The tower was utterly still. Only energy flowed through the space like a murmuring stream, accompanied by a faint, lingering hum. The four of them were each immersed in deep cultivation and recovery, drawing upon the power of creation gathered within the Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda to slowly mend the wounds left by the battle in the Desert of Buried Immortals. They silently accumulated even greater strength, like four seeds quietly taking root and sprouting in fertile soil.
Deep within the Soul Hall, the Nine Nether Underworld Hall was a place of gloom and terror.
Viscous soul power, black as ink, surged slowly through the empty, lifeless halls like a tide that would never recede. Countless twisted, tormented soul-shadows wailed soundlessly in the darkness, weaving a scene of eternal despair that sent chills through the heart.
Upon the throne of bones, Hun Mietian sat motionless, his figure cloaked in a black robe that devoured the light, like an immovable monument of darkness. At the center of his black-hole-like "face," two blood-red lights revolved slowly, like demonic eyes peering into the mortal world from the abyss. They gazed coldly at Saint Gu You, who knelt on one knee below, his soul-body indistinct and a savage, seven-colored fissure still visible across his chest.
"...That Xiao Zhan broke through to the Dou Zun realm in the midst of battle, drawing forth the Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline's holy seal. The force he unleashed actually wounded my true body... The Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python has completed its evolution, and the pressure of her bloodline has reached the Supreme realm. With a casual gesture, she annihilated this seat's Nirvana Soul Finger... And those two brats—Xiao Yan possesses an Immortal Hall ring and has fused with the Chaos Demon Flame. His potential is boundless... That Woe Poison Body actually merged the Immortal Palace Core Mark into the source of her Poison Pill. Truly terrifying..."
Gu You's voice was frail and shaken, and he reported the details of the battle in the Desert of Buried Immortals in fits and starts. With every sentence, a wisp of his soul's essence seeped from the seven-colored fissure in his chest, bringing a steady, bone-piercing pain that made him furrow his brow.
"The Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda... has already taken shape. Snake Abyss Oasis... is now a dragon's pool and a tiger's den, impossible to approach..." Gu You concluded, his voice full of unwillingness and bone-deep hatred, as though he wished to pour out all the resentment he had accumulated.
Hun Mietian listened in silence. His black-hole-like face showed no change, like a stagnant pool. Only the two points of scarlet light flickered faintly, like a stone dropped into still water, sending out ripples so subtle they were almost imperceptible, yet still clear.
"Dragon Phoenix... Heavenly Snake Supreme... Chaos Fire... Immortal Palace Core Mark..." A hoarse, dry voice slowly rang out, as though billions of souls were grinding and roaring at once. Its indifference and cruelty froze the soul. "This is... getting more and more interesting. The show grows ever more dazzling."
He slowly raised his right hand, a palm formed from pure, viscous dark soul power, radiating a hair-raising aura. He pointed lightly through the air at Gu You, who knelt below, as though writing a rune of fate.
Hum!
A speck of pitch-black light, condensed to the utmost and radiating the pure fluctuations of the "Nirvana" law, silently sank into the savage seven-colored fissure in Gu You's chest, as if darkness had swallowed light.
"Ugh—!" Gu You groaned, his soul-body trembling violently as though he were enduring boundless agony. But under the infusion of that Nirvana light, the seven-colored fissure that had been steadily eroding his essence was like metal dropped into strong acid. It hissed as it dissolved, forcibly suppressed and frozen! Though the fatal wound was not healed, the loss of his essence was temporarily halted, buying him a moment to catch his breath.
"Th-thank you, Hall Master!" Gu You's voice trembled with the relief of someone who had just returned from the gates of death.
"Xiao Zhan... Medusa... have become thorns in my side. They must be eliminated as swiftly as possible." Hun Mietian's voice revealed no emotion, yet carried an unquestionable resolve. "The Northwest Region... needs a little stirring. It's time for this storm to sweep across the entire continent."
His black-hole-like face turned slightly toward the void. Those two points of scarlet light seemed to pierce the barriers between countless planes and peer into the distant future, heralding the approach of a storm.
"Pass down my orders:"
"Command the Soul Puppets hidden in the Jia Ma Empire to immediately initiate the 'Dark Erosion' plan. Their targets are the Misty Cloud Sect, the Jia Ma Imperial Family, the Alchemist Guild... and every other top force in the Northwest Region! Have them sow chaos and ignite endless conflict, weakening the human race as a whole! In particular, investigate the forbidden grounds behind the Misty Cloud Sect's mountain. They may be hiding a secret unknown to others!"
"Awaken the sleeping Blood River Venerable and send him to the Black-Corner Region at once. Tell Han Feng... that it's time to start paying interest on the debt he owes for the Zong-Breaking Pill. His first target is the Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy! That Fallen Heart Flame... it's time to bring it back into the hands of my Soul Hall."
"As for the Snake-People Tribe's oasis..." Hun Mietian's voice paused, as if weighing the costs and benefits, cold calculation and deep scheming in every word. "For now, suppress all news related to it. The Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda has already been forged; the price of a direct assault would be far too steep. Instead, spread the word... Say that a 'Dou Sheng Ruins' will soon appear in the depths of the Tager Desert. Lure those greedy hyenas over to scout the way for us and see what secrets the ruins hold."
The icy command rippled soundlessly through the void, piercing layer upon layer of obstacles as it traveled toward an unknown, distant place.
Saint Gu You bowed his head in acceptance of the order, then slowly withdrew into the darkness, his hazy soul-shadow seeming to merge with the endless night.
Hun Mietian withdrew his gaze. His black-hole-like face sank back into silence, like a dead abyss. Only the two points of scarlet light, like demonic eyes that would never go out, gleamed with calculation and cruelty in the eternal darkness, as though peering into the fate of the entire world.
"The Bronze Immortal Palace... fragments..." he murmured to himself, his voice filled with indescribable greed and longing. "They will eventually... fall into the hands of my Soul Hall and become the weapon that lets us dominate the world!"
The scarlet light flickered faintly, as though reflecting the bloodshed and chaos about to sweep across the Northwest Region, along with the endless schemes and machinations hidden behind it.
The ninth level of the Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda.
Time slipped by soundlessly, gently nurtured by the pure energy. The four within the tower steadily grew stronger, their auras growing ever more stable, like four seeds taking root in fertile soil and flourishing.
Suddenly!
Hum—!!!
The seven-colored radiance swirling around Queen Medusa, who sat upon the Seven-Colored Lotus Platform, suddenly blazed brighter, like the rising sun flooding the world with light! An even more vast and pure primordial pressure spread beyond her control, shaking the entire space! Her violet-gold eyes snapped open. Deep within her pupils, seven-colored divine light flowed without end, as though countless stars were being born and extinguished within them, dazzling and brilliant!
At almost the same moment!
Xiao Zhan also roused himself from his deep meditation. Golden light flashed across his profound eyes like lightning splitting the night sky! The Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi surging within him had completely settled, his aura steady as a mountain. Though he had not fully recovered to the Dou Zun realm, his Peak Dou Zong strength was now entirely stable, even richer and purer than before, as immovable as a mountain! All traces of fatigue vanished from his face, replaced by a restrained, keen edge that made him difficult to look at directly.
Their gazes met in midair, and sparks seemed to fly between them.
The seven-colored light in Queen Medusa's eyes slowly receded, leaving behind deep violet-gold, tinged with scrutiny and appraisal. Xiao Zhan gave a slight nod to show that he was unharmed, his eyes calm and resolute.
"Father! How are you feeling?" Xiao Yan had also finished meditating. Sensing the change in his father's aura, he asked with delight. The Chaos Fire Seed in his palm had grown even more condensed, faintly radiating a hair-raising fluctuation, as though it held boundless power.
The dark-purple glow surrounding Xiao Yi Xian also slowly drew inward. Her violet-gold eyes held a new ease and confidence, as if she could command all poisons. Clearly, she had gained a great deal during this time, like a poisonous flower blooming in the dark of night, beautiful and dangerous.
"I'm all right now." Xiao Zhan rose to his feet. Though his blue robe was old, it could not conceal his imposing, steady bearing, like a deep pool and towering mountain. His gaze swept across everyone in the tower before finally settling on Queen Medusa. "The oasis has become the target of everyone's attention, like a shining pearl exposed among a pack of wolves. The Soul Hall will never let this go, and the other forces in the Northwest Region may also be stirred into action. We must make every preparation to face the coming storm."
Queen Medusa stood upon the lotus platform, her seven-colored palace dress stirring gently in the breeze, her bearing ethereal and elegant. Her violet-gold eyes glinted with cold, keen light, and her voice rang clear as a spring, her authority leaving no room for question. "When the soldiers come, we'll meet them; when the water rises, we'll raise the earth to hold it back. With this tower here, with me in command, and with..." Her gaze lingered on Xiao Zhan for a moment before moving away as she continued, "...with all of you standing together, why should we fear those petty villains?"
As she spoke, she raised her jade hand and pressed it lightly against the tower wall, graceful and composed, like an immortal playing a zither.
Hum—!
At once, countless dragon-shaped carvings and phoenix totems within the tower blazed with dazzling light, as if sleeping dragons and phoenixes had awakened and were roaring to shake the heavens! The vast Earth Vein Dragon Qi surged like a giant dragon breaking through the sea, unstoppable! An enormous image of an ocher-yellow curtain, condensed entirely from dragon qi, was projected into the tower, clearly displaying the scenes beyond the oasis.
The view outside the oasis was laid bare across the curtain. Beyond the sturdy dragon-qi barrier, several groups of powerful figures had quietly gathered on the distant horizon. Strong cultivators in Misty Cloud Sect robes hovered in the air, riding the raging winds, their imposing auras soaring like rainbows. Jia Ma Imperial Family guards in bright armor sat ready atop enormous flying magical beasts, their bearing majestic. And in the shadows lurked lone cultivators and small groups in various garb, their auras sinister. Greedy yet wary, they fixed their eyes on the center of the oasis, on the towering Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda!
The storm was coming; dark clouds pressed down on the city! The oasis's brief calm had been quietly shattered, and a storm was about to sweep over it!
A cold glint flashed in Xiao Zhan's eyes. He stood with his hands behind his back, Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi flowing slowly within him like a clear mountain stream, quiet and profound. He said coldly, "It seems... some people can no longer restrain their greed and ambition. They want to lay claim to this oasis."
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