-star Dou Sheng—even within the Gu clan, he counted as part of the upper echelon.
With many of the top-tier combatants tied down and occupied, within the Gu clan, there was actually no one who could completely stop and block him.
"Gu Yang—you traitor! Where do you think you're going?!" Just as Gu Yang was swiftly shooting toward the sky, a six-star Dou Sheng, his expression slightly cold and frosty, appeared before Gu Yang. A vast, mighty palm strike, carrying endless, boundless fury, blasted toward Gu Yang.
"Jie, jie... This man here is a great, meritorious hero of our clan! How could we let you capture and deal with him so easily?"
Just then, one of the Hun clan's Four Demon Saints—Hun Sha—appeared before him like a phantom or specter. A black light, a thousand zhang wide, erupted and shot forth from his palm, blasting ruthlessly and ferociously toward that six-star Dou Sheng.
"Not good—!" The terrifying strength of a seven-star Dou Sheng was displayed beyond all doubt at this very moment. The six-star Dou Sheng's attack was, in the blink of an eye, completely devoured and swallowed, then came carrying an even fiercer, more vicious attack straight toward the other.
"Hun Sha—!"
A furious roar swiftly rang out from behind Hun Sha. It was Gu Dao—who had previously been clad in green robes, with the hair of a crane and the face of a child—rapidly shooting over from the distance. At this moment, the green robe on his body was somewhat tattered and torn. The aura around his entire body surged and fluctuated unstably. It was clear he had just undergone an intense, fierce battle.
At this moment, his eyes carried heaven-surging fury. In his hand, he wielded a cyan long staff, over a zhang in length. The staff shadows danced and moved, stirring and sweeping the energy of the entire stretch of heaven and earth, transforming into endless, boundless, ferocious, fierce staff shadows that smashed down directly toward Hun Sha's head.
"Gu Dao—battle isn't about whose voice is louder!" Sensing the danger and peril behind him, Hun Sha laughed darkly and eerily. In his hand, a great blade with a demon-head hilt abruptly appeared. Blood-red Dou Qi slowly coiled and wreathed around the great blade.
The blood blade slashed and swung with swift, sharp swishes. Sharp, fierce, piercing blood-red blade rays pierced through the void and enveloped every inch of Gu Dao's body.
"Clang! Clang!"
Staff and blade collided. The seemingly simple and unremarkable clash—yet exceedingly, astonishingly sharp, fierce, and piercing residual force swept forth and overflowed. The space within a radius of several thousand zhang was shaken and jolted into violent, intense warping and distortion.
"Withered Death Finger!"
Hun Sha let out a furious roar. His finger pointed once toward the void. An exceptionally deep, dark, profound black gleam shot forth from his fingertip, ultimately surging forth violently at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
"Ancient Emperor Seal!"
In the very instant Hun Sha struck, Gu Dao countered with a backhanded Imperial Seal Art strike. An incomparably, immeasurably enormous energy hand seal shot forth through the air, smashing ruthlessly and ferociously toward that strange, eerie black gleam.
"Bang—!"
Under such fierce, intense clashes and exchanges, wave after wave of terrifying, dreadful energy aftermath ruthlessly bombarded that layer of defensive light barrier. The terrifying, dreadful force directly tore a fissure and crack into the defensive barrier.
"Swoosh—!" Seizing this opportunity, Gu Yang transformed into a streak of black light and shot swiftly toward the distant sky.
"Don't let him get away!"
In the sky above, all was chaos and confusion. Figure after figure darted and shot forth, chasing and pursuing Gu Yang.
Within the Gu clan, there was no shortage of three- and four-star Dou Sheng experts. Individually, in single combat, they were no match for him. But when several of them joined forces, combined with the Black Annihilation Army, in a short period of time, they had truly, genuinely forced Gu Yang into a tight encirclement.
Gu Yang surveyed the encirclement surrounding him. Making a prompt, resolute decision, he stomped his foot fiercely against the void. His figure actually shot forth directly and violently toward that energy defensive barrier in the sky above.
Seeing the other party forcefully attempt to break through, the crowd did not hold back in the slightest. Wave after wave of terrifying, dreadful energy attacks howled and screamed toward his back.
Sensing the danger and peril behind him, a savage, ferocious, twisted grin suddenly streaked across Gu Yang's face. Just as he was within a hundred zhang of the defensive barrier—his body actually began to rapidly, swiftly swell and expand.
"He's going to self-detonate!"
Seeing this scene, the expressions of the Gu clan members immediately changed. The self-detonation of a late-stage five-star Dou Sheng expert—the sheer power and force would be far, far from small. Instantly, the speed of the crowd slowed and eased in response.
"Heh heh... Hun Sha already said—you are a meritorious hero of the Hun clan! How could our Hun clan allow a meritorious hero to end up self-detonating?!"
Just then, a light, airy laugh rang out from within the void. A black cloud spread and extended at an astonishing, shocking speed. In the blink of an eye, it arrived beside Gu Yang.
Between heaven and earth, low, deep, wailing, sobbing sounds immediately rang out, as if the mournful, grieving cries of souls. When the Gu clan members' attacks landed upon that expanse of black cloud, they instantly vanished without a trace.
At the same time, Gu Yang's swelling body immediately slowed and eased. The black cloud dispersed. A middle-aged man clad in black robes soundlessly, without a single warning, appeared before Gu Yang.
"Hun Xuzi!" Seeing who had arrived, a wave of sharply indrawn cold breaths immediately rang out from within the Gu clan.
Sensing the aura—as terrifying and dreadful as that of the Gu clan's Three Immortals—emanating from the other's body, the advancing bodies of the crowd came to an abrupt, grinding halt.
"Lord Hun Xuzi!" Seeing Hun Xuzi before him, Gu Yang breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Hurriedly and deferentially, he spoke. At the same time, a piece of crystalline, translucent ancient jade, about the size of a palm, appeared in his hand. It was unmistakably—that very piece of the Tuo She Ancient Emperor's Jade belonging to the Gu clan!
"Gu Yang—you've done very, very well!" Seeing this, Hun Xuzi put away the ancient jade and patted the other's shoulder, speaking with a beaming, smiling face.
"Hmph—!"
Just then, a cold snort, faintly tinged with chilling frost, suddenly descended from the heavens. At the same time, a sensation of extreme, utmost danger and peril rapidly, swiftly surged forth from the very depths of Hun Xuzi's heart.
"Boom!"
The feeling of danger in his heart had only just surfaced when the light of the sky overhead suddenly dimmed and darkened.
Immediately after, the space above his head abruptly, violently burst and exploded. A large, fair hand, as pure and white as the finest jade, reached out from within the space. In a single, sweeping grab, it shot toward Hun Xuzi to seize him. The annihilating, destructive power contained and saturated within that palm wind far, far surpassed and exceeded anything the crowd could imagine.
"Gu Yuan!"
Hun Xuzi's expression turned icy cold. Seizing Gu Yang in one hand, his figure immediately and directly retreated violently, swiftly.
Hun Xuzi's speed was exceedingly fast. But the speed of that large hand was even faster. Directly blasting through space, it grabbed and seized downward in a single swipe.
"Gu Yuan—this round, it seems it is you who has lost!"
Just as that large hand was about to grasp and seize down, the space all around Hun Xuzi also violently, fiercely churned and roiled. Then, yet another giant palm also shot forth through the air, smashing ruthlessly and ferociously against that pure-white giant hand.
"Bang!" The two collided with ferocious, violent force. A storm of annihilation instantly swept forth and spread.
"Hun Tiandi—since you wish to instigate and provoke war—then my Gu clan shall fight you to the bitter end!" As the giant hands clashed and exchanged blows, Gu Yuan's fierce, furious shout, faintly tinged with a trace of surging, restrained rage, also rang out in the sky.
"Heh heh... Long ago, when the Xiao clan was annihilated, you already had the chance to put me to death. After that, when you were at the Yao clan, you still had the chance to wound me gravely and severely. What a pity... you missed them all. Now... it's far, far too late—Gu Yuan!"
In the sky above, Hun Tiandi's light, airy laugh also rang out in response. And just as his voice fell, that empty, void space suddenly and rapidly split open into an enormous, colossal spatial rift. Overwhelming, sky-filling black mist howled and churned within it. Aura after aura of exceptionally formidable, powerful, sinisterly cold aura spread forth from within that rift.
"Woo—!"
The rift appeared. Black mist surged forth violently from within like a raging flood, finally swiftly transforming into a colossal black seal, a full several tens of thousands of zhang wide. The black seal hovered and floated in the sky. That enormous, massive shadow completely blotted out and shrouded the entire Ancient Sacred Mountain!
"Activate the array!"
Gazing at that enormous, colossal black seal floating in the sky above, the expressions of all the Gu clan experts grew grave and solemn. As expected—the Hun clan still had a follow-up, backup plan prepared and waiting. But fortunately—the Gu clan's experts had also long since been on standby and awaiting orders. Instantly, shout after great, resounding shout rang out.
The curtains of light blanketing the mountains and fields suddenly blazed with great, intense radiance. Wave after wave of vast, mighty energy—so powerful and forceful it made one tremble and shudder—transformed into pillars of light that howled and surged upward, finally swiftly coalescing and condensing in the sky above into a multi-colored ancient mirror, its surface area in no way inferior or smaller than that black seal. Upon the mirror's surface, light rippled and glistened, overflowing and brimming with astonishing, shocking energy fluctuations.
"Seal of Annihilation!"
"Ancient Emperor's Mirror!"
Under gaze after tense, nervous gaze, the two terrifying, dreadful attacks collided with a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering crash!
"Rumble!"
Heaven and earth—it seemed—collapsed and crumbled completely in this single moment. An indescribable, annihilating, destructive fluctuation raged and rampaged madly, wildly. Even with the Gu Realm's space being so sturdy and robust—at this very moment, it still fractured and split open into countless, numerous pitch-black fissures.
"Pfft!"
As the ancient mirror and the black seal dispersed and scattered, the many Gu clan experts below, and the Hun clan experts within that black-mist-pervaded spatial rift, all simultaneously, in unison, spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood. Countless, numerous wretched, miserable, piercing wails and howls rang out.
It was clear—the overall, comprehensive strength of the two clans was still closely, tightly matched, standing neck and neck!
The storm of annihilation raged and rampaged unchecked in the distant sky. The battle circles locked in combat were all forcibly, violently suppressed and halted by it.
The Gu clan's Three Immortals, Yao Dan, the Hun clan's Four Demon Saints, and Hun Xuzi—all withdrew and retreated, their faces filled with shock and terror.
That kind of annihilating, destructive storm—even they did not wish to be caught and entangled in even the slightest, smallest fraction of it. On this continent—only a nine-star Dou Sheng could completely disregard and ignore a storm of annihilation of this magnitude and scale.
With the ancient jade in hand, the many Hun clan experts wasted no further words. Their figures moved, and they shot forth violently toward that spatial rift.
"Leave it behind for me!"
With a furious roar, space rippled and undulated. Gu Yuan materialized and emerged. His expression was somewhat dark, grim, and overcast. Yet before he could even strike, Hun Tiandi, clad in a long gray-white robe, appeared directly before him. With a backhanded counter, he caught and received Gu Yuan's onslaught.
"Heaven-Devouring Palm!" Just as the two clashed and exchanged blows, the Nihility Devouring Flame's figure appeared in the two's battlefield like a phantom or specter. A black hole, glowing and shimmering with black light, descended toward Gu Yuan.
Watching the descending black hole, Gu Yuan's expression changed. He immediately withdrew and retreated. Looking at Hun Tiandi and the Nihility Devouring Flame standing shoulder to shoulder, his expression instantly turned somewhat dark, grim, and overcast.
Only now did Lei Ying and Gu Lie—panting and gasping for breath—arrive at Gu Yuan's side. The two's condition at this moment was far from good. In the original story, Lei Ying plus Yan Jin had only just barely managed to withstand and hold off the Nihility Devouring Flame.
But now—Yan Jin had been replaced by Gu Lie, whose strength was even weaker. The situation had been shattered and overturned in an instant. In the clash and exchange, the Nihility Devouring Flame had held the complete, absolute upper hand. If the battle had gone on even a little longer—the two of them might even have faced the risk and peril of falling and perishing.
Looking at the situation on the field, Hun Tiandi's mood was exceedingly, immensely fine. Wearing a faint, slight smile, he gazed at Gu Yuan, whose expression was somewhat dark and overcast. Slowly, unhurriedly, he spoke: "Gu Yuan—I told you. The moment the Xiao clan fell—the Gu clan lost its best, greatest opportunity to contend and resist against the Hun clan."
"Hun Tiandi—don't get too smug and cocky! The ancient jade is divided into eight pieces. Even now—you've only gathered seven at most. There's still the very last piece! You're celebrating far, far too early!" Lei Ying shouted coldly and fiercely.
"Is that so?" Hearing this, a strange, peculiar, eerie smile immediately surfaced on Hun Tiandi's face. Then, he spoke softly and lightly, "The last piece is the Xiao clan's, isn't it? The Xiao family of Wu Tan City—that is precisely the Xiao clan of old. A clan without even a single Dou Zong... they were already subdued and captured by our clan before I even arrived here."
Hearing Hun Tiandi's words, Lei Ying's expression finally, at last, changed. Had Hun Tiandi gathered all eight pieces of the ancient jade?!
Seeing the expressions of Lei Ying and the Gu clan members—as ugly and discolored as pig's liver—Hun Tiandi immediately burst into laughter. "What a pity... I did not find that last piece of the ancient jade in the Xiao family. Presumably—it is in the hands of that Xiao Yan, is it not?"
Sensing Hun Tiandi's probing, searching gaze, Gu Yuan met it with heavy, oppressive silence. The expressions of Lei Ying and the others, however, shifted from overcast to clearing, and they stared at Gu Yuan with surprised delight. As long as the Hun clan had not gathered all eight pieces of the ancient jade—they still had hope.
Not caring in the slightest about the crowd's expressions and reactions, Hun Tiandi continued: "That Xiao Yan—he has entered the Heavenly Tomb, hasn't he? When he comes out—Gu Yuan, tell him this: if he wishes to save his father, let him wager the ancient jade. At the Heaven-Burial Mountain Range—let us make our final, ultimate settlement and resolution!"
As Hun Tiandi's words slowly and gradually fell, he and the Nihility Devouring Flame slowly, gradually withdrew and retreated into the spatial rift.
"Hun Tiandi—"
"Boom—!" Within the spatial rift, black qi surged and churned. An enormous, colossal black seal once again took form, instantly sealing and shutting everyone's mouths.
The Gu clan's experts, seeing this, even hurriedly and hastily once again condensed and coalesced the ancient mirror, in case the Hun clan launched a destructive, annihilating attack.
And Hun Tiandi also paused and halted his steps at this very moment. Turning his head back, he gazed at Gu Yuan and chuckled lightly: "Gu Yuan—this is your third chance. And it will also be your very last. I will not leave you a fourth."
Once Hun Tiandi's words had slowly and gradually faded and fallen, his and the Nihility Devouring Flame's figures also completely and utterly vanished into the spatial rift. And in the sky above, that enormous, colossal black seal also—amidst trembling and quaking—slowly and gradually dispersed and scattered.
Faced with the enormous, colossal black seal condensed and coalesced by the Hun clan's army—even Gu Yuan did not dare to strike rashly or lightly.
He could only watch helplessly as Hun Tiandi led the crowd and withdrew and retreated in complete safety and security!
Gazing at the slowly, gradually healing spatial rift in the sky above—this mountain range was wrapped in an exceptionally, extraordinarily profound and deep silence.
Quite a few of the Gu clan's experts wore somewhat dark and grim expressions. Although the Gu clan had not been crushed and routed by the Hun clan like the Ling clan and the other clans—they had still lost the ancient jade. From a certain perspective—in this clash and confrontation with the Hun clan, the Gu clan had suffered a loss that was far from small.
What was more—with the support of Lei Ying and Yao Dan, two eight-star and seven-star Dou Shengs, in a head-on, direct clash of raw, hard power against the Hun clan—they had actually fallen into a disadvantageous, inferior position. If not for those two—did that not mean the Gu clan was completely and utterly no match for the Hun clan at all?
How could the self-proclaimed, self-appointed number one imperial clan of a thousand years not feel utterly humiliated and lose all face over this?
The curtains of light blanketing the mountains and fields slowly and gradually receded and drew back, finally scattering and dispersing into formlessness and intangibility. This time—fortunately, the command and direction had been appropriate and effective. Otherwise, this entire mountain range would have been reduced to ashes and flying dust in the course of the battle. To the Gu clan—that would have been a loss far from small.
In the sky above, Gu Yuan stood with a somewhat dark, grim, and overcast expression, gazing at the place where the rift had vanished. He did not speak. Behind him, the Gu clan's Three Immortals also sighed heavily and quietly.
They had known the Nihility Devouring Flame had entered the nine-star Dou Sheng level. They had simply never imagined that the Hun clan's scheming and plotting would run so deep, so far-reaching—that they had planted important, critical moles and infiltrators within every clan. They had directly, bloodlessly seized and taken the ancient jades of the various clans without spilling a single drop of blood. This was nothing short of toying with and manipulating the various clans in the palm of their hand.
"Whew—"
After remaining silent for a long, long while, Gu Yuan let out a long, heavy breath. His expression gradually calmed and settled. Waving his hand, he first had Gu Dao deal with and put in order the situation and aftermath. Then, he turned and shot toward the great hall. As he entered the hall, his voice rang out and transmitted forth: "We shall discuss this in detail within the hall. Matters have reached such a stage and point—there is no longer any path of retreat or withdrawal. Given the Hun clan's methods and means—they clearly will not grant us any path to survival."
Lei Ying and Yao Dan exchanged glances. Their expressions heavy and grim, they nodded. The crowd, one after another, continuously and successively walked into the hall.
Within the great hall, the crowd took their seats according to rank and position. Yet after the earlier events and incidents, the atmosphere was still somewhat heavy, oppressive, and stifling.
"Everyone—the matter is now clear and evident. I trust everyone understands the Hun clan's methods and means. Hun Tiandi is perhaps not wrong. Back then, when the Xiao clan and the Hun clan were locked in great war—if I had been able to be somewhat firmer and more resolute, the situation and circumstances might be vastly, greatly different now." As he spoke, Gu Yuan let out a heavy sigh, his heart filled with endless, boundless remorse and regret.
The crowd remained silent and speechless. The eight ancient clans had never been a unified, monolithic, solid bloc. No one could fault or blame Gu Yuan's actions and choices. What was more—all those seated here were vested beneficiaries and profiteers. The only two outsiders present were Lei Ying and Yao Dan—but even they could not possibly berate or condemn Gu Yuan for the sake of the Xiao clan.
"The strength the Hun clan has revealed and displayed is even more terrifying and dreadful than what we predicted and estimated. Therefore... Clan Leader Lei Ying, Clan Leader Yao Dan—regarding the matter of the alliance—I presume there are no further objections or disagreements?"
Feeling Gu Yuan's gaze resting upon them, Lei Ying and Yao Dan nodded with grave, solemn expressions. "The alliance is imperative and cannot be delayed! Hun Tiandi has already reached the point of madness, delusion, and utter depravity. Not a single member of the Shi clan, the Ling clan, or the Yan clan survived or was left alive. If such a man becomes a Dou Di—then, at that time, this entire continent will completely and utterly fall under the Hun clan's control and domination. There will never be peace or tranquility on this continent again."
The crowd fell into heavy, speechless silence. If Hun Tiandi truly, genuinely reached that level and realm—then they would truly, completely lose any and all ability and power to resist and fight back.
Lei Ying suddenly turned his gaze toward Gu Yuan and asked: "The last piece of the ancient jade is on Xiao Yan. When exactly will that Xiao Yan emerge from seclusion?"
"Could we... take the ancient jade from Xiao Yan's hands? Presumably—compared to the entire continent—Xiao Yan will be able to think it through clearly." After hesitating for a moment, Yao Dan also spoke up and asked.
The eyes of quite a few people immediately lit up and brightened. This was not at all a bad approach and method. To use the ancient jade as the stake and wager in battle—in the end, there were still far too many variables and uncertainties. If the ancient jade were placed on Gu Yuan's person—then the difficulty and challenge for Hun Tiandi to obtain the ancient jade would be magnified and multiplied infinitely, boundlessly.
After all—on this entire continent—there was still no one who could kill Gu Yuan and take away the ancient jade!
Gu Yuan fell silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "That child... he places exceptionally, exceedingly great importance on his family."
Hearing this, Lei Ying and Yao Dan's bodies jolted and trembled. Nodding, they turned away and lowered their heads, falling into heavy, oppressive silence.
"Then... we shall wait until Xiao Yan emerges before making a final decision!" Gazing at Yao Dan and Lei Ying, each harboring their own, differing thoughts and calculations, Gu Yuan exhaled a breath and spoke.
The Nine Serene Earth Abyss—this was one of the main passageways into the underground world. It was controlled and overseen by the Nine Serene Deep Earth Python Clan. Its defenses were quite strict and severe. But when Jiang Yun arrived at this place, he made no effort to conceal or hide his figure at all.
He directly, straight away arrived at the entrance of the earth abyss.
"We pay respects to Your Excellency!" The guards of the Nine Serene Deep Earth Pythons stationed here, upon seeing the token in Jiang Yun's hand, merely cast a single sweeping glance before immediately bowing and welcoming him with the utmost deference and respect.
"Where is Yao Ming?"