The old man not far away asked, "Mu Gu, what's wrong?"
"Venerable Qinghai, notify Zhaixing immediately. I've found someone the Hall Master is extremely interested in! Heh heh heh..." Old Man Mu Gu narrowed his eyes and let out a sinister cackle.
Venerable Qinghai was taken aback. "Who?"
"This person is not only a Peak Dou Zun renowned across the Dou Qi Continent, but also an extraordinary alchemist—my good senior brother... Yao Chen! He should be near Heaven Burial Ravine right now, refining pills!"
"Are you sure?"
"Heh heh. His aura could be faked, but the aura of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame can't be hidden!" Old Man Mu Gu said darkly.
Venerable Qinghai's eyes lit up. "If you can sense him, he must be nearby. Let's capture him together and present him to the Hall Master!"
"The two of us...?" Mu Gu froze.
Venerable Qinghai lowered his voice. "Are you really willing to spend your whole life beneath Old Ghost Zhaixing? With your strength and your status as an Eighth-Tier alchemist, you should be the Heavenly Venerable of this branch!"
"Old Ghost Zhaixing isn't here right now. This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity! If you wait until he comes back, you won't get another chance!" Venerable Qinghai continued to fan the flames.
Mu Gu didn't agree right away.
Back then, he had turned Han Feng against Yao Chen, then joined forces with Old Ghost Zhaixing to gravely wound Yao Chen, forcing him to blow up his physical body and flee.
In the end, the Hall Master hadn't rewarded him at all. Old Ghost Zhaixing had taken all the benefits!
Now, he had a chance...
Mu Gu's eyes hardened. "Fine. Let's go!"
The two set off at once.
When they arrived, they were stunned to find the surrounding mountaintops already packed with people. Greed burned in everyone's eyes!
There were plenty of magical beasts, too.
Mu Gu looked toward the mountaintop, where the aura of Heavenly Flames and the fragrance of pills were strongest. Sure enough, he saw that familiar figure!
"Yao Chen, oh, Yao Chen, my good senior brother. You never saw this coming, did you? I was destined to be your nemesis!"
"After searching high and low, it took no effort at all! I can't believe that old geezer came right to us!"
Venerable Qinghai licked his lips, a surge of killing intent rising within him.
"Let's attack together!"
"Don't rush. He's probably refining a high-grade pill. We'll strike once he's finished."
Venerable Qinghai stopped Mu Gu.
"Yao Chen is yours. I want the pill!"
"Deal!"
The two joined forces to set up a barrier around the area.
They wanted to keep anyone else from finding out!
On the mountaintop,
Yao Chen sensed Mu Gu's arrival, too!
As he recalled what had happened all those years ago, his hands, controlling the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, trembled uncontrollably.
"Mu Gu!!"
Yao Chen's voice, brimming with hatred, echoed through the valley!
Mu Gu wasn't surprised that he'd been discovered. He appeared openly in the air above Yao Chen!
"Heh heh heh, Yao Chen, my good senior brother. It's been nearly a century—how I've missed you! Have you missed me?"
Yao Chen glared at Mu Gu, his hatred overflowing.
At the same time, he was startled.
"Why are you here?!"
Mu Gu let out a sinister cackle. "I'm here to capture you, of course!"
"You think you can?"
"At Peak Dou Zong, if another guardian had come, they might not have been able to handle you! But with your strength now, you're no threat to me!"
Just then—
Rumble!
Rumble!
The thunderclouds began to churn violently overhead, and bolts of lightning darted through the clouds like serpents!
The fragrance emanating from the pill grew stronger and stronger!
A sign that the pill was complete!
"Attack!"
Mu Gu and Venerable Qinghai sprang into action.
Venerable Qinghai charged into the crowd, slaughtering everyone who tried to take advantage of the chaos and snatch the pill from him!
He even used Soul Hall's secret art to collect all their spirit bodies.
Mu Gu charged straight at Yao Chen. "Senior Brother Yao Chen, join Soul Hall! Then we can keep being senior and junior brothers!"
"Dream on!"
Knowing that he was no match in his current state, Yao Chen immediately retreated.
He didn't even bother with the pill he had just finished refining.
Mu Gu flashed behind Yao Chen. Surging Dou Qi gathered in his palm as he curled his hand into a claw and reached for him!
"Senior Brother, don't waste your strength. We've sealed off this whole area! You can't escape with your strength!"
Just as Mu Gu's hand was about to land on Yao Chen,
he suddenly noticed that Yao Chen wasn't the slightest bit panicked. Instead, he wore a meaningful, cold smile.
Had he been scared stupid?!
The next moment,
a terrifying force suddenly surged toward Mu Gu like a tsunami.
In an instant, it blew his arm to pieces!
"Argh!" Mu Gu cried out in pain.
"Th-this is a Four-Star Dou Zun?! Damn it! We've been tricked!"
Venerable Qinghai realized what was happening and turned to flee.
But...
it was too late!
A massive hand descended from the sky!
Bang!
Like swatting a fly, it slapped Venerable Qinghai into a cloud of blood right there in midair!
His soul tried to escape!
But a terrifying suction force dragged it into a spatial rift.
A faint voice came from within.
"You want to capture Yao Chen? Did you even ask me?"
"Y-you! Who are you? How dare you steal someone from Soul Hall? Do you have a death wish?!"
"Soul Hall? Is it really that impressive?!"
Mu Gu's heart jolted. He immediately crushed a communication jade slip to alert Old Ghost Zhaixing!
The signal had barely gone out
when a massive, dark-gray hand seized Mu Gu.
"Argh!!"
As the giant hand clenched tighter, Mu Gu let out a scream like a slaughtered pig!
His bones and sinews were crushed to pieces, but he was still alive.
Bang!
Xiao Xuan casually tossed Mu Gu's corpse down in front of Yao Chen.
Yao Chen knew this was Xiao Xuan giving him the chance to take revenge!
Yao Chen walked toward Mu Gu.
Mu Gu lay sprawled on the ground like a heap of mud.
He trembled as he begged for mercy.
"Yao Chen... Senior Brother Yao Chen, we're fellow disciples! Give me a chance. I... I want to be a good person. I swear I'll mend my ways. Please, give me a chance. I know I was wrong..."
"You know you were wrong? Heh. You're just afraid to die!"
A wisp of pale, ghostly flame appeared in Yao Chen's hand.
Whoosh!
The pale flame swallowed Mu Gu in an instant.
Mu Gu immediately detonated his physical body, intending to escape as a soul.
But Xiao Xuan swallowed him directly with the Devouring Method!
Then he looked ahead.
"Since you're here, why hide your face?"
"Heh heh. Yao Chen, you actually conspired with an outsider to kill a venerable of my Hun Clan! You really don't know when to quit!"
The space ahead twisted violently.
Then a black chain emerged from the void!
An old man in gray-white robes stepped onto the chain and rode it through the air!
"Old Ghost Zhaixing!"
Yao Chen gritted his teeth as he stared at the old man before him.
"Heh. So you found yourself a Four-Star Dou Zun bodyguard. No wonder you're so brazen!"
Old Ghost Zhaixing gave a faint smile.
He looked at Xiao Xuan and realized he didn't recognize him.
Then he smiled and said,
"Your strength is pretty good. If you're willing to join my Soul Hall branch, I'll grant you the position of Venerable. I'll even overlook the fact that you killed one of my Soul Hall's venerables. What do you say?"
Before you continue