He Is Definitely Not a Dou Sheng!

"A tough nut to crack, aren't you?" Zhang Nian couldn't help but smile. How could someone who had cultivated to the realm of a Dou Ancestor not value their own life? Unless, of course, there was something even more terrifying backing them. At this stage, the only Dou Ancestor-level experts he could imagine appearing in the Jia Ma Empire...

Hmm!

That's right!

Watching the wisps of black energy rising from Protector Wu, Zhang Nian reached his own conclusion: the person before him was a member of the Soul Hall. As for exactly who, it was hard to say, but it didn't matter. For a Dou Ancestor to crash into his barrier like this, it could only mean one thing: there was another presence nearby, one even more powerful!

Thinking this, he turned to gaze at the forest. A faint ripple of spatial power emanated from his body, and the space around Zhang Nian became illusory. Hall Master Mo, hiding in the shadows, realized the other party must have sensed something. He didn't hesitate to turn and leave, but before doing so, he had already made a judgment: this person was definitely not a Dou Sheng!

Because Zhang Nian's awareness of his presence was merely based on his own speculation—or rather, through the spatial lock on Protector Wu—and he hadn't actually perceived his true location. A cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth. Since he wasn't a Dou Sheng, everything became much easier to handle. The Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame was not something a mere Dou Zun should covet.

However, upon closer reflection, the power that flame had displayed at the very beginning was truly heaven-defying, yet it had become extremely weak afterward. It seemed as if that Dou Zun had deliberately suppressed the flame's power. Could it be to keep him alive?

"Heh, I suppose Protector Wu knows the rules. Falling into the hands of an enemy means death at worst, but if he dares to betray the Soul Hall, he'll suffer a fate worse than death to the ends of the earth!"

He muttered these sinister words, his figure flickering like a ghost before vanishing completely from this patch of heaven and earth.

On the other side, no matter how Zhang Nian inspected the area, he couldn't find a single clue. Unfortunately, his soul perception was his weakest point at the moment, so he simply gave up on searching. Relying on the unique nature of his barrier, he figured that even if Hun Tiandi came himself, he shouldn't be able to do anything to him.

He turned his gaze toward Protector Wu and waved his hand gently, lifting the barrier's restraint on him while simultaneously withdrawing all the Nanming Li Fire from his body.

The feeling of going from hell to heaven was truly wonderful. In just a moment, the painful expression on Protector Wu's face vanished, replaced by a sense of relief. But it lasted only for an instant; as if he had seen through something, he shouted in a low voice at Zhang Nian:

"Kill me! I don't want to live anymore!"

In fact, Zhang Nian had been even more ruthless. While lifting all the restraints on Protector Wu, he had also conveniently severed the man's connection to his Dou Qi. At this moment, other than being able to speak and run, Protector Wu was no different from an ordinary person. This was the absolute suppression brought about by a disparity in cultivation.

"You're from the Soul Hall, aren't you? I have no grudges with the Soul Hall. Why must I be bullied by small fries like you just because I hid in this backwater place?" Although his words were calm, they were piercing. Zhang Nian's gaze was sharp, and the aura of a three-star Dou Zun erupted from his body, pressing directly toward Protector Wu's face.

With just a single look, cold sweat drenched the man's back. A faint killing intent enveloped him without warning. The sensation was like needles on his back, making him incredibly uncomfortable. Yet, thinking of the Soul Hall's torturous methods, Protector Wu still stubbornly shouted:

"Words are useless. Now that you are the butcher and I am the fish, if you say I'm from the Soul Hall, then I am. If you're happy, you could even call me your son and I wouldn't say a word."

What a slippery response. Zhang Nian was truly amused to the point of anger. Give you an inch and you take a mile?

He flicked two fingers, and a milky-white flame leaped up, igniting with a whoosh. With another flick, the flame, like a mischievous child, spun in the air and vanished, sinking into Protector Wu's body the moment it made contact.

In just a single breath, the intensity spiked. One had to know that the Fallen Heart Flame naturally had the effect of burning the soul, and the Nanming Li Fire possessed a similar, if not stronger, trait. If the Fallen Heart Flame burned, then the Nanming Li Fire purified—naturally, it purified toward the direction of dissolution.

"Ah~"

The shrill, miserable screams were incessant. No one could endure such pain, let alone a member of the Soul Hall who was already a soul entity. Protector Wu's body was visibly disappearing; first his feet, then his calves, slowly moving upward. The speed gradually slowed down, as if Zhang Nian were deliberately dragging it out.

"You... you are truly vicious! Kill me! Give me a quick death, I won't say anything!"

Protector Wu's voice was filled with both agony and a hint of ferocity, as if he wanted to provoke Zhang Nian's anger to achieve his goal of a quick death.

With a contemptuous smile, he retorted, "Oh? You seem very eager to die. Don't worry, I have medicine to repair the soul. When the time comes, I'll patch you back up, and you can endure this body-forging pain every single day. No, wait—soul-forging pain, that is~"

"Did I ask you to come to my doorstep and bark?"

A chill struck his heart. He had truly underestimated the decisiveness and cruelty of a powerhouse. But what could he do now? To speak was a fate worse than death, and to remain silent was also a fate worse than death. It seemed that speaking might at least lead to a more comfortable end...

Thinking this, Protector Wu chose to become a traitor before his death. He was alone, with no attachments, and no longer sought to live. To die quickly and cleanly would make this trip worth it.

"You guessed right, I am indeed from the Soul Hall. It's just that my superiors ordered me to make contact with the strongest forces in the Jia Ma Empire to facilitate the next phase of our operations. I never expected that such a small empire in the Northwest would harbor a Dou Sheng..."

At this point, Protector Wu paused. Thinking of Hall Master Mo's ugly face, he felt a chill and no longer hid anything, blurting out, "The one who came with me is the Hall Master of the Soul Hall's branch in the Northwest region of the continent. As for the reason we came..."

Protector Wu turned his head to look at the eerie, milky-white flame suspended above the barrier in the sky. With just this glance, Zhang Nian understood completely. Milky-white, such terrifying power—it was undoubtedly a Heavenly Flame. The only one that could make them speculate like this was the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, ranked third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. So that was what they were after?

In other words, his earlier guess was correct: there was indeed another person hiding in that forest. It was truly a headache. He had been negligent; he hadn't expected the Soul Hall to notice his existence so quickly...