Chapter 1289

"Haha, Patriarch Gu Yuan, it seems this time, not only my Yan clan, but your Gu clan has also sent out all its elites!"

As he flew closer, the red-haired middle-aged man's gaze swept over the Gu clan's troops, and his booming laughter instantly echoed across the entire sky.

Gu Yuan, seeing this, also chuckled and clasped his hands, saying, "Yan Jin clan chief, this time I'll have to trouble you."

From the former's words, it can be seen that the red-haired middle-aged man is the patriarch of the Yan clan.

At the same time, he is also the fourth strongest person openly on the Dou Qi Continent.

However, while speaking, Gu Yuan's gaze quickly swept over the many Yan clan members behind him.

Soon after, the joy in his eyes intensified a bit.

And as Gu Yuan scanned those Yan clan experts, the Gu clan elders also quickly sensed the dozens of men and women who had flown together with Yan Jin.

Although these people are not as formidable as the Yan clan patriarch Yan Jin, each of them possesses a deep and powerful aura.

Especially the alluring beauty in a red dress standing behind Yan Jin, which made many Gu clan experts feel immense pressure.

This beauty, although appearing charming and graceful with lingering allure, seems to have little offensive power.

However, those Gu clan elders are relatively familiar with the internal situation of the Yan clan.

They know this beauty is the Yan clan's strongest aside from its patriarch Yan Jin—the Fire Spirit Elder.

At the same time, she is also the Yan clan's Grand Elder, holding an extremely high status—second only to one, above ten thousand!

Moreover, as a woman, she has reached the terrifying level of a seven-star peak Dou Sheng, comparable to the strength of the Gu clan's Three Immortals.

However, due to her special cultivation method, if it came to a one-on-one duel, this Yan clan's Fire Spirit Elder would likely even surpass the Gu clan's Three Immortals by a margin.

Thus, it can be seen that these people are the true experts of the Yan clan.

This time, the Yan clan has also brought out all its trump cards.

"Hehe, what's the trouble? That Tuo She Gu Di Dongfu, I think it's better left closed. Who knows what might come out if we open it."

Hearing Gu Yuan's words, Yan Jin gave a faint smile, as if pointing at something.

Moreover, while speaking, this Yan clan patriarch not only lacks the irritability typical of other fire-attribute cultivators, but instead gives a feeling of warm smoothness like jade, appearing extremely peaceful.

Of course, Gu Yuan naturally could not be deceived by that feeling.

He knows that beneath that warm, jade-like exterior lies endless violence and fervent heat.

After all, Yan Jin is the patriarch of the greatest fire-playing clan on the Dou Qi Continent.

If his fire-playing ability were merely average, how could he possibly keep the other Yan clan members in line?

Leaving aside his formidable strength as an eight-star peak Dou Sheng, his fire control ability alone is unmatched by few across the entire Dou Qi Continent.

Even the peerless expert Xiao Xuan, who was a Dou Sheng peak in his prime, falls short in comparison.

Because within Yan Jin's body, unlike ordinary people, he actually possesses two different fires coexisting, and they remain unharmed!

These two different fires are: one is the Volcanic Stone Flame ranked seventeenth on the Different Fire List, and the other is the Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Fire ranked seventh.

Furthermore, under Yan Jin's superb fire control technique, he actually managed to fuse the two different fires into a new type of different fire!

You should know that Yan Jin differs from Lin Feng and Xiao Yan; he does not possess the extraordinary Flame Mantra.

Instead, he relies on his own divine fire control skill, marvelously merging the two different fires into a new flame.

As for Xiao Xuan, although he controlled three different fires in his heyday, he did so by relying on his own immense strength to forcibly suppress them.

Thus he made those three different fires his own, but he never actually absorbed them.

Therefore, when using them, it is naturally not as smooth as Yan Jin's Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Fire and Volcanic Stone Flame within his body.

And even Lin Feng falls short of Yan Jin's such fire control ability.

At the same time, upon hearing the hidden meaning in the other's words, Gu Yuan immediately laughed and said, "Hehe, I understand what Patriarch Yan Jin means. I also think this is good, after all, if we accidentally open the Place: Gu Di Dong Fu, there could be too many accidents."

While speaking, Gu Yuan also appeared to fully support the other's suggestion.

Of course, on the surface it is so, but in his heart it may not be.

"If Patriarch Gu Yuan can think that way, that's best; as for the previous heavy blow to the Soul clan, our Yan clan also quite agrees."

And seeing Gu Yuan approve his opinion, at least on the surface, Yan Jin nodded in satisfaction.

After all, for them, the weakest of the three great ancient clans, it is better to keep the Tuo She Gu Di Dongfu closed.

Because once that cave is opened, they, the weakest of the three clans, would certainly have no hope of seizing the legendary half-finished emperor-grade pill refined by Tuo She Gu Di.

Therefore, opening the Place: Gu Di Dong Fu is purely detrimental for the Yan clan, with no benefit.

Moreover, Yan Jin is currently only an eight-star peak Dou Sheng; even if he obtained an emperor-grade pill embryo, he could not consume it, and would only attract the scrutiny of the Soul and Gu clans.

Furthermore, he is only about two thousand years old, with thousands of years left before his lifespan ends.

And as long as he does not fall midway, he has a high probability of breaking through the eight-star barrier and entering the nine-star Dou Sheng realm.

Furthermore, besides him, the Yan clan also has a bloodline tier that is even slightly better than the Gu clan's younger generation's Gu Qingyang—the Fire Spirit.

Most importantly, the Fire Spirit, only a few hundred years old, has already reached the seven-star peak Dou Sheng.

If this continues, in a thousand years the Yan clan might even produce two nine-star Dou Sheng.

By then, relying on geographical advantage, even if Gu Yuan or the Soul Heavenly Emperor personally intervened, they could not wipe out the Yan clan.

Therefore, for Yan Jin, it is best for the three great clans to remain in a peaceful stalemate.

And opening the Place: Gu Di Dong Fu is too dangerous, possibly even leading to the downfall of him and the Fire Spirit.

So, it's better not to do it.

Of course, to maintain the stalemate, Yan Jin understands he must heavily wound the Soul Heavenly Emperor and dispel his desire to open the Place: Gu Di Dong Fu.

Otherwise, the Soul clan, with two nine-star Dou Sheng, constantly thinking about opening the Place: Gu Di Dong Fu, would be too dangerous for everyone.

And seeing Yan Jin say this, Gu Yuan also nodded in agreement.

Immediately afterward, he swept his gaze over the experts of his own clan and the Yan clan before him, and declared loudly, "You all should understand what we are doing today, so I won't belabor the point. As for the Soul clan's strength, you surely have a sense of it in your hearts; if we clash, you must absolutely not harbor any thought of underestimating them and hoping for luck."

"We shall keep it in mind!"

As soon as Gu Yuan's words fell, facing this nine-star peak Dou Sheng expert, the experts of both clans dared not delay, immediately clasping their hands in reply.

As for their hearts, they likewise wholeheartedly agreed with the former's words.

After all, the Soul Clan possesses two nine-star Dou Saints, leaving no room for their carelessness.

"Since everyone understands, then let's move out. Of course, this time, aside from our two clans, the Heavenly Treasury Alliance of the Zhongzhou Continent has also, through the efforts of our clan and the new clan leader of the Medicine Clan, Yao Tian, successfully persuaded them. This time, they will also come to support us. Although they are not as deeply founded as we are, the Heavenly Treasury Alliance can still produce many Dou Saint experts. For our battle, they will also provide some assistance."

Seeing everyone's expressions, Gu Yuan lightly nodded, then announced that the Heavenly Treasury Alliance would join the battle.

Upon hearing this, Yan Jin smiled and said: "It seems Patriarch Gu Yuan has also made many preparations for this battle; I, the old man, have also heard of the Heavenly Treasury Alliance. Although our strength has greatly declined due to the fall of Xiao Yan and the Old Medicine Man, thanks to Yao Chen's efforts, it seems we have managed to keep this alliance intact. Now with their addition, they can also help us block many low-ranking Dou Saints of the Soul Clan."

As he spoke, Yan Jin immediately became curious and asked: "How come, is the Medicine Clan also participating in this battle?"

"Hehe, their strongest are none other than the Yao Tian siblings. As for the others, at most they are Dou Venerates; who would dare to join the battle now? So, we'll just have them serve as a medical team; if anyone gets wounded on the battlefield, we can bring them over for treatment. After all, although the Medicine Clan's strength has greatly diminished, those two siblings still possess excellent alchemy skills."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan smiled and waved his hand, then informed Yan Jin of the current status of the Medicine Clan's remnants.

Upon hearing that, the latter also did not ask any further questions.

After all, the current strength of the Medicine Clan's remnants still cannot match that of the Heavenly Treasury Alliance; indeed, they cannot be of much help.

"Let's go!"

Seeing that everyone had no further objections, Gu Yuan immediately flicked his sleeve, and the space before him was instantly torn open by a tremendous force, revealing a huge passage.

As the passage formed, he took the lead, directly bringing his precious daughter who had been clamoring to go, straight inside.

Seeing this, Yan Jin's originally smiling crimson eyes instantly turned solemn.

Then, while closely following Gu Yuan, he also did not forget to quickly summon his own clan members to follow.

The experts of the two evil clans, seeing their leader enter, also all rushed in one after another.

And after the last of those experts entered, the space passage vanished in an instant.

Of course, when the ancient realm's large force set out, the headquarters of the Heavenly Treasury Alliance above Zhongzhou also suddenly burst forth with numerous streaks of light, which then spread across the sky and flew toward the eastern region of Zhongzhou.

And as the experts of the Heavenly Treasury Alliance undertook such a large-scale operation all at once, the entire Zhongzhou instantly erupted in turmoil.

Although people had some vague guesses in their hearts, the major powers unable to know the specific movements of the ancient clans went mad in trying to gather detailed information about this matter.

After all, everyone understood in their hearts that such a massive movement could very well change the continent's landscape, leaving no room for carelessness.

Because they cannot resist those ancient clans, they must take the correct stance in order to continue surviving on this continent.

"What, the Soul Clan and the Ancient Clan have recently been exhibiting some abnormal movements, coincidentally both repeatedly scouting the plains west of the Ancient Realm by ten thousand li. Moreover, after Xiao Yan's death, the Heavenly Treasury Alliance sustained by Yao Chen has now dispatched all its experts, marching toward the eastern region of Zhongzhou!"

Not long after the Heavenly Treasury Alliance's large contingent of experts departed from their headquarters, deep within the Beast Realm, the Nine Netherworld Earth Ice Python Clan had just finished concocting some medicinal pills. On a palace bed, Lin Feng, who was using Xuan Yi's body to relieve stress, gazed somewhat surprisedly at a snake-woman maid kneeling on one knee not far from the bed.

"Yes, following the senior's orders, our clan dispatched a large number of personnel to search the entire continent for things. Among them, some members of the beast families discovered these abnormalities. Upon receiving the news, the clan chief had this servant come to inform the senior."

Upon hearing that, the lovely maid immediately replied.

After all, this young man before them is a distinguished guest of their Nine Netherworld Earth Ice Python Clan, and they must not neglect him.

"Damn it!"

Upon learning this, Lin Feng couldn't help but mutter a curse.

Because the Ancient Clan and the Flame Clan have gotten too close, he fears being detected by Gu Yuan, so he dare not place spies inside.

Thus, nowadays, his information on these two clans is basically a complete blank.

By the time he learns of this, the optimal window for laying groundwork and fishing in troubled waters has long passed!

Thinking of this, he could no longer bother with concocting pills or relaxing; he immediately severed their connection amidst Xuan Yi's reluctant, lingering gaze.

Then, as he jumped off the bed, he said to the trembling, weak Xuan Yi: "Put on your clothes at once and follow me." "Yes."

Upon hearing that, Xuan Yi also gritted her teeth through the emptiness and hurriedly got up to prepare.

Soon, the two finished dressing amidst the maid's somewhat bashful gaze.

Thereafter, Lin Feng directly ignored the maid, grabbed the somewhat disheveled Xuan Yi, and vanished in an instant from the hall.

And in the air, only a faint sentence lingered, echoing repeatedly.

"Tell Yao Ming to have them strive to increase their strength; I'll be leaving for a while."

The Eastern Great Plains, located in the eastern region of Zhongzhou, are not unfamiliar to the major powers of Zhongzhou.

Beyond this vast verdant plain lies the Holy Sage City, the entrance to the Ancient Clan's Ancient Realm.

This place serves as the route to the Holy Sage City, and moreover, the magical beast and medicinal herb resources here are fairly decent.

Consequently, there is never a shortage of foot traffic here under normal circumstances.

But today, the Eastern Great Plains appear somewhat strangely odd.

Please... you... collect 69 books?

Not only the numerous tyrannical magical beasts of the past, but even the ordinary passersby who usually come and go have today completely vanished without a trace.

On the boundless vast plain, at this very moment, not even the shadow of a magical beast or a human can be seen.

This scene makes it seem as if they all sensed the impending earth-shattering battle here, and thus they all fled.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

However, this quiet and tranquil plain was suddenly torn apart by a sweeping gust of piercing wind, shattering the previous peace.

Not long after that sound of splitting the air rang out, a large number of silhouettes suddenly surged into view at the horizon.

And in just a few flashes, they appeared upon this verdant plain.

"We have arrived. Spread out and carefully search a radius of one hundred thousand li, to guard against any ambush from the Soul Clan."

After steadying his stance, Gu Yuan's gaze swept over the patch of plain covered with verdant weeds, his eyes slightly complex.

Who would have thought that the Soul Clan, which they had once considered inferior by a notch a thousand years ago, has now driven their Ancient Clan to the point where they can only hope to win by fighting at their own doorstep.

This is truly ironic.

"Quick, search the surrounding area."

Upon hearing Gu Yuan's words, the experts of the two clans who had just steadied themselves immediately shot out, beginning to thoroughly search the surrounding space.

After all, if the Soul Clan were to lay an ambush here first,

Then most of these people might very well be left here today.

"In my view, the Soul Tribe's people probably haven't arrived yet."

At that moment, Yan Zhen used his perception to swiftly scan the surrounding space, then immediately stepped forward, rubbing his hands as he spoke.

Hearing that, Gu Yuan also gave a slight nod, tacitly approving the matter.

Because when he had just arrived, he had already used soul power to search the surroundings and found no trace of the Soul Tribe's people.

As for those beasts and humans, they were all frightened away due to the frequent prior scouting by the Soul, Ancient, and Flame tribes.

Now, within a radius of ten thousand li, aside from a few plants, there is almost no living creature.

However, Gu Yuan knows that even if he doesn't speak up, Yan Zhen would certainly take the initiative to have other strong ones scout the surroundings.

Therefore, he simply spoke up in advance.

As for Tian Mu, he is confident it won't be discovered prematurely.

"The Heaven Treasury Alliance's people have arrived."

But soon, Gu Yuan suddenly lifted his head, smiling as he gazed toward the western horizon.

There, he accurately sensed numerous aura fluctuations.

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhen swiftly turned his gaze toward the place the former mentioned.

At the same time, his perception was also quietly released.

However, after sensing for a while, he saw no trace of any other person.

Nevertheless, Yan Zhen would not doubt Gu Yuan's words just because he didn't perceive the Heaven Treasury Alliance's people.

After all, among those present, only Gu Yuan is an Imperial Realm soul; as for the others, who dares claim they can surpass him in perception?

And after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the western horizon indeed sent forth many gust‑splitting sounds.

Simultaneously, more than twenty silhouettes, after spotting the strong ones of their two tribes, rushed straight from the sky.

Under Gu Yuan and the other's gaze, those dark shadows quickly appeared above them and then descended to stand apart.

And the one leading the charge was naturally Yao Chen, who had escaped death in the Medicine Realm.

This battle concerns whether his disciple's blood relative can be rescued; as Xiao Yan's teacher, how could he possibly not come personally?

Behind him were the Fire Cloud Patriarch of Burning Flame Valley, the Cold Extreme Elder of Ice River Valley, and several other Dou Saint strongmen.

All told, with Yao Chen included, the Heaven Treasury Alliance deployed seven Dou Saints and over a dozen Half‑Saint cultivators.

Although these seven Dou Saints are all around one to three stars.

Nevertheless, the sheer number also held back quite a few Soul Tribe members.

Thinking this, Yan Zhen couldn't help but nod in satisfaction, then cheerfully said, "Yao Chen, you arrived a bit early; since the Soul Tribe hasn't come yet, go rest at the rear for now."

"Alright."

Hearing that, Yao Chen did not refuse and immediately led the Heaven Treasury Alliance members to the rear to rest.

After all, soon there will surely be a fierce battle with the Soul Tribe.

For now, let these people of his truly enjoy the pre‑battle tranquility.

"Remember, your mission is to pretend to attempt to disrupt the Flame Tribe's great war, understand?"

While the three great families were acting elsewhere, within the forest realm, Lin Feng looked at the two people before him, cloaked in black robes threaded with faint black flames, and reminded them.

As soon as his words finished, he again instructed, "Remember, you are now the Soul Tribe's hidden Dou Saints; under no circumstances use the old Medicine Tribe techniques—use my Wu Nie Tun Yan as much as possible."

"While the Flame Tribe's strong ones are all out, after you breach their ranks, immediately pretend to want to destroy the Flame Tribe's great formation, but in reality use the method I gave you to kill as many Flame Tribe members as possible, harvesting the Dou Emperor bloodline and souls. However, you must absolutely not act recklessly—understood?"

Speaking further, Lin Feng's face grew solemn.

After all, this matter is no trivial affair; he would never dare take risks.

"Yes!"

Hearing that, the two before him immediately nodded in response.

To them, the master's command outweighs even the heavens, so there is no question.

Although Qing Lin is technically their master, because the former said that the command of the person before them is equivalent to the master's, they are the same.

Seeing this, Lin Feng finally nodded, "Alright, the spatial portal is ready; set out now."

As he spoke, he looked up and pointed with his chin toward the nearby black void.

"At your command."

Hearing that, the two immediately plunged in without looking back, then vanished within the forest realm.

"Alas, this time isn't enough for me to create new Dou Saints, and it's fortunate I didn't kill those two Medicine Tribe elders controlled by Qing Lin, who I upgraded to four‑star Dou Saints as reserves. I hope these two can gather the cultivation resources I need. If they're discovered…"

Watching the black void he controlled gradually fade away, Lin Feng sighed inwardly.

But then he shook his head and said, "Fortunately I earlier obtained some Black Shadows from the Soul‑Devouring Tribe and gave them to Xiao Ling to consume, granting that girl similar abilities. Otherwise they'd have to collect corpses and bring them back, which is truly dangerous. After all, who knows whether the Flame Tribe's eight‑star pinnacle Dou Saint Yan Zhen can locate their people."

After sending those two away, Lin Feng then turned his gaze to another four black‑robed figures nearby, whose garments also bore faint black flames.

"Lei Qian, take these four Fire Slaves to the Ancient Tribe, and remember, just like the two before, never reveal your true identity. Otherwise I won't be able to save you."

Speaking, Lin Feng opened another spatial portal.

"Yes, master."

Hearing that, the black‑robed person under Lin Feng's control bowed and immediately replied with her soft, tingling young‑woman voice.

As soon as she spoke, while she herself entered the spatial portal, she also commanded the four Fire Slaves behind her to follow.

In the blink of an eye, the five black silhouettes swiftly vanished into the second spatial portal.

Seeing this, Lin Feng spread his hands and said, "Seems the Thunder Tribe Elder I picked up off the street does have some use after all. At least he can help gather cultivation resources. I just hope they return safely. Otherwise I'd truly be…"

Indeed, that soft‑tingling‑voiced woman earlier was the female Thunder Tribe Elder he happened to capture when Xiao Yan's soul returned.

Originally he intended to leave her behind to gather supplements with his concubines.

But now, given this heavenly opportunity, he naturally put her to use.

If they truly can bring back decent cultivation resources, then he doesn't mind sparing the Thunder Tribe Elder's life, using her as his personal fire‑draining device.

Of course, if the other party's identity is exposed or they die inside the ancient realm, then it's just her bad luck.

「Just a pity, I still don't know the situation of the Soul Clan's soul world, afraid there might be a hidden high-ranking Dou Saint inside. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind sending the Fire Slave to give it a try. 」

Thinking of the Soul Clan's unfathomable strength, Lin Feng shook his head and said helplessly. (End of chapter)