At this moment, the Protectors within this Hall of Souls branch still remained oblivious to the chaos unfolding outside. When not on missions, these soul-form Protectors would retreat into the massive black hall to recuperate their spiritual strength. Being soul bodies, they required periodic replenishment—otherwise, they would soon grow weak, fall into slumber, or even dissipate entirely.
And the source of their replenishment? Captured soul bodies. These imprisoned souls were treated much like livestock, kept for the sole purpose of being drained whenever a Protector's strength dipped. Except for a rare few considered extremely valuable, the vast majority were used in this cruel way.
If a Protector performed well, they might even be granted permission to devour one of the captured souls entirely. Many of the higher-ranked Heavenly Protectors in the Hall of Souls had advanced through such methods. As for the elders and Heavenly Lords—those were not soul forms at all, and their strength far exceeded that of any Protector, eliminating the need to drain spiritual power from others.
However, something was wrong today.
As the Protectors prepared to siphon strength from the captives, they noticed with alarm that many of the soul bodies they'd locked away were missing. Before they could report the anomaly, one of them watched in stunned silence as a soul, still bound in black chains, vanished right before their eyes.
"What… what's going on?!"
"Quick! Notify Elder Zun!"
Two shocked Protectors turned to deliver a report, but one had barely turned when it too suddenly vanished—gone without even a scream. The other froze, a chill rising in its heart. It didn't notice the wave of searing heat until it engulfed its body, reducing it to ash and spirit flame.
Far outside the hall, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on a mountaintop, eyes closed in meditation. As soul energy surged from the Tower of Spirit Refining, the corner of his mouth curved upward in satisfaction. Whether it was the imprisoned soul bodies or the Protectors, their essence was incredibly pure. After refinement through his Soul Flame, their power could be cleanly absorbed into his own.
And beneath this Hall of Souls branch… an even greater reward awaited him.
As most of the Protectors were incinerated, the two Dou Zun stationed at the branch finally sensed something was wrong. Both instantly shattered a space jade scroll, their emergency method to call for backup from the main Hall of Souls.
Yet nothing happened.
The spatial waves generated by the scroll dispersed in the air, vanishing as if they had never existed.
"Damn it! Spatial lockdown!" one Dou Zun cursed, eyes darting around. The two quickly rushed outside, only to see the space around the hall frozen solid—someone had sealed it off, preventing any message or reinforcement from getting through.
"Attack together!" the two exchanged a glance and surged their Dou Qi, knowing full well that unless they broke through the spatial seal, death awaited. But then... their expressions froze.
They realized their Dou Qi reserves were nearly empty.
Panic flickered across the faces of the two men, both esteemed elders within the Hall of Souls. No matter how they circulated their techniques, their meridians gave no response. It was as if all the Dou Qi in their bodies had simply evaporated.
"What's going on?!"
Unfortunately for them, that was only the beginning. Shortly after they noticed the disappearance of their Dou Qi, both realized they could no longer move. Their limbs stiffened, locked in place—an effect caused by the neural toxins of the Nether Poison Flame. The next instant, invisible Soul Flame ignited within their bodies, reducing their spirits to pure energy.
Though the two Dou Zun were far stronger than the average Protector and lasted longer under the assault, their fate was sealed. Once their souls were completely refined by the Tower of Spirit Refining, Xiao Yan appeared inside the branch hall.
He calmly walked over to their corpses, chuckled, and placed a hand on each of their foreheads. With a gentle pulse, he implanted a soul imprint in both of them.
Immediately, the lifeless corpses opened their eyes once more.
This was a soul puppet technique known as the "Human Puppet Method." It was somewhat similar to the Heavenly Demon Puppet method but far more advanced. Normal puppets couldn't use Dou Qi and followed orders like mindless machines. These human puppets, however, retained fragments of their original intellect and could wield Dou Techniques, making them far more formidable.
Xiao Yan had once considered using this method on Hun Mo Li but had lacked the strength to fully refine her soul. He had been forced to settle for twisting her memories instead. Now, with his current power, such complexities were no longer necessary.
With the soul imprints complete, Xiao Yan moved to the hall's central plaza. There, he drew his hand through the air, opening a spatial rift. From within, a soft, transparent orb of light slowly rose.
Even Xiao Yan couldn't hide the joy on his face when he saw it.
He was no stranger to this radiant sphere. In his past life, he had destroyed many such branch halls and obtained similar orbs. These were condensed from pure soul origin. Refining them would significantly enhance one's soul power.
This particular soul light orb was much smaller than those he had obtained in his previous life—about the size of a fist—but considering the hall's small scale, that was to be expected. Still, for Xiao Yan's current cultivation, it was more than enough.
The orb contained the purest form of soul essence. While traces of resentment and negative emotion lingered within—remnants of the imprisoned souls—that was hardly a concern. In fact, it suited him.
After all, his Nine Revolutions Spirit Refinement technique was designed to purify and strengthen chaotic or tainted soul energy. Under the burn of his Soul Flame, the negative remnants were soon eradicated, leaving behind only the purest spiritual essence.
If he could completely refine this soul light orb, his soul power would finally ascend into the Heaven Rank—marking yet another monumental breakthrough in his strength.
(End of Chapter)
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