"Clan leader?"
At the excited voice coming from the warped space, Hun Miesheng's pupils abruptly contracted. Whoever had come clearly belonged to none of the Central Plains' publicly known powers. This person called himself a clan leader-could he be the leader of one of the Ancient Races?
Milky-white and sky-blue Dou Qi seeped continuously from the warped space. Finally, before the watching members of the Hall of Souls, it condensed into two figures with striking clan marks between their brows.
"Spirit Clan Leader Ling Ya?"
"Stone Clan Leader Shi Pan?"
The deputy hall master of the Hall of Souls stared straight at the two white-haired, white-bearded old men and shakily rose to his feet. Even the space around him began to tremble.
"Hun Miesheng, to think that Hun Tiandi's little lackey from back then has become a five-star Dou Sheng!" Ling Ya stood above the great hall with his hands behind his back. His gaze swept over Hun Tiandi as he spoke with feeling.
"Hmph, that's not all. This brat's soul power has reached Heaven Realm Great Perfection without anyone noticing," the Stone Clan Leader snorted beside him.
Dou Qi surged all around Ling Ya as he unleashed the full pressure of a late six-star Dou Saint without restraint.
"His Dou Qi advanced so quickly thanks to the help of that wretch Xuwu, of course. As for his soul power, we probably have the souls the Hall of Souls has hunted all over the continent these past years to thank."
Hun Miesheng's face turned somewhat ashen at those words. The imposing air with which he had surveyed the great hall vanished.
"Clan leaders, to what do we owe the honor of your joint visit to our Hall of Souls today? Come to think of it, our clan leader hasn't seen either of you in many years. If you have any message for him, I would be all ears!"
Hun Miesheng bowed and cupped his hands, paying his respects as a junior.
Even his voice had softened considerably.
For a moment, the Hall of Souls' Dou Zun present could scarcely adjust.
So our hall master could sound this pleasant!
"Heh, we certainly have something to say, but we won't trouble you to relay it. After all, gathering so many members of the Hall of Souls here today has already been an enormous help!" The Stone Clan Leader smiled contemptuously and swept his hand. Space behind him instantly tore open into a pitch-black rift thousands of feet long.
Waves of mighty Dou Qi poured from the rift in astonishing numbers. There were dozens of Dou Sheng experts alone, while the Half-Saints and Dou Zun experts were beyond counting.
"With both our clans personally coming to destroy your Hall of Souls today, Hun Miesheng, you can die without complaint."
Boom!
With a casual wave from Ling Ya, the great hall of the Hall of Souls' Heavenly Dipper Hall, which had stood for years, crumbled to dust. Then the space behind him shook violently, and hundreds upon hundreds of spatial vortexes rapidly appeared.
Dou Sheng, Half-Saints, and Dou Zun from the Spirit and Stone Clans streamed out of the vortexes.
The Hall of Souls' Dou Zun had long since been dumbstruck. When had they ever seen such a spectacle? Every last one wanted to flee, but space had been sealed. They could not even tear open a spatial rift.
After all, not every Dou Zun in the Hall of Souls belonged to the Hun Clan. These people had joined merely to cling to a powerful patron and scrape together some cultivation resources.
After all, who could refuse a position as a venerable elder of the Hall of Souls, the foremost power on the Dou Qi Continent?
But what was happening today?
The sky had fallen.
They watched a vast multitude of Dou Zun emerge from the spatial passages.
They had never seen so many Dou Zun, much less an army built around a core of Dou Zun and Half-Saints.
"How dare you! Do you really think our Hall of Souls came unprepared?" Hun Miesheng could scarcely breathe under the opposing side's pressure. At that moment, his cultivation as a five-star Dou Sheng felt utterly insignificant. "Lord Hun Xuzi, if you don't act now, the entire Hall of Souls is finished!"
An immensely powerful energy fluctuation suddenly erupted beneath the vast hall. Space warped, and a figure slowly emerged. At the same time, waves of exceptionally formidable auras swept through the sealed space.
"Just as the clan leader predicted. Your Spirit and Stone Clans lack the courage to enter the Soul Realm, so you came to trouble the Hall of Souls instead."
As his deep voice rang out, Hun Xuzi's ghostlike figure quietly appeared before Hun Miesheng. The pressure of an early seven-star Dou Saint instantly burst forth.
Behind him, the six-star Dou Sheng Soul Demon Elder also appeared, taking his place beside Hun Xuzi with a cold sneer.
Then several dozen one- or two-star Dou Saints and thousands of Half-Saints and Dou Zun appeared in orderly ranks.
"Hun Xuzi?" Shi Pan cried in surprise.
Ling Ya also frowned slightly. "Heh, to think the Hun Clan was willing to send you as support. If anything happened to their foremost alchemist, it would surely wound them to the bone!"
"Hmph, if you want anything to happen to me, we'll have to see just how much weight you two clan leaders can throw around!"
As he finished speaking, Dou Qi flooded the sky and surged into the highest heavens. The experts on both sides crashed head-on into one another.
"Stop touching me and get down to business!"
Cao Ying rolled her eyes, looking faintly annoyed. Her full, ample chest rose and fell with her breathing.
"Yellow Springs Finger!" Unmoved, Fan Tian had Dan Chen come over and pin down the enchantress's arms. He carefully lifted Cao Ying's legs onto his shoulders, then suddenly launched an attack.
With her hands pinned by that girl Dan Chen, Cao Ying could only press her lips together and bite down lightly. She stifled a grunt and endured the strike.
"You've forced me to use my ancestral massage techniques. You're in for a treat today." Fan Tian narrowed his eyes slightly, his hands never stopping as their movements alternated between fast and slow.
True to her reputation as the Cao Family's famous enchantress of the Central Plains, Cao Ying soon adapted to the pressure of Fan Tian's hands. Her lips curved, and she snorted, the sidelong glance she gave him brimming with provocation.
"Oh, damn!" Fan Tian quickly noticed. He immediately withdrew his hands and flexed his wrists.
"Is that all you've got?"
Cao Ying smiled alluringly, her face full of smug satisfaction.
Yao Ling's man seemed to amount to no more than this.
"This is only the beginning. What's your hurry?"
"Oh, really? Then prove it!"
Cao Ying pulled Dan Chen over and lay down beside her. Both women gazed at Fan Tian with wide, limpid eyes.
The faint disdain on Cao Ying's face instantly infuriated Fan Tian. But she was not his only opponent, so he could not afford to be careless.
The battle in the apothecary quietly began.
Fan Tian first subdued Cao Ying. Mighty Dou Qi surged through the apothecary, blocking all prying eyes, and while the two women were not paying attention, he secretly took out a fourth-grade pill and swallowed it.
As the pill entered his stomach, a cool sensation swept through his body, neutralizing much of that inexplicable heat. Faintly, it even seemed to have a nerve-numbing effect.
A long while later.
Cao Ying and Dan Chen straightened their clothes and headed downstairs, their high heels tapping lightly against the floor.
The three sat around the tea table again, cracking melon seeds as though nothing had happened.
"I'm very satisfied this time. That special technique of yours nearly left me unable to hold out!"
Cao Ying looked at the somewhat pale-faced Fan Tian, the corners of her mouth lifting.
Waves churned and surged in Fan Tian's heart, but his expression remained perfectly still.
After taking a sip of tea, Fan Tian silently wiped the red rouge from the corner of his mouth. He closed his eyes like an old monk entering meditation and said nothing.
Dan Chen also felt thoroughly refreshed. Seemingly remembering something, she hurriedly took a white jade bottle from her storage ring and set it before Fan Tian.
Fan Tian opened his eyes and looked at Dan Chen in puzzlement.
Beside her, Cao Ying smiled knowingly. She too took out a white jade bottle and elegantly placed it in Fan Tian's hand.
"This is...?" Fan Tian frowned and asked weakly.
"This is a high-tier sixth-grade pill. I had a wonderful time today. Tomorrow... tomorrow, I'll come again!" Dan Chen lowered her head, the tips of her ears growing hot as she spoke shyly.
Beside her, Cao Ying smoothed her long hair with one hand, then tossed it sharply. Her rosy, luscious lips curved as she looked at Fan Tian with brazen confidence. "The Central Plains will soon be plunged into chaos. In a few days, we'll be going to the Black-Corner Region. Come with us."
"Two seventh-grade pills and five sixth-grade pills every month. How does that sound?"
"Me too! Stay with me, and you'll have all the pills you need!"
Dan Chen hurriedly chimed in.
Before you continue