159: Secret Attack on Soul Palace, Netherworld Blood Pool

Three days later, Soul Burial Mountain Range.

Yin winds howled, and death energy permeated the air. Deep within the mountain range, a colossal, towering, pitch-black palace, seemingly constructed from countless skeletons, loomed like a crouching beast, exuding an evil aura that sent shivers down one's soul. This was the main hall of the Soul Hall—the Netherworld Hall!

At this moment, on the outskirts of the Netherworld Hall, the vast, dark Soul Hall army stood ready, countless pillars of death energy shot into the sky, intertwining to form the Netherworld Erosion Heaven Array, covering an area of ten thousand li! Within the array, ghosts wailed and spirits howled, and resentful souls shrieked, making its defenses extremely formidable!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain range, the main force of the Anti-Alliance had already gathered! The Flame Emperor personally led the Yan Clan's Fire Dragon Army, the Dragon Emperor Projection commanded the Ancient Dragon Island's Dragon Guards, Xuan Kongzi oversaw the Pill Tower's Star Guards, and the elites from the Flower Sect, Sound Valley, and other forces were all present! Banners fluttered, and killing intent soared to the heavens! The vast Dou Qi fluctuations converged into a righteous aura, standing in equal opposition to the Soul Hall's death energy!

"The time has come! Attack!" Xuan Kongzi's command thundered, shaking the nine heavens!

"Kill—!!!"

The Anti-Alliance army, like a bursting flood, charged fearlessly towards the Netherworld Erosion Heaven Array! The Flame Emperor transformed into a colossal flame giant, unleashing a punch that incinerated the heavens and boiled the seas! The Dragon Emperor Projection's dragon claws tore through space, causing it to collapse! Xuan Kongzi's soul power materialized into a rain of star swords, covering the sky and earth! The Flower Sect's myriad flower Dou Qi manifested into an endless sea of flowers, and the Sound Valley's heavenly melodies transformed into soul-destroying sound waves!

"Rumble—!!!"

An unprecedentedly terrifying battle erupted instantly! The deafening clash of energy reverberated through heaven and earth, space shattered in swathes, and the Soul Burial Mountain Range trembled violently, as if the end of the world had arrived! The main force of the Anti-Alliance poured all their strength into launching the fiercest feint attack, desperately entangling the Soul Hall army and the Netherworld Erosion Heaven Array!

Just as the battle on the front lines raged fiercely, deep within the Netherworld Hall, at an extremely hidden spatial node, the void subtly twisted, and a small, transparent dragon boat, seemingly integrated with the void, quietly emerged. Aboard the dragon boat was the covert assault team led by Xiao Chen!

The team members were few, but all were elites among elites! Venerable Feng (early Seven-Star Dou Zun) was responsible for support and breaking formations; Flame Heart (early Five-Star Dou Zun, skilled in flame concealment), the princess of the Yan Clan; Ao Zhan (mid Six-Star Dou Zun, physically robust), the commander of the Ancient Dragon Island's Azure Dragon Guards; Flower Without Shadow (Peak Four-Star Dou Zun, a master of illusions), the chief disciple of the Flower Sect; the Wonderful Sound Emissary (Four-Star Dou Zun, sound wave detection) from the Sound Valley; and ten Star Guards from the Pill Tower (all above Peak Dou Zong)!

"According to the secret map provided by His Majesty the Dragon Emperor and the ancestor inheritance information, the Soul Hall's core area, the 'Netherworld Blood Pool,' is located deep within the 'Nine Nether Yellow Springs,' ten thousand zhang beneath the main hall. The entrance has three checkpoints: the Myriad Soul Corridor, the Bone Erosion River, and the Soul Extinguishing Bridge. Each checkpoint is heavily guarded and protected by powerful restrictions," Xiao Chen's gaze was sharp as he transmitted tasks via soul communication. "Our goal is to act swiftly and directly strike the Yellow Springs! Elder Feng, you and I will be responsible for the main attack and breaking the formation; Commander Ao Zhan will lead the frontal assault; Flame Heart, Wuying, and Wonderful Sound Emissary, you will be responsible for concealment, illusions, and reconnaissance, clearing out hidden sentinels; the Star Guards will form a defensive array to protect the flanks!"

"Understood!" Everyone responded in unison, their eyes resolute. They knew this journey was fraught with peril, but for the sake of the continent's common people, they would not hesitate!

"Depart!" Xiao Chen waved his sleeve, and a faint glow flashed from the Spatial Dragon Scale Talisman. The dragon boat instantly pierced through the spatial barrier, silently infiltrating the interior of the Netherworld Hall!

The passages within the hall were intricate and terrifyingly gloomy, with countless struggling and wailing soul light clusters embedded in the walls. The dense death energy and resentment were almost solidified, constantly eroding everyone's protective Dou Qi. If not for the team members' formidable strength and prior preparations, they would likely have been assimilated instantly.

"Turn left, third intersection, dive!" Xiao Chen's Great Perfection of the Heaven Realm soul perception was fully open, precisely avoiding patrolling Soul Hall guards and hidden detection restrictions, leading the team like phantoms through the labyrinthine passages.

Soon, a vast black corridor, formed by countless resentful souls, appeared ahead—the Myriad Soul Corridor! Within the corridor, countless Soul Hall Soul Emissaries (equivalent to Dou Zong) and Soul Venerables (Dou Zun) patrolled back and forth, and even a Soul Hall Protector whose aura reached Peak Seven-Star Dou Zun (Battle Venerable) was stationed there!

"Forcing our way through would cause too much commotion; we must resolve this silently," Xiao Chen's eyes turned cold, and he exchanged glances with Flower Without Shadow and the Wonderful Sound Emissary.

Flower Without Shadow formed hand seals, and the Myriad Flower Illusion Realm silently unfolded, enveloping a large area ahead. The patrolling Soul Emissaries' movements instantly slowed, and their eyes became dazed. The Wonderful Sound Emissary parted her crimson lips, and the Soul-Bewitching Heavenly Melody spread out as invisible ripples. The souls of those Soul Venerable-level guards vibrated, making them drowsy.

"Act!" Xiao Chen whispered, and he, Venerable Feng, and Ao Zhan shot out like three bolts of lightning!

"Star Annihilation Finger!" Xiao Chen pointed a finger, Power of Starlight condensed to its extreme at his fingertip, silently pointing towards the center of the Seven-Star Protector's brows! Venerable Feng's sword aura was like wind, and Ao Zhan's Dragon Fist, Splitting Sky, instantly annihilated dozens of surrounding Soul Emissaries and Soul Venerables!

Just as the Seven-Star Protector sensed something was amiss, Xiao Chen's finger wind had arrived! He turned pale with fright, wanting to resist, but found that the space around him had been completely sealed! The finger wind unimpeded, plunged into his glabella!

"Pfft!" The Seven-Star Protector's body stiffened, his soul instantly annihilated, and he slumped to the ground.

One strike to instantly kill a Peak Seven-Star Dou Zun (Battle Venerable)! Xiao Chen's current strength was terrifyingly immense!

The team quickly cleared the battlefield, erased all traces, and passed through the Myriad Soul Corridor.

Next was the Bone Erosion River, a large river formed by extremely corrosive Yellow Springs dead water, filled with soul-eroding poisonous mist, and countless ferocious skeletal beasts lurking at the bottom! Relying on the Spatial Dragon Boat's concealment and defense, everyone forcibly crossed the river. When attacked by skeletal beasts, Ao Zhan and the Star Guards defended head-on, while Xiao Chen and Venerable Feng cleared from a distance, crossing without incident.

The final checkpoint—the Soul Extinguishing Bridge! A single stone bridge spanning an endless abyss, its body covered with illusion arrays that confused the mind and soul-attacking Soul Extinguishing Lightning! On the other side of the bridge, two Soul Hall Elders at the early Eight-Star Dou Zun stage stood guard!

"This is the most difficult checkpoint! We must act swiftly!" Xiao Chen's expression was grave; he could feel the energy fluctuations emanating from the Netherworld Blood Pool on the other side of the bridge growing increasingly intense. Soul Heaven Emperor's ritual was likely at a critical juncture!

"I'll break the formation; you all hold back the Elders!" Xiao Chen's Great Perfection of the Heaven Realm soul power erupted, forcefully impacting the illusion array's nodes! At the same time, he formed hand seals, condensing the Heaven Opening Axe Intent, and split an axe towards the Soul Extinguishing Lightning net!

"Boom!" The illusion array vibrated violently, and a gap was torn in the lightning net!

"Charge!" Venerable Feng, Ao Zhan, and the others immediately rushed through the gap, engaging in fierce combat with the two Soul Hall Elders!

Xiao Chen exerted all his strength to break the formation, consuming a vast amount of soul power. But just as he was about to completely break through the illusion array, an unexpected change occurred!

"Om—!"

Above the entire Soul Extinguishing Bridge, space suddenly twisted and solidified! A terrifying figure, shrouded in endless death energy, seemingly merged with the entire Netherworld Hall, slowly emerged! His aura was so vast that it had reached Peak Nine-Star Dou Zun, and even... touched the threshold of a Dou Sheng (Battle Saint)!

"Soul Annihilation Life! The Vice Hall Master of the Soul Hall!" Xiao Chen's pupils contracted sharply! He hadn't expected the Soul Hall to be hiding such a powerful expert guarding its core!

"Xiao Chen... it really is you!" Soul Annihilation Life's voice was hoarse, filled with bone-deep killing intent. "Daring to infiltrate this place, you seek death!"

He extended a withered claw, and a Sky-Shrouding Nether Ghost Claw tore through space, carrying terrifying death energy that seemed to devour all life, grasping towards Xiao Chen! This claw's power had already surpassed Nine-Star Dou Zun (Battle Venerable), comparable to a Dou Sheng (Battle Saint)'s strike!

"Be careful!" Venerable Feng and the others exclaimed, wanting to rescue him but were desperately entangled by the two Elders!

Facing this deadly blow, Xiao Chen's eyes were icy cold! He knew he could no longer hold anything back!

"Source Qi Origin, burn! Chaos Reversion, Creation of Heaven and Earth! Ultimate Profound Meaning—Primeval Creation!"

He roared, completely igniting the wisp of Source Qi Origin within his body! At the same time, he perfectly fused the four supreme artistic conceptions of Star, Dragon-Phoenix, Yan Ancestor, and Chaos, along with the ancestor inheritance's Heaven Opening will, unleashing the most powerful axe strike!

This axe was no longer a beam of light, but a light of creation, as if born from chaos, distinguishing the clear from the turbid, and establishing order in the universe! Wherever the light passed, laws retreated, karma was severed, and all things returned to nothingness!

"What?! Source Qi Origin power?! Impossible!" Soul Annihilation Life let out a terrified shriek. The Nether Ghost Claw, under the illumination of the Heaven Opening Light, melted and collapsed instantly like ice and snow meeting the sun! The light's momentum remained undiminished, directly striking Soul Annihilation Life's true body!

"No—!!!" Soul Annihilation Life desperately burned his death energy, sacrificing several defensive supreme treasures, but in the face of the Heaven Opening Light, all defenses were rendered useless!

"Hiss—!"

The light swept past, and Soul Annihilation Life's body was split in two, his soul completely purified and annihilated along with it!

The Vice Hall Master of the Soul Hall, a Peak Nine-Star Dou Zun, had fallen!

The might of one axe was terrifying indeed! But Xiao Chen also paid a huge price; his Source Qi Origin was more than half depleted, his face was ashen, and his aura was unstable.

"Quickly!" He forced a breath, leading the team across the Soul Extinguishing Bridge!

Beyond the bridge was an enormous underground space! In the center of the space was a colossal blood pool, a thousand zhang in diameter, bottomless, and churning with viscous, crimson blood—the Netherworld Blood Pool! Within the blood pool, countless powerful souls and bloodline essences wailed and struggled, and a terrifying, evil, chaotic energy, as if it would devour everything, was rapidly converging! Above the blood pool, a blurry black shadow, exuding a suffocating pressure, was spreading its arms, greedily absorbing the blood pool's energy! It was Soul Heaven Emperor's ritual clone!

"Finally... we're here!" Xiao Chen's eyes burst with a determined light. "Stop him!"

The covert assault team had finally reached the final battlefield! The ultimate battle that would decide the fate of the continent was about to unfold by the Netherworld Blood Pool!