The sudden retreat of the deputy hall master of the Soul Hall, without even a confrontation, was indeed unexpected for Xiao Yan and his companions. In their unprepared state, they allowed the man to tear through the space and escape. “That fellow runs fast,” remarked Xiao Yan, frowning slightly as he gazed at the spot where the deputy hall master had vanished. He then relaxed, for the deputy was no ordinary foe—his strength in the later stages of a three-star Dou Sheng was formidable. If Zi Yan had not accompanied him today, a fierce battle would have been inevitable. Even with such a clash, Xiao Yan had no confidence in truly slaying the deputy as he did the Great Heavenly Venerable. After all, the deputy’s power was far from what the Great Heavenly Venerable could match. “Although defeating him is not impossible, he’s determined to escape, and I can’t stop him…” sighed Zi Yan, equally frustrated. If a three-star Dou Sheng in the later stages decided to flee, she couldn’t possibly keep him. Furthermore, the cautious nature of the deputy hall master, who fled without even engaging in a fight, made it even harder for them to detain him. “Forget it, let him go. The Soul Hall will surely guess our involvement in this matter soon enough. Our alliance and the Soul Hall are irreconcilable. The previous attacks on the alliance by the Soul Hall were brutal; this time, we’ve returned the favor, so others won’t think we’re just a sitting duck for the Soul Hall,” conceded Xiao Yan, nodding. A smile graced his lips as he lightly caressed the ring. Capturing the Great Heavenly Venerable and obtaining the Sea Heart Flame had already made this trip worthwhile. Moreover, destroying an important branch of the Soul Hall would be a loss the latter couldn’t easily bear. “You can deal with the rest of them. Don’t let a single one get away,” said Xiao Yan, his gaze drifting to the fleeing Soul Hall experts pursued by Little Healer Immortal and Qing Lin. His eyes then turned to the battle between Elder Medicine and Bone Ghast. The latter was already at a disadvantage, his aura waning. Though he put up a tough front, as a high-stage half-Dou Sheng, he simply couldn’t contend with Elder Medicine, a Dou Sheng. His defeat was only a matter of time. “Keep an eye on Bone Ghast; don’t let that old ghost get away, either…”
“Okay,” nodded Zi Yan. With a swift motion, she darted out, mowing down the Soul Hall experts like a dragon among sheep. In a mere minute, she had slain every last one of them. For Xiao Yan, this near-massacre hardly warranted his attention. Glancing down at the great hall below, he conjured the Heavy Black Scale, swinging it fiercely. A massive, fiery whip hundreds of feet long shot out, brutally splitting the building open, revealing countless black chains intertwined with glowing soul orbs. At the sight of the myriad of captured souls, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but tense. The damned Race of Souls was truly harvesting souls as nourishment! He waved his hand, releasing a gale-like blast that shattered the chains instantly. The souls within the orbs slowly opened their eyes, looking around weakly and dazedly. Joy and liberation filled their expressions, and they felt the sweetness of freedom. For years, they had been prisoners, sometimes even hoping for death.
“Go, make sure the Soul Hall doesn’t catch you again,” said Xiao Yan with a sigh to the ecstatic, tearful souls. In the sky, these countless freed souls bowed deeply to him in immense gratitude before rushing through the spatial barrier toward the outside world in a frenzy for their freedom. Watching these souls scramble to escape, Xiao Yan shook his head, about to turn away. But a strange feeling caught his attention towards the now-ruined great hall. He sensed some peculiar fluctuations deep within and hesitated for a moment before descending. With a wave of his sleeve, he unleashed a terrifying gust, flinging the giant stone pillars aside. As the rubble quickly gave way, a pit exposed a roughly three-foot-wide orb suspended inside. This orb was translucent, still connected to countless dark chains linked to the previously released souls. Clearly, this was something extracted from those souls. “What is this?” Xiao Yan frowned, sensing an extremely eerie yet pure soul vibration emanating from the orb. “This is a Soul Origin,” came the voice of Elder Medicine behind him. He had floated down from the sky, having finished dealing with the ghastly Bone Ghast, freeing him for the scene. “Soul Origin…” muttered Xiao Yan, understanding its significance. Souls, the core of life, possessed a kernel that was the foundation of their existence—the purist energy of the universe. “There must be at least a million souls’ worth of Soul Origin,” said Elder Medicine, his expression complex. “That Soul Origin orb should be the sum of the Human Hall’s collection. The deputy hall master was in too much of a hurry to remember to take it.”
“A million souls,” whispered Xiao Yan. The cruelty of the Soul Hall was breathtaking: annihilating a million souls just for Soul Origin. And this was only the Human Hall—one of many across Central Plains. “The Soul Hall is a blight on this continent,” Xiao Yan said grimly. “Indeed, a plague,” agreed Elder Medicine, his disdain evident. “For their goals, the Soul Hall has resorted to inhuman methods, no different from draining human blood and flesh. They’re even more ruthless.” “I wonder what the Soul Hall intends with all this Soul Origin,” mused Xiao Yan, a sinister plot likely behind it. “Absorbing Soul Origin can strengthen one’s soul. With a large amount and some fortune, one might even reach the legendary ‘Emperor Realm’ soul,” explained Elder Medicine. “So, the Soul Hall, or rather, the Race of Souls, is seeking to cultivate their souls to the Emperor Realm, using other souls as fodder?” asked Xiao Yan, shocked. “It seems so, but I can’t be sure. When I was captured, they wanted me to submit. They needed my alchemy skills for something I never agreed to. I suspect it’s related to the Soul Origin,” said Elder Medicine, stroking his beard. These signs indicated the Race of Souls was preparing something underhairs, collecting and refining Soul Origin being just the first step. “What are they planning?” Xiao Yan wondered. He remembered the Netherworld Demon Saint, who had reached the Emperor Realm. But even that, according to legend, wasn’t enough to make a true Battle King. Perhaps, the missing element, the key to unravelling all mysteries, was the Soul Origin. “Could it be that the missing element the Netherworld Demon Saint spoke of is this Soul Origin?” he pondered, his head spinning. There was no clear answer. “What should we do with this thing?” he asked, referring to the Soul Origin orb. It was a precious artifact, coveted by alchemists. “Created from slaughter, it shouldn’t exist. But since it’s here, discard it we cannot. Take it, Xiao Yan. You’re in the late Heavenly Stage, with quite a gap to the peak. If you absorb the Soul Origin, you might reach completeness. This will aid your quest for the Pure Lotus Monster Fire,” advised Elder Medicine. Surprised, Xiao Yan fell silent, then, without hesitation, faced the orb. Breaking the chains with a gesture, he gently touched the orb’s surface, whispering, “I will avenge you.” A faint glow enveloped the orb, as if it resonated with the promise. Xiao Yan accepted the flood of information, recognizing the resentment and anger of the souls. These emotions were hard to fully refine, but Xiao Yan’s words had quietly dispersed the negative ones. This was perhaps the wisdom of the Soul Origin—a final effort by the deceased to hinder their tormentors. Though it seemed simple, the Soul Hall would never utter such words.
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