Summon Battle Souls · Banner of Generals

Gu Changyuan's clone did not even spare them a glance.

He gave a cold snort and lightly stomped his right foot on the ground.

A powerful ripple of spiritual energy spread out from beneath his foot, silent yet carrying a destructive, overwhelming force.

The cultivators charging at the very front had their bodies sliced cleanly in half from the waist the moment they came into contact with the spiritual energy ripple, as if struck by a giant blade.

Blood spurted wildly as their upper and lower halves flew in different directions, crashing to the ground with heavy, muffled thuds.

One move, instant kill.

The cultivators who were a step too late and had not yet rushed out now felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads.

They stared blankly at the corpses on the ground, and then at the black-robed figure standing in the center of the pool of blood, his white mask splattered with a few drops of blood. Their Adam's apples bobbed as they swallowed hard.

No one dared to take another step forward.

Among the disciples of the Holy Land, the temporary leader immediately made a judgment the moment she saw that scene.

She raised her hand and lowered her voice, saying,

"The opponent is very strong. We are leaving."

To be able to instantly kill so many peak Soul Formation cultivators in the blink of an eye, this black-robed figure's strength was at least on par with the Twelfth Patriarch, Jun Mukong, or perhaps even stronger.

Making a move now would not only fail to snatch back the Origin Seed but would also invite unnecessary casualties.

Although treasures were precious, the lives of the disciples were more important.

The group quickly retreated, disappearing into the woods.

Seeing the people from the Holy Land leave, the cultivators from other factions dared not stay either, scattering in all directions.

Gu Changyuan's clone stood in the center of the blood pool, glanced down at the emerald-green Origin Seed in his hand, nodded in satisfaction, and tucked it into his sleeve.

At the same time, in two other directions of the vast forest sea, identical scenes were playing out.

To the south, deep within a bamboo forest.

An Ethereal Deer was besieged by a group of cultivators inside a bamboo pavilion.

Its entire body was silver-white, and its silhouette flickered in and out of existence. With every flash, it would appear in a different location, leaving the besieging cultivators exhausted from running around.

Just as it was about to break through the encirclement, a black figure descended from the sky.

Gu Changyuan's second clone landed on the roof of the bamboo pavilion and made a grasping motion in the empty air with his right hand.

The space surrounding the Ethereal Deer suddenly solidified. Its silhouette went from flickering to completely transparent, and then it vanished entirely.

In its place, a silver-white crystal core fell into the clone's hand.

The Dao of Space, Origin Seed.

To the west, amidst a sea of flowers.

A Returning Spirit Deer darted through the blossoms, its dark blue body exceptionally conspicuous among the multicolored flowers.

Behind it followed a large swarm of cultivators; some gave chase in the air on flying magical treasures, while others galloped on the ground riding spirit beasts.

The Returning Spirit Deer suddenly stopped in its tracks, for its path forward was blocked by a black figure.

Gu Changyuan's third clone stood in the center of the flower sea, his black cloak forming a stark contrast with the surrounding blooms.

He raised his right hand and gave a gentle wave. The Returning Spirit Deer's body suddenly stiffened, and purple-gold light overflowed from its body, transforming into a purple-gold crystal core.

The Dao of Reincarnation, Origin Seed.

Three clones, three Origin Seeds, all acquired at almost the exact same moment.

......

At the edge of the vast forest sea, at the very top of a towering ancient tree.

Gu Changyuan's true body stood on the canopy, his robes flapping wildly in the wind.

In the blink of an eye, the three clones landed on the canopy simultaneously, standing beside Gu Changyuan.

The three of them raised their hands at the same time, and three crystal cores radiating different lights floated above their palms.

Gu Changyuan looked at these three Origin Seeds, a hint of satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

He stored the three Origin Seeds into his spatial storage, placing them together with the Divine Wood Leaf and the Cangwu Longevity Art.

Clapping his hands, Gu Changyuan cast his gaze toward the north.

Jun Anshi should have already regrouped with the team over there.

Gongsun Qingling seemed to have encountered some sort of situation as well.

Although it wasn't intense, it had lasted for quite some time, meaning someone must have triggered something over there.

With a flash of his silhouette, Gu Changyuan disappeared from the tree canopy.

......

Ancient Battlefield Ruins.

This was a desolate and boundless land.

The sky was a hazy gray; there was no sun and no clouds, only a deathly still ash-white.

The ground was cracked, and dark red light faintly flickered within the fissures.

The air was thick with the scent of rust and burning, mixed with an indescribable sense of oppression that made even breathing feel heavy.

Gongsun Qingling stood with her disciples in the center of this wasteland.

Opposite her were four gigantic figures.

They were humanoid phantoms, more than twice the size of a normal person, and their entire bodies were semi-transparent.

They wore four different types of armor: Bronze Armor, Dark Iron Armor, Crimson Gold Armor, and Black Jade Armor.

They held different weapons in their hands: a longsword, a battleaxe, a spear, and a bow and arrow.

Behind each of them stood a battle flag of a different color.

Behind the Bronze Armor was a cyan battle flag, embroidered with the character for Wind.

Behind the Dark Iron Armor was a black battle flag, embroidered with the character for Mountain.

Behind the Crimson Gold Armor was a crimson battle flag, embroidered with the character for Fire.

Behind the Black Jade Armor was a white battle flag, embroidered with the character for Cloud.

The hidden stage of the Ancient Battlefield Ruins: Summon Battle Soul, General Soul Flag.

While leading her disciples to search for resources in the Ancient Battlefield Ruins, Gongsun Qingling had accidentally triggered a mechanism in the ruins.

Four massive flags appeared in the center, and then, four phantom generals coalesced around the battle flags, hoisting them onto their backs.

Fortunately, they did not launch an attack immediately upon appearing but stood in place, as if waiting for something.

To be safe, Gongsun Qingling did not act rashly. Instead, she immediately used a communication artifact to contact Jun Mukong's team, which was closest to her.

At this time, Jun Mukong had just finished leading his team in searching the swamplands and was about to head to other areas to explore.

Upon hearing that Gongsun Qingling had unlocked a hidden stage and that the situation was unclear, he immediately changed direction, leading his team to rush to the Ancient Battlefield Ruins to rendezvous with Gongsun Qingling's team.

Right now, the members of Jun Mukong's team were standing on the other side of the four phantom generals, forming a pincer attack with Gongsun Qingling's team and surrounding the four phantom generals in the middle.

Jun Mukong assessed the four phantom generals with a sharp gaze. Feeling the aura of slaughter emanating from them, he said to Gongsun Qingling,

"These phantom generals have a strong aura; they should have cultivation bases near the late stage of Void Refinement.

Those four battle flags, if I am not mistaken, should be four very powerful magical artifacts.

Let us strike together and take them down."