Chapter 427: Hunting the Soul of the Heavenly Tomb
"Congratulations, Brother Xuan!"
Xiao Yuan said with a smile.
"Thanks to you, I finally have a chance to see the light of day again!"
Xiao Xuan smiled in response, though his eyes were filled with a complex emotion.
He had never imagined that one day, he would have a chance to leave the Heavenly Tomb, or even, perhaps, to be revived!
And all of this was thanks to the white-robed young man before him.
"Brother Xuan, do you have any way of identifying members of the Soul Clan? When I came to the Gu Clan this time, I sensed a strange aura. I suspect someone in the Gu Clan may have had their identity replaced by someone from the Soul Clan."
Xiao Yuan thought for a moment, then suddenly asked.
"Oh? You could sense that?"
Xiao Xuan was slightly surprised. If someone was secretly spying on Xiao Yuan, they should be taking a great risk of being noticed by Gu Yuan. If the Soul Clan really had such intentions, it would certainly be because of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade.
If that were the case, they definitely shouldn't be near Xiao Yuan at all.
But then again, perhaps that person never expected Xiao Yuan, a Dou Zun, to be able to sense a Dou Sheng's aura.
Xiao Xuan never doubted that Xiao Yuan might be making this up.
"Well, my Qi Palace secret technique refines the five visceral energies, so I'm very sensitive to abnormal energy flows. The Soul Clan's internal energy feels very chaotic to me, the stronger they are, the more disordered their energy feels. It's as if their bloodlines are all jumbled."
Xiao Yuan continued spinning his tale.
After all, no one else had ever cultivated the Five Qi Palace method, so who could refute him?
As long as he told Xiao Xuan about the Soul Clan planting spies, Xiao Xuan could report it to Gu Yuan. The problem would be handled.
As for why not tell Gu Yuan directly?
Xiao Yuan didn't believe Gu Yuan would take his word seriously.
Different people carry different weight when they speak.
If it were Xiao Xuan, a single sentence from him would be enough for Gu Yuan to secretly investigate every elder in the Gu Clan!
Given Gu Yuan's power, if he were to investigate in secret, there would be very few people in the Gu Clan who could notice. And those few, even if from the Soul Clan, wouldn't be easy to deal with. Moreover, they couldn't avoid dealing with Gu Yuan regularly. If anything were off, Gu Yuan would've noticed by now. Since he hadn't, they probably weren't suspicious.
"Hmm, I do have a way. But I'd rather you be the one to act when the time comes."
Xiao Xuan thought for a moment and smiled.
"Eh?"
Xiao Yuan was stunned. With his limited strength, what could he possibly do?
Xiao Xuan stood up and looked off into the misty distance, then suddenly smiled.
"Hehe, you helped me restore my soul. Coincidentally, with my current power, I can bestow upon you a great fortune."
Xiao Yuan paused, puzzled by what Xiao Xuan meant by "great fortune."
"The Heavenly Tomb is no resting place for the weak. The countless remnant souls here were once powerful beings. I can't help you much in terms of strength, but when it comes to soul power—I can give you something truly valuable."
Xiao Xuan smiled and spread his arms as if pressing down on the entire Heavenly Tomb.
"That twisted thing should never have existed. I've wanted to destroy it for a long time…"
As he spoke, Xiao Xuan turned his head toward Xiao Yuan. His soft voice echoed across the land, and all the energy bodies within the Heavenly Tomb trembled suddenly.
"Today, I'll show a fraction of my former might. As for whether your soul can leap across the Heavenly Realm and enter the Emperor Realm—that will depend on your own fortune!"
"Emperor-tier soul?!"
Xiao Yuan stared in shock at the smiling Xiao Xuan. His mouth went dry at those words. In this world, anything associated with the word "Emperor" symbolized unmatched strength—whether it be a Dou Di, an Emperor-tier pill, or an Emperor-tier soul.
Dou Di, Emperor-tier pills, and Emperor-tier souls.
Of the Three Emperors, the latter might be the most achievable at present—not that it was easy. Currently on the continent, only two individuals were known to possess an Emperor-tier soul: Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi.
As for Xiao Xuan, his soul would be hard to fully restore to the Emperor level without first regaining a physical body.
Xiao Yuan's current soul level was only at mid-Heavenly tier, and that was already thanks to the rebound effect from his recovery. Even then, he still had a long way to go before reaching the Emperor tier. Though he knew what Xiao Xuan was about to do, he had no confidence in making that breakthrough.
So when he heard Xiao Xuan mention giving him a chance to reach Emperor-tier soul, he was stunned despite his usual composure.
"How is that even possible?"
After a long daze, Xiao Yuan finally came to his senses and shook his head with a bitter smile. With his current level, reaching the peak of the Heavenly tier would be a great accomplishment. As for Emperor-tier soul…
It really seemed impossible!
"It is indeed extremely difficult, but not entirely impossible."
Xiao Xuan gave a strange smile, then looked up with deep eyes into the misty void.
"What I plan to fight isn't the remnant souls here, but rather—the soul of the Heavenly Tomb itself!"
"The soul of the Heavenly Tomb?"
Xiao Yuan looked puzzled.
"A strange entity, formed from the accumulated remnant soul imprints since the Heavenly Tomb's creation. You can think of it as the guardian of the tomb—or more accurately, its warden. It controls this space and instills the urge to devour in the energy bodies."
Xiao Xuan stared straight into the void as he spoke calmly.
"No one but the energy bodies here can sense its existence. Even Gu Yuan and the others are unaware of it."
Xiao Yuan swallowed hard. This was the first time he'd heard of a space possessing a soul. It was beyond bizarre. The Dou Di who created this place must have had truly unfathomable power.
"Is that thing strong?"
Xiao Yuan muttered. Those buried in the Heavenly Tomb were all once great powers. If the tomb's soul could absorb their remnants, it was likely not something easy to deal with.
"Very strong."
Xiao Xuan smiled. The simple words made Xiao Yuan's expression turn grave. If even Xiao Xuan admitted its power, then this Heavenly Tomb Soul must be truly terrifying.
"But that was when I was still a remnant soul. Now, taking it down isn't difficult."
Xiao Xuan laughed boldly and slowly rose into the air. As he ascended, the mist enveloping the land rapidly dispersed. A terrifying pressure spread from him, eventually blanketing the entire Heavenly Tomb.
Under such pressure, all the energy bodies in the tomb looked up toward him. Their once lifeless eyes now glowed with excitement.
"Lord Xiao Xuan… is finally going to act…"
In the depths of the tomb, Blood Blade Saint stood up trembling, gazing at the rising figure. Though they lived in altered forms, this was not the existence they had wished for.
The tomb soul had implanted the desire to devour in their remnants, turning the place into a world of mutual destruction. To grow stronger, they had to consume each other. For beings who were once human, it was no different from cannibalism.
The Heavenly Tomb had once been a place for warriors to rest in peace. But ever since the tomb soul's birth, the world had become twisted. Some had tried to resist it in the past, but they had all been devoured. The only one it feared was Xiao Xuan, deep within the tomb.
Long ago, some had begged Xiao Xuan for deliverance, but he hadn't acted. Over time, they gave up hope and quietly endured.
And now, seeing Xiao Xuan act, their numb hearts began to burn again. They were human— not beasts!
"In the past, I had a mission to fulfill, so I could not intervene. Now, my strength has returned, and my mission nears its end. So this time—I will answer your plea!"
Suspended in the sky, Xiao Xuan was untouched by the soul-splitting gales. Looking down upon the earth, his calm voice echoed in the ears of every energy body.
"Lord Xiao Xuan!"
On the ground, energy bodies who were fighting suddenly froze. In their bloodshot eyes, emotion stirred. Trembling, they looked skyward at the proud figure—and one after another, knelt to the ground.
Xiao Yuan rose slightly into the air. Seeing all this, he remained silent. As an outsider, he couldn't understand what had truly happened in this place. But one thing was clear—the tomb soul had utterly lost the people's hearts.
At the same time, members of various clans who had entered the tomb gathered at the second level or near its entrance.
Feeling Xiao Xuan's terrifying pressure, their Dou Qi nearly ceased to circulate.
Only Xiao Yan felt a burning deep in his bloodline and soul. This pressure did not weaken him—it made him feel incredibly good!
Could this aura be from an ancestor of the Xiao Clan, Senior Xiao Xuan?
Xiao Yan mused silently.
Looks like Third Brother is making fast progress!
Rumble!
At that moment, a deafening roar came from the edge of the void, like thunder erupting from deep space. Many energy bodies throughout the tomb trembled at the sound.
Xiao Yuan stared tightly into the distance. Even he could now faintly sense a vast, unfathomable soul wave surging forth—terrifying in intensity. Just brushing against it made him feel like he was being crushed by Mount Tai. Yet despite its strength, the soul wave also felt patchy and fragmented—likely due to devouring too many soul remnants.
From the gray void, formless soul energy rapidly condensed. Moments later, space distorted, and a massive face—ten thousand feet wide—emerged from the void. Its expression was cold and strange.
"That must be the tomb soul…"
Xiao Yuan murmured, face serious, staring at the enormous soul face in the sky.
"Xiao Xuan, we've always left each other alone. Do you now intend to break our agreement?"
The face churned, its emotionless eyes locked onto Xiao Xuan. Its cold voice rumbled across the world like thunder.
Xiao Xuan smiled calmly and replied softly:
"Your existence is a mistake. I doubt even the Dou Di who created the tomb expected something like you to be born here. Besides, when did I ever make a deal with you?"
"Lies! I was born at my master's will. I am the guardian of this space. You live because of me—you must obey my rules!"
The tomb soul said coldly.
"They live because of the tomb, not because of you."
Xiao Xuan shook his head.
"I am the tomb, and the tomb is me!"
The tomb soul's voice grew sharp.
"You are not the tomb. You were not born of the tomb, but from the remnants of their souls. In a way—they created you."
Xiao Xuan smiled faintly. Though his tone was gentle, the soul face twisted violently, growing more hideous by the second.
"You insist on courting death? Fine—I'll grant your wish!"
The face churned, and from its mouth erupted a massive soul storm—spinning like a giant drill—hurtling toward Xiao Xuan.
But Xiao Xuan simply stepped forward. The seemingly fierce soul storm bounced away the moment it neared his body!
"Brother Yuan, lend me your Heavenly Flame!"
Xiao Xuan smiled and waved. The Yin-Yang Dual Flames flew from Xiao Yuan's body and landed in his hand.
In the next moment, under Xiao Xuan's control, the dual flames turned into a surging sea of two-colored fire, engulfing the giant face of the tomb soul.
"Hand over your soul's origin to me."
Xiao Xuan said with a light smile, his tone carrying an undeniable might!
(END CHAPTER)
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