Dark clouds surged in layers, and a flustered voice emerged from within, faintly tinged with a bloody red color that seeped out, appearing strange and sinister.
Watching the soul body continuously being scorched, the pressure emanating from the dark clouds slowly ceased, and the dark clouds churned, emitting incessant, shrill screams.
"Hehehe, kid, don't get happy too early. This Protector's methods aren't as simple as you think." At this moment, Protector Xuan's sinister sneer suddenly echoed from within the swirling dark clouds.
"Soul Devouring Chains!"
A sinister voice, as grating and eerie as a crow's caw, came from the black mist. Then, the black mist contracted, and a withered old man in a black robe emerged from it, his eyes glowing crimson within the robe.
With a movement of his palm, chains extended from it, coiling around his body like venomous snakes.
Immediately after, the opponent flicked his arm, and several chains shot towards Jiang Yun and the others.
"How dare he!"
Seeing that Protector Xuan actually dared to attack them alone, the few people immediately showed a hint of anger.
He was only a Four-Star Dou Zong, yet he dared to challenge five Dou Zong. Did he really think they were made of mud?
"Vajra Earth-Shaking Fist!"
"Sky-Breaking Thousand Wind Sword!"
"Purple Gold Dragon Spear!"
"…"
Feeling underestimated, Su Qian and the others furiously attacked, condensing Dou Qi. The next moment, several powerful Earth-rank Dou Techniques charged towards Protector Xuan.
Seeing this, Protector Xuan's expression changed drastically. He waved his hand again, and amidst the surging black mist, over a dozen chains covered with strange patterns extended from the void, intertwining with each other. Black energy enveloped them, rushing towards the attacks, clearly intending to use offense as defense.
In the blink of an eye, several dazzling attacks collided.
"Boom—"
"Ah—"
A loud bang resonated across the sky, followed by a tragic scream. The combined attack of several people, a powerful Earth-rank Dou Technique, exploded at close range, causing Protector Xuan, who was closest, to suffer significant damage.
Under the onslaught of their attacks, the black curtain that filled the sky suddenly began to tremble subtly. After a moment, several cracks quietly spread across the black curtain, and dazzling sunlight immediately poured in, completely dispelling the darkness in that part of the sky.
Protector Xuan's appearance was now revealed to everyone. Above the void, a tattered figure stood, one arm and one leg already missing.
His disheveled face was filled with malevolent resentment, staring intently at Jiang Yun and the others, as if intending to engrave them deeply in his eyes.
"This grudge, this Protector has taken note of it!" Protector Xuan gritted his teeth, enunciating each word, then he suddenly exploded, once again transforming into a sky full of black mist, rapidly fleeing in all directions.
"Stop him!" Seeing this, Su Qian immediately felt a bad premonition. It was not the thief he feared, but the thief holding a grudge. Being targeted by a Hall of Souls Protector was not a good thing.
More importantly, if the opponent notified other Protectors or Elders to come, then Jia Nan Academy would be in serious trouble.
He anxiously shouted at the others, then quickly pursued a wisp of black mist in one direction.
The others also understood the seriousness of the matter, and with solemn expressions, they each attacked the black mist in the direction they were responsible for.
Zi Yan's long purple hair fluttered in the wind, and a hint of eagerness flickered in her amethyst-like eyes.
"Little girl, you're courting death!" Protector Xuan's hoarse voice came from the black mist. With a wave of his palm, a surge of black mist erupted.
"Take my punch, Grand Void Fist!" Her gem-like eyes stared intently at the rapidly approaching black mist.
A peculiar purple glow slowly filled Zi Yan's eyes, and a faint dragon's might appeared within Zi Yan's taut body. Purple light enveloped her arms, solidifying into a strange purple crystal layer on her fists, resembling a dragon's head. Finally, it struck out with a terrifying force capable of shattering mountains and splitting rocks.
"Boom—"
As Zi Yan punched, the air in front of her was suddenly compressed into an invisible concave arc. A sharp whooshing sound rang out, and the invisible air cannon, compressed by that force, struck the wisp of black mist like a cannonball!
How such a delicate body could unleash such terrifying power was unknown to outsiders.
"Bang—"
A low explosion sounded, and the red eyes revealed within the black mist shattered with a bang. Clearly, the physical body was not within it.
"Damn it, it's a fake!"
Looking at the black mist that she had shattered with a punch, Zi Yan's eyebrows shot up, and she said with some displeasure.
"Bang, bang, bang."
At the same time, successive explosions rang out. Black fireworks suddenly rained down from the surrounding sky, but there was no physical body among them. This situation made everyone's expressions extremely ugly.
"Damn it, they're all fakes!"
"He still got away!"
"This is a big trouble!"
"…"
Su Qian and the others spoke one after another, their expressions extremely grim. Despite all of them attacking together, the opponent still managed to escape.
"Escaped? Not necessarily!"
Here, Jiang Yun wore a strange, knowing smile, looking at a certain spot beneath his feet. His terrifying soul power had already firmly locked onto a certain fellow underground.
It had to be said that these fellows from the Hall of Souls, putting aside their other abilities, their secretive methods were indeed extraordinary.
Unfortunately, none of these could escape Jiang Yun's perception!
As his voice fell, Jiang Yun slowly raised his right hand, and the fire-attributed energy on his right hand rapidly condensed. This was precisely the Intermediate Earth-rank Dou Technique, Sky-Burning Great Hand Seal, that Jiang Yun had just displayed!
If this Combat Skill were wielded by someone possessing a Heavenly Flame, its power could ascend another level.
Sky-Burning Great Hand Seal: Fire burns rivers and mountains, palm shatters heaven and earth!
At this moment, everyone could feel the surrounding fire-attributed energy rapidly surging towards Jiang Yun's right hand, just as Protector Xuan, hidden in the shadows, held a glimmer of hope.
A few seconds later, Jiang Yun struck out with his palm, and in the sky, a fiery red giant flame palm shot towards his hidden location at an extremely fast speed.
Whoosh—
A sound of breaking air rang out, and Protector Xuan's figure shot towards the distant sky in a sorry state.
"Turn!" Seeing the target appear, Jiang Yun raised his hand and guided it. The Sky-Burning Great Hand Seal, which had just been moving downwards, suddenly changed direction and continued to pursue Protector Xuan.
"Bullying me too much!" Feeling the energy lock of the fiery giant palm behind him, and the surrounding space seemingly fluctuating due to the energy of that fiery giant palm, Protector Xuan roared in anger!
"Soul Funeral!" Streams of strange black mist rapidly surged from his body, finally condensing into a giant skull in the sky, rushing towards the fiery great hand.
"Boom—"
A terrifying explosion rang out. Jiang Yun moved, his feet executing mysterious steps. He appeared eerily before Protector Xuan, as if treading on air, and his fist, enveloped in white flames, struck fiercely towards the opponent.
This was the Low Earth Rank movement technique Jiang Yun cultivated, the Soaring Swan Steps. Jiang Yun incorporated spatial power into it, increasing its speed by three points, allowing him to achieve an effect similar to instantaneous movement over short distances.
Protector Xuan's pupils contracted slightly, then thunder rumbled within the dense black mist, and figures flickered. Each appearance of a figure would unleash a thunderous explosion due to the clash of extremely powerful forces. A black shadow barely managed to parry, looking utterly disheveled.
Terrifying force tore through the black mist, and a giant white palm cleaved out, annihilating all the black mist. A black shadow flashed out, looking utterly disheveled.
At this moment, Protector Xuan, who appeared before everyone, had extremely faint black mist swirling around him, and his aura was withered to a low level. Clearly, repeated battles, coupled with his escape techniques, had left him severely wounded.
Looking at the surrounding people, who were eyeing him like tigers, Protector Xuan's heart trembled, and for the first time, he felt fear, speaking sharply with a facade of bravado.
"I am a member of the Hall of Souls. If you kill me, the Hall of Souls will definitely not let you off!"
"You people from the Hall of Souls should know the principle of cutting weeds and eliminating the roots best, right?"
Wu Tianlang looked at the doomed Protector Xuan with a somewhat mocking gaze and sneered.
Seeing that everyone was not going to let him go, Protector Xuan also roared in anger. Immediately, black mist surged rapidly from his body, and then he suddenly turned, using the cover of the black mist to quickly flee towards another part of the sky.
Clearly, he was going to make a final desperate struggle!
"Can he escape?"
Jiang Yun shook his head, looking mockingly at the fleeing Protector Xuan. The next second, three figures were seen quickly pursuing him, and after a round of attacks,
Protector Xuan was tied up like a zongzi. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free from the restraints, only able to let out angry roars like a cornered beast.
"Jiang Yun, he's all yours!" Wu Tianlang carried the opponent and came to Jiang Yun's side, looking at the struggling Protector Xuan.
"You've worked hard!" Jiang Yun chuckled lightly, raised his hand, and a chain of flames shot out from his palm. With a grasp of his large hand, the chain landed on the opponent's body.
"Ah—"
A series of sizzling sounds rang out, and Protector Xuan also let out shrill screams.
As the flame energy corroded, the black mist on Protector Xuan's body became increasingly thin, eventually dissipating completely, revealing his true face.
"This guy is… a soul body?"
Looking at the somewhat ethereal, almost transparent soul body, Elder Huo said with some hesitation.
If Elder Huo, an Alchemist, was so shocked, let alone Su Qian and the others.
"I remember that although those with powerful soul power can survive after death by relying on their physical bodies, they will inevitably suffer heavy injuries and their strength will be far from what it was. How powerful must this Dou Zong-level soul body have been during his lifetime?"
After pondering for a moment, Su Qian said with some hesitation. The reality before them was simply too difficult to accept. This Hall of Souls expert, who could rival the Dou Zong rank, was actually a soul body?!
"Spirit Realm!" At this moment, Elder Huo suddenly spoke, and everyone's gazes were immediately drawn to him. He continued, "With my current soul power, I definitely cannot achieve this. I am certain that even a Seventh-Rank Alchemist's soul power cannot do this. Only an Alchemist Grandmaster, a Grade 8 Alchemist, requires a Spiritual Realm Soul to achieve it."
"Spirit Realm—" Su Qian and the others exclaimed in astonishment. These things were simply too far removed from them. If a Hall of Souls Protector's strength in his lifetime already possessed a Spiritual Realm Soul, then…
The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became!
"Alright, let's not speculate wildly here. I can guarantee that this guy definitely did not reach Spiritual Realm Soul in his lifetime. As a top power that has stood on the continent for many years, it's not surprising that the Hall of Souls has some methods!"
Seeing Su Qian and the others scaring themselves, Jiang Yun had to speak up to explain.
Indeed, as soon as Jiang Yun spoke, everyone immediately relaxed. Yes, if every member of the Hall of Souls had such a terrifying background, then everyone else might as well give up.
Surrender!
Looking at Protector Xuan, who was about to turn into nothingness, Jiang Yun waved his hand, then took out a jade bottle from his storage ring. A suction force directly pulled Protector Xuan's soul into the jade bottle, and he thoughtfully sealed the mouth of the bottle with a ring of flames.
"Let's go, we've been delayed for quite some time. I believe they're all getting impatient!" Seeing Jiang Yun finish handling the matter, Su Qian spoke.
The others nodded upon seeing this and then, without further hesitation, each stepped into the void and shot towards the distance.
However, among them, there were two pairs of Dou Qi wings that were a bit conspicuous!
In a dense forest in the Black-Corner Region.
Su Qian and the others finally arrived. The many elders who had been waiting at the original spot showed smiles on their solemn faces when they saw Su Qian and the others.
Qin Xuan, who was leading, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Elder, you've finally arrived. If you hadn't come soon, we would have gone looking for you!"
"What is there to worry about with five Dou Zong like us!" Su Qian, seeing this, glared at the other party without explanation.
Qin Xuan was somewhat speechless. Su Qian's expression changed, and he said sternly, "Is everyone here?"
"Seventy percent of the Dou Huang Elders from the Inner Court and Outer Court have arrived. After all, Jiang Yun's rewards are quite generous!" Qin Xuan said seriously with cupped hands, and at the end, he winked at Jiang Yun.
He was one of the beneficiaries, having consumed a Huangji Pill and fortunately advanced two stars.
Therefore, he was particularly polite to Jiang Yun. Not just him, everyone in Jia Nan Academy who had received Jiang Yun's pills praised him. Jiang Yun's pills, everyone who used them said they were good.
Jiang Yun, seeing this, returned a slight smile. Su Qian's expression hardened, "Stop your chatter. The Sect Masters and Elders of Maple City, Blood Wolf Gang, Black Emperor Sect, Demon Flame Valley, and Eight Gates have all died. This time, we won't fight too much, just these few factions. I believe that within twenty years, no other faction will be able to threaten Jia Nan Academy!"
"Yes!"
"This time, we five Dou Zong will lead the teams, each taking two Dou Huang Elders to act. The remaining people will be on standby for support."
"Yes!"
"Wait!" At this moment, Jiang Yun timely spoke to stop them. Facing the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Jiang Yun said, "Maple City, due to Han Feng's rapid development this past year, has many experts. One team going is not safe; two teams should go together. The Sect Master and the three Great Elders of Demon Flame Valley have all been killed, so leave it to Zi Yan and me!"
After careful consideration, Su Qian agreed to Jiang Yun's plan. Jiang Yun's strength was obvious to all, and with Zi Yan, even a Dou Zong couldn't stop them.
After everything was arranged, no one had any objections. How could they lose this high-end game?