Slaughtering the Soul Hall
After agreeing on a strategy, Xiao Yan rested for three days before swiftly launching his operation...
The space before him twisted like a chaotic vortex, within which lay a vast, boundless black realm. Occasionally, stark white bone fragments were exposed on the surface, resembling the remains of ancient behemoths, exuding a chilling and eerie aura...
At the heart of this deathly realm, a colossal, pitch-black palace stands majestically, like a lurking ancient demon god, its eerie and terrifying aura permeating the entire space with a profound chill.
Inside the colossal hall, countless thick, python-like black chains descended from the void, embedding themselves deep into the earth. Black mist swirled around the chains, vaguely coalescing into humanoid silhouettes. The chains' interconnected surfaces occasionally emitted a ghostly glow, disappearing into the black mist and making it increasingly solid, almost as if it were alive...
The entire area was eerily quiet, enveloped in a suffocating and eerie atmosphere that sent chills down one's spine.
"Whoosh--"
This deathly silence lasted for an unknown period of time. Suddenly, more than a dozen wisps of black mist rose into the air from the chains. As the black mist surged, it transformed into more than a dozen cold-faced figures. They exchanged glances, moved swiftly, and instantly converged into one place.
"The time has come, it's our turn to set out. Hopefully, we can bring back enough Soul Origin on this trip..." From the crowd, a person who seemed to be the leader spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper.
"Heh heh, a few days ago, Blood Butcher's group raided three border cities of the Beast Clan. They not only reaped a great harvest but also received commendation from the Heavenly Venerable. Today, we'll also go and massacre a few Demon Beast Cities, letting those beasts know the consequences of provoking my Soul Hall!" One of them chuckled sinisterly, his eyes flashing with bloodlust.
"Good, remember, leave no one alive, annihilate them all!" The leader also smiled sinisterly, waved his hand, and more than a dozen figures instantly turned into black mist, rushing out of the spatial barrier like ghosts.
"Boom!"
However, just as the black mist was about to break through the spatial barrier, the surrounding space suddenly solidified, as if an invisible giant wall had crashed down. The space twisted and collapsed, and before more than a dozen figures could even scream, they were torn to pieces by the terrifying spatial power and turned into nothingness.
"Laugh--"
Just as the black mist dissipated, a huge crack slowly opened in the spatial barrier, and several figures emerged leisurely from the crack, stepping into the void and landing steadily on the dark earth.
"Waaah--"
As soon as Xiao Yan and his group stepped into this space, a mournful wail suddenly echoed from within the giant hall. The black mist on the chains instantly boiled, and sinister gazes shot out from the mist, locking onto Xiao Yan and the others.
"Who dares to trespass into the forbidden area of my Soul Hall? You're courting death!"
A series of chilling shouts, filled with murderous intent, suddenly shattered the deathly silence of the space. Countless black shadows rose from the chains, transforming into streaks of black light without any command, carrying eerie winds, and sweeping towards Xiao Yan and the others like a tidal wave.
"Hmph, a bunch of ants, how dare you be so insolent!"
Seeing this, Xiao Yan curled up a cold smile, parted his lips slightly, and a sea of blazing fire instantly erupted from his mouth, like an awakened ancient fire phoenix, sweeping across all directions.
Those dark figures that came within ten feet of the sea of fire were all reduced to ashes within three breaths. Some of the weaker ones didn't even have time to scream before they vanished into thin air.
The sea of fire raged like an angry dragon, dyeing the sky a crimson gold. The dark figures rushing from behind finally stopped in horror. They then realized that these uninvited guests were not recklessly throwing their lives away, but had come with overwhelming force!
"Insolence! Who dares to run wild in my Soul Hall!" A furious shout suddenly erupted from the depths of the giant palace, its sound like thunder, shaking the void.
Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen figures shot out from the hall, hovering in the sky, their bodies surrounded by swirling black mist, their eyes as cold as venomous snakes, locking onto Xiao Yan and his companions behind the sea of fire.
"Haha, a mere Dou Zun ant dares to show himself? Gu You, if you continue to cower in hiding, I will tear your shell apart today!" Xiao Yan laughed loudly, his voice like a tidal wave, crashing into the depths of the giant hall.
With a single step, his figure pierced through the sea of fire and appeared in mid-air. He clenched his fist in mid-air, instantly freezing the space as solid as iron, and then his five fingers tightened fiercely!
"Boom!"
The void collapsed, and before the dozen or so Soul Hall Celestial Venerables could even scream, their bodies exploded like watermelons, blood splattering everywhere, and even their souls were shredded into dust by the terrifying spatial power.
How could a mere Dou Zun withstand the might of Seven-Star Dou Saint?
"Um?"
Xiao Yan's pupils contracted slightly, his gaze piercing through the collapsing space, and he saw a figure surrounded by eerie blue flames, like a deep-sea dragon coiled around.
A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. He flicked his finger, and an invisible, immense force, like a mountain pressing down, instantly brought the figure right in front of him.
"Old dog Mu Gu, how have you been?" Xiao Yan's five fingers, like hooks, gripped the other's crown chakra. With a tremor in his palm, the dark blue flames instantly dissipated, revealing an old face filled with horror.
"Who... who are you?!" Old Man Mu Gu was terrified, his whole body trembling like a leaf. He had a good memory, but he had never seen this person before.
"You'll know when you're dead." Xiao Yan sneered, and a terrifying suction force suddenly erupted from his palm, preparing to kill him directly.
"Stop! How dare you offend my Soul Hall! Today you will die here!"
Deep within the grand hall, a thunderous roar erupted, followed by a black shadow flashing like lightning. A hundred-foot-long jet-black chain shot out from the hall, like a black dragon devouring the sun, piercing through the void and aiming straight for Xiao Yan's throat!
"You dare to flaunt your Half-Saint's power before me?" Xiao Yan didn't even lift his eyelids. He flicked his finger, and golden light burst from his fingertip, like a star falling to earth, crashing heavily into the chains!
"Clang!"
The clang of metal on metal was deafening. The chains, as if struck by lightning, snapped back and crashed heavily onto the massive hall, blasting a trench several feet deep into the hall's walls!
"Reveal your true form!"
A burst of golden light erupted from Xiao Yan's fingertips, and the black chains of the Gu You Saint shattered inch by inch like brittle bamboo.
He clenched his fist, Old Man Mu Gu's body instantly withered like a dried corpse, his soul light trembling violently in his pupils!
"Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!"
The Old Man Mu Gu coughed up blood from all seven orifices, and his withered body suddenly swelled up like an inflating balloon. The veins under his skin throbbed wildly like earthworms, clearly indicating that he was about to detonate his Dou Qi source!
"Ants trying to shake the heavens only invite ridicule." A cold glint flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes, and his sleeve moved without wind, the invisible energy transforming into thousands of golden needles, instantly piercing through the three hundred and sixty major acupoints on Old Man Mu Gu's body.
The swollen body suddenly froze, then cracked open like porcelain with countless fissures. Before the blood mist could even burst forth, it was evaporated into nothingness by the scorching fire waves—even self-destruction had become a luxury for the Soul Hall Venerable!
"Boy, do you really think the Soul Hall is a pushover?"
The void suddenly twisted, Gu You Saint stepped out from the spatial rift, his body surrounded by surging black mist like the Nether River.
He stared at the wreckage scattered on the ground, his withered face twitching violently—this Mu Gu, though useless, was still an elder of the Soul Hall. To be crushed into dust in public was tantamount to slapping the Soul Hall in the face in front of everyone!
"Today I will slaughter you all, consider it interest." Xiao Yan chuckled and flicked his sleeve. Behind him, Zi Yan quietly formed a hand seal, and the spatial ripples froze into ice at a speed visible to the naked eye. Those Hun Clan jade slips hidden in the shadows were now as silent as dead objects.
"Arrogant!" The Gu You Saint laughed in fury, his withered fingers forming profound hand seals. "I'd like to see how you..."
"Noisy."
The fiery pattern between Xiao Yan's brows suddenly lit up, and the Emperor Flame descended from the depths of the void with a roar. A magnificent burst of flames erupted, which was none other than the Super Fire Lotus that had gathered all the Heavenly Flames!
"Great Heavenly Venerate, how long are you going to keep watching?" Gu You Saint's expression changed drastically, and he shouted in a hoarse voice.
From the depths of the grand hall came the clanging of chains, and thick black mist rolled in like a reversed Milky Way.
A skeletal figure shrouded in black robes emerged from the mist. With each step it took, spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the void. Two clusters of eerie green flames flickered in its eye sockets, and wherever it passed, even the sea of fire dimmed by a third.
Golden flames ignited in Xiao Yan's eyes, and the Emperor Flame condensed into a hundred-zhang-tall Dharma Image behind him. "Today, I'll show you, you old ghost, what the true wrath of Dou Sheng is!"
Before the words were even finished, the Fire Lotus shot out, and wherever it passed, the space peeled away layer by layer like thin paper.
The jade tablet in the Great Heavenly Venerate's hand suddenly lit up with nine layers of soul light, but the moment it touched the Fire Lotus, it melted away like spring snow meeting the scorching sun!
"This is impossible!" The Great Heavenly Venerate Venerable retreated in horror, cracks appearing on his skeletal body.
Golden flames flickered in Xiao Yan's eyes, and in an instant, he saw through the Great Heavenly Venerate Venerable's illusion and reality— Mid-Stage Two-Star Dou Sheng was truly insignificant now.
He smiled slightly, the Emperor Flame flowing through his meridians like a crimson dragon, his Dou Sheng aura condensed but not unleashed, like an ancient sword from the abyss yet to be drawn.
"Why must the Great Heavenly Venerate speak so much?" The Gu You Saint's eyes blazed with ghostly fire, his withered claws tearing through the void. "The purity of this child's soul is comparable to the accumulated essence of a hundred branch halls over a hundred years! Once I extract his soul and refine it into the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs Banner, it will surely allow those elders of the clan to..."
Behind the Great Heavenly Venerate, a ten-thousand-foot-long soul banner appeared, upon which hundreds of millions of dead souls wailed, each soul shadow carrying the pressure of Half-Saint. As the soul banner waved, spatial cracks spread like a spider web, revealing the Netherworld Blood Sea behind it.
"Child, do you recognize this move?" The Great Heavenly Venerate Venerable formed a hand seal with his withered fingers, and nine colossal skeletal statues rose from the sea of blood, each radiating the aura of a peak Half-Saint. "This is the secret technique of my Hun Clan — the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Formation!"
Xiao Yan did not answer, and the Emperor Flame at his fingertips suddenly surged. He walked on fire, each step leaving a golden Fire Lotus in the void. By the time he took the ninth step, a sea of fire had appeared behind him. Deep within the sea of fire, the Heavenly Flame Origin such as the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame were faintly visible, resonating with the Emperor Flame to form a world-destroying torrent.
"Buddha's Wrath Emperor Flame Lotus, arise!"
A dazzling Fire Lotus burst forth from the sky, shattering the space in its wake like glass.
Before the nine colossal skeletons even got close, they were pulverized by the oppressive force emanating from the Fire Lotus.
The Great Heavenly Venerate was horrified and retreated violently. His Soul Banner fluttered like a cloud hanging from the sky, but Fire Lotus pierced through the banner and slammed straight into his chest!
"Impossible!" The Great Heavenly Venerate's body cracked, and eerie green soul fire erupted from his seven orifices. "With the Soul Hall's earth veins protecting me, how could this be..."
Xiao Yan stood there, shattering the void, his fingertips still bearing traces of the soul blood he had stained when he killed the Great Heavenly Venerate. He suddenly formed a blade with his fingers, and as he activated the Flame Mantra, Emperor Flame burst forth from the top of his head, transforming into a hundred-zhang-long fiery blade that stretched across the sky.
Where the blade pointed, the Soul Devouring Hall, forged using the secret techniques of the Hun Clan, exploded with a deafening roar, revealing a dense web of Soul Devouring Chains beneath. At the end of each chain hung a dark blue Soul Crystal, sealing within it the remnant souls of countless powerful beings.
"What a Hun Clan! They actually refined the souls of all living beings into lamp oil!" Golden flames ignited in Xiao Yan's eyes, reflecting the horrific scene that appeared in the Soul Crystal deep within them.
The sealed soul crystals trembled all at once, revealing their true forms under the illumination of the Emperor Flame, transforming into thousands of painful and distorted faces.
Xiao Yan waved his hand lightly, and a terrifying gust of wind swept past like a gale. The chains shattered instantly, and the souls within the orbs of light slowly opened their eyes, looking around weakly and blankly. Finally, they emitted waves of extreme joy.
Although they didn't know exactly what had happened, they felt a sense of freedom. For so many years, they had been locked up here like prisoners, and sometimes, even death had become a luxury...
"Let's all go. Don't let the Soul Hall catch us again."
Looking at these souls, so overjoyed and excited they were almost in tears, Xiao Yan sighed softly and said.
In the sky, countless souls lingered, and finally knelt down before Xiao Yan, performing a great salute before roaring out of the spatial barrier and rushing madly towards the free world outside.
Looking at the souls frantically fleeing this place, Xiao Yan couldn't help but shake his head. Just as he was about to turn around, a thought suddenly struck him. His gaze fell on the ruined palace, and deep within it, he vaguely sensed some strange fluctuations.
After a slight hesitation, he slowly descended, and with a flick of his sleeve, a terrifying gust of wind sent those stone pillars, hundreds of feet tall, flying away.
With Xiao Yan's rapid digging, a huge pit was instantly cracked open in the ruins, and deep within that pit, a ball of light about half a zhang in size floated.
The orb of light was transparent, and countless black chains connected its perimeter. At the ends of these chains were the souls that had just escaped. Clearly, this orb of light was something extracted from those souls...
"This is..."
Xiao Yan frowned slightly as he stared at the ball of light. From it, he sensed an extremely terrifying soul fluctuation, which was also extremely pure, without any impurities.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was also taken aback. After a brief silence, he didn't act too coyly. He turned his gaze to the ball of soul light, waved his hand, and shattered all the chains. He gently stroked the surface of the ball of light and whispered, "I will avenge you..."
A single, simple sentence suddenly caused the soul's light to emit a faint glow, as if a great deal of information was being emanated from it.
Xiao Yan silently accepted this information. The soul light cluster contained too much Soul Origin, but there was no intelligence within it. All that remained were resentment, unwillingness, and other emotions left behind before complete death!