"How could this happen?!"
Xie Biyan's old face twitched. He was so shocked by the situation that he stood there dumbfounded, panic written across his features.
This wasn't the result he wanted!
He had thought the little girl before him was nothing more than a fake fraud who didn't live up to her reputation. Who could have known she would be so terrifying, summoning such powerful helpers in an instant?
Moreover, judging by the words of these experts, they seemed to have a master-servant relationship with this little girl. Could he have misjudged her? What was he supposed to do now?
Yun Shan and Yun Yun were also badly frightened by the scene before them. The Conqueror's Haki Ye Qianqian had released just now had been far too powerful. It had knocked out more than a thousand people through sheer force of presence alone. Even a Dou Venerate expert couldn't have done that, right?
Yun Shan secretly cursed himself for being an idiot. He had actually doubted the Ancestor! Fortunately, he hadn't shown the slightest hint of suspicion. Otherwise, he would certainly have disappointed the Ancestor!
"Saber, someone wants to kill me. What do you think I should do?" Ye Qianqian asked with a light laugh.
Now that Saber had arrived in time, what did she have to fear? Her confidence immediately swelled. If she didn't show off now, when would she?
"Someone dares challenge my master's dignity?" Saber thought for a moment before answering calmly, "That's simple. I'll kill all these ants for you, Master!!!"
"Boom!"
As soon as she said this, it was like a single stone stirring up a thousand waves. Whether they belonged to the Misty Cloud Sect or the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate, everyone stood there trembling in terror.
Kill them all?
That was truly domineering.
"Ding!"
Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 1,000 Shock Points from Yun Shan. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 1,400 Shock Points from Yun Yun. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 6,000 Shock Points from Xie Shan. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 5,500 Shock Points from Xie Biyan. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained... ...
"W-wait... hold on."
Xie Biyan was certain he wasn't Saber's match, let alone Ye Qianqian, whose depths were impossible to fathom. His eyes shifted, and he immediately began pleading for mercy. His expression changed again as he clasped his fists and said, "My lady, this junior... this junior was only joking just now. Please don't be angry, Elder, and don't take it seriously."
For a moment, everyone from the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate was left speechless by Xie Biyan's sudden change of heart. He seemed to have become a professional actor. How long had it been? He had already changed his attitude three times. He was truly something else.
"What? You think I'm not a fraud anymore?" Ye Qianqian asked with a smile.
"How could I? How could I? This junior was only talking nonsense just now. Elder, you're magnanimous, so please don't hold it against me."
Xie Biyan shamelessly admitted his mistake, without the slightest trace of dignity or restraint. Yun Shan and Yun Yun were left dumbfounded. What happened to that arrogant attitude of yours just now?
Although the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate was powerful, it couldn't stand against the ten peak Dou Emperors on Ye Qianqian's side. On top of that, Saber was far stronger than Xie Biyan, leaving him afraid to act rashly.
Furthermore, Xie Biyan hadn't even counted Yun Shan and Yun Yun's combat strength. If they truly fought, even if the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate used every trump card it had, it might not be their opponent. For now, the only option was to flatter them, apologize, and beg for leniency.
"Good." Ye Qianqian nodded in satisfaction. "If you realize your mistake and correct it, that is the greatest virtue. If I continued pursuing the matter, wouldn't I be bullying the weak with my strength and making a laughingstock of myself?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Elder, your tolerance and magnanimity are unparalleled throughout history." Xie Biyan nodded repeatedly and gave her a thumbs-up.
"In that case, are you willing to submit to the Misty Cloud Sect?"
"We're willing. We... what?" Xie Biyan suddenly froze. He stared at Ye Qianqian with wide eyes, never expecting this to be the purpose of her visit.
Submit to the Misty Cloud Sect? How was that possible? The Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate was currently an affiliate of the Hall of Souls. This lady actually had the nerve to poach the Hall of Souls' people. Wasn't she afraid of its retaliation? He was!
Even without the Hall of Souls, Xie Biyan was still utterly unwilling. The Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate had been passed down to him for seventeen generations. If they submitted to the Misty Cloud Sect, the name Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate would disappear forever. Wouldn't that make him a disgrace to all the ancestors of his sect?
"Stop agonizing over it." Ye Qianqian saw through Xie Biyan's concerns and said, "I know your Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate is connected to the Hall of Souls, but the Hall of Souls is nothing in my eyes. You don't need to worry about anything else.
"Besides, if you submit to the Misty Cloud Sect, your Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate will receive enormous benefits. In the future, I'll lead you to conquer the world. You can choose any spiritual treasure land on the Dou Qi Continent. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Ye Qianqian continued making empty promises as usual, and they worked every time. Xie Biyan's thoughts began to stir.
"Elder Xie, what should we do?" Xie Shan, standing to the side, was also unable to make up his mind. If it really comes down to it, let's just surrender.
"Heh heh heh heh... What utter nonsense!"
Just then, a nauseating, sinister laugh came from above everyone's heads. The entire sky suddenly turned pitch-black, so dark that one couldn't see their own hand. Endless ghostly energy let out shrill wails as it condensed into enormous black dragons that rampaged and twisted around everyone.
Yun Shan's expression grew solemn. He was deeply familiar with these black ghosts, because this was the Hall of Souls' signature entrance. The Vulture Protector had once shown off in front of him in the same way. Could the newcomer be an expert from the Hall of Souls?
Countless resentful souls shook the wilderness, while waves of sinister, freezing energy pierced the lungs, displaying the newcomer's terrifying power.
Ye Qianqian was tightly protected in the center by Saber and the others. The corners of her lips lifted slightly. She already knew who had arrived.
Wasn't this the Iron Protector who, in the original story, had his soul captured by Xiao Lao San and refined into a Sky Demon Puppet?
Speaking of the Iron Protector, he and the Vulture Protector of the Misty Cloud Sect were in the same line of work. He usually handled market promotion for the Hall of Souls, spending his days either trying to lure one sect into joining or signing contracts with another force. He was highly skilled at his business.
Now he had suddenly found Ye Qianqian openly stealing his client. How could he tolerate that?
"With people like you, you dare say that the Hall of Souls is nothing? And you even shamelessly talk about conquering the world?"
A loud shout rang out from the sky. The ghostly energy filling the heavens grew even more immense, while sinister, terrifying killing intent completely blocked out the sunlight, making it seem as though the world had become a living hell.
Everyone's hearts jolted. The Hall of Souls truly was terrifying.
"You insignificant ant, you dare act presumptuously before me?" Saber sneered. She wasn't affected by the scene in the slightest. Holy light suddenly blazed above her head, and a golden radiance shot into the sky. An unstoppable kingly aura, vast as a river stretching ten thousand miles, crushed toward the endless ghostly energy.
In an instant, the ghostly energy encountered the holy light and scattered like a mouse seeing a cat. It rapidly vanished before everyone's eyes, leaving not a trace behind. The sky returned to normal, and bright sunlight shone over the earth, filling everyone with comfort.
With the ghostly energy no longer concealing him, the Iron Protector's figure appeared before everyone.
"Y-you can actually suppress the soul-ghost energy of my Hall of Souls?" The Iron Protector's eyes bulged so far that they nearly fell from their sockets.
He simply couldn't imagine that the Hall of Souls' techniques, which everyone had always feared, would be completely useless before this person.
In truth, the Hall of Souls' soul attacks belonged to the most sinister branch of techniques in the world, but they were not impossible to counter. Heavenly Flames that could burn away filth, or lightning representing the might of the heavens, were both nemeses of sinister soul techniques.
As the King of Knights, Saber had once slaughtered countless enemies to protect her homeland. Her hands were stained with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, forging an unparalleled kingly glory.
No matter how troublesome these souls were, once they encountered such a powerful kingly aura, they were crushed into nothingness.
"You insignificant ant, you dared challenge my master's dignity. Then you'd better be prepared to face death," Saber said. Her body moved, and battle armor instantly covered her. Vast energy radiated from the armor, making her impossible to underestimate.
In the blink of an eye, the Iron Protector felt his vision blur. His opponent had actually appeared right in front of him, frightening him so badly that his soul nearly left his body.
"Haah!" Saber shouted. She clasped both hands together as if gripping empty air, then slashed viciously at the Iron Protector from a distance.
The Iron Protector froze for a moment. Was this girl an idiot? She didn't have a weapon in her hands. What use was waving them at him? But in the next instant, he suddenly sensed something wrong. Relying on his instincts as a Dou Zong, he felt a current of air and instinctively retreated a step.
"Swish!"
A gash appeared across the Iron Protector's chest, making his eyes widen in shock. The girl was actually holding an invisible blade in her hands.
That was right—it was the Wind King Barrier. This Noble Phantasm was protected by powerful magecraft. It wasn't that the sword itself was transparent; rather, its protection made it difficult for enemies to grasp the sword's range of attack. Though simple, it could display tremendous power in close combat.
The Iron Protector had suffered a small, unexpected loss and instantly became furious. He continuously retaliated with battle techniques, releasing more than a thousand black chains from his back. They resembled countless demonic snakes dancing seductively together.
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
Crisp sounds rang out without pause. The densely packed chains were something even Dou Zong experts wouldn't dare touch, yet today they were all severed by the girl before him.
What shocked the Iron Protector even more was what came next. He had clearly used all his strength, yet the girl before him had been playing with him the entire time.
"Xie Biyan, are you still not going to help? Have you forgotten your agreement with my Hall of Souls?"
The Iron Protector could only defend and had no power to counterattack. His clothes had already been hacked into strips, revealing his pitch-black soul body and leaving him in a sorry state. He was a dignified protector of the Hall of Souls, yet he was being beaten by a fifteen-year-old girl until he couldn't even fight back. It was a disgrace beyond measure.
Realizing that he had run into someone he couldn't afford to provoke, he hurriedly turned and shouted to Xie Biyan for help.
The moment Xie Biyan heard the Iron Protector's words, his scalp exploded. Fight your own fight! Why are you calling me? Aren't you trying to drag me into this?
"Elder Xie, should we help or not?" Xie Shan asked.
That question made Xie Biyan's mood even more complicated. The Hall of Souls—he absolutely didn't dare offend them. But he also didn't dare offend the Ancestor of the Misty Cloud Sect standing before him. What was he supposed to do?
"Saber, stop playing around. Give that disgusting fellow a quick death."
Just then, Ye Qianqian shouted with great seriousness, immediately making Xie Biyan choose a side.
Xie Biyan placed both hands on his hips and threw his head back in laughter. "Ahahaha... Hall of Souls scum, you deserve to die! Did you really think I would side with your Hall of Souls? I was merely enduring humiliation and biding my time as an undercover agent!"
With a righteous expression, Xie Biyan cupped his fists toward Ye Qianqian and said, "Elder, deep down, this junior has always possessed a righteous soul. Since childhood, I have aspired to uphold justice. Even if it costs me my life, I will fight those vicious villains to the bitter end. Please tell this lady not to hold back. Teach him a lesson just as you taught my grandson. I'm not familiar with this man at all."
Before you continue