Chapter 671: The Shock of the Soul Heavenly Emperor, the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion
After gathering the four Gates of Death, Mo Yu quickly imprinted his own soul mark on the soul stones within the remaining three gates, thanks to his Emperor-level soul power.
With this done, it signified that from now on, this realm of death belonged entirely to Mo Yu.
He was now its master!
Thinking about this, Mo Yu couldn't help but feel grateful for the gift from those four old undead.
If Mo Yu hadn't taken one of the Gates of Death earlier, Lei Ying, Yan Jin, and many other high-ranking officials of the allied forces might have perished in this realm of death. This showed just how terrifying the Gates of Death could be.
Now that Mo Yu controlled the Gate of Death, it became one of his powerful trump cards!
With a faint smile, Mo Yu waved his sleeve. The massive Thunder Giant Susanoo, towering nearly ten thousand feet high, began to dissipate slowly. At the same time, the space in front of Mo Yu tore open, revealing a crack. With a single step, he walked through and disappeared.
With Mo Yu's departure, the realm of death returned to its eerie silence.
...
At the same time, in another part of the continent.
This was a somewhat dark space, with black mist shrouding the sky. The cold energy permeated every corner of the space.
In the depths of this space, above a pitch-black palace, a figure sat cross-legged in mid-air. Black flames continuously seeped from his body, making him look like a black hole, endlessly devouring everything around him.
Below, countless dark shadows knelt. From the rings they wore, clusters of light were continuously flying out. The light clusters were transparent, nearly colorless, but filled with a pure energy that made onlookers pale.
If Mo Yu or Xiao Yan were present, they would have recognized these light clusters as none other than the soul essence collected by the Hall of Souls!
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, a violent wind sound came from the body of the figure sitting in the sky. A surge of black flames burst forth, and with a powerful suction, the countless clusters of soul essence were pulled towards him.
As soon as the soul essences touched the black flames, they were devoured instantly. As more soul essences were consumed, a terrifying soul energy fluctuation gradually spread from the figure's body.
"Roar!"
The fluctuation became increasingly intense, until it seemed almost tangible, causing the space around it to distort.
A low roar came from the figure's mouth as he stood up abruptly. In an instant, the overwhelming soul energy erupted like a volcano, spreading in all directions.
"Congratulations to Master Void for advancing to Emperor-level Soul!"
Sensing the immense soul pressure, the dark shadows below immediately prostrated themselves, their respectful voices echoing through the space, making the ground tremble slightly.
"Haha..."
The figure in the sky couldn't help but laugh out loud. His gaze then turned towards a figure standing on a mountain peak below and said with a smile, "Soul Heavenly Emperor, it's time to gather the eight jade pieces and locate the cave mansion of the Ancient Emperor."
On the mountain peak, a figure stood with hands behind his back. He looked up at Void Devouring Flame with a faint smile. Dressed in pure white, he stood out in the dark, eerie space.
This person was none other than the leader of the Soul Clan, the Soul Heavenly Emperor.
With a step, the Soul Heavenly Emperor appeared before Void Devouring Flame. After carefully examining him, he smiled and said, "Not bad. After all the trouble, you've finally reached Emperor-level Soul."
"Haha."
Void Devouring Flame couldn't help but laugh again. For someone like him, reaching Emperor-level Soul was extremely difficult. But thanks to the Hall of Souls refining a large amount of soul essence over the years, he had forcibly elevated himself with that immense source of power.
However, the cost of this ascension was steep. The majority of the soul essence the Hall of Souls had painstakingly gathered over the years had been completely devoured by him.
"Effort brings rewards. Now, with my strength, I can stand against Gu Yuan. And if we join forces, defeating him won't be difficult." Void Devouring Flame said.
Hearing this, the Soul Heavenly Emperor smiled, just about to nod, when suddenly a Soul Clan expert rushed over with a panicked expression and reported, "Master, something terrible has happened!"
Seeing the subordinate in such a panic, the Soul Heavenly Emperor's brows furrowed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Our clan's millennia-long plan is about to succeed, and you're running around in a panic like this. Has Gu Yuan sent people to attack us?"
"N-no... It's not the Gu Clan. It's the soul flames of Soul Yuan Tian and the other three Grand Elders... they've been extinguished," the Soul Clan expert stammered, his face full of fear.
After saying this, the expert cautiously looked up at the Soul Heavenly Emperor, worried that he might anger the clan leader and be killed with a single slap.
After all, Soul Yuan Tian and the other three were the Soul Clan's most secret trump card, intended as a powerful weapon against the allied forces. The combined strength of the four eight-star Dou Shengs, along with their Deathly Silence Realm, was on par with a nine-star Dou Sheng super-expert.
Yet now, with all their soul flames extinguished simultaneously, it meant that they had fallen at the same time, which would severely disrupt the Soul Clan's plans!
Upon hearing the report, even the Soul Heavenly Emperor froze momentarily, and his usually calm expression turned dark instantly.
He knew his people wouldn't lie to him, nor would they dare to. That meant Soul Yuan Tian and the others had indeed perished!
Faced with such sudden news, even the Soul Heavenly Emperor found himself caught off guard for a moment.
Void Devouring Flame's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked, "Weren't those old guys in seclusion after the last battle? How did they suddenly die? Who did it?"
"According to reports, Soul Yuan Tian and the others sensed a disturbance in the Deathly Silence Realm while they were resting and went inside to investigate. But barely half an hour after entering, their soul flames were extinguished. As for who did it, we don't know," the Soul Clan expert replied respectfully.
"Hmm, they died in the Deathly Silence Realm..." Void Devouring Flame murmured before recalling something. "I remember that Mo Yu kid from the Lei Clan took Soul Yuan Tian's Gate of Death, didn't he? Their deaths might be related to him."
"You're saying Mo Yu killed all four of them?" The Soul Heavenly Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly, though there was a hint of disbelief and shock in his tone.
Even though Soul Yuan Tian and the others were not at their peak strength, they were still four eight-star Dou Shengs. Together, they could even fight Gu Yuan. Yet, their soul flames were snuffed out simultaneously, which meant they had encountered an opponent far more powerful than them.
However, Mo Yu, despite possessing an Emperor-level soul, didn't seem to have that kind of overwhelming strength.
"Who knows? Maybe Gu Yuan and his people used the Gate of Death that Soul Yuan Tian had to ambush them in the Deathly Silence Realm. Or maybe Mo Yu was behind it. That kid is quite strange. Despite his young age, even I can't fully see through his power. If he killed those four old guys, I wouldn't be surprised," Void Devouring Flame said calmly.
Although he cooperated with the Soul Clan, he didn't hold much affection for them, so the deaths of Soul Yuan Tian and the others didn't bother him.
The Soul Heavenly Emperor frowned at Void Devouring Flame's speculations, then shook his head, saying, "Never mind. If Soul Yuan Tian and the others are dead, they're dead. At least they completed their task of gathering the eight ancient jades. Now, let's focus on locating the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion. Once we find the Emperor-grade embryo pill, no one on this continent will be able to stop me."
As he spoke, the Soul Heavenly Emperor's eyes filled with a fiery passion.
Hearing this, Void Devouring Flame nodded and smiled, "You can have the Emperor-grade embryo pill, but don't forget, there's something in that cave mansion I need. That was our deal."
"Don't worry. You are tied to the fate of my Soul Clan, so we won't deceive you. If what you seek is truly in that cave mansion, I will help you retrieve it," the Soul Heavenly Emperor replied with a smile.
Void Devouring Flame finally nodded in satisfaction. The Soul Clan had survived this long largely due to his help, so naturally, he had his own conditions and needs. Even the Soul Heavenly Emperor couldn't force him to do anything against his will.
"Hmph, Ancient Emperor Tuoshe..."
Void Devouring Flame smirked coldly before turning his attention back to the Soul Heavenly Emperor. At that moment, the latter waved his sleeve, and eight ancient jades slowly floated out.
The jades hovered above the Soul Heavenly Emperor's head, emitting a faint glow. The eight pieces reflected each other's light, creating a beautiful spectacle. Subtle, unique ripples seemed to emanate from them.
The Soul Heavenly Emperor glanced at the eight jades with fiery eyes, then bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto them.
"Buzz!"
As soon as the jades were stained with blood, they began to hum faintly, and their glow intensified. Strange patterns seemed to flow on their surfaces.
"The jades of Ancient Emperor Tuoshe have been separated for years. Now, let me reunite them!"
Looking at the phenomenon in the sky, the Soul Heavenly Emperor laughed and clenched his hand toward the jades.
"Crack!"
With his motion, the eight jades merged together. Rather than shattering, they fused under the intertwining lights, beginning to form a single piece.
"Buzz!"
The humming grew louder and louder. Finally, with a few cracking sounds, the eight pieces combined into one. In an instant, a radiant, perfectly formed jade larger than a hand appeared in the sky.
As soon as the complete Ancient Emperor Tuoshe Jade formed, an ancient, primal aura began to emanate from it.
Amid the spreading ancient aura, a faint mist rose from the jade and transformed into a vague, elderly figure above it.
The elder wore a black robe, and his hair was a mix of colors, each resembling flickering flames, an extremely peculiar sight.
His face was ordinary and plain, but his deep, starry eyes seemed to hold the power of the universe. Under his gaze, even the mighty Soul Heavenly Emperor felt his soul tremble slightly.
This was the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe!
In this world, the only person who could make the Soul Heavenly Emperor feel such fear was the legendary Dou Emperor. This elder appeared to be none other than the last Dou Emperor of the Dou Qi Continent, Ancient Emperor Tuoshe!
In the Soul Realm, aside from a few powerful individuals who could resist, most people kept their heads bowed, overwhelmed by the immense pressure. It felt as if even raising their heads slightly would cause them to be crushed by the overwhelming force.
Under the pressure that even the Soul Heavenly Emperor couldn't match, everyone's hearts were filled with fear...
Void Devouring Flame's mind was focused, forcing himself to remain calm. His eyes suddenly turned pitch black, and two tiny beams of light shot from his pupils, directly into the figure's eyes.
The black light refracted back into the sky, expanding into an image that appeared high above.
"This is..."
The Soul Heavenly Emperor squinted at the image in the sky. It depicted a vast, unfamiliar land. One glance, and he could tell this place wasn't in Central Plains.
The image quickly scanned the mountainous area of the unfamiliar land before plunging deep underground. Suddenly, a boundless sea of fire appeared, filled with magma as far as the eye could see.
"Where is this?" the Soul Heavenly Emperor frowned. From the image, it seemed this magma sea was deep underground, but this wasn't enough to pinpoint the location.
The image continued deeper into the magma sea. Suddenly, strange lizard-like creatures appeared, their eyes filled with ferocity.
After the lizards appeared, an ancient stone door faintly emerged from the deepest part of the magma world. Above the stone door were four large characters:
The Cave Mansion of the Ancient Emperor!
"Crack!"
As the Soul Heavenly Emperor's gaze lingered on the four ancient characters, the image abruptly stopped, and he slowly exhaled, the fiery passion in his eyes growing even stronger.
(Chapter End)
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