"Whoosh~"
A mass of black mist slowly coalesced above the main seat. The newcomer was Hun Miesheng, the Soul Hall Master and a mid-stage Four-Star Dou Sheng Expert. In a distant era, he had once led his subordinates in slaughtering dozens of sects in a single night. Five experts at the peak of Two-Star Dou Sheng had fallen at his hands. That battle had made his name resound across the land and established the Soul Hall as the undisputed ruler of the Central Plains. Even Pill Tower did not dare confront it lightly.
He had ended his seclusion early this time because his subordinates had sent word from the northwest of the continent. They had discovered the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, ranked third on the Heavenly Flame List. This was no ordinary flame. The Soul Clan controlled Nihility Devouring Flame, ranked second. If they could also claim the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, their strength would rise another level. The last person to possess it had been the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint, an expert from an even more distant age. How could that not tempt him?
If he could truly make this happen, his standing in the clan would surely rise another level.
"Come in. There's something interesting happening in the northwest. The branch hall master stationed there sent word from thousands of miles away: in a place called the Jia Ma Empire, on the Northwest Continent, they discovered the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, ranked third on the Heavenly Flame List."
"Good heavens..."
"The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame?"
"Hasn't that flame been absent from the continent for a thousand years?"
"Wasn't it hidden away by the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint? How did it end up on the Northwest Continent?"
The moment the four words "Purifying Lotus Demon Flame" were spoken, the hall erupted in discussion. Everyone knew what it meant. Back in the day, the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint had become a peerless expert who held sway over an entire region by relying on that flame.
"Let the branch hall master stationed on the Northwest Continent explain the details."
Hun Miesheng waved for Mo Ke, who stood at the back of the hall, to come forward and explain.
"Honored Heavenly Venerates... I am Mo Ke, the branch hall master of the Northwest Continent." He looked around at everyone. The moment he appeared, dozens of auras locked onto him, and he couldn't help feeling nervous. He hurriedly began, "Here's what happened. I was carrying out the plan from above, taking control of the core forces in several empires, when the Protector sent to the Jia Ma Empire suddenly returned and told me that there was a Dou Sheng Expert in that remote country."
A Dou Sheng?
At those words, several Heavenly Venerates' expressions changed. Someone at that level would not be easy to deal with, and the person's strength was still unknown. If they were a low-star Dou Sheng, that was one thing. But if they were high-star...
"However..." Mo Ke abruptly changed course, prompting most of those present to grow impatient. They had not gathered here to listen to a story.
"We didn't gather here to hear you tell stories. Get to the point!" Second Heavenly Venerate Gu You urged him on, his tone tinged with displeasure.
"Yes..." Mo Ke bowed in apology, then spoke faster. "I followed that Protector to the Jia Ma Empire and saw the place where the person claiming to be a Dou Sheng Expert was staying..."
"A Dou Sheng Expert can open up a space of their own. How could you, a Nine-Star Dou Zong, spy on one?" Fourth Heavenly Venerate Xue He pointed out. In his view, Mo Ke's account was full of holes. If that was the case, then the information was probably false, too. They might as well kill him and send someone else to the Northwest Continent.
"If that were the case, you'd be right. But that so-called Dou Sheng Expert hadn't opened up a space. Instead, he'd set up a spatial barrier outside his mountain gate. That was when I saw the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame standing above the barrier. The flame was milky white, so I assume that person took it before it had fully formed."
Mo Ke quickly recalled what he had seen and heard that day, then added:
"Oh, and I'd taken a pill that concealed my aura. I also had a treasure distributed by the Soul Hall to protect me from detection. If he really were a Dou Sheng Expert, I shouldn't have had any chance of returning alive... I risked my life to investigate, and I can confirm that person absolutely hasn't reached the Dou Sheng realm!"
After hearing him out, the Heavenly Venerates considered the matter in silence. If it was as Mo Ke said, then it made sense that this lucky Dou Zun expert had fled all the way to the distant Northwest Continent. The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame would bring endless pursuit down on him. Unless he could follow the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint's example, cultivate in seclusion, and emerge to make a name for himself once his strength had surged. In fact, that was exactly what the man had done—only, by a twist of fate, the Soul Hall had stumbled upon him.
"That does sound plausible."
"Indeed. But a Dou Zun without any backing has no business laying claim to that flame."
"We should still be cautious. The journey to the Northwest Continent is long, and the round trip will take a great deal of time. If we go, we should capture him in one trip. If we alert him and he escapes, things will be difficult."
As the voices below rose in discussion, Hun Miesheng, the Soul Hall Master, weighed the matter in his mind. Mo Ke's account offered no way to determine the man's true strength, but he probably hadn't reached the Dou Sheng level. Experts generally preferred quiet surroundings, and opening up a space was no difficult feat for a Dou Sheng Expert.
"Then Second Heavenly Venerate Gu You and Saint Hun Qing, you two will make the trip. Try to capture him alive. But if he'd rather die than surrender, destroy his body and bring back his soul."
Hun Miesheng's words settled the matter. A One-Star Dou Sheng and a Half-Saint should be able to capture the man, and the two of them would make the journey much faster. After all, Dou Sheng experts could open Spatial Wormholes, allowing them to shorten the distance between two places as much as possible.
That was exactly what Zhang Nian had done when he obtained the Dou Sheng Experience Card.
After receiving Hun Miesheng's orders, branch hall master Hun Qing opened a spatial passage. The two figures passed through the Spatial Wormhole and hurried toward the Jia Ma Empire on the Northwest Continent.
Meanwhile,
After a month of cultivation, Zhang Nian's strength had smoothly reached the early stage of Two-Star Dou Sheng. This was thanks to Cailin's nonstop cultivation every day, as well as the enormous returns from the pills he had given Yao Ye.
"Whew. Now I'm finally a proper Dou Sheng Expert. But to break through that final bottleneck, I'll need my soul to reach the Emperor Realm, as well as that incredibly precious strand of Source Qi of the Emperor..."
His thoughts turned to the Tuoshe Ancient God Cave. He had obtained one of the eight Ancient Jades, but the other clans were all tough opponents. It would still take time to open the treasure vault...
Wait!
Zhang Nian suddenly had an idea. If he gave his disciples high-grade pills and the return multiplier reached a certain level, wouldn't he get an Emperor Grade Pill in return? Why bother scheming to get into the Tuoshe Ancient God Cave? He could eat Emperor Grade Pills whenever he wanted!
[ Ding! ... ]
The familiar electronic chime rang out, and Zhang Nian immediately felt uneasy. That damn system—was it about to pull another stunt on him?
Before you continue