Boom!
A tremendous explosion rang out on the outskirts of Mingde Hall, shattering a large number of Soul Tool defense devices.
Several figures were sent flying backward out of the smoke and dust, crashing heavily into the ground.
"Retreat!"
A chilling voice rang out.
Among the attackers, a black-robed expert wore an ugly expression.
According to their original plan, the Holy Spirit Cult was to create chaos in a frontal assault while the Body Sect took the opportunity to break through Mingde Hall's outer defenses and look for a chance to seize its Soul Tool research data.
As long as they could keep Mingde Hall's upper ranks occupied and throw the underground experimental area into chaos, they would have a chance to seize the hundred-thousand-year embryo.
But they had clearly underestimated Mingde Hall's defenses.
And they had underestimated Jing Hongchen's speed of response even more.
"You think you can come and go as you please?"
A cold sneer came from midair.
Jing Hongchen hovered in the sky, dozens of Soul Tools unfolding behind him at once.
Dense rays of Soul Power gathered around him, forming an extraordinarily fearsome web of firepower.
As the master of Mingde Hall, he was a powerful Soul Engineer in his own right.
And in a place like Mingde Hall, where Soul Tools were concentrated in such numbers, the combat power he could bring to bear was far beyond what ordinary Soul Masters could imagine.
"Jing Hongchen, are you really going to wipe us all out?"
A Body Sect expert shouted angrily.
Jing Hongchen glanced at him.
"You brought your people into Mingde Hall, destroyed our defenses, and even tried to seize our core research data."
"And now you have the nerve to ask me that?"
"What do you take Mingde Hall for?!"
As his words fell, the Soul Tools behind him abruptly lit up.
Several thick beams tore through the night sky and shot straight at the attackers.
Meanwhile, a large number of Soul Engineers inside Mingde Hall had finished assembling.
Using the various defensive installations, they formed a tightly organized line of fire.
Soul Guidance Rays and Fixed Soul Cannon Shells fired in succession, splitting the Holy Spirit Cult and Body Sect attack forces apart.
The attackers, who had been trying to break through in the chaos, were immediately forced onto the back foot.
"Damn it!"
A Body Sect expert roared as several parts of his body transformed at once.
His body abruptly swelled, muscles bulging, and he charged the Soul Engineers' line ahead like a Ferocious Beast.
But what greeted him was a Soul Cannon blast that had long been primed and ready.
Boom!
A violent explosion swallowed him.
Although the Body Sect expert relied on his powerful body to break out of the blast, he paid a considerable price for it.
Jing Hongchen watched the scene coldly.
"Trying to match Mingde Hall in firepower?"
"You're nowhere near good enough!"
Elsewhere, the Holy Spirit Cult's Evil Soul Masters tried to disrupt the Soul Engineers' coordination with Mental Interference and dark-attribute Soul Skills.
But they soon discovered that Mingde Hall's Soul Engineers were not unprepared.
Multiple layers of Soul Tool defensive barriers unfolded in succession, and Soul Tool devices designed specifically to counter Mental Interference began operating as well.
Although they could not completely neutralize the Evil Soul Masters' attacks, they were enough to buy the Soul Engineers time to counterattack.
What the attackers truly feared, however, was the expert who had yet to make a move.
Dressed in the robes of a Sun Moon Empire consecrated elder, he hovered behind Jing Hongchen.
Whenever an expert tried to break through the defenses, he appeared in their path. With only a few strikes, he killed several attackers.
With him holding the line, the outer defenses finally became completely secure.
The attackers found it increasingly difficult to sustain their assault.
Once Mingde Hall's Soul Engineer reinforcements arrived, the surprise attack had turned into a war of attrition they had no chance of winning.
"Retreat!"
The black-robed expert finally realized that staying any longer would only cost them more.
Several Holy Spirit Cult experts released a thick black fog, trying to cover their retreat.
The Body Sect members also took the opportunity to withdraw from the battlefield.
Jing Hongchen snorted coldly, but did not rush after them.
There were still many important facilities inside Mingde Hall, and the underground experimental area was the most important of all.
Compared with pursuing and killing the attackers, securing the core area was the top priority.
"Seal off every passage!"
"Count the casualties and repair the defense system!"
"Also, find out who these people are and exactly how they got past the outer monitoring system!"
"Yes!"
As the orders were given, Mingde Hall's Soul Engineers sprang into action.
The surprise attack ultimately ended with the Body Sect and Holy Spirit Cult driven back.
But Jing Hongchen's expression did not improve.
He knew full well that this was no ordinary attack.
The enemy had chosen to strike at the crucial moment when Xiao Yan was absorbing the embryo. They had clearly obtained some information from inside Mingde Hall beforehand.
There was likely a deeper scheme behind it.
"Heavenly Flames Eternal Ruler."
Xiao Yan held the Eternal Ancient Ruler horizontally before him as Soul Power slowly surged through his body.
The next moment, an invisible force spread outward with him at its center.
Boom!
The floor of the secluded cultivation chamber trembled slightly.
A heavy pressure abruptly descended, as though the entire space had grown weighty.
Immediately afterward, the flame patterns on the Eternal Ancient Ruler blazed to life.
The ghastly white Bone Spirit Cold Flame rose first, followed by a scorching, tyrannical presence of flame that spread from the ruler.
The entire chamber seemed to have become a blazing furnace.
Heavenly Flames Domain!
Within the domain, the power of flame grew noticeably stronger.
Xiao Yan could manipulate the flame energy within the domain at will, making it condense and flow according to his wishes, or even attack from different directions.
The Nine Fire Heavenly Plate's properties were also displayed to the fullest at this moment.
Although only the Bone Spirit Cold Flame had truly been activated for now, the plate itself possessed the ability to govern flames.
Thus, the flame domain did more than simply raise the temperature. It made Xiao Yan the absolute master of the realm of fire!
And as the other Heavenly Flames on the Nine Fire Heavenly Plate were gradually activated in the future, the flame domain would gain an ever-richer variety of changes.
The power of different Heavenly Flames could grow stronger within the domain!
When conditions allowed, they could even form combinations of flames with different attributes!
"Not bad."
Xiao Yan slowly drew back his power and nodded in satisfaction.
However, maintaining the domain noticeably increased his Soul Power consumption. In the Eternal Ancient Ruler form, activating the domain placed greater demands on his spiritual power and his control over Soul Power.
With his current strength, activating them simultaneously for a short time was not difficult, but maintaining them for long would be somewhat astonishingly costly.
Not to mention that the Extreme Cold Snow Domain also consumed spiritual power and the Snow Empress's origin power.
If all three abilities were used at once, even he would probably struggle to keep them up for long.
But his explosive combat power was already no weaker than that of an ordinary Titled Douluo.
"Finally, I can at least count myself among the small handful at the top in combat power..."
Xiao Yan dispersed the Eternal Ancient Ruler.
The Heavy Xuan Ruler and the Nine Fire Heavenly Plate separated once more, then slowly vanished.
Becoming a Soul Saint was only the beginning, a ticket to the summit.
He still needed time to familiarize himself with his own combat power. In particular, he needed to adapt to the Seventh Soul Ring, Head Soul Bone, and Martial Soul Avatar brought by the Snow Empress.
At that thought, Xiao Yan turned his attention to his Sea of Consciousness.
A white cocoon of light floated quietly in the golden spiritual sea.
It was the sleeping Snow Empress.
The Ice Empress kept watch beside her, releasing a strand of spiritual power from time to time to help stabilize her origin.
"The Snow Empress's consciousness still can't awaken for now."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice rang out in the Sea of Consciousness.
"Her origin was damaged too severely before. Although she successfully became your Soul Spirit this time, recovery will still take time."
Xiao Yan nodded.
"I know."
It was a result he had anticipated long ago.
The Snow Empress successfully becoming a Soul Spirit was already a tremendous gain.
As for when she would regain consciousness and when she would be able to wield her full power again, neither could be resolved in a short time.
The Ice Empress turned to look at Xiao Yan.
"You don't need to worry about Xue'er. I'll take good care of her."
"Mm."
Xiao Yan said no more.
He had promised the Snow Empress that he would do everything he could to help her restore her origin, and naturally he would not go back on his word.
After withdrawing his spiritual power, Xiao Yan slowly rose to his feet.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the secluded cultivation chamber.
Immediately afterward, Kong Deming's voice came from beyond the door.
"Xiao Yan, come out."
Xiao Yan straightened his robes and opened the door to the chamber.
Kong Deming stood outside, his gaze resting on Xiao Yan for a moment.
"It seems you've fully stabilized."
"Sorry to have worried you, Teacher."
"It's all right."
Kong Deming waved a hand.
"Absorbing the hundred-thousand-year embryo caused quite a stir this time. Still, the result was good."
At that point, his expression grew slightly serious.
"Mingde Hall was attacked. The Body Sect and Holy Spirit Cult members have been driven back. Jing Hongchen is handling the aftermath."
Xiao Yan's gaze turned slightly cold.
"Have you found out who was pulling the strings?"
Kong Deming shook his head.
"There's no conclusive evidence yet. But whoever was behind this could contact both the Body Sect and the Holy Spirit Cult, and chose to attack just as you were absorbing the hundred-thousand-year embryo. They have considerable ambitions."
Xiao Yan did not press further.
He knew this matter probably would not end here.
"Go back and rest for now."
Kong Deming said.
"Once you've fully adapted to your new power, come find me at Mingde Hall."
"Yes."
Xiao Yan agreed.
He strode out of the underground experimental area.
After this period of secluded cultivation, his strength had undergone a qualitative change. It was time for him to properly digest what he had gained.