Chapter 245: Arriving in Force, Facing the Venerable Elder
In the underground space, Qing Lin was meditating in the air, surrounded by dark red energy. A layer of green light protected her, preventing the red energy from harming her in any way.
Xiao Ze watched as Qing Lin refined the soul power of the ancient celestial snake, noting that the situation was under control.
"The situation is different from the original. In the story, Qing Lin completely refined the nine-headed celestial snake on the Ancient Dragon Island after many attempts. With the help of the imperial flame and the power of poison, we managed to eliminate the snake's intelligence. Qing Lin will be able to absorb this power without problems."
Xiao Ze was using the combination of the imperial flame and poison power against an enemy for the first time, achieving excellent results. The residual soul power of the ancient celestial snake was considerable, stronger than a lower star fighter. But unfortunately, it was facing Xiao Ze.
The imperial flame is very powerful against souls. Moreover, Xiao Ze had developed a special poison to attack souls, originally intended to use against members of the Hall of Souls. Although he hadn't planned to use it against the snake, it worked perfectly.
While Qing Lin refined the snake's soul, Xiao Ze approached the bones of the ancient celestial snake. All the flesh had been burned by the imperial flame, leaving only the bones that still emanated powerful energy.
"Magical beasts are valuable, especially ancient ones with royal snake blood. Even their bones have utility."
Xiao Ze touched the bones, thinking about how to use them. He decided to turn them into a puppet for Qing Lin, who could better control them by refining them with the snake's soul.
He took out a spatial ring and stored the bones, planning to work on them later when he had the necessary materials. He thought the place wasn't safe, so he needed to wait.
Suddenly, a fire signal he had left outside was activated. Xiao Ze knew something important had happened. He created a protective barrier with his golden flame around Qing Lin and headed towards the tunnel.
As he moved forward, he felt a familiar, dark, and strange presence, typical of someone from the Hall of Souls. Using his invisibility power, he approached undetected by a guardian of the Hall of Souls.
Just as the guardian realized, Xiao Ze grabbed him by the neck with a hand covered in golden flame and slammed him against the tunnel wall. The guardian screamed in pain, recognizing Xiao Ze.
"It's you, Xiao Ze."
Xiao Ze was surprised to be recognized, knowing his fame as an alchemist master was known, but he didn't expect a Hall of Souls guardian to know his face.
The guardian, aware of his mistake, tried to defend himself with a black cloud. But Xiao Ze's golden flame spread over his body, turning him into a human torch and filling the tunnel with golden light.
Xiao Ze picked up the items the guardian had dropped, realizing he had been a scout sent specifically after him. Covered in invisibility energy, he headed outside.
As he approached the end of the tunnel, he felt several strong presences. Outside, several guardians of the Hall of Souls were waiting, worried about the seismic activity in the area.
"We don't know if Xiao Ze entered here, but someone already ventured inside."
"It's crazy to enter such a dangerous place, even for a soul."
While they discussed, they noticed a change in the environment: a light blue energy appeared, incompatible with the predominant blood energy in the place. An overwhelming pressure enveloped them, leaving the guardians of the Hall of Souls no choice but to defend themselves with a giant black mist snake.
However, the pressure was so intense that the mist snake disintegrated, and one by one, the guardians were crushed into points of soul light.
Xiao Ze emerged, picking up the items left by the guardians. As he looked up, he heard a voice.
"Such ruthless methods. I underestimated you, Xiao Ze. You don't seem like an alchemist master, but an experienced combat warrior."
An old man in a purple robe appeared, looking at Xiao Ze with surprise. Although the guardians of the Hall of Souls were difficult to deal with, Xiao Ze had eliminated them with ease, demonstrating his formidable combat ability.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.