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In the depths of a vast mountain range in Central Continent, a chilling aura permeated the air, and looking up from the ground, dense black mist seemed to obscure the sky.
However, from a distance, there was nothing unusual about this place.
A magnificent black palace was situated atop the mountains, with towering black pillars reaching from the ground to the sky, surrounding the palace.
Dark chains connected the pillars to the palace, making the entire structure look like a three-dimensional fishing net.
This was the main base of the infamous Soul Hall in Central Continent, the Heaven Hall, one of the three Heavenly Gang Halls.
Two figures, one old and one young, appeared in the sky; when they traveled by tearing space, they did not dare to directly pinpoint the distant palace, as that might invite an attack from a Soul Hall powerhouse, so for the remaining distance, they could only fly at a leisurely pace.
Both were clad in black robes; the Elder was thin with sharp, bright eyes, while the younger was a bright and graceful woman with short hair that barely reached her shoulders, her face unadorned and natural.
Hun Xiao's expression was gloomy, almost as if "I'm unhappy" was written all over her face.
The Elder beside her could only force a smile, looking quite helpless.
"Sigh… I was so close, just one more minute and I could have gotten the Fallen Heart Flame… my 'cultivation cheat'…" Hun Xiao muttered to herself as she flew.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the square in front of the palace, where a long flight of stairs extended from the square upwards to the palace entrance.
Hun Xiao and Soul Wood walked up the stairs, and as they approached the gate, a man in a black robe stopped them:
"Stop, what are you here for? Show me your Soul Token."
"Don't block the way, this girl is in a terrible mood today." Hun Xiao glared at him arrogantly, a purple token dangling in her hand.
A large "Soul" character was inscribed on the purple token, and a dense pressure emanated from it, causing a tremor from the very soul—this was the might of a Dou Saint!
The black-robed man, a Dou Ancestor level expert, immediately knelt on one knee, respectfully bowing his head.
This was not a token from the Soul Hall, but an Elder Token of the Soul Clan!
As the headquarters of the Soul Hall, the Heaven Hall held a very special status; those on duty here were mostly direct descendants of the Soul Clan, with few outsiders, so the Elder Token was very effective here.
Of course, even in other sub-halls, it was equally effective… after all, the Dou Saint pressure on it could not be faked!
Hun Xiao kicked open the heavy gate and swaggered inside.
She inserted her index finger into the circular hole above the Elder Token, and as she walked, she rotated her finger, making the token spin rapidly.
She walked unimpeded to the central core area, where a figure appeared before her.
This was an old man with deep-set eyes, so thin he looked like nothing but a skeleton.
He glanced at Hun Xiao, a hint of understanding in his somewhat cloudy eyes: "Someone reported that an Elder had arrived, and I was wondering who it was, turns out it's you, girl."
"Elder Guyou, is the Hall Master here? I need to return to the Soul Realm." Hun Xiao went straight to the point, without wasting words.
The Soul Clan's management of entry and exit to the Soul Realm was very strict; besides Saints who could enter and exit freely, others who wished to enter or exit the Soul Realm could only do so through the Soul Hall, and required approval.
Guyou replied, "Soul Destruction Life has left on business; I am temporarily in charge of the Heaven Hall, and he has granted me certain permissions, but he did not mention the authority to approve entry and exit to the Soul Realm."
"Hmm?" Hun Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Guyou changed his tone: "You have an Elder Token, so no approval is needed; just go back yourself. The Spatial Wormhole is in the Left Hall."
Hun Xiao and Soul Wood went to the Left Hall and entered the wormhole together.
Although Soul Wood, with his Dou Venerate strength, could directly tear space to travel, it would be quite strenuous, and the Soul Realm was enveloped by a massive array; besides the location connected by this spatial wormhole, attempting to force entry from other places would result in a counterattack from the array.
Only at the Dou Saint level could one relatively easily withstand the array's attacks; a Dou Venerate of Soul Wood's lower rank might perish as a result.
Flashes of silver light and richly colored blocks flew past their eyes, and after more than half a day of traversing, they emerged from the other end of the wormhole.
A Dou Venerate, accompanied by a dozen Dou Ancestors, was on duty at this exit; upon seeing the arrivals, he said with a hint of surprise, "Soul Wood? I remember you went to some remote corner, didn't you?"
"I voluntarily went to guard a sub-hall, I wasn't exiled there, and there's no rule saying I can't come back," Soul Wood responded.
Hun Xiao looked around, confirmed her direction, and then flew towards it.
She stopped outside Soul Emperor City, landed on the ground, and walked in like an ordinary person.
This was already the central area of the Soul Realm, and she could no longer act as recklessly as she did outside.
Before she could enter the city, she saw a young man with black hair, dressed in black hunting attire, looking at her with a smiling expression.
"Sister, my dear sister, I've missed you so much," the young man said with overly exaggerated intonation, spreading his arms wide.
"Can't you act normal? I heard you're going to duel with Hun Jing again?" Hun Xiao stepped forward and gave him a light embrace, which lasted for two seconds before she released him.
"It should have started earlier, but it was delayed for some reason… it's been dragged out until now." Hun Zhang's voice rose and fell, with an annoying rhythm.
"Speaking of which, I'm truly touched, Sister actually cares about me."
Seeing a hint of impatience on Hun Xiao's face, he immediately cleared his throat and spoke in a normal, flat tone:
"How do you feel about participating in the Soul Hall's daily mission this time?"
Hun Xiao's face darkened, and she said expressionlessly, "I encountered a Fallen Heart Flame; I was so close to getting it."
"In other words, you didn't get it," Hun Zhang translated fluently.
He said with a smile, "It's just a Fallen Heart Flame… relax, if it's gone, it's gone."
Hun Xiao sighed: "I just feel it's a pity; I was so close, and I don't know what happened to that Heavenly Flame in the end, or if it benefited anyone?"
Hun Zhang didn't care about a Fallen Heart Flame; he pondered for a moment, then suddenly said seriously, "Oh right, I have someone I want to introduce you to in a bit."
Hun Xiao raised an eyebrow: "You're not going around randomly acknowledging fathers again, are you?"
"What do you mean 'randomly acknowledging fathers'? This is our father!" Hun Zhang retorted.
"Does Mother know you're acknowledging fathers so randomly?" Hun Xiao had a headache over Hun Zhang's occasionally incomprehensible actions.
Hun Zhang said proudly, "Mother knows! She said if I meet a father who looks good, is handsome, and has a good personality, I can bring him back to her, and she'll consider truly making him our father."
Hun Xiao: "…"
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