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**
"Protector Tie, save me—!!"
The wretched scream echoed faintly across the sky.
Hmm?
Within the sea of flames, Wei Yang turned toward the sound, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
Protector Tie?Perfect. Come on, I'll take care of you all together.
Right now, his mind was calm. A quiet yet surging sense of confidence spread through his chest.
He honestly hadn't known he could fight this well—until he did.
Had he overestimated Hall of Souls, or underestimated himself?
Maybe it was the influence of the original story—facing a Hall of Souls Protector, Wei Yang had naturally felt some unease before.
But now that he'd actually gone head-to-head…
He suddenly realized—he might be absurdly powerful.
Was it that the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame was too strong?
Or that Hall of Souls's Protectors were just too weak?
Either way, even one against three, he still felt the advantage was his.
A bunch of Hall of Souls Protectors? That's it? Nothing special.
"Come out," Wei Yang said lightly. "I noticed you a long time ago. Thought you were hiding well? You half-human shadow freak—get out here!"
...
As his voice faded, a torrent of black mist suddenly surged from the distant mountain forest, blanketing the sky.
The mist condensed rapidly in midair, forming into a dense, shadowy mass about ten meters wide.
The dark cloud floated silently to the edge of the sea of fire—hovering hesitantly, seemingly reluctant to advance further.
Down below, Xiao Yan stared at the mass of black mist with a tense expression, then looked toward Yun Shan on the opposite side.
As expected, there wasn't just one Hall of Souls Protector.
From what Wei Yang had said earlier, there were likely even more hidden.
"Master, it looks like Brother Wei was right. There's at least one more in the shadows. We need to stay alert," Xiao Yan warned mentally.
"Mhm," Yao Lao replied softly.
He was now residing inside Xiao Yan's body, ready to offer his strength at any moment and respond quickly to changes on the battlefield.
Raising his head, he stared unblinkingly at the newly emerged mist. Around his soul form, a faint white flame flickered into view.
"This newcomer's strength… seems to be even higher than that of Protector Wu," Yao Lao observed.
"Yeah," Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Then suddenly, his expression turned icy. With Green Lotus Core Flame dancing on his hand, he charged straight at Yun Shan.
He'd decided—end it fast. Take Yun Shan out immediately.
"Master, lend me strength! Let's finish this quickly!" Xiao Yan called out in his mind.
"Understood!"
"You little bastard!"
Yun Shan withdrew his gaze from above, turned cold eyes toward Xiao Yan, and shot forward to meet him head-on.
...
"Another Hall of Souls Protector?"
Further down on the chaotic battlefield, commotion began to spread.
Fairy Yun Yun stared at the sky in shock, her beautiful face tightening at the sight of the new black mist forming in the heavens.
This so-called Hall of Souls… was clearly not a righteous faction.
Now that Yun Lan Sect was so deeply entangled with them, this situation...
She felt unease rising in her heart.
Her eyes drifted upward—toward Yun Shan, who was now locked in a fierce battle with Xiao Yan.
Master… are you really going to destroy Yun Lan Sect with your own hands?
This unexpected development also cast a shadow over those who'd originally felt optimistic—people like Fa Ma now looked grim.
Another Hall of Souls Protector.
Would Wei Yang… really be able to handle it?
"Damn it! There's another one?!"
Jia Xingtian cursed furiously, knocking Yun Yun back with a palm strike. He glared and shouted, "What the hell is your Yun Lan Sect trying to pull?!"
"I don't know either..." Yun Yun shook her head slightly, smiling bitterly.
"Enough with the nonsense!"
Not far away, Hai Bodong suddenly surged forward, launching a fierce assault on the Dou Huang expert of Yun Lan Sect who had been entangling him.
After taking the Spiritual Recovery Purple Pill Xiao Yan had brought back, Hai Bodong's strength had rapidly recovered over the past few days—he was now nearly back to his peak.
Although he was still slightly below the peak Dou Huang level of Jia Xingtian and Yun Yun, he wasn't far off.
Now, he was clearly suppressing his opponent, pushing them back blow after blow.
"The situation's changed!" Hai Bodong shouted. "There's more than one Hall of Souls Protector. Who knows how many are still hiding out there—hurry up and finish your fights! Then we'll join forces to take Yun Shan down!"
Hearing that, Jia Xingtian, Fa Ma, and the others all nodded heavily.
At a critical moment like this, they no longer held back—their powerful Dou Qi surged to the limit, and they unleashed ferocious, relentless assaults on their respective opponents.
Under this sudden wave of fierce offense, the already overwhelmed Yun Lan Sect was immediately pushed into a full retreat.
Some among them, whose strength was lacking, were even struck down and killed on the spot.
However, even in their final moments, they managed to deal some last strikes in return, causing injury and disruption.
For a time, the chaotic battlefield at the lowest level became a scene of explosive and violent intensity.
"Yun Yun! Are you still not going to stop?! Do you really plan to follow that madman Yun Shan—to the grave?!" Jia Xingtian roared.
Yun Yun's longsword danced as she fought, her lips tightly pressed together, refusing to answer.
"Hmph, fine, fine, fine!" Jia Xingtian laughed furiously, his attacks growing even more savage.
If Yun Yun wanted to die, then so be it—he'd grant her wish.
It was just a shame… that after today, the overall strength of the Jia Ma Empire would likely suffer a heavy blow—one it might not recover from for decades.
High in the sky...
The swirling black mist writhed restlessly at the edge of the black sea of fire, hesitating, not daring to enter.
Wei Yang—clearly only a peak Two-Star Dou Zong—had exploded with such overwhelming power that Protector Tie, who had been lurking in the shadows for quite some time, had been completely shaken.
He had seriously considered not showing up at all—maybe just quietly slipping away from this mess.
Now, standing before this horrifying sea of black flames, even his scalp tingled.
Rush in to save Protector Wu?
What a joke—he'd probably get himself killed too.
So instead, Protector Tie's eyes narrowed behind the mist. His voice, cold and sinister, echoed through the air: "Wei Yang… are you sure you want to go against Hall of Souls?"
Wei Yang raised an eyebrow but didn't bother to answer.
"Release Protector Wu," Tie continued. "We'll leave immediately. I guarantee—we won't interfere in the affairs of the Jia Ma Empire again. How about it?"
"You'd better think carefully," he added quickly before Wei Yang could speak. "If you kill Protector Wu, then you'll be making an enemy of Hall of Souls for life. Your name will be placed on our 'kill-on-sight' list."
Protector Tie's voice was completely unrestrained—it spread clearly across the entire battlefield.
Below, everyone who heard it showed mixed reactions.
Yun Shan and the members of Yun Lan Sect instantly turned pale, a chill settling in their hearts.
If Hall of Souls really just walked away right now… what would happen to them?
Yun Shan in particular felt like he'd been stabbed in the back in front of a crowd.
I risked everything for Hall of Souls and brought this disaster upon myself—and now you're selling me out?!
Meanwhile, Jia Xingtian and his allies looked pleased, some even sneering toward Yun Lan Sect's people.
As for Yun Yun—her delicate face was filled with shock. She looked up at the newly arrived black mist with disbelief.
A surge of fury she could no longer suppress welled up in her chest.
Her gaze snapped toward Yun Shan, locking onto him.
She wanted to ask—why? Why all this? For what?!
While everyone was caught in their own thoughts—
Wei Yang suddenly lowered his head, looking toward a different part of the forest below.
He said quietly, "Are you stalling for time? Well… he's back."
"…What?"
Everyone below froze for a moment—then their pupils shrank.
Could it be…?!
"You… you knew about him?" Protector Tie's pupils contracted slightly as he heard Wei Yang's words.
"Jie jie jie~…"
Under countless fearful gazes, a second wave of black mist suddenly surged from the forest below, flooding toward the sea of black fire, rapidly gathering and condensing into a second ominous, dark mass in the sky.
From within came a strange, piercing laughter, echoing like a crow's caw across the heavens.
"Jie jie… Wei Yang, huh? Such sharp perception—and such strong spiritual sense. You actually detected my presence. Clearly, you're far more than just a Tier 6 Alchemist, aren't you?"
"Far more than Tier 6? Wait… your soul… something's not right." Protector Tie was startled, and immediately tried to sense Wei Yang's soul.
But no matter how he tried—he couldn't sense anything at all.
"What…?!"
Protector Tie was stunned.
As a Hall of Souls Protector, someone trained specifically in soul mastery, he was especially sensitive to spiritual energy—and yet now, he couldn't even sense Wei Yang's soul presence?
How was that possible?
"Jie jie… Using a secret technique to hide or seal your soul fluctuations, are we?"
The second Protector chuckled eerily. "Now I'm really curious—why are you going to such lengths to hide your soul? Regardless, the fact that you could detect me means your spiritual perception must be incredibly powerful. To reach this level of soul mastery at your age… I must admit, I'm impressed."
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