Soul Hall demon hunt, clash at the summit

The warmth of the Pill Tower's victory banquet had yet to fade when a transmission Jade Slip from the Soul Hall's Central Plains headquarters pierced the clouds and landed in Xiao Yan's palm. Ancient soul patterns writhed like living creatures across the pale violet jade talisman, radiating Dou Sheng-level soul pressure-this was a personal message from the Sixth Elder, inviting him to the Otherworldly Demon Hunting Competition at the Soul Hall Main Hall three days later.

"An Otherworldly Demon Hunting Competition?" Xiao Yan crushed the Jade Slip, and information flooded his mind like a tide. The rules were concise: only young experts below Dou Zong could participate, hunting Otherworldly Demons within the Demon-Hunting Grounds designated by the Soul Hall. Victory would be decided by the number of Magic Core Crystals collected. The champion's rewards were extravagantly lavish-a Peak Eighth-Tier Pill, the Heaven-Burning Pill; the Mystic Treasure Bodyguard Armor, capable of withstanding a strike from a Peak Dou Zun; and a peak earth-tier Dou Technique, the Ten Thousand Souls Devour Soul-Devouring Claw.

"A Peak Eighth-Tier Pill..." A sharp gleam flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes. He had once read about the Heaven-Burning Pill's formula in the Misty Cloud Sect's ancient texts. It required three kinds of Heavenly Flames as catalysts, supplemented by rare medicinal ingredients such as Millennium Dragon Soul Grass, and could forcibly increase a Peak Dou Emperor's chances of advancing. Across the entire Central Plains, fewer than five alchemists could refine it.

Wang Yue approached with freshly brewed spirit tea. At the sight of the Soul Hall token in Xiao Yan's hand, her beautiful face changed slightly. "The Soul Hall's Hunting Competition has always been perilous. Three Dou Huang experts died in the Demon-Hunting Grounds last year. Most contestants are direct disciples of the Central Plains' major powers, with Dou Zun or even Dou Sheng backing them. Their methods are far more vicious than those of the four pavilions' disciples."

Xiao Yan tapped his fingertips against the table, four-symbol heaven-burning flame flickering in and out of sight in his palm. "The more dangerous the place, the greater the opportunities often are. The Heaven-Burning Pill can help stabilize my Four-Star Dou Emperor cultivation, and the Mystic Treasure Bodyguard Armor will be invaluable for exploring the Otherworldly Demon Altar. As for those so-called prodigies..." A cold smile curled his lips. "It's the perfect chance to show them whether a 'self-taught outsider' from the Black-Corner Region is any worse than they are."

At dawn three days later, the plaza outside the Soul Hall Main Hall was already a sea of people. Young experts from across the Central Plains had gathered there. Amid their fluttering robes, the spiritual resonance produced by colliding Dou Qi almost took tangible form. Xiao Yan wore a fitted black outfit specially made by the Wang Family, restraining his four-symbol heaven-burning flame to his fingertips. At first glance, he looked no different from an ordinary Four-Star Dou Emperor, yet the moment he stepped into the plaza, he felt dozens of hostile gazes settle on him.

"That's the outside help the Wang Family hired? I heard he beat Liu Chengfeng of the Heaven-Burning Pavilion at the Pill Tower."

"He's only a Four-Star Dou Emperor, and he dares enter the Hunting Competition? He probably won't even survive the outer perimeter of the Demon-Hunting Grounds."

"Look at the Soul Hall token at his waist. Could he be one of the Soul Hall's hidden agents? No wonder the Wang Family suddenly rose to prominence..."

Amid the whispers, three figures with powerful auras slowly approached. The young man at their head wore a purple-and-gold python-patterned robe, his handsome face steeped in arrogance. He was Ye Gucheng, a direct descendant of the Ye Family, one of the Central Plains' three great clans-a peak Five-Star Dou Emperor, said to have already set half a foot into Dou Zong. The Soul-Slaying Sword in his hand had killed no fewer than a hundred Otherworldly Demons.

"You're Xiao Yan?" Ye Gucheng gently waved his folding fan, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Yan like a blade. "Those little tricks at the Pill Tower are nothing to be proud of. If you run into me during the Hunting Competition, you'd best have the sense to get out of my way, lest you lose your life." The two guards behind him let out sinister cackles, pressing forward with their mid-stage Dou Emperor auras without the slightest restraint.

Xiao Yan could not be bothered to waste words. His soul power erupted, and Dou Zong-level spiritual pressure surged like an invisible tidal wave, instantly flinging both guards away. "Noisy." That single word froze the smile on Ye Gucheng's face-he could sense that the soul power of this Four-Star Dou Emperor was actually stronger than that of his family's guest elder!

"Interesting." Ye Gucheng closed his folding fan, a trace of gravity flashing through his eyes. "We'll see what you're truly made of in the hunting grounds." With that, he turned and left, his purple-and-gold python-patterned robe tracing an arrogant arc in the morning breeze.

Xiao Yan was about to follow when a voice as clear as a silver bell rang out behind him. "Brother Xiao Yan, please wait." He looked back to see a young girl in green standing prettily in the morning light, her skin fairer than snow and her eyes like deep pools. A Jade Pendant engraved with the character for "Yao" hung at her waist-she was none other than Yao Qing Lin, the little princess of the Central Plains' Yao Clan.

"The Yao Clan sent someone to compete too?" Xiao Yan was slightly surprised. The Yao Clan had always kept aloof from worldly strife, specializing in alchemy and rarely participating in such combative events. Yao Qing Lin blinked her lively eyes and offered him a small jade bottle. "These are our family's Demon-Avoidance Pills. They can conceal Dou Qi fluctuations, so they're very useful in the Demon-Hunting Grounds." She lowered her voice. "Ye Gucheng is colluding with people from the Blood Soul Hall. They want to harm you inside."

Xiao Yan accepted the jade bottle, its smooth warmth brushing his fingertips. "Thank you for the warning." Yao Qing Lin's cheeks flushed slightly. Before turning and running off, she left him with one last remark. "I'll wait for you in the Misty Swamp in the eastern Demon-Hunting Grounds. There's a stalk of Millennium Dragon Soul Grass there. It might be useful to you!"

As the Soul Hall's bell rang, a hundred contestants filed into the Soul Hall Main Hall. In the center of the great hall, a projection of the Sixth Elder hovered in midair, his eyes gleaming purple and gold beneath his black robes. "The Demon-Hunting Grounds are divided into three rings. The Inner Circle contains the Otherworldly Demon Lair and is the most dangerous. The Middle Circle is the mutated magical beast zone, while the outer ring is where low-tier Otherworldly Demons roam. Remember, once you enter the Inner Circle, you alone are responsible for your life or death. The Soul Hall accepts no responsibility."

He waved a hand, and a spatial rift opened at the rear of the hall. Crimson Demon Marks were faintly visible within its pitch-black depths. "Now, let the hunt begin!"

The contestants rushed into the rift, scrambling to be first, but Xiao Yan deliberately slowed his steps and entered the spatial passage last. The spatial turbulence inside was exceptionally violent. He circulated four-symbol heaven-burning flame to protect his body, yet keenly detected two concealed traces of killing intent behind him-they belonged to Ye Gucheng's two guards. They were actually defying the Soul Hall's prohibition to ambush him inside the passage!

"You're courting death." A cold smile touched Xiao Yan's lips as he secretly guided the spatial turbulence with his soul power. When the two guards drew near, he spun around, transforming four-symbol heaven-burning flame into two fiery whips that wrapped precisely around their ankles. "Aah!" Their screams echoed through the passage. In an instant, the violent spatial turbulence swallowed them, cutting even their cries abruptly short.

After he passed through the spatial passage, the scene before him opened up. The Demon-Hunting Grounds were actually an ancient battlefield polluted by Otherworldly Demons. Broken halberds and shattered swords studded the earth, and a thick stench of blood rose from the dark red soil. The distant peaks were an eerie purplish black, while heavy demonic mist shrouded the sky, reducing visibility to less than a hundred meters.

"Roar!" An Otherworldly Demon resembling a giant wolf lunged at him. Black tendrils writhed beneath its gray-green fur, and eerie green flames burned in its eyes. Xiao Yan recognized it as a Shadow Demon Wolf, a third-tier Otherworldly Demon with tremendous speed but weak defenses. Rather than use Heavenly Flames, he drew his Heavy Sword and poured Dou Emperor Dou Qi into its blade. A clean, simple horizontal slash cleaved the Shadow Demon Wolf in two.

The moment the wolf's corpse hit the ground, a black crystal the size of a fingernail floated out, radiating pure dark energy-this was a Magic Core Crystal. Xiao Yan placed it in a specially made jade box. The Purification Talisman runes inside immediately lit up, preventing the crystal's demonic qi from corroding his meridians.

Following the Jade Slip's directions, he headed toward the Misty Swamp Yao Qing Lin had mentioned. Low-tier Otherworldly Demons repeatedly harassed him along the way, mostly demonized magical beasts that had lost their reason. He cut them down with casual strokes. Half an hour later, a mist-wreathed swamp appeared ahead. Bubbles gurgled through its dark green mud, and enormous shadows could faintly be seen moving beneath the water.

"There really is the aura of dragon soul grass." Xiao Yan circulated his soul power, penetrating the dense mist to sense energy fluctuations at the swamp's center. A purple spiritual herb over three meters tall grew there, its leaves spreading like dragon claws and a translucent dewdrop gathering at its tip-it was indeed Millennium Dragon Soul Grass, one of the core ingredients for refining the Heaven-Burning Pill.

Just as he was about to enter the swamp, the surface exploded. An enormous armored crocodile sprang from the water, opening its bloody maw to bite him. This Corroded-Armor Demon Crocodile was as large as a small hill, its scales coated in dark green poisonous miasma. Its aura had reached the level of a sixth-tier Otherworldly Demon, equivalent to a human mid-stage Dou Emperor.

"Perfect timing." Instead of retreating, Xiao Yan advanced, gathering four-symbol heaven-burning flame into spiraling fire around his Heavy Sword. "Flame Wave: Armor-Piercing!" Gold, cyan, red, and blue flames intertwined into a sharp arc of sword energy that struck the reverse scale on the demon crocodile's chest with unerring precision. Clang! Sparks flew. A notch was actually cut into the reverse scale, and dark green blood gushed out.

The Corroded-Armor Demon Crocodile roared deafeningly in pain, sweeping its enormous tail toward him and flinging mud across the sky. Xiao Yan spread his Azure Luan Wings and rose into the air. As he dodged the attack, dozens of flaming spears condensed at his fingertips. "Four Symbols: Meteor Shower!" The spears fell like a dense downpour, each piercing precisely into the gaps between the demon crocodile's scales.

"Roar!" The demon crocodile struggled madly in the flames, churning the swamp into a raging upheaval. Seizing the instant when its previous strength was spent and fresh strength had yet to arise, Xiao Yan dove and drove his Heavy Sword through its throat. With a miserable wail, its enormous body slowly sank into the swamp. A Magic Core Crystal the size of a pigeon's egg floated up, ten times purer than the Shadow Demon Wolf's crystal.

"This crystal should be worth at least ten low-tier Otherworldly Demons." Xiao Yan put away the crystal and was about to harvest the dragon soul grass when applause sounded behind him. At some point, Ye Gucheng had appeared at the swamp's edge, gently waving his folding fan. "A Four-Star Dou Emperor killing a sixth-tier demon crocodile. Brother Xiao Yan, your strength has improved since your time at the Pill Tower."

Four guards with powerful auras followed him, all clearly Dou Emperors. Xiao Yan frowned slightly. "Instead of hunting high-tier Otherworldly Demons in the Inner Circle, you've come to this outer swamp, Brother Ye. Could you be interested in the dragon soul grass too?"

Ye Gucheng laughed. "A mere stalk of dragon soul grass isn't worthy of my attention. I simply heard that you were new to the Central Plains, Brother Xiao Yan, and came to offer a 'reminder'-inside the Demon-Hunting Grounds, sometimes your 'own kind' are more dangerous than Otherworldly Demons." He snapped his fingers. The four guards fanned out to surround Xiao Yan, their mid-stage Dou Emperor auras closing in on him.

Four-symbol heaven-burning flame quietly lit up at Xiao Yan's fingertips. "The Soul Hall strictly forbids contestants from killing one another. Aren't you afraid of punishment, Brother Ye?"

"Punishment?" Ye Gucheng's smile twisted into something savage. "Once you're a corpse in this swamp, who will know I did it? Besides..." He took out a black token. "My father has an old friendship with the Soul Hall's Second Elder. Even if it comes to light, a little compensation in resources will settle everything."

Before he finished speaking, the four guards attacked together. Saber flashes and sword shadows wove an impenetrable net of death. Their Dou Qi fluctuations attracted more Otherworldly Demons from deep within the swamp, and beneath the dark green water, countless pairs of eerie green eyes drew closer.

"You're courting death." Xiao Yan held nothing back, unleashing his Four-Star Dou Emperor aura in full. Four-symbol heaven-burning flame became a massive wall of fire, forcing the four guards back while temporarily blocking the swamp's Otherworldly Demons. "Today, I'll make you understand that your Ye Family can't cover the Central Plains' sky with one hand!"

His Heavy Sword swept across, and golden flames surged like a tide toward the leftmost guard. The man clearly had not expected Xiao Yan's flames to be so tyrannical. The defensive Dou Technique he hastily unleashed shattered like paper, and the flames swallowed him whole as he screamed in agony.

"Useless!" Ye Gucheng shouted angrily and drew his sword himself. Pitch-black Dou Qi coiled around the Soul-Slaying Sword, clearly containing the Soul Hall's specially crafted spirit-devouring power. "Xiao Yan, dying beneath my Soul-Slaying Sword is your honor!"

Sword light flashed like lightning, thrusting straight toward Xiao Yan's heart with a piercing shriek that tore through space. Xiao Yan raised his sword horizontally to block. The instant the blades met, a chilling energy spread along his sword, trying to corrode his meridians. "Paltry tricks." He circulated four-symbol heaven-burning flame, and golden fire instantly purified the spirit-devouring power, jolting Ye Gucheng back several steps.

At that moment, a sky-shaking roar came from deep within the swamp. A Nine-Headed Demon Serpent several times larger than the Corroded-Armor Demon Crocodile burst from the earth. Eerie green flames burned on all nine heads. It was actually a peak seventh-tier Otherworldly Demon, with strength comparable to a Peak Dou Emperor! Clearly, their battle had disturbed this overlord of the swamp.

"This is bad!" Ye Gucheng's expression changed drastically, and even the Dou Qi on his Soul-Slaying Sword grew chaotic. Peak seventh-tier Otherworldly Demons already possessed rudimentary intelligence and held grudges with extreme tenacity. Once entangled with one, even he would struggle to escape.

The Nine-Headed Demon Serpent's gaze swept over everyone before finally locking onto Xiao Yan-the purification power of four-symbol heaven-burning flame instinctively made the serpent feel threatened. One head abruptly spewed dark green poisonous mist. Wherever it passed, even the swamp's surface hissed and bubbled, making its terrifying toxicity plain.

Xiao Yan's pupils narrowed slightly. He was about to use a movement technique to evade when Ye Gucheng suddenly turned, shooting a poisoned silver needle from his folding fan straight toward Xiao Yan's back. "Xiao Yan, be my bait!" This sudden ambush was vicious in the extreme, timed to strike precisely at the blind spot in his escape from the poisonous mist.

At the critical instant, Xiao Yan violently twisted his body. The silver needle grazed his shoulder blade, scattering a string of bloody droplets. With the poisonous mist already upon him, he simply advanced instead of retreating, driving four-symbol heaven-burning flame to its limit. "Four symbols unite, flame burst!"

The four-colored flames erupted into an enormous fiery vortex. It not only purified the poisonous mist, but also swept Ye Gucheng and his three remaining guards inside. "Xiao Yan, you're insane!" Ye Gucheng was utterly horrified. He had never expected Xiao Yan to fight in a way that threatened to take them all down together.

Amid the chaos, the Nine-Headed Demon Serpent's enormous tail swept across. A guard who failed to dodge in time was instantly smashed into bloody pulp. Xiao Yan seized the opportunity, spreading his Azure Luan Wings and shooting toward the swamp's center like an arrow loosed from its bow. In passing, he plucked the dragon soul grass and put it into his Storage Ring.

"Trying to run?" Ye Gucheng roared and gave chase, only to be entangled by two serpent heads. Xiao Yan glanced back at Ye Gucheng, who had become mired in a bitter struggle. A cold smile curled his lips before he turned and vanished into the depths of the mist. He knew this was only the beginning of the Hunting Competition. Even more dangerous challenges awaited him in the Inner Circle of the Demon-Hunting Grounds.

At the swamp's edge, Ye Gucheng stared in the direction Xiao Yan had vanished, trembling with rage. The Nine-Headed Demon Serpent's attacks grew increasingly frenzied, and another guard was swallowed alive. He gritted his teeth as black energy surged around the Soul-Slaying Sword. "Xiao Yan, if I don't avenge this grudge, I, Ye Gucheng, swear I'm no man!" With that, he turned and forced the demon serpent back, then pursued toward the Inner Circle-he refused to believe that his strength as a peak Five-Star Dou Emperor could lose to a Four-Star Dou Emperor.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan had already ventured deep into the Middle Circle of the Demon-Hunting Grounds. The Otherworldly Demons here were noticeably higher-tier. Occasionally, he spotted armored Demonized Warriors with weapons gleaming eerily in their hands, clearly human experts corrupted by Otherworldly Demons. He carefully avoided several groups of contestants traveling together, yet his soul power remained fixed on one direction-an exceptionally pure fluctuation of magic core energy came from there, very likely a sign of an eighth-tier Otherworldly Demon.

"An eighth-tier Otherworldly Demon's crystal is worth a hundred low-tier crystals..." Xiao Yan tightened his grip on his Heavy Sword, four-symbol heaven-burning flame dancing in his palm and excitement gleaming in his eyes. He could feel that a hunt capable of changing the balance of power in the Central Plains had only just raised its curtain.