Chapter 39: The Trial of the Hall of Souls
Within the void, there existed a world resembling a nebula.
Entering this world greeted one with a faint fragrance that carried a refreshing coolness. Taking a deep breath of this fragrance was incredibly soothing, as it had the ability to nourish the soul. Even the most ordinary practitioner would find their Spiritual Strength greatly enhanced after spending some time here.
Such a world existing in the endless void remained undetected by the naked eye without guidance. Unless permitted, even elite Dou Saints might not be able to enter.
Deep within this world was a piece of land bustling with many residents, revealing itself as an ancient empire.
This was the Hun Realm, a world controlled by the Hun Clan that existed within the void.
It was hard to imagine that in such a world, one could actually see the sun hanging high above one's head, with bright sunlight shining down, a truly inconceivable sight.
In the grand hall at the heart of Hun Realm City, a man dressed in a flowing white robe sat elegantly in the highest seat.
The man appeared to be in his thirties. He had handsome features and exceptionally bright eyes that seemed to pierce into one's heart. At first glance, he exuded a scholarly elegance, holding a cup of Fragrant Soul Tea in his right hand and sipping it with utmost grace.
"What are you staring at? This Fragrant Soul Tea is made with the Hun Realm's Nine Nether Ice Spring water. The tea leaves are tender shoots from the thousand-year-old Soul Tea Trees found on Hun Top Ridge, refined through a three-step process by three 8th-tier alchemists. It has the miraculous effect of warming and nourishing one's Spiritual Strength, and it aids in the cultivation of Soul Skills. Such tea is hard to find outside." Hun Tiandi, the head of the Hun Clan, gently sipped the Fragrant Soul Tea and smiled at the people below.
Such a tea was unattainable not only for ordinary people, but even Dou Saints would find it difficult to enjoy a cup. Perhaps only the high-ranking members of the Hun Clan had the privilege of tasting it.
"Excellent tea, truly first class!"
"Our Hun Clan is indeed thriving under the leadership of our Clan Head!"
"The dominance of our Hun Clan over the Dou Qi Continent is just around the corner!"
A series of flattering and obsequious comments came from below. Anyone familiar with these old men offering compliments would be deeply shocked. Each of them was an old monster who had lived for hundreds or even thousands of years. Without exception, they were all strong experts in the Dou Saint realm.
Any one of them could turn the entire Dou Qi Continent upside down. Yet, in front of this scholarly young man, they all spoke carefully and cautiously, afraid to utter a single wrong word.
Hun Tiandi gave a faint smile as he savored the tea, his face bearing a smile that wasn't quite a smile as he said, "Is that so? Why do I feel that my Hun Clan is not far from extinction?"
!!!!!
Everyone below immediately fell to their knees, trembling all over in fear.
The reason why these Dou Saints were so afraid wasn't just because Hun Tiandi was their Clan Head, but purely because he possessed the supreme strength to annihilate them with a wave of his hand!
With cultivation reaching the peak of the 9-star Dou Saint stage and a Spiritual State at the Emperor State, he was only one step away from that supreme Dou God realm.
"Why are the elders kneeling?"
"Stand up. This isn't your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's me for being an incompetent Clan Head."
Hun Tiandi sighed deeply as he sat on his dark throne, appearing to be deeply concerned for his people, "This year's bloodline test within my clan has not produced a single new generation member whose bloodline strength has reached Grade 8. Only one person reached a Grade 7 Bloodline."
All the elders of the Hun Clan couldn't help but swallow hard. They were well aware of this situation.
The Hun Clan had begun to decline.
Once the Dou God bloodline completely vanished, they would be like a wounded wolf king, reduced to an ordinary clan. The Hun Clan, with its vast resources, would become an incomparably tasty piece of fat meat to be shared and devoured by others.
Just like the once mighty Xiao Clan, which saw all of its vast resources, Tian Class Qi Methods, and Tian Class Dou Techniques become mere collections of others.
"Now that the Tou She Ancient God's Jade of the Xiao Clan has fallen into the hands of the Gu Clan, it's only a matter of time before the ancient jades of the other clans will also fall into their hands. Even with the Nihility Devouring Flame's Devouring Spirit Ability, it would be difficult to sustain."
The hearts of all the Hun Clan elders were shaken. As old monsters who had lived for countless years, how could they not understand what Hun Tiandi was implying?
Hun Tiandi intended to emulate the approach of Xiao Xuan, the former Clan Head of the Xiao Clan!
At that time, the Xiao Clan was also facing a serious decline in its bloodline. Like Hun Tiandi, Xiao Xuan was at the peak of the 9-star Dou Saint stage with an Emperor State soul. Consequently, the Xiao Clan decided to take a drastic step by gathering all the Dou God bloodline strength within the clan and focusing it on Xiao Xuan in an attempt to forcibly break through to the Dou God realm.
The attempt failed. Xiao Xuan was severely injured and subsequently surrounded and killed by Hun Tiandi, who led the high-ranking members of the Hun Clan. The world owned by the Xiao Clan collapsed, and most of their inheritance fell into the hands of the Hun Clan.
Having lost all its bloodline strength, the Xiao Clan was reduced to an ordinary clan and completely disappeared after a thousand years.
This was like putting the entire Hun Clan on the gambling table! If Hun Tiandi could not obtain the relics of the Tou She Ancient God, then he would use all the members of the Hun Clan to make a single bet!
After all the elders left the main hall, a black flame suddenly appeared behind Hun Tiandi. After which, a voice emerged from the flame, "The Ling Realm of the Ling Clan has been located."
Hun Tiandi leisurely sipped his tea and said lightly, "Then let's start with the Ling Clan. Regardless of whether we can obtain all the ancient jades or not, I must ensure that I have enough Dou God bloodline."
"The biggest mistake Xiao Xuan made was not being ruthless enough. If he had absorbed the bloodlines of the other Dou God clans back then, he might have truly become a Dou God."
The Nihility Devouring Flame fell silent for a moment before saying, "As long as you can obtain that Di Tier Pill, you can become a Dou God just the same. There's no need for such trouble."
"I don't like to stake everything on one thing. Hun Huzi might not succeed in refining it," Hun Tiandi said indifferently, setting down his teacup and looking at the world beyond the Hun Realm.
The Nihility Devouring Flame said, "It's up to you, but don't forget the agreement between us."
"Of course."
...
At this moment, Xiao Yan in Peace Town naturally couldn't know what was happening in the Hun Realm. Likewise, the two individuals in the Hun Realm could not have imagined that the world's timeline deviation was becoming more and more severe.
Xiao Yan passed through the spatial barrier and once again arrived at the dilapidated Soul Sacrifice Old Shop. As he pushed the door open, the inside remained unchanged, with dust-covered shelves and an old man on the verge of death.
Hun Lao Gui slowly opened his eyes when he sensed Xiao Yan's entrance. A pair of oily green eyes emitted a faint glow, revealing a mouthful of rotten teeth as he smiled, "Boy, it seems you have made your decision."
Xiao Yan smiled without a hint of hesitation on his face, his smile as calm and confident as ever, "I want to join your Hall of Souls."
He understood that with these words, he was walking on a tightrope with an abyss below him.
When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you. If he wanted to take something from the abyss, he had to risk being swallowed by it!
Hun Lao Gui's eyes narrowed as he pointed to the curtain door beside him and said, "Jie Jie Jie, go inside. Our Hall of Souls doesn't accept trash. Only those who can pass the trials qualify to become the people of our Hall of Souls."