In the far west of the Northwest Continent lies a mountain range known as the Black Spirit Mountains. On the Northwest Continent, this mountain range is considered a forbidden zone. Within this range, a chilling aura pervades, and a dense, icy fog obscures the sky.
Even the soul perception of a Dou Zong realm expert cannot penetrate this thick fog, making it impossible for them to discern directions. Furthermore, a terrifying cold pressure suppresses Dou Zong and lower-level experts, preventing them from flying. A single misstep could lead to disorientation and eventual death within this mountain range.
Deep within this icy fog lies an extremely high and steep slope. At the end of that slope is a vast valley surrounded by mountains. Within the valley, a colossal black hall, hundreds of feet tall, resembles a crouching, primordial beast, exuding a chilling and terrifying aura in the darkness.
The entire sky above the black hall was shrouded in darkness by a black mist exuding an evil and chilling aura. A cold, eerie wind howled wildly within the area, like the mournful wails of a vengeful ghost, sending chills down one's spine and making it seem as if the entire sky was about to collapse.
At this moment, in the dim sky above the black hall, a faint black light flickered. The light was dim and murky, emanating an extremely cold and unsettling aura, blending seamlessly with the surrounding black mist. Without careful observation, the sudden appearance of this strange light within the mist was completely undetectable.
This black light was none other than Hun Changqing, who had been searching for him through fragments of memory from the souls of Xuan and the Iron Protector.
Looking down at the black hall below, whose style and aura felt strangely familiar, and sensing the vast and powerful soul force emanating from it, Hun Changqing couldn't help but reveal a sinister smile. His eyes gleamed with an intensely greedy light, and his tongue licked his lips from between his white teeth.
"Hehehe..."
After letting out a chilling and piercing laugh, Hun Changqing was about to conceal his aura and enter the giant hall below when he suddenly noticed that the scene before the hall was somewhat distorted, with faint ripples spreading out in front of it. Hun Changqing immediately raised an eyebrow.
"Oh~ a spatial barrier has been set up..."
After sensing the spatial barrier emitting ripples in front of him, Hun Changqing slowly closed his eyes, and his soul perception silently passed through the spatial barrier to explore the black hall within.
A moment
later, Hun Changqing opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips, a relaxed expression on his face.
"As expected, there are two Dou Zun auras. One is only a two-star Dou Zun, and although the other's aura is blurry and cannot be definitively identified, it is still fluctuating between five and six stars. These must be the Venerable Xingxiu and the Venerable Long. If that's the case, then I'll gladly accept these souls, hehehe..."
Hun Changqing narrowed his eyes, slowly stepped forward, and walked to the spatial barrier. He extended his finger, a point of silver light swirling around his fingertip. Then, he gently drew a door several feet wide in the distorted space with his fingertip. With a gentle push of his palm, that space completely vanished, and an invisible spatial gate appeared before Hun Changqing.
"Hehehe..."
Upon seeing the spatial gate, Hun Changqing let out a chilling laugh. A cold aura slowly emanated from his body as he stepped into the gate...
...
Deep within the black palace lay a vast plaza. A hundred-foot-tall black stone pillar stood atop the plaza, its surface covered with countless eerie runes. Streaks of black chains extended from the pillars, crisscrossing and outlining the plaza's interior. At
the ends of these chains was a massive, pitch-black container, entangled by countless chains. Within the container floated faint orbs of light, each containing a pained, ethereal soul.
In the center of this plaza stood a platform about ten zhang high, supported by four massive, jet-black stone pillars. At the platform's center sat a dark, eerie figure, shrouded in black mist. With each breath, a chilling aura emanated from him.
Deathly silence and eeriness enveloped the entire plaza, permeating every corner with an air of gloom and death.
"Eh?"
After a moment of silence, the dark figure on the platform suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, letting out a surprised exclamation.
In that instant, he sensed a slight fluctuation in the spatial barrier outside the giant hall. These fluctuations were extremely weak; had his soul perception not far surpassed that of other experts of the same realm, he truly wouldn't have been able to detect them. After carefully sensing the area, the dark figure raised an eyebrow, then...
"Venerable Xingxiu,"
a clear, ethereal voice rang out from the dark figure's mouth. The voice was neutral, making it impossible to discern whether it belonged to a male or female.
As the ethereal voice faded, the space above the eerie platform suddenly distorted, ripples spreading outwards. A similarly dark figure slowly emerged within the distorted space, though this figure was slightly hunched.
"What are your orders, Palace Master?"
This hunched figure was none other than the Venerable Long mentioned by the black-robed man sitting cross-legged. In this branch palace, the one addressed as Palace Master by Venerable Xingxiu was naturally Venerable Long.
Venerable Xingxiu bowed slightly to the Venerable Long and respectfully inquired, but his aged voice, besides reverence, also carried a hint of fear, clearly indicating his deep apprehension towards the Venerable Long.
Venerable Xingxiu had been the Palace Master of this Northwest Branch Palace for a century, managing it there. At that time, the Deputy Palace Master was a One-Star Dou Zun; the difference in rank between the Palace Master and the Deputy Palace Master was not significant.
Although the Northwest Continent was barren and lacked powerful individuals, high-level soul resources were extremely scarce. However, the Venerable Xingxiu took a different approach, funding the cultivation of some Dou Huangs into Dou Zongs in the Northwest Continent before harvesting their souls. This allowed him to achieve a respectable ranking among the top branches of the Soul Palace.
Because of his outstanding performance, the Venerable Xingxiu lived a very comfortable life for the past century. However, a few years ago, his good days came to an end. Venerable Long, a two-star Dou Zun, was parachuted into the Central Continent and directly replaced him as the Palace Master. This greatly angered Venerable Xingxiu. He had cultivated this branch for a century, and to hand it over to someone of the same realm was unacceptable to anyone.
However, just as Venerable Xingxiu was discussing with the then-Deputy Hall Master how to teach the new Hall Master a lesson, Venerable Long's fighting skills were incredibly bizarre. He directly suppressed the two of them, and even extracted the Deputy Hall Master's soul, refining it alive. Venerable Xingxiu still vividly remembered the Deputy Hall Master's agonizing screams years later, and the memory still sent chills down his spine.
Venerable Xingxiu estimated that if Venerable Long hadn't recognized his ability to manage this branch hall so well, and if the Deputy Hall Master hadn't needed a Venerable, his fate would likely have been the same as the Deputy Hall Master's. Therefore, whenever Venerable Long summoned him, Venerable Xingxiu always adopted an extremely humble posture, fearing any disrespect that might offend Venerable Long and lead to his replacement as Vice Hall Master.
Moreover, Venerable Long's strength had increased rapidly over the years, leaving Venerable Xingxiu secretly astonished. He had remained at the Two-Star Dou Zun level for a century, while Venerable Xingxiu had risen from Two-Star Dou Zun to Six-Star Dou Zun in just a few years. The aura subtly emanating from Venerable Long made Venerable Xingxiu tremble, further solidifying Venerable Long's complete admiration for this Hall Master.
"A little rat at the One-Star Dou Zun level has slipped in. Go and catch him, extract his soul, and see what he's trying to do here. A Dou Zun's soul is quite valuable,"
Venerable Long said calmly to Venerable Xingxiu, his eyes now closed, as if a One-Star Dou Zun held no interest whatsoever.
When Venerable Xingxiu heard that a Dou Zun realm expert had entered silently without his noticing, he was startled.
Then, hearing Venerable Long compare the Dou Zun expert to a mouse, his lips twitched. Only this person had the audacity to compare a Dou Zun expert to a mouse! However, despite his inward grumbling, Venerable Xingxiu didn't dare hesitate and quickly replied,
"Yes! Palace Master! This subordinate will immediately go and bring back the soul of this ignorant Dou Zun."
Venerable Xingxiu spoke confidently, now extremely confident in himself. He believed he had spent many years cultivating at the two-star Dou Zun level and was very close to becoming a three-star Dou Zun. If he couldn't defeat a mere one-star Dou Zun, he might as well commit suicide.
Venerable Long nodded, then completely concealed his aura, sitting cross-legged in the center of the platform, like a dead man.
Seeing the Venerable Long in this state, the Venerable Xingxiu knew he had begun cultivating and dared not say anything more. Regardless of whether the Venerable Long could still see, he quickly bowed again, his figure gradually becoming ethereal and disappearing from the massive platform.
...
Hun Changqing was unaware that he had been discovered while passing through the spatial barrier. In his view, the subtle spatial fluctuations he created were not perceptible to the two-star Dou Zun deputy hall master or the hall master, who was at most a six-star Dou Zun.
After passing through the spatial barrier, Hun Changqing silently approached the black giant hall. Just as he was about to reach it
, thick black mist suddenly erupted from the towering rock wall enveloping the hall. The previously silent, deathly valley instantly boiled over, and powerful auras, carrying a sinister energy, rose up, distorting and blurring the surrounding air.
As the aura intensified, a powerful, eerie wind began to howl wildly through the valley, like the wailing of a vengeful ghost, sending chills down one's spine. Several dark figures began to vaguely emerge from the black mist.
This sudden change caused Hun Changqing, who was quietly advancing, to stop in his tracks. He slowly raised his head to look at the dark figures shrouded in black mist, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Have I been discovered?"
Hun Changqing was slightly puzzled. Back when he was a Dou Ling Dou Wang, he had frequently visited the Soul Palace in Zhongzhou and had studied the spatial barrier outside the Soul Palace.
Now, having reached the Dou Zun level, opening that spatial rift was as easy as opening his own door. Logically, the people in this branch palace, with their strength, shouldn't be able to detect the almost nonexistent spatial fluctuations he emitted when opening the spatial barrier.
Moreover, the Soul Palace didn't usually leave behind any detailed equipment for detecting spatial fluctuations. Could it be that during his absence these past few years, the Soul Palace had acquired some new equipment?
"Hehehe..."
Just as Hun Changqing was filled with doubt, another burst of dense black mist, even more powerful and vast than the previous ones, erupted from the sky. A cold and eerie laugh echoed from within the black mist.
As the laughter spread, waves of battle qi also emanated, enveloping Hun Changqing with terrifying force. The sound waves mixed with the laughter struck Hun Changqing's black robe, causing it to flutter loudly.
Then, a dark, hunched figure gradually emerged from the swirling black mist, its cold and sharp gaze, like that of a venomous snake, sweeping over Hun Changqing.
"Hehehe... I didn't expect you, a mere Dou Zun little rat, to be so capable. You managed to silently break through the spatial barrier outside, almost fooling even me and allowing you to successfully infiltrate the Soul Hall. Although I don't
know why you dared to sneak in here so recklessly, it doesn't matter now. I'll gladly accept your Dou Zun level soul. Later, I'll see why you, little rat, came here. Hehehe..."
Hun Changqing ignored the chilling words spoken by the hunched figure. After sensing the aura emanating from this person, Hun Changqing scanned the figures above him.
Among these densely packed figures shrouded in black mist, most possessed the aura of Dou Wang and Dou Huang levels, with only a few Dou Zong levels mixed in. These people must be all the personnel of this branch hall.
After confirming everyone's strength, Hun Changqing turned his gaze to the hunched figure. A massive surge of black energy erupted from Hun Changqing's body, emanating a chilling aura of killing intent and death. This cold, evil aura instantly permeated the vast valley, enveloping all the dark figures on the rock walls.
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines when this aura was released; their own power was utterly insignificant compared to this terrifyingly evil force.
"Hehehe... I... don't like looking up at others..."
A sharp, hoarse voice, like the mournful wail of a demon from hell, emanated from Hun Changqing's mouth. The sound was like stone scraping against glass, unbearably piercing, and carried a chilling, sharp sonic wave.
Everyone present felt as if their eardrums were being sliced apart by a thousand sharp blades. Their eardrums vibrated violently, and many suffered ruptured eardrums, blood gushing from their ear canals. The previously cold gazes of everyone were now filled with horror, their hearts filled with utter fear as they looked down at the rising, swirling black mist around Hun Changqing, as if they were staring at some primordial beast!