Chapter 219: Chapter 219: Exterminating the Blood Sect

    ?

    Word Count: 3,363 Words

    ******

    Xiao Yan hesitated no longer and stepped into the Space Lock.

    A wave of Spiritual Strength swept over his Soul Robe as he entered. Subsequently, a character ''Yan'' formed by Spiritual Strength appeared on his robe.

    Soul Envoys did not have titles; only those at the Protector rank and above were qualified.

    A Protector''s Soul Robe would not display their title when outside. Only upon entering the Hall of Souls would the title, written in Spiritual Strength, appear on the Soul Robe for convenient identification.

    ''There''s quite a difference between the branch hall at the Misty Cloud Sect and this one in the Black-Corner Region,'' Xiao Yan surveyed his surroundings. Compared to the branch hall built atop the mountain at the Misty Cloud Sect, this one was established on vast plains.

    There were no obstructions as far as the eye could see. Apart from the colossal black Hall of Souls in the distance, there was nothing else, not even a single tree.

    However, the branch hall in the Black-Corner Region was ''thriving with activity.'' Visible to the naked eye were numerous black-robed Soul Envoys holding black chains, each binding a soul body.

    Some high-star Dou Spirits could produce soul bodies. Generally, Soul Envoys and Protectors without Soul Command Tokens would use Soul Chains as the standard method to capture soul bodies.

    These chains, forged using special methods, could not only seal Spiritual Strength to harm soul bodies but also make escape impossible once bound.

    A large number of murders occurred every day in a chaotic and lawless place like the Black- Corner Region. Such a place was undoubtedly the favorite hunting ground for the Hall of Souls.

    "Yan? A Protector!! Greetings to Protector Yan!"

    Xiao Yan passed by a Soul Envoy preparing to head out. The Soul Envoy saw the title on his Soul Robe and immediately dropped to one knee, bowed his head, and called out.

    Hearing the exclamation, several small teams of Soul Envoys who were preparing to go out hunting soul bodies, or directly kill people to seize their souls, all turned to look at Xiao Yan.

    When they saw the spiritual character on his Soul Robe, they too knelt down one after another, bowed their heads, and shouted:

    "Greetings, Protector Yan!!"

    Wherever Xiao Yan passed, those Soul Envoys who usually hunted soul bodies during the Black Storms all knelt and called out, losing their usual arrogance.

    Xiao Yan said nothing and merely walked through the crowd, unhurriedly making his way to the grand doors of the Hall of Souls.

    With a creaking sound, the doors opened automatically, and Xiao Yan stepped inside.

    Those kneeling Soul Envoys finally stood up one after another when they saw Xiao Yan enter the Hall of Souls. Each of them revealed traces of fear and doubt.

    "Isn''t this branch hall under the charge of Protector Xuan? How is there another Protector here?"

    "Perhaps it''s a friend of Protector Xuan who happened to pass by."

    "Yan... I wonder what rank this Protector Yan is and what he''s here for."

    There were also some Soul Envoys exchanging soul bodies for Soul Points inside the Hall of Souls. What surprised Xiao Yan was that this branch hall not only imprisoned a large number of soul bodies but even had a Dou Emperor-level soul body bound.

    ''Even a Dou Emperor''s soul body... If it''s a branch hall where a Heaven Grade Protector resides, wouldn''t they even have Dou Ancestor-level soul bodies?!'' Xiao Yan pondered inwardly.

    ''There are no alchemists here; perhaps it''s because the Black-Corner Region itself doesn''t have an Alchemist Association.''

    Xiao Yan walked toward the innermost Soul Offering Altar while observing the situation of this branch hall. On the altar, an elderly man with a weathered face was sitting cross-legged, cultivating.

    The Soul Offering Altar emitted waves of soul light. Xiao Yan sensed with his Spiritual Strength that these soul lights were condensed from tiny specks in the air. This was

    equivalent to accelerating the cultivation of the Soul Training Method.

    The old man slowly opened his eyes upon sensing Xiao Yan''s arrival. "Yan? Are you a newly promoted Human Grade Protector of this branch hall?"

    Xiao Yan sneered coldly and took out a Soul Command Token from his storage ring. A ''Heaven'' character shot out from the token.

    "A Heaven Grade Protector!! And possessing a Soul Command Token!!" Protector Xuan was so frightened that he hurriedly descended from the Soul Offering Altar.

    "This subordinate didn''t know of Your Excellency''s arrival. Please forgive my lack of a proper welcome." Protector Xuan immediately bent his waist at ninety degrees, knowing when to yield.

    He knew that generally, a Heaven Grade Protector who possessed a Soul Command Token was close to being promoted to an Honorable Elder. Only exceptionally outstanding Heaven Grade Protectors would be granted a Soul Command Token in advance.

    "May I ask the purpose of Your Excellency''s visit?" Protector Xuan forced out an ugly smile, slightly raised his head, and inquired.

    Xiao Yan lowered his voice and said slowly, "Nothing much. I''m gathering some Soul Envoys to help me attack a place."

    Protector Xuan''s expression changed dramatically upon hearing this. He stammered, "Could it be that Your Excellency intends to attack Jia Nan Academy?!"

    Only Jia Nan Academy was qualified to make the Hall of Souls take action in the entire Black- Corner Region!

    "It''s not Jia Nan Academy. The place I want to attack is the Blood Sect. I need a high-star Dou Emperor and five Dou Kings."

    "Blood Sect??" Protector Xuan looked puzzled. A mere faction with a Dou Emperor-he could easily wipe them out himself. Why would a Heaven Grade Protector need to borrow people?

    Xiao Yan had already thought of an excuse and calmly said, "The Blood Sect is hiding some things. I can''t make a move casually, or it would arouse suspicion from other factions."

    "So that''s how it is. If Your Excellency doesn''t mind, this subordinate is willing to contribute to destroying the Blood Sect."

    Xiao Yan was overjoyed in his heart. Oh boy, the people of the Hall of Souls were really

    accommodating.

    He had initially considered asking Queen Medusa for help, but thinking she might not be

    willing, he ultimately chose to seek assistance elsewhere.

    "Mm, if this matter succeeds, I will record it as a merit for you."

    "Thank you, Your Excellency!"

    ...

    Half a day later, at the location of the Blood Sect.

    green-clad young lady smiled slightly and gave an impeccable bow to the handsome young

    man.

    "Junior Sister Xun Er truly lives up to being the most promising student of this year''s cohort. I admit defeat." Although he was defeated, the handsome young man remained amiable. He

    smiled, gazed deeply at the girl as graceful as a green lotus, and then gracefully withdrew.

    "In this match, Xiao Xun Er wins!"

    Xiao Yan looked toward the young lady in the arena upon hearing the referee''s announcement. Clearly, Xun Er''s cultivation had already reached the Dou Grandmaster realm, even close to Dou Spirit, but her kind-hearted nature led her to deliberately suppress her strength. She exchanged over a dozen moves with her opponent before defeating him.

    "Xiao Yan ge-ge." Xun Er walked over slowly, smiling sweetly. Her delightful smile made those around feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze. However, when they saw Xun Er sitting next to Xiao Yan, chatting and laughing, that spring

    breeze instantly turned into a bloody gale. They silently mouthed curses toward Xiao Yan. If looks could kill, Xiao Yan would have died a thousand times over.

    At a well-positioned spot in the stands, a white-robed youth looked gloomily at Xiao Yan and

    said fiercely, "I will defeat him to prove he''s unworthy of Xun Er."

    This white-robed youth was none other than Bai Shan, who had previously obstructed Xiao

    Yan. He was a prominent figure among the younger generation of the Outer Academy, with momentum not much weaker than Xun Er''s, and a strong contender for the top five positions. "Tch, so this is the guy Xun Er keeps talking about? He doesn''t look like much, and his

    strength doesn''t seem impressive either. Following such a guy is worse than following me. What''s so good about these stinking men? They all think with their lower halves." At another prime spot in the stands, a girl in a red dress leaned against an iron pillar with her arms crossed over her chest. Her alluring curves were accentuated by the straight pillar, making her extremely enticing. At this moment, she couldn''t help but curl her lips and sneer with some disdain as she looked toward where Xiao Yan was.

    Clearly, Xiao Yan had also become something of a celebrity.

    "Little Witch, sit properly. How can you be so unruly in public? Where are your manners?"

    Beside the red-dressed girl, an old man with white hair and beard saw her posture and unconventional words and couldn''t help but scold her, his beard bristling with anger. The Deputy Headmaster glanced at Xiao Yan, his eyes showing a trace of peculiarity as he

    muttered, "Strange, I can''t see through his cultivation level. There''s a very strong Spiritual Strength blocking me. Is that a treasure or..."

    The red-dressed girl gave this elderly man, who obviously held a high position in Jia Nan Academy, a disdainful look and snorted coldly, "To think you''re the Deputy Headmaster of the Outer Academy. If it were me, I would have kicked that Xiao Yan out of the academy long

    ago. He disappeared for over a year and never attended a single class. How can he still be a student of our Jia Nan Academy?"

    The Deputy Headmaster looked at his granddaughter and said, "Don''t be so arrogant. That

    boy''s strength may not be weaker than yours. He''s the same age as you, and didn''t you claim to be invincible among your peers? I don''t think you can easily defeat him." "Heh, you''re giving him too much credit. Only Xun Er is qualified to compete with me." The

    Little Witch wore a look of disdain. In her eyes, only Xun Er mattered.

    The matches in the arena continued. Xiao Yan''s Spiritual Strength swept across the entire area, his brows slightly furrowed as he looked toward three directions in the plaza. ''This Jia Nan Academy does have some talents. The cultivation levels of these three are higher

    than Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning. It''s a bit troublesome. Should I secretly eliminate them?'' Xiao Yan pursed his lips, hoping he could encounter these three in the first round.

    But Heaven didn''t always grant one''s wishes. Xiao Yan''s first-round opponent was a young

    man at the 9-star Dou Master stage.

    "So you''re Xiao Yan? Hmph, let me see if you have the strength to be worthy of Junior Sister

    Xun Er!" A long spear was drawn with a clang.

    "Cascading Waves!"

    "Scram." Xiao Yan glanced at him, flicked his finger, and a ball of red flame shot out. With a

    loud boom, the flame exploded, directly blasting the person out of the arena. Xiao Yan didn''t even bother to look back and directly jumped off the battle platform. He''s not

    Xun Er; dealing with these Outer Academy students, taking more than one move would count

    as his loss.

    He left behind a dumbfounded referee and an audience full of shocked faces.

    Xiao Yan had never showcased his strength in Jia Nan Academy before, only his sharp tongue.

    Everyone''s impression of him was that of a lecher, a scoundrel, and someone who lived off

    women.

    "So strong!"

    "Is that real fire!! Has he reached Dou Spirit?!"

    "Not necessarily. One doesn''t need to be a Dou Spirit or a 4th-tier alchemist to use real fire.

    Some fire-attribute Dou Qi cultivators can refine fire seeds to borrow fire."

    "But he defeated him in one move..."

    In the stands, except for those who knew Xiao Yan like Xiao Yu and the others, the rest who

    didn''t know him all had their mouths slightly agape, staring in astonishment at the youth who had jumped down from the battle platform after a single strike. Many girls with budding feelings couldn''t help but have stars in their eyes. Who could have

    imagined that Xue Beng, whose strength was at the 9-star Dou Master stage, would be defeated in just one exchange-no, in just a face-off-even after using his strongest Dou Technique, beaten by a mere flick of a finger!

    Even the referee forgot to announce the end of the match, resulting in this outcome that left everyone dumbfounded.

    On the other side of the stands, Bai Shan stood with his arms crossed, frowning slightly as he gazed at the black-robed youth standing straight in the plaza. After a while, he slowly exhaled and said with a faint smile, "Not bad. He indeed has some skill. Now you''re finally

    worthy of being elevated to a position where I take you seriously. If there''s a chance, I''d like to test you myself."

    Faced with the exclamations and discussions from the entire plaza, Xiao Yan remained deaf to

    it all. At this moment, he was solely focused on how to get his clan members into the Inner

    Academy, or even directly occupy the top five positions and claim the reportedly generous

    rewards.

    ''I wonder if using medicinal pills is allowed.''