novelraw Chapter 113 : . Return
Chapter 113 : . Return
The Ancient Clan's Young Miss Advances to Dou God!
When this news was released, it sent shockwaves across the entire continent. Most people were so stunned they couldn't speak, while many others dismissed it as a rumor.
That was Dou God! A level that hadn't appeared for thousands of years—how could it possibly be achieved by a young woman barely in her twenties?
This was the initial reaction of the other Ancient Clans upon hearing the news. Although they were unaware that their inability to break through to Dou God was due to the depletion of the world's Origin Emperor Qi, they knew that the current continent didn't possess the conditions to support a breakthrough to Dou God. In their understanding, to break through to Dou God, one had to gather all the Ancestral Awakening Jade pieces and enter the Ancestral Tomb to have even a slim chance.
It wasn't until Gu Xun'er, who had been out of the public eye for a long time, appeared before everyone alongside the current Alliance leader, Xiao Han, that people suddenly realized this was actually true.
Dou God!
After experiencing indescribable shock, a wave of immense joy surged through their hearts. All below Dou God were mere ants—now that Gu Xun'er had broken through to Dou God, the Soul Hall was no longer a threat!
Upon learning of this sentiment, Xiao Han shook her head. She naturally didn't share such naive thoughts, after all, Xiao Yan was still the child of destiny, and who knew what unexpected moves he might have up his sleeve.
Thus, after two days of indulgence with Gu Xun'er, she decided to set out for the earth's core where they had obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame, to investigate the lightning cluster. Xiao Han had a premonition that the lightning cluster should be the key to her remembering everything.
Although Gu Xun'er was reluctant to part, she knew this wasn't the time to be selfish. With Xiao Han away, she would be the pillar of the Alliance, guarding against any moves from the Soul Hall. She couldn't accompany Xiao Han on this journey. However, with the great enemy at hand, Jia Nan Academy and various empires had sent their elites to the Alliance, including her former friends and classmates. With Nalan Yanran and others around, Gu Xun'er wouldn't feel lonely.
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The mysterious pressure deep in the earth's core remained undiminished. Even though Xiao Han was now a top-tier expert, under this pressure, she still found it difficult to circulate her Dou Qi and spiritual energy, and could only walk forward step by step.
Despite being away for nearly eight years, this place hadn't changed at all, just as it was when she first came eight years ago.
However, this time, Xiao Han faintly sensed a trace of attraction from the pressure.
With the experience of having been here before, Xiao Han moved quickly this time. Before long, she arrived at the cave and immediately saw the silver lightning cluster on the stone platform.
The inexplicable attraction grew stronger. Without any hesitation, Xiao Han took two quick steps to reach the lightning cluster and raised her hand towards it.
As expected, the previously gentle resistance completely disappeared. The lightning cluster obediently settled in Xiao Han's hand, then transformed into specks of silver light, merging into her body before her surprised gaze.
The moment the silver light merged, it was as if her meridians had been unblocked. Segments of memories that Xiao Han had no recollection of flooded into her mind.
Simultaneously, the crimson-patterned silver robe she wore began to emit a faint glow. The blood-colored patterns seemed to come alive, starting to writhe, decompose, and recombine. The speed increased, and the patterns formed became increasingly complex.
Xiao Han's entire being entered a mysterious state. She felt as if she was immersed in supreme, profound rules, a feeling that was indescribable.
"At the beginning of the world's creation, primordial chaos energy scattered. First, it separated yin and yang, establishing rules; then it condensed the three paths, establishing the myriad realms. At this point, the world's embryonic form appeared."
A vague, fluctuating voice echoed in her ears, repeating these words that Xiao Han found utterly familiar. She slowly closed her eyes, emptying her mind, and immersing herself completely in this mysterious state.
She seemed to understand something, yet also seemed to understand nothing.
The voice grew fainter, and the movement of the blood-colored patterns on her robe slowed. After an unknown amount of time—perhaps an instant, perhaps millions of years—Xiao Han suddenly heard the voice become incredibly clear.
"Welcome back, Heavenly Punishment."
Xiao Han's entire body suddenly trembled. The moment this voice sounded, she felt as if her soul was being torn apart by something. At the same time, a burst of unwilling howls erupted from within her body. This voice was extremely hoarse and filled with despair and unwillingness.
However, no matter how unwilling these howls were, her soul was still pulled out by that force. An unprecedented sense of lightness instantly spread throughout her entire soul, as if she had finally rid herself of something unpleasant, making Xiao Han tremble comfortably all over.
The howls abruptly ceased, and the pulling sensation vanished without a trace. Just as Xiao Han thought everything was over, she suddenly felt a sense of weightlessness, and her entire being fell into darkness.
In her hazy consciousness, she vaguely heard a woman's soft crying, accompanied by the sound of burning flames and howling wind.
Xiao Han struggled to open her eyes and saw a desolate land that seemed to have just experienced warfare. A woman in white knelt on the ground, tightly holding a woman in green in her arms. A cracked zither lay silently nearby, its completely broken strings seeming to herald something.
The woman in green rested her head on the lap of the woman in white. Her face was pale, without a trace of color. Her green eyes, which should have been vibrant and full of tender affection, were now dull and lifeless.
Xiao Han couldn't clearly see the face of the woman in green, but the moment she saw those green eyes, she was suddenly stunned, an indescribable feeling of melancholy filling her heart.
Who did this? Who hurt her?!
"Ge'er... Ge'er..."
The soft crying came from the woman in white. She trembled as she held the person in her arms, utterly powerless.
Even in such a dire situation, the woman in green still struggled to give the woman in white a gentle smile, but that smile appeared so pale and weak.
Xiao Han saw the woman in green's lips move, as if saying something, but for some reason, she couldn't hear anything.
A wave of dizziness hit her, and Xiao Han instinctively reached out towards the woman in green, wanting to grab her, but in the next second, she fell back into darkness.
Heaven... Heaven's Mandate...
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It had been a month since Xiao Han left, and the Soul Hall hadn't made any moves. Some impatient and bellicose members of the Alliance had repeatedly approached Gu Xun'er, expressing their desire to launch an attack and fight to their heart's content.
In the great hall of the Alliance, the high-ranking members of the allied forces sat, their brows furrowed with worry. With each passing day, their unease grew stronger.
Looking at the somewhat gloomy hall, Gu Xun'er also let out a light sigh. This feeling of being unable to do anything and only waiting for the Soul Clan to appear was truly frustrating.
"Damn it, are these bastards going to come out or not? If they want to fight, then let's fight! My Thunder Clan is ready to battle to the death. This life is too stifling!" In the midst of the gloom, the Thunder Clan leader suddenly slammed his palm on the table, shattering it to dust, and spoke through gritted teeth.
"Who are you going to fight? Who are you going to battle?" The Flame Clan leader next to him frowned and asked in response.
The Thunder Clan leader gritted his teeth but ultimately let out a dejected sigh and sat back down. With the Soul Clan hiding and not coming out, who could he fight?
"Everyone..." Gu Xun'er's gaze swept across the great hall. Just as she was about to say some encouraging words, the space in the hall suddenly rippled, revealing Gu Yuan's figure.
Seeing Gu Yuan appear, everyone present immediately stood up and urgently asked, "Is there news?"
Gu Yuan's expression was unusually solemn. He slowly nodded, but before everyone could rejoice, he continued, "We've discovered the hidden location of the Soul Realm, but... it's already too late."
Hearing this, everyone felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them, the excitement on their faces instantly freezing.
"Father?" Gu Xun'er hesitated before speaking.
Gu Yuan let out a light sigh, then turned his gaze towards the sky above the Central Plains. Just as his gaze turned, the entire space of the Central Plains suddenly began to violently tremble.
"What's happening?!"
Everyone hurriedly rushed out of the hall, looking towards the distant sky. There, a black light circle suddenly appeared. The moment this light circle appeared, it spread at an alarming speed, enveloping the entire Central Plains.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
As this light circle appeared, the energy of heaven and earth throughout the entire Central Plains began to boil. Countless experts paled in shock, raising their heads to look at the sky.
Under the gaze of countless people in the Central Plains, the black light in the sky began to writhe, and finally, under their terrified gazes, it transformed into a light cauldron!
The size of the light cauldron was indescribable, as if the entire Central Plains had been encompassed within it.
"This is..."
Seeing this phenomenon in the sky, Gu Xun'er and the others' expressions suddenly changed. In that endless light, they sensed a familiar aura—it was... Soul Emperor Tian and Xiao Yan!
"It's the Blood Pool. Through the Blood Pool, Xiao Yan and Soul Emperor Tian have preliminarily fused with the Emperor-rank Embryo Pill. Now they're using the Central Plains as a cauldron, living beings as ingredients, heaven and earth as fire, and their physical bodies as the pill..." Gu Yuan clenched his fists, his low voice resonating in everyone's ears.
"They intend to truly refine the finished Emperor Pill, and when the pill is complete, it will be the moment they advance to Dou God!"
"Hiss!"
Hearing Gu Yuan's words, everyone present drew in a sharp breath, their eyes surging with shock.
Just then, a deafening sound suddenly echoed throughout the Central Plains, and an enormous pressure suddenly swept over them. Gu Xun'er's gaze turned cold, and she moved with graceful steps as golden spiritual energy suddenly surged. She raised her hand and lightly patted towards a certain direction. This seemingly forceless palm strike, upon landing, caused the surrounding space to distort.
"Splat—"
Where the attack landed, there was a bloody mess. Most of the Soul Hall members who had just torn open space to attack the Alliance died under this attack.
A shrill cry echoed across the sky, and almost instantly, the originally clear sky darkened at a visible speed. Gu Xun'er looked closely, her expression changing slightly.
In the sky, what blocked out the sun and sky were not layers of dark clouds, but a vast sea of puppets.
Moreover, unlike the puppets the Soul Hall had previously sent to die, these puppets each had powerful auras, almost all at the level of Dou Saint, and most were familiar faces to Gu Xun'er.
"That... isn't that the Medicine Clan leader?" came the shocked voice of the Thunder Clan leader from nearby.
"That's Ling Xun?! Didn't that guy die in battle? And... when did he become a Dou Saint??"
"Yao Lian?! It's that girl Yao Lian!!"
"That person... Wan Kewei?"
Members of the Alliance began to call out the names of some familiar puppets among the horde, and the more they did so, the lower their fighting spirit became.
Those were people they knew, were familiar with, were close to! Their former friends, opponents, and even... lovers.
Gu Xun'er's gaze fell on one particular puppet. The aura on this puppet wasn't particularly strong, roughly at the level of a one-star Dou Saint, but what caught Gu Xun'er's attention wasn't the puppet's cultivation level, but the extremely familiar face.
Someone called out the puppet's name before Gu Xun'er could, and she heard Xiao Mei's voice, trembling and disbelieving.
"Hun... Hun Jin?"