With all the high-level combatants of this Human Hall, from the Vice Hall Master Late Stage Three-Star Dou Saint to ordinary Dou Venerate, some died and some were captured.
This once sinister and terrifying Black Giant Hall, a symbol of death and imprisonment, has finally lost its last claws and barriers. There is no longer any power that can stop Lin Ming from stepping into its core Forbidden Area to seize the "fruits" accumulated by the Soul Hall over countless years of managing this place—the massive amount of forcibly extracted Soul Origin.
Lin Ming calmly gazed at the main hall, then took a step forward, his figure passing through the huge and dilapidated hall door and entering the deep, empty main hall of the Human Hall.
The group of the Ancient Dragon Clan followed Lin Ming in. When they arrived at the front of the main hall, several Ancient Dragon Elder stood guard outside and began to systematically search other corners of the giant hall that might contain treasures or information.
Upon entering the main hall, even Lin Ming, with his composed nature, couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly. The scene before him was utterly shocking.
The interior space of the main hall is far more expansive than it appears from the outside, thanks to the use of Space Expansion Technology. The dome soars into the darkness, seemingly without end.
In this vast space, the most eye-catching thing is the countless crisscrossing, thick, jet -Black Chains!
These chains, made of some unknown material—neither gold nor iron—are icy to the touch. Their surfaces are engraved with countless twisted, writhing, eerie runes that constantly emanate a chilling aura that draws in souls and imprisons one's very essence.
Like countless cold, black Giant Python, they descended from the depths of the dome, weaving together in the air above the hall into an immense, all-encompassing web of death.
Above each node of this giant net hangs a cluster of light emitting a faint glow.
The orbs of light varied in size and color, but without exception, they all contained a Soul Body that was either asleep or forcibly silenced!
These Soul Body have blurred faces and varied shapes, but you can sense that they were at least at the Dou Wang level in their previous lives.
As far as the eye could see, they were densely packed, endless! These suspended Soul Light Cluster, like a despairing expanse of stars in a dark universe, numbered well over a million!
"Hiss..."
The group of ancient dragons who followed Lin Ming in couldn't help but gasp at this sight, their faces filled with shock and barely concealed disgust.
They are the Ancient Void Dragon, the supreme beings of the Magical Beast World. Their Law survival are more direct and cruel than those of humans, and they have witnessed countless bloody scenes.
But what they were seeing was still beyond their comprehension.
This is not a one-on-one killing on the battlefield, nor is it hunting for survival; it is a systematic, industrialized plunder and imprisonment of the soul at its most essential level!
This single Human Hall holds a staggering number of souls, numbering in the millions!
Moreover, according to their perception, not a single soul here was below the Dou Wang level! In other words, these millions of souls were all people who had at least reached the upper level of Dou Qi cultivation in their previous lives!
They might be genius disciples of a sect, pillars of a family, or outstanding Rogue Cultivator, but now they are all hanging here like merchandise, their Origin Power being drained until they are completely annihilated.
Thinking of this, even from the perspective of Magical Beasts, these Ancient Dragon Clan warriors couldn't help but feel a rare sense of sympathy for these souls suffering endless torment.
In contrast to the Soul Hall's inhumane and heinous acts, their actions of following Lin Ming to raze this place to the ground today instantly became incredibly correct and even noble in their hearts!
This is not a simple act of revenge or a struggle for profit; it is more like a heroic act of upholding justice and eradicating the most evil place in the world!
"These Soul Hall scum... they truly deserve to die!" Qing Shan roared in a deep, gruff voice, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
Lin Ming took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions surging within him, and said calmly, "Collect all these Soul Body."
Upon hearing this, the members of the Ancient Dragon Clan were slightly taken aback. Logically, wouldn't it be better to simply destroy the hall, release these souls, and let them either enter the cycle of reincarnation or scatter on their own?
The South Dragon King Zhu You wit, tentatively asked, "Mr. Lin Ming, are you not going to release them?"
Lin Ming shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the countless slumbering Soul Light Cluster, and explained, "Now is not the time to release them. These Soul Body have been imprisoned for many years, their essence damaged, their intelligence clouded. Even if released now, most of them would be powerless to escape. Before long, they would probably be searched for and captured by the henchmen of other Branch Hall of the Soul Hall, continuing this endless cycle of suffering."
Then, Lin Ming paused, his tone becoming increasingly grave, and continued, "And more importantly, once these souls are captured by the Soul Hall again, given the Hun Clan's methods with souls, they have plenty of ways to extract information about us from them. This is not the time for us to confront the Hun Clan head-on, so let them sleep for a while longer! We'll release them when we're no longer afraid of being exposed."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood and secretly praised Lin Ming for his thorough consideration. Indeed, it would be unwise to expose the entire team to the Hun Clan's all-out pursuit for the sake of these souls' temporary freedom. Temporarily gathering and protecting them was the safest approach at present.
Collecting these Soul Body was almost effortless for this group of powerful individuals, whose minimum rank was One-Star Dou Saint.
If there were truly millions of living people, the required living space and resources would be astronomical. But these are merely Soul Body; they have no physical form, occupy very little space, and are in a sealed, dormant state, making them even easier to contain.
Therefore, whether they use High-Grade Storage Ring or casually tear through the void to temporarily create a stable, tiny space, it is enough to easily contain all of these million souls.
"Leave this matter to us." Great Elder Qing Mu said calmly. With a wave of his sleeve, an invisible Space Power spread out like mercury, precisely enveloping the suspended Soul Light Cluster.
As if drawn by a force, the orbs of light broke free from the Black Chains, transforming into streams of light that orderly entered a small, slowly rotating Spatial Vortex in his palm. The other Dragon King also took action, each employing their own methods with remarkable efficiency.
Lin Ming didn't need to personally handle the task of collecting souls. At this moment, Lin Ming gaze was already fixed on the end where the Black Chains converged. His figure slowly descended along with his gaze, following the direction in which the countless chains extended, heading towards the deepest and darkest part of the main hall.
The deeper one goes, the more intense the chilling Soul Fluctuation becomes, even faintly forming a viscous force field. More complex and bizarre runes begin to appear on the surrounding walls, as if constructing a massive Soul Refining Formation.
Finally, after walking for several hundred feet, Lin Ming reached the end of the chains.
It was an Altar located in the center of a huge underground cavern. The Altar was made of pitch-black boulders, covered with ancient and sinister patterns. And at the very top of the Altar, a giant ball of light, nearly ten feet in diameter, floated, radiating a soft yet incredibly powerful glow!
This ball of light presented a color that was a mixture of milky white and crystalline hues, with countless Star Points seemingly flowing, arising, and disappearing within it. The Soul Fluctuation it emitted were extremely pure and vast, but at the same time, they were also mixed with an indescribable collection of negative emotions such as chaos, resentment, unwillingness, and despair.
Just being near it makes one uneasy, as if countless wronged spirits are whispering in one's ear.
This is the Soul Origin Light Cluster, which the Soul Hall Human Hall have been working on for countless years, day and night, through millions of chains, to forcibly extract, gather, and purify from those imprisoned Soul Body!
Looking at this crystallization that embodies the life cultivation, life essence, and final resentment of countless powerful individuals, Lin Ming also revealed a smile.
But only for a moment, he withdrew his smile and a solemn and dignified expression appeared as he addressed the enormous Soul Light Cluster, as if facing countless departed heroes. He spoke in a deep voice, his voice clearly echoing in the underground cavern:
"The Soul Hall imprisoned you and extracted your Soul Origin. Today, I, Lin Ming, have destroyed more than ten of the Soul Hall's Branch Hall and razed one of the three main halls, the Human Hall! And this is just the beginning!"
At this moment, Lin Ming's voice carried a strange penetrating power, reaching deep into the countless mixed thoughts at the core of the light cluster. Then, his words rang out again.
"Following this, I will destroy all other strongholds of the Soul Hall that stand in the Middle Continent and even across the continent, until this cancer is completely eradicated!"
"But this requires power, power strong enough to shake the Soul Hall and even the Hun Clan behind it! Now, I need your help! I will carry all your power, your resentment and unwillingness, your yearning for freedom, to complete the revenge against the Soul Hall! I promise you, your power will not be in vain; it will become the flames that burn the Soul Hall, causing it to disappear from this continent forever!"
Lin Ming's words, powerful and resounding like an oath, caused the Soul Origin Light Cluster, which had been quietly floating and emitting light, to suddenly release an even brighter luster!
The countless swirling Star Points inside the ball of light seemed to be summoned and began to spin faster. Faintly, it seemed that many chaotic yet emotionally charged streams of information were emanating from it and being transmitted to Lin Ming.
It was not a formed language or consciousness, but the final imprint left by countless souls before their complete annihilation: a deep-seated hatred for the Soul Hall, resentment towards their own fate, longing for family and friends, and a thirst for revenge...
These emotions are incredibly vast and chaotic. If someone with a weak will comes into contact with them, they will immediately be overwhelmed by this negative torrent, losing their composure and even going mad.
This is precisely the greatest risk and difficulty in refining this Aggregated Soul Origin. It is not merely the absorption of energy, but also a contest of will and belief.
But Lin Ming's words, his clear vow of revenge and his firm goal, were like a ray of light illuminating their dark world, giving them a direction, a goal, and a place to belong.