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**
"Yun Shan, lend me a hand."
The black cloak quivered slightly as Protector Tie suddenly spoke in a low voice, his tone laced with labored breathing.
"Help you how?" Yun Shan was momentarily stunned by the request.
Then, a glimmer of hope slowly resurfaced in his gloomy heart.
Could there still be a chance to turn things around?
"Heh heh, it's simple," Protector Tie let out a chilling laugh. Under the shadow of his black cloak, the pair of dark red eyes seemed to glow even deeper. His sinister, hoarse voice slowly crept into Yun Shan's ears. "I just need… to borrow your soul."
At those words, Yun Shan froze. Then, in the blink of an eye, a cold shock surged through his entire body, his pupils narrowing violently.
His Dou Qi burst forth wildly, ready to react—
Puff!
A muffled sound rang out.
Yun Shan's body stiffened completely. Slowly, as if in disbelief, he lowered his head.
What he saw was a pitch-black clawed hand that had pierced through his chest from behind, breaking clean through and emerging from the area near his heart.
"You…" Yun Shan raised his eyes and locked them onto Protector Tie, disbelief and fury flashing within.
He truly hadn't expected this kind of assistance.
A bitter smile of understanding slowly appeared on his face. "I see now…"
Protector Tie clearly intended to use his soul force to make one last desperate gamble—risk everything for a sliver of survival.
As Yun Shan felt the vitality rapidly draining from his body, he laughed softly.
At least… he didn't die at the hands of that brat Xiao Yan.
This sudden turn of events left everyone at the scene completely stunned.
Then—
"Teacher!"
"Sect Master!"
The moment they snapped out of it, the elders and disciples of Yun Lan Sect cried out in shock and grief.
Who would have thought? At such a critical life-or-death moment, the one who struck the heaviest blow to Yun Lan Sect… was their own ally.
In fact, some Yun Lan Sect members even felt a strange hope—if only Yun Shan had died at the hands of their enemy, Xiao Yan… anything but this.
On the other side, Xiao Yan and his group were also stunned by the bizarre and abrupt scene.
Fa Ma, Jia Xingtian, Hai Bodong, and the others all let out a long sigh of relief despite their astonishment.
They knew… after today, the towering mountain known as Yun Lan Sect—one that had weighed on their hearts for so long—would finally collapse.
"Die!" Yun Yun's eyes were bloodshot. She raised her longsword and charged at Protector Tie without hesitation.
"Courting death," Protector Tie growled.
Clang!
A pitch-black chain shot out like a venomous serpent, clashing violently with Yun Yun's sword.
A sharp metallic clash rang out, sparks flying, and an explosive wave of energy rippled out from the impact.
Yun Yun was blasted back over ten meters. Her sword trembled violently in her hand, nearly flying from her grip.
She let out a muffled groan as a trace of blood appeared at the corner of her lips.
Her chest heaved rapidly. Looking up at Protector Tie, her eyes were filled with hatred—and a deep, overwhelming sense of helplessness.
The gap between the peak of Dou Huang and a mid-level Dou Zong… was just too vast.
"A mantis trying to stop a chariot," Protector Tie sneered, no longer paying her any attention. Black mist surged from his hand as he yanked violently—
In that moment, a faint, unconscious soul form was forcibly torn from Yun Shan's corpse.
Fwoosh!
At the same time that Yun Shan's soul was pulled free, an invisible, colorless flame suddenly ignited within his body.
Without Yun Shan's Dou Qi to suppress it, the Fallen Heart Flame that had lain dormant within him had begun to erupt.
"Fallen Heart Flame…" Protector Tie's eyes narrowed with a flash of dread. He instinctively retreated a step, then turned to glance at Xiao Yan across the battlefield.
A moment later, he casually kicked the rapidly burning corpse of Yun Shan toward Xiao Yan and let out a twisted laugh. "Heh heh… Xiao Yan, I already killed Yun Shan for you. Here's the corpse—vent your anger on it. No need to thank me."
Whoosh!
The corpse, engulfed in invisible flames, turned into a blurry streak of light, shooting through the air like lightning straight toward Xiao Yan.
Protector Tie didn't linger any longer. With a flicker of his figure, he shot off in another direction.
Swish!
But just then, a black silhouette intercepted him.
"You want to leave? What, did you think I wasn't here?"
Roar!
A massive black flame dragon surged forward with an earth-shaking roar.
Protector Tie let out a helpless sigh and flicked his arm.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The pitch-black chains clashed fiercely against the incoming flame dragon.
Boom!
A wave of energy rippled outward, causing the space around them to tremble violently.
Protector Tie's forward momentum was completely halted, forcing him to retreat. He finally steadied himself, floating mid-air.
"Wei Yang," Protector Tie said in a deep voice, staring at the man blocking his path. "Didn't you come here today for revenge? This has nothing to do with me. The ones who destroyed the Xiao Clan were Protector Wu and Yun Shan. Why insist on stopping me?"
"Hmph. Now that you've gotten yourself involved, you suddenly want to back out just because the situation has turned against you?" Wei Yang scoffed. "Don't you think that's a bit naive?"
Hearing this, Protector Tie was full of regret. He had only crossed into this conflict hoping for a quick profit—he hadn't expected to provoke a terrifying adversary like this.
"Mr. Wei, I admit I was wrong to overstep," Protector Tie said, lowering his posture as much as possible. "If you're willing to let this go, I'm more than willing to compensate you. How about that?"
The people of the Hall of Souls were arrogant, sure—but only when they weren't facing someone they couldn't afford to offend.
Wei Yang glanced casually at the soul body in Protector Tie's hand and said coolly, "Before we even talk about anything else—your hands are filthy. You actually dared to steal something of mine right in front of me?"
"Uh…" Protector Tie choked on his words, then quickly explained, "I merely wanted to take care of a small annoyance for you before I left. But since Mr. Wei isn't pleased, I naturally won't push my luck."
"If you're willing to let me go, Yun Shan's soul is yours—I'll hand it over right now. Plus, I'll offer a formal gift in apology."
"Well," Wei Yang nodded, mildly impressed. "You know how to bend and yield. You speak well too."
But then, his voice turned cold.
"However… are you negotiating with me? Or trying to threaten me?"
"Of course not—" Protector Tie quickly waved his hands, trying to explain.
"Hmph! People from the Hall of Souls… all deserve to die!"
A harsh voice suddenly rang out from another direction.
Protector Tie turned to look.
It was Yao Lao—his palms blazing with eerie white flames—rising into the air to hover on one side.
Yao Lao hated the Hall of Souls with a passion. Now that he had this opportunity, how could he possibly let one of their members walk away freely?
"Since you're already here—don't even think about leaving!"
At the same time, Xiao Yan also rose into the air, the charred corpse of Yun Shan in one hand. His emerald green wings beat lightly behind him as he hovered, blocking the opposite escape route.
In an instant, Wei Yang, Yao Lao, and Xiao Yan formed a triangle, completely surrounding Protector Tie.
"You're really not going to let me leave?" Protector Tie's tone turned icy, but his gaze stayed fixed on Wei Yang.
Wei Yang simply shrugged. "Whether you live or die, I honestly don't care. But since my elder and Xiao Yan both want you dead… then I guess you're going to die."
Protector Tie then turned his gaze toward Yao Lao and Xiao Yan.
"No need to say a word," Yao Lao cut him off coldly. "Everything that happened to me… I owe it all to your Hall of Souls. You really think I'd show mercy to the likes of you?"
"The Hall of Souls destroyed my Xiao Clan and captured my father," Xiao Yan said in a voice that was sharp as ice. "Tell me—what possible reason do I have to spare you?"
As he spoke, he flipped his hand and stored Yun Shan's corpse, then drew his Heavy Xuan Ruler, pointing it at Protector Tie.
The master and disciple showed no room for compromise.
"So there's no room for negotiation, huh…" Protector Tie sighed in resignation, completely giving up on the idea of talking his way out.
It was clear—if he wanted to survive today, he'd have to fight for it.
"Tch. There was never anything to discuss between me and the Hall of Souls," Xiao Yan sneered. His Dou Qi began surging into the Heavy Xuan Ruler.
"Heh heh…" Protector Tie let out a strange, cold laugh. "If you want to kill me… then you'd best be ready to pay the price!"
"Keh keh keh keh…"
His eerie laughter echoed out as both of his hands suddenly began forming a series of complex, sinister hand seals.
Moments later, a sharp cry split the sky—
"Ninefold Soul Devouring Mist!"
As the chilling shout rang out, a thick, dark mist erupted violently from his body, completely enveloping Yun Shan's soul.
Then—
A horrifying chewing noise echoed faintly from within the mist, sending chills down everyone's spine.
That eerie and grotesque scene sent a wave of dread rippling through the hearts of all who witnessed it.
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