The dark figure was Hun Changqing, whose soul had returned to his body. The moment he appeared, he streaked toward the formation seal where Xuan Kongzi was trapped, leaving only a trail of afterimages in his wake.
An instant later, Hun Changqing stood before the formation woven from black chains. He extended his arm and lightly touched a point on its seal. Under the horrified gazes of the three Soul Palace Dou Zun, the densely interwoven chains began retracting, opening a gap.
"How is that possible?! How could you break the Soul-Locking Grand Formation?!"
The three Dou Zun cried out in disbelief, but Hun Changqing had no intention of explaining anything. He slipped through the gap in a flash and vanished. Black chains filled the opening once more, leaving the three exchanging bewildered looks.
"What... what do we do now?"
A blue-robed Dou Zun asked the other two, somewhat dazed.
"Our task is to keep Xuan Kongzi trapped. Nothing else concerns us."
One of the black-robed elders spoke in a low voice, then accelerated the circulation of his Dou Qi, channeling it into the formation.
Seeing this, the other two stopped hesitating and continued controlling the Black-Lock Grand Formation.
Bang!
Two terrifying bursts of energy collided within the formation, unleashing a powerful shock wave that shook the surrounding black chains and sent them clattering.
Clad in white, Xuan Kongzi flew backward from the center of the explosion. He stamped against the void several times before barely steadying himself, then raised his hand. Wisps of black vapor rose from his palm where Hun Changqing's energy had corroded it. He could feel the Death Qi within that vapor steadily eating into his body, turning his expression livid.
"Who are you? We should never have met. Why are you attacking me?"
Xuan