Gu He's Defenses Crumble, Protector Yuan Grows Suspicious

A voice could be changed, and appearance could be altered, but the soul alone remained unchanged.

When Ji Changqing's soul entered the Blazing Banner.

Gu He and Liu Ling stopped talking.

The two stared blankly at Ji Changqing.

"Ha ha, Ji Changqing, you were killed too, and then your soul was captured in here?"

Ji Changqing silently looked at Liu Ling, who had said something so idiotic.

Liu Ling knew that was impossible.

He was merely deceiving himself.

"Ji Changqing..."

Gu He's illusory face suddenly became devoid of joy or sorrow.

He looked at Ji Changqing and calmly asked:

"So, you were the one who killed me tonight."

Ji Changqing nodded.

"Mm."

Liu Ling's soul suddenly fluctuated violently.

He shook his head in a daze, muttering without stop.

"Impossible... This is impossible..."

He had always considered himself a genius.

He had never thought highly of Ji Changqing, who bore the title of Yunlan Saint Son.

Yet today, he had learned that Ji Changqing was actually a supreme expert capable of killing his master, Gu He, in a single move.

This sudden and enormous sense of disparity nearly tore Liu Ling's soul apart.

Gu He was silent for a long while before rasping:

"You hid yourself deeply."

"You lurked within the Misty Cloud Sect. What exactly are you plotting?"

"What am I plotting?"

Ji Changqing smiled softly.

"Pill King, you think too highly of me."

"I merely wanted to stay peacefully in the sect, refine pills, cultivate, tease Junior Sister Yanran, and listen to Master Yun Yun nag."

"If Pill King hadn't said today that I should wait for you in the future, leaving me tossing and turning, unable to sleep."

"I wouldn't have done what I did today."

Ji Changqing's answer rendered Gu He completely silent.

He realized that he seemed never to have truly understood Ji Changqing.

That was right. In his eyes, Ji Changqing had merely been an ordinary Misty Cloud disciple. He had been too lazy to lower himself to understand him.

"Heh..."

A laugh suddenly escaped Gu He's lips.

The vast soul power of a Sixth-grade Alchemist abruptly spread out.

"Ji Changqing, I have no choice but to admire, even fear, your talent."

"But for a prodigy like you, arrogance and conceit are unavoidable flaws."

"Although I am far from your match in terms of Dou Qi cultivation, when it comes to soul power, you may not be stronger than me."

"For an alchemist, the soul is always their strongest means of attack."

Boom!

Vast soul power transformed into an invisible torrent that surged toward Ji Changqing.

Ji Changqing shook his head and sighed.

"It was my fault for leaving you with the impression that I was arrogant and conceited."

"I'll certainly pay attention to it in the future."

"But you said that I might not be stronger than you in soul power..."

"Heh."

Faced with the surging torrent of soul power, Ji Changqing stretched out his hand and made a grasping motion through the air.

In an instant, a muffled bang rang out. The seemingly terrifying torrent of soul power was annihilated within Ji Changqing's palm.

Gu He's eyes instantly widened, and he shrieked in disbelief:

"That's impossible!"

Yet what happened next made even his soul tremble.

The sound of waves gradually rose beneath Ji Changqing's feet.

One after another.

Like waves crashing against reefs.

Slowly...

Two strange flames, one pale white and the other deep crimson, burst forth from the waves.

The illusory waves became real. Soul waves of pale white and deep crimson surged and ebbed beneath Ji Changqing's feet, carrying an extremely scorching, destructive aura.

Gu He's eyes had gone completely dull, and a dreamlike murmur drifted from his mouth.

"Heavenly Flames... and two kinds of Heavenly Flames..."

"This kind of soul power, the Spirit Realm... Your soul has reached the Spirit Realm..."

"Ha ha ha ha, an Eighth-grade Alchemist. You're actually an Eighth-grade Alchemist, ha ha ha ha..."

Gu He's crazed laughter was swallowed by the waves of Heavenly Flames.

Ji Changqing also ignored Liu Ling's tearful pleas for mercy.

After clearing away every problem and leaving himself with no further worries, he returned to his room and slept soundly.

Over the past two days, Ji Changqing had lived very comfortably.

There were no longer any irritating disturbances.

Every day consisted of refining pills, cultivating, practicing Dou Skills with Yun Yun, and having one-on-one sparring matches with Junior Sister Yanran.

Though the days were dull, Ji Changqing liked them very much.

But on this day.

The sudden vibration of the Soul Hall Token shattered this rare tranquility.

Taking out the Soul Hall Token, he found that it was a private message from Protector Yuan.

[Protector Yuan (Heaven Tier): Wu Ying, I will arrive in the Jia Ma Empire in two days. Briefly tell me about the situation there first.]

Ji Changqing deliberated for a long time.

[Protector Wu (Earth Tier): Although the Jia Ma Empire is a small place, it is quite prosperous. There are countless families of all sizes. I am ashamed that I have failed to find the Xiao Family that meets the requirements.]

Protector Yuan replied quickly.

But upon seeing the words displayed on the token, Ji Changqing's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

[Protector Yuan (Heaven Tier): Hm? When you returned to Wanhun Mountain Range to deliver souls last time, didn't you say that you had secretly supported a sect and would soon make gains with that sect's help?]

Ji Changqing's expression changed.

Damn it!

Protector Yuan actually knew that Protector Wu had supported the Misty Cloud Sect?

How was he supposed to know that?!

Ji Changqing's thoughts raced.

He could not take too long to reply.

Otherwise, Protector Yuan would notice something unusual.

[Protector Wu (Earth Tier): Hmph, mentioning that sect makes me angry. I've raised a nest of trash. After all this time, they still haven't found the Xiao Family!]

This neither denied supporting a sect nor contradicted Protector Wu's arrogant persona.

After a while.

[Protector Yuan (Heaven Tier): No need to be impatient. Once I go there, I will naturally complete the task.]

Ji Changqing frowned tightly as he looked at this message.

Though Protector Yuan appeared not to be suspicious.

There was no guarantee of that.

This was far too unsafe.

There were only two days left. He needed to use the Enlightenment Tea leaves to cultivate the Great Sun Shattering Finger to major mastery, then thoroughly temper his soul power that had entered the Spirit Realm.

Only then could he face the hard battle two days later.

At the same time.

In a remote corner of the Dou Qi Continent.

Protector Yuan opened his eyes and casually placed the soul of a Sixth-grade Alchemist into a Soul-Collecting Bag. A trace of contemplation flashed through his eyes.

"Something feels strange."

"When Protector Yuan mentioned the force he had secretly supported to several of us Protectors last time, he sounded quite pleased with himself. He even specifically asked the venerable elder for a pill that could help him break through to the Dou Zong realm."

"A sect with a Dou Zong expert would definitely not be an ordinary force in a tiny place like the Jia Ma Empire."

"Protector Wu ordered a force with a Dou Zong expert to investigate the Xiao Family. It shouldn't be possible for them to have no news of the Xiao Family at all."

The more Protector Yuan thought about it, the more something felt wrong.

"It would be safer to find someone to scout the way."

He took out the token, found a familiar name, and injected a trace of soul power into it.

[Protector Yuan (Heaven Tier): Protector Liu, didn't you ask me to look after you...]