The Gu Clan stood as the mightiest among the remaining Six Ancient Clans on the surface, and their strength was beyond doubt.
As for the Hun Clan, it was arguably the most ancient of the Eight Ancient Clans.
In ancient times, this clan had already existed, shrouded in constant mystery. No other clan dared to claim absolute knowledge of their true power.
Although the Hun Clan had not demonstrated overwhelming dominance in previous major conflicts, keen observers would note that they had never been truly defeated.
Maintaining an undefeated record represented a fearsome level of prowess. As such, even the Gu Clan maintained a considerable level of caution towards this enigmatic Ancient Clan.
These two Ancient Clans represented the pinnacle of power on the current continent. If someone wanted to secretly wipe out the entire Spirit Clan, only these two clans would be able to accomplish such a feat!
Therefore, the Gu Clan and the Hun Clan were undoubtedly the prime suspects in this Spirit Clan incident, even though the other four clans had no concrete evidence to identify the culprit.
However, after the Spirit Clan incident, it was clear that they would be keeping a close eye on these two clans. If the culprit was after the Tou She Ancient God's Jade, they would not stop at just one. Those in possession of the remaining pieces of ancient jade would undoubtedly be their next targets!
The Gu Clan was frustrated by this suspicion that had come out of nowhere, but they were also aware of the seriousness of the situation. At a time like this, any action could invite unnecessary speculation, so they had no choice but to remain silent.
Meanwhile, the real perpetrators, the Hun Clan, continued with their usual indifference, turning a blind eye to the situation and carrying on with their plans.
The Hun Clan had no need for allies. They didn't care what others thought, and they were too apathetic to care. Their only concern was the steady advancement of their own agenda.
...
Holy Pill City, in the headquarters of the Pill Tower.
In the center of the hall, the high-ranking members were seated in an orderly fashion.
At the head was the First Elder of the Small Pill Tower, his eyes closed. On the wooden table in front of him was a blood-red letter that silently emitted a strong scent of blood.
When everyone noticed the letter, their brows furrowed as they felt a familiar aura emanating from it. It seemed that the Hall of Souls couldn't hold back any longer.
The First Elder opened his eyes and looked at the others. Then, with a flick of his finger, the blood-red war letter on the stone table unfolded, releasing a burst of bloody energy. Eventually, it transformed into blood-red words in the empty space in front of them, filled with a sharp and threatening aura.
"What are your thoughts on this matter? Should we accept or refuse?" the First Elder asked, looking at the silent assembly.
Everyone's eyes crossed, and after a brief pause, Elder Huo Yun was the first to speak.
"In this old man's opinion, we must accept this battle. Otherwise, the reputation we've built up in the Heavenly Court over the past six months will be jeopardized. The problem is that our leader has been named, but he is not present... It's a bit difficult."
"Yes, indeed. Since the last operation to eradicate the Man and Earth Halls, our leader has been absent. Without him here, we can't make a decision on this matter."
One by one, the crowd agreed. Despite Xiao Ming's usual lack of involvement in administrative matters, he held the highest prestige in the Heavenly Court.
Aside from being from the Pill Tower, he was closely associated with several well-known powerful forces such as the Flower Sect, Sound Valley, Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, and the Snow and Wind Sacred Temple, to name a few. Undoubtedly, his contributions have been crucial in bringing the Heavenly Court to its current state. Therefore, the decision to accept this challenge naturally required his approval.
"Alas, I understand this matter. It's just that our leader is currently in seclusion," the First Elder sighed, remembering the message he had received a few days ago.
"In seclusion?!!"
"Could it be that our leader is about to make another breakthrough?"
As soon as they heard the word 'seclusion', everyone realized the missing piece and exclaimed in amazement.
"Hmm, it seems so," the First Elder nodded.
He understood the reason for everyone's astonishment. Xiao Ming's strength had already reached the advanced three-star Dou Saint. If he broke through once more, he would be promoted to a four-star Dou Saint, which would put him in the ranks of an Intermediate-Star Dou Saint!
Xiao Ming was only about twenty-four years old; such a feat was truly astounding!
The First Elder believed that given a few more decades, Xiao Ming could become the most outstanding powerhouse on the continent.
"Then let's wait a few more days. We have a three-month deadline anyway. When our leader comes out of seclusion, the Hall of Souls won't be much of a problem," the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint spoke slowly.
In truth, the Hall of Souls didn't pose a mortal threat to them at the moment. But that was assuming the Hun Clan didn't go all out. If they did, the situation would be difficult to predict.
The Hun Clan was one of the most powerful Ancient Clans. Even with the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe joining the Heavenly Court, the alliance wasn't very secure. Furthermore, the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe had not yet been fully integrated into the Heavenly Court, and their understanding of its strength was limited.
Moreover, once the Hun Clan intervened, the conflict would become uncontrollable. The rules forbidding the five-star Dou Saints and above from getting involved might be broken.
The current Heavenly Court Alliance might be able to deal with the Hall of Souls, but if they really wanted to destroy them, the alliance would undoubtedly be severely damaged. It might even end up in a situation where both sides perished, which was unacceptable to them.
"All right, then, let's wait a little longer. The Hall of Souls has given us three months. They will probably want to prepare thoroughly," the First Elder concluded. He then transmitted the contents of this meeting to the Jia Ma Empire via a wormhole.
...
Xiao Ming's seclusion didn't last as long as they had expected. Just two days after the meeting, a violent energy storm suddenly erupted in the back of the Xiao family's mountain.
All eyes in Wu Tan City couldn't help but be drawn in that direction.
Inside the secret room, the purple crystals that had enveloped Xiao Ming and Zi Yan had disappeared, and the ethereal glow of the Heavenly Flame was no longer visible. Only Xiao Ming and Zi Yan remained, sitting close together. A faint purple light flickered around them as the energy of the world poured into their bodies, creating a palpable and overwhelming aura around them.
The storm came to an abrupt halt. The tightly shut eyes of both people opened at the same time. The dimly lit room was instantly illuminated by a brilliant purple light, only to return to normal moments later.
Seeing Zi Yan still very close to him, Xiao Ming reached out and pinched her smooth cheek affectionately. Then he stood up and straightened his body. His joints made a series of crackling noises that sounded like thunder.
Exhaling lightly, Xiao Ming smiled and said, "The effect of the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit exceeded my expectations. It has directly promoted me to the advanced five-star Dou Saint level. How about you?"
"Hehe, I've reached the initial six-star Dou Saint," Zi Yan replied with a radiant smile, rising to her feet and stretching her curvaceous body.
The Gu Clan stood as the mightiest among the remaining Six Ancient Clans on the surface, and their strength was beyond doubt.
As for the Hun Clan, it was arguably the most ancient of the Eight Ancient Clans.
In ancient times, this clan had already existed, shrouded in constant mystery. No other clan dared to claim absolute knowledge of their true power.
Although the Hun Clan had not demonstrated overwhelming dominance in previous major conflicts, keen observers would note that they had never been truly defeated.
Maintaining an undefeated record represented a fearsome level of prowess. As such, even the Gu Clan maintained a considerable level of caution towards this enigmatic Ancient Clan.
These two Ancient Clans represented the pinnacle of power on the current continent. If someone wanted to secretly wipe out the entire Spirit Clan, only these two clans would be able to accomplish such a feat!
Therefore, the Gu Clan and the Hun Clan were undoubtedly the prime suspects in this Spirit Clan incident, even though the other four clans had no concrete evidence to identify the culprit.
However, after the Spirit Clan incident, it was clear that they would be keeping a close eye on these two clans. If the culprit was after the Tou She Ancient God's Jade, they would not stop at just one. Those in possession of the remaining pieces of ancient jade would undoubtedly be their next targets!
The Gu Clan was frustrated by this suspicion that had come out of nowhere, but they were also aware of the seriousness of the situation. At a time like this, any action could invite unnecessary speculation, so they had no choice but to remain silent.
Meanwhile, the real perpetrators, the Hun Clan, continued with their usual indifference, turning a blind eye to the situation and carrying on with their plans.
The Hun Clan had no need for allies. They didn't care what others thought, and they were too apathetic to care. Their only concern was the steady advancement of their own agenda.
...
Holy Pill City, in the headquarters of the Pill Tower.
In the center of the hall, the high-ranking members were seated in an orderly fashion.
At the head was the First Elder of the Small Pill Tower, his eyes closed. On the wooden table in front of him was a blood-red letter that silently emitted a strong scent of blood.
When everyone noticed the letter, their brows furrowed as they felt a familiar aura emanating from it. It seemed that the Hall of Souls couldn't hold back any longer.
The First Elder opened his eyes and looked at the others. Then, with a flick of his finger, the blood-red war letter on the stone table unfolded, releasing a burst of bloody energy. Eventually, it transformed into blood-red words in the empty space in front of them, filled with a sharp and threatening aura.
"What are your thoughts on this matter? Should we accept or refuse?" the First Elder asked, looking at the silent assembly.
Everyone's eyes crossed, and after a brief pause, Elder Huo Yun was the first to speak.
"In this old man's opinion, we must accept this battle. Otherwise, the reputation we've built up in the Heavenly Court over the past six months will be jeopardized. The problem is that our leader has been named, but he is not present... It's a bit difficult."
"Yes, indeed. Since the last operation to eradicate the Man and Earth Halls, our leader has been absent. Without him here, we can't make a decision on this matter."
One by one, the crowd agreed. Despite Xiao Ming's usual lack of involvement in administrative matters, he held the highest prestige in the Heavenly Court.
Aside from being from the Pill Tower, he was closely associated with several well-known powerful forces such as the Flower Sect, Sound Valley, Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, and the Snow and Wind Sacred Temple, to name a few. Undoubtedly, his contributions have been crucial in bringing the Heavenly Court to its current state. Therefore, the decision to accept this challenge naturally required his approval.
"Alas, I understand this matter. It's just that our leader is currently in seclusion," the First Elder sighed, remembering the message he had received a few days ago.
"In seclusion?!!"
"Could it be that our leader is about to make another breakthrough?"
As soon as they heard the word 'seclusion', everyone realized the missing piece and exclaimed in amazement.
"Hmm, it seems so," the First Elder nodded.
He understood the reason for everyone's astonishment. Xiao Ming's strength had already reached the advanced three-star Dou Saint. If he broke through once more, he would be promoted to a four-star Dou Saint, which would put him in the ranks of an Intermediate-Star Dou Saint!
Xiao Ming was only about twenty-four years old; such a feat was truly astounding!
The First Elder believed that given a few more decades, Xiao Ming could become the most outstanding powerhouse on the continent.
"Then let's wait a few more days. We have a three-month deadline anyway. When our leader comes out of seclusion, the Hall of Souls won't be much of a problem," the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint spoke slowly.
In truth, the Hall of Souls didn't pose a mortal threat to them at the moment. But that was assuming the Hun Clan didn't go all out. If they did, the situation would be difficult to predict.
The Hun Clan was one of the most powerful Ancient Clans. Even with the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe joining the Heavenly Court, the alliance wasn't very secure. Furthermore, the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe had not yet been fully integrated into the Heavenly Court, and their understanding of its strength was limited.
Moreover, once the Hun Clan intervened, the conflict would become uncontrollable. The rules forbidding the five-star Dou Saints and above from getting involved might be broken.
The current Heavenly Court Alliance might be able to deal with the Hall of Souls, but if they really wanted to destroy them, the alliance would undoubtedly be severely damaged. It might even end up in a situation where both sides perished, which was unacceptable to them.
"All right, then, let's wait a little longer. The Hall of Souls has given us three months. They will probably want to prepare thoroughly," the First Elder concluded. He then transmitted the contents of this meeting to the Jia Ma Empire via a wormhole.
...
Xiao Ming's seclusion didn't last as long as they had expected. Just two days after the meeting, a violent energy storm suddenly erupted in the back of the Xiao family's mountain.
All eyes in Wu Tan City couldn't help but be drawn in that direction.
Inside the secret room, the purple crystals that had enveloped Xiao Ming and Zi Yan had disappeared, and the ethereal glow of the Heavenly Flame was no longer visible. Only Xiao Ming and Zi Yan remained, sitting close together. A faint purple light flickered around them as the energy of the world poured into their bodies, creating a palpable and overwhelming aura around them.
The storm came to an abrupt halt. The tightly shut eyes of both people opened at the same time. The dimly lit room was instantly illuminated by a brilliant purple light, only to return to normal moments later.
Seeing Zi Yan still very close to him, Xiao Ming reached out and pinched her smooth cheek affectionately. Then he stood up and straightened his body. His joints made a series of crackling noises that sounded like thunder.
Exhaling lightly, Xiao Ming smiled and said, "The effect of the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit exceeded my expectations. It has directly promoted me to the advanced five-star Dou Saint level. How about you?"
"Hehe, I've reached the initial six-star Dou Saint," Zi Yan replied with a radiant smile, rising to her feet and stretching her curvaceous body.
