The Soul Hall Again

Deep within the central mountain range of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, near the border of the Chu Yun Empire, the Tier 6 Magical Beasts that usually roared through the forests were now huddled in their caves, not daring to show their heads as they let the fierce, oppressive aura from the sky wash over them.

"Yun Yun! I will say this one more time! Move aside!"

The Dou Emperor from the Chu Yun Empire, his face patterned with markings and his body draped in purple robes, let out a thunderous shout as streaks of foul-smelling Dou Qi shot out, aimed directly at the blue-robed figure.

"Wind Rises in the Mountain Forest!"

Yun Yun did not bother to reply; endless gale-force winds surged from the mountain forests, blocking the streaks of poisonous Dou Qi before transforming into layers of wind blades to obstruct the path of the Chu Yun Empire group.

The purple-robed Dou Emperor's expression turned ugly. Yun Yun was not engaging them in a direct confrontation; she was simply relying on the agility and speed of her wind-attribute powers to constantly interfere with their advance.

"Forget it, charge through!"

They knew that if they delayed any longer, they would never escape. Yun Yun's actions were nothing more than a stalling tactic to wait for reinforcements from the Jia Ma Empire!

Enduring the obstruction, the group forced their way across the center of the Magical Beast Mountain Range toward the border of the Chu Yun Empire, even as several new wounds appeared on their bodies.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Another crisp, explosive shout rang out as a wave of Qing Huo arced across the sky, detonating a massive crater in the mountains and forcibly halting the progress of the Chu Yun Empire group.

"Hand over my father!"

Xiao Yan's furious roar echoed through the mountains. The group from the Chu Yun Empire looked up to see a pair of broad purple-fire wings vibrating slightly beneath a suit of pale green fire armor, his youthful, delicate face burning with rage.

"Do not get entangled in a fight. As long as we return to the territory of the Chu Yun Empire, if they dare to strike, it will be an act of war!"

The purple-robed Dou Emperor whispered, then, without making a move, he headed toward the Chu Yun border at full speed!

Seeing the trio of Dou Emperors fleeing despite their superior numbers, Xiao Yan was stunned for only a moment before his Purple Cloud Wings vibrated rapidly, chasing after the people from the Chu Yun Empire.

"Fire Blowing Palm!"

A line of fire shot from Xiao Yan's palm, expanding in the wind into a wall of flame that finally intercepted them.

"Heavenly Flame?"

"So it was you who killed Li Shan and the others!"

The Dou Emperor wearing the floral plume recognized the Heavenly Flame blocking their path, noting that its aura was identical to the one left behind in the desert, and immediately confirmed that it was Xiao Yan who had killed the Chu Yun Dou Emperor.

At this moment, the enraged Xiao Yan cared nothing for Li San or Li Si; he only wanted to find his father.

"Hand over my father!"

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth. If not for Yao Lao constantly soothing his mind with soul power, he would have already unleashed the Flame Splitting Wave-Devouring Ruler!

"Your father?"

The Hua Ling Dou Emperor suddenly realized something.

"That trash Dou Grandmaster is your father, then..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I told him to hand over the item, but he refused to the end. Even when I broke his four limbs, he didn't let out a single scream. I ended up throwing him off the cliff myself. From such a height, I imagine there's nothing left of him but bones!"

"If the Wutan City garrison hadn't arrived so quickly, I would have slaughtered your entire family, down to the dogs, before searching at my leisure..."

"Flame Splitting Wave-Devouring Ruler!"

The furious Xiao Yan raised his ruler to unleash the strongest Dou technique he had mastered, then, disregarding the cost, he prepared to manifest the Heavenly Flame by hand, but was ultimately forcibly restrained by Yao Lao.

"Calm yourself. Your father is not yet dead, and these three Dou Emperors are not opponents you can handle alone. This master will give you a hand!"

Faint mist swirled upward as the Purple Cloud Wings spread and bone-chilling white flames flickered. "Xiao Yan" stood abruptly in mid-air, the Purple Cloud Wings hanging behind him like mere ornaments, making it appear as if he were walking on air!

"A Dou Emperor? No! It's a Dou Ancestor!"

Before the Hua Ling Dou Emperor could react, the white-clad figure had already arrived behind him, kicking him high into the sky in front of everyone.

"Seal!"

As if knowing that Xiao Yan longed to kill this man, Yao Lao changed the seals in his hands, and the Bone Chilling Flame darted forward, sinking into the body of the Hua Ling Dou Emperor.

"Sword Falling Galaxy!"

Yun Yun also struck with her sword, pulling the purple-robed Dou Emperor into the fray as countless wind-attribute Dou Qi blades swept through the air, forcing the others back.

Xiao Yan, having regained control of his body, gave his Purple Cloud Wings a flap, and the Heavy Profound Ruler slammed into the Hua Ling Dou Emperor like a flyswatter.

"Having fun hitting people, aren't you! I'll let you hit, you bastard!"

Xiao Yan repeatedly swatted the Hua Ling Dou Emperor away, muttering to himself as his Dou Qi grew increasingly violent and a raging fire began to burn upon the Heavy Profound Ruler.

"Ah!"

Slamming the Hua Ling Dou Emperor heavily into the ground amidst the scorching flames, Xiao Yan knelt in mid-air and crashed down hard onto his body.

"Breaking limbs, were you?!"

"Burning my Xiao Clan, were you?!"

"..."

With every punch Xiao Yan threw, he let out a roar, snapping the bones of the Hua Ling Dou Emperor's limbs one by one, before finally delivering a final blow to his Dantian cyclone.

"Eight Extremities Collapse!"

"Explode!"

The ground finally gave way, unable to bear the pressure any longer. Deep fissures spiderwebbed across the surface as blood splattered in all directions. With the dissipation of the surging Dou Qi, Yao Lao's seal shattered, finally granting Hua Ling the freedom to move. However, her meridians were severed throughout her body, leaving her unable to even utter a single word.

Xiao Yan, his inner rage finally subsiding, let out a long breath. Ignoring Hua Ling, who was now drawing more air than she was exhaling, he looked up at the fleeing members of the Chu Yun Empire but showed no intention of giving chase.

Taking advantage of the moment Yun Yun and Xiao Yan were held up, the last remaining Dou Emperor led the remnants of their squad toward the distance.

"This path is closed!"

Yun Zimo stepped slowly from behind a tree, a smile on his face as he raised his sword and gestured. The elders of the Misty Cloud Sect and the disciples of the Law Enforcement Team swarmed out from the forest, surrounding them.

Beyond the forest at the border, Jia Xingtian, who had long since arrived to oversee the area, stood with his hands behind his back. Rows of armored soldiers holding crossbows stared silently into the forest and toward the border beyond.

Should anyone from the Chu Yun Empire dare to show their heads, the specially crafted, cold-glinting bolts would undoubtedly rain down upon them in an overwhelming deluge.

"We have been waiting for you for a long time!"

"Oh? Isn't this Yi Lanfen, Sect Leader of the Lanyi Sect from the Chu Yun Empire? What brings you into the territory of our Jia Ma Empire?"

A folding fan appeared in Jia Xingtian's hand. He fanned himself with a feigned air of sophistication before snapping it shut.

He simply couldn't pull off this kind of pretentious refinement!

"Jia Xingtian, to bring the Imperial City Blood Guard just to intercept us—you really do think highly of us!"

With Jia Xingtian in front and Yun Zimo behind, Yi Lanfen felt the sheer power of their Dou Qi, which far surpassed his own. Gritting his teeth, he slammed his palms against the ground. All the subordinates from the Chu Yun Empire under his command were suddenly propelled uncontrollably toward the flanks, where they detonated with a thunderous boom.

As a mist of blood and toxic gas filled the air, Jia Xingtian and Yun Zimo led their own men to retreat and evade the blast.

"How ruthless!"

Jia Xingtian expelled a burst of Dou Qi from his palms, dispersing the sky-filling poisonous blood mist. He couldn't help but feel an even deeper disgust for these cold-blooded, heartless wretches.

"Trying to run?!"

Yun Zimo's sword Qi streaked across the sky, pinning Yi Lanfen—who had been attempting to flee through the blood mist—out of the air. Countless strands of soul sword intent rained down like starlight, tearing into Yi Lanfen's body.

He had become increasingly adept at utilizing sword Qi and soul sword intent, though he had grown quite lax in his use of standard Dou Qi and Dou techniques.

"The weaknesses of these poison masters are far too glaring. They cultivate poison but neglect their bodies; their acquired poison Dou Qi corrodes their innate essence, and their souls are weak and flawed. They possess the rank of Dou Emperor but cannot unleash the true strength of one..."

Yun Zimo murmured softly. The Chu Yun Empire had many Dou Emperors, but most were merely half-baked goods like this. He could take on ten such Dou Emperors at once. Now that he was pinned by the soul sword intent, unable to manifest his techniques, he was effectively crippled.

"Little Yanzi?"

Yun Zimo looked at the figure stepping through the air with surprise. Why was he running into Xiao Yan here again?

"Wutan City? Did something happen to the Xiao Clan?!"

Yun Zimo recalled the urgent distress signal from the City Lord of Wutan City and understood everything in an instant.

"Brother Yun, Elder Jia."

Xiao Yan and Yun Yun emerged from the forest together. Each of them held a Dou Emperor in their grasp, though the one in Xiao Yan's hand was little more than a pile of mush. Yet, thanks to the tenacious vitality of a Dou Emperor, the man had not yet perished.

"Speak. Who sent you to the Jia Ma Empire? Counting the two in the desert, you have already lost five Dou Emperors."

Jia Xingtian felt his mood improve significantly at the thought. Even with the Chu Yun Empire's abundance of sects, losing five Dou Emperors would surely be a painful blow...

These cold-blooded, heartless poison masters clearly lacked any shred of integrity; they spilled the name of the mastermind in one breath. As they did, the expressions of Jia Xingtian, Yun Zimo, and Xiao Yan turned grim in an instant.

"It's... the Soul Hall again!"