The enormous valley, as if carved out of a mountain peak, was surrounded by deep black rocks that shimmered with a metallic sheen. These densely packed black rocks formed a continuous expanse, making the entire mountain range resemble a mineral vein. The
mountain range was sparsely vegetated, a desolate landscape, with only the occasional withered tree. The branches of these withered trees lay scattered across the black rocks, their gnarled branches resembling whitish skeletons, making the desolate, dark mountain range appear even more grotesque and terrifying, sending chills down one's spine.
This was the mountain range where the Demon Flame Valley headquarters was located. At this moment, in a plaza deep within the valley, a densely packed crowd was divided into two groups, standing in opposing positions.
Each person in both groups exuded a terrifying aura, confronting the opposing group. The atmosphere was extremely tense, with rising battle qi and various energies intertwining, distorting the air and creating a chaotic interplay of celestial and terrestrial energy.
At this moment, Su Qian stared solemnly at an elderly man with blood-red hair clad in a yellow robe embroidered with skulls, whose aura seemed to clash with his own not far away. The old man's face was gaunt, his skin clinging tightly to his bones, appearing as if he were skin and bones without flesh, resembling a skull at first glance. His deep-set eyes gleamed with an eerie light, like will-o'-the-wisps, conveying a sense of strangeness and sinister dread.
"Old Demon Ghost,"
Su Qian called out the name of the emaciated old man in a solemn tone.
"Su Qian, I noticed some of your little tricks a few days ago. I didn't expect you to actually dare to come knocking on my door."
The Old Demon Ghost stood in the void, his deep-set eyes bursting with terrifying killing intent. A ferocious smile appeared on his face as he spoke to Su Qian in a hoarse voice,
"Hmph, your Demon Flame Valley has repeatedly ambushed and killed students from my Canaan Academy. Now it's time to pay the price. From today onwards, Demon Flame Valley will cease to exist!"
Su Qian snorted coldly, speaking in a chilling voice, his killing intent towards the Old Demon Ghost making no attempt to conceal it.
"Such arrogance! Although I don't know what gives you the confidence to come to my Demon Flame Valley with your strength as a three-star Dou Zong, I'm not unprepared."
The Earth Demon Old Ghost revealed a sinister smile. As his words fell, a pale-faced, hook-nosed old man in a black robe slowly appeared beside him.
"Old Man Eagle Mountain?"
When Su Qian saw the old man, his pupils instantly contracted, and his fists clenched. This Old Man Eagle Mountain was a veteran powerhouse of the Black Corner Region, a four-star Dou Zong. Before Hun Changqing arrived, Old Man Eagle Mountain's appearance had put great pressure on Su Qian.
"Attack!"
The Earth Demon Old Ghost shouted the moment Old Man Eagle Mountain appeared. Several jet-black ice crystals appeared around him, shooting towards Su Qian with his bony, withered hands.
Old Man Eagle Mountain also instantly conjured a chilling ghost claw in front of him and lashed it out at Su Qian.
Clearly, neither of them wanted to waste words with Su Qian and intended to finish the battle quickly. This time, the Earth Demon Old Ghost had sensed something unusual in Su Qian's unusual movements several days prior.
This made the Earth Demon Old Ghost vaguely uneasy; it was the intuition of a strong person, an intuition that had saved his life many times. Therefore, he mobilized all his connections, summoning numerous powerful figures to prevent Su Qian from having any hidden trump cards.
Su Qian sensed two terrifying fighting techniques carrying immense energy, and his heart trembled. Each of these two individuals was a powerhouse higher than him, and their combined attack gave him a feeling of being unable to withstand it.
"Hmph,"
just as Su Qian was about to grit his teeth and block the two attacks, Medusa, who was not far away with her arms crossed, coldly observing the situation, suddenly let out a cold snort.
Seven-colored light burst forth from Medusa's palm, and with a swing of her hand, a dazzling seven-colored beam shot towards the countless ice crystals, violently sweeping them away.
"Old man, I'll handle the Seven-Star Dou Zong. The Four-Star Dou Zong is yours,"
Medusa said calmly to Su Qian. She then slowly stepped forward, appearing before the Earth Demon Old Ghost, her cold eyes fixed on him as if he were a dead man.
The sudden turn of events startled the two, while Su Qian breathed a sigh of relief. Medusa had been using a concealment technique, preventing Su Qian from sensing her strength, but he could vaguely sense that she was no ordinary person; otherwise, Hun Changqing wouldn't have summoned her to accompany him. Now it seemed she was indeed a terrifyingly powerful expert.
With the Earth Demon Old Ghost's attacks gone, Su Qian found dealing with the Eagle Mountain Elder's attacks much easier. Su Qian mobilized his Dou Qi, unleashing a powerful beam that collided with the Eagle Mountain Elder's ghostly claws… As Su Qian and the Eagle Mountain Elder clashed, Medusa and the Earth Demon Old Ghost also began their battle of fighting spirit. In an instant, battle spirits of various colors flew about, creating a dazzling spectacle. Explosions from the collisions of energy sent mushroom clouds rising.
While the powerful figures from the two forces above clashed, the students of Canaan Academy on the ground also engaged in battle with the disciples of Demon Flame Valley. The entire Demon Flame Valley plaza descended into chaos, the cacophony of shouts and screams echoing throughout the valley.
"Boom!"
With an explosion of energy, the Earth Demon Old Ghost was sent flying backward from the center of the blast. He spun for dozens of meters in the air before regaining his footing, staring at the indifferent Medusa not far ahead, his heart filled with horror. The
Earth Demon Old Ghost hadn't expected this woman, who appeared to be two minor realms lower than him, to possess such terrifying strength. The power of her battle spirit was immense, making it difficult for him to withstand.
Although the Earth Demon Old Ghost was no match for Medusa, he showed no sign of panic. He slowly raised his head, a strange smile appearing on his skeletal face, followed by a piercing laugh from his withered mouth.
"Protector Xuan, Protector Tie, please make your move!"
As the Earth Demon Old Ghost's laughter subsided, bursts of black mist suddenly erupted from the surrounding mountain walls. The mist parted, revealing dozens of figures shrouded in it, drawing everyone's attention.
"Hehehe... How lively..."
The two leading figures in black erupted with a sinister laugh, their voices hoarse and shrill, like metal scraping against glass, exceptionally jarring and chilling. A cold aura spread with their laughter, and the aura of high-level Dou Zong emanated from them, enveloping the entire plaza.
The old demon walked up to the two dark figures, clasped his hands in greeting, and said,
"Guardian Xuan, Guardian Tie, we'll have to trouble you two this time."
"Hehehe... Remember to prepare those souls for us when you arrive, or you know the consequences."
Guardian Xuan let out a chilling laugh, speaking to the old demon, then swept his cold, fierce gaze over Su Qian and Medusa, his eyes filled with greed.
"Hehehe... One is a five-star Dou Zong, the other a three-star Dou Zong, your souls are quite valuable. It seems I came to the right place this time."
Su Qian and Medusa looked at the two who had suddenly appeared before them, their clothing so familiar, their laughter so familiar, their eyes filled with bewilderment. These people were... colleagues
of Hun Changqing? "Are you two... from the Underworld Palace?"
Su Qian hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking.
Su Qian's question instantly froze Guardian Xuan's strange voice. Guardian Xuan frowned, puzzled. What exactly was the Underworld Palace? However, Protector Xuan immediately let out a strange laugh,
"Hehehe... What bullshit Underworld Palace? Remember, it was Protector Xuan and Protector Tie of the Soul Palace who took your souls!"
Su Qian breathed a sigh of relief after hearing their denial. It was good that they weren't colleagues of Hun Changqing. He had heard of the Soul Palace, but had never dealt with it. What surprised him most about their first meeting was how similar their styles were to Hun Changqing's; no wonder their names differed by only one character.
Medusa's expression, however, became even more strange. She remembered what Hun Changqing had said earlier: he came from a force called the Soul Palace in Zhongzhou, and Medusa herself had joined it. Hun Changqing called her Protector Sha, so she was also a colleague of these two?
For a moment, Medusa was bewildered. She felt that taking action now was problematic, but not taking action was also problematic; both sides seemed to be on her side. What to do?
A bewildered Medusa cursed Hun Changqing inwardly. Her own men were nowhere to be found, so she'd been summoned only to find herself in this awkward situation. She truly didn't know who to help!
"Hehehe... It's so lively here..."
Just as Protector Xuan and Protector Tie were preparing to act, and Medusa was still hesitating, a sinister laugh, even more chilling and eerie than theirs, suddenly echoed from outside the valley.
Then, a dense black mist, carrying an incomparably evil and terrifying aura like an abyss, suddenly erupted from the sky.
A pitch-black figure, enveloped in the thick black mist, slowly emerged, its entrance mirroring that of Protector Xuan and Protector Tie. However, the chilling aura emanating from this figure was far more terrifying than that of the two Protectors, as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.
"Hehehe... This is truly...unexpected..."
A mocking glint appeared in the eyes of the dark figure beneath his black robe. His cold gaze slowly swept over Xuan and the Iron Protector, before he let out a chilling, eerie laugh.