Hearing Zi Yan’s words, Venerable Wind and the others were stunned for a moment. Seeing the now docile appearance of the supposedly ferocious stone-devouring ant queen, they seemed to understand something and gave Zi Yan an odd look. Venerable Wind said softly, “It seems I was short-sighted; I didn’t expect this little girl to be so deep and hidden.”
Xiao Yan smiled. Unlike the surprise of Venerable Wind and the others, he was much calmer. He already knew about Zi Yan’s true identity. The Ancient Void Dragon was known as the ruler of all beasts, and the aura that came from its bloodline had a mysterious and terrifying power over these low-levelled magical beasts.
Because of Zi Yan, the originally tense atmosphere relaxed. Xiao Yan moved to a spot near Zi Yan and looked curiously at the so-called stone-devouring ant queen. The ant queen’s body was dark golden, with eight wing-like appendages on its back, and sharp teeth like serrated blades in its gaping maw, evoking a sense of chilling fear. If anyone were to be bitten by this, it would be quite horrific.
As Xiao Yan inspected the stone-devouring ant queen, the latter also sensed him. Its wings fluttered slightly, and it revealed its toothy mouth, baring those sharp fangs toward Xiao Yan.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…” Zi Yan gently stroked the ant queen, and it gradually calmed down. However, its gaze towards Xiao Yan still revealed a malevolent glint. These beasts were inherently vicious, and if not for the dragon aura from Zi Yan suppressing it, it might have already attacked.
“Does this creature know the location of the Soul Palace?” Venerable Wind, who had flown over, looked at the ant queen and asked, somewhat pleased.
“Yes,” Zi Yan nodded and then looked at Xiao Yan, saying, “Should we set off now?”
Xiao Yan pondered for a moment and exchanged a glance with Venerable Wind. Both nodded, knowing that speed was of the essence. They had already circled the forest for some time, and if they stayed any longer, they would likely be discovered by the Soul Palace.
“Follow me.” Observing this, Zi Yan moved first, leading the way into the depths of the cold, misty mountain range. Xiao Yan and the others hurriedly followed.
This time, with the ant queen leading the way, their speed increased significantly. They no longer had to worry about finding the path, and within less than half an hour, they had already reached the heart of the mountain range.
“Shh.” In the chilly, foggy forest, Zi Yan, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped and signaled for Xiao Yan and the others to remain silent.
Although they were puzzled, Xiao Yan and the others obediently kept quiet, scanning the surroundings warily.
After everyone fell silent, the ant queen on Zi Yan’s shoulder emitted a faint, strange sound wave, which spread out like ripples.
Shortly after the sound wave was sent out, Xiao Yan and the others noticed black figures falling from the mist around them, landing on the dry grass. On each of these black shapes, there was a fist-sized black ant, biting tightly onto their throats, silencing all sounds.
When they looked over, they were surprised to find that these black figures were actually small, black birds, each no bigger than a human hand. These birds were so tiny that even Xiao Yan, with his perception, had not noticed them in the mist.
“These are the eyes and ears of the Soul Palace. If there is the slightest movement, they will send out sound waves to alert the Soul Palace. If we don’t completely eliminate them, our tracks will be exposed,” Zi Yan explained quietly to Xiao Yan and the others.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan and the others couldn’t help but sweat. The Soul Palace was indeed mysterious, using such small creatures as spies. Few people could anticipate such a move. If it weren’t for the ant queen leading the way, they might have walked into a trap upon reaching the Soul Palace.
“The nearby messenger birds have been secretly cleared by the stone-devouring magical ants. Don’t worry. Also, the Soul Palace isn’t far. Be careful…” Zi Yan whispered.
Hearing her words, Xiao Yan and the others felt their hearts tighten. Their Dou Qi began to silently circulate, ready to handle any sudden situations.
After dealing with the hidden eyes and ears of the Soul Palace, Zi Yan led the way again. After about ten more minutes of traversing the mountain range, she finally stopped, took a breath, and whispered, “We’re here…”
Xiao Yan’s footsteps quickened, and he realized that the fog here was inexplicably thinner. They were on a steep and high slope, and at the end of it lay a giant valley surrounded by mountains. Inside the valley, a massive black palace, about a hundred zhang tall, loomed like a primeval beast, exuding a terrifying aura.
“Is this… the Soul Palace?” Gazing at the behemoth-like structure in the valley, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but inhale a cold breath. The scale of what the Soul Palace had created in this deep forest was impressive.
Behind Xiao Yan, Venerable Wind and the others also stepped forward. They glanced at the black palace in the valley, their eyes flickering with both excitement and gravity. The next moment would be the real fight…
“Wait, there’s a spatial barrier here…” Xiao Yan recovered his composure and noticed that the sky above the valley was twisted. He furrowed his brows and spoke softly.
“I’ll handle the spatial barrier. I can tear it without alerting those inside…” Zi Yan said.
“Venerable Wind, can you sense how many Dou Zun level experts are in the palace?” Xiao Yan nodded slightly and turned to Venerable Wind.
Venerable Wind closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them, whispering, “The information was correct. I sense five concealed auras, obviously five Dou Zuns. There are at least ten Battle Sects, and many more weaker ones…”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan silently sighed in relief. Five Dou Zuns were an extremely formidable lineup, but at least they could manage.
“Once the spatial barrier is open, let the stone-devouring magical ants go in and bite them all to death…” Zi Yan’s excitement was met with silence from Xiao Yan and the others. This was indeed a little demon.
“Five Dou Zuns. We four can barely hold them off. Xiao Yan, take the opportunity to enter the Soul Palace and find Pharmacist Elder. Once you find him, take him away immediately. We can’t stay too long. No one can guarantee that the Soul Palace won’t have a quick rescue plan,” Venerable Wind said gravely.
“If you add this, it won’t be a stretch.” Xiao Yan smiled and flicked his fingers, summoning the Heavenly Demon Puppet, its dark golden body barely noticeable in the mist.
“Is this… a Dou Zun level puppet?” Venerable Wind and Venerable Iron Sword’s expressions changed, their hearts shaken. They couldn’t imagine that Xiao Yan’s strength had grown to this extent in just over a year.
“Good. With this puppet, we can completely hold off the five Dou Zuns of the Soul Palace. Finding the Pharmacist will be your task.” Xiao Yan nodded solemnly and then looked at Zi Yan, who understood and nodded. She stepped forward, her finger glowing with purple light, and drew a large door in the distorted space. With a push, the space vanished, revealing an invisible door to Xiao Yan and the others.
“Go…” As the spatial barrier opened, the ant queen on Zi Yan’s shoulder emitted a strange sound wave again. Xiao Yan and the others heard rustling sounds approaching rapidly, and then, to their horror, swarms of black ants rushed out of the forest, passing by them, and pouring through the spatial door.
Under the cover of the faint mist, the black tide of ants rushed down the slope, heading swiftly towards the black palace in the valley.
“Let’s go. No matter how terrifying the Soul Palace is, today we will perform a daring act!” Seeing the swarm of ants rushing into the valley, Xiao Yan chuckled and stood up, his fierce aura slowly spreading. He took the first step through the spatial barrier…
The rescue operation, planned for years, was finally put into action in this moment.
Deep within the black palace, there was a vast square. On the square, towering black stone pillars over a hundred zhang tall held the sky. The pillars were covered with countless eerie runes, and pitch-black chains extended from them, crisscrossing in the air. At the ends of these chains, weakly glowing orbs floated, containing suffering souls.
In the center of the square, a platform roughly ten zhang high stood. Around it, four massive stone pillars rose, and four thick black chains, like coiling pythons, descended.
At the end of these four chains was a brightly glowing orb. Inside, a withered old soul sat cross-legged, unmistakably the captive Pill Elder.
At this moment, the four strange black chains were wrapped around Pill Elder’s limbs, rendering him immobile.
Silence and an eerie atmosphere filled the square, permeated with darkness and the stench of death.
This stillness continued for a while until the Pill Elder, with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. A very familiar aura appeared in his senses.
The appearance of this aura left the Pill Elder stunned. After a long moment, he took a deep breath and slowly raised his head. His parched eyes, which had been dry for a long time, filled with moisture.
When he had left, this aura belonged to a young boy who needed his protection. But now, this aura had grown to this extent…
The fledgling eagle had finally soared to the heavens…
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