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**
"Mu Gu, what do you think you're doing!"
Seeing that Old Mu Gu suddenly pull out a spatial jade slip and crush it, Qiu Ling's expression instantly changed. His heart jolted as he barked the question sharply. He hadn't become the Grand Elder of the Pill Tower by being dull.
Mu Gu's action was clearly meant to summon other Hall of Souls powerhouses—he was trying to start trouble. So, right after shouting a warning to the others, Qiu Ling didn't hesitate for even a breath.
With a fierce wave of his sleeve, a torrent of blazing crimson Dou Qi burst forth with a sharp hiss, tearing through the air and space itself as it shot straight toward Mu Gu's position. This sudden turn of events caused the expressions of everyone present to shift drastically.
Immediately, Xiao Yan and the Two-Star Dou Zun beside him, along with Xiao Yixian and the other two women, quickly split into small groups, watching cautiously at the temporary spatial wormhole that Mu Gu had opened.
After all, there wasn't a single person here who didn't recognize what a spatial jade slip was. The moment they saw the channel forming after it shattered, everyone instantly guessed what was happening and raised their guard.
"Jie jie… A Heavenly Flame is a miracle of heaven and earth—it's also a symbol of faith for us alchemists. Yet your Pill Tower is so cruel as to seal one away like this.
That's nothing less than blasphemy against our faith! So, I merely wish to free this Heavenly Flame and return it to freedom, that's all."
Mu Gu's eerie laughter echoed as he "righteously" mocked the Pill Tower in reply to Qiu Ling's rebuke.
But as soon as his words fell, the faces of everyone around turned utterly blank with disbelief.
"I've seen shameless people before," Xiao Yixian finally said after a long moment of stunned silence, "But this old man takes it to a whole new level. I've wandered the world for years, and I've never seen anyone quite this shameless."
Hearing that, the two women behind her—Cao Ying and Dan Chen—both nodded in firm agreement.
Clearly, they had just gained a whole new understanding of Mu Gu's thick skin. As for Xiao Yan, his expression had turned rather strange.
If he remembered correctly, years ago when Han Feng attacked Jia Nan Academy to snatch the Fallen Heart Flame, hadn't he said something eerily similar?
"Don't tell me Han Feng and this Mu Gu actually know each other…" he muttered to himself, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Compared to the others, Grand Elder Qiu Ling was nearly driven into a heart attack by Mu Gu's absurd justification. If anyone else had said such a thing, perhaps he might have felt a trace of guilt.
But the Hall of Souls? Mu Gu himself was one of their elders—did he seriously not know what kind of reputation his organization had? They hunted soul bodies across the world, slaughtering countless alchemists from the Pill Tower!
Compared to them, the Pill Tower was practically saintly!
Qiu Ling's chest heaved violently as he pointed a trembling finger at Mu Gu and roared, teeth grinding, "The crimes your Hall of Souls has committed—old man, I could talk for three years straight and still not finish listing them! And yet you still have the gall to say such words? I've never seen anyone so brazenly shameless in my life!"
With that, he surged forward, fury boiling in his veins as he charged at Mu Gu. But even in his rage, Qiu Ling wasn't completely reckless.
As he rushed toward Mu Gu, he turned his head and shouted loudly, "Anyone who can contact other Pill Tower experts—do it now! Call for reinforcements immediately!"
"Jie jie, yes, I'm shameless—so what? What, is your Pill Tower going to wipe out my Hall of Souls?"
Facing Qiu Ling's killing intent, Mu Gu's expression twitched slightly, but his mouth refused to back down.
Still, he wasn't stupid. He knew full well that with his Three-Star Dou Zun strength, there was no way he could win against Qiu Ling. So, after running his mouth, he immediately turned tail and flew off at full speed.
As he fled, he focused on dodging Qiu Ling's attacks while stalling for time—waiting for the arrival of his Hall of Souls reinforcements. Faced with such a cowardly opponent, Qiu Ling could only grind his teeth in frustration.
Though his strength exceeded Mu Gu's, it wasn't easy to capture a Three-Star Dou Zun who had no intention of fighting back and was completely focused on escape.
Meanwhile, Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and Xiao Yan all hurriedly pulled out spatial jade slips from their storage rings after hearing Qiu Ling's shout.
However, just as they were about to crush them, a fierce gust of wind suddenly appeared—sharp as a needle—striking toward them from nowhere.
"Hmph, a few peak Dou Zong trying to sneak attack me? Don't underestimate me that much!"
Seeing the energy needle shoot forth, Xiao Yixian snorted coldly. With a flick of her slender hand, she shattered the attack instantly.
As for Xiao Yan, relying on his powerful soul perception, he sensed the needle's approach ahead of time and evaded it easily—while also managing to crush the spatial jade slip Xuan Yi had given him.
Of course, after that, he didn't go to assist Qiu Ling. Instead, he simply stood to the side and watched.
After all, in his eyes, Qiu Ling had already branded him as the murderer of Song Qing and had tried several times to kill him. Under those circumstances, why would he help someone who wanted him dead?
In fact, it would be even better if Qiu Ling managed to kill Mu Gu. Then he could seize Mu Gu's soul with the Fallen Heart Flame and force him to reveal the origins of the Flame Mantra.
If not, well—once Qiu Ling had worn the old man down, it would make Xiao Yan's job of killing Mu Gu much easier. So really, there was no reason at all for him to intervene.
After a moment's thought, Xiao Yan simply chose to sit back and enjoy the show, watching from a distance as his two enemies chased and battled across the Star Region.
As for Old Qing Hua, he only stood silently as chaos erupted before him. After a brief moment of thought, he too decided not to help Qiu Ling.
After all, the Hall of Souls was an immense and terrifying organization—one he absolutely couldn't afford to offend.
Besides, it seemed that the Hall of Souls's current goal was the Three Thousand Burning Flame, not them. They hadn't made a move against him, so why invite trouble?
Weighing the pros and cons, Old Qing Hua ultimately chose silence. He certainly desired the Three Thousand Burning Flame, but compared to his own life, he valued the latter far more.
"I didn't expect that even among the top ten, there would actually be members of the Hall of Souls!"
After crushing the spatial jade slip in their hands, Cao Ying and Dan Chen both frowned deeply, gazing toward the direction from which that energy needle had attacked.
It turned out that the ones who had made the move were two other contestants who had also made it into the top ten of the Pill Gathering.
"Heh, even if you've sent a message out, what can that do? Right now, the Three Thousand Burning Flame has been awakened by that kid.
The Three Leaders of the Pill Tower will be completely occupied, and with Holy Pill City in chaos, those Pill Tower experts won't be able to spare anyone to come here!"
The middle-aged man who had launched the failed sneak attack didn't seem frustrated in the slightest. Instead, he sneered mockingly as he spoke.
After finishing, the three of them immediately turned and fled into the distance without hesitation. After all, what kind of leader you have determines what kind of subordinates you get.
Since Mu Gu was the type to run first and talk later, naturally, his men followed his example. With their ambush having failed, there was no way they would stay behind to face death.
As for Xiao Yixian, she couldn't even be bothered with those small fries. Her beautiful eyes remained fixed on the direction where Lin Feng was.
After all, her husband's soul was currently engaged in a fierce battle with the Three Thousand Burning Flame. If his body was attacked while his soul was away, he would have no ability to resist whatsoever. So, she absolutely couldn't afford to be distracted.
"It seems the Hall of Souls prepared quite thoroughly for today's operation."
Hearing that man's words, Cao Ying's charming face darkened instantly.
From his tone, it was clear that the Hall of Souls had already sent experts to stir up chaos in Holy Pill City. That way, the Pill Tower's strong fighters would be completely tied down maintaining order.
As for the Three Leaders of the Pill Tower, they were forced to stabilize the Star Region and couldn't act rashly. If the Star Region collapsed, then everyone here below the Dou Zun level would be in grave danger.
"It's fine. As long as Lin Feng finishes his soul battle with the Three Thousand Burning Flame, we'll be able to leave right away."
Seeing the worried expressions on Cao Ying and Dan Chen's faces, Xiao Yixian paused for a moment. Then, considering that the two women might one day become her sisters, she spoke softly to reassure them.
Upon hearing that, Cao Ying's phoenix-like eyes narrowed slightly. A flicker of thought crossed her mind. From her tone, she seems quite confident about getting out of here… It looks like Lin Feng and this woman already have a plan in mind.
She then recalled how Lin Feng had already known about the Hall of Souls's infiltration back in the Pill Realm. Realization dawned on her. With his cautious personality, he had probably been planning for this moment all along.
Have I become dumber after being around Lin Feng for so long? she thought with a wry smile. How did I not realize that the Hall of Souls might cause trouble inside the Star Region?
Cao Ying silently cursed herself for her carelessness, then shook her head helplessly.
"Boom!"
Just then, three figures cloaked entirely in black robes slowly stepped out from the spatial wormhole that Mu Gu had created earlier.
As they appeared, three vast and overwhelming auras burst out like raging storms, sweeping through the void of this space. Under such tremendous pressure, even Xiao Yixian—a peak Eight-Star Dou Zun—felt her expression turn grave.
She quickly turned her gaze toward Cao Ying and Dan Chen and warned, "These people are extremely powerful. Even if I fought all three together, I might not be able to handle them. From this moment on, you must be on guard. If it becomes necessary, run straight for the Star Region exit—don't hesitate!"
"What?!"
Hearing that, Cao Ying and Dan Chen both felt their hearts sink heavily.
They knew Xiao Yixian's strength well—a peak Eight-Star Dou Zun —yet even she was saying something like that. It was clear that these three black-robed figures were no ordinary opponents.
Realizing that, the two women nodded quickly. "Understood."
They knew full well that if even Xiao Yixian found these enemies troublesome, then as mere Dou Zong-level experts, staying behind would only hold her back.
"...Hall of Souls Tian Zuns!"
The moment those three mysterious black-robed figures appeared, Qiu Ling—who had been chasing Mu Gu—suddenly froze. His pursuit stopped cold as his face turned dark as ink.
From his soul perception, he could tell that the leading black-robed Dou Zun's strength had already reached the level of a Nine-Star Dou Zun. The two behind him were both roughly Eight-Star Dou Zun as well.
At that realization, Qiu Ling's fists clenched tightly. His heart pounded with anxiety as he looked toward the spatial wormholes that Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and Xiao Yan had activated, praying for Pill Tower reinforcements to arrive as soon as possible.
Because even if all of them joined forces, they likely wouldn't be able to take on those three Dou Zuns—Not to mention that Mu Gu was still lurking nearby, waiting for his chance to strike.
**
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