Dou Qi Continent.
Central Plains.
Within a hidden space, a man clad in gray-white robes sat cross-legged. He appeared to be around thirty years old, with a tall, slender build and a handsome face.
His blood-red hair cascaded like a waterfall, and his eyes—filled with a crimson glow like a sea of blood—exuded a chilling aura that made one's heart tremble.
"Tianxuan Continent..."
Hun Tiandi contemplated the recent intelligence he had gathered. His crimson eyes flickered with emotion.
Ever since Zhou Yi annihilated the Soul Realm with a single strike, he had barely escaped with his life. Since then, he had been on the run, hiding in the shadows, afraid to draw Zhou Yi's attention and risk being hunted down.
To think that he, the mighty Patriarch of the Soul Clan, a peak Nine-Star Dou Saint, had been reduced to such a miserable state—like a stray dog.
All of this was thanks to Zhou Yi.
Not to mention, the millennium-old foundation of the Soul Clan had been completely destroyed by Zhou Yi.
This hatred was deeper than the ocean, higher than the sky.
An irreconcilable feud.
However, that one strike that obliterated the Soul Realm possessed power comparable to that of a Dou God. It left him utterly terrified, forcing him to abandon any thoughts of revenge.
Only by becoming a Dou God himself could he exact vengeance and reclaim everything with interest!
If he reached the realm of Dou God, he could rebuild the Soul Clan—perhaps even lead it to greater heights!
But the path to becoming a Dou God was unimaginably difficult.
It had been over a thousand years since the last Dou God appeared.
Even as a peak Nine-Star Dou Saint, he had been unable to take that final step.
For a long time, he had secretly been searching for the ancient cave of Ancient Emperor Tuoshe.
That was the key to taking that step forward.
However, with Zhou Yi's sudden emergence, his efforts to gather the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade had become exponentially more difficult.
Yet, just when all seemed lost, a new path had revealed itself.
Zhou Yi had discovered another world—Tianxuan Continent.
This foreign world was no weaker than the Dou Qi Continent.
Once, it had produced a supreme existence on par with a Dou God—the legendary Symbol Ancestor.
Though the Tianxuan Continent had not seen another Symbol Ancestor for many years, different worlds held different possibilities.
Perhaps this foreign land could provide him with inspiration.
Or better yet, he could incorporate the power system from that world into his own cultivation. The fusion of the two systems might just be the key to breaking through to Dou God!
No matter what, the existence of the Tianxuan Continent had given him newfound hope.
"The passage between the two worlds is near the Zhou Manor. Even if I conceal myself well, Zhou Yi may still discover me."
"To be safe, I must lure Zhou Yi away."
"Once he is distracted, no one else will be a threat!"
After pondering for a moment, Hun Tiandi formulated a plan.
Although Zhou Yi usually indulged himself within his manor and had no close relatives elsewhere, he had taken numerous wives, which inevitably linked him to various powerful factions.
If he stirred up chaos in Central Plains and wiped out the factions connected to Zhou Yi, he could force Zhou Yi to personally investigate.
For instance, he could destroy the Starfall Pavilion of Yao Chen, the Four-Way Pavilion of Feng Qing'er, the Sky Demon Phoenix Tribe, Han Yue's Han Clan, Ye Xinlan's Ye Clan, Tang Huo'er's Burning Flame Valley…
As long as these factions were eradicated, and Zhou Yi's subordinates failed to find the culprit or handle the situation, Zhou Yi would have no choice but to act personally.
The moment Zhou Yi left for Central Plains, Hun Tiandi could secretly head to the Jia Ma Empire and travel through the interdimensional passage to Tianxuan Continent.
"I don't even need to act personally. Until the last moment, I must not expose the fact that I am still alive."
With his decision made, Hun Tiandi prepared to seek out a few rogue Dou Saints, control them, and have them carry out the destruction on his behalf.
Boom!
Just as he was about to take action, space shattered in an instant. A tall, elegant figure, exuding an aura of supreme dominance, stepped out from the void.
"Zhou Yi!"
Hun Tiandi's eyes widened in shock and fury, burning with hatred, but beneath his rage was confusion and disbelief.
"How did you find me?!"
This was not the Soul Realm.
The Soul Realm had been the ancestral home of the Soul Clan for over a millennium. Even though it was hidden, many people still knew of its existence.
But this space—this was a hidden realm he had personally created.
Only he knew of its existence.
How could Zhou Yi have possibly found him?!
"With sufficient power, finding someone is hardly a challenge."
Zhou Yi smirked.
After advancing to the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Saint realm, he had felt a vague sense of unease.
It wasn't an immediate threat—there was no danger to himself or his closest companions.
But the unease remained, indicating that someone was scheming against him.
Zhou Yi immediately thought of the Hun Tiandi and the Abyssal Demons.
With his increased strength, Zhou Yi's divine abilities and artifacts had also grown more potent.
He promptly retrieved the Falling Treasure Coin, an artifact capable of divining fate, and used it to track down the source of his unease.
The answer pointed straight to the Hun Tiandi.
He then traced the Hun Tiandi's whereabouts—and found this hidden space.
As someone of the same cultivation level, and without any artifacts to shield his fate, tracking Hun Tiandi had been almost effortless.
"You want to kill me? Let's see if you have the power!"
Without hesitation, Hun Tiandi turned to flee, tearing through space in an attempt to escape.
"Huntian Ribbon!"
With a flick of Zhou Yi's hand, a crimson silk ribbon shot out from his waist, moving faster than lightning. Even though Hun Tiandi had already vanished into the void, he was instantly bound and dragged back.
"Impossible!"
"What kind of treasure is this?!"
Hun Tiandi was dumbfounded, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
The seemingly unremarkable red silk ribbon wrapped around him, exerting an unfathomable power that suppressed him completely.
The force it emanated was leagues beyond even the ancient Dou God's power he had encountered.
His peak Nine-Star Dou Saint cultivation was utterly powerless before it.
It was too terrifying!
"Who are you really?! There's no way a treasure like this exists in the Dou Qi Continent!"
Hun Tiandi stared at Zhou Yi in horror.
Even his clan's ancient Dou God ancestor had never wielded such an artifact.
Their millennium-long heritage had never recorded anything of this magnitude.
"Farewell."
Zhou Yi raised a hand, and a swirling black vortex emerged in his palm, unleashing an overwhelming force of devouring.
"No—!"
Hun Tiandi roared in fury, struggling desperately, but it was futile.
In mere moments.
His body was annihilated, his soul reduced to pure energy, which Zhou Yi absorbed and refined.
"Not bad."
Feeling the surge of his soul power, Zhou Yi nodded in satisfaction.
His spirit, already at the Imperial Soul Realm, had ascended even further.
"Perhaps it's time to obtain the Plane Embryo from the Martial Universe world."
With that thought, Zhou Yi departed, brimming with delight.
Not only had he eliminated the hidden threat that was Hun Tiandi, but he had also absorbed his soul, causing his own soul realm to soar to new heights. Moreover, Hun Tiandi's spatial ring was overflowing with treasures.
While most of them were of little use to him, they were invaluable to his family and allies.
As expected of the Soul Clan's strongest patriarch in the history of the Dou Qi Continent—
One word: Wealth.
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