Not far from the Xiao family, Hun Changqing had already acquired a property—a simple pavilion that appeared no different from others on the surface.
However, the basement of the pavilion had been transformed into a secret underground chamber by Hun Changqing.
Using the demonic cores and demonic beast materials he had obtained from the Soul Clan trials, and employing some rudimentary array techniques from the Taiyin True Scripture, Hun Changqing had set up a simple array to shield his senses within the chamber.
Although simple, as long as Hun Changqing didn't blow up the entire chamber, no matter what noises were made inside, no expert below the six-star Dou Zong level would be able to sense anything.
Inside the chamber, Hun Changqing looked at the array he had set up and nodded in satisfaction.
He then took out the storage ring he had obtained from Xiao Yan, and sensing the not-so-weak soul within, Hun Changqing smiled and said,
"Still hiding? Should I invite you out?"
As soon as Hun Changqing finished speaking, the storage ring flashed with a white light, and a soul floated out from it.
The soul's eyes were fixed on Hun Changqing, a deep-seated hatred surfacing within them. It gritted its teeth and said,
"Soul Palace! You're from the Soul Palace!"
Hun Changqing was wearing the Soul Palace uniform and exuded an incredibly chilling aura, instantly making him a familiar figure.
Hun Changqing sat cross-legged before the soul, resting his chin on his remaining arm, his expression playful.
"Oh? You know the Soul Palace? Then judging from your appearance, I haven't made a mistake. You must be Yao Chen, the one who was killed decades ago by Elder Mu Gu and the current Medicine Emperor, but escaped in soul form, the Medicine Venerable! Right?"
"Hmph, you inhuman creatures! I didn't expect that after hiding for so many years, you would still find me.
Kill me! I will never join the Soul Palace, nor will I ever tell you that technique. Forget about it, hahaha!"
Yao Chen seemed to know that falling into the hands of the Soul Palace meant certain death, and he recklessly threw caution to the wind.
Before Hun Changqing could say anything, Yao Chen cut to the chase, bursting into maniacal laughter, appearing almost deranged.
It seemed he was venting all the hatred he'd harbored for the Soul Palace over the past decades, and the bitterness of hiding as a soul for so long, in his final moments.
"Oh? You've misunderstood something. I don't recall ever asking you to join the Soul Palace, nor did I ask for the cultivation technique you were fighting over.
While I'm curious what technique could possibly make you fight so fiercely, my own cultivation technique isn't weak either; I wouldn't covet yours. And why are you so certain I'm a member of the Soul Palace?"
Hun Changqing ignored Yao Chen's maniacal words and continued calmly.
"Hmph! What tricks is your Soul Palace up to now? You're wearing Soul Palace clothes, and with that sinister, evil aura about you, you dare say you're not a member of the Soul Palace?"
Perhaps his earlier madness was an outlet for years of pent-up frustration, or perhaps it was the lack of communication he'd experienced for so long.
At this moment, Yao Chen collapsed, calming himself down, and began to communicate with Hun Changqing, wanting to see what tricks the Soul Palace was planning this time.
He figured the worst that could happen was death; he had long since accepted that.
Looking at the now-calm Yao Chen, Hun Changqing raised an eyebrow and smiled,
"Oh? Calmed down now? I am indeed a member of the Soul Palace, or rather, I used to be.
I once inadvertently learned about your relationship with Elder Mu Gu, and I also inquired about you, Yao Chen. You were exiled by the Yao Clan, came to Zhongzhou to join the Pill Tower, and relied on your extremely high alchemy skills and peak Dou Zun strength
to be called the Medicine Venerable. Am I right?" "Hmph!"
Hearing Hun Changqing praise him, Yao Chen didn't give him a good look.
However, a hint of pride involuntarily appeared in Yao Chen's eyes.
After all, he was extremely proud of his achievements in his life!
Hun Changqing didn't care about Yao Chen's reaction and continued,
"Later, you obtained a mysterious cultivation technique in a secret realm. However, Elder Mu Gu of the Soul Palace somehow learned of this and contacted your former disciple, now the Medicine Emperor Han Feng.
He shattered your physical body, and on the verge of death, you broke free of your restraints with the astonishing soul of an alchemist and successfully escaped in your soul form. For decades, no one has known where you went."
"Hmph, that damned... then how did you know I was here?"
Hearing Hun Changqing's words, Yao Chen thought of someone, and a chilling killing intent appeared in his eyes. He then suppressed it and voiced his doubts.
"Hehe, don't rush, let me finish."
Hun Changqing didn't immediately answer Yao Chen's question, but chuckled and continued,
"At the time, I was only slightly interested in this matter, but I didn't pay too much attention to it. I just studied your information a bit, after all, it had nothing to do with me.
Many people in The Hall Of Souls were looking for you, but none of them could find you, and naturally, I didn't have the ability either, so I put the matter aside.
Until recently, I accidentally obtained some precious medicinal herbs in a secret realm, but they were discovered by a descendant of a Dou Sheng powerhouse from the Soul Palace, who wanted to steal them. Naturally, I refused, and he turned and left, so I..." And so it passed.
But unexpectedly, as I was leaving the secret realm, he suddenly launched a sneak attack, severely injuring me. If I hadn't possessed some skill, I would have died in that attack.
After leaving the secret realm, he relentlessly pursued me, ordering his men to hunt me down. Left with no other choice, I fled to the Central Continent, arriving at this small town in the Northwest Continent, where I only recently recovered from my injuries.
I had intended to cultivate in secret, waiting until I had enough strength to return to the Central Continent and destroy the Soul Palace, but unexpectedly, in this small town, I heard some news. "
After saying this, Hun Changqing flicked his empty robe on the left side to prove his point.
Yao Chen listened intently, and upon hearing Hun Feng's words, a sudden idea struck him.
"You heard about Xiao Yan?"
"That's right! I heard a story about a former genius who, for a period of time, was unable to gather his Dou Qi, and his Dou Qi slowly faded away. Countless people came to examine him, but no one could find the reason, and he ultimately became a cripple.
After hearing this story, I became very curious. How could someone's Dou Qi regress and become unable to absorb it for no reason?
Although there are many such examples in Zhongzhou, there is always a reason. Everything has a cause and an effect, so I guessed that Xiao Yan had some secret.
I went to the Xiao family to investigate, and when I saw the ring on his chest and sensed its soul power, I had a guess in my heart. I vaguely felt that the ring might be related to the Medicine Venerable who escaped decades ago.
Since I had a guess, and no one in this small town could stop me from doing anything,
I took the ring and brought it back to verify my conjecture. And it turns out I was right, wasn't I?"