Chapter 426: The Soul Clan's Scheme
Gu Qingyang glanced at Gu Yao and shook his head slightly. Xun'er always maintained a distant attitude towards the younger generation of their clan. Even with Gu Qingyang himself, Xun'er merely offered a polite smile. Gu Qingyang understood that any attempt to overstep would be met with Xun'er's cold, distant demeanor despite her smile.
Gu Qingyang accepted this reality, knowing that he had no chance with Xun'er, so he treated her with a normal attitude. He didn't plan to dissuade Gu Yao from his thoughts, thinking that Gu Yao, being one of the top young talents, would eventually realize the truth on his own.
"Let's go. Xun'er has already left to find her team. We should hurry and leave the core region as well," Gu Qingyang said, leading the group towards the central region.
Their departure from the core region's depths had a reason. A few days earlier, after leaving the area where Xiao Ze was, they had quickly returned to the depths of the core region. With Xiao Ze having killed the nine-star Rock Demons, the large Rock Demon groups were now leaderless. This presented an opportunity for them to hunt the weaker Rock Demons and gain valuable Rock Demon cores.
Gu Qingyang did not underestimate these cores, knowing that any improvement was beneficial. Within the rigid hierarchy of the Gu Clan, even his position as one of the four commanders was not guaranteed. If a dark horse appeared and took his place, it wouldn't be surprising. Therefore, he constantly aimed to improve himself.
However, after dealing with one large Rock Demon group, they were forced to leave the core region due to a sudden uprising. Several powerful Rock Demons began to aggressively merge other groups, creating chaos. These leading Rock Demons were unusually strong, capable of easily suppressing other nine-star Rock Demons, often ganging up to subdue them.
Seeing the rapidly growing power of these Rock Demons, Gu Qingyang and his team knew they couldn't compete and decided to leave the chaos for the Stone Clan to handle. Before leaving, Gu Qingyang glanced back at the core region, sensing something strange about the uprising.
In the depths of the core region, Hun Yu hovered above the chaotic land, a smile on his lips. "Master Hun Yu, won't causing such a disturbance attract the Stone Clan's saints, potentially destroying the Rock Demon realm?" asked one of Hun Yu's subordinates.
Hun Yu, in a good mood from completing his task, casually responded, "They don't have the guts. If they did, they would have destroyed the Rock Demon realm when the first Rock Demon saint broke out."
His certainty was unshaken. Another subordinate cautiously asked, "But what if the saints do enter?"
Hun Yu's eyes flashed with cold light as he scoffed, causing the subordinate to stagger back, pale and vomiting blood. "Master Hun Yu, I was wrong!" the subordinate quickly knelt, sweating in fear. He realized how foolish it was to question Hun Yu, knowing his place.
"Even if a Stone Clan saint enters, our setup in the Rock Demon realm is hidden enough. The real strongholds in the Stone Realm are where they should worry," Hun Yu coldly stated, a smile playing on his lips as he imagined the Stone Clan's downfall.
Seeing his subordinate's terrified expression, Hun Yu lost interest. "Stand up. Next time, hold your tongue."
"Yes, thank you, Master Hun Yu," the subordinate replied, trembling.
Hun Yu looked at the chaos below, taking out his space stone and crushing it. Despite the potential gains from staying, Hun Yu was uninterested in Rock Demon cores, considering them beneath him as a divine bloodline holder of the Soul Clan. His two subordinates followed suit, knowing better than to stay behind.
As the spatial force took hold, Hun Yu's eyes gleamed with regret. "It's a pity we didn't encounter that perfect bloodline of the Gu Clan. It would have been satisfying to kill them early," he said, his words echoing with murderous intent as they vanished from the realm.
Back in the core region, Xun'er returned with a solemn expression. Xiao Yixian and the others gathered around her. "Xun'er, what happened in the core region?" Xiao Yixian asked, noting Xun'er's grave look.
"According to Brother Qingyang, there's chaos in the core region. Several powerful Rock Demons have united, aiming to take over the entire area," Xun'er explained.
Hearing this, Xiao Yixian, Medusa, and the others looked concerned. The Rock Demons' linking ability was their most frightening trait. If they unified the core region, their combined power could potentially create Rock Demons with saint-level strength.
"What should we do? Xiao Ze is clearly still refining the heart. Interrupting him now could destroy that precious heart," Xiao Yixian worriedly said.
Medusa drew her sword with a determined look. "We have no choice but to use our strength to buy time."
"Medusa is right. Xiao Ze must be at a critical point in the refinement. Any disturbance could not only destroy the heart but also backfire on him," Xun'er agreed.
"Refining high-grade items is risky. We must ensure Xiao Ze isn't harmed," she emphasized.
The group nodded in agreement. Determined to protect Xiao Ze, they prepared to face any approaching Rock Demon army with their combined strength.
(End of the chapter)