The dim sky was tinged with an eerie green glow, spreading out endlessly.
The surrounding air had become humid at some point, followed by a dense rain of fine droplets pelting down from the sky.
This sudden turn of events was keenly felt by all the powerhouses present.
This Nine Heavens Honored was actually able to use its own vast Dou Qi to trigger such changes in the energy of heaven and earth.
Its formidable strength was evident from this alone!
"Daring to kill my Soul Hall Honored One in front of this Heavens Honored, you old thing, no matter where you hide, the Soul Hall will settle this score with you!"
The Nine Heavens Honored had wanted to save the Star-Picking Old Ghost, but retreated halfway through its attempt. Now, watching the Star-Picking Old Ghost being completely obliterated before its eyes, it could only vent all its anger on Chen Xiao.
Like the Star-Picking Old Ghost, it never associated the Black Robe Honored One and Chen Xiao on the opposite side, simply regarding him as an old monster who had been living in seclusion for many years.
"Hide? Why would this Honored One need to hide! I've been looking forward to an opponent at the peak of the Seven-Star Dou Zun realm for a long time!"
Beneath the black robe, a slightly hoarse voice emerged, and the aura of a Six-Star Dou Zun was unleashed without reservation at this moment.
As his aura was revealed, the originally drizzling raindrops, influenced by his powerful Dou Qi, underwent another strange transformation, all condensing into hailstones that fell like a dense barrage of bullets.
The temperature in this space plummeted instantly, and bone-chilling cold swept through the surroundings. The Soul Hall Protectors in the distance couldn't help but shiver, their Dou Qi rapidly freezing, and their bodies stiffening, turning them into human-shaped ice sculptures.
"Nine Heavens Honored One, save... save us!"
"No!"
Amidst cries of horror and screams, dozens of Soul Hall Protectors fell from the sky like dumplings being dropped into a pot, shattering into pieces. Not a single drop of blood splattered, the scene both clean and filled with a chilling sense of the bizarre.
A Dou Zong powerhouse who could be considered a hegemon in the Northwest Continent couldn't even withstand the extreme cold contained in Chen Xiao's Dou Qi!
"Old thing, you're courting death!"
The Nine Heavens Honored belonged to the water element, and the Dou Qi in its body was affected by the surrounding cold, showing faint signs of freezing.
It hurriedly urged its Dou Qi to forcibly repel the cold, but when it turned its head, it saw dozens of Protectors dying before its eyes, and it was instantly enraged.
In truth, it didn't care about the lives of the Protectors at all. Not to mention dozens, even hundreds were as insignificant as butterflies landing on a branch.
What truly enraged the Nine Heavens Honored was that Chen Xiao dared to act so fiercely right under its nose, clearly not taking it, the Nine Heavens Honored, seriously.
The Nine Heavens Honored roared and suddenly flicked its sleeves, and the Dou Qi in its body surged out like a tide, instantly condensing into a rapidly rotating rain curtain in front of it, crushing towards Chen Xiao.
"Kaka Kaka—"
The rain curtain spun rapidly with a world-destroying momentum, like dark clouds pressing down on the border.
But the closer it got to Chen Xiao, the rain curtain, which was enough to collapse mountains and fill seas, rapidly froze in a series of crisp sounds. By the time it reached Chen Xiao, it had completely turned into an ice mountain full of holes.
Chen Xiao raised his hand and waved, and the ice mountain immediately flew back, smashing towards the Nine Heavens Honored with even more astonishing power than when it came.
Boom!
The Nine Heavens Honored was furious and shattered the ice mountain flying back with a punch. The shattered ice blocks fell like meteorites, blasting the Soul Hall below full of holes.
It looked up at Chen Xiao, and an uncontrollable sense of frustration surged in its heart.
In front of Chen Xiao, it, as a water element, was being restrained to the point of helplessness.
"You're asking for death!"
In the midst of the angry roar, the Nine Heavens Honored abandoned the long-range Dou Qi confrontation, and with a flash of its figure, it appeared close to Chen Xiao. With extreme speed, it slammed a fierce palm towards his shoulder.
Long-range confrontation didn't work, so it would engage in close combat!
Little did it know that this was precisely the situation Chen Xiao was most happy to see at the moment.
Seeing the Nine Heavens Honored's palm approaching, Chen Xiao saw it clearly, but didn't dodge at all, allowing it to press a palm on his shoulder.
Having landed a hit, a hint of surprise flashed in the Nine Heavens Honored's eyes, as if it hadn't expected to succeed so easily.
However, the next moment it was completely stunned.
Chen Xiao, who had taken its palm head-on, was fine except for the clothes on his shoulder being shattered. Not to mention being seriously injured, even his figure hadn't swayed at all.
The Nine Heavens Honored widened its eyes and looked closely. From the broken clothes, it could see that the exposed skin on his shoulders was covered with dense purple-gold dragon scales!
"Your attack is like flirting."
After personally verifying it, Chen Xiao was even more satisfied with the Dragon Emperor Ancient Armor's defensive power. A palm strike from the peak of the Seven-Star Dou Zun realm hadn't caused him any damage at all!
Meeting the Nine Heavens Honored's horrified gaze, Chen Xiao chuckled, "Watch carefully, this is how you hit someone!"
Although he was speaking, Chen Xiao's movements didn't stop for a moment.
Taking advantage of the Nine Heavens Honored's momentary daze, he had already delivered a knee strike, slamming it hard into the Nine Heavens Honored's chest.
The Nine Heavens Honored endured the severe pain in its chest and hurriedly dodged, not wanting to give Chen Xiao a chance to press the attack.
But how could it know that Chen Xiao had already predicted its intentions.
A flash of lightning appeared under Chen Xiao's feet, and two silver-robed figures identical to him suddenly appeared, and without saying a word, they surrounded the Nine Heavens Honored.
Although these two clones were not as powerful as Chen Xiao's main body, they had combat power comparable to a Dou Zun powerhouse, which was more than enough to disrupt the Nine Heavens Honored's defense.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Above the horizon, afterimages intertwined, and large swathes of space shattered in the fierce collision, only to be continuously repaired and reorganized under the surging energy.
The sky was filled with a tapestry of afterimages, like a series of vivid pictures.
These figures struck various poses, none repeating, their only commonality being that in every frame, the Nine Heavens Honored was getting beaten.
Wind Honored One, who was pulling his opponent's hair in the distance, glanced over, and his scalp immediately went numb.
Which of these two is actually a peak Seven-Star Dou Zun?
For a high-level Dou Zun to be crushed so thoroughly by a mid-level Dou Zun was beyond his comprehension!
On the other side, Sword Venerable had already fought to the point of madness.
His Black Robe was tattered, his body covered in blood, and a large part of his chest had caved in, clearly having taken a fatal palm strike.
But his opponent, that Soul Hall Honored Elder at the peak of Two-Star Dou Zun, looked just as wretched. His left arm was gone, revealing a ghastly white shoulder bone stained with blood, and a transparent skull was embedded in his abdomen. His injuries were even worse than Sword Venerable's.
Looking at the other two battlefields between the Puppets and the Soul Hall Honored Elders, the situation seemed much more peaceful. Although the fighting was intense and fierce, at least there was no bloodshed, and it seemed like a balanced match.
"Old thing, what's your relationship with the Wind and Lightning Pavilion!"
After taking countless punches and countless slaps, the Nine Heavens Honored finally managed to retreat far away, using Chen Xiao's fist force to create some distance.
She stared at Chen Xiao with resentment in her eyes, finally noticing a few clues.
Hearing this, Chen Xiao's heart skipped a beat.
This Nine Heavens Honored was of the water element and didn't have a strong physical body. The only advantage she had was her slightly higher cultivation realm, while Chen Xiao completely countered her in all other aspects.
It was rare to encounter such a perfect punching bag, and he had gotten carried away with the fun, almost forgetting himself.
Ever since meeting the Star-Picking Old Ghost, Chen Xiao had been deliberately restraining himself, avoiding the use of his usual Dou Skills, all to avoid revealing his identity.
Although he was determined to destroy this branch hall, the Soul Hall had endless tricks up its sleeve, and he couldn't guarantee that no one would escape or that there wouldn't be other accidents.
He didn't expect that he would still inadvertently reveal some clues while playing around.
However, it wasn't too serious.
"Heh heh heh, this Honored One has nothing to do with those Wind and Lightning Pavilion trash. However, about ten years ago, I did visit the Scripture Collection Pavilion of the Wind and Lightning Pavilion once."
The theft of the Wind and Lightning Pavilion's Scripture Collection Pavilion was explicitly mentioned in the original storyline.
Although the Wind and Lightning Pavilion tried to cover up this scandal, many people within a small circle still knew about it. As long as someone was willing to inquire, they could always find out.
So, this was a very reasonable explanation at the moment.
Hearing this, the Nine Heavens Honored fell silent, unsure whether to believe it or not.
But one thing she was very clear about was that if she didn't get serious now, she might really become a stepping stone for this Black Robe Honored One.
Taking a deep breath, the Nine Heavens Honored no longer hesitated.
"Nether Cold Wave Palm—Cold Wave Initial Roll!"
With an angry shout, the Nine Heavens Honored's palms danced like waves.
The Dou Qi within her body surged out, transforming into dozens of ghostly blue water whips. The whips were wrapped in bone-chilling cold air, and with a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, they lashed out at Chen Xiao's vital points like snakes emerging from their holes.
Wherever the water whips passed, the space condensed into tiny ice shards, clearly pushing the water-attributed Dou Qi to the extreme, already carrying the erosive power of the ice element.
"Showing off your axe in front of Lu Ban…"
However, Chen Xiao only snorted coldly, his Dou Qi slightly released around him, and his figure weaved through the gaps in the water whips like a ghost.
Those cold whips, which were enough to break the meridians of ordinary Dou Zun, didn't even touch his robes.
At the moment when the force of the water whips was about to run out, he suddenly spun around, and the palm extending from under his Black Robe shone with a purplish-gold luster, directly grabbing the foremost water whip.
Crack—
The Dragon Emperor Ancient Armor's defensive power was absolutely tyrannical. Chen Xiao's palm was like iron tongs, and the flexible and tricky water whip was instantly frozen into ice when he grabbed it. With a slight force in his palm, the ghostly blue ice whip instantly shattered into a sky full of ice mist, and even the yin and cold energy within it was dispersed by the Dou Qi in his palm.
"Soul Hall's Nine Heavens Honored, that's all you've got!" Chen Xiao's voice was hoarse, with undisguised mockery.
The Nine Heavens Honored's heart sank upon seeing this, but she was also aroused with ferocity. Her palms suddenly came together: "Nether Devouring Water!"
A black vortex appeared out of nowhere in front of her, with black water churning inside, emitting a palpitating corrosive aura, actually devouring the surrounding light.
As soon as this vortex took shape, it pounced on Chen Xiao like a living thing, obviously wanting to devour his Dou Qi and then take the opportunity to erode his meridians.
But Chen Xiao didn't retreat but advanced, and the Dou Qi in his body suddenly erupted, the aura of a Six-Star Dou Zun sweeping out like a tsunami.
He probed his finger and pointed in front of him, and the extremely cold Dou Qi condensed at his fingertip instantly turned into an ice crystal spear, which he threw out before the vortex could get close!
The ice crystal spear pierced into the black water vortex. Not only was it not swallowed, but it also froze the vortex at a faster rate, as if it were a catalyst.
In just a few breaths, the black vortex, which was enough to corrode the Dou Qi of a Dou Zun, was actually frozen into a black ice lump full of cracks!
Chen Xiao flicked his finger lightly, and the black ice lump shattered into powder.
"Impossible!"
The Nine Heavens Honored's pupils shrank sharply. Seeing that two major Dou Skills had been broken, she was already bloodshot, and the Dou Qi around her body soared wildly. The water vapor within a thousand miles instantly evaporated, and then froze completely in her stern shout: "Nine Profound Ice Seal!"
In an instant, ice ridges stood like a forest. A huge ice cage, hundreds of feet in size, trapped Chen Xiao firmly in the center. The gray soul energy mixed in the ice ridges spread along the ice surface, trying to annihilate his soul.
The Nine Heavens Honored's figure roamed outside the ice cage, and her palm winds constantly struck the ice ridges, causing the ice cage to tremble violently, and the tips of the ice ridges kept stabbing towards the person in the cage.
But just when she thought she could succeed, a chuckle suddenly came from inside the ice cage.
"Is that all you've got?"
"Boom!"
A burst of purplish-gold light erupted from within the ice cage. The Dragon Emperor Ancient Armor's domineering defense was on full display once more. The ice shards that pierced towards Chen Xiao shattered like tofu upon contact with his body.
He raised his hand and punched the ice cage wall. The entire cage, painstakingly constructed by Nine Heavens Honored, collapsed in response. As shattered ice flew in all directions, Chen Xiao's figure appeared before Nine Heavens Honored. The Dou Qi on his fist whistled as it hurtled towards her face.
Nine Heavens Honored was utterly horrified. She hastily raised her palm to block, but the force of the punch sent her Blood Essence surging. She staggered backward, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Her prized Nether Cold Wave Palm couldn't even stall Chen Xiao for a moment.
Completely outmatched in every aspect, and now unable to pose any threat to Chen Xiao even with her full power, Nine Heavens Honored, despite her usually calm demeanor, felt herself on the verge of a breakdown.
"Your power... but, why..."
Watching Chen Xiao approach her step by step, Nine Heavens Honored was filled with confusion and bewilderment.
She couldn't understand how such a person could exist, as if he were born to counter her.
Having played enough, Chen Xiao had no intention of continuing to enlighten her.
Seeing Nine Heavens Honored's mental state collapsing, her composure completely shattered, Chen Xiao conjured an ice blade in his hand, preparing to send her on her final journey.
Eliminating this Nine Heavens Honored would be a small step towards weakening the Soul Hall's power.
As for the Soul Clan...
Just as Nine Heavens Honored didn't care about those Protectors, a peak Seven-Star Dou Zun wasn't enough to warrant the Soul Clan's attention either.
"I am Nine Heavens Honored of the Soul Hall. Do you know the implications of attacking me?"
"I swear, if you dare to swing that blade at me, my Soul Hall will scour every mountain and river to find you!"
"And then, I will make you, and everything you hold dear, pay the price!"
"Stop! I command you!"
Every attack thoroughly countered by Chen Xiao, the last shred of fighting spirit within Nine Heavens Honored had been extinguished.
She staggered backward, frantically forming hand seals, desperately trying to tear open space to escape.
But the spatial rifts that she could usually conjure with a mere thought now only produced a few weak spatial ripples in front of her, which vanished in an instant, no matter how much she strained her mind.
This futile struggle only made her appear more disheveled and panicked, her retreating steps becoming unsteady.
Only now, belatedly realizing that escape was a pipe dream, Nine Heavens Honored descended into complete madness.
Advance meant death, retreat meant death, every path led to a dead end!
"I... how could I!"
She let out a shrill scream, her eyes bloodshot, utterly devoid of her previous Heavenly Honored dignity.
Since there was no retreat, she might as well fight to the death!
She abruptly gathered all the remaining Dou Qi in her body into her palms. The ghostly blue light in her palms burned so intensely that it seemed about to ignite, and even the surrounding moisture turned into sharp ice thorns. Then, disregarding everything, she fearlessly charged towards Chen Xiao.
But to onlookers, her actions didn't seem like she was trying to drag Chen Xiao down with her, but rather a desperate act of suicide.
Chen Xiao didn't hesitate in the slightest. The blazing white Bone Spirit Cold Flame instantly enveloped the ice blade, the blade radiating a bone-chilling coldness as the flames flickered.
In an instant, the two were locked in close combat.
Before Nine Heavens Honored's palm wind could land, Chen Xiao's blade had already slashed through the void like lightning.
A blinding white blade of light flashed, and the figure before him, along with the surrounding space, was torn apart!
The shattered space quickly healed and reformed itself, but Nine Heavens Honored had completely vanished without a trace. Only a masterless Storage Ring floated forlornly in the air, as if silently proclaiming the final destination of its former owner.
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