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  Xiao Yan slowly extended his hand, and the two bd white koi fish seemed to possess life and spirituality as they swam into his palm.

  The two fish spiraled up his arm, moving gracefully as if they were dang with each sway of his movement.

  Xiao Yan uood that refining the Yin-Yang Twin Fme meant accepting this mission.

  inally, the Xiao of Wu Tan City was living peacefully, dominating the city, enjoying a life of plenty as local lords, wanting for nothing.

  Now, suddenly, they had gained a mortal enemy in the Hun . Moreover, Xiao Yan had just learhat there were eight Dou God s, each possessing a piece of the Tou She A God's Jade.

  This meant that it wasn't just the Hun who desired the a jade; the other s coveted it as well.

  Xiao Yaly stroked the two little fish with his fingers. The Yin-Yang Twin Fme was already fully matured, and not only that, it had been pletely refined by Xiao Xuan. As long as one possessed the Xiao bloodline and had cultivated the Skyfire Three Mysterious ge, refining the Yin-Yang Twin Fme shouldn't involve any pain.

  This could be sidered one of the iances left by his aor to his young desdant, the kind one could obtain just by clig 'firm' to sign in.

  Xiao Yan pondered for a long, long time. At this moment, he was all alone. If possible, he wished there were someone who could offer him some advice.

  'Sigh, actually, there's no choice. Whether it's the Yin-Yang Twihe so-called Dou God Bloodline, or the Secret Teique created by a Dou God, I hem all.' Xiao Yan shook his head with a bitter smile and sighed deeply.

  The poor have no choice.

  "Aor, I am truly grateful that you think so highly of me. As a member of the Xiao , it is my duty to protect my , guard my loved ones, and make the prosper." Xiao Yan's expression became extremely solemn, without a hint of jest, and his voice was firm and resolute.

  "I, Xiao Yan, may not be able to do better than you did, Aor, but I swear to the heavens that as long as I, Xiao Yan, live for a day, I will ehe tinuation of our 's bloodline and take the prote of the as my own responsibility."

  "In the name of the Little Leader of the Xiao , I hereby swear, I shall guard the d sweep away our savage foes. If I die one day, I shall bee a guardian spirit to bless my Xiao , ensuring its eternal prosperity. Let the sun and moon bear wito this oath, and heaven ah serve as my judges!"

  Xiao Yaended his hand and swore with his soul, his voice resonating with his spirit to prove his siy.

  The two bd white fish merged together as soon as his voice fell, transf into a half-bck, half-white fme that floated before him.

  [Good. The people of my Xiao are no cowards.]

  The Yin-Yang Twin Fme suddenly surged with a booming sound. The bd white fmes turned into a sea of fire that pletely enveloped Xiao Yan.

  His entire body felt fortable at this moment, as if he were soaking in a hot spring. That warm sensation made him drowsy.

  He closed his eyes tentedly and began to circute the Fme Mantra, guiding the Yin-Yang Twin Fme.

  The Yin-Yang Twin Fme seeped into his flesh and blood through his pores, slowly traveling along his meridians toward his Acceptance Soul.

  Xiao Yan could sehe Dou God Bloodlihat Xiao Xuan had mentioned within the Yin-Yang Twin Fme, but this Dou God Bloodline was extremely thin.

  By the standards of the former Xiao , this bloodline was merely Grade 1—the weakest kind. Fet about activating the Mark; it ractically useless except for slightly enhang talent. Without the Skyfire Three Mysterious ge, this bit of bloodline power could only marginally improve cultivation aptitude.

  But that made sense. If the bloodline tratiooo high, how could it have escaped under Hun Tiandi's nose?

  …

  While Xiao Yan was 'receiving a blood transfusion' ihe Gate of Life ah, he naturally didn't know that earth-shattering ges were already withiire Misty Cloud Sect.

  "Have you heard? The Misty Cloud Sect has sealed the mountain."

  "I've heard. They say they're going to hold some sort of ceremony and have closed off Misty ountain to avoid disturbances. No one's allowed in or out."

  At this point, nearly a day had passed since Xiao Yaered the Gate of Life ah to train.

  Not long after Xiao Yaered the Gate of Life ah, Yun Shan annouhe sealing of the mountain gate. He even activated the newly restored sect-proteg grand formation to pletely seal off the entire Misty Cloud Sect.

  Fet about entering or leaving; even spiritual perceptions couldn't pee.

  In the Jia Ma Imperial Pace, upon disc that something was amiss, Princess Yao Ye hurriedly gathered all the experts who had attehe frontatioween Nan Yanran and Xiao Yan trior.

  "We haven't discovered anything unusual." Mu shook his head, indig that he didn't uand why the Misty Cloud Sect had suddenly dohis.

  "After Xiao Yan caused a otion in the Misty Cloud Sect, Queen Medusa appeared, leading to Yun Shan's defeat. Xiao Yan proposed entering the Gate of Life ah for training as pensation. Everything seemed normal." Nan Jie also shook his head, having notiothing amiss.

  Fa Ma seemed to recall something. His brows furrowed as he said, "Could it be that the Misty Cloud Sect has a sed elite Dou Aor, and they've sealed the mountain to capture Queen Medusa?"

  He suddenly remembered Yun Shan's crazed words at the end. If Yun Shan had been calling for another Dou Aor hidden within the Misty Cloud Sect at that time, then it was indeed possible!

  "A sed one?! How is that possible?! How could the Misty Cloud Sect produce two Dou Aors?!" Jia Xing Tian excimed. If the Misty Cloud Sect truly had two Dou Aors, theire North-Western Region might fall uheir trol.

  The uping Great Meeting of Fas of the North-Western Region wouldn't o be held. Two Dou Aors would be enough to dominate.

  Hai Bodong sighed and said worriedly, "For now, let's wait and see. I have a soul jade piece made by Xiao Yan. If something really happens to him, he should crush the jade piece to notify me."

  …

  Over a month passed in the blink of an eye. Since sealing the mountain more than a month ago, the Misty Cloud Sect seemed to have bee a sacred nd isoted from the world. It was no longer bustling with people ing and going as before. Even the once lively Misty Cloud City had bee sparsely poputed.

  At this moment, he Gate of Life ah, more than a dozen thick bck iron s coiled around the stone pilrs, as if trying to uproot it.

  The other ends of the iron s were ected to various altars. Upon closer iion, one would find that these altars resembled Soul Altars, except that this time, the s pced on them were not soul stones or soul tokens but living beings.

  In just this short week, not only had the disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect who had already joihe Hall of Souls as Soul Envoys go hunting, but sue cultivators who had joihe Hall of Souls also participated. Together, they captured many cultivators and meraries from various cities.

  The vast majority were Dou Practitioners and Dou Masters. There were also some Dou Grandmasters and Dou Spirits. Even magical beasts and ordinary people were not spared.

  Protector Wu ughed sinisterly when he saw that the returning Soul Envoys had pleted their tasks. "Jie Jie Jie, put all the people into the altars! As long as there are enough of them, I refuse to believe we 't forcibly uproot this Gate of Life ah by abs their souls!"

  In an instant, those Soul Envoys wearing Soul Robes threw all the captured ordinary people and cultivators into the altars.

  The massive ptforms immediately became crowded as the various Soul Envoys dumped all the captured beings into them.

  "Grandma! Where are you? Grandpa!" In an instant, every altar was filled with heart-wreng cries, and wails echoed from all sides.

  The huge altars were teeming with people, and a cacophony of sorrowful cries, screams, and wails iwined, creating a se of utter misery and despair.

  Yun Shan, atg all this from the sky, couldn't help but feel his heart tremble at the sight.

  Although he had beeally prepared, witnessing it still made him feel distressed.

  The Secret Teiques of the Hall of Souls were based on Spiritual Strength; the strohe Spiritual Strength, the more powerful the teiques. For instahe Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Teique that Xiao Yan cultivated. The reason his Spiritual Strength could progress so quickly was not only due to his innately strong soul but also because, when he refihe Ten Thousa Fme in the Magical Beast Mountain Rahe Eight-Winged Fme Demon Tiger had given him all the residual Spiritual Strength within the Heavenly Fme.

  This also meant that gathering souls could collect the power of living beings to enhaneself.

  "This is too inhumahere are ordinary people and the elderly, women, and children in there!" Some elders who had been misled into joining the Hall of Souls saw this se and couldn't help but bee furious, their eyes nearly popping fre.

  Some were so angry they wao rush out but were held back by other elders beside them, who said in a deep voice, "Yoing to your death. Not to mention the several High Tian Css Soul Envoys nearing the strength of a Protector at the Dou Emperor realm, Protector Wu alone could wipe out our Misty Cloud Sect."

  At this time, many hidden elders of the Misty Cloud Sect were also watg with righteous indignation, but they were powerless to do anything.

  Even Yun Shan had to obey Protector Wu.

  Given the forces that Protector Wu had assembled from the Hall of Souls, he could easily sweep through the entire Misty Cloud Sect.

  "Yun Shan, these people's strength is insuffit. There should be several Dou Emperors in the Jia Ma Empire," Protector Wu frowned as he looked at the people oars. His Spiritual Strength swept over them and found that most had low cultivation levels. The stro were just a few Dou Kings and some low-tier alchemists. There wasn't even a single Dou Emperor.

  Yun Shan's face darkened as he said in a low voice, "Our mountain sealing has already aroused the suspis of the Jia Ma Imperial Family. If we make a move against Dou Emperors and it happens to draw the attention of the Alchemist Association, that would be very troublesome."

  Protector Wu's brows furrowed slightly again at the mention of the Alchemist Association. That anization was an obstacle to the Hall of Souls.

  The Hall of Souls naturally didn't fear the Pill Tower, but Protector Wu alone couldn't represent the entire Hall of Souls; a mere Protector wasn't enough to make the Alchemist Association apprehensive.

  "Have you found Queen Medusa?" Protector Wu asked.

  When the Misty Cloud Sect sealed the mountain, Yun Shan had immediately goo search the building where Xiao Yan was staying, but Medusa had detected this in advand hidden herself.

  Even Protector Wu couldn't find traces when a Dou Aor wao hide and not appear.

  "No signs of her have been fou."

  Protector Wu's eyes narrowed as he goward a grand hall. In a deep voice, he said, "Remember, you are a Protector of the Hall of Souls. If necessary, you must uand that some people o be sacrificed."

  Yun Shan's expression became even grimmer upon hearing this. That pce was where they imprisohe Misty Cloud Sect disciples who hadn't joihe Hall of Souls; even Yun Yun and Nan Yanran had been locked up there.

  Protector Wu let out a cold ugh and shouted, "Siime is of the essence, let's begin! Nine Forest Hundred Soul Devourer! Rise!"

  Protector Wu let out a shrill shout when he saw the Soul Altar filled. A strange bck fog suddenly surged out from the altar, enveloping everyone on it. Immediately after, the sounds of chewing and miserable screams slowly emanated from within the baking one's hair stand on end.

  The gnawing sounds eerily echoed in the silent space. One could imagihe horrifying se within that bck fog, and just thinking about it made one's blood run cold.

  At this moment, Yun Yun and the others imprisoned in the grand hall also heard these sounds akin to demons dev in hell.

  "Master, what should we do?" Nan Yanran couldn't prehend how, just over a month ago, everything had been fine, and now the Misty Cloud Sect had suddenly bee like this!

  "Yanran, stand back. Wind's Peak: Killer Meteorite!" Yun Yun drew her sword from her ste ring and, wielding it, unleashed the Di Css Dou Teique, Wind's Peak: Killer Meteorite, toward the door.

  A fsh of white light streaked by, but no matter how much force Yun Yued, she couldn't break the seal set by Yun Shan.

  Just then, a pair of eyes appeared, footsteps echoed, and with a mere wave of a sleeve, all the guarding Soul Envoys were reduced to ashes.

  A fme gradually grew rger in the person's palm, and with a tremendous boom, Yun Shan's seal was pletely shattered.

  "Queen Medusa?!" Yun Yun's beautiful eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected that their rescuer would be the Snake-People Tribe's Queen Medusa!

  "That bck-clothed fellow is dev the souls of tless people, intending to forcibly break opee of Life ah." Even Queen Medusa's face was exceptionally solemn at this moment.

  She could sehat the strength of the person called Protector Wu was skyrocketing, while aremely cold aura enveloped the entire Misty Cloud Sect.

  Yun Yun and Nan Yanran's expressions ged slightly upon hearing this. They hadn't expected Protector Wu to be so ruthless, actually dug live sacrifices to unleash a secret teique!

  "Yanran, take the other disciples and leave the Misty Cloud Sect immediately. I'm going to find Master; he must have a way," Yun Yun bit her lower lip and said quickly.

  Queen Medusa g Yun Yun and said, "Those captives were seized under your Master's own orders."

  Yun Yun's face turned deathly pale upon hearing this. Although she had already suspected something, actually hearing it was still hard to accept. How could the Master who had raised her bee like this!

  Boom!

  In an instant, Misty ountain trembled once again. Protector Wu, whose strength had skyrocketed after using the Secret Teique, grabbed the thick bck s and gave a violent tug upward.

  "Rise for me!"

  Protector Wu inteo uproot the Gate of Life ah along with the secret realm space below!

  All the Soul Envoys trembled in fear when they saw this terrifying act. Whether Dou Kings or Dou Emperors, they were scared out of their wits, their bodies shaking untrolbly.

  After abs tless souls, Protector Wu's strength had reached the peak of a 9-star Dou Aor! He had even grasped Spatial Strength!

  Although he hadn't achieved the Dou Vee's plete mastery of space, he wasn't far off.

  Buzz!!

  Suddenly, the entire Misty Cloud Sect emitted a dazzling light. Wisps of clouds and mist enveloped the area and actually collided with the bck fog released by Protector Wu.

  White mist surged out from the Gate of Life ah, and silhouettes appeared oer another.

  Yun Shan's eyes widened in shock as he excimed, "Those are the protective forces left behind by the previous Sect Leaders!"

  Protector Wu's eyes turned cold the moment he saw this se. His tone shifted as his voice echoed across the sky: "Sinisty Cloud Sect chooses to oppose me, then there is o support this sey longer. Some things should be taken back!"

  The elders of the Misty Cloud Sect who had joihe Hall of Souls all turned pale when they heard the sinister ughter from within the bck fog. Yun Shan seemed to realize something and hurriedly tried to retreat.

  However, just as they started to move, a strange su force suddeed from that mass of bck fog. This force swept down like a tidal wave. While it didn't harm ordinary people, those who had joihe Hall of Souls and cultivated its Soul Trainihods suddenly froze. Then their bodies became as stiff as puppets, faces torted in pain and twisted into hideous grimaces.

  Even Yun Shan found himself uo move.

  "Protector Wu! What are you—?!"

  "Jie Jie Jie, did you really think I was so kind as to gift you all a Di Css Soul Trainihod? The Mother-Child Twin Soul Teique was meant to be used together with the Nine Forest Hundred Soul Devourer all along!" Protector Wu revealed a savage expression.

  All the Misty Cloud Sect members who had joihe Hall of Souls were under his trol. After rep about the Xiao back then, Protector Wu had received many Soul Points as a reward, allowing him to obtain this teique.

  "Jie Jie Jie, you've accepted the power of my Hall of Souls. Now it's time for you to pay the price." A chilling ugh emanated from within the bck fog.

  "e forth!"

  Protector Wu's cold shout suddenly resounded. Following that, the bodies of nearly a dozen Misty Cloud Sect Elders and some elite disciples instantly went limp. Illusory soul bodies floated out from the tops of their heads and slowly rose into the air amidst tless shocked and horrified gazes, finally all being sucked into that eerie bck fog.

  Only Yun Shan was desperately resisting, suppressing his soul from being drawn out.

  With a squelg sound, Yun Shan looked down in horror to see a withered hand pierg through his back, stabbing directly through his heart.

  "Jie Jie Jie, Yun Shan, this Protector will gdly accept your soul." Protector Wu then pulled, extrag Yun Shan's soul body and directly tossing it into his mouth to chew.

  After dev the souls of Yun Shan and many Misty Cloud Sect elders, Protector Wu's strength suddenly skyrocketed to an unbelievable level.

  "Bastard! Give me back my Master's soul!" Yun Yun's eyes turned red with tears. A pair of green Dou Qi wings rapidly unfolded behind her. With a powerful fp, she soared into the sky, charging toward that mass of bck fog.

  "Hmph, overestimating yourself!"

  Protector Wu's cold ugh echoed from within the bck fog. A bergy arrow suddenly shot out, aiming straight for Yun Yun's forehead.

  Bang! Queen Medusa suddenly appeared in front of Yun Yun, her hands densing brilliant seven-colored light. However, the inparably terrifying power instantly shattered her defense.

  With just a casual strike, Protector Wu sent both Queen Medusa and Yun Yun flying.

  "Jie Jie Jie! What this Protector—no, what this Venerable—seeks, none shall hihat iance belongs to me!" After dev tless souls, Protector Wu's strength was infinitely close to that of a Dou Vee!

  "That remains to be seen."

  Suddenly, a familiar voice came from below.

  Xiao Yan slowly walked out from the Gate of Life ah, his body enveloped in bd white fmes. He surveyed his surroundings, and upon seeing the Soul Altars filled with corpses, he roughly guessed what had happened.

  Protector Wu's eyes filled with greed at the sight of Xiao Yan. He casually tossed aside Yun Shan's corpse as an overwhelming bck fog surged forth.

  "Jie Jie Jie, Xiao Yan, you've finally shown yourself. Quickly hand over the iao me, and this Venerable might spare your life!"

  Xiao Yan looked at Protector Wu, who had amplified his strength through a Secret Teique, with a strange expression. He said, "Do you even know what that iance is? And you think you just take it?"