Blood Soul Guide Ignited a Terrifying Transformation; Clues to the Ancient Hall's Secret Realm Emerge

At the heart of the oasis, a hidden stone chamber seemed sealed off by an invisible barrier, shutting out the clamor and turmoil of the outside world and the scorching, arid air. The dense spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed like nimble sprites, guided skillfully by an intricate Spirit Gathering Formation until it gathered into pale white mist visible to the naked eye. Light and ethereal, the mist drifted like a babbling stream through the chamber, lending the space an air of mystery and serenity.

Yet Xiao Zhan, seated cross-legged atop the stone platform, seemed shrouded in a lingering gloom that pressed down on him until it was hard to breathe. His eyes were tightly shut, like two doors closed against the world, barring all outside distractions; his brow furrowed slightly, as if countless thoughts were tangled within. His entire mind was submerged in his body, becoming a razor-sharp scalpel with which he repeatedly "cut" at the barely perceptible dark-red mark on the edge of his Soul Origin Imprint. That was the dreaded Blood Soul Guide.

The mark was so tiny it was like a speck of dust, almost impossible to detect without a painstaking search. Yet it clung like a stubborn maggot burrowed into the bone, adhering to the deepest edge of the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Imprint, as if it had taken root there and could not be budged. It gave off no energy fluctuations and not the faintest trace of aura, as silent as a demon sleeping in the abyss. And yet, like a cold, malicious eye, it watched everything without a sound, continuously projecting Xiao Zhan's location into some terrifying place deep in the endless void. Each time Xiao Zhan's soul power swept over it, it felt as though the most foul, icy needle had stabbed him, bringing a chill of revulsion from the depths of his soul and making him shudder.

"The Soul Hall's secret art... truly bizarre and tenacious!" Xiao Zhan muttered inwardly, his words steeped in a fury hot enough to burn the heavens and boil the seas, like a volcano on the verge of eruption. Without hesitation, he pushed the power of his Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi and Green Lotus Core Flame to its limit. The two forces melded together, forming the finest strands of crimson-gold and emerald fire. Like nimble ribbons, the flames cautiously seared and wound around the dark-red mark, trying to peel it from the edge of his Soul Origin Imprint, as a doctor might try to remove a deadly tumor from a patient's body. There was no room for the slightest mistake.

"Hiss... hiss..." A faint sound of dissolution, almost too subtle to hear, arose in the depths of his soul, like a soft yet chilling whisper in the night wind. Under the dual refinement of the crimson-gold and emerald flames—the power of Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi and the Green Lotus Core Flame—the mark's edges seemed to fade ever so slightly, like thick ink slowly spreading through clear water. Yet an invisible force bound it in place, keeping it from fading any further.

At the mark's very core, however, the deepest red glimmer was as stubborn as a poisonous thorn embedded in the marrow. No matter how fiercely the twin flames raged and burned, it remained motionless, as if it were an unshakable law of this soul-world. Each lick and sear of the flames felt like a brutal incision into the depths of Xiao Zhan's soul, bringing tearing pain that surged over him like a tide. Fine beads of cold sweat broke out at his temples, glistening like morning dew on blades of grass.

[Blood Soul Guide corrosion: 0.01%... Corrosion core cannot be shaken... Forced removal will severely damage the Soul Origin!] The system's warning was cold and merciless, like the bitter winter wind, striking straight into Xiao Zhan's heart. It held not a trace of emotion, yet carried unquestionable authority, leaving him no choice but to face the cruel reality.

Xiao Zhan slowly withdrew his power, like a battle-worn warrior catching his breath between fights. He exhaled a breath of hot, stale air, as if venting the anger and helplessness within him. His deep eyes opened slowly, flashing like lightning, as though they could pierce through the world's illusions and darkness. He understood that there was no hope of forcibly removing the Blood Soul Guide in the short term. This mark, clinging like a bone-deep parasite, was the Soul Hall's declaration that it would pursue him to the death—a struggle destined to be long and grueling. He had to prepare for the worst, like building a sturdy dam before the storm struck.

The Seven-Colored Little Snake on his wrist seemed to sense his agitation and killing intent. Its slender body curled around him like a nimble ribbon, bringing its cool, smooth scales gently against his skin. The faint purple in its eyes held a hint of innocent comfort, like a child who knew nothing of the world trying to soothe a wounded adult with what little it could offer. It rubbed its little head against his finger, a tender, warm gesture like a soft spring breeze brushing across his heart.

"Don't worry. If they dare come here, I'll bury them beneath these endless sands." Xiao Zhan's fingertip brushed gently over the snake's cool scales. His low voice was firm with absolute resolve, like a roar from the abyss or a heavy hammer striking the drum of fate. With that, he flipped his hand and took out the black Storage Ring left behind by Protector Wu after his death. It was like a mysterious black star, giving off a cold aura. Xiao Zhan sent his soul power surging into it, like a razor-sharp blade, and forcibly broke through the lingering soul-power seal. Under the impact, the seal shattered like a fragile sheet of ice.

The Storage Ring's space was not large, yet it seemed like a gloomy ghost realm, filled with such dense, icy soul energy that it might as well have been black mist slowly roiling through the air. Xiao Zhan's gaze swept over piles of sinister materials, each an odd shape and reeking of putrid rot; broken soul banners, their surfaces crowded with ghostly shadows that seemed to writhe and shriek; and several scrolls of Soul Hall secret arts, lying in a corner and giving off ominous fluctuations like demons sleeping until the moment they awoke. At last, his eyes settled on a completely black token of ancient design. Countless anguished faces were carved into its surface, twisted and hideous, as if crying out their endless pain and hatred. This was the Soul Hall Protector Token!

As soon as the token touched his hand, a heavy chill ran from his fingertips, as though countless vengeful souls were screaming and struggling soundlessly against his fingers. Their cries seemed to come from the depths of the underworld, raising the hairs on his neck. On the back, a name had been engraved in twisted ancient script: Saint Gu You. The name seemed to carry an unseen power, and an aura a hundred times more terrifying than Protector Wu's seeped from the token like a cold current rising from the depths of the underworld. The mere invisible pressure of that name sent the chamber's temperature plummeting, as if the warm spring day had instantly turned into a freezing cellar. Even the spiritual energy drawn by the Spirit Gathering Formation seemed to congeal under that pressure, and the entire chamber fell into dead silence.

"Gu You... Saint?!" Xiao Zhan's eyes flew wide, his pupils contracting like two stars suddenly drawn tight. A Saint! That was a true core figure of the Soul Hall, towering above the Venerable Elders and already having reached the rank of Dou Sheng—a terrifying realm that countless powerful fighters could only look up to!

Thinking back to Protector Wu's vicious curse before his death, Xiao Zhan finally understood its horrifying source. The Blood Soul Guide was like an invisible, evil thread connecting directly to a Saint's perception, as though a pair of cold, terrifying eyes watched him through it from the darkness.

An unprecedented weight bore down on Xiao Zhan's heart like an invisible mountain, crashing onto him with the force of an avalanche. The gap between a Dou Zong and a Dou Sheng was like an unbridgeable divide in the vast cosmos, or an unfathomable chasm that inspired dread at the mere sight of it. If Saint Gu You truly fixed his gaze on him, what kind of catastrophe would follow...

Yet Xiao Zhan slowly clenched the token in his hand, his knuckles paling from the force, as if he could gather all his strength in that one grip. But an even fiercer, more reckless flame blazed in his eyes, like a volcano on the verge of eruption, burning with an unyielding will and boundless fighting spirit.

"So what if you're a Dou Sheng... If you want my life, Xiao Zhan, you'll have to break every tooth in your mouth to get it!" he muttered. Though his voice was low, it was the roar of a wounded lone wolf cornered with nowhere to run, full of defiance and fearlessness. With that, he carefully put the token away. To him, it was both a death warrant and a source of vital intelligence, like a ray of light in the darkness.

Meanwhile, at the oasis's northwestern edge lay the ruins of an ancient Snake-People altar, battered and pitted by merciless wind and sand. Its broken walls stood silently amid the shifting sands, as though recounting its past splendor and present desolation, like an old man who had weathered the ages, keeping lonely vigil in the river of time.

Xiao Yan stood alone beside the ruined altar's foundation. All around him was silence and desolation; only the weatherworn base remained, silently recounting its ancient mystery and the passage of time. The black, old-fashioned ring on his left index finger radiated a faint but steady warmth, throbbing like a heartbeat and transmitting a mysterious, unknown power with every pulse.

Two Bronze Fragments rested in his palm. The broken edges seemed to answer one another, like long-lost brothers joined by an inexplicable bond. He had found one by chance in a mysterious cave; the other he had painstakingly dug out of these ruins.

"Teacher... can you feel the power contained in these fragments?" Xiao Yan whispered inwardly, his gaze burning as if he could see right through their secrets. Nourished by the fragments' pure energy, Yao Lao's slumbering soul-light remained faint, like a star about to go out in the night sky, but it was much steadier than before, like a guttering candle shielded from the wind. At last, it had a little peace and hope.

With reverence and anticipation, he carefully tried to fit the two fragments together. The instant their broken edges drew near—

Hum—!!!

A sudden change struck again!

As if awakened by some mysterious force, the two fragments erupted with a dark-golden radiance ten times brighter than before! Rather than scattering in all directions as usual, the light flowed like a living thing, meeting and merging in midair. Countless dark-golden runes, fine as gnats and staggeringly complex, rose from the fragments' surfaces like sprites roused from slumber. They danced lightly through the radiance, constantly rearranging and weaving themselves into one mysterious, ancient pattern after another.

In an instant, a far grander and clearer fragment of an image, along with a flood of jumbled, vast information fragments as chaotic as tangled threads and as boundless as the sea, crashed into Xiao Yan's mind like a raging torrent!

"Ugh!" Xiao Yan couldn't help groaning. His head felt as if it were splitting apart, as though countless steel needles were churning wildly inside it. His body staggered backward beyond his control, and he clutched his head in both hands, his knuckles whitening from the force, as if he could shield his skull from the overwhelming impact.

This time, what appeared in his mind was no longer a broken corner of a gateway or hall. Instead, he saw a far more magnificent, ancient, and mysterious scene:

In the boundless chaos of the void, an enormous hall floated in silence, too vast to be described in words. The entire hall was cast from dark, weathered bronze, and it gave off an ancient, desolate air. Its style was so old and primordial that it could not have been made in the human world, as if it had come from a distant age of antiquity, bearing the weight of countless years.

The hall was covered in dreadful scars left by blades and axes, as well as raging flames. Great cracks cut across it like wounds in the earth, shocking to behold. The shape of one crack faintly matched the joined edges of the two fragments in his hands, as if the fragments had once been part of the hall before some great calamity had torn them away.

The stars around the hall were shattered, and the laws of nature were warped. It seemed to have endured a world-shaking battle, with unimaginable traces of combat still lingering. Each scar was like a wound carved by time, telling of the tragedy and courage of the battle long past. A fragment of a vast will, spanning the ages and suppressing the heavens, slammed into his soul like an invisible giant hammer, carrying the power to destroy the world. He could barely withstand it.

"Pfft!" Xiao Yan could no longer bear the crushing pressure. A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the scorching sand, where the heat instantly evaporated it and left a dark-red stain. His face was as pale as paper, without a trace of color. It felt as if the horrific scene and the flood of information would burst his soul, and his entire body tottered on the brink of collapse.

The two fragments flew from his hands as his mind spiraled out of control. Their dark-golden radiance dimmed at once, as if they had lost all their power, and they fell heavily onto the sand.

Yet just as the light was about to go out completely, flickering like a candle in the wind—

Hum...!

An enormous but extremely faint image of a Bronze Great Hall appeared before Xiao Yan, as real as if he could reach out and touch it. Like a mirage, it flickered into existence above the horizon deep in the vast desert, then vanished in an instant! Its shadow spread across a vast area, like an invisible cloud blotting out half the sky. At its core, it pointed toward a mysterious region farther into the desert, a place Xiao Yan had never heard of, hidden like a secret behind the mist!

The image lasted only a brief instant, yet it carved an indelible mark into the depths of Xiao Yan's mind, still muddled from the dizziness, like the stroke of the sharpest knife.

"Ancient hall... projection... that way..." Xiao Yan fought through the tearing pain in his soul and the dizzying sensation that made the world spin, using every last bit of strength to memorize the direction indicated by the image's core. It seemed like a road fate had laid before him, filled with the unknown and danger. He struggled to his feet, trembling as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Shock and pain mingled in his eyes with an indescribable yearning, like a pilgrim gazing upon a holy sanctuary. He quickly bent down and picked up the two fragments, now calm once more. In his hands they felt like the most precious treasures in the world, radiating a mysterious and... aura. He staggered toward the oasis, each step seeming to take all his strength. He had only one firm thought in his heart: he had to tell his father at once! The place revealed by these fragments might hide a secret capable of shaking the world!

Meanwhile, deep in Poison Barrier Valley, gray-green poisonous miasma drifted like heavy curtains, as if evil serpents were slithering through the air. Xiao Yi Xian sat cross-legged on a cold black rock, her face even paler than the stone, without a trace of color. Her hands formed the "Poison Condensation Seal" recorded in the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, her fingertips trembling slightly under the immense strain. Cold sweat poured down her temples like beads from a broken string, soaking her clothes.

A dark-purple Poison Source Crystal Core, sealed with layer upon layer of Xiao Zhan's delicate handiwork, hovered a foot or so in front of Xiao Yi Xian's chest like a mysterious, perilous star. It radiated an immensely pure poison force that still made the heart quake and blood run cold, like the undercurrents of a deep sea, concealing endless danger and the unknown.

Xiao Yi Xian focused all her attention, carefully guiding a trace of tamed poison with utmost caution. The poison was like a serpent lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment; she had to remain completely focused, without the slightest lapse. Under her guidance, it slowly entered her meridians, like a tiny stream joining a river.

The Detoxification Spirit Bead clung tightly to her chest, radiating a gentle, jade-green glow like a protective pearl. The light spread as hard as it could, forming a thin yet resilient shield that steadily guarded her vital points. It maintained a delicate, fragile balance with the trace of dark-purple poison she had drawn inside her, like a silent struggle.

At first, all went well enough. Under the bead's suppression and the clever guidance of the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, the trace of poison entered her meridians like a docile lamb, bringing a sense of fullness and ease, like the warmth of the spring sun.

But when she tried to guide in a second, slightly stronger trace of poison—

Hum!

A sudden change occurred!

The Poison Source Crystal Core, which had been firmly sealed and suppressed, gave a sudden throb at its core, as if a sleeping heart had awakened. Then a far purer and more violent aura erupted, as if poison and resentment accumulated for millennia had suddenly been released, or a sleeping venomous dragon had been disturbed and roared in fury! The aura burst forth with enough power to destroy the heavens and earth, as if it would swallow everything around it whole.

"Crack... crack!"

A crisp yet ominous sound of shattering rang out, like the silent approach of Death. Several Dragon-Phoenix Runes that Xiao Zhan had carefully inscribed over the crystal's surface had guarded it like an impregnable wall. Now, they flickered under the impact of the sudden, terrifying poison force, as if moaning with their last breath. Then a tiny but fatal crack split open, giving the poison force a chance to pour through like water from a broken dam.

"Ah!" Xiao Yi Xian jolted as if struck by lightning, her delicate body convulsing violently as though gripped by an invisible hand. A bone-chilling, destructive poison force filled with malicious intent surged through the energy channel connecting her to the crystal, flooding into her like poison unleashed from a broken dam. Wherever it passed, it felt as if thousands upon thousands of steel needles were stabbing into her meridians at once.

"Pfft—!"

Another mouthful of blood sprayed out, flecked with seven-colored light, blooming in the air like a brilliant yet tragic flower. The seven-colored patterns across her skin instantly glowed like heated branding irons, dazzlingly bright, as if they would burn everything around them to ashes. The gray-white in her pupils was swallowed up by violent, chaotic, dark-purple poison light filled with a desire for destruction, like demons from the abyss radiating a chilling aura.

The jade-green shield cast by the Detoxification Spirit Bead flickered violently, emitting a pitiful "sizzle," as if a barrier on the verge of shattering were struggling to hold. In an instant, it compressed until it clung to her skin. Its light dimmed to the extreme, flickering like a candle in the wind and on the verge of breaking apart and vanishing without a trace.

"No... don't..." Xiao Yi Xian's remaining consciousness let out a despairing whimper, faint and pitiful, like a helpless cry in the darkness. She could clearly feel the ancient, resentful will at the crystal's core crashing against her mind like a raging tide, trying to extinguish her consciousness completely and drag her into an endless abyss of destruction. Her body had fallen entirely beyond her control, like a puppet on a string, as the destructive poison force surged wildly through every limb and bone. It seemed to gnaw at every inch of her skin and every bone.

An energy serpent, denser and more hideous than before, slowly took shape behind Xiao Yi Xian. Its body was covered in dark-purple crystal scales that gleamed beneath the dim light, like armor from hell. Gray-white poison flames roared in its eyes, two dancing fires of death that radiated a chilling aura. In a soundless yet menacing display, the giant serpent opened a maw large enough to swallow mountains, baring fangs sharp as knives. Its cold, violent eyes now fixed on Xiao Yi Xian below, her energy in chaos and herself unable to protect herself. The backlash of the poison surged like a raging tide, aimed straight at her origin, as though it meant to devour her completely.

At the same time, in the stone chamber at the heart of the oasis.

Xiao Zhan had just carefully put away Protector Wu's Storage Ring and Soul Order. He was preparing to circulate his spiritual energy again and try to suppress the Blood Soul Guide clinging like a bone-deep parasite when a powerful sense of foreboding seized him without warning. It was as if an invisible hand had gripped his heart, halting his breath.

"Hum—!"

The Seven-Colored Little Snake on his wrist suddenly stiffened, taut as a drawn bowstring, bristling with tension and alertness. Its pale-purple eyes contracted sharply, like two purple stars suddenly set ablaze, and it let out a series of sharp, urgent hisses toward Poison Barrier Valley, as if sounding an alarm from hell. At the same time, the Green Lotus Core Flame mark Xiao Zhan had left inside Xiao Yi Xian to monitor the balance of her poison energy sent him an intensely powerful warning: out of control! Destructive-level backlash! The signal crashed against his senses like a raging tsunami.

"Not good!" Xiao Zhan's expression changed sharply, darkening in an instant like the sky before a storm. At a mere thought, his figure blurred, as though a violent gust had swept him away, and he vanished from the stone chamber.

Almost at the same time—

"Rumble—!!!"

A thunderous crash came from the direction of Poison Barrier Valley, as if the world had collapsed and the stars had fallen. Its destructive power shook the entire oasis.

Above the oasis, the once-clear desert sky was like a delicate but fragile pane of glazed glass, savagely torn apart by an invisible claw of overwhelming power! In an instant, a terrifying spatial rift a hundred zhang long appeared across the sky, its edges burning with ghastly green soul flame. The fire seemed to come from demons of the underworld, radiating a bone-chilling aura as it stretched hideously across the heavens, as if it would devour the entire world.

At the same time, a terrifying pressure a hundred times stronger than Protector Wu's swept over them like a raging tide. It was cold and profound, like ten-thousand-year-old ice rising from the depths of the underworld, carrying a bone-piercing chill and overwhelming oppression. It descended with the crushing force of the sky itself! The space over the entire oasis seemed to freeze beneath the grasp of an invisible hand. The Spirit Gathering Pavilion's brilliant light dimmed at once, like a star veiled by dark clouds. Every Snake-People warrior felt as though an invisible mountain were pressing down on their heads. They fell to their knees in droves with a succession of thuds, their eyes filled with boundless terror, as if the end of the world had arrived.

A hunched figure slowly stepped out of the spatial rift. Thick black soul mist cloaked him, dense enough to blot out his face entirely and keep anyone from seeing his true features. Only his eyes showed through: ghastly green soul flames, like two eerie lanterns from hell, piercing the layers of soul mist as they gazed down, cold and merciless, at the tiny oasis below—as if inspecting a flock of lambs awaiting slaughter.

Then a hoarse, dry voice rang out. It sounded like two pieces of dry bone scraping together, carrying an indifference that could freeze the soul as it echoed between heaven and earth:

"The Blood Soul Guide is here... Hand over the Green Lotus Core Flame. Hand over the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python... Otherwise, every living soul here... will have its soul refined for a hundred years!"

The Soul Hall Venerable Elder had arrived! His pronouncement fell like the judgment of Death, plunging the entire oasis into endless despair.