Spiritual treasures of the heavens and earth are obtained by those with the destined fate. It seems that you have a good compatibility with the essence of this soul.” Seeing Xiao Yan dissipate the negative emotions hidden within the soul light cluster in one sentence, the Pharmacist Elder couldn’t help but smile and said, “Those guys from the Soul Palace have indeed committed innumerable atrocities.” Xiao Yan sighed lightly, waving his sleeve, and then he collected the soul light cluster into the storage ring. Glancing around once more, at this moment, the entire Human Hall was filled with bodies, except for the deputy hall master who had escaped. Even though many of the strong souls of the Soul Palace were spiritual bodies, dispersing into the heavens and earth upon death, there were still quite a few who had physical bodies. Thus, this space now appeared to be covered with corpses, thick, bloody smells rising into the air.
Looking at this scene, Xiao Yan’s eyes flickered slightly, then became cold. Such slaughter was rare for him, but facing these people aiding evil deeds, he wouldn’t show any mercy. After all, their hands were stained with countless lives, and even his Xiao Family had nearly been annihilated by these people in the past.
“Let’s go.”
Unwilling to stay in a place filled with dead bodies, after collecting the soul light cluster, Xiao Yan turned and headed towards the outside of the mountains. After another check, the Pharmacist Elder and others also quickly followed.
About ten minutes after Xiao Yan and the others left, the space above a mountain peak not far away slightly fluctuated, and a black shadow flashed out, finally entering the ruins of the giant hall. Upon seeing the dug-up ruins, his face instantly turned grim, his eyes full of anger and regret. “The souls that our Human Hall painstakingly collected over a hundred years have actually been taken by that person. If this matter gets reported back to the clan, even I will surely receive a severe punishment.”
That black shadow was naturally the fleeing deputy hall master of the Soul Palace. At this moment, looking at the empty depths of the Soul Palace, his face paled slightly. The Human Hall was an extremely important branch hall, imprisoning very powerful souls, and the collected soul essence was also very formidable. Now that these soul essences had been taken by Xiao Yan, and the imprisoned souls had all been released, such a loss was something even the Soul Palace could barely endure.
“That brat has a strong guardian from the Void Ancient Dragons, with my strength, I’m not a match for her. Now, other than the hall master, no one in the Soul Palace can kill them. Raising a tiger to invite calamity.”
Deputy Hall Master of the Soul Palace shook his head in annoyance. Back then, Xiao Yan was just an insignificant ant in the eyes of the Soul Palace. However, in just over a decade, that mere ant had grown to the point where even the entire Soul Palace was helpless. Reflecting on this rate of growth, it evoked endless regret; if they had paid a little more attention, this big enemy could have been wiped out early on.
“The Cleansing Lotus Flame will reappear in two months. The hall master will definitely take action then. If the clan can obtain the Cleansing Lotus Flame, then our plan can advance greatly, and this would somewhat compensate for the loss of the Human Hall.”
The deputy hall master’s gaze flickered, and after a while, gritted his teeth, the space around him rippling, and his figure slowly dissipated.
“Our last attempt to obtain the Cleansing Lotus Flame failed, delaying our great plan. This time, we must get it. Once the demonic flame is in our hands, the clan won’t need to worry about the so-called clan rules. When the clan’s strong take action, Xiao Yan will only have one fate: to wait for death.”
“Hmph, Xiao Yan, wait. Our Soul Clan will definitely seek revenge. You destroyed our Human Hall, next time, we’ll destroy your ‘Heavenly Alliance.'”
Though the deputy hall master’s figure disappeared, the sinister and venomous murmurs slowly circled, lingering for a long time.
Though the news of the destruction of the Human Hall was not announced, such a shocking piece of information could not be concealed. Thus, within a short week, this matter spread like wildfire throughout the Central Plains, causing a great shock.
The strength of the Soul Palace was well known by the forces in the Central Plains. As a behemoth, it had always stood tall. Even the Pill Tower had suffered repeated defeats in battles with them, so although many forces had been harmed by the Soul Palace, they dared not retaliate, suppressing their hatred in their hearts. Now, hearing this news was somewhat cathartic. And the emerging superpower, the ‘Heavenly Alliance,’ began to be taken seriously.
At first, no one saw any hope in this alliance. After all, the Soul Palace’s might was too strong, and the attack on the alliance made people think it was on the verge of collapse. However, the alliance showed everyone with its actions that the Heavenly Alliance was not afraid of the Soul Palace… Destroying the Human Hall, something that even the previous battles between the Pill Tower and the Soul Palace had never achieved, proved that the Heavenly Alliance had the means to contend with the Soul Palace.
While the Central Plains and the alliance were in an intense atmosphere due to the destruction of the Human Hall, Xiao Yan, after resting for several days, intended to refine and absorb the soul essence. His current soul realm was at the late stage of the Heavenly Realm, stronger than even the Pharmacist Elder, but above that, there was the Great Perfection level of the Heavenly Realm. Only by reaching the Great Perfection could one approach the legendary Emperor Realm…
Even in ancient times, few could reach the Emperor Realm. Those who did were mostly at the peak of their eras, like the Netherworld Spirit Sage. While reaching the Emperor Realm didn’t guarantee becoming a true Battle King, it was undeniable that at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Zun, soul power would boost one’s strength immensely, and even become a semi-Battle King, like the Netherworld Spirit Sage.
However, advancing in the soul realm was exceedingly difficult. Throughout the continent, those who reached the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm were few. Perhaps the mysterious old ancestor of the Lesser Pill Tower, and the leaders of the Gu and Soul Clans, could be counted, but the number was pitiful.
In the Star Realm, on a misty mountain peak, Xiao Yan sat on a giant rock. In front of him, a light cluster about half a zhang floated, emitting a soft, pure glow, illuminating the surrounding grass, making them appear lush and green.
Xiao Yan gazed at the soul light cluster, exhaling lightly, and then extended his palm, touching the cluster. With this contact, he felt the vast and potent soul essence within, warming his brow center’s soul.
Xiao Yan opened his mouth, spitting out a gray-brown flame with a hint of light blue. The Sea Heart Flame in his body had already been refined, as he expected, yielding only a slight increase in strength, not even reaching the mid-Two-Star Dou Zun. The ‘Flame Decisive’ had also improved, but only from a Quasi-Heaven Rank to a Low Heaven Rank, a modest enhancement.
Not feeling depressed, Xiao Yan knew this was expected. Now, as a Dou Zun, ordinary flames were no longer significant.
The flame hovered beneath the soul light cluster, engulfing it in a blazing inferno. Despite the purity of the soul essence, caution was still necessary. As the high temperature seeped through, the light cluster began to boil, faintly expelling wisps of black gas, which vanished into nothingness.
Seeing the black gas, Xiao Yan’s brows twitched. He sensed a faint, malicious intent, clearly implanted by the Soul Palace, which could cause trouble if absorbed.
“These guys from the Soul Palace are truly poisonous,” Xiao Yan flared the flames, fully eliminating the black gas, making the soul light cluster increasingly transparent and ethereal.
This refining process lasted for half an hour. Xiao Yan finally extinguished the flame, looking at the crystal-like soul light cluster with relief. With a hand seal, a stream of soul power surged from his brow, forming a duplicate of Xiao Yan, sitting in front of the light cluster, opening its mouth to draw in the essence. As the suction increased, the light cluster quivered, and pure soul essence wound around Xiao Yan’s soul, steadily flowing into his mouth, nose, and pores…
With more and more essence being drawn in, a layer of crystal-like sheen gradually appeared on the surface of Xiao Yan’s soul.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage