Within the mountains where chilling winds howled, an immense alliance army filled the vision. Yet at this moment, Gu Yuan and the others stood before the ruins of a colossal gate, their expressions slightly grim. Amidst the wreckage, residual spatial ripples could still be faintly sensed.
“The spatial passageways leading to Hun Jie’s domain have all been utterly destroyed…” Gu Yuan muttered in a gloomy tone, glancing at everyone before continuing, “Moreover, upon my investigation, Hun Clan’s spatial realm has already been concealed. It seems they were well-prepared.”
Xiao Yan exhaled lightly, his expression grave. He hadn’t expected the current situation had become so dire. The Hun Clan having thoroughly hidden their space, even Gu Yuan would struggle momentarily to locate their whereabouts. Although the Hun Clan couldn’t possibly remain concealed forever, they merely needed to evade detection until Hun Tian Di fully absorbed the prototype Emperor’s Pill—then the allied forces would completely fall into disadvantage.
“We’ve dispatched individuals to scout for any remaining pathways into Hun Jie’s domain,” Yan Jin spoke up.
Gu Yuan shook his head slightly. If the Hun Clan was indeed prepared, it was obvious they would leave no such fatal loopholes. Their massive offensive force had arrived, yet found no way in. Their campaign, thus, had already ended in failure.
“What do we do now?” Lei Ying finally broke the silence, his voice somewhat raspy.
“Now… we can only wait—to see who has better luck,” sighed Gu Yuan.
“Wait? For what?” Lei Ying asked, confused.
“There’s still a chance he might fail in absorbing the prototype Emperor’s Pill. Our only feasible action is to hope Hun Tian Di cannot successfully refine the Emperor Pill entirely. So long as he doesn’t ascend to Battle King-level strength, we will still possess chances. Of course… should he succeed…”
At this point, Gu Yuan halted mid-sentence.
“Heaven itself would doom us.”
A solemn hush fell across the group. A heaviness weighed heavily on their hearts—they hadn’t realized just how perilous their position had become until now.
“Retreat. Leave behind some spies to watch over here.” Gu Yuan flicked his sleeve and began walking toward the back. “During this time, I will make every effort to determine the exact location of Hun Clan’s concealed realm. Should we get lucky, perhaps we’ll find it sooner than anticipated—and when that day comes, decide whether to risk everything to storm into their world and face them one final time!”
Upon hearing this from Gu Yuan, all present fell silent. Deep down, they knew—they truly had nowhere else to go anymore.
Xiao Yan raised his gaze skyward, exhaling deeply before glancing quietly at Gu Yuan’s faintly fatigued silhouette. Over ancient God Realm’s inheritance, battles erupted repeatedly between the Eight Ancient Clans; who would have thought that ultimately, it was the Hun Clan who emerged triumphant?
“Let’s go,” said Xiao Yan as he gently took Xun Er’s and Cai Lin’s slightly cool hands with a shake of his head, leading everyone away in retreat.
Like waves spreading across the heavens, the alliance’s vast forces gradually vacated these lands. Though no widespread news broke loose, the heavy mood remained unavoidably pervasive throughout the troops, leaving an aura thick with oppressive tension.
The main force withdrew, eventually returning to their grand headquarters located within Heaven Union Command Center. Despite this expedition to Gu Di’s Domain ending ultimately in defeat, the alliance did not disband. All understood—only united might they potentially stand against Hun Tian Di who now possessed the prototype pill; once divided, annihilation became certain.
Accordingly, the Allied Armies continued holding tightly around Heavenly Alliance’s stronghold, vigilantly watching developments unfold within Central Continent.
As the troops retreated, the passage of time steadily ticked forward amidst anxious anticipation. However, despite constant probing by Gu Yuan to uncover Hun Clan’s hidden domain coordinates—he remained without results. Such stalemate sent unease rippling through countless ranks.
In truth, each passing day Hun Tian Di prolonged absorption of the Divine Elixir meant increasing danger upon their shoulders…
Yet although burning anxieties stirred within them all, none dared let panic dictate their moves.
Within Starfield Domain, Xiao Yan gazed upward at a tremendous floating plaza suspended in the distant sky—a construct relocated earlier by Zhu Kun directly from Gu Di’s inner sanctum. Upon this expanse stood an awe-inspiring stone colossus, unremarkable to ordinary eyes yet imposing in size—reaching thousands upon thousands of feet, enough to inspire deep reverence among mortals.
“One month…”
Fixed upon the levitating city above, Xiao Yan whispered almost to himself, reflecting bitterly how an entire month had already elapsed since Hun Tian Di snatched the prototype emperor-grade pill.
Throughout these thirty days, Hun Clan had effectively vanished off the face of existence, revealing not so much as a hint. Uninformed outsiders even speculated if the Hun Clan had been eliminated altogether—an illusion leading many factions to express congratulatory gestures.
However, Xiao Yan’s camp had neither energy nor inclination left to entertain such pleasantries. They offered only polite dismissals before returning to brooding solitude.
Behind him, a gentle female voice echoed softly, drawing Xiao Yan’s turn towards the graceful figure stepping forth—an enchanting image in human form whose delicate features held the beauty of a dreamscape. He smiled briefly.
“Any word from Uncle Gu?” he questioned casually. When she shook her head negatively, a trace of disappointment crossed his countenance. Closing his eyes for a second, fatigue swelled within him—a dreadful feeling gnawed slowly under such passive despair.
Stepping forward silently, Xun Er observed the weary lines etched upon his visage—the strain showed evident. With tender gentleness, she leaned herself against his torso and, lifting her elegant face upwards, proceeded to caress Xiao Yan’s temples, trying to loosen the tensions knotting in his forehead.
Inhaling deeply her intoxicating perfume, Xiao Yan stretched out his arms to wrap her fragile waist snugly into him, burying his tired head within her lustrous flowing black hair as whispers barely audible escaped.
“Years of sacrifice… Was it fated for failure?”
“You’ve accomplished more than enough, Xiao Yan ge-ge,” Xun’er whispered soothingly, “No matter the ending, you’ve succeeded beyond measure within the hearts of so many people.”
“But still, it feels like failing…” he replied with bitter smile.
“Hadn’t you once told me, ‘Only those who learn when to lay things down can properly hold anything up again, free and unrestricted.’?”
Her dulcet words carried familiar solace, reminding him of past truths once spoken.
“Not quite the same now though. Now relinquishing means abandoning not just Heavenly Alliance—but Gu Family, Lei Family, Yan Family…”
Drawing another breath, he turned his gaze upward, toward the pale moonlight bathing the night.
“Some things, once lifted, are impossible to set aside.”
Seeing resolve return anew into his eyes, Xun’er gently bit her crimson lip and nestled ever closer to his body, flashing a serene smile—breathtaking in its subtle power.
“We shall triumph, Xiao Yan ge-ge…”
Time passed quickly—fourteen more days flew rapidly by, amplifying unease among the gathered allies. Throughout that fortnight, the Hun Clan stayed eerily mute—as though vanished from reality entirely.
In the central hall of the alliance fortress, high-ranking officers and leaders gathered somberly, faces lined with worry. With every ticking hour, their trepidation grew worse.
Sighing amid an oppressive atmosphere inside the assembly chamber, Xiao Yan reflected—this impotent waiting, doing nothing while events spun out control—it grated terribly against every grain of spirit within him.
“Blast them! What cowardice is this? Either fight or fade! But this drawn-out torment is maddening!” Suddenly bursting into verbal explosion, Lei Ying furiously smashed his hand against a wooden table reducing it into dust.
Standing upright fiercely he gritted,
“No enemies willing to rise before me? Then whom can I strike?”
Yan Jin interjected with slight annoyance beside him:
“Fighting who exactly?”
Lei Ying bit his lips in frustrated silence before slumping dejected back onto his seat. After all, without enemy showing itself—who could he battle?
“Friends…”, began Xiao Yan, surveying his tense companions, attempting to rally morale—but even as he opened his mouth, a shimmer warped across the chamber revealing Gu Yuan’s emergence.
His appearance shot immediate reactions—all members jumped up en masse, shouting urgently, “Any new development?”
Expression severe, Gu Yuan nodded once solemnly—but their joy hadn’t blossomed when he followed with chilling clarity:
“The hidden path to Hun Realm has been discovered… unfortunately too late.”
Such cold pronouncement extinguished any excitement instantly—a wave of shock silencing everyone.
“How so?” Xiao Yan hesitated but asked.
With a low sigh, Gu Yuan redirected attention to skies above Central Plain—and as if echoing him, a tremble vibrated through space surrounding the capital city.
All quickly exited the palace hall, following the direction he stared. There—abruptly, a huge pitch-black ring materialized, expanding swiftly with shocking velocity—enshrouding all Central Lands beneath its reach.
“Boom…boom…”
Simultaneously, elemental energies surged wildly across the land, shaking the foundations of heaven and earth alike. Innumerable cultivators watched awestruck as terror gripped every gaze fixed heavenwards.
Under countless gazes across Central Plains, blackness writhed—morphing before fearful spectators into a titanic Cauldron shaped mass, impossibly vast—an embodiment containing seemingly the entirety of this continent within itself!
“This is…” Watching celestial spectacle unfold above, shock colored Xiao Yan’s features—he and the rest detected something oddly familiar radiating outward—this essence unmistakably belonged to Hun Tian Di!
“Hun Tian Di has completed preliminary fusion with the prototype Pill—he intends now to forge the entire Central Continent as cauldron base—with lives as ingredients and heavenly Qi as fire to transform mortal frame into imperial elixir!”
Gu Yuan clenched fists tight, voice rumbling in subdued gravity piercing each listener.
“He seeks to complete transformation of Prototype Emperor’s Elixir into the final ‘Imperial Pill’ —when perfected—he ascends as true Battle King Emperor!!”
“Hun Tian Di…we underestimated greatly his ambition!”
(To Be Continued…)
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