"Life is truly unpredictable. Even now, I still can't believe that a kid from the northwest could have grown to this point. Allowing you to live peacefully to this day is the biggest mistake of our Soul Palace."
Hun Miesheng gazed at Chen Guan and reflected. He had only truly noticed Chen Guan after the incident in the Wild Ancient Domain.
Before that, he had been fully aware of the information reported by his subordinates.
It wasn't until Hun Yu's death, and the involvement of a Soul Yu Dou Sheng, that the situation spiraled out of control, forcing Hun Miesheng to step in and clean up the mess.
The results were shocking until he investigated.
After observing Chen Guan's rise from the northwest to Zhongzhou, Hun Miesheng wanted to slap his subordinates to death. The mighty Soul Palace had been used as a stepping stone all along. Is this what you call being under control?
Hun Miesheng was furious, yet helpless.
By then, Chen Guan was already fully grown, just one step away from becoming a Semi-Saint.
He tried to stop it, secretly searching for Chen Guan countless times, even using underhanded tactics within the Dan League and Dan Tower, but still could find no trace of Chen Guan's retreat.
Nearly three years had passed, and when Chen Guan reappeared publicly, he was already a Dou Sheng.
It was too late to mend the fence after the sheep had been lost!
"I've investigated your activities, but I still have a lingering doubt. You seem to have a special understanding of our Soul Palace, but as far as I know, your earliest contact with our Soul Palace was in the Yunlan Sect in the northwest. This puzzles me."
Chen Guan scoffed inwardly. "Would I tell you I've read the script?"
But since Hun Miesheng had asked so sincerely, Chen Guan didn't mind being merciful and telling him the truth.
"You've probably forgotten someone."
"Who?"
Chen Guan smiled, spreading his hands, and the strange fire within him separated the Sea Heart Flame.
Seeing this azure flame, Hun Miesheng felt a sudden realization.
"Mu Gu!"
"Yes, since you were able to transform him into a puppet alive, you must have a way to obtain everything he knows."
Elder Mu Gu's strength wasn't particularly strong, but his alchemy skills were exceptional, and his status far surpassed that of ordinary Venerables. He even knew the locations of the Human and Earth Palaces, among other secrets.
Hun Mie Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly enlightened.
"Thank you for clearing up my confusion."
This man was quite polite.
"Chen Guan, you are a genius. To achieve such rapid growth without Dou Di blood is something I've never seen before. But you absolutely shouldn't covet the Soul Essence. The Soul Essence of my Soul Palace isn't for everyone. Perhaps you think the Danta and the Grand Void Ancient Dragon are enough to protect you, but you're naive. Soon, before long, you'll discover how pathetically fragile your supposed reliance is in the face of my Soul Clan."
After a moment of sighing, Hun Mie Sheng finally revealed his due hostility, though it was limited.
Chen Guan knew Hun Mie Sheng truly believed this, and his words were not an exaggeration.
In today's Dou Qi Continent, only the Ancient Clan can even slightly earn the Soul Clan's attention.
The rest are looked down upon.
This is reality, undeniable.
But Chen Guan knows all too well how the Soul Clan has botched a winning hand.
Therefore, for the moment, he shows no fear.
"Then I'll wait and see."
"Haha."
Hun Mie Sheng scoffed, then his figure trembled slightly and vanished.
From his appearance to his departure, his calmness was unbelievable.
"He just left like that?" Zi Yan was surprised.
Medusa, however, saw things more clearly and smiled, "Why not? His soul essence has been absorbed, and no amount of rage will help. With the three of us here, he's no match for us alone. Rather than ending up in disgrace, it's better to simply leave. That's the wisest thing to do."
Chen Guan nodded. The Soul Clan had more important things to attend to right now. Hun Mie Sheng alone truly couldn't handle them.
"Dieyi's right, but the old man actually left long ago. What he just said was just a lingering thought. Let's go, let's go back and inform the Great Elder as soon as possible..."
As he spoke, Chen Guan suddenly paused, realizing a serious problem.
Before setting off, the Great Elder said he was secretly monitoring the Human Hall and would notify them in advance if Hun Mie Sheng or the Great Celestial Venerable left.
But now Hun Mie Sheng has already visited the Earth Hall, and there's still no news from the Great Elder.
Doesn't this mean that the Great Elder's actions are under Hun Mie Sheng's observation?
Given the nature of the Soul Hall, after suffering such a huge loss, it's impossible not to charge some interest.
Great Elder, danger!
"Hurry, let's go to the Human Hall."
Without time to explain, Chen Guan grabbed the two women and tore through space.
...
At the same time, in the Corpse Burial Mountain Range.
The yin energy here is extremely dense, and within that yin energy is a thick scent of corpses. This is because most families within a radius of thousands of miles have buried their dead here. Therefore, this mountain range is also a strange mountain range composed of tombs. Normally, it is almost impossible to find people here, and no one would be willing to stay in such a ghostly place.
However, this place is a favorite of the Soul Palace.
The Human Hall of the Tiangang Palace is located here.
As Chen Guan expected, the Great Elder was indeed exposed.
However, before confirming the specific plans of Chen Guan and his companions, Hun Miesheng did not act immediately. Instead, he secretly followed a Soul Palace venerable to the Earth Hall.
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The outcome was obvious.
Upon seeing Chen Guan, Medusa, and Zi Yan, Hun Mie Sheng knew he couldn't vent his rage. If a fight broke out, he would be the one to suffer.
Therefore, Hun Mie Sheng thought of the Great Elder, who had been lurking outside the Corpse Burial Mountains.
A two-star Dou Sheng as interest was sufficient.
To this end, Hun Mie Sheng deliberately left a trail of power in the Earth Hall to engage Chen Guan, essentially stalling for time.
The distance between the Earth Hall and the Human Hall was vast, but for a Dou Sheng, it was nothing.
Moreover, one quick step, every step was quicker.
By the time Hun Mie Sheng returned to the Corpse Burial Mountains, Chen Guan and the other two still had about half an hour to go, and that was even after Zi Yan's intervention. Hun Mie Sheng
returned in fury. A five-star Dou Sheng with murderous intent was no match for a typical two-star Dou Sheng.
Furthermore, the Great Elder's combat prowess wasn't particularly impressive among two-star Dou Shengs.
It was a pure crushing defeat!
Almost instantly, the Great Elder was crushed.
"Chen Guan is truly forgiving! He's willing to send a two-star Dou Sheng to his death just to seize the Soul Palace's soul essence." Hun Mie Sheng, looking down from above, gazed down at the shattered, languishing soul below, attempting to provoke him with words.
Sadly, the Great Elder turned a deaf ear.
He had dedicated his entire life to Danta, and Chen Guan was the hope of Danta's future.
From the moment he realized this, Chen Guan's importance in the Great Elder's heart far surpassed his own.
Gazing up at Hun Mie Sheng, who was venting his anger with words, the Great Elder found it laughable.
"Hahaha, it seems Chen Guan has already succeeded, and you, Hun Mie Sheng, aren't trying to salvage the situation now, but are instead showing off here with me. Should I interpret this as you've reached the end of your rope with Chen Guan?"
Hun Mie Sheng's expression shifted, his murderous intent growing.
Under such pressure, the Great Elder's soul was like a candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.
Yet he remained fearless. Seeing Hun Miesheng speechless, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
"Isn't it incredible? In just a few short years, this kid has become a formidable figure. I now truly believe what he once said: Soul Palace will end at his hands."
"Alas, I'll probably never see that dream again,"
the Great Elder confessed. This was indeed one of his two current regrets.
Hun Miesheng clenched his fists beneath his sleeves, his defenses somewhat broken.
Dou Qi surged, and Hun Miesheng's murderous intent filled him.
However, just as he was about to shatter the soul form below with a palm strike, the Great Celestial Venerable suddenly appeared.
"Palace Master, this man has secretly protected Chen Guan many times. We have a close relationship. Rather than killing him, it's better to keep him for now. With Chen Guan's personality, he might be of great use."
The surging Dou Qi subsided quietly, and Hun Miesheng realized that he had been acting irrationally in his anger.
Indeed, keeping this man alive would be more useful than killing him outright. With him in his grasp, Chen Guan would be constantly constrained.
"You're such a scheming old man! I almost let you succeed. You want to die? It won't be that easy!"
Hun Mie Sheng sneered, waving his sleeves. A massive black hand condensed and reached down, attempting to capture the Great Elder.
The Great Elder closed his eyes in despair. He wasn't afraid of death, but before such a powerful being, life and death were not his own decision.
The weak, even a Dou Sheng, are but larger ants before the powerful.
"Hun Mie Sheng, how come after all these years, you're still only capable of bullying the weak? Haven't you made any progress?"
Just as the dark hand struck the Great Elder, a sudden, aged voice echoed through the mountains. An equally massive hand materialized in the sky. The two collided with a thunderous clashing blast, sending a terrifying storm of Dou Qi swarming across the landscape, leveling peak after peak.
"Old ghost, do you want to fight me?"
His attack blocked, Hun Miesheng's expression lost its composure. His gaze swept across the void. Though he spoke with great force, he couldn't conceal the solemnity of facing a formidable enemy.
He seemed to know the identity of the attacker.
"I don't enjoy bullying the weak. You are not worthy enough to fight me. I'm only here to take away the younger generation." The old voice echoed through the void.
But no matter how Hun Miesheng searched, he could not find the source.
He suddenly glanced down and saw that the spirit form of the Great Elder, who had been so vulnerable, had long since vanished.
"Bang!"
After a day of continuous defeats, Hun Miesheng could no longer endure it. He slammed his fist into the mountain, smashing a peak into smithereens, frightening the Great Celestial Venerable beside him.
"Palace Master..."
"Go back!"
The two men had just turned, but before they could take a step, they stopped at the same time.
They could all sense that three familiar auras were approaching this direction at an extremely terrifying speed.
(End of this chapter)