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"Uh…" Yao Ye let out a half-laugh, half-sigh as she pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the dust off Jia Xingtian's face. "With your strength, Great-Grandpa, shouldn't you have been able to resist that shockwave?"
At her question, Jia Xingtian gave her a sidelong glance and replied casually, "Why would I bother? Wasn't it more convenient to just let it carry me down the mountain?"
As he spoke, his face twitched slightly, and he muttered under his breath, "No way I'm staying up there any longer. Whoever wants to can go back up—just not me…"
Yao Ye immediately understood.
Great-Grandpa had taken this chance… to sneak away.
"Great-Grandpa, what about Yun Shan? What happened to him?" Yao Ye asked in a hushed, slightly nervous voice.
That was the real concern here—Yun Shan.
"Yun Shan?" Jia Xingtian paused, then curled his lip. "He's long turned to ash."
In today's battle, Yun Shan wasn't even close to the main character—he didn't even rank in the top three.
Even now, thinking back on that terrifying fight, Jia Xingtian couldn't help but shudder inwardly.
Damn!
In a battlefield where even Dou Zong experts could fall at any moment… a little Dou Huang like him surviving? That was nothing short of a miracle.
"Yun Shan… turned to ash?" Yao Ye's eyes lit up.
Didn't that mean… their side had won the final battle?
She felt like a massive weight had been lifted off her chest.
"Hmph, that old dog had the audacity to get involved with the Hall of Souls—if he didn't die, who would?" Jia Xingtian spat bitterly.
At the same time, he was immensely grateful. If it hadn't been for Wei Yang today, they all would've been doomed.
"Hall of Souls?" Yao Ye's brows lifted slightly in surprise.
"Let's not get into that now," Jia Xingtian waved his hand. "Go organize the troops. Hold this position at the foot of the mountain. Send soldiers up to search the mountain—there are still some elders of Yun Lan Sect alive, including Yun Yun."
"Understood." Yao Ye nodded and immediately turned to leave.
Jia Xingtian remained standing there, his eyes gazing up toward Yun Lan Mountain.
As the dust gradually settled, the once-hidden Yun Lan Mountain slowly revealed itself to everyone's view.
The mountain that had once been lush and vibrant with spiritual energy… was now bare and desolate.
Who knew how many years it would take for it to return to its former glory?
And that was the final symbol—the centuries-old Yun Lan Sect… had officially fallen.
Just then—
"Old man Jia!"
Several figures suddenly swept over from not far away.
Jia Xingtian narrowed his eyes and saw that it was Hai Bodong, Fa Ma, and Qie Mi'er.
He wasn't surprised. They were all old acquaintances—everyone knew each other's habits, especially how good they were at lying low and surviving. Masters of the art, all of them.
He gave a light nod and asked, "Where's Xiao Yan?"
After landing, Hai Bodong spat out a mouthful of dust before replying, "Xiao Yan and that mysterious teacher of his couldn't rest easy. They went back up the mountain. And those powerful experts they brought from the Black-Corner Region—Xiao Yan sent them to search the mountain too, to hunt down any Yun Lan Sect survivors."
"Survivors?" Jia Xingtian paused, then nodded. "Yeah… that's exactly what they are."
Winners become kings, losers become outlaws. The defeated rarely meet a good end.
Calling them survivors wasn't exaggeration in the slightest.
"So the Yun Lan Sect is completely finished, huh…" Fa Ma looked up at the barren mountain, a complex emotion in his voice. "Yun Shan… I didn't expect him to end up like this."
At that, Hai Bodong and Jia Xingtian fell silent.
Having known Yun Shan for so many years, even as rivals, there were still some complicated feelings there.
Yun Shan hadn't been entirely wrong. In the end, it had all been for the sake of power. They had simply chosen different paths to get there.
His only mistake… was failing.
And Hai Bodong and Jia Xingtian? They had succeeded.
That was all.
To be more precise—Yun Shan chose the wrong ally.
While Hai Bodong and the others… chose the right one.
Yun Shan chose Hall of Souls.
Hai Bodong and the rest chose Wei Yang… and Xiao Yan.
And so—Yun Shan… fell.
But Hai Bodong and the others… they might still be able to go even further.
Yun Lan Mountain Peak
The once-flat and expansive plaza was now nothing but a chaotic ruin.
At its center lay a massive circular crater—like a giant wound scarred into the mountain, its sight enough to make anyone's heart tremble.
Floating quietly in midair above the crater was a figure cloaked in black. His face was a bit pale, his chest rose and fell with every breath, and his mouth panted slightly for air.
It was Wei Yang.
And in his hand, he gripped a faintly translucent spiritual body.
This soul was writhing madly, its blood-red eyes glowing ominously, face twisted in rage. It let out beast-like howls, struggling furiously in Wei Yang's grip.
Wei Yang clutched the soul by its neck, slowly lifting it before his face, staring directly into its crimson eyes.
This was once the Protector Tie.
But now, the last trace of sanity had left it. Its consciousness was completely consumed by chaos and madness—it had lost all sense of self.
What remained was no longer the Protector Tie, but a new chaotic entity—a soul mass of countless fragmented consciousnesses.
The consciousnesses of many different personalities had fused together into this unstable mess. The fact it wasn't completely deranged from the start was the real surprise.
That said, this was still a soul with power that, at its peak, could barely rival a Dou Zun—an incredibly valuable find.
Of course, Wei Yang wasn't going to absorb it himself. He'd always had a distaste for that kind of thing.
But… he could let his servant, Ah Da, consume it instead.
Before that, though, it needed to be refined—and thoroughly.
Just like refining medicinal ingredients, it had to be purged of impurities and its essence extracted.
Given the strength and chaotic nature of this soul, ordinary flames wouldn't cut it.
Only a powerful Heavenly Flame would do the job.
With that thought, black flames surged from Wei Yang's palm, wrapping around the struggling soul.
Boom—
In an instant, the soul was engulfed in black fire.
At the same time—
Crackle—
Tiny arcs of black lightning danced through the flames, weaving around the burning spirit.
"AAAHH!!"
The soul, now a man-shaped torch, howled in agony.
But the screams weren't normal. They echoed with multiple overlapping voices, as if countless people were howling and shrieking at once, all distorted and twisted.
It was an unbearable sound—like a thousand demon voices drilling directly into the ears.
Wei Yang frowned and with a wave of his hand, conjured a soul barrier that sealed off the howling flame spirit.
Silence returned to the world.
Hiss hiss hiss—
As the refinement continued, waves of filthy black smoke rose from the burning soul.
Like toxic acid, the smoke corroded everything it touched—even the very air and the soul barrier distorted violently from its presence.
"No surprise—souls formed from countless broken wills really are toxic as hell," Wei Yang muttered to himself.
This black smoke, if it touched another soul, could immediately cause "India-level" soul contamination.
(Note: Contamination grades are divided into four levels—mild, moderate, severe, and India-level. I'm sure you all get the idea.)
To a soul, this was even more lethal than any known poison—a true nightmare-grade pollutant.
Wei Yang's eyes lit up with curiosity. With a flick of his wrist, he produced a jade bottle and carefully began to collect the black smoke.
Who knows? Maybe this stuff would come in handy someday.
Like… for dealing with that Hun Clan alchemist—the one who uses the sub-flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame.
The same one who had a past grudge with Yao Lao, instigated Han Feng to betray him, and would show up at the Central Plains Pill Gathering someday.
Getting revenge for Yao Lao was part of it.
But more importantly… Wei Yang was very interested in the flame in his hands.
After all, that was the second-ranked Heavenly Flame—Nihility Devouring Flame!
Hmm?
Wei Yang's eyes flicked to a direction in the distance.
Two streams of light were rapidly flying through the air, heading straight toward him.
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