Chapter 525: Chapter 524: Dramatic Changes in the Shi Clan
After the successful breakthrough, Xiao Ming decided not to come out of seclusion right away. Instead, he sent a voice transmission to inform Zi Yan that she could leave first as he had plans to refine more pills.
His primary goal for leaving was to increase his strength through alchemy. It wouldn't make sense to refine just one Lightning Calamity Pill.
"I will protect you..." Zi Yan's words echoed through the empty space.
'This girl...' Xiao Ming shook his head, but a faint smile appeared on his face. Without saying anything else, he sat back down and continued the refining process.
This round of alchemy continued for another six months. The end result was that there were four more Xuan Pills in the possession of Xiao Ming.
One of them was swallowed by himself, raising his cultivation realm to the initial eight-star Dou Saint.
However, at this point, he felt that his body had developed a resistance to the Xuan Pills. No matter how many he took, it would be difficult to make any more breakthroughs. So he decided to stop taking them. He still had three Ninth-Tier Xuan Pills left.
...
Today, the atmosphere in the great hall of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe was particularly heavy.
The elders sitting in two rows of stone chairs showed visible signs of gloom on their faces. Such a situation was extremely rare for this group of elders, all of whom were in the four-digit age range.
The recent earth-shattering news that had reached them and sent shockwaves throughout the continent was the reason for this unusual state of mind.
The Shi Clan, one of the Eight Ancient Clans, had mysteriously disappeared as a whole, just like the Ling Clan had done not long ago!
Although not as renowned as the Gu Clan or the Hun Clan, the Shi Clan was undoubtedly a formidable force. They were anything but ordinary as one of the Eight Ancient Clans.
The Shi Clan had always kept a low profile, and there were very few rumors or stories about them in the Central Plains. But just because they kept a low profile did not mean that they were weak.
They specialized in earth-attribute Dou Qi and had great expertise in tempering their physical bodies. Their fighting power was quite formidable, at least stronger than the Ling Clan. They had many powerful experts within their realm, and their heritage was exceptionally rich.
However, this super faction with such a great foundation had mysteriously disappeared overnight! Just thinking about it was enough to send a shiver down one's spine.
The Shi Clan had disappeared just like the Ling Clan. Their realms had both been closed before they disappeared. When the realms were reopened, millions of the clan members and descendants were nowhere to be found. Not a single one of them remained.
Even if the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe had designs on the Tou She Ancient God's Jade, they couldn't guarantee that they could achieve something of this magnitude.
After the heavy atmosphere had lingered for a while, Zi Yan, sitting on the luxurious purple crystal throne at the top, broke the silence.
"What have we found from the members we sent to the Shi Realm?"
She had just returned from guarding Xiao Ming and wasn't fully aware of the situation.
The elders exchanged glances and then Zhu Li, who was sitting at the back, began to share the information they had gathered.
"Your Majesty, after the news spread, experts from various factions have entered the realm of the Shi Clan. But all they found was a silent and lifeless space. Since we are located in the Empty Realm, our tribe investigated a little later, and what we found was no different from others."
Elder Zhu Li shook his head. He couldn't understand what terrifying force could wipe out the existence of millions of people, including the Dou Saints of the Shi Clan.
The Clan Head of the Shi Clan was even a seven-star Dou Saint. Such a level of strength, even in a land teeming with old monsters like the Central Plains, could shake the world with a single stomp.
It was nothing short of terrifying for a clan with such formidable individuals to disappear.
Leaning in her seat, Zi Yan frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.
Elder Zhu Li knew that his answer was not very informative, but he had no other information to provide. The only thing he could add was, "At the moment, we suspect that it was the work of the Gu Clan or the Hun Clan."
Elder Zhu Li's suspicion was not unfounded.
These Ancient Clans were all incredibly powerful and had stood for thousands of years without wavering. Yet in less than five years, two clans had mysteriously disappeared.
Once could be a coincidence, but twice suggested that something was wrong.
Furthermore, the methods used to disappear the Shi Clan and the Ling Clan were strikingly similar. It was obvious to everyone that this was not a natural disaster, but someone with a hidden agenda.
The ability to discreetly wipe out the Ancient Clans was not within the capabilities of a single expert. It required the power of a united force.
And on this continent, there were only two forces capable of wiping out the Ling Clan and the Shi Clan.
They were the Hun Clan and the Gu Clan!
Elder Zhu Li's suspicion was based on this reasoning. However, in reality, neither clan could accomplish such actions based on their known strengths.
But it couldn't be helped, who made these two clans the strongest?
Zhu Li was not the only one with such thoughts.
At present, many in the Central Plains were speculating and harboring doubts, all of which pointed to these two clans.
The Hun Clan remained silent about these suspicions, sticking to their usual behavior.
However, the Gu Clan found it somewhat troublesome. They had previously maintained good relations with the other Ancient Clans. But after the disappearance of the Ling Clan and the Shi Clan, their relations had turned awkward.
The other clans began to harbor apprehensions. Even the regular exchanges that used to take place were abruptly halted. This put the Gu Clan in an uncomfortable position, so much so that they weren't sure whether to issue invitations to the coming-of-age ceremony. If they invited others and nobody showed up, wouldn't it be too embarrassing?
Facing such unjustified accusations, the Gu Clan appeared somewhat distressed. However, this incident finally made them somewhat vigilant. The events did not bode well for them. It was clear that the mastermind behind these events might have designs on their clan as well.
Despite their growing awareness, their status as the most powerful clan still left them somewhat deluded. They hadn't taken any concrete action yet.
Of course, the members of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe in the great hall were unaware of the Gu Clan's situation. Both the Hun Clan and the Gu Clan seemed to be equally possible culprits in their eyes.
Everyone nodded in agreement after Elder Zhu Li spoke.
"This is actually a good thing. If the Ling and Shi Clans really disappeared due to a natural disaster, then His Majesty the former Dragon Emperor could be in deep trouble."
Next to Zi Yan, the old and dignified Zhu Kun narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone indifferent, showing little emotion.
He was not mistaken. Eight pieces of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade were scattered among the Eight Ancient Clans. If the disappearances were genuinely caused by a natural disaster, where would the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe search for the missing jade pieces?
If there was a puppeteer orchestrating events behind the scenes, there was at least some hope of recovering the ancient jade.
Even if that mastermind was extremely powerful, they were not afraid. With the Heavenly Court and the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe working together, there were more than twenty Dou Saints!
On the surface, the Dou Saints of the Gu Clan were not that numerous.
Furthermore, Xiao Ming's strength continued to grow at an astonishing rate.
What did they have to fear?
With this thought in mind, everyone's faces relaxed considerably.
Hehe, Xiao Ming, this prospective son-in-law, was indeed quite remarkable!
It was definitely the right decision not to oppose him at the beginning!
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