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In a remote mountain forest within the Black-Corner Region, the roars of magical beasts echoed one after another.
These magical beasts had reddish eyes, and the fierce aura emanating from them far exceeded normal circumstances.
Their levels were generally not high, mostly second and third-tier, with very few fourth-tier and above appearing.
Deep within the mountain forest, a chilling sensation permeated the air, making people feel exceptionally uncomfortable. This coldness was not a physical chill but a deeper, soul-piercing cold.
A grand hall, constructed from black stones and dark gray metal, stood in a clearing within the forest.
In front of the clearing, black metal pillars stood tall, connected by thick chains of the same color.
The chains and pillars formed complex patterns according to a certain rule, and together with the central hall, they subtly presented the form of a formation.
The hall's door was ajar, and the area where this hall was located was the place with the densest chilling aura.
In a room deep within the hall, a black-robed man casually untied the Soul Bag from his waist and tossed it to an Elder across from him.
Taking the Soul Bag, the Elder opened it and glanced inside, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes:
"Protector Xiao, your recent gains seem to be much more than before."
Protector Xiao let out a cackle: "Elder Mu Zun, I recently recruited a good subordinate. He is quite efficient, and I plan to recommend him to officially join the Soul Hall and become a Protector once he reaches Dou Ancestor."
The Elder smiled: "Such a useful subordinate, won't you keep him for a while longer? Let him create more value for you?"
Protector Xiao shook his head: "No, that would delay his development, and I don't want him to resent me in the future."
While saying this, he also muttered to himself: That kid is very strange. He is clearly just a Dou King, yet he has repeatedly produced the souls of Dou Emperors. His strength is very high, and his killing intent is not ordinary.
Elder Mu Zun then asked: "How many percent of his contribution points did you take?"
"Thirty percent. What's wrong? Isn't that what's stipulated?" Protector Xiao asked, confused.
The Soul Hall Honored Elder looked at the confused Protector Xiao and smiled:
"Stipulations are stipulations, but very few actually abide by them. Most people, taking fifty percent, would be considered conscientious.
"Those Soul Envoys are not qualified to come to me for exchange. Some Protectors will even make further adjustments to the item prices. In reality, the things Soul Envoys can get might only be one or two percent."
"Ah? This… Since Elder Mu Zun, you know about this, why don't you do something about it?" Protector Xiao asked, puzzled.
Elder Mu Zun smiled slightly and patiently explained:
"Why should I interfere? Soul Envoys are forces developed by the Protectors themselves. They generally choose those whose potential has reached its limit… This makes them easier to control and prevents backlash.
"Only a few can be promoted from Soul Envoy to Protector. These scattered few will not affect the overall situation of my Soul Hall.
"After they are promoted, if there are any grievances between them and their original Protectors, I will not intervene and let them resolve it themselves.
"I had originally planned to teach you these things later, but to my surprise, you have actually developed subordinates on your own without a teacher."
After a slight pause, Elder Mu Zun suddenly remembered that Protector Xiao had said earlier that he would recommend that subordinate to become an official Protector in the Soul Hall once he advanced to Dou Ancestor, and he said with some surprise:
"You didn't develop a very promising Dou Emperor into a subordinate, did you?"
Protector Xiao nodded: "I wouldn't say very promising… I should say a bit strange.
"He looks like a young man in his twenties. When I first met him, he was only at the peak of Dou King strength. Not long after, he became a Dou Emperor.
"The key is that his combat power is extraordinary. He has already handed over several Dou Emperor souls. Given his style of action, these people were probably all killed by him.
"After entering Dou Emperor, the frequency of him handing over Dou Emperor souls increased."
Elder Mu Zun was silent for a moment, then reminded him: "Since he is a promising Soul Envoy, then treat him as you did before. Forming a good relationship is also beneficial."
"Do you have any secret techniques here that allow for direct soul devouring to increase strength?" Protector Xiao asked.
Elder Mu Zun frowned: "Why do you ask about that? This kind of secret technique has very strong side effects. Although it can make one quickly powerful in a short period of time,
"It will make your Dou Qi mottled, and after reaching a certain level, you will basically have no possibility of further advancement in the future.
"With your talent, cultivating to Dou Venerate should be no problem. If you use this secret technique now, then high-tier Dou Ancestor will be your limit."
Protector Xiao shrugged: "I know the implications… This isn't for me; it's for that Soul Envoy subordinate of mine."
"Didn't you say he also has potential? Doesn't he know the consequences?" Elder Mu Zun waved his hand, and a light screen projected onto the wall, displaying various items that could be exchanged.
Protector Xiao chuckled softly: "I told him, but he insisted… I also don't see the need to dissuade him. It's enough to respect his destiny."
He stared at the exchange list displayed by Elder Mu Zun for a while, then chose a medium-grade secret technique.
"Hmm, Meng Soul Envoy's contribution points are still a bit short. I'll cover it for him first. Anyway, with that guy's style, I estimate he'll have more souls to hand over next time we meet."
Protector Xiao muttered, then pointed to one in the upper-middle row: "This one!"
He took out two metal tokens, one copper and one iron.
"First deduct the contribution points from this iron token. If it's not enough, deduct from the copper token."
Elder Mu Zun reached out, using Dou Qi to draw the tokens to him. While placing a silver token on the iron token, he said:
"That Soul Envoy is also lucky to have met you."
After handing over the souls and exchanging for the items he wanted, Protector Xiao left this branch hall.
A dense black mist emerged from his body, completely enveloping him, making him appear shapeless. Then, he soared into the sky and continued to sweep towards the distance.
...
In a grove not far from the city gate of Black Mark City.
Amon, wearing a pointed soft hat, a monocle over his right eye, and a black classical robe, casually pulled his right hand out of the heart of a Dou King.
And that Dou King softly collapsed to the ground, warm blood staining the earth red. The frozen expression on the corpse still showed a hint of disbelief.
This was Amon's avatar, bearing Protector Xiao's mark.
A faint black mist emerged from his hand. He bent slightly and patted the corpse's crown, extracting a bewildered and terrified soul.
Around this corpse, several other corpses were scattered, some Dou Spirit, some Dou Grandmaster...
Even a mosquito's leg is meat, based on the principle of not wasting, Amon collected their soul bodies one by one.
"Hehehe… Meng Soul Envoy, you are truly diligent in your work." Protector Xiao's familiar voice came from the sky.
However, upon seeing Amon's appearance, his body suddenly stiffened...
On the back of Amon's black robe, a large white character for "Soul" was written.
Are you afraid others won't know you're from the Soul Hall?
This Amon smiled and took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his hands:
"I'm also working to accumulate enough contribution points to exchange for the secret technique I want as soon as possible."
"I've already brought it to you. Your contribution points were a bit short, so I covered it for you first." Protector Xiao threw the secret technique scroll to Amon.
Amon bowed slightly and politely said: "Thank you, Protector Xiao."
Then, he presented his Soul Hall: "These are my gains from this period."
Protector Xiao took a look, and good heavens, it was three more Dou Emperor souls!
He then routinely advised: "You don't have to collect souls so frequently… Cultivation is not an overnight matter."
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