"Bang!"
Just moments after Hun Changqing gave chase, a man, riddled with wounds and emaciated, seemingly nothing more than a loose skin covering his bones, plummeted headfirst into the ground like a tattered sack.
This man was none other than Shi Tian. At this moment, Shi Tian was completely unrecognizable from his previous imposing, powerful, and arrogant self. Only a faint, almost imperceptible breath remained in his mouth;
he was on the verge of death. As Shi Tian fell, a surge of black mist appeared in the void, and Hun Changqing emerged. His killing intent had not yet dissipated, and a chilling aura permeated the air. Sharp, piercing sounds, like the wails of vengeful ghosts, faintly emanated from the black mist surrounding him, sending a chill down one's spine and making one's head spin.
"In just one year, you've broken through from the initial Dou Zun level to Dou Zun three stars. Three Dou Zun three-star experts couldn't even last an incense stick's time against you. Your talent and strength surpass even those with divine bloodlines. The Soul Clan probably never imagined that the Dou Huang clan member who was severely injured and forced to leave the clan, devoid of any bloodline power, would reach this level in just a few years."
Gu Xun'er, standing in the void not far away, stared at Hun Changqing's dark figure and chuckled softly. Gu Xun'er's face still held the same calm and light smile
as before. However, at this moment, her jade-like hands, hidden beneath her wide sleeves, were clenched tightly, trembling slightly. The force had caused her skin to turn bluish-white, showing how cleanly and efficiently Hun Changqing had dealt with the three. Hun Changqing's talent and his current strength left her with a sense of powerlessness.
"I hope that the Burning Technique, which is subtly changing, will bring me some surprises. Otherwise, I'll have to rely on the clan to take action," Gu Xun'er thought to herself.
"Miss Xun'er's progress is quite fast, isn't it? She reached the Eight-Star Dou Zong realm in just one year. She truly deserves to be called the darling daughter of the Ancient Clan. As for my affairs with the clan, Miss Xun'er need not worry about them. I hope you enjoyed today's farce at my Underworld Palace."
Hun Changqing wasn't surprised that Gu Xun'er knew about his time in the Soul Clan. Although the Ancient Clan couldn't investigate the Soul Clan's specific situation and resources, it was easy to find out the backgrounds of some members.
Hun Changqing felt somewhat uncomfortable facing Gu Xun'er, who knew his secrets and whom he had done some unspeakable things to. He didn't want to have much contact with her, so his tone was cold and distant. When he mentioned the "farewell ceremony," his voice rose slightly, subtly implying that he wanted her to leave.
Gu Xun'er didn't care about Hun Changqing's attitude, or rather, she was already used to it. She knew that if she still cared about Hun Changqing's attitude towards her, she would only be asking for trouble. In any case, for Gu Xun'er, no matter what the process was, the result was the same, and Hun Changqing's attitude wasn't particularly important.
Gu Xun'er's smile remained, but it even carried a hint of eeriness. She extended her slender, jade-like finger and pointed to the location of the two Soul Hall Venerables and Yao Chen, who were still anxiously fighting, and said with a playful chuckle.
"Since this is a farewell ceremony, it should end thoroughly. That old gentleman over there seems to have some irreconcilable grudges with the Soul Palace. I'm quite curious what interesting things will happen after you, who are considered one of the two sides, join this battle." Upon hearing this,
Hun Changqing looked at Yao Chen, who was currently entangled with the two Soul Palace venerables. Although Yao Chen's soul realm was at its peak, and he also possessed the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, he was still ultimately just a soul body. Hun Changqing knew all too well how the Soul Palace's techniques, which were imprinted from the Soul Clan, had a restraining effect on souls. Although Yao Chen's realm was much higher than the two, he was still subtly suppressed.
"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Nothing interesting will happen. You should know how the Soul Clan operates. Anyone who dares to cause trouble here, even if they are from the same clan, I won't show them any mercy, let alone these two who are probably just outsiders from the Soul Palace."
Hun Changqing glanced at Gu Xun'er, who had a sinister smile on her face, and coldly uttered these words. Then, amidst Gu Xun'er's unchanging eerie smile, he transformed into a dark, ghostly figure and rushed towards the two Soul Palace members confronting Yao Chen.
"Damn it, those trash, they managed to turn the tables on us even in a three-on-one fight, and they died so easily. Looks like we have no choice but to use that."
Just as Hun Changqing approached the two, they had already felt the chilling aura emanating from him that made their pores ache. They were already on high alert and cursed the three of them.
One of the Venerables quickly retrieved a dark, ancient disc from his storage ring. Looking at the disc in his hand, a hint of reluctance flashed in the Venerable's eyes. However, remembering the extremely yin and chilling aura emanating from Hun Changqing, he gritted his teeth, no longer daring to hesitate, and forcefully pressed the disc into the void beneath his feet.
Then, the Venerable's hands flashed into a hand seal, followed by a low, muffled roar. With this roar, violently churning black mist surged in the surrounding天地 (heaven and earth), and countless souls, accompanied by shrill screams, surged wildly out of the disc.
Simultaneously, countless dark chains shot out randomly from the surging black mist, quickly piercing through the souls. After letting out a mournful howl, the pierced souls transformed into countless dark crystals scattered across the sky.
Then, these crystals swirled around the Soul Palace Venerable, forming a massive black crystal storm. A deafening roar emanated from this sky-covering storm, accompanied by a powerful suction force.
An ordinary Dou Zun facing such a storm wouldn't even have time to resist; their soul would be forcibly pulled from their body by the intense suction, directly captured by this terrifying black crystal storm of souls.
At this moment, Yao Chen, who was not far away, felt his soul energy rapidly draining away after the storm appeared, being frantically sucked in by the storm. His soul body became incredibly illusory, making his expression extremely ugly.
However, upon seeing this storm, Hun Changqing, who was flying over, not only showed no panic, but a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and a strange smile appeared on his face.
"Black Soul Corrosion Wind?"
Hun Changqing uttered a name in his mind. Instead of dodging, he charged straight into the oncoming black crystal storm in full view of everyone. In an instant, his figure disappeared into the black crystal storm. You'll never believe why I moved to… Dortmund Not only were the two Soul Hall Venerables taken aback by Hun Changqing's actions, but even Gu Xun'er, who was watching from afar, was startled when she saw Hun Changqing rushing into the storm as if he were courting death. Even from a distance, Gu Xun'er could feel the terrifying energy contained within the storm.
However, Gu Xun'er quickly calmed down. She knew that Hun Changqing was not a reckless person, and this storm was likely a technique used by the Soul Hall. Hun Changqing should be very familiar with these techniques, and his actions were probably to break this terrifying storm.
At this moment, the Soul Hall Venerable who had unleashed the Black Crystal Storm was initially taken aback by Hun Changqing's actions. Then, as if he had realized something, a strong sense of unease arose in his heart. However, he shook his head and muttered something.
"Impossible! This Black Soul Eroding Wind was perfected by the clan elders before I brought it out. The flaw is hidden extremely well. Unless someone in my clan is extremely familiar with the Black Soul Eroding Wind, they wouldn't be able to find it. This person should have been completely eroded by the Black Soul Eroding Wind, leaving not even ashes."
However, just as the Soul Palace Venerable finished speaking, the massive storm that was raging wildly suddenly paused, as if time had frozen. After a moment, the entire storm violently twisted and finally transformed back into black crystals, scattering in the air.
At the center of the crystals, the dark and eerie figure of Soul Changqing, shrouded in black mist, slowly emerged. In front of him floated a strange, dark banner, which fluttered wildly in the air, with black mist constantly rising from its surface, giving it a ferocious and twisted appearance, sending chills down one's spine.
Seeing the storm destroyed by Hun Changqing, the two Soul Palace Venerables were filled with disbelief, unable to comprehend what they were witnessing.
"Hehehe,"
before they could recover from their shock, a sinister laugh emanated from beneath Hun Changqing's black hood. Hun Changqing then swiftly reached out, grasping the long banner floating before him. With a flick of his wrist, the banner billowed and whipped towards the two figures.
Instantly, countless Yin Demons surged forth from the black banner, carrying with them countless black crystals scattered across the sky, hurtling towards the two. In
an instant, the two were surrounded by Yin Demons and black crystals, and two shrill screams rang out. Hun Changqing looked at the two, a cold smile playing on his lips, and then slowly approached Yao Chen, whose soul form had become somewhat ethereal.
"It's another pity for Elder Yao. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Elder Yao, how are you feeling now? Is there anything seriously wrong?"
Yao Chen smiled upon hearing Hun Changqing's concerned tone, shook his head, and said,
"My soul power is quite depleted. I'll probably need to recuperate for a while after this. But it seems you've gained quite a bit from this trip. These two Dou Zun experts are both formidable, yet you subdued them so easily. It's me, getting old, still getting beaten up by these two mid-level Dou Zun."
Hun Changqing shook his head and chuckled.
"Elder Yao, you flatter me. It's just that I also come from the Soul Hall, and I know their methods very well. My methods are beyond their imagination, so naturally they can't be my match. Elder Yao, you are only in a difficult position because you are countered by the Soul Hall's techniques. There's no need to be so self-deprecating. These two Soul Hall Dou Zun are basically powerless to resist now. Elder Yao, you should take action yourself. Consider it collecting some interest from the Soul Hall."
Yao Chen nodded upon hearing this, looked at the two people who were screaming in agony while surrounded by Yin Demon and Black Crystal, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Then, white flames surged from his palm, and with a wave of his hand, white flames rose up and enveloped the two struggling people.
White flames enveloped the two men, clinging to them like leeches, relentlessly scorching their flesh and searing their souls. The indescribable pain caused them to scream in agony. One of the Soul Palace Venerables, tormented by the agony, became delirious and desperately cried out for help to his companion, who was also in grave danger.
Soul Changqing had been watching their death throes with a cold smile, but when he heard the Soul Palace Venerable's cry for help, his pupils constricted sharply.
"Soul Leaf! Save me!"
Upon hearing this voice, Soul Changqing turned sharply to the person the Soul Palace Venerable called Soul Leaf, then flashed to Soul Leaf's side and pulled him out of the white flames. Meanwhile, the other Soul Palace Venerable had been completely burned to ashes by Yao Chen's Bone Spirit Cold Fire, leaving not a trace.
Looking at the Soul Leaf in his hand, which now only showed a rudimentary human form and had a faint breath flowing between its mouth and nose, Hun Changqing's lips twitched slightly. However, he also breathed a sigh of relief, secretly thinking that he was quick enough. Otherwise, his brother-in-law would have been reduced to ashes like the Soul Palace Dou Zun from before, and Xing Su would have lost his brother.
Although Hun Changqing was puzzled by his brother-in-law's inexplicable breakthrough from Dou Zong to Dou Zun, and even becoming a four-star Dou Zun, instead of staying in the Earthly Fiend Hall or clan in Zhongzhou, he was clearly not thinking about these questions now. He quickly threw a pill into the Soul Leaf's mouth, reviving its dying breath, and then walked towards Yao Chen, who was now looking somewhat puzzled.
"Elder Yao, I do recognize this person. He was a high-ranking member of the Central Continent Soul Hall branch. Since we're going to seek revenge against the Soul Hall, we naturally need to gather some intelligence. I'd like to see if I can extract anything from him,"
Hun Changqing explained to Yao Chen. Yao Chen nodded, saying nothing more. Having gone through so much, his soul power was nearly exhausted, and his spirit was utterly worn out. He had no energy left to think about anything else. After giving Hun Changqing some instructions, he floated towards the Underworld Palace, entering the storage ring that Hun Changqing had left behind.