"Damn it!"
Hun Miesheng roared in anger.
From the aura alone, it was clear that Xiao Chen's attack was incredibly fierce and ferocious.
Without another word, Hun Miesheng took a deep breath, and a black energy sphere about half a meter in diameter shot out from his mouth. Inside the black sphere, agonizing screams echoed, as if countless souls were devouring each other within.
"Ssssh!"
As soon as the black sphere emerged, Xiao Chen's blood-red slash collided with it. In an instant, a crimson line spread across the black sphere, and with a loud crack, the sphere split in half.
"Ugh!"
Hun Miesheng spat out blood and hurriedly retreated, his face pale. Xiao Chen's attack was unbelievably sharp, and the blood axe seemed capable of slicing through the heavens and earth.
"Three Heaven-Splitting Axes!"
Xiao Chen seized the opportunity, swinging his massive blood axe three more times in quick succession.
In the next moment, three crimson lines of blood shot out across the space. Though they seemed thin, even Hun Miesheng could feel an overwhelming sense of danger from them.
"Soul Burial Technique!"
Hun Miesheng's body trembled as his soul floated out from the center of his brow. His soul's arms exploded in a strange manner, and a vast amount of black mist surged forth, covering the sky and the sun.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The three lines of blood tore through layers of black mist. The first two were blocked by the mist, but the third pierced through to the center.
"Ah!"
A chilling scream echoed as the black mist halted, retreating rapidly before everyone's eyes.
As the mist cleared, the crowd gasped in shock. Just three strikes had left a massive wound on Hun Miesheng's body.
"Still alive?" Xiao Chen muttered, clearly surprised. He hadn't expected Hun Miesheng, despite being weaker, to survive his Heaven-Splitting Axes- an impressive feat.
"You bastard!"
Furious and humiliated, Hun Miesheng glared at Xiao Chen with rage, never before so gravely injured.
"Master!"
"Are you okay, Master?"
At this moment, Hun Feng and another subordinate rushed over to check on Hun Miesheng. If he were to die, they alone couldn't protect the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.
"Don't worry, I won't die!"
Hun Miesheng took out a bottle of medicine and poured it over his ghastly wound, causing white steam to rise.
He hesitated for a moment before calling out loudly, "Old Mo, you've watched the show long enough. Isn't it time for you to act?"
"What? The Hun Clan has more reinforcements in the Demonic Flame Space?"
"I should have known! If they planned to kill Young Master Gu Fei, they must have made thorough preparations..."
Hearing Hun Miesheng's words, the elders of the ancient clans began discussing among themselves, their eyes scanning the surroundings for the Hun Clan's backup.
Gu Fei was not surprised by the development; he had long anticipated the Hun Clan's backup plan.
"Hun Miesheng, I can't believe you're this useless. How disappointing..."
As the crowd searched, an old and raspy voice sighed from the void.
An elderly man in gray robes appeared, shaking his head in disappointment. As he emerged, his face changed slightly, revealing a pair of long black eyebrows that hung down eerily.
"Hun Mo, it's you?"
"Does your Hun Clan truly intend to break the ancient treaty?"
Upon seeing the black-browed elder, Gu Nanhai and the other elders of the ancient clans wore grim expressions.
Hun Miesheng had already broken the treaty by being a mid-stage Five-Star Dou Saint, and now they had sent someone even stronger, a Five-Star Dou Saint at the later stage. This was a blatant disregard for the treaty!
"The Hun Clan is shameless!"
Huo Zhi from the Yan Clan cursed in anger. Just when she had finally felt relieved after Xiao Chen's intervention, the Hun Clan revealed even more despicable tactics.
Elder Hun Mo was a well-known figure, and sending someone of his stature to kill a junior was utterly shameless.
"Hehe, our enmity with the Gu Clan runs deep. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The treaty isn't inviolable," Elder Hun Mo said with a faint smile, unfazed by the crowd's outcry. He knew that even if they broke the treaty, the other ancient clans would do no more than scold them; none would truly take action.
"Hurry up and act, Old Mo!" Hun Miesheng said coldly.
"Haha, I can't believe you were rendered helpless by this man," Hun Mo mocked.
"Stop acting superior! Do you even know who he is?" Hun Miesheng growled, now having recognized Xiao Chen's identity.
Xiao Chen, meanwhile, continued approaching, unfazed by the Elder Hun Mo's appearance.
"You must be Xiao Chen, the Blood Axe of the Xiao Clan. I didn't expect you'd still be alive. You're lucky. Had you remained with the Xiao Clan, your fate would have been no different from Xiao Xuan's!" Hun Mo sneered, his gaze icy as he looked at Xiao Chen and his blood axe.
"What happened to Cousin Xiao Xuan?" Xiao Chen halted, his expression darkening as he demanded answers.
"Haha, it seems you don't know yet!"
"Your Xiao Clan was annihilated by our clan a thousand years ago. Xiao Xuan died at the hands of our clan leader!" Hun Mo laughed. He didn't bother fabricating a story; with so many witnesses, deception would be pointless.
"What? Cousin Xiao Xuan is dead?"
Xiao Chen's face filled with disbelief. He knew how powerful his cousin was. Unless a Dou God had intervened, no one could possibly harm Xiao Xuan. How could the entire Xiao Clan have been destroyed by a mere Hun Clan?
"If you don't believe me, ask the others present. Your Xiao Clan is long gone," Hun Mo taunted.
Xiao Chen turned toward Gu Fei, looking for confirmation.
"Senior Xiao Chen, it's true. The Xiao Clan has all but perished," Gu Fei said, nodding solemnly. "Back then, your cousin sacrificed the clan's bloodline in an attempt to ascend to Dou God, but he failed. The Hun Clan took advantage and ambushed him, leading to his demise..."
With Gu Fei's confirmation, Xiao Chen's eyes dimmed. A deep sense of regret welled up inside him- regret that he hadn't been there to fight for the Xiao Clan in its time of crisis.
(TL/n: Last chapter for today. There were a couple short chapters, so I decided to release a bit extra.
Thanks a lot for your support and don't forget to leave a review if you're liking it so far!
I'll catch you all on the next episode~)