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"What?!"
A flash of light shone from the spatial ring on Gu Xun'er's hand, and a spatial jade slip appeared. This jade slip was of extremely high quality—capable of summoning even a peak Dou Zun-level powerhouse. Although she was praised as the Gu Clan member with the bloodline closest to that of a Dou Di in the past thousand years, her bloodline had yet to awaken. Whether she could truly summon someone of that caliber remained uncertain. Other than her father, the highest she could call upon was a peak Dou Zun.
"Miss, you mustn't!"
Ling Ying immediately stopped her. "This is a peak Dou Zun-grade spatial jade slip. The appearance of Dou Zong-level experts in the Jia Ma Empire is already attracting attention. If a Dou Zun appears now, the Soul Clan will undoubtedly take notice. We still have no concrete leads on the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jade!"
"A Dou Zong's power is enough to destroy the Xiao Clan—every last member! How will we ever find the Ancient Emperor's Jade then?!" Gu Xun'er shouted furiously, nearly hysterical. She didn't care about the Tuoshe Jade—what she cared about was Xiao Yan's life.
Ling Ying sighed. With his age and experience, he could clearly see that her emotions had far more to do with Xiao Yan than with the Tuoshe Jade. He took out his own spatial jade slip—less powerful and far less conspicuous. It could summon a lower-star Dou Zun from the Gu Clan, and would delay alerting the Soul Clan.
A lower-star Dou Zun was more than enough to deal with a mere Dou Zong.
"Miss, the jade slip in your hand is far too high-level—and far too eye-catching. Use this one instead."
Without giving Gu Xun'er a chance to argue, Ling Ying crushed the jade slip and added, "Miss, the clan is coming. You should return to the Gu Clan. The Xiao Clan is no longer safe. The shockwaves from the Dou Zong battle are too powerful—Young Master Xiao Yan is only at the third level of Dou Qi. There's no way he could survive it."
"I want to go to Jia Nan Academy." Gu Xun'er turned away, barely holding back her tears. She refused to believe that her brother Xiao Yan was dead. She would wait for him at the academy—no matter what.
Ling Ying sighed again. "Miss…"
"I said I want to go to Jia Nan Academy!" she ordered firmly.
Seeing that Gu Xun'er still held on to hope, Ling Ying had no choice but to accompany her there.
"If anything happens to Brother Xiao Yan, I want the lives of those two Dou Zongs. I'll tear them to pieces!"
As her voice dropped, Gu Xun'er turned to gaze in the direction of Wu Tan City, her eyes red with grief.
"Brother Xiao Yan, I believe you're still alive. I'll wait for you at Jia Nan Academy."
Scene shifts back to the skies over Wu Tan City.
From the spatial vortex in the sky, three Dou Zun elders stepped out. They had already received word—two Dou Zongs had fought and injured the Gu Clan's young lady. That alone meant those two had to die.
Not for politics. Not even for blood.
But because they were from the Gu Clan—the foremost of the continent's ancient bloodlines.
And Gu Xun'er was the Gu Clan's most treasured jewel.
The three elders were Gu Yun, Gu Ya, and Gu Ming.
Gu Ming, a three-star Dou Zun, led the trio.
In no time, the three elders locked onto the site of the battle. With a single step, they vanished—and appeared above the Xiao Clan estate.
Gu Yun looked down at the Xiao residence with nothing but contempt. He sneered, "So this is the so-called Xiao Clan? Once a part of the ancient bloodlines, and now their strongest is only… what level again?"
"Da Dou Shi," Gu Ya scoffed. "A realm our Gu Clan doesn't even bother to recognize."
After glancing at the Xiao Clan, the three Dou Zuns turned their eyes toward Qian Renhan, Yao Chen, and Xiao Yan.
Feeling their gaze, Xiao Yan felt as if he had fallen into a frozen abyss. His soul nearly separated from his body. It was the first time he had ever encountered power on this scale.
"Two two-star Dou Zuns and one three-star… this won't end well." Yao Chen felt a rising sense of dread.
Gu Ming's eyes locked on Qian Renhan and Yao Chen. "So it was you two who injured our young lady. And one of you is… a soul body?"
"Esteemed sirs," Yao Chen quickly stepped forward. "I am Yao Chen, the Medicine Sovereign of Central Plains. Hurting your young lady was completely unintentional. I am willing to offer compensation on behalf of your noble clan."
He had no choice. Who would've thought a small backwater like Wu Tan City hid such a powerful figure? He had to reveal his identity and hoped that his medicinal skills could help defuse the situation. Though Qian Renhan was a five-star Dou Zun, his techniques and battle arts were pitiful. Even under normal circumstances, fighting three Dou Zuns of similar strength would be difficult—especially when outclassed in both heritage and resources. On top of that, the conflict had started because Yao Chen had misjudged Qian Renhan and acted first. One way or another, he had to take responsibility.
"Yao Chen the Medicine Sovereign." Gu Ming replied calmly. "Ah, the abandoned son of the Yao Clan. For the sake of our shared ancestry among the Eight Ancient Clans, you may live—come with us to the Gu Clan as a guest. But as for you…"
He turned to Qian Renhan, his tone ice-cold and absolute.
"You injured our young lady. Cripple your cultivation, and we'll leave you a whole corpse."
"He's from the ancient clans…"
Yao Chen's pupils contracted sharply. He had thought that his reputation and alchemy skills might resolve this peacefully. But in the face of the ancient bloodlines, his fame and mastery meant nothing.
"Young friend…" he turned to Qian Renhan, whose eyes were now narrowed dangerously. When it came to matters involving the ancient clans, even Yao Chen could offer no help.
"If you want to kill me—then come try."
Qian Renhan soared into the sky, the Shura Sword gripped tightly in his hand. Behind him, angelic wings unfurled with a radiant flare. He slashed out with full force—the space before him tore apart with a violent rift. From the very first strike, he gave it his all.
He was one who pursued the Dao through killing. His path followed his heart—if he suppressed what he felt, then his Dao would fracture. And now, these three stood before him, arrogant and overbearing, speaking of life and death like gods passing judgment. Such arrogance kindled a murderous will deep within his soul.
So be it. Then kill.
He cared not for their clan, their strength, or the consequences. Even if he died here—he would not yield. For this was his Dao.
Since leaving the world of Douluo, Qian Renhan had severed all his burdens. He was now… truly unbound.
"The sword's fine—the wielder is trash." Gu Ming sneered.
Twisting his wrist, a surge of murderous aura coalesced in his palm. With a single swipe, his claw ripped through the void. The blood-red sword energy from Qian Renhan's strike was gripped mid-air—and then crushed with brute force.
"Such flimsy Dou Qi. This is the worst five-star Dou Zun I've ever seen. Is the outside world truly this pathetic?"
The two other Dou Zuns shot forward, leaving rippling afterimages in the air. The space trembled with booming shockwaves as they descended upon Qian Renhan like bolts of wrathful lightning.
"Senior, how's the fight going? Will big brother win?"
Xiao Yan couldn't see the battle clearly above, so he turned to ask Yao Chen anxiously.
Yao Chen's eyes narrowed as he replied gravely, "The situation is extremely dire. Every ancient clan is unfathomably deep in heritage. Their cultivation techniques are at least of mid-tier Earth Rank."
"Qian Renhan's cultivation method is far too low-grade. Even though he's a five-star Dou Zun, the gap in technique alone can bridge several stars of difference. Not to mention the disparity in Dou Skills—it's like heaven and earth."
He exhaled a heavy sigh. "Three Dou Zuns hunting him down—it's a death sentence."
If not for the presence of so many civilians in Wu Tan City, and the ancient pact between the Eight Great Clans forbidding harm to ordinary people during battles, the entire city would have already been reduced to ash. He, Xiao Yan, and even the entire Xiao Clan—would have been annihilated.
(End of Chapter)