"My father is trapped in the Ancient Emperor's Cave. Jiang Yun and I once entered it," Zi Yan nodded affirmatively at Su Qian, and then slowly spoke, "Now, the Soul Clan, one of the eight ancient clans, has gathered all the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jades. It won't be long before they find this place and open the Ancient Emperor's Cave."
"The other three clans won't let this go easily. This place will soon become the top battlefield on the Dou Qi Continent. In no time, the Jia Nan Academy will be reduced to ashes, which is why I moved the entire academy."
After hearing Zi Yan's explanation, Su Qian, coming to his senses, nodded woodenly, then suddenly looked at Zi Yan with some hesitation and asked, "Now that you have become the Dragon Emperor of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan, it seems you want to join the battle too?"
Sensing the faint worry in Su Qian's tone, Zi Yan couldn't help but chuckle and said matter-of-factly, "My father has reached the peak just below a Dou Di. With this opportunity, how can I not fight for it?"
"Sigh—" Su Qian sighed, knowing he couldn't stop her. Looking at Zi Yan, he said emotionally, "You have already become one of the top powerhouses between heaven and earth. I can't give you any more help, but you must prioritize your safety."
"Got it, old man Su," Zi Yan nodded gently, her face full of smiles.
Seeing this, Su Qian smiled with relief and left under the guidance of a Taixu Ancient Dragon.
After seeing Su Qian off, Zi Yan glanced at the others and said, "Let's go, follow me to the Ancient Emperor's Cave!"
Hearing this, everyone became excited instantly. Retrieving the Old Dragon Emperor had always been their obsession. Although they now had the spirit avatar of Zhu Kun, it still felt imperfect to them. Now that the moment had come to bring back the Old Dragon Emperor, how could they not be excited?
With a wave of her sleeve, Zi Yan tore through the space, and everyone followed her into the rift. When they reappeared, they were already at the tenth floor of the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower, in the sea of magma, which had long been deserted.
Zi Yan led the way skillfully, diving into the magma below fiercely, followed closely by the powerful members of the ancient dragon clan. The color of the magma around them quickly changed from bright red to crimson, and finally even a bit purple.
However, at this moment, waves of fluctuations came, and a group of fiery-red lizardmen appeared. The two leading ones, with white hair and beards, had an aura no less than that of high-level semi-saints.
"Humans, retreat!" a fiery-red lizardman shouted angrily, "This is the Graveyard of Gods. If you wake the guardian, you will be buried here forever!"
"Annoying!" Before Zi Yan could act, Zhu Huo snorted coldly, waving his sleeve. Space fluctuations swept out, instantly tearing the magma along with the lizardmen to shreds.
With the death of the two semi-saint lizardmen, the remaining ones did not dare to approach. They watched timidly as the group passed through their territory.
With a slight spatial ripple, everyone disappeared, reappearing in a pitch-black, hollow space.
This space was filled with a sense of ancient desolation. At the end of their sight, a ball of white light floated eerily.
The many powerful ancient dragon clan members who followed here, none of whom were below Dou Sheng, were all filled with astonishment upon entering this layer of space. They could sense that they could not break this space. If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would not have realized there was a hidden space layer.
In the world, someone who used the power of space beyond the Taixu Ancient Dragons could be only one person—a Dou Di.
"Hahaha~~~, you all finally arrived." At this moment, a hearty laugh came from the depths of the dark space, and with it, the spirit avatar of Zhu Kun who had followed them here darted toward the darkness.
Then, Zhu Kun's figure appeared in everyone's sight, now exuding a complete aura different from the spirit avatar.
"Your Majesty, Old Dragon Emperor."
At this moment, Zhu Ming and others who followed let out excited exclamations.
Shengdan City.
Gu Yuan sat quietly cross-legged at the top of the Dan Tower headquarters. His vast soul power spread across various places in Central Plains.
During this period, with the double assistance of the Dan Tower and the Yao Clan, the coalition army's injuries had mostly recovered.
"Still no news of the Soul Clan?" Lei Ying frowned, staring at the ever-growing spatial rift in the distance with some unease.
Not just the Soul Clan hoped for the emergence of a Dou Di to deal with the future crisis. They also hoped for a Dou Di to emerge from the Ancient Emperor's Cave within the coalition.
Otherwise, the threat from beyond the realm would hang like a sharp sword over everyone's head, making it hard to sleep in peace.
"The clan leader has been monitoring the Soul Clan's space all this time, but detected no large-scale movements, not even individuals moving through. As for those single Soul Clan members that appeared, we intercepted them but got no substantial information," Gu Lie replied with a solemn face.
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help frowning. By rights, the Soul Clan shouldn't be this calm. They had pursued the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade for hundreds or even thousands of years. Now that they finally got it, how could they not hurry to open the Ancient Emperor's Cave?
"What are those guys up to…"
"Now we can only wait…" Yao Lao sighed, setting down his tea cup.
"Yao Chen, a letter appeared in my room this morning. I find the contents rather strange!" At this moment, Wind Venerable walked in quickly with a solemn expression, coming up to Yao Chen, looking hesitant.
"Did you feel anything wrong with yourself?" Yao Chen's face changed drastically upon hearing this. He looked at his old friend with concern.
With Yao Chen's return, Wind Venerable's strength had greatly improved. Although he hadn't reached the level of a saint, he was now a Three-Star Dou Zun.
Someone capable of sneaking into his room unnoticed would have to be at least a semi-saint. No wonder Yao Chen was worried.
"The other party did not harm me!" Wind Venerable shook his head.
"That's good!" Yao Chen sighed in relief instinctively, then curiously asked, "Where's the letter? What does it say that made you look so distressed?"
Wind Venerable took out an ordinary-looking letter from his spatial ring and handed it to Yao Chen.
Yao Chen scrutinized it, scanning it with his soul power but finding nothing special—it was just an ordinary letter. Without seeing anything unusual, he carefully took out the content inside. Just a glance made his face change drastically as he stood up, exclaiming.
"What——"
Yao Chen's outburst immediately drew everyone's attention. This was the first time they had seen him so rattled.
"Teacher, what does the letter say?" Xiao Yan, who had already exited the Heavenly Tomb and stabilized at Seven Star level, with his soul power reaching the Emperor realm, stepped forward and asked curiously.
"Jia Nan Academy, Ancient Emperor's Cave!" Fixing his gaze on the eight words on the letter, Xiao Yan's body stiffened momentarily. The next moment, his pupils constricted sharply, and his eyes shone with intense emotion.
"Underground Magma World!"
Xiao Yan's sudden shout startled everyone present, who quickly gathered around.
"Xiao Yan, what's happening?" Gu Xun Er asked with concern, her brow slightly furrowed.
"The Ancient Emperor's Cave is in the underground magma world beneath the Jia Nan Academy in the Black-Corner Domain!" Xiao Yan said gravely, observing everyone.
"What——"
"Xiao Yan, are you sure?"
Everyone's expressions changed upon hearing Xiao Yan.
"Are you sure it's not false information from the Soul Clan to mislead us?" Gu Lie questioned, having regained his calm after the shock.
"I once accidentally entered that place. It was the first time the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jade reacted, and it's the only place I can't see through clearly," Xiao Yan stated firmly, though he kept the last part to himself.
When he briefly tapped into the power of the realm, he had the whole Dou Qi Continent in his sights, except for a few places, including that underground magma world.
"This matter is highly likely. We can't afford to take risks! My time is running out; we can't sit and wait!" Convinced of his judgment, Xiao Yan wasted no more time and made a decisive announcement.
He glanced once more at the ominously expanding spatial rift in the distance.
"Those below Five-Star Dou Sheng, come with me immediately. The rest stay and monitor the Soul Clan with Uncle Gu Yuan. If you detect substantial Soul Clan movements, head to the Black-Corner Domain at once!" Xiao Yan commanded swiftly.
"Alright!" Lei Ying and Gu Lie nodded, exchanging glances, understanding the gravity of the situation.
Having given his instructions, Xiao Yan briefly bid farewell to Xiao Zhan before leading a large group away quickly.
Watching them depart, Lei Ying murmured, "This whole affair is indeed suspicious. If not the Soul Clan, then who notified us? What's in it for them?"
"Regardless, we must act in the spirit of 'better safe than sorry'. The stakes are too high," Gu Lie replied gravely, his face stern.
Nodding in agreement, the two men swiftly turned back towards the conference hall, their expressions serious.
Soul Realm.
In a grand hall filled with rising black flames, Hun Tiandi sat at the head, looking down coldly at a kneeling figure below, "What news?"
"Reporting to the patriarch, after our investigation, we identified five regions resembling the one on the map. After further scrutiny, we found one that matched the most closely," the black-clad elder reported respectfully.
Hun Tiandi's eyes brightened slightly at this. Smiling, he urged, "Speak."
"That region is called the Black-Corner Domain. Though it's dotted with numerous factions now, the overall terrain matches the map almost perfectly," the elder said solemnly.
"Black-Corner Domain…" Hun Tiandi murmured, then turned to Void Swallowing Flame for confirmation, "I recall that Yun Yi came from the Black-Corner Domain, right?"
"Indeed!" Void Swallowing Flame nodded gravely, still resentful over having been deceived.
"He must have known long ago."
Hun Tiandi snorted coldly. Standing up, he swept his gaze over the hall and declared, "Send a force to keep Gu Yuan distracted. The rest follow Void to the Black-Corner Domain."
Only he and Void Swallowing Flame could evade Gu Yuan's detection, and now Xiao Yan too.
Once Void Swallowing Flame devoured everyone, not even Gu Yuan could sense their whereabouts, ensuring secrecy.
"Yes!" The assembled figures responded loudly to Hun Tiandi's orders.
As they exited, Hun Tiandi couldn't help but smile, a laugh that grew louder and echoed through the hall.
"Finally found you, Ancient Emperor's Cave!"
In the Qingming Tower, it was as if a blazing sun had just appeared.
A massive black-and-white lotus flower rotated at the base of the tower. Life and death energies intertwined on its surface, their black-and-white spiritual energy pouring into Jiang Yun's body, steadily boosting his aura toward Nine-Star Dou Sheng.
At some point, Jiang Yun's realm broke through to Nine-Star Dou Sheng, his aura rising unchecked as if it would soar to the heavens.
His immense aura filled the base of the Qingming Tower, black-and-white flames emerging from the rotating lotus, transforming that part of the tower into another world.
Had the Qingming Tower not been extraordinarily resilient, it might have been incinerated by the terrifying heat.
"Yun'er is indeed our clan's brightest talent in tens of thousands of years," Qingming watched proudly, observing the young man seated in the sea of flames, exuding an aura of supreme majesty.
At a certain moment, when Jiang Yun's aura peaked, his eyes snapped open, black-and-white flames swirling within them.
In an instant, the black-and-white flames withdrew, leaving deep, dark eyes.
"Phew—"
Exhaling deeply, Jiang Yun's lips curved into a smile, the earlier ferocious aura dissipating.
(End of Chapter)