60: Hibernation and Assassination in the Mountains of the Dead

Xiao Chen spent several days recuperating in the desolate mountains, barely suppressing his injuries with the help of medicinal pills and his Spirit Realm Great Perfection soul power. He knew that the Soul Hall would never let the matter rest and that he had to leave the Corpse Burial Mountain Range area as soon as possible. Based on the intelligence provided by the Pill Tower and the Central Plains' strategic map, he chose the Illusory Prison as his temporary hiding place. It was several regions away from the Corpse Burial Mountain Range, more chaotic, and had deeply entrenched Soul Hall forces.

The Illusory Prison, as its name suggested, was a notorious dangerous place in the Central Plains. Legend had it that it was the site of a massive ancient battlefield. The mountain range was shrouded in an eternal, sinister aura, giving rise to countless eerie undead creatures and fierce bandits. Order had collapsed here, and it was a place where the strong preyed on the weak. Even the Soul Hall's control here was relatively limited, making it suitable for hiding.

Xiao Chen changed his appearance, concealed all his aura, and blended into a mercenary team heading for a market town on the edge of the Illusory Prison, discreetly entering this chaotic land. He did not venture into the dangerous core areas of the mountain range but instead settled temporarily in a remote black market stronghold on the outskirts, which was converted from an abandoned mine.

This place was a melting pot of various characters, and information flowed freely. Using his soul perception, Xiao Chen quickly ascertained the general situation of the stronghold: it was maintained by a fragile balance between several local minor forces, where even a Dou Huang could dominate a region. He rented an inconspicuous stone house and began to live a secluded life, fully healing his injuries and consolidating his cultivation, while cautiously gathering information about the outside world and clues about the ancestral axe token through black market channels.

During this period, he secretly sold a few self-refined, high-quality healing pills using his superb soul power, exchanging them for enough living resources and some intelligence about the interior of the Illusory Prison, without attracting too much attention.

However, the peaceful days did not last long. About half a month later, a shocking piece of news quietly spread through the black market: the Soul Hall had issued a bloody pursuit order, offering astronomical resources and high-level Soul Hall cultivation techniques as a reward for capturing or killing a young man named 'Xiao Chen,' who was rumored to have a unique soul and the bloodline of the Xiao Clan remnants! At the same time, the Soul Hall dispatched a large number of Soul Emissaries and Venerable Elders into the Illusory Prison area for a carpet search!

Xiao Chen's heart tensed, knowing that his whereabouts might have been exposed, or at least the Soul Hall had judged that he was very likely hiding here. He immediately became more cautious, almost never going out, and began to set up concealment and warning soul formations around his stone house.

As expected, three nights later, as Xiao Chen was comprehending a faint spatial fluctuation contained within the ancestral axe token, his soul warning formation was triggered! Three ghostly black figures silently penetrated the stone wall and appeared inside the house! All of them were from the Soul Hall: two Five-Star Dou Zong level Soul Emissaries and one One-Star Dou Zun level Venerable Elder! They had clearly located Xiao Chen's general position through some secret technique.

"Xiao Chen, surrender! This Illusory Prison will be your burial ground!" The Soul Hall Venerable Elder gave a sinister smile and immediately attacked, a black chain entwined with countless resentful souls shooting towards Xiao Chen like a venomous snake! The other two Soul Emissaries also launched their attacks simultaneously, soul shrieks and corrosive black mist sealing off all of Xiao Chen's escape routes!

Facing the encirclement of one Dou Zun (Battle Venerable) and two high-level Dou Zong, the still-injured Xiao Chen was instantly in a desperate situation! He gritted his teeth, and his Spirit Realm Great Perfection peak soul power erupted completely!

"Soul Emperor Bell!"

The ancient giant bell's phantom reappeared, directly taking the Venerable Elder's chain strike. The bell's phantom vibrated violently, and Xiao Chen's throat sweetened, almost spitting blood. At the same time, he unleashed "Illusory Prison" to try and interfere with the two Soul Emissaries, but they were clearly prepared, and their soul defenses were not weak, greatly reducing the illusion's effectiveness!

"Stubborn resistance!" The Venerable Elder snorted coldly, his offensive becoming fiercer. The chain split into thousands, tightly entangling the Soul Emperor Bell, constantly contracting and squeezing it! The attacks of the two Soul Emissaries also broke through the illusion and slammed towards Xiao Chen's body!

In this critical moment, a resolute glint flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes! He no longer held back, activating the Xiao Clan clan mark that had just solidified between his eyebrows! At the same time, the initially formed Natal Soul Imprint in his sea of consciousness vibrated violently, triggering a faint Origin Qi resonance deep within his bloodline!

"ancestral axe token, help me!"

He poured all his strength into the ancestral axe token in his hand! The token erupted with an unprecedented golden light, and a golden axe aura, condensed like substance and containing a hint of world-creating will, appeared out of thin air, sweeping out with a terrifying aura that could sever souls!

"What?! This is... the Xiao Clan Battle Axe Will?!" The Soul Hall Venerable Elder's face changed dramatically. Feeling a fatal threat, he retreated frantically!

Swoosh!

Where the golden axe aura passed, the defenses of the two Soul Emissaries shattered like paper. Their souls were severed before they could even scream! Although the Venerable Elder avoided a direct hit, one of his arms, along with part of his soul, was grazed by the axe aura, instantly turning into nothingness, suffering heavy injuries!

"Ah! Little bastard! You..." The Venerable Elder was both shocked and enraged, but seeing the ancestral axe token in Xiao Chen's hand glow golden again, and the majestic clan mark on his forehead, he was terrified! Severely injured, he dared not fight anymore and fled, transforming into a black mist!

After that one strike, Xiao Chen was also almost exhausted, and the ancestral axe token's light dimmed. He forced himself to collect the spoils of war, quickly erased his tracks, and fled the stronghold.

After this battle, Xiao Chen knew that the Illusory Prison was no longer a safe place to stay. The Soul Hall's search would become even more thorough. He needed a place where the Soul Hall's influence was relatively weak, yet chaotic enough to hide his identity, and where he could have the opportunity to acquire further resources and intelligence.

He thought of the edge of the Pill Domain. The Pill Domain was the core area of the Pill Tower's influence, where the Soul Hall dared not act too brazenly in the open. The border areas of the Pill Domain were also a mixed bag, with many gray areas and black markets not fully controlled by the Pill Tower. Perhaps he could find a safe hiding place there, and even have a chance to contact the Pill Tower.

Having made up his mind, Xiao Chen once again embarked on his journey, stealthily heading towards the Pill Domain. The ancestral axe token in his hand, after this activation, seemed to have an even closer connection to his bloodline, vaguely pointing in a distant direction... perhaps that was where the next token fragment was located.