Within the ruins of the Earth Hall, Liu Xi walked slowly through the shattered landscape. The area was nothing but rubble and collapsed walls—no sign of life remained. All valuable possessions were already taken; the Deputy Hall Master's corpse, along with several Tianzun-level experts' bodies and their Storage Rings, had been collected by him. Only shattered Soul Chains were left behind, still faintly linked to withered remnants of souls.
Time was tight. Liu Xi worked quickly, searching for what he came for. At the very center of the great hall, he finally sensed a pure surge of Soul Essence. His foot struck the ground, Dou Qi surging within him as the dark energy beneath his robe erupted with a thunderous boom! The explosion carved a massive crater several meters deep.
Inside the pit were countless Soul Chains. At its center stood a raised altar engraved with eerie, lifelike runes—like living creatures etched in pain. Atop that altar rested exactly what Liu Xi sought—the luminous core of Soul Essence. Each Soul Chain stretched outward, connecting to thousands of trapped souls, siphoning their essence into this central source.
Liu Xi leapt into the pit. He could still sense lingering resentment within the Soul Essence—strands of hatred and unwilling obsession. If absorbed as-is, it would at best cause mental distortion; at worst, complete insanity.
"You've been avenged. The Hall of Souls lies in ruins, and your killers are dead. If you can still feel this, let go of your grudges and pass on peacefully."
His tone was calm—half consolation, half ritual. If the obsessions could dissipate on their own, that would be ideal. If not, he would refine them away before absorption.
As if in response to his words, the glowing orb pulsed faintly. Slowly, wisps of gray mist drifted out from within, fading quietly into the air. Within that mist were the last vestiges of the souls' hatred—those who had been captured, tortured, and drained by the Hall of Souls. Even a clay figurine had its limits, and these were once powerful cultivators, many at least of the Dou Wang realm, before death. Their dying curses lingered within the essence, meant to poison whoever absorbed it.
Fortunately, the Hall of Souls clearly had ways to neutralize such backlash; otherwise, they'd never have gone to such trouble harvesting souls. The dissipation of those resentments pleased Liu Xi. His hand emerged from beneath the black robe, slender and steady, pressing gently against the luminous orb. A tide of spiritual power flowed out, resonating with the Soul Essence as he sealed it away. The yearning from within his own soul urged him to absorb it immediately—but now was not the time.
With a light step, Liu Xi rose from the pit, his robes fluttering. Adjusting his hood to conceal all exposed skin, he faded into the shadows of the ruins. A soft hum followed—waves of spiritual power expanding outward, washing across the entire remains of the Earth Hall.
The intent was simple: to awaken the spirits trapped here.
From atop a dark stone pillar, one particularly condensed soul stirred—once a Dou Zun, its Spiritual Power still strong. Under the resonance of Liu Xi's pulse, the soul slowly opened its eyes. At first dazed, then disbelieving, then utterly elated, the old specter laughed wildly.
"Hahaha! Damn the Hall of Souls, even you meet your end! Which hero destroyed you? Old Yao Yang thanks you from the bottom of his soul! …Eh? Seems the hero's already gone. I'd best run for it—damn it all, to think I got caught by that wretched Hall…"
He wasn't alone. Across the ruins, the same thing happened—souls awakening, laughing, crying, shouting, and then hastily fleeing this cursed place, desperate for freedom.
By that time, Liu Xi was already on the move again. Even though he had acted swiftly and cleanly, the death of a Dou Saint couldn't stay hidden for long. Before the Hun Clan or Hun Miesheng could respond, he had to strike again—to take down the Heaven Hall next. The Heaven Hall was the true headquarters of the Hall of Souls; its treasures would far surpass those of the Earth and Human Halls.
He only hoped the Soul Essence stored there hadn't been moved yet.
Far to the west of the Central Plains, within an ancient battlefield, the ground was littered with bleached bones—human, beast, and colossal skeletal remains of unknown origin. The earth itself was stained dark red, as if drenched in blood. Shattered weapons lay scattered, and the blood-red dusk painted the world in a desolate glow. The further one ventured, the thicker the suffocating aura of death became, until even the heavens seemed shrouded in a bloody haze.
At the deepest point of this battlefield, within the crimson mists, a massive palace complex loomed—feral and grotesque, like a bloodthirsty beast waiting to devour any who approached. While most sects chose to build atop serene mountains or prosperous cities, the Hall of Souls was different. It sought desolation and fear. Its headquarters, the Heaven Hall, was no exception.
Now, that monstrous lair trembled in dread. The Heaven Hall's members had already sent word to Hun Miesheng and the Hun Clan. Half a day earlier, every Soul Jade belonging to the Earth Hall—including that of the Deputy Hall Master—had shattered simultaneously. That meant every member of rank had perished.
Few forces across the Dou Qi Continent could annihilate the Earth Hall outright. Whoever could destroy the Earth Hall could just as easily destroy the Heaven Hall—and with over half its power drawn away by Hun Miesheng, its defenses were now thin.
At that moment, the sky split open. A black-robed figure stepped out from the rift, his sharp gaze sweeping across the blood-colored horizon before locking onto the palace below. With a flicker, his figure vanished, reappearing above the sinister halls.
"The Hall of Souls really embraces its role as a villain," Liu Xi murmured dryly. "Building their base in a place like this—might as well hang a sign saying 'Evil Cult Resides Here.'"
Releasing his Spiritual Perception, he quickly mapped the Heaven Hall's entire layout—the structures, the guards, their strength. "One 1-Star Dou Saint, two Half Saints, and a few Dou Zun. Hun Miesheng really drained them dry before leaving. Even so, the Hall of Souls' foundation runs deep."
The stronger the Hall, the more cautious Liu Xi became regarding the Hun Clan behind it. Fortunately, the clan itself couldn't intervene openly yet—otherwise, he'd never have had this chance.
Standing atop the heavens, Liu Xi extended his hand. Energy from hundreds of meters around gathered at his command. The Heaven Hall's guardians sensed danger too late.
A colossal palm descended from the clouds, tearing the space itself apart. The palace below erupted in thunderous collapse, walls and chains crumbling as a torrent of Dou Qi followed, surging through every passage.
Under that overwhelming force, even Dou Zun and Half Saint experts were as fragile as mortals. They were crushed without resistance. The 1-Star Dou Saint fell too, unable to withstand the absolute might.
Liu Xi hadn't even used a Dou Technique—this was pure suppression by strength alone, crushing them as effortlessly as swatting flies. He listened to their screams, their pleas, their curses—his expression cold, unmoved. His Spiritual Perception hunted each survivor, and the flood of Dou Qi erased them all.
No one escaped. The Heaven Hall was destroyed.
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Members on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.