The sky over the Western Region was dim and overcast, with dark clouds gathering, looking as if a storm was about to break.
Inside a deep mountain, countless beasts crawled on the ground, anxiously looking for shelter from the rain.
Rumble!
The rain had not yet fallen, but the thunder had already sounded.
This clap of thunder intensified the heavy and terrifying atmosphere.
In just a few short minutes, the sky above the deep mountain was completely covered by dark clouds, blocking out all light.
In this deep mountain, a branch hall of the Hall of Souls was hidden. It was one of the twenty-four most important branch halls, known as the Earthly Baleful Hall.
Because this place was rarely visited, the location of the branch hall had never been exposed. But today, it welcomed a guest.
An uninvited guest.
Han Feng was draped in a black robe, his face hidden under the hood, his true appearance unclear.
Behind him, a hundred puppets stood quietly in wait.
A flash of lightning! In the darkness, a uniform of yellow robes was revealed. The twenty-four white-robed Dou Ancestors in the lead each held a Sea-Calming Bead, silently absorbing the water-attribute energy that was gradually becoming denser in the world.
Rumble!
Another clap of thunder. Han Feng slowly raised his arm and gently waved.
In an instant, several strong gusts of wind swept past, and a hundred soldiers of the "Soul-Exterminating Division" charged out.
Inside the deep mountain, an alarm immediately sounded.
But the next moment, a water-blue rain curtain enveloped the surroundings. The twenty-four white-robed Dou Ancestors had already sealed off the surrounding world with their Sea-Calming Beads.
Han Feng strolled towards the mountaintop, his figure flashing a short distance from time to time.
The rainy night was bleak, but he did not hold an umbrella.
Only a golden-haired young girl stood quietly by his side. In her open pupils was a sharp saber light.
"Ah!"
Miserable screams rose one after another in the main hall. The puppets' attacks were devoid of any emotion, clean and efficient.
Several Dou Ancestor-level protectors rushed out from the crowd. Seeing the puppets on the mountain path, they were both shocked and furious.
Who dares to barge into the Hall of Souls!
A protector raised his palm, and surging Dou Qi gathered.
"Fierce Ghost Devours Soul!"
A terrifying ghost face suddenly shot out from his palm. Ten Dou Emperor puppets joined forces to block, but the next second, they were sent flying.
"Hmph, insignificant thieves, you dare to provoke my Hall of Souls!"
Although the hundred or so puppets before them were formidable, as long as a protector-level expert took action, they could be smoothly suppressed in a short time.
Not to mention, inside the main hall, there was also a powerful Venerable Elder!
However, the next second, the protector who had just attacked was sent flying by several white lights.
After the white-robed puppets had set up the Sea-Calming Beads, twelve of them stayed behind to maintain the formation, while the rest charged towards the main hall from all directions.
"Dou Ancestors!"
The protector spat out blood, looking at the several figures in front of him in horror.
There were many experts in the Earthly Baleful Hall. There were ten protectors alone, but they usually had a heavy workload and were often out on missions. So at this time, the troops guarding the hall were not as many as in its heyday; there were only four protectors.
Faced with the siege of twelve Dou Ancestors, even if some of the protectors were strong, they were still beaten back steadily.
"Insolence!"
Finally, a voice mixed with profound Dou Qi came from the back hall.
A black-robed old man with a terrifying aura stepped out.
Buzz!
The surrounding spatial power was instantly locked. Several people nearby were even pressed by the spatial power, unable to move.
Black qi floated in the palm of this black-robed old man, and a headless ghost body slowly rose behind him.
"Twelve Dou Ancestors, what a grand gesture!"
The old man swung his right fist, and the headless ghost body also raised its right arm.
A punch was thrown!
Endless ghostly qi, mixed with a fierce killing intent, swept towards the puppets.
The twelve white-robed Dou Ancestors quickly formed a battle formation, joining forces to resist.
Boom!
A harsh sound of metal cutting rang out, and a circle of black-red airwaves vibrated out in the main hall.
The power of the twelve Dou Ancestors was not to be underestimated. They successfully blocked the blow from the Hall of Souls' Venerable Elder. Then, taking advantage of the cover of the black mist, they quickly charged at the heavily injured Hall of Souls protectors.
The black-robed old man's face turned cold, and he immediately roared, "How dare you!"
Swish!
In the darkness, a golden light flashed.
The black-robed old man's pupils shrank, and he hurriedly summoned the ghost body to block.
The golden saber light slashed at the ghost body, and a wound deep enough to see the bone immediately appeared.
Bang, bang, bang!
The old man retreated several steps before he managed to stabilize his figure.
He looked ahead in horror and saw a figure also draped in a black robe, holding a long golden saber, slowly walking towards him from the entrance of the Earthly Baleful Hall.
"You, who are you?"
"The one who will kill you."
Han Feng took a step forward, and the golden saber in his hand instantly slashed out, like a curtain of rain.
The battle between the leaders officially began.
Han Feng did not use his secret technique, nor did he deploy his armor. He was fighting the Venerable Elder entirely with his cultivation at the peak of the nine-star Dou Ancestor realm.
It would be easy to defeat him, but he also needed to temper himself.
The Hall of Souls' Venerable Elder in front of him happened to be at the late stage of a one-star Dou Venerate, very suitable for him to challenge across ranks.
Han Feng's soul power was always paying attention to the Venerable Elder's attack movements, and he was able to intercept them in advance every time.
The black-robed old man gradually felt that something was wrong.
This person in front of him clearly only had the cultivation of a nine-star Dou Ancestor, so why could he fight him to a draw, and even feel a sense of being suppressed?
The black-robed old man seized an opportunity to counterattack and threw a fierce punch.
The fist, mixed with heavy spatial power and sinister ghostly qi, was extremely fast. Han Feng really couldn't dodge it with his own cultivation alone.
At that critical moment, Han Feng's soul power stirred slightly. The next instant, his body emitted a spiritual luster, and his whole person, like a gentle breeze, leaped into the air, dodging the ghost body's fist.
"Jie jie jie, so it's your soul power!"
A greedy look appeared in the Venerable Elder's eyes.
Such rich soul power, it was truly a gift delivered to his door!
Han Feng was slightly speechless.
What is this person thinking?
If my soul power were to attack, I could kill you in one go. It's one thing if you're not afraid, but what's with the joy?
The black-robed old man pressed forward, his desire to attack skyrocketing. Every punch used all his strength. Wherever it passed, the space was a mess.
Han Feng dodged the old man's attack, his eyes calm. He drew his saber and slashed.
Swish!
The two figures brushed past each other.
The black-robed old man's greedy expression froze. A fountain of blood suddenly spurted from his chest.
"How could..."
Han Feng turned and slashed down with his saber.
The black-robed old man subconsciously raised his hand to block. However, the surging force directly shattered half of the ghost body's arm. The old man, like a meteor, smashed into the ground, making a huge thud.
In the dust, the black-robed old man's face was full of terror. Sanity returned to his brain, and he hurried to run outside.
"Can't beat him, can't beat him..."
Han Feng stood high in the sky, silently watching the fleeing Venerable Elder below.
He put away his golden saber, and a silver fluid floated in his palm, slowly turning into a bow and arrow.
Innate Primordial Magnetism.
Han Feng straightened his back and aimed at the target.
Shoot!
The silver sharp arrow tore through the void and arrived behind the Venerable Elder in the blink of an eye.
A crisis of death enveloped his heart. The black-robed old man subconsciously self-destructed his ghost body.
Rumble!
The law body condensed by a Dou Venerate expert, after self-destructing, emitted a powerful Dou Qi that surpassed his own cultivation, blocking the fatal blow for the black-robed old man.
The black-robed old man spat out a mouthful of blood, but he did not dare to stop at all. He used the force to quickly fly towards the edge of the great mountain.
The terrain of this deep mountain was hidden, and there were many covers. As long as he went deep into it, he could quickly shake off the pursuers behind him. By then, he would be safe.
However, a barrier that blended with the rainy night completely blocked the black-robed old man's last path of escape.
The black-robed old man slammed hard against the barrier. The force converted from his speed rebounded onto his head, making him a little dazed for a moment.
When he came back to his senses, the black-robed old man desperately pounded on the Sea-Calming Bead barrier.
One after another, cracks appeared on the barrier. The black-robed old man was like a drowning man clutching at the last straw. He condensed the last of his Dou Qi, ready to make a desperate struggle.
Unfortunately, at this time, a purple-robed puppet appeared in the center of the formation's eye, and with a raise of its palm, it stabilized the Sea-Calming barrier.
This formation specialized in defense. If one wanted to break it from the inside, unless one's strength was far greater than the formation's defender, it was just wishful thinking.
Han Feng had used the Fallen Heart Flame to break the formation from afar before, but clearly, this Hall of Souls Venerable Elder did not have such a divine object.
Deep despair appeared in the black-robed old man's eyes.
He had never thought that after joining the Hall of Souls, he would still be killed by someone.
Memories of the past flashed through his mind. The black-robed old man's hair stood on end, and he turned his head sharply.
He saw a large silver hand gradually enlarging in his pupils, and then everything ended.
Han Feng looked at the corpse of the Hall of Souls Venerable Elder in his hand. The eyes under his cloak revealed an extreme killing intent.
The Spirit Devour secret method was activated. The next moment, Han Feng refined the Venerable Elder's soul body.
He searched for useful memories in the soul body. Unfortunately, the other party did not seem to know the locations of the other Earthly Baleful Halls, only the locations of a few ordinary branch halls.
"As expected, there is another Venerable Elder in this Earthly Baleful Hall."
Han Feng had received news that was not surprising.
This was a dignified Earthly Baleful Hall. It was impossible for it to be guarded by only one one-star Dou Venerate.
Generally speaking, an Earthly Baleful Hall would be guarded by two Venerable Elders, a hall master and a vice-hall master.
In this Venerable Elder's memory, the other Venerable Elder, who had the title of "Myriad Blade Venerate," was the true master of this Earthly Baleful Hall.
A late-stage three-star Dou Venerate!
He had mastered a secret method of using living people to sacrifice and refine weapons.
The "Myriad Blade Venerate's" signature weapon, the "Myriad Soul Blade," was a "vicious weapon" that had been refined with the flesh and blood of tens of thousands of people.
However, this Venerable Elder was not in the Earthly Baleful Hall at the moment. He had gone out a month ago to carry out a very important mission.
To capture a Dou Venerate-level soul body.
The value of a Dou Venerate soul was much higher than that of a Dou Ancestor.
This was also the reason why the black-robed old man had shown a greedy expression when he discovered that Han Feng's soul power was unusual earlier.
Once this kind of soul body was captured, one would receive a large number of rewards. These Venerable Elders also hoped to climb up step by step.
With the small leader killed, the remaining emissaries of the Hall of Souls were left to be harvested by the puppets.
With the Sea-Calming Great Formation in operation, no one could escape. Han Feng had truly cut the weeds and removed the roots, leaving no one alive.
Following the Venerable Elder's memory, Han Feng came to the place where the Earthly Baleful Hall stored soul bodies.
What came into view was a huge open space. Intersecting chains in mid-air bound one after another, soul bodies with dazed eyes.
Han Feng did not go and squeeze the remaining value from these soul bodies. With a wave of his hand, he shattered the chains.
Some soul bodies, having lost the restriction of the chains, their faces relaxed at the last moment, turning into specks of soul light and dissipating in the air.
These soul bodies were already exhausted. The reason they had not dissipated was that the Hall of Souls wanted to squeeze their source and forcibly restricted them.
And a soul body in this state, apart from "life worse than death," there were no other words to describe it.
Death was, on the contrary, a release.
It was a natural law of heaven and earth that people would enter reincarnation after death.
Some cultivators had strong souls and could live on in the world as soul bodies, but in the end, they would all head towards destruction.
The Hall of Souls had captured those soul bodies lingering in the mortal world. If they had helped them pass on, it would not have been a great sin.
But this method, which was close to torture, was really against humanity.
What was even more detestable was that in order to collect soul bodies, the Hall of Souls had waged wars everywhere, provoking various factions to fight, causing the death of a large number of cultivators, and then reaping the benefits.
Among them, alchemists' soul power was strong, so they were specially targeted.
The Pill Tower was dissatisfied with this but did not choose to go to war with the Hall of Souls.
It was nothing more than a comparison of interests, and they felt it was not worth it.
Han Feng let these soul bodies dissipate on their own. He had originally thought that there might be survivors, but unfortunately, there were none.
Unless it was a soul body with extremely high utilization value, the Hall of Souls might treat it specially. As for the rest, no matter how strong their cultivation, they could only be objects to be squeezed dry.
Han Feng walked past the prison and entered the deepest part of the underground.
As soon as the door opened, a dark Dou Qi surged towards Han Feng. This was a method used by the Hall of Souls to protect their soul source. If one was not careful, one would be entangled by this Dou Qi, and in the end, a brand would be left, and one would be hunted by the Hall of Souls all day long.
A Heavenly Flame ignited under Han Feng's feet, and all these tricks retreated.
Walking into the main door, Han Feng looked up and saw a large amount of soul source, condensed into a small to medium-sized white sphere.
"Way of Heaven: Spirit Devour!"
Without hesitation, Han Feng swallowed and refined this white ball, which had condensed a large amount of soul source.
In just an instant, he felt his soul power greatly increase.
Although he had not directly broken through to the late stage of the Spirit Realm, he had taken another big step forward in the mid-stage of the Spirit Realm.
Now, he could already fight against a Heavenly Venerate-level expert with his soul power.
That is, a five-star Dou Venerate.
Han Feng had not tested his specific strength, but he felt that this mass of soul source had not been completely digested. It might take another half a month to completely refine it.
At that time, he might be able to go a step further.
This was just the soul source of one Earthly Baleful Hall. Compared to the super reserves of the entire Hall of Souls, it was just a drop in the ocean.
Most of the soul source was generally stored in the Heavenly Dipper Halls.
That was the true upper echelon of the Hall of Souls. The current Han Feng did not have the strength to fight them.
After getting the soul source, Han Feng continued to explore downwards.
The real purpose of him coming to destroy an Earthly Baleful Hall now was the "Soul-Devouring Life-Exterminating Formation" hidden below it!
This formation was too terrifying. If it was not resolved early, when the formation was truly activated later...
The entire Central Plains would be plunged into a sea of corpses and blood.
Han Feng took a step and came to a hidden space. He threw a punch.
The space shattered, and a large hole was directly blasted in the floor of the Earthly Baleful Hall.
Han Feng's gaze focused.
He saw that below the opening, the blood qi was as condensed as a solid, soul-stirring.