At the sound of Elder Devil Soul’s words, everyone present felt a sudden jolt in their hearts, and uncertain, suspicious glances were cast towards that expanse of emptiness. Could there be more powerful beings hiding here that they were unaware of? “The old monster from the Little Pill Tower?” Yan Xiao’s gaze followed, but his heart stirred. Could it be that the Old Devil Soul was referring to that mysterious ancestor within the Little Pill Tower? At this thought, a hint of joy appeared in his heart. Regardless, the current Pill Tower had been pulled into the same war chariot with him. If this mysterious ancestor showed up, he wouldn’t presumably have any hostility towards them.
“Alas, I knew the Soul Clan would not follow the rules.”
Under the gaze of all present, the expanse of space was silent for a moment, before finally rippling gently. A voice imbued with an extraordinary depth of experience quietly echoed, and as the sound spread, the space ripples became even more intense. Then, a blue ox, stepping through the void amid a low roar, slowly appeared above this space.
“Eh.” The gazes of Xiao Yan and others turned at the first moment to the blue ox, or rather, the figure on its back. But when they saw the figure clearly, they were stunned. For the expected image of an old man did not appear; the person on the ox was short, clad in ordinary coarse clothing, with clear eyes and a youthful face. In appearance, he was just a child around ten years of age!
Gazes stared in shock at the child on the ox, and for a moment, there was complete silence, for they had never expected such an ancient voice to emerge from the mouth of a child.
“Grand Elder said that the ancestor likes to play with life, constantly possessing new bodies to be reborn. Now, indeed, it is true.”
After the initial shock, Xiao Yan recalled something, his eyes flashing with realization.
“Old monster, you still like to act in such ghostly ways…”
Elder Devil Soul looked at the shepherd boy on the blue ox and sneered, a hint of caution appearing in his previously calm eyes.
“If the Soul Clan had acted according to the rules, I would not have to appear…”
The shepherd boy on the blue ox lazily stretched, then smiled, his particularly clear eyes looking at Elder Devil Soul, saying, “These were the rules we agreed upon. Now, the Soul Clan has sent you out. I wonder what the intention is?”
“We must obtain the Origin of the Malevolent Flame. Old monster, you should best not meddle. The family head of my clan is very interested in you. Over so many years, you must already be at the peak of a Ninth Grade Profound Pill Master. If you advance further… Hehe, the legendary Ninth Grade Golden Pill, even our family head might not be able to resist making a move,” Elder Devil Soul laughed oddly.
Hearing this, the shepherd boy merely smiled faintly, replying, “He has had designs on me for a long time now, but even if I delivered myself to him, would he dare to eat me?”
“Hmph, don’t pretend to be wiser with age. When our family head returns, he will make you understand the consequences of opposing the Soul Clan!”
Elder Devil Soul’s gaze turned cold as he spoke.
“Boom!”
Just as Elder Devil Soul finished speaking, the dark light curtain nearby suddenly burst, and a figure flew backward, spewing several mouthfuls of blood as he stabilized his pale form. It was the Lord of the Soul Palace, who had used the light curtain to trap Xiao Chen earlier.
“Hun Mie Sheng, your disgrace as the Lord of the Soul Palace is truly showing.”
Seeing the Lord of the Soul Palace so disheveled, Elder Devil Soul frowned slightly.
“Old ghost, stop pretending to be wiser. You know better than I who that guy is!”
The Lord of the Soul Palace wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and yelled angrily, realizing the identity of Xiao Chen once he had drawn out the enormous blood axe. In the Xiaos, who else could wield such an odd weapon so ferociously, other than the prodigious Blood Axe Xiao Chen from back then? However, he never expected that someone who should have disappeared would appear at this place, at this time.
“Blood Axe Xiao Chen, I never thought you would live till now. Still, it counts as your good fortune. Had you been in the Xiaos, your fate would have been similar to Xiao Xuan and the others.”
Elder Devil Soul raised his head, looking at the approaching Xiao Chen, who was carrying the enormous blood axe, and an icy luster flashed in his eyes.
Xiao Chen’s feet halted, and his gaze turned to Elder Devil Soul, his brows furrowing. From the latter, he sensed a strength far greater than that of the Lord of the Soul Palace. Even he would find it extremely difficult to defeat such a force.
“Heh, the Xiaos are as stubborn as a centipede. That you, Xiao Chen, can live till now is worth celebrating.”
The shepherd boy also smiled, his status incredibly old, such that even facing an ancient being like Xiao Chen, he could treat him as an equal.
“You are the one from the Pill Tower back then…”
Xiao Chen’s gaze turned to the shepherd boy, though the latter’s appearance had greatly changed, that unique aura was extremely familiar. Moreover, in all of heaven and earth, only one individual possessed that kind of aura…
The shepherd boy smiled, the innocence on his young face contrasting starkly with a wisdom that saw through all things.
“Ancestor!”
Finally, the Grand Elder of the Little Pill Tower snapped out of his astonishment, and immediately knelt, tears streaming down his face in excitement. Even though he had met this guardian of the Pill Tower only a few times, he was overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing him again.
“Heh, you must be Xiao Mo, I see you have become a Dou Saint,” the shepherd boy said, then waved his small hand, and the Grand Elder straightened. “This isn’t the time to reminisce, Xiao Yan, give me the Origin of the Malevolent Flame.”
Hearing the shepherd boy’s request, Xiao Yan felt a slight surprise, raising his head and seeing the benevolent smile on the child’s face. While that smile seemed strange on a child, it strangely made people believe in him.
“This old monster has turned into a kid, truly bizarre,” Zi Yan whispered in Xiao Yan’s ear.
“Aren’t those kinds of antics something you used to do?”
Xiao Yan shook his head ruefully, clenching his teeth, then flicked his sleeve, tossing the black pillar of light directly at the shepherd boy.
“Hmph!”
As Xiao Yan threw the black pillar of light, Elder Devil Soul’s eyes turned cold, and a low, thunderous snort reverberated in everyone’s ears. The snort carried a powerful soul assault, causing dizziness in many.
“Late-stage Fifth Level Dou Saint, this old monster has a terrifying strength!”
A sharp pain surged in Xiao Yan’s eardrums, filled with shock. This old man’s power was overwhelmingly strong. If confronted head-on, Xiao Yan might not survive a single blow.
“Shoo!”
As soon as the snort escaped, Elder Devil Soul’s body vanished, reappearing instantly in the path of the light pillar, reaching out to grab it.
But as Elder Devil Soul’s hand was about to touch the pillar, he suddenly noticed the space around him changing strangely. In a flash, his body appeared next to the shepherd boy, while the latter mysteriously stood where Elder Devil Soul had been initially, as if their positions had switched in an instant.
This change astonished everyone, completely bewildered by the reason behind it.
“Space displacement, Sixth Level Dou Saint?! You’ve broken through to the Sixth Level?!”
Elder Devil Soul, who remained dumbfounded, came to his senses after a moment, and exclaimed in disbelief.
The difference between levels of Dou Sages was enormous. For the Lord of the Soul Palace to jump from late-stage Fourth Level to early-stage Fifth Level, he easily crushed Zi Yan. The gap was vast, and thus, though Elder Devil Soul was a late-stage Fifth Level Dou Saint, he had no power to retaliate against the sixth-level-strength shepherd boy.
The three behind — the Lord of the Soul Temple, the Deputy, and Feng Huo — watched the scene with a grim expression, speechless. The strength of a Sixth Level Dou Saint was exceedingly rare, even among the Soul Clan, found only among a select few. Unbelievably, the patriarch of the Little Pill Tower had reached such a level, explaining why the Soul Clan always stopped the Soul Temple from acting against the Pill Tower. They had such a powerful existence hidden away.
Ignoring Elder Devil Soul’s cries of disbelief, the shepherd boy held the black light pillar, then slowly examined the Origin of the Malevolent Flame under Xiao Yan’s tense watch.
“Old monster, do you really wish to oppose the Soul Clan?”
Elder Devil Soul shouted coldly, his face grim.
“Utter foolishness.”
The shepherd boy glanced at him, shaking his head. He carelessly tossed the light pillar into the sky, and seeing this, Elder Devil Soul was overjoyed but quickly stopped in horror as the shepherd boy continued.
“Pure Lotus Malevolent Fire, third on the list of Mysterious Flames, you deliberately let yourself be sealed to wait for them to infight, hoping to reap the benefits. You hid yourself well, but not from my sight. Come out.”
The shepherd boy slowly raised his head, looking at the black light pillar in the sky, his clear eyes fixed on the essence of the Malevolent Flame, and smiled faintly.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage