Chapter 252: Stolen Prey, a Feeling of Déjà Vu

'Ahahaha!'

'Now it's my turn!'

'I can finally fight to my heart's content. With the strength I possess now, I want to see who dares to stand in my way!'

Brimming with anticipation, Gu Ran immediately rose and threw himself into the battlefield.

However, at that moment, a thunderous rumble echoed.

Boom!

A black orb plummeted from the sky, striking the protective formation of You Clan City with a savage impact, setting off a horrific explosion!

The massive energy released by the explosion made the entirety of the Three Mountains Island quiver.

Many cultivators with lower cultivation bases lost their balance, stumbling under the force of the shockwave.

Crack! Crack!

A chorus of harsh fracturing sounds radiated from the formation barrier, as one crack after another began to form, intertwining into a spiderweb of fissures densely spread across the entire formation barrier.

'A Dao Comprehension realm attack!'

'It's a single-use attack magic treasure from the Dao Comprehension realm!'

'Damn, the Heavenly Gu Society truly has powerhouses in its ranks. They've even brought out a treasure of this magnitude!'

'...'

You Haiyan stared at the formation barrier overhead, riddled with cracks, with sheer horror.

His heart pounded and his eyes narrowed sharply!

Meanwhile, on the battlefield.

"What?!"

"What happened?!"

"A powerhouse is assaulting the formation barrier!"

"This is bad, the reinforcements must be from the Heavenly Gu Society! What do we do now?!"

"..."

One by one, the You Clan cultivators succumbed to terror.

Consequently, their distraction led to their demise at the hands of the death warriors lying in wait.

'What?!'

'There are still people from the Heavenly Gu Society?!'

'And they've even managed a Dao Comprehension realm attack, damaging the You Clan City formation with just a single strike!'

'I wonder what cultivation base that Heavenly Gu Society cultivator outside the city possesses?'

Gu Ran, who was initially preparing for a surprise attack, came to a sudden halt, his eyes wide with surprise as he stared at the dome of the formation.

Then, all of a sudden.

Crash!

The formation completely shattered!

The formation that had served as a shield for You Clan City for countless years was utterly destroyed.

Immediately after, figures clad in black emerged one by one, advancing through the debris of the ruined formation and storming onto the battlefield!

Several unsuspecting You Clan cultivators were cut down in an instant.

Bodies hit the ground one by one, the blood flowing like a river.

'No, not this!'

'My targets have been taken from me!'

'Damn it!'

On the brink of a meltdown, Gu Ran seethed with frustration.

He watched as his intended victims fell one by one.

His share of the cultivation base was dissipating into the heavens and earth; he felt as if he would explode with rage!

He had just broken through to the Inquiring Journey realm.

Finally, he had the chance to sow chaos, to rapidly bolster his strength in a delightful snowballing effect.

But now, all the 'snow' he'd hoped to gather had been snatched away from him!

He couldn't bear it any longer!

'This won't do!'

'I can't continue like this!'

'Every time my cultivation base gets stolen, how will I ever reach the Dao Palace realm and take revenge on the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect!'

'These people from the Heavenly Gu Society have no good intentions towards me, I might as well consider them enemies now and launch a surprise attack!'

'Along the way, I can also clear my own name. Otherwise, this identity as the Heavenly Gu Society's Young Master Gu might draw unnecessary trouble.'

'...'

Filled with rage, Gu Ran was ready to indiscriminately launch a surprise attack.

However!

"You Haiyan!"

"How dare you plot to surround and kill our Heavenly Gu Society's Young Master Gu, you really are courting death!"

An icily menacing voice reverberated across the battlefield, followed by the appearance of a tall and lean figure in the sky.

It was Liu Xiong!

With a mighty rumble, the aura of the Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm erupted, instantly overpowering You Haiyan's aura as both factions claimed sections of the sky.

"Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm!"

"Heavenly Gu Society, I don't know what sort of force you represent, but do you think the You Clan doesn't have its own backing?"

You Haiyan's face turned frosty, looking as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a bitter pill.

"Hahaha!"

"Backing? Absurd!"

"You still have higher authorities, but we answer to no one!"

Liu Xiong sneered incessantly, casting a disdainful look at You Haiyan.

"Hmph!"

"Presumptuous fool!"

You Haiyan's face turned a deep shade of anger, yet he dared not make the first move.

He still had to keep an eye on the Gan and Cai Clans!

As the Heavenly Gu Society clashed with the You Clan, how could the Gan and Cai Clans resist such a golden opportunity to play the third party, reaping all the benefits?

At this moment, high-level cultivators from the Gan and Cai Clans were already lying in wait at a distance, ready to seize their chance.

All this was seen clearly by Jiang Chen with his powerful divine sense.

You Haiyan had also correctly deduced most of it.

However, Jiang Chen wanted to speed up the course of events, pushing the Gan and Cai Clans to make their move prematurely!

Hence, he directly commanded Liu Xiong to attack.

"You Haiyan, surrender now, and I'll grant you a swift end!"

Liu Xiong shouted icily, then charged forth in an instant!

"You wretch!"

"Do you think I fear you! Let's see who ends up killing who!"

Left with no choice, You Haiyan could only retaliate!

Rumble! Rumble!

The two high-level experts of the Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm began their aerial combat, ascending higher and higher to avoid causing harm to their own allies on the ground!

Simultaneously.

'A Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm cultivator!'

Gu Ran halted his steps, his expression slightly frozen, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

If he were to recklessly attack and kill, he would instantly make an enemy of the 'Heavenly Gu Society', becoming a public foe.

Could he withstand the joint onslaught of two high-level Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm cultivators in a short period, break through to the Middle-stage Inquiring Journey realm, and then retaliate?

Perhaps he could, but the chances were slim.

Once cornered by two high-level experts of the Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm, amidst their wide-scale powerful assaults, he would find it difficult to launch surprise attacks on other cultivators and reverse the situation.

'Forget it.'

'Better to stick to the previous plan, let the Heavenly Gu Society and the You Clan square off, and endure the pressure!'

'Once I become stronger, I'll deal with all of you collectively!'

Gu Ran regained his composure, abandoned the idea of attacking the Heavenly Gu Society, and refocused his attention on the You Clan cultivators.

Initially, the 'Heavenly Gu Society' was dominated by the You Clan cultivators, but now the scales had balanced.

Losses mounted continually on both sides, keeping the numbers roughly equal.

The fallen You Clan cultivators were almost all practitioners of the Heavenly Origin realm.

'I have now ascended to the Inquiring Journey realm.'

'Even if I can seize a larger share of the cultivation base from Heavenly Origin realm cultivators, it won't significantly bolster my strength.'

'My current prime targets are the cultivators at the Inquiring Journey realm!'

Gu Ran squinted, concealed his presence, and slinked forward.

His prey was an Early-stage Inquiring Journey realm cultivator from the You Clan!

'Oh?'

'So, this is your target?'

A cold smirk curled up on Jiang Chen's lips.

By tracking the fluctuations of the supporting character's Fate Value through the Villain's Eye, he precisely pinpointed the first Inquiring Journey realm cultivator that Gu Ran aimed to ambush!

He had been ready for this.

"Liu Xiong!"

"It's your turn!"

"Target..."

Jiang Chen relayed orders directly to Liu Xiong through his divine sense.

Simultaneously, he also commanded the death warrior engaged in battle with Gu Ran's targeted cultivator.

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