Guardian of the Soul Palace 

"Swish, swish, swish..."

As dazzling beams of light flashed by, fifty colossal serpents, each comparable in size and strength to sixth-tier magical beasts, suddenly appeared out of thin air. They encircled Elder Ying Shan and his group, trapping them completely.

"Ten Thousand Serpents Array, rise!"

With a series of hand seals, Qinglin let out a low shout. In an instant, pillars of visible fighting energy surged up from the serpents, connecting directly to King Kong and Giant Spirit.

Under the augmentation of the Ten Thousand Serpents Array, King Kong's strength soared from a three-star Dou Ancestor to roughly a six-star Dou Ancestor, while Giant Spirit's power increased to around five stars.

Seeing this, Zi Yan could not help but exclaim excitedly, "Awesome!"

Originally, Zi Yan had thought that without Xiao Feng, it would be challenging for her and Qinglin to hold back Elder Ying Shan and his group. Unexpectedly, Qinglin had this hidden ace up her sleeve, instantly turning the tide of battle.

"King Kong, Giant Spirit, attack!"

At Qinglin's command, the two humanoid magical beasts led the serpents in a charge toward Elder Ying Shan and his allies.

Despite their desperate resistance, the overwhelming onslaught of the serpent army quickly put Elder Ying Shan's group at a disadvantage.

If not for Elder Ying Shan barely holding back King Kong, while the Silver-Gold Elder duo and Han Feng combined forces against Giant Spirit, the entire group might have been wiped out in an instant.

As he dodged King Kong's relentless attacks, Elder Ying Shan transmitted a message to Han Feng and the others:

"Hold on! This kind of secret technique that temporarily boosts strength won't last long. If we can endure until it ends, victory will be ours!"

It wasn't that Elder Ying Shan cared about the lives of Han Feng and the others; he simply knew that if they fell, he would have to face both King Kong and Giant Spirit simultaneously.

Hearing his transmission, Han Feng and the others, who were gradually losing ground, gritted their teeth and held on.

Watching their evasive maneuvers, Zi Yan shook her head in disdain. "What cowards! Let me give you a hand!"

As Elder Ying Shan evaded King Kong's attacks, a formless spatial force suddenly acted upon him, relocating him back to his original position.

"Damn it!"

Now directly in King Kong's path, Elder Ying Shan's face changed drastically. He hastily braced himself for King Kong's furious strike.

"Boom!"

A devastating force sent Elder Ying Shan flying like a missile, crashing into a small mountain thousands of meters away and leveling it entirely.

With Elder Ying Shan dealt with, Zi Yan raised her small hand and casually teleported the Silver-Gold Elder duo, who were teaming up against Giant Spirit, to separate locations.

Given Giant Spirit's current strength, comparable to a five-star Dou Ancestor, there was no way three peak Dou Emperors working together could hold him back. The duo's success was primarily due to their twin synergy, which allowed them to rival a Dou Ancestor.

"This is bad!"

Separated forcibly, the twins' hearts sank. They instinctively tried to regroup, but Giant Spirit didn't give them the chance. He quickly dispatched Han Feng before charging at the closer Silver Elder.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, high in the sky, a mysterious figure cloaked in black was intercepted by Xiao Feng.

"Since you're already here, why leave in such a hurry?" Xiao Feng, his body crackling with arcs of lightning, smirked playfully. "Why not come back with me to the Supreme Alliance as a guest? Let me properly fulfill my duty as host."

"Kekekeke..."

The black-robed figure let out an eerie laugh, replying with a faint smile, "I appreciate your kindness, Alliance Leader Xiao. But I have urgent matters to attend to today. Perhaps another time."

What bad luck! he thought. I only came to this auction hoping to capture a few quality soul bodies. Who would have thought I'd run into this mess?

And who could've imagined that Old Ground Demon Ghost, a notorious figure in the Black-Corner Region, would meet his end at the hands of this young brat? To think there wasn't even a whisper of this beforehand!

What's this kid's background? How could a mere three-star Dou Emperor manage to kill a seven-star Dou Ancestor like Old Ground Demon Ghost? Even I wouldn't have absolute confidence in defeating Demon Ghost. Best not to provoke this one further.

"Rip!"

Just as the black-robed man shifted to leave, Xiao Feng used Three Thousand Lightning Movement to block his path once again.

"What's the meaning of this, Alliance Leader Xiao? Do you intend to detain me by force?" The man suppressed his anger and continued, "You're clearly from a prestigious Central Plains clan. Surely you wouldn't want to make an enemy of the Soul Palace."

Damn it! he cursed inwardly. Could this kid be planning to silence me? No one else even knows I'm here. If I die, there won't even be anyone to collect my body.

Hearing the man's unintentional self-revelation, Xiao Feng's face twisted into a devilish grin.

"Soul Palace, huh? So what? I'll beat down any of your lackeys!"

With that, Xiao Feng summoned the Earth Demon Puppet.

After enduring over a month of heavenly lightning refinement, the puppet's once-human-grade form had turned silver-white, elevating it to earth-grade and granting it strength equivalent to a peak Dou Ancestor.

"Kill him!"

The Earth Demon Puppet transformed into a blur, appearing before the black-robed figure in an instant. Its palms struck out with Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

The fierce, open-palm technique, renowned for its raw power, perfectly suited the puppet's brutal combat style.

"Roar, roar, roar!"

Golden dragon shadows erupted from its palms, swarming toward the black-robed man like a torrential storm. Though Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms was a mid-tier profound fighting skill, in the puppet's hands, it displayed power rivaling earth-tier techniques.

The black-robed man, a seven-star Dou Ancestor adept in soul-based combat, found himself completely restrained. While his techniques could easily suppress most Dou Ancestors, they were utterly ineffective against the puppet, which was immune to soul attacks—his natural nemesis.

(End of Chapter)

Advance 100 Chapters are up on my Patreon!

pat reon.com/ReidAstrea