Black mist emanated from the pitch-black figure, its chillingly evil aura sweeping across every corner of the plaza, causing everyone to tremble. A chill ran down their spines, making their hair stand on end.
At this moment, the Earth Demon Old Ghost turned to look at Xuan and Iron Protectors, his eyes filled with confusion. He remembered only contacting two Soul Hall Protectors this time; how did another one suddenly appear?
Xuan and Iron Protectors exchanged bewildered glances, both seeing the same confusion in each other's eyes. Clearly, they knew nothing about this suddenly appearing person who seemed to be a colleague.
"Two Protectors, who is this?"
the Earth Demon Old Ghost asked Xuan and Iron Protectors with a questioning tone.
Xuan Protector: ...
Iron Protector: ...
The two were completely at a loss for words, remaining silent. They too wanted to know who this sudden person was.
"Hehehe..."
Hun Changqing burst into a sinister and eerie laugh from the sky, hoarse and shrill, like the wailing of a vengeful ghost. The laughter, carried by the gusts of cold wind in the valley square, reached everyone's ears.
Everyone who heard the laughter felt their eardrums vibrate painfully, as if a demon were howling in their ears. Even the Earth Demon Old Ghost and the two protectors felt uncomfortable; it was extremely jarring, and their expressions were very ugly.
As the chilling laughter echoed in the valley, Hun Changqing, carrying billowing black mist, descended slowly before Su Qian's group like a great demon descending to earth. Wherever Hun Changqing landed, trails of black mist rose in his path.
After Hun Changqing landed, the mist around him slowly receded into his body, revealing Hun Changqing, dressed in a black robe and wearing a hood, within the black mist.
Seeing Hun Changqing beside him, Su Qian's initial tension caused by the appearance of Xuan and Protector Tie instantly dissipated, filling him with joy.
When he saw the bewildered old demon not far ahead, he felt an immense sense of satisfaction. If it weren't for the inappropriate timing and the presence of the students behind him, he might have even burst out laughing.
When the old demon saw Hun Changqing descend beside Su Qian, his face instantly darkened, becoming incredibly ugly. He wanted to curse inwardly, "You old thief, Su Qian! You always act so respectable, yet you're actually connected to the Soul Palace! So you're the deepest hidden mastermind in the Black Corner Region!"
"I wonder if you're a colleague here? The soul resources in the Black Corner Region have already been allocated to the two of us by the Deputy Hall Master. I hope this colleague won't make things difficult for us."
The members of the Soul Hall are generally ruthless, treacherous, and extremely arrogant. Even colleagues sometimes clash over the allocation of resource areas. As long as it doesn't affect the Soul Hall's interests, the higher-ups don't interfere in these disputes.
Upon seeing Hun Changqing, Protector Xuan naturally assumed he was there to seize the soul resources of the Black Corner Region, and given his nature, he should have attacked immediately.
However, although he couldn't sense Hun Changqing's cultivation level, Protector Xuan felt a strong threat emanating from him, like a mouse encountering a cat. This made Protector Xuan feel both apprehensive and intensely unwilling.
The souls of a three-star Dou Zong and a five-star Dou Zong were extremely rare, undoubtedly a huge fortune for him, and giving them up was unacceptable.
So Protector Xuan then brought up the position of the deputy hall master of his branch hall. Regardless of the branch hall's location, both the hall master and deputy hall master were at least Dou Zun level experts—this was common knowledge within the Soul Hall. Protector Xuan hoped to use the title of Dou Zun deputy hall master to persuade Hun Changqing to resign.
"Branch hall? Is your branch hall in the Northwest Continent, or one of the twenty-four Earthly Fiend Halls in the Central Continent?"
Hun Changqing didn't respond to Protector Xuan's words, instead asking in a hoarse, shrill voice. The chilling aura emanating from his voice caused
Protector Xuan and Protector Tie to tremble. They then suppressed their physical and psychological discomfort caused by Hun Changqing's voice and pondered his question. A doubt arose in their hearts: judging from Hun Changqing's tone, could he have come from a branch hall in the Central Continent?
Those people from Zhongzhou acted all arrogant and haughty. Even though they were also from the Soul Hall, they looked down on those from outside Zhongzhou. Why would they come to this barren Northwest Continent to compete with them for the soul resources of the Black Corner Region?
Seemingly guessing that Hun Changqing was from a branch of the Soul Hall from Zhongzhou, Protector Xuan and Protector Tie's expressions turned somewhat ugly. The Soul Hall people from Zhongzhou looked down on them, and they also disliked the people from Zhongzhou. Every time they went to Zhongzhou to hand over souls, they inevitably got into arguments with the protectors of the Zhongzhou branch.
"We are from the Northwest Continent branch. Our Vice Hall Master is the Dragon Venerable, and our Hall Master is the Star Venerable!"
Although Protector Xuan and Protector Tie were very unhappy with the Soul Hall people from Zhongzhou, this person's strength was unfathomable, so they couldn't show their emotions. They could only bring up their superiors, hoping to make Hun Changqing wary.
Upon hearing the title of Palace Master from Protector Xuan, Hun Changqing was initially taken aback, then a chilling smile spread across his face, revealing his gleaming white teeth.
"Hehehe... Star ... A fine name, but unfortunately, I don't like it."
Hun Changqing's words were barely finished when he launched a fierce attack. Terrifying black death energy surged from his body, spreading and dispersing, before countless black wooden slats suddenly shot out from within the mist, hurtling towards Xuan and Tie.
The instant Hun Changqing attacked, the aura emanating from him instantly filled Xuan and Tie with terror, their eyes wide with horror.
"Venerable... Venerable One! Wait... Ah!"
Before they could even beg for mercy, the black wooden slats had already pierced through them, the death energy instantly corroding their already emaciated bodies and corrupting their souls.
As the deathly aura eroded them, their initially terrified eyes gradually dimmed, becoming vacant. Their violently struggling bodies slowly calmed down. They were now in a life-or-death situation, much like Xiao Yan in the black wooden coffin within Hun Changqing's storage ring.
Although Su Qian knew Hun Changqing was strong, a Dou Zun expert, he had no concept of his strength. Seeing Hun Changqing so easily subdue these two high-level Dou Zong from the Soul Palace, a sense of relief rose within him. Fortunately, he hadn't resisted Hun Changqing's pressure earlier; otherwise, his fate would likely have been similar to these two protectors.
Meanwhile, the Earth Demon Old Ghost seemed stunned, staring blankly at Xuan and Tie, who had been instantly pierced by the black wooden coffin, their fate unknown. He seemed unable to believe what he was seeing, as if he were in an illusion.
"Hehehe..."
Hun Changqing let out another sinister laugh, which filled the hearts of the disciples of Canaan Academy and Demon Flame Valley with immense fear. Hun Changqing's black aura and his image as a demon god were deeply imprinted in their hearts, leaving a shadow.
As the evil laughter spread, two jet-black soul chains shot out from Hun Changqing's sleeves, heading straight for Xuan and Tie's heads. The soul chains easily pierced through their skulls, then quickly retracted, with two illusory little figures bound to their tips—the souls of Protector Xuan and Protector Tie.
After gently placing the two souls into the soul container, Hun Changqing glanced indifferently at the now terrified Earth Demon Old Ghost, and said to Medusa,
"Medusa, I'll leave this one to you. You haven't experienced many decent battles since you advanced to Dou Zong, so let him practice."
After hearing Hun Changqing's words, Medusa turned to look at the Earth Demon Old Ghost and Eagle Mountain Elder, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. A cold smile curled at the corner of her mouth, and she said to Hun Changqing in a slightly arrogant tone,
"If it weren't for those two protectors appearing just now, this Earth Demon Old Ghost would have died at my hands long ago."
Hun Changqing nodded upon hearing this, having no doubt about Medusa's words. As an ancient exotic species, the Seven-Colored Devouring Python, it was quite normal for Medusa to suppress the Earth Demon Old Ghost by two levels.
After overhearing Hun Changqing and Medusa's conversation, the Earth Demon Old Ghost's heart trembled. He immediately unleashed all his battle qi and retreated violently, then soared into the sky, attempting to escape. Eagle Mountain Elder seemed to be telepathically aligned with him, also retreating rapidly.
Seeing the two flee, Medusa's lips curled into a cruel smile. Trying to escape from her, the Seven-Colored Devouring Python renowned for its speed?
Just as Medusa's killing intent surged, preparing to give chase, she suddenly heard Hun Changqing's message.
"If possible, capture them alive."
Medusa was initially taken aback, but quickly nodded thoughtfully to Hun Changqing. Then, she transformed into a streak of seven-colored light, rushing towards the direction the Earth Demon Old Ghost and his companion had fled at unimaginable speed.
As the old demon fled, despair filled the faces of the Demon Flame Valley disciples, and many even showed signs of madness. Those who could survive in the Black Corner Region were ruthless and decisive. It
was impossible for them to surrender easily. Even if the enemy was terrifying, they wouldn't stand idly by if there was no hope of survival. Many Demon Flame Valley disciples activated their fighting techniques, preparing for a desperate fight.
However, this was none of Hun Changqing's concern; he could leave it to Su Qian's Canaan Academy. If these carefully trained students from Canaan Academy couldn't even defeat this rabble from Demon Flame Valley, then Hun Changqing had no reason to recruit from Canaan Academy.
Hun Changqing stood with his hands at his sides, observing for a moment the students who were already engaged in fierce battle with the disciples of Demon Flame Valley. He nodded repeatedly. Canaan Academy truly lived up to its name; most of these students possessed exceptional combat skills, remarkable abilities, and decisive character. His and Su Qian's wasted words were worthwhile.
"Hehehe... Master, do you know how terrified those cowards you were just now? Aren't you afraid they won't dare join your faction?"
Just as Hun Changqing was watching the battlefield below, Zi Yan, wielding her battle aura wings, arrived beside him, revealing a sinister smile and emitting a strange laugh similar to Hun Changqing's.
Hun Changqing glanced at Zi Yan, a cold smile appearing on his face. "Didn't you used to dislike that kind of laughter? Why are you starting to imitate it now?"
Zi Yan ignored Hun Changqing's mockery, her expression still quite wicked, which, combined with her eerie pale purple pupils, made her look extremely sinister.
"Hehehe... That's because I've discovered the secret it contains."
Hun Changqing was speechless after hearing Zi Yan's words. He reached out and tugged at Zi Yan's pink cheek as she was clowning around, saying,
"Come with me, let's go find some treasure."
He vaguely remembered that there were quite a few good things in Demon Flame Valley, so he brought along this treasure-hunting dragon and planned to search the main hall of Demon Flame Valley.
"Oh..."
As soon as Zi Yan heard that Hun Changqing was going to find something, she quickly agreed, her battle aura wings flapping rapidly in the air as she followed behind Hun Changqing.
Watching Hun Changqing's retreating figure, a glint of light flashed in Zi Yan's bewitching eyes. Her delicate nose twitched slightly as she inhaled the faint fragrance emanating from Hun Changqing's black robes, and a trickle of clear, crystalline saliva dribbled from the corner of her mouth.
Realizing her mistake, Zi Yan quickly sucked back her saliva, then, gazing at Hun Changqing's back, a strange smile curved her lips, and she let out a peculiar laugh that only she could hear.
"Hehehe... Master, do you know? The most precious treasure... is actually you, Master..."
...
Hun Changqing and Zi Yan walked towards the main hall of Demon Flame Valley. In the sky, many elders from Demon Flame Valley and Canaan Academy were still fighting, but as the two passed by, these powerful figures, even Dou Wang and Dou Huang, all stopped fighting without a word, fearing that the aftershocks of their battles might disturb Hun Changqing and cause them unnecessary trouble.
Stepping into the magnificent palace, Hun Changqing looked around and couldn't help but want to complain. This old demon's taste was truly outdated; he actually liked this shimmering golden color. No wonder even his robes were a turkey-yellow.
"Find out where the treasures are hidden in this palace,"
Hun Changqing instructed Zi Yan to activate her innate treasure-hunting skills as an ancient dragon.
Zi Yan, upon hearing this, began to twitch her nose slightly, her little head turning around in all directions. As she turned her head, she looked incredibly cute. After a moment, Zi Yan stretched out her little hand, pointed in a direction, and said,
"There!"
Then she ran off in that direction with her short legs. Hun Changqing followed, and after entering a hidden door and passing through a long, dark tunnel, the two finally arrived at a stone wall covered with overgrown weeds.
Hun Changqing glanced at the somewhat ancient-looking stone wall and asked Zi Yan,
"Is it behind this?"
Zi Yan nodded, smiled gently, and hugged her belly, revealing her cute little tiger teeth.
"Hehehe... That's right, I can sense there are many good things behind this."
Hun Changqing ignored Zi Yan's strange laughter, lightly raised his finger, and gently touched the stone wall. Instantly, thick black mist rose from the stone wall, and then the mist dissipated, revealing a dark pit hidden behind it, having been eroded by the black mist.
The two then slowly walked into the dark pit. After passing through a short tunnel, they came into view of a rather spacious storeroom. The lights inside the storeroom were extremely bright, and the walls were made entirely of an extremely hard mineral. Inside
the storeroom, there were many shelves, with scrolls neatly arranged on them. On the other side, there were also many crystal cabinets. Many precious medicinal herbs were carefully arranged, their contents faintly visible.
Just as Zi Yan's eyes burned with excitement, eager to enter the storeroom and collect the treasures, a gust of foul wind shot out from the shadows. A dark figure, carrying a fierce gust of wind, lunged straight at Zi Yan.
The sudden turn of events startled Zi Yan, who had been focused entirely on the herbs on the counter. Hun Changqing, standing nearby, watched the dark figure hurtling towards Zi Yan with amusement, showing no intention of intervening.
"Hmph!"
Although startled, Zi Yan quickly recovered. A fierce glint appeared in her eyes, and she let out a cold snort. Her petite body bent slightly, her small, white hands clenched into fists at her waist, and her fighting spirit surged from within, converging at her fists.
As the dark figure approached, a powerful purple light flashed in Zi Yan's eyes, and then her fist, which had been gathering power at her waist, slammed out.
Zi Yan's small fist contained terrifying power. The fist sliced through the air, producing a deafening sonic boom that echoed throughout the warehouse. It then slammed into the dark figure, sending powerful gusts of wind surging into it like waves.
A piercing scream followed, and the massive dark figure was sent hurtling backward before crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, Zi Yan could see a huge, serpentine beast lying in the crater left by the punch.
The beast was stunned by Zi Yan's blow, its scarlet forked tongue protruding, looking utterly wretched.
Zi Yan turned to Hun Changqing and grumbled, "Master, didn't you remind me? What if your lovely disciple gets hurt by this stinky snake?"
Hun Changqing chuckled and said with amusement, "This little snake is only at the Seven-Star Dou Wang level. You, as the Ancient Void Dragon, are at the peak Dou Wang level. If you can be hurt by this snake, I suggest you stop cultivating and just slit your own throat, so as not to bring shame to your Ancient Void Dragon clan."
Zi Yan was speechless after hearing Hun Changqing's words, only able to show her annoyance. She secretly added another mark against Hun Changqing in her heart, vowing to get revenge when she grew up.
Hun Changqing walked straight past the sulking Zi Yan, ignoring the scrolls on the shelves and the precious medicinal herbs in the counter, and went to an ancient bookshelf deep in the storeroom. The bookshelf was simple and empty, holding only four wooden boxes. Outside the bookshelf was a barrier shimmering with a faint light, clearly a seal set up by the Earth Demon Old Ghost to protect the four wooden boxes.
Hun Changqing stretched out his fair palm and gently touched the light barrier. The barrier instantly shattered, turning into energy particles that dissipated into the world, and the bookshelf was exposed to Hun Changqing.
He slowly opened the wooden boxes one by one, revealing two scrolls, a magic beast core, and a bamboo slip.
The magic core was from a seventh-tier magic beast. Although he was already a Dou Zun, a seventh-tier magic core was still quite useful, so Hun Changqing immediately put it away.
Then he focused his gaze on the two scrolls and slowly opened them.
"Thunder Strike Technique, Mid-Level Earth Rank, Thunder Attribute Technique..."
"That old demon actually has a mid-level Earth-rank cultivation technique, and it's even lightning-attribute! Tsk tsk, that's quite rare even in Central Continent. For a mere Dou Zong to find it, his luck is truly remarkable."
Hun Changqing clicked his tongue twice, then opened another scroll.
"The Flame Manipulation Technique, created by the old demon, requires three people to cultivate together to condense a 'pseudo-different fire'..."
"That old demon is quite a genius, able to research such a fighting technique, hehe... I'll take it to the Pill Tower with Hai Xinyan and squeeze them for a piece of my mind."
Hun Changqing nodded in satisfaction, putting both scrolls into his storage ring, then looked at the last bamboo slip.
"If I remember correctly..."
Hun Changqing said, slowly unfolding the bamboo slip, revealing a bloody, ruthless character before his eyes.
"Heavenly Demon Puppet!"
"As expected."
Hun Changqing was certain. This was indeed the puppet-making method. Using the soul, demonic core, and the body of a powerful being as its physical form, a puppet could be crafted. Puppets were divided into three grades: Heaven, Earth, and Human, with their level depending on the materials used. They possessed boundless power, were indifferent to joy or sorrow, and felt no pain or injury—truly a powerful weapon.
This puppet-making method would be extremely useful to Hun Changqing. His physical body was not particularly strong, only average. If he could craft a powerful, pain-resistant shield, he could unleash his full potential in battle. He wouldn't need to be so cautious when facing powerful enemies, and the strength he could unleash would definitely be several times greater than usual!