In the slightly distorted space, there lay a vast expanse of black land. Occasionally, the surface revealed patches of ghastly white, clearly broken bones that exuded an eerie coldness.
At the center of this large region stood a massive black palace, silent and imposing, like an ancient beast lying in wait on the ground.
Inside the black palace, countless thick black chains extended outward, their ends buried deep in the ground. On these chains swirled black mist, vaguely taking human form. The chains occasionally glowed, with the light flowing into the mist, making it even more solid.
Suddenly, a dozen or so figures emerged from the mist on the chains. The mist condensed into a dozen cold-faced figures.
"Let's go, it's our turn to carry out the mission. I hope we can bring back enough souls this time..."
Among them, a figure who appeared to be the leader spoke in a hoarse voice. With a wave of his hand, the dozen figures turned into black mist and shot toward the edge of the space.
However, just as the black mist was about to breach the space barrier, the surrounding space suddenly solidified and then collapsed with force. The dozen figures were crushed into nothingness without even a scream.
Next, the space barrier split open, and two figures slowly walked in. It was none other than Gu Fei and Zi Yan.
As soon as they entered, a mournful wail echoed from the giant palace. The black mist on the chains shot out sinister gazes, fixating on the two intruders.
"How dare you trespass in the Hall of Souls! You're courting death!"
The eerie shouts broke the silence of the space. Numerous figures rose from the chains and, without waiting for orders, transformed into streaks of black light, rushing at Gu Fei and Zi Yan.
"A bunch of cannon fodder, charging to their deaths!" Gu Fei clenched his fist, and the approaching shadows shattered into nothingness.
At this, the remaining shadows finally hesitated and stopped.
"Insolent fools, daring to cause trouble in my Soul Hall! You're tired of living!"
"Sky Protectors, take them down!"
An elder appeared atop the giant palace, hunched over with a skeletal cane in hand. His deep-set eyes glowed with eerie green light, giving him a sinister look.
At his raspy command, a dozen figures shot out from the palace and hovered in the air. All of them were Dou Venerate experts.
"Hmph, the so-called Second Tianzun of the Soul Hall sure knows how to put on airs!"
Surrounded by a dozen Dou Venerates, Gu Fei sneered. With his current cultivation, these opponents were no match for him.
With a single palm strike, the space around them collapsed almost instantly. A pitch-black light ring spread out, swallowing everything in its path. Seven or eight Sky Protectors were utterly consumed in a single blow.
(TL/n: The Hall of Souls protectors are divided into the Sky, Earth, and Man category. A Sky protector would be around 7-star Dou Venerate level.)
"Courting death!"
The elder, Gu You, vanished from his spot and reappeared before Gu Fei and Zi Yan, his skeletal hand reaching for Gu Fei's forehead.
"The one courting death is you!"
Zi Yan, standing beside Gu Fei, struck out casually. In an instant, Gu You, a Half-Saint expert, felt the imminent threat of death.
Truthfully, if they weren't in a rush, Gu Fei would have liked to test his combat skills against this Half-Saint to gain experience.
"Ten Thousand Souls Bone Armor!"
In the face of death, countless souls howled from Gu You's body, forming a black bone armor that looked incredibly eerie.
However, despite such an extraordinary defense, the huge gap in power made it worthless. Gu You's chest caved in under a palm strike, the bone armor shattered, and his body was instantly reduced to a cloud of blood mist.
The mighty Second Tianzun of the Soul Hall was killed by Zi Yan in a single move.
"It seems I'll need Zi Yan to protect me for quite some time..." Seeing Zi Yan's true strength, Gu Fei couldn't help but be amazed.
"Hmph..."
With Gu You's death, a cold snort came from the depths of the palace. A thick black mist surged out, revealing a withered, skeletal figure shrouded in a sinister aura.
"Two-star Dou Saint, this must be the First Tianzun of the Soul Hall..."
Looking at the old figure, Gu Fei murmured to himself. If only the First Tianzun was guarding the Hall, today's mission would be easy.
"Who are you, and why are you attacking my Soul Hall? Do we have a grudge?"
The elder slowly raised his head, his raspy voice questioning Zi Yan.
To him, Gu Fei's cultivation was insignificant, so he paid him no mind.
However, Zi Yan didn't respond to his question.
"You take care of him, and I'll handle the rest!" Gu Fei instructed before starting to eliminate the other Soul Hall experts.
"A worthless nobody dares to strike in front of me!"
The First Tianzun was enraged and unleashed a wave of black mist, transforming it into five giant chains that shot toward Gu Fei.
Just as the black chains were about to reach Gu Fei, the surrounding space violently distorted. A fierce spatial turbulence erupted, tearing the chains apart.
"You're the worthless one! Your whole family is worthless, the most worthless of all!"
The First Tianzun's insult enraged Zi Yan, who furiously retorted.
"Who are you to dare attack my Soul Hall? Don't you know the power behind us?"
The First Tianzun's gaze grew serious as he stared at Zi Yan, but the cloak hid her features. However, her distinctively feminine voice made him uneasy.
"When did the Central Plains gain such a powerful female Dou Saint?"
"So what if you have powerful backers?"
Zi Yan scoffed, clearly unimpressed. In the past, when the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe was at its peak, they didn't even fear the Hun Clan, let alone a subordinate force like the Hall of Souls.