Conflict

Yan Yu, honored as an Elder of Spirit Hall, had been having a rough time lately. A few days ago, Niya came to him to discuss how to deal with the threat posed by Hals and Bibi Dong. At the time, he thought himself distinguished, different from those ordinary Elders—he was a core member of the Elder Hall. Surely, no matter what, Bibi Dong and Hals would show consideration for the Pope and wouldn't dare touch him. So, on a whim, he gave Niya a terrible idea: strike first.

Afterward, he felt some regret but didn't take it too seriously. Who would have thought that after just one night of meditation, everything would change completely?

The entire morning, the Elder's residence was disturbed by a clamor of noise.

As a Spirit Saint, Yan Yu didn't even need to listen closely; fragments of words like "murder," "Holy Maiden," "Niya," and "sentence" drifted through the wind. Individually, these words meant nothing, but strung together, Yan Yu easily deduced that Niya's matter had been exposed.

Yan Yu's face showed impatience, but his fingers tapped rapidly on the table. He could clearly hear his own heart pounding wildly.

Yan Yu clenched his left fist and pressed it hard against his left thigh, feeling a mix of shame and anger.

"Ha, ridiculous. How could I be afraid of those two little brats? I've eaten more salt than they've eaten rice. Afraid? Ha, laughable."

Yan Yu muttered to himself, his voice accidentally rising a bit before he quickly lowered it.

He didn't notice that his legs had started trembling uncontrollably.

A rapid series of knocks sounded at the door.

Yan Yu snapped out of his thoughts, jumping up in shock, staring nervously at the door.

When no one opened the door, the person outside didn't speak but kept knocking, the rhythm erratic.

Yan Yu suddenly felt a pang of panic. His heartbeat unconsciously synced with the knocking, speeding up and slowing down.

Yan Yu stumbled, quickly reaching out to steady himself on the table, then cautiously walked toward the door.

Just as he reached the door, the knocking abruptly stopped.

Yan Yu took a deep breath, held it, and said in a stern, serious tone:

"Who, who's knocking? It's too late. This Elder is already asleep. If there's something, come back tomorrow."

No one answered from outside. Yan Yu pressed his ear to the door, listened for a while, and after confirming there was no sound, carefully cracked it open.

Through the gap, he peered left and right. Seeing no one, he let out a long sigh of relief and closed the door.

Yan Yu leaned his head against the door, feeling his body go weak.

"What are you afraid of?" A hoarse, low voice suddenly came from behind him.

Yan Yu's hair stood on end, his scalp tingling.

He stiffly turned around to see a robed figure standing quietly by the table, gazing out the window.

"Ha, Hals..."

Beads of sweat rolled down one after another. Yan Yu felt an icy chill in his extremities.

Swallowing hard, Yan Yu forced himself to stay alert: "Hals, even if you're also an Elder, you have no right to barge into my room."

Hals slowly turned around, lifting his slightly bowed head. The blazing flames in his eyes seared Yan Yu's soul without pause.

"Also an Elder?" Hals let out a strange laugh. "Hehehe. You're no longer an Elder. From the moment you plotted against the Holy Maiden, you became a traitor to Spirit Hall."

Yan Yu's face turned pale, but he still put up a front:

"What do you mean, Hals? You can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you please."

The flames in Hals's eyes flickered, and a faint smirk curled beneath his hood:

"Still stubborn, huh? No matter. Once you're at my place, I'll make anyone spill all their secrets."

Hals cracked his wrists, his right hand already resting on the hook at his waist.

"You know, in my eyes, your bones are actually quite soft—far less than that little girl Niya. But even at my place, she only lasted two or three hours before giving in."

Sensing Hals's movement, Yan Yu's pupils shrank to pinpricks. His body remained still, but his mind raced.

So that little girl Niya has already confessed everything. What do I do, what do I do? I can't panic, I can't panic...

Judging by Hals's attitude, he's probably already received orders from the Pope. That means I can't stay in Spirit Hall anymore. At this point, the only way is to fight it out. He's a Spirit Saint, and so am I. He's strong, but I'm no pushover either. If I can't win, I can at least escape with my life...

With that thought, Yan Yu adjusted his mindset and shouted with bluster:

"Hals, I respect you as an Elder and didn't want to clash with you. But since you've insulted me time and again, for the sake of my dignity, I, Yan Yu, will fight you to the death!!"

Watching Yan Yu release his Martial Soul, with seven Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—floating behind him, his face red and neck bulging, Hals sneered disdainfully: "Heh, to the death? Do you even qualify?"

With his Soul Rings active, Yan Yu's tone grew much tougher:

"Not qualified? Hals, you're too arrogant. You may be a genius, but you're still just a seven-ring Spirit Saint, and so am I. I might not be able to take you down with me, but if I fight with my life on the line, you'll pay a heavy price too."

Hals finally laughed. He jerked his head up, the soul flames in his eyes blazing brightly. The Soul-Guiding Lantern had appeared in his hand, radiating brilliant light. Behind him, eight Soul Rings—yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red—exuded a terrifying pressure.

"E-eight rings!!"

Yan Yu could no longer keep his composure. His face twisted in horror, and his body went rigid under the shock of that final blood-red Soul Ring.

"T-ten thousand years!!!!"

Unable to bear the crushing pressure, Yan Yu's hand flashed with light. A long staff wrapped in several golden dragon reliefs appeared in his grip. His Soul Rings flickered, but instead of attacking Hals, he spun and smashed the staff against the wall.

"Boom!"

Dust swirled. Hals didn't rush to pursue. He leisurely stepped through the smoke and over the collapsed wall rubble, watching Yan Yu's retreating back. His first Soul Ring—a hundred-year ring, Soul Essence Enhancement—lit up for the first time in a while. Tiny green specks drifted from the Soul-Guiding Lantern into the hook in his hand. With a flash of light, Hals swung his arm and hurled the hook toward Yan Yu.

Hearing the sound of something cutting through the air behind him, Yan Yu felt the hairs on his back stand on end. Without hesitation, he swung his staff in a full arc to deflect the hook. At the same time, his Soul Rings flickered, and a golden light flashed. Yan Yu's Martial Soul, the Coiling Dragon Staff, suddenly doubled in both thickness and length.

Clang!

A crisp sound rang out. The green flames in Hals' eyes flickered a few times before returning to calm. This was the first time someone had blocked his hook.

But if he thought he could escape just like that, then Hals might as well die...

A faint, disdainful curl tugged at the corner of his mouth. The Second Soul Ring behind him flashed as he opened his mouth and let out a silent roar aimed at Yan Yu's frantically fleeing back—a self-created combination skill: Soul-Quelling Roar!

It was called "silent" because it targeted the soul directly; no sound would be emitted in the outside world.

Unable to spare a glance behind him, Yan Yu suddenly felt a deafening roar explode beside his ears.

Buzz buzz buzz...

Two streams of noseblood, like tiny creeks, flowed from his nostrils. Though his ears were physically unharmed, he could no longer hear any external sounds—only a constant ringing filled his head.

His qi flow disrupted, Yan Yu's steps faltered, and he tumbled forward, rolling across the ground.

Hals still showed no hurry, continuing to walk slowly.

Sprawled on the ground, Yan Yu's left leg was clearly twisted and deformed—one glance was enough to tell that the bone was shattered beyond repair.

Hah... hah...

Gasping for breath, Yan Yu clawed at the ground with both hands, dragging himself forward with all his strength. His eyes bulged, filled with nothing but terror.