NOVEL NEXT Chapter 554: Chapter 554: Each with Their Own Agenda
Chapter 554: Each with Their Own Agenda
"Since everyone has agreed, let's set off at noon when the beasts are most lethargic," Hun Yu said.
Hearing this, Xiao Ze hesitated for a moment before his toes lightly touched the ground, propelling him into the sky. With his current strength, there was nothing in the Barbaric Ancient Realm that could detect his presence.
Xun'er, Little Doctor Fairy, and Qing Lin, who had been closely monitoring Xiao Ze, immediately sensed his movement. The three exchanged glances and made a decision. In unison, they soared into the sky. Xun'er left a message for Gu Qingyang as she departed.
"Brother Qingyang, hold your position for now. I'm going with Brother Xiao Ze to observe the alliance."
Back in the camp, Gu Qingyang released his perception but found no trace of the four. Shaking his head, he realized that Xiao Ze, Xun'er, Little Doctor Fairy, and Qing Lin had all far surpassed the young generation of the ancient clans. He knew that while their innate talents were exceptional, Xiao Ze's assistance had played a significant role in their rapid advancement. Having a close friend who was a Grandmaster Alchemist certainly had its advantages.
The other leaders in the Gu Clan noticed Gu Qingyang's expression and looked at him curiously.
"Brother, what's going on?"
"Xun'er and Xiao Ze went to check on the alliance's attempt to break through the beast horde and told us to hold our position."
The other leaders nodded in understanding. In this mission, Xun'er was the de facto leader, with the authority to make decisions. This wasn't just because she was a Gu Clan princess but because she was a genuine Dou Saint. While Gu Qingyang usually handled routine matters, once Xun'er gave an order, even the four commanders had to comply.
Xiao Ze stood high in the sky, looking down at the enormous plaza below, now the size of a palm. The strong wind at this altitude ruffled his clothes. His eyes glowed green and gold, allowing him to see everything below with perfect clarity. He glanced towards the distant mountains, where countless fierce auras gathered. It seemed the beast horde lay just beyond those mountains.
With three swift streaks, Xun'er, Little Doctor Fairy, and Qing Lin arrived beside him.
"Brother Xiao Ze, how is the situation?" Xun'er asked, peering down at the now small Ancient Realm Platform, though still clearly visible to her.
"They plan to set off at noon when the beasts are most lethargic, hoping to break through the horde and reach the depths of the Barbaric Ancient Realm. However, I fear few will succeed," Xiao Ze said.
The others were surprised by this. Little Doctor Fairy frowned slightly. "There are many powerful cultivators below, including over a hundred Dou Zun and countless Dou Huang. Even so, you think they'll fail?"
She took a deep breath, grasping the sheer danger of the beast horde. Qing Lin, her expression serious, gazed toward the distant mountains. With her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, her perception far exceeded that of her peers.
"The beast auras in the depths of the Barbaric Ancient Realm are unusually numerous. There must be a special reason for such a large horde," she said.
Xiao Ze nodded slightly, speculating, "It's possible the Bodhi Ancient Tree has driven the beasts out, forcing them to gather in the depths."
The three women nodded thoughtfully. Below, the crowd began to move. Despite the hundred-mile distance to the mountains, it took the powerful cultivators only a short time to reach them.
Crossing the mountains, the formidable team was immediately intimidated by the sight of the beast horde, causing a slight commotion.
With Xiao Ze's concealment, the group followed from above, looking down at the vast sea of beasts. The fierce roars echoed like thunder through the land. Little Doctor Fairy and Qing Lin were both taken aback by the sight.
The overwhelming horde dyed the sky red with its murderous aura. Little Doctor Fairy extended her hand, capturing a strand of this aura and feeling its violent nature. She doubted the team's ability to break through.
Under Hun Yu's command, the alliance charged into the horde like a sharp blade. The outer beasts, not particularly strong, were swiftly turned to blood mist by the combined might of the alliance. Seeing the Hun Clan's effort, the other factions felt reassured and followed suit, pushing deeper into the horde.
Hun Yu aimed to use the alliance to carve a path for himself into the depths, while the others hoped to ride on his coattails. Each side had its own agenda, but who would prevail depended on their skills.
Above, Xiao Ze and his group watched the battle unfold, like spectators of a chess game. Xiao Ze soon turned his gaze toward the depths of the Barbaric Ancient Realm, obscured by the murderous aura and the powerful presence of the Bodhi Ancient Tree.
"We'll have to go deeper into the Barbaric Ancient Realm," Xiao Ze thought.
Below, the team had penetrated about a thousand meters into the horde. Despite the initial ease, the increasing strength of the beasts made progress difficult. The beasts' relentless attacks began to take their toll. As they advanced two thousand meters, the beasts managed to engage the cultivators in close combat, exploiting their physical advantages.
Casualties mounted quickly, but retreat was impossible. The team had no choice but to press on, with the death toll rising.
In this deadly contest, most would end up as food for the beasts.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 555: Talent and Ancient Wisdom
Xiao Ze's eyes moved slightly as he looked at the group below. As the beast horde gradually surrounded them, this seemingly large group appeared like a small, fragile boat in a vast ocean of beasts, dangerously close to being capsized at any moment.
The Hun Clan members, who had initially been at the front of the group, had somehow moved to the back. Watching the alliance members continually fight at the forefront for them, the Hun Clan members wore mocking expressions. The purpose of the alliance was to break through the beast horde together. Naturally, this meant no single faction could be at the front all the time, as this would exhaust and ultimately annihilate them.
The Hun Clan had taken the lead to reassure the alliance members, showcasing their strength against the weaker beasts at the horde's periphery. Once they reached the stronger beasts in the deeper parts of the horde, the Hun Clan feigned exhaustion and rotated to the back, leaving the alliance to face the increasingly powerful beasts. By then, the alliance was too deep in the horde to retreat, forced to continue fighting until they were overwhelmed and slaughtered.
Other factions, realizing Hun Yu's tactics, chose not to expose him, as they also needed the combined strength to push through to the deeper parts of the Barbaric Ancient Realm. When the alliance eventually collapsed, they would be closer to the Bodhi Ancient Tree, at which point it would be every faction for itself.
Watching the nearly collapsing alliance, Xiao Ze turned to Xun'er and the others. "Xun'er, it's time for the Gu Clan to charge the beast horde."
"Understood," Xun'er responded. As the leader of this mission, she had to ensure the safety of the Gu Clan members and couldn't abandon them unless absolutely necessary.
Xiao Ze remained in the sky, observing the scene below with his emerald-gold eyes, emitting a mystical glow. Surrounded by endless winds, no one could see the divine sight in his eyes.
As a massive beast of Dou Zun level withstood hundreds of Dou Qi strikes and reached the alliance, killing dozens of strong warriors and tearing open the defense line, the Hun Clan members didn't hesitate. They unleashed their Dou Qi and swiftly headed deeper into the beast horde. The remaining alliance members, realizing they had been used, followed suit, trying to push further into the horde. Among them, a fiery dragon of Dou Qi stood out.
Xiao Ze's eyes fell on the fiery dragon, confirming its safe status, and he didn't intervene. The desperate alliance members, unwilling to be devoured by the beasts, unleashed their last strength, drawing the beasts' attention away from the escaping factions, serving their final purpose.
Xiao Ze then turned his gaze to the end of the beast horde, where even the colossal Dou Zun peak-level beasts roamed, exuding a terrifying aura. His eyes narrowed as he looked into the depths of the Barbaric Ancient Realm, where a dense, mysterious aura concealed everything, even from his powerful perception. The previously invincible heavenly realm soul power now felt like peering through a fog.
"Indeed, an entity capable of rivaling a Dou Di's power. I'm still far from that level," Xiao Ze mused, deciding to descend. He avoided directly entering the Bodhi Ancient Tree's domain, wary of the dangerous aura, potentially containing the negative emotions of a fallen Dou Di. Confronting such remnants of power required caution.
Meanwhile, the Gu Clan, led by Xun'er, advanced through the horde with impressive speed, protected by a Dou Saint. Xiao Ze descended, attracting countless beasts. A colossal Dou Zun peak-level beast launched a powerful attack, but Xiao Ze merely tapped his toes, evading and landing on its head. A touch of his hand infused the beast with the Origin Emperor Flame, burning it from within. The once blood-red beast glowed with golden light, symbolizing its end.
Other approaching beasts, touching the fallen beast, also succumbed to the flame's spread, collapsing like dominoes. The Gu Clan, witnessing this from the horde's depths, stared in shock at Xiao Ze.
"Let's go," Xiao Ze beckoned, leading the way deeper into the Barbaric Ancient Realm. With each step, no beasts dared approach. In the distance, thousands of feet away, he saw an enormous tree shrouded in mystical aura, its canopy vast enough to cover half a city.
In Xiao Ze's view, a panel appeared: [Bodhi Ancient Tree: Ancient Wisdom: The wisdom of history becomes your power. The older, the stronger!]
Seeing the dark golden text, Xiao Ze's heart pounded with excitement.
An extraordinary talent!
(End of Chapter)
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