"Foolish descendant of mine, this image was left behind when I fell all those years ago. You must treat it with the utmost care."
The moment the man in the image appeared, Wang Ba was dumbfounded. Was this person an ancestor of his Wang family? But their family genealogy had never recorded anyone like him!
The image suddenly changed, presenting another scene. It was like a documentary, complete with narration.
"Six thousand years ago, I was known throughout the Dou Qi Continent as the God of Death. I controlled the souls of countless living beings, and the domain I established was called the Corpse Soul World."
The images kept changing, taking Wang Ba and Zhou Tong into a world they had never seen before. The two of them suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. The Corpse Soul World was truly vast and magnificent. Not only did it have the one hundred and eight levels of Yanluo, whose officials held the Book of Life and Death and judged karma and causality, it also had the Bridge of Helplessness, the Yellow Springs Road, the Three Lives Stone, the River of Forgetfulness, the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and the Soul Clan's soul domain. Compared to the Corpse Soul World, the Soul Clan's soul domain was not even worth a fart.
The image changed again, and a refined-looking woman appeared within it.
"The Dou Qi Continent was originally very peaceful, but one day, a woman named Lan Ran Hu You Jie suddenly appeared. She descended from beyond the heavens under the title of Lord of Hueco Mundo and slaughtered the living beings of the Dou Qi Continent on a massive scale. This action completely enraged the continent's strongest ruler, Great Emperor Ye Qianqian. She gathered the various feudal lords and, to protect the lives of the Dou Qi Continent's inhabitants, engaged Lan Ran Hu You Jie in an earth-shaking battle. I was also one of those involved."
Ye Qianqian's figure appeared in the image. The sight left everyone speechless. No one had expected that the Yun Lan Ancestor had once been an emperor who controlled the world. No wonder her methods were so astonishing.
The Wang Qi Ichigo in the image continued, "This battle lasted for three full years. All the various feudal lords suffered casualties, and in the end, only Great Emperor Qianqian and I remained. To kill Lan Ran Hu You Jie completely, I had no choice but to mobilize the power of the Corpse Soul World to suppress and kill her. But I, too, had reached the end of my strength, and the Corpse Soul World was left incomplete."
Deep within Wang Ba's heart, excitement surged. He had never expected that the ancestor of his own ancestor could be so powerful—to kill that Lord of Hueco Mundo from beyond the heavens by himself. Such a glorious achievement was probably unmatched by any powerhouse on the entire continent!
But at that moment, two shifty-eyed men suddenly appeared in the image. The two men seemed to possess extraordinary strength, immediately drawing Wang Ba's attention and giving him an ominous premonition.
Lan Ran Hu You Jie had already been defeated. What had the two of them suddenly come to his ancestor for?
"Hun Dan, Hun Zhang, what are you two doing here?" Wang Qi Ichigo asked sternly in the image.
"Hehehe... Our master personally suppressed and killed that Lord of Hueco Mundo from beyond the heavens. We dog slaves were also incredibly excited, so we came especially to offer our congratulations."
It turned out that these two were Wang Qi Ichigo's servants—and the lowest and most despicable kind of servants at that: dog slaves.
The man called Hun Zhang said, "Big brother, why waste words on him? Wang Qi Ichigo has already exhausted his strength. The two of us should join forces and kill him here, then seize all his fortune."
Wang Qi Ichigo flew into a rage. "I am Great Emperor Qianqian's close friend. Aren't you afraid she will learn of this and avenge me?"
Hun Dan chuckled sinisterly. "Of course we're afraid. But we received reliable information that Great Emperor Qianqian cultivated her technique incorrectly and has already dissipated her cultivation. Once we brothers kill you, Master, we'll join the other families and forces to attack Great Emperor Qianqian. Wang Qi Ichigo, prepare to die!"
Wang Ba's eyes nearly split with fury. Enraged by the scenes in the image, he had never expected two dog slaves to develop such grand ambitions. It was utterly despicable.
It was a pity that all the loyal subordinates of the family had died at the hands of the Lord of Hueco Mundo, allowing the two dog slaves to exploit the situation.
"The God of Death has passed. The Soul Clan shall rise."
After Hun Dan and Hun Zhang killed Wang Qi Ichigo, they forcefully took control of the incomplete Corpse Soul World and slaughtered the members of the Wang family on a massive scale.
"Hehehehe... We were once Wang Qi Ichigo's dog slaves. From now on, Wang Qi Ichigo's clansmen will become dog slaves of our Soul Clan as well. That's the only way this will be interesting."
Wang Ba and Zhou Tong's pupils contracted sharply. It turned out that the Soul Clan had once been servants of the Wang family. Now, in order to take revenge, they had turned around and enslaved the Wang family.
Wang Qi Ichigo in the image wore a desolate expression. After looking at Wang Ba, he slowly said, "Descendant of mine, if you are seeing this image, hurry and find Great Emperor Qianqian. Only she knows how to unlock the second state of the Zanpakuto. Once the Zanpakuto's second state is unlocked, its wielder will gain immense power. At that time, with the Zanpakuto's second state, killing Venerates and Saints will be as easy as slaughtering pigs and dogs."
The image then faded away, and the entire underground world returned to its original appearance, leaving no trace behind.
"Infuriating! Shameful! Despicable!"
Wang Ba flew into a rage. Burning with fury at the Soul Clan's vile conduct, he swung his blade. With a single Moon Fang Heaven Piercer, he cleaved the entire Soul Hall in two. That strike, comparable to the power of a Five-Star Dou Venerate, also shattered the miniature projector attached to the hilt, causing it to vanish without a trace.
Zhou Tong was scared witless and hurriedly tried to stop him. "Hall Master, please calm down! The authenticity of this image still needs to be investigated. You cannot believe it so readily!"
Wang Ba snorted. "Cannot believe it so readily? Then tell me, why have the members of my Wang family been the Soul Clan's dog slaves for generations? And why does this blade in my hand possess such terrifying power?"
"This..." Zhou Tong was left speechless, unable to say anything for a moment.
Wang Ba had originally been a servant of the Soul Clan. But after seeing this image, his understanding was completely overturned, and his reverence for the Soul Clan vanished without a trace. He said, "Elder Zhou, could it be that you still harbor feelings for the Soul Clan?"
Zhou Tong said, "My loyalty to the Hall Master can be witnessed by Heaven and Earth. Without the Hall Master's kindness, I would never have risen to the position of Vice Hall Master. It's just..." After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Tong continued, "It's just that the Hall Master's strength is still low. You cannot fall out with the Soul Clan yet, or your clansmen will also be implicated."
Wang Ba asked, "Then, according to your opinion, Elder Zhou, how should I reclaim the glory my Wang family once possessed?"
Zhou Tong, that dog-headed military strategist, was full of terrible ideas. The instant he heard Wang Ba's question, he immediately suggested:
"Didn't the Hall Master's ancestor say it just now? Once the Zanpakuto's second seal is unlocked, killing Saints and Emperors will be as easy as slaughtering pigs and dogs. Therefore, the method to unlock the Zanpakuto's seal must be in the hands of the Yun Lan Ancestor.
"We should go to the Misty Cloud Sect and secretly befriend Ye Qianqian. Besides, the Soul Clan was also Ye Qianqian's enemy back then. We can completely form a united front."
Wang Ba pondered deeply. He felt that this plan might work, and he was now somewhat impatient to unlock the second seal of his ancestor's Zanpakuto.
"I'll go tonight."
On Misty Cloud Mountain.
"Ancestor, you've finally returned." The moment Yun Shan and the others saw Ye Qianqian return to the sect, they immediately went forward to greet her.
"What happened?" Ye Qianqian immediately grew suspicious when she saw that everyone's expressions were off.
Yun Shan took out an invitation and said, "Ancestor, just after you left, an envoy from the Lion Underworld Sect delivered this letter. None of us felt comfortable making a decision, so please take a look."
"The Lion Nether Grand Ceremony, inviting all the sect masters from the northwest?"
Ye Qianqian raised her brows. The Lion Underworld Sect had suddenly arranged such a high-profile event, so there had to be something strange about it. She said to the many elders present, "I want to hear your opinions."
Xie Biyan pondered for a moment before saying, "The Lion Underworld Sect is the largest sect on the northwest continent. Its sect master, Shi Tian, has intimidated many forces with his strength as a Six-Star Dou Venerate. Now they have arranged this ceremony as well. I find it extremely suspicious."
Yan Luotian said, "According to the intelligence our sect sent back, there are currently some unstable elements within the Lion Underworld Sect. Sect Master Shi Tian's faction has been frequently clashing with the sect's Elder Faction. I think this invitation may have been issued by Shi Tian to consolidate his authority as sect master."
Medusa and Xiao Yi Xian disagreed with Yan Luotian's view. With a fire breaking out in their own backyard, would they really invite the whole world over to watch the show?
That simply made no sense!
Everyone offered their own opinions and analyzed the Lion Underworld Sect's actions. Only She Qingqing remained silent.
Ye Qianqian said, "Elder She Qingqing, I've noticed that you've been frowning this entire time. Do you have a different opinion?"
"Oh, Ancestor, I do indeed have some thoughts. I simply didn't dare voice them."
"Speak freely."
"Yes." With Ye Qianqian's permission, She Qingqing began, "The Lion Underworld Sect suddenly sent out an invitation and even declared that it would host all the sect masters of the northwest. It must have some ulterior motive. As the saying goes, anything unusual is bound to be suspicious. In this old woman's humble opinion, it would be better not to go."
She Qingqing was not making this up deliberately. It was simply an insight into life that she had gained over her more than a century of experience.
She Qingqing continued, "The Misty Cloud Sect is now so powerful, and with a powerhouse like Lady Kaguya stationed here, we've already shocked many forces. Yet the Lion Underworld Sect sent only an ordinary envoy to hurriedly deliver the invitation, rather than one of its higher-ranking figures. Is that reasonable?
"Ancestor, forgive me. This is merely my shallow opinion."
Ye Qianqian shook her head, showing no sign of blaming She Qingqing. On the contrary, she admired her even more. As expected of an old hand—she saw things more clearly than Yun Shan and the others.
"Although Elder She Qingqing's words make sense, the Lion Underworld Sect has piqued my interest. I still intend to go and have some fun, to see what tricks they're really playing.
"In ten days, Yun Shan and Elder She Qingqing will accompany me to pay the Lion Underworld Sect a visit."
The Lion Underworld Sect was also one of Ye Qianqian's targets to deceive. How could she complete the system's mission if she did not go?
The moment she finished speaking, a black aura suddenly drifted into the hall from outside. Yin wind howled, extinguishing all the candles in the Misty Cloud Hall.
"Who is it? How dare you come provoke the Misty Cloud Sect?" Yun Shan immediately released his battle qi when he saw that the newcomer was extraordinary.
Everyone else in the hall also prepared for battle.
"This black aura belongs to a powerhouse from the Soul Hall." Xie Biyan recognized the newcomer's identity at a glance.
This black aura was more than a hundred times denser than Iron Protector's. The newcomer was certainly a Venerate from the Soul Hall.
The black aura suddenly solidified in the hall, revealing a burly, middle-aged man with a long blade strapped to his back.
"Who are you, and why have you come to the Misty Cloud Sect?"
"Powerhouse of the Soul Hall, you're being far too presumptuous! Do you really think our Misty Cloud Sect cannot keep you here?"
"I advise you to leave immediately, or you'll suffer the consequences."
Everyone shouted angrily at the newcomer one after another, but the middle-aged man ignored them. After seeing Ye Qianqian seated at the head of the hall, he dropped to one knee before her with a thud.
"This junior is Wang Ba, Hall Master of a Soul Hall branch. I have come to apologize to Great Emperor Qianqian. I ask Great Emperor Qianqian to unlock the second seal of my Zanpakuto, so that I may reclaim the glory my Wang family has lost."
"Ding."
Congratulations, host, you have obtained 30,000 Shock Points from Yun Shan.
Congratulations, host, you have obtained 45,000 Shock Points from Xie Biyan.
Congratulations, host, you have obtained 10,000 Shock Points from She Qingqing.
Congratulations, host, you have obtained Shock Points from Medusa...
Ye Qianqian let out a bitter sigh. Brains were a wonderful thing, but unfortunately, Wang Ba did not have any.
With just a few old tricks for claiming kinship, she had fooled him senseless. This was far too unchallenging!
Before you continue