As Medusa departed, the valley became thoroughly desolate and silent. The spatial lock in the sky rendered the small valley an isolated sanctuary, with no one accidentally stumbling upon this pure land. Apart from Medusa’s departure, not much changed in the valley. The cave filled with shattered stones remained unresponsive, and the enormous luminous cocoon within the valley also showed no signs of emergence. However, despite the apparent normalcy, a keen observer might have noticed that two extremely formidable auras were quietly simmering, waiting for the moment to break through and be reborn.
Although there were tamed beasts in the valley, under the pressure exuded by the luminous cocoon, they dared not venture into the deeper parts. Instead, they could only linger in the outer regions, and even then, they did not dare to make too much noise, fearing to awaken the terrifying entity within. Thus, as time passed, both the presence of beasts and people in the deep valley became increasingly rare. The grasses in the valley, under the influence of the rich energy, grew rapidly, eventually covering the luminous cocoon and the cave, forming a green web. This further added to the abandoned and deserted atmosphere of the valley, with only the gigantic, vibrant energy vortex in the air giving off a slight vitality.
Time slipped away swiftly in this isolated valley. Day after day, as seasons changed, it was nearly half a year since Medusa’s departure. Xiao Yan and Zi Yan had been in seclusion for almost a year. Despite the long passage of time, there was still no sign of change in the valley, and the desolate and quiet surroundings seemed to forget them. In these nearly six months, Medusa did not return, and no one knew what had happened to her.
The weeds in the deep valley continued to grow profusely. If things remained unchanged, they would soon cover the entire valley and spread out like countless snakes. Yet, on a certain day, something unusual finally occurred in the valley. The massive energy vortex in the sky, which had been slowly rotating, suddenly came to a stop. Then, a torrent of energy poured down like a fierce downpour, forming two streams of energy akin to mountain floods. One of the streams surged towards the cave covered by weeds, while the other fell directly onto the concealed luminous cocoon.
These two energy streams, each about several meters wide, sliced through the air, causing sharp tearing sounds. From this, one could see how immense the energy they contained was. Under the powerful energy, the weeds in the valley withered at an alarming rate, turning yellow and revealing the large purple luminous cocoon and the stone-filled cave entrance.
One of the massive energy streams entered the luminous cocoon, while the other entered the cave. There was no further activity. The energy vortex in the sky dissipated completely, and the turbulent energy in the valley gradually returned to normal, as if the two energy-hungry beings had reached saturation.
After absorbing the energy stream, the color of the luminous cocoon darkened, and mysterious runes began to appear on its surface, emitting a faint, magical glow. After this change, the valley once again fell silent. Another half a month passed, and finally, in the tightly sealed cave, a pair of eyes that had been closed for nearly a year, slowly opened with a slight tremble!
As the eyes opened, lightning flashes streaked through the black pupils like thunderstorm. At that moment, the silent cave was filled with a faint crackling sound. As the eyes opened, an aura that had been dormant for nearly a year, like a waking lion, slowly rose, and a roar that shook the heavens echoed out. Under the overwhelming power of this aura, the cave began to shake, and spider-web-like cracks spread from where the black-robed youth sat, covering every corner of the cave.
There was a subtle cracking sound, followed by a series of fine fractures on the bluestone. Finally, with a low rumble, the bluestone shattered into countless pieces. The black-robed youth, however, remained floating mid-air, unsupported.
“Is this… the feeling of being a Battle Emperor?” Xiao Yan slowly spread his hands, feeling the surging Dou Qi in his body. His lips curled into a faint smile, and a sense of dominion over the world surged in his heart. His powerful soul force, centered around his body, swept out in all directions like a storm.
The soul force quickly expanded, enveloping the entire valley. Xiao Yan saw the large purple luminous cocoon, and thanks to the sensitivity of his soul, he could vaguely sense a powerful life form taking shape within the cocoon!
The soul force spread throughout the valley but did not stop there; it continued to expand into the vast Magic Beast Mountains. As it expanded, numerous scenes reflected in Xiao Yan’s mind. Many powerful magic beasts in the mountains sensed the soul force, causing a series of earth-shaking roars. Under these roars, countless lower-level magic beasts trembled with fear. However, while these powerful beasts could sense Xiao Yan’s soul force, most of them could not harm him. Therefore, his soul force, during this expansive scan, was not attacked.
The mighty soul force extended for a hundred miles, but it seemed to have a limit. When it reached a certain mountain stream, it could no longer advance. Seeing this, Xiao Yan mentally commanded the soul force to retreat, and it withdrew like a receding tide, returning to his body in a few breaths.
As the soul force returned, Xiao Yan slightly raised his head and let out a long breath. Just as he was about to retract his soul force, he felt a sudden tremor. He touched the white flame mark on his forehead, and a mysterious shiver arose in his soul.
Taking a deep breath of the slightly damp air, Xiao Yan’s eyes flickered, and without hesitation, the mighty soul force surged out again, this time not spreading out, but rushing directly into the flame mark on his forehead!
As soon as the soul force entered the flame mark, a low rumble exploded in Xiao Yan’s mind, and before his “eyes,” a path of white flames appeared, with bottomless darkness on either side. Without hesitating, his soul rushed down the flame path. During the previous expansion of his soul force, he had gained some insights.
The path was long, but with the speed of the soul force, it only took about ten minutes to reach the end, where a hollow filled with white flames appeared. Xiao Yan’s soul paused slightly before rushing in.
As the soul entered the flaming void, the dazzling white flames disappeared, replaced by a dim, oppressive darkness. This was a vast, imposing hall, with enormous stone pillars soaring up to support the massive space. The hall was filled with countless green-glowing light orbs, and to Xiao Yan’s shock, each orb contained a living soul!
His soul was jolted by this shocking discovery. Scanning the hall, his soul froze on a larger green orb near the center, where an old man, with his eyes closed, rested. The elderly man, who caused a wave of astonishment in Xiao Yan’s heart, was none other than Teacher Pharmacist, who had been captured by the Hall of Souls!
“Is this… the Hall of Souls?” Xiao Yan’s soul muttered in a daze. But just as his voice faded, the space in front of him suddenly shook, and an overwhelming, eerie soul force burst forth, shattering Xiao Yan’s ethereal soul with a single touch!
As his soul turned to nothingness, Xiao Yan’s eyes in the valley snapped open, sweat pouring down his forehead, a trace of horror in his eyes. He was certain that what he had seen through the soul flame left by his teacher must have been the enigmatic Hall of Souls!
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