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**
"Just a mere Four-Star Dou Wang, and you think you can escape before me? How could I ever face Yun Shan and settle my grudge if I let you get away?"A faint laugh rang out from the sky above.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Xiao Yan and Xiao Li's figures swept down from above, hovering in front of the grand hall.
Lin Yan and the others stepped out of the hall, their gazes fixed on the place where the figure had fallen.
On the plaza before the hall, the dust gradually settled, and Yun Fan's figure was revealed.
But now, this Elder of Yun Lan Sect, who was usually high and mighty, wore a pale face, with traces of blood still at the corner of his mouth. His aura was feeble.
His eyes carried a trace of terror and disbelief as he lifted his head, staring at the black-robed young man suspended in midair.
Earlier, they had only exchanged three moves, yet he was already gravely injured. The opponent's strength… was terrifying beyond imagination.
"Xiao Yan… if you kill me, Sect Master Yun Shan will never forgive you…" Yun Fan shouted hoarsely, trying to sound fierce but betraying his inner panic.
"Save it."Xiao Yan curled his lips into a mocking smile and shook his head.
He spread his palm, and a cluster of emerald-green flame emerged in his hand. As soon as it appeared, the temperature of the whole area instantly soared.
"Yun Lan Sect destroyed my Xiao Clan. This blood feud has long been one of life and death. I'll make sure you all pay, double what you owe. From now on, every Yun Lan Sect member I see, I'll kill — including that old dog Yun Shan himself."
Xiao Yan smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on the emerald-green flame in his hand. With a flick of his finger…
The flame shot out and landed squarely on Yun Fan's body, whose eyes were wide with horror.
As soon as the flame touched him, it instantly engulfed him in a blazing figure of fire.
Under such terrifying heat, Yun Fan, already gravely wounded, didn't even have time to circulate his Dou Qi to resist before his body erupted with a muffled sound, turning into a heap of black ashes.
Everyone present, including the guards who had long since thrown down their weapons and were hiding in the corners, all felt their hair stand on end.
Even with the scorching sun high above, everyone still felt as if they had fallen into an abyss of ice — their bodies cold all over.
That Dou Wang expert, who had still been lively and kicking just moments ago, was now obliterated before their eyes, leaving no bones behind.
This emerald-green flame, just like the black flame Wei Yang had used earlier — that brief yet horrifying Fallen Heart Flame — was simply too terrifying.
The Next Day
At sunrise, the morning sun painted the sky blue. The low roar of magical beasts echoed through the air.
A dozen enormous flying magical beasts soared from Zhen Gui Pass, carrying fierce gales as they cut through the void at high speed, heading toward the imperial capital. Soon, they became small black dots and vanished on the horizon.
Atop the lead Tiger Eagle Beast sat Wei Yang, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Li, cross-legged.
"According to the intel we got from Mu Tie," Xiao Yan said slowly, "Less than half a year after we left the Jia Ma Empire back then, Yun Lan Sect completely abandoned its usual detached attitude."
"They began to recruit disciples on a massive scale, and even more, they started to spread their disciples out to important cities across the empire."
"This move was noticed by the imperial family and the three great clans, but because of Yun Shan's terrifying strength, no one dared to say anything. After that, Yun Lan Sect became even more arrogant," Xiao Yan continued.
"And then," Xiao Li interjected grimly, "They went as far as exterminating our Xiao Clan. That incident caused a huge stir throughout the empire at the time, but it didn't hinder Yun Lan Sect at all — they kept doing whatever they pleased."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan's palm tightened slightly. His pitch-black eyes narrowed, a faint, cold light flickering within them.
"Now, what's left of our Xiao Clan only survives thanks to the secret protection of the imperial family, the Alchemist Association, and the Mittel Clan," Xiao Li said through clenched teeth.
"And even then, Yun Lan Sect refuses to let up. They continue hunting down the remaining members of our Xiao Clan."
"According to Mu Tie's information," Xiao Yan murmured, "Not long after I left the Jia Ma Empire, Yun Yun was stripped of her Sect Master position by that old dog Yun Shan, who has since controlled everything in the sect himself."
Deep down, he couldn't help but let out a subtle sigh of relief.
His feelings toward Yun Yun were complicated. But knowing she hadn't been involved in all of this did bring him some comfort.
"Everything Yun Lan Sect is doing now," Xiao Yan continued coldly, "Is all Yun Shan's manipulation."
"And judging from what happened this time at Zhen Gui Pass, it's clear Yun Lan Sect has already started making big moves. Perhaps… they want to seize the throne!" Xiao Li said in a low, heavy voice.
"To think that Yun Shan actually harbors such ambition…" Xiao Yan's brows furrowed deeply.
For so many years, Yun Lan Sect had always maintained a detached and aloof attitude, never showing the slightest interest in controlling the empire. Otherwise, the Jia Ma Imperial Family would never have had the chance to rise to power.
But to think that in Yun Shan's generation, he would instead go the opposite way.
"What ambition? He's just following orders," Wei Yang said flatly.
"Following orders?" Xiao Li froze when he heard this.
Xiao Yan's pupils shrank. "Brother Wei, what do you mean?"
Wei Yang waved his hand and deployed an invisible soul barrier, completely enveloping the three of them.
Only then did Wei Yang speak in a low voice. "If I'm not mistaken, this whole matter is being orchestrated by Hall of Souls. Yun Shan is nothing more than a pawn!"
"Hall of Souls…" Xiao Yan clenched his fists, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
When it came to Hall of Souls, his hatred ran deep.
"Why would Hall of Souls do this? Could it all just be to target our Xiao Clan?" Xiao Li asked with a trembling voice.
"Partially, yes. That was the reason before. But now… they likely have bigger plans," Wei Yang said. "From the investigations I've done over the years, I've learned a few things about Hall of Souls's methods."
"The Protectors of Hall of Souls each oversee and secretly control a region — usually divided along imperial borders. They rarely reveal themselves. Only when it's time to harvest souls do they act, even coordinating with each other to spark large-scale wars."
Wei Yang explained, "For example: one Hall of Souls Protector secretly supports Yun Lan Sect in controlling the Jia Ma Empire, while another Protector oversees a powerful force in a neighboring empire. Then—"
"Then those two empires, both secretly manipulated by Hall of Souls, suddenly wage a massive war against each other… countless deaths follow, and the Protectors hide in the shadows, reaping endless souls!" Xiao Yan's voice was cold as he ground out each word.
"This… this is Hall of Souls?" Xiao Li's heart went cold as he muttered.
"That's right. This is Hall of Souls," Wei Yang said sternly, his face dark, and a deep disgust flashing in his eyes. "If my guess is correct, the time for them to harvest souls has come again."
"That's why they're going to start a major war soon. Perhaps between two empires, or even three or four — a chaotic melee among four or five empires wouldn't surprise me."
"How many people will die in something like that?! These monsters… monsters!" Xiao Li's voice quivered, his whole body trembling.
If it really escalated into a massive war among four or five empires, how many lives would be lost?
And not just soldiers — the devastation war brings to civilians was even worse.
Faced with this, Wei Yang could only spread his hands helplessly.
In times of weakness, one could only protect oneself. Right now, he was powerless against Hall of Souls.
If his strength were enough, there'd be nothing to say — he'd destroy Hall of Souls outright, even wipe out the entire Hun Clan, cutting off the problem at its root. But for now… there was nothing he could do.
"Sigh~"
A faint sigh also rang out in Xiao Yan's heart, coming from Yao Lao.
"Master," Xiao Yan quickly asked in his heart, "Can no one stop Hall of Souls from doing these things?"
"…There's another, even more terrifying force backing Hall of Souls. But it's not as though no one stops them — it's just that there are concerns, some kind of checks and balances, which is why they choose to act in the shadows rather than openly slaughter on a grand scale."
After a moment of silence, Yao Lao finally sighed and said, "Otherwise, do you think they'd bother hiding in the dark at all?"
"There's another force… even more terrifying… behind Hall of Souls?" Xiao Yan's eyes widened.
Good heavens. Hall of Souls was already terrifying enough, and now he learned there was something even more fearsome supporting them from behind?
In his heart, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a faint sense of helplessness. Could he really defeat Hall of Souls?
Yao Lao did not explain further. Instead, he continued: "And usually, they still follow certain rules — they only go after souls of those who have lost their physical body."
Here, Yao Lao gave a bitter smile. "Of course, there are exceptions. People like me, for example… and people like Wei Yang. When it comes to souls like ours, Hall of Souls breaks the rules."
"They follow the rules when it comes to ordinary mortal souls… but break them when it comes to Spirit-level souls?" Xiao Yan felt a chill run down his spine as he heard this.
"That's right. Which is why I've been trying to keep a low profile and avoid those ghosts lately," Wei Yang said with a self-deprecating smile, rubbing his nose.
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