A slender figure stood upright in the sky, motionless, yet the overwhelming aura emanating from it caused the entire world to tremble. The level of a Battle Sect is the true dividing line between strong and weak on the continent. If one can successfully enter this realm, they have the basic qualifications to thrive in Central State. At his current age, Xiao Yan has reached this step, an achievement that is already remarkably strong.
Rain poured down from the heavens, enveloping the entire Tiānmù Mountain with a continuous pattering sound. The figure hovered in the void, without any wings of Dou Qi or bone wings, a mark unique to the Battle Sect powerhouse. Countless gazes pierced through the rain, fixing upon the immobile figure in the sky. For a moment, the entire mountain range was silent, save for the crisp sound of raindrops hitting leaves.
In the sky, the figure remained as still as ever. Raindrops within a half-foot radius around it would disperse on their own, as if there were an invisible barrier surrounding Xiao Yan. At this moment, his eyes were tightly shut, and the formidable aura undulated around him, making him look like a sculpture.
“What’s going on with him?” Seeing that Xiao Yan had not moved, a trace of surprise flashed across Jin Gu’s eyes. Although Xiao Yan had basically succeeded in advancing, why had he not returned to normal?
“Perhaps he has entered some kind of extraordinary state…” Jin Shi hesitated before speaking. Hearing this, Jin Gu was also taken aback. Despite his greater strength, he could not discern what was happening to Xiao Yan.
“Let’s wait. It should be over soon.”
“Mm.”
As the two conversed, the figure in the sky with its eyes closed began to frown slightly. A fire seal, which had been inactive for a long time, on his forehead, suddenly emitted a faint light. Initially, Xiao Yan himself did not fully understand what was happening. He only felt that at the moment of his breakthrough to the Battle Sect, his soul force became extremely sensitive. At the same time, he sensed a lingering imprint from the fire seal on his forehead.
This fire seal was left by the Pharmacist Elder when he was captured. This condition was not the first time; when Xiao Yan broke through to Battle Emperor, he followed the traces of the seal to see the mysterious hall where the Elder was held, but due to his weak soul force, the images were very blurry. Drawing on this experience, when he sensed the change in the fire seal again, Xiao Yan gathered all his soul force, and thrust it into the fire seal.
As the soul force entered the fire seal, scenes in front of Xiao Yan rapidly changed, and a dark passage appeared. Without hesitation, his soul force shot into the passage. The pitch-black corridor seemed to stretch endlessly, but Xiao Yan, with his prior experience, remained composed. Cautiously concentrating his soul force, he sped through the tunnel.
After a time unknown, a stifling, ominous fluctuation emerged from the end of the black passage. Sensing this, Xiao Yan’s soul force gradually slowed down and cautiously flew out of the tunnel. As soon as it emerged, a chilly temperature enveloped it, revealing the vast, shadowy palace. The gigantic palace was frighteningly large, completely black and gray, exuding a heavy, oppressive feeling.
Inside the hall, there were many massive black stone pillars, each over thirty feet tall, inscribed with strange, glowing symbols. Between blinks, these symbols twinkled like many sinister eyes. Xiaoyan’s gaze swept over the enormous palace, then turned sharply in another direction, where countless light orbs were flickering. Upon closer inspection, inside each orb was a soul body, eyes tightly shut!
Though Xiao Yan had seen this before, his previous visit was too brief, and his soul force was weak, so his perspective was unclear. But this time, he saw it all distinctly. Wrapping around each soul body outside the light orbs was a black chain, and the chains snaked around the necks of the soul bodies, seemingly transmitting something along their length. Tracing the chains, they led to the towering, eerie black stone pillars!
These pillars seemed to be absorbing something from within the soul bodies, sending shivers down Xiao Yan’s spine. The Soul Temple seemed to be using these souls as some kind of nourishment. Though Xiao Yan was now just an intangible presence, a sense of shock still welled up within him.
This shock lasted but a moment. Xiao Yan hastily sensed the barely perceptible trail within the fire seal, and his soul force cautiously wandered through the hall. For some reason, not a single guard of the Soul Temple was seen, and the place was filled with a consistent, death-like desolation—this was Xiao Yan’s assessment of the locale.
As he searched, his gaze swept over the dense array of light orbs. After a while, his soul force quivered slightly, and a sense of clarity dawned on him. Heartened, Xiao Yan quickened his pace, still careful not to move too hastily. He knew that within this grand hall, there must be a Venerated Elder of the Soul Temple guarding, and despite the differences from before, Xiao Yan was not yet arrogant enough to think he could fight a Dou Zun master.
His journey did not last long. Xiao Yan’s soul force halted, and his eyes fixed on the less noticeable orb floating on a stone platform ahead. Inside, an elderly figure with a familiar, somewhat ethereal form, lay in a deep slumber. It was the Pharmacist Elder!
Around the Pharmacist Elder’s neck was a more massive black chain, adorned with numerous intricate glyphs. His soul force trembled violently, betraying his deep, unspoken emotions. Looking at the face even more aged than he remembered, Xiao Yan felt a pang in his heart, remembering the Elder’s years of suffering. Knowing that he was responsible for his accomplishments, Xiao Yan regarded the Pharmacist Elder as a father, and seeing him suffer was a great pain.
Soul force hovered lightly above the stone platform, not descending due to caution. Staring at the sleeping Pharmacist Elder, Xiao Yan could sense the weakened but stable life force within him.
As Xiao Yan watched, the Pharmacist Elder’s eyelids began to flutter, and after a struggle, he slowly opened his eyes. The once-cloudy eyes gazed dazedly at the void before him, and his body trembled slightly. Seeing this, Xiao Yan could no longer contain himself. His soul force twisted, forming a spectral shape, and knelt in the air, bowing reverently, “Master, I have failed you!”
Tears welled up in the Pharmacist Elder’s eyes as he looked at the hovering young man. “Young one, you’ve done well. Taking you as my disciple was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Despite being surrounded, the Pharmacist Elder’s vision was sharp. He quickly discerned that Xiao Yan was just a wisp of soul force, but one that could form a human shape, implying that he might have advanced to the Battle Sect level. Xiao Yan’s eyes reddened as he vowed, “Master, I will come to save you as soon as I can!”
“Perhaps you do not have that qualification…” Before Xiao Yan could finish, a cold, aged voice echoed through the hall. With the voice, a vast, overpowering force descended, but Xiao Yan remained calm, turning to face the space behind him, where a purple-clothed elder appeared.
The purple-clothed elder glanced at Xiao Yan, recognizing the familiar soul force. “Are you that soul force from back then?”
Xiao Yan’s gaze hardened, and he did not respond.
“I never thought someone who couldn’t even hold a soul fluctuation would return here and be so much stronger,” the elder mused, looking at the Pharmacist Elder with a faint smile. Raising his hand towards Xiao Yan, he declared, “But it’s still not enough.”
“When I return next, I will repay the suffering you’ve endured!” Xiao Yan’s eyes burned with a feral, unsettling madness.
“Hope so…” The elder’s brow furrowed, and his hand clenched. Xiao Yan’s surrounding space shattered, and his soul force dissipated in the violent attack.
Within the light orb, the Pharmacist Elder’s aged face showed a hint of relief. Seeing Xiao Yan face a Dou Zun with such composure, it was clear he had grown significantly. He believed that the next time his disciple appeared, it would be his true self, not just a soul force.
Seeing the Pharmacist Elder’s relieved expression, the elder frowned, feeling a long-forgotten, icy unease. In the silent hall, a cold voice resonated, “Xiao Yan, is it…?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage