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"Let's go."
Seeing this, Qiuling exchanged a glance with Xuan Kongzi and the other two, then all three gently nodded. With a wave of his hand, Qiuling was the first to step into the spatial gate, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Xiao Yan and the others quickly followed after him.
At the very moment the silver gate closed, Qian Renhan entered the Star Domain as well, taking Zi Yan with him.
At the plaza of the Tianming Sect headquarters, someone reported, "Sect Master, they've disappeared."
"Of course I know," Tianmingzi said with a faint smile, his gaze fixed on the location of the Star Domain. It had taken him a great deal of effort just to remove Yi Chen's ring from Mu Gu's tongue. A powerful figure like that was beyond his capability to handle—so he had requested an intervention from the Grand Elder.
The Star Domain was a space forcibly torn open by the combined efforts of the three giants of the Pill Tower. Naturally, this realm could not compare to mysterious domains like the Alchemy Realm or the Ancient Realm. It appeared barren, filled with a faint, oppressive heat haze. Here and there, dim rays of light pierced the space, giving the environment a cold and somber illumination.
After placing Zi Yan into his Qiankun Bag, Qian Renhan raised his right hand. Blood-red light gathered, forming the Shura Sword in his grip. Staring at a certain point in the void, he said flatly, "Since you're already here, why don't you show yourself?"
"Your perception isn't bad."
The space ahead rippled slightly, revealing an old man clad in gray. His figure was hunched, his face gaunt and withered, yet a sinister smile played across his lips. His eyes were not the cloudy orbs of an ordinary elder—they gleamed with a blood-red luster. This man was none other than the infamous Tianming Old Demon.
Seeing Qian Renhan, Tianming Old Demon frowned slightly. Oddly enough, Qian Renhan's gaze did not change upon his appearance—instead, his eyes remained fixed on a point above and to the right of the elder.
"He wasn't talking to you, you fool."
A domineering and arrogant voice rang out as the space where Qian Renhan's gaze rested twisted. Dense black mist surged forth, slowly coalescing into a shadowy figure entirely shrouded in dark fog.
"Hall Master?" Tianming Old Demon looked at the unfathomable figure formed of black mist, his voice trembling. "Are you... the Soul Hall Master?"
"Perhaps it would be more accurate to call me the Vice Hall Master," the mist swirled as a faint chuckle echoed from within.
The Soul Hall's Vice Hall Master and Qian Renhan locked eyes, neither sparing a glance at Tianming Old Demon, who was utterly ignored by both.
"I didn't expect the Vice Hall Master of the Soul Hall to come personally. I thought it would be someone like a Heavenly Venerate," Qian Renhan said with a faint smile. His soul strength, at the peak of the Heaven Realm, easily saw through the vice master's disguise, recognizing it as his true form—with cultivation equal to his own, both at the level of a three-star Dou Sheng.
Upon hearing this, the black mist figure let out a strange laugh. "Jie jie jie... I'm actually glad I came in person. Who would've thought that the little brat once hunted down by a mere Half-Saint from the Ancient Clan would now have reached the level of a three-star Dou Sheng?"
Standing nearby, Tianming Old Demon nearly dropped dead from fright at these words. It was already terrifying to call a Half-Saint "mere"—after all, that rank represented the pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent. What shocked him even more was the implication: he, a Half-Saint, had tried to kill a three-star Dou Sheng. Was he trying to get himself killed? If word of this spread, he'd be mocked as the most reckless fool on the continent.
"I'm truly curious—what kind of cultivation method have you been using to grow so powerful, so quickly? I originally intended to recruit you into the Soul Hall so you could hand it over willingly. But then I thought, if even the Ancient Clan couldn't bend your spine, it's probably best to eliminate you instead. Once your soul is captured, the Soul Hall has plenty of ways to extract the truth."
As the black mist dispersed, the Vice Hall Master's face was revealed. His complexion was deathly pale, though his features appeared more like those of a young man than an elder. However, his cold, eerie tone made it clear that his actual age was far beyond what his appearance suggested.
Before he could finish speaking, an icy blue light burst forth behind Qian Renhan. He made the first move.
Countless ice-blue swords danced into the air, forming a torrent of flying blades. The sword formation surged forward like a tidal wave, cascading toward the Vice Hall Master.
His expression immediately chilled. With a slight tremble of his body, a boundless black mist erupted from behind him, transforming into dozens of chains. They clanked like turbine blades, spinning rapidly around him. Wherever the chains passed, they tore through the ice blades—and even the very fabric of space itself—with a sharp, continuous cracking sound.
"Boom!"
The flood of ice swords behind shattered, followed by an even more intense surge of Dou Qi. A five-colored handprint descended, stirring the starlight within the Star Domain—this was none other than the Imperial Seal Art, the fusion of the five great hand seals of the Ancient Clan.
"So this is the Ancient Clan's Imperial Seal Art. The intelligence was indeed correct. You can not only devour soul bodies, but also inherit their memories and mastery of Dou Techniques."
The Soul Hall's Vice Hall Master gathered his turbine-like spinning chains into a single, colossal iron pillar as thick as an elephant's leg, which collided head-on with the Imperial Seal Art.
Sacred Pill City.
The three giants of the Pill Tower, along with thousands of alchemists, were silently watching the closed silver gate. Among the three, the strongest—Xuan Kongzi—suddenly widened his eyes. Above the inner domain of Sacred Pill City, the Star Domain he had once torn open began to expand uncontrollably, with visible cracks emerging across its surface.
"This is bad!"
Just as Xuan Kongzi shouted, over half of the Star Domain exploded in an instant. A terrifying Dou Qi storm, powerful enough to obliterate everything, burst forth like a raging tempest, engulfing the inner region of Sacred Pill City in the blink of an eye.
Back in the Star Domain—
At the location of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, everyone felt the world-shattering surge of Dou Qi erupting from afar. All eyes turned toward the distant void.
Although the Star Domain had been forcefully created by the three Pill Tower giants, its area likely rivaled the massive Sacred Pill City. In addition, it connected in several places to the Void Space. As a result, much of the explosive energy from the battle between Qian Renhan and the Vice Hall Master of the Soul Hall was transmitted into these unknown regions—allowing Xiao Yan and the others to escape with their lives.
Within the sealing formation formed by blinding light, where the Three Thousand Burning Flame resided, even the mighty dragon sensed the terrifying disturbance. It had been lying dormant, storing power, but now it opened its eyes and lifted its head, as though calculating its own opportunity.
Above Sacred Pill City
Just as everyone thought they would be annihilated by the overwhelming Dou Qi surge, an elderly man, with an immortal aura and a body radiating a rich medicinal fragrance, appeared overhead. He raised both hands to hold up the storm of Dou Qi above. With a mighty release of his own energy, he controlled and redirected the massive energy field. In an instant, the storm was transferred elsewhere.
"Grand Elder!"
The Pill Tower's three giants were shocked at the sight of the man. This Grand Elder was not the chief of the Eight Elders of the Pill Tower—but the Grand Elder from the Inner Pill Tower, whose strength had reached the level of a two-star Dou Sheng.
After successfully transferring the Dou Qi storm away, the Grand Elder folded his hands behind his back and asked, "Xuan Kongzi, what happened?"
Faced with the question, Xuan Kongzi could only wear a confused expression, question marks practically forming above his head—he had absolutely no idea what had just happened within the Star Domain.
(End of Chapter)