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Most of the time, Soul Emperor would not be angry because his subordinates did not recognize him, especially when his subordinates were efficient, immediately rushed to the scene when an abnormal situation occurred on the continent, and responded accordingly.
But now his old rival Gu Yuan was right in front of him, which made him lose some face.
Soul Emperor took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and said calmly, "Did Soul Destruction Life not tell you that Soul Hall is merely an affiliated force of my Soul Clan?"
A terrifying pressure, like the collapse of the sky and a tsunami, rose from Soul Emperor; this was not an unconscious leakage, but a conscious oppression!
The Dou Venerates fell from the sky under this pressure, landing in the dust in disarray, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. It was the fear of life towards a higher-level life, an instinctive fear of irresistible power.
And those who were not Dou Venerates vomited blood one by one and died. Their internal organs shattered under this high pressure, and their blood vessels burst under this force.
Iron Sword Venerable, Ice Venerable, Blood Blade Old Ancestor, and others' minds went blank, only feeling that their bodies were no longer their own.
Mo Yu and Qiu Di could still slightly control their muscles, and they asked with trembling teeth:
"You... you are..."
"I am Soul Emperor, Soul Clan Leader!"
Mo Yu and Qiu Di's pupils constricted... Wasn't that the boss's boss?
They had no doubt about the truth of this matter; the terrifying pressure, like a mountain and a sea, which almost suffocated them, was the best proof.
Immediately, they turned their gaze to the only person present whose complexion remained normal under this aura, realizing that he was also an unfathomable great figure.
The terrifying aura, like a deep abyss and a vast sea, gradually receded, and the Dou Venerates, who had been prostrated on the ground trembling, gradually regained control of their bodies.
Soul Emperor said gently, "Go, the matters here are not something you can meddle with. Your work efficiency is good, but in the future, observe the difficulty of the matter and let those capable of handling it come over."
"Yes." Mo Yu and Qiu Di, as if granted a great pardon, left without looking back, bringing three Honored Elder of Soul Hall with them.
Gu Yuan did not make things difficult for them; he did not need to act for a few Dou Venerates.
The other Dou Venerates also fled, and in the lively mountain range, apart from the corpses scattered everywhere, only Gu Yuan and Soul Emperor remained.
Soul Emperor took the initiative to speak, "You should have felt the movement just now. I don't know what you saw, but undoubtedly, there is still power in this World that can threaten you and me."
He was referring to the lightning tribulation formed by the convergence of the World's will.
Gu Yuan's expression remained unchanged, but a ripple stirred in his heart:
"So what?"
"Are you really not considering joining forces with me? If our two clans join forces, we can sweep the other five clans, open Tuo She Ancient Emperor's dwelling, and glimpse the Dou Emperor realm!" Soul Emperor invited.
Gu Yuan sneered, "Before that, I'm afraid we'll have to fight to the death..."
He changed the subject and said, "The other five clans... It seems it was indeed you who acted against the Xiao Clan."
Soul Emperor didn't care at all about being exposed to this old rival. For the other ancient races, the Ancient Clan was also an object of vigilance, so even if Gu Yuan publicized his ambition, Yan Jin, Lei Ying, and others might not believe him.
"A thousand years ago, you protected the remnants of the Xiao Clan and helped them escape... But there are some things you probably don't know. The Xiao Clan hides a huge secret; they may not be as weak as they appear."
Soul Emperor had a smile on his lips... In his opinion, if Gu Yuan had been tougher on the Xiao Clan, he might have been the one to discover this secret, not him.
He recognized Gu Yuan's strength, but not his way of dealing with people... too indecisive.
"What do you mean?" Gu Yuan's face darkened, and he asked with a puzzled tone.
Soul Emperor smiled and said, "Xiao Zhan told me something: Dou Emperor is not the end; there are stronger existences above it. Dou Emperors disappear because they went to another World to pursue even greater power."
Gu Yuan's pupils constricted slightly, and his face showed a hint of shock: "What did you say?"
"Isn't it very reasonable? How could such existences easily perish? Even you and I can live for thousands of years and still not see the end of life. Dou Emperors, they probably are no longer constrained by lifespan..."
"Xiao Zhan told you? How would he know these things? Do you really believe what he said?" Gu Yuan asked, puzzled.
Soul Emperor explained with a smile, "Believe, of course I believe. Since I haven't found any problems with his statements, what reason do I have not to believe?"
Gu Yuan fell silent. Based on his understanding of Soul Emperor, the other party was not someone who would easily trust others, only believing his own judgment. Xiao Zhan's words made him quite certain; he must have produced relevant evidence.
Thinking of this, a hint of regret flashed through him. If he had paid more attention to the Xiao Clan at that time, perhaps these secrets would now be in his grasp.
Gu Yuan was quite generous, but this did not mean he would not be tempted when faced with temptation. A secret related to the Dou Emperor, or even a realm above Dou Emperor, was difficult for him not to covet.
However, if he were to take it, he would also provide some compensation.
"Is Xiao Zhan in your hands now?"
Soul Emperor nodded: "He is currently an honored guest of the Soul Clan..."
Then, he added with a rather strange tone, "He's been living quite comfortably recently."
According to his instructions to his subordinates, Xiao Zhan could have a certain degree of freedom in Soul Emperor City, but he would never be too comfortable.
However, one of his unreliable subordinates had recognized him as a father, and this father wasn't just a casual remark; he really fulfilled his filial piety!
It was probably that Xiao Yan, his real son, hadn't done as much for his father as Hun Zhang had!
Of course, this was tacitly approved by Soul Emperor. As long as it didn't affect his grand plan of becoming an Emperor, Hun Zhang could do whatever he wanted; he wouldn't interfere too much. This was the other party's freedom.
"Has ancient jade also fallen into your hands?" Gu Yuan's expression became serious. The Soul Clan intentionally collecting ancient jade and settling the millennium-old grudge with the Xiao Family were different in nature.
Although they would probably be mixed together, Gu Yuan had to clearly show his attitude and not let Soul Emperor act recklessly.
Soul Emperor shook his head slightly: "Xiao Zhan falling into my hands doesn't mean ancient jade is also in my hands. I initially just wanted to end the bloodline of Xiao Xuan's clan, but the development exceeded my expectations.
"I destroyed the Xiao Family, neither achieving my initial goal nor obtaining ancient jade. The Xiao Family, no, the Xiao Clan concealed power; the Xiao Family was just on the surface. They have the Xiao Clan behind them, the true Xiao Clan exists!
"Heh heh, you, the protector of the Xiao Family, don't seem to know these things either. It seems Xiao Xuan didn't trust you that much."
Gu Yuan was silent and did not respond. He was not surprised that Xiao Xuan did not fully trust him and made other arrangements; if their positions were reversed, he would not fully trust Xiao Xuan either.
It was just that he hadn't expected the Xiao Clan to hide so much. Being mentioned so solemnly by Soul Emperor meant that the strength preserved by the Xiao Clan was probably not small!
He suddenly thought of Xun Er. He had actually left his daughter in another ancient race for so many years... In this light, this was a most error-ridden decision!
A weak Xiao Family that didn't even know its own history, and a Xiao Clan that knew its past history and still preserved its strength, were completely different concepts!
The latter might intentionally guide Xun Er's personality, instill some ideas beneficial to the Xiao Clan, thereby affecting the Ancient Clan, and even harming the Ancient Clan's interests to benefit the Xiao Clan!
No, I must immediately send someone to bring Xun Er back... Gu Yuan thought to himself.
"I have no right to comment on what Xiao Xuan did for the continuation of his family, but if your Soul Clan intends to act against the other clans and gather ancient jade, my Ancient Clan will definitely not stand idly by." Gu Yuan said with conviction.
Soul Emperor maintained his elegant smile: "I hope you don't regret it."
The two parted on bad terms.
On the way back, Gu Yuan's thoughts were a bit chaotic. What exactly did the Xiao Family hide? Soul Emperor seemed to have gained a lot from the Xiao Family...
If ancient jade wasn't in his hands, then whose hands would it be in? In that situation back then, what other trump cards could Xiao Xuan have left? And who in the Xiao Clan could Xiao Xuan entrust with such a heavy responsibility to become the Xiao Family's fallback?
He carefully recalled the people in the Xiao Clan back then, and a flash of inspiration struck him, thinking of a possibility.
If there wasn't a hidden power that had never appeared before others, then the "missing" Xiao Chen seemed to be a very suitable candidate.
"Blood Axe" Xiao Chen, Xiao Xuan's cousin, was an absolute core member of the Xiao Clan, powerful, and had gained immense fame a thousand years ago. At that time, Xiao Chen's reputation was on par with the current Three Immortals of the Ancient Clan and Four Demon Saints of the Soul Clan.
If Xiao Chen was truly still alive and had hidden another branch of the Xiao Clan's bloodline, using a thousand years to develop and strengthen that bloodline, it would also make sense...
Investigating the Xiao Family's hidden power was another matter, not urgent. The immediate priority was to bring his daughter back... Gu Yuan now only hoped that Xun Er's thinking hadn't gone astray!
...
"Brother Xiao Yan is still cultivating hard... Alas, I don't have much time left. The clan should be sending someone to urge me to go back soon..."
Xun Er sat on the railing of the third-floor balcony, looking at the bright moon in the sky, with a hint of sorrow on her face.
A figure appeared behind her; it was Ling Ying, dressed in a black robe, with slightly dark skin and a somewhat aged appearance.
He said in a low voice, "Miss, Xiao Meng is gone."
"Hmm? Wasn't she accompanying Brother Xiao Yan?" Xun Er frowned.
"I'm not sure. Because of the existence of that soul body, I can't get too close to Young Master Xiao Yan, so I only just discovered that Xiao Meng hasn't shown up and don't know where she went." Ling Ying replied.
Xun Er thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, don't worry too much about her. With her strength, few magical beasts in the deep mountains can threaten her. That guy has also become more and more mysterious, probably related to the power behind her... I just hope it doesn't affect Brother Xiao Yan."
Then, Ling Ying reported on Xiao Yan's recent situation. After finishing the report, he did not immediately retreat but hesitated, opening his mouth, but did not speak.
Seeing his hesitant expression, Xun Er frowned, having a bad premonition.
"Elder Ling, just say whatever it is."
Ling Ying replied, "The clan sent a message, saying they hope Miss will return."
It really came... Xun Er sighed softly, showing an unhappy expression, and her tone turned slightly cold: "Tell them to wait a bit longer; I still need some time here."
I still want to spend more time with Brother Xiao Yan! Unfortunately, Brother Xiao Yan has to be busy cultivating... Xun Er frowned in distress.
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