46: The Soul Palace Protector has appeared? Perfect, I just need a new accessory.

Yunlan Sect, peak of the main mountain.

Above the ruins, it was deathly silent.

Yun Shan was disheveled, covered in blood, and slumped on the ground like a dead dog. A huge bloody hole in his chest was still bubbling with blood.

He had been defeated.

Defeated thoroughly.

His proud cultivation as a Dou Wang was as fragile as paper before that youth's strange heavy ruler.

"Why..."

"Why could a Trash be this strong..."

Yun Shan's eyes were filled with unwillingness and resentment. He was not afraid of death, but he feared that the century-old foundation of the Yunlan Sect would be destroyed.

"No!"

"I haven't lost yet!"

A flash of madness crossed Yun Shan's eyes. His hand trembled as he took out a jet-black Jade Slip from his robe.

This was his final trump card.

It was the true backing that allowed the Yunlan Sect to stand tall in the Eastern Wasteland!

"Xiao Chen... Li Daoxuan..."

Yun Shan grinned, his voice hoarse like a night owl.

"Do you think this is the end?"

"Today, this old man will show you what true despair is!"

"Crack!"

A crisp sound.

With his last bit of strength, he crushed the Jade Slip in his hand.

"Hum—"

A black mist, cold to the extreme, erupted from the broken Jade Slip like a burst dam!

The black mist was filled with ominousness and evil. Wherever it passed, even light was devoured, and the grass and trees withered instantly.

The originally clear sky suddenly darkened at this moment, with gloomy winds howling and ghosts wailing.

"Jie jie jie jie..."

A teeth-grinding, strange laughter echoed between heaven and earth.

"Yun Shan, you really are a piece of Trash."

"You couldn't even handle a mere brat, and now you need this Protector to personally step in."

The black mist churned, slowly condensing into a vague human shape in mid-air.

It was a figure entirely shrouded in a black robe. Its face could not be seen, only two scarlet points of light flickering under the hood, like ghost fires from Hell.

Even more heart-palpitating were the countless pitch-black chains wrapped around its body, each chain binding a Soul that wailed in pain.

"Soul... Soul Hall?!"

Among the various forces watching the battle below, some well-informed Elders recognized this iconic attire and were so scared that they collapsed on the spot.

"Heavens! The Yunlan Sect actually colludes with an evil organization like the Soul Hall!"

Xiao Chen gripped the heavy ruler in his hand, his expression grave.

He could feel that the aura emitted by the black-robed figure before him was ten times more terrifying than Yun Shan's just now!

It was a cold power specifically targeting the Soul.

"Protector Wu... save me..."

Seeing the newcomer, hope ignited in Yun Shan's eyes.

"Shut up, Trash."

The black-robed figure, known as "Protector Wu", didn't even bother to look at Yun Shan.

His gaze, like a venomous snake, locked firmly onto Xiao Chen.

Those two scarlet points of light were filled with greed and ecstasy.

"Jie jie jie... What a powerful Soul!"

"So pure, so vast! It is simply a top-grade Material tailor-made for our Soul Hall!"

"Brat, this Protector will accept your Soul!"

Protector Wu let out a strange laugh and waved his arm.

"Clatter!"

Several pitch-black chains shot out like snakes, carrying a shrill whistling sound as they headed straight for Xiao Chen's crown!

These chains were called "Soul-Binding Chains", which ignored Physical Body defenses and specifically locked the Divine Soul!

...

A thousand miles away, Hidden God Sect.

Li Daoxuan was sitting with his legs crossed in front of a "Mystic Light Mirror" formed by water vapor.

Inside the mirror, the "battle scene" at the Yunlan Sect was being broadcast in real-time.

Beside him, Shi Tian and Leng Yanran were also nervously watching the battle.

"Revered Master, Senior Brother seems to be in trouble!"

Shi Tian pointed at the black mass in the mirror, looking disgusted.

"What is that black thing? It doesn't look tasty."

Leng Yanran frowned: "Soul Hall... I didn't expect them to have a branch in a small place like the Eastern Wasteland. Revered Master, Senior Brother might be in danger."

"Danger?"

Li Daoxuan curled his lips and casually picked up a grape and threw it into his mouth.

"What's the panic."

"Your Senior Brother has a life-saving talisman I gave him in his pocket; he won't die."

"I just want to see what this so-called Soul Hall is all about."

His gaze fell on the clawing Protector Wu in the mirror, and his eyes suddenly became somewhat... strange.

"Oh?"

Li Daoxuan seemed to have discovered a novel toy, his body leaning forward slightly.

"This black thing... it doesn't seem to be a physical entity, it's a Soul body?"

"Interesting."

He rubbed his chin, flipped his wrist, and a small banner that was pitch-black all over and hung with a few tattered cloth strips (actually wronged Souls) appeared in his hand.

【Soul-Summoning Banner (Semi-finished)】

This was a trophy he had seized when he wiped out a certain evil cultivator before, and it had been gathering dust in the System space.

Li Daoxuan shook the banner in his hand and looked at Protector Wu, who was crazily putting on airs in the mirror.

A bold idea popped into his head.

"This banner looks quite powerful, but the few Souls hanging on it are too weak, lowering the overall coolness."

"If I could catch a more powerful main Soul to use as a pendant..."

His gaze fell on Protector Wu again.

That look was as if he had seen a limited-edition, out-of-print figurine.

"Hmm... this one is not bad."

"The strength is strong enough, and the appearance is fierce enough. Hanging it on the banner, how imposing it would be."

Li Daoxuan nodded with satisfaction and casually turned off the Mystic Light Mirror.

"Alright, stop watching."

"The broadcast is over, time to go collect the delivery."

...

Above the Yunlan Sect.

Protector Wu was enjoying the pleasure of his prey trembling under his pressure.

"Jie jie jie! Brat, stop struggling!"

"Before my Soul-Binding Chains, your meager cultivation is just a joke!"

"Obediently let me extract your Soul and refine it, and become a notch on my merit list!"

He spread his arms, and the black mist behind him churned, as if it wanted to turn the entire sky into a ghost realm.

However.

Just at the moment he was enjoying his posturing the most.

"Rip—"

A harsh sound like fabric being torn suddenly resounded above the Nine Heavens.

Protector Wu was stunned and subconsciously looked up.

He saw that the cloudless, clear sky had, without warning, split open a pitch-black gap.

The gap grew larger and larger.

Following that.

A hand.

An indescribable, sky-covering golden hand slowly reached out from that pitch-black crack!

That hand was too big.

So big that it seemed to be able to hold the entire Yunlan Mountain range in its palm.

It hung there in the firmament, five fingers spread, and the shadow it cast covered the sun.

A supreme pressure, ten thousand times more terrifying than the Third Elder from before, and even surpassing the Laws of this realm, descended with a boom!

"Gulp."

Protector Wu swallowed hard.

His arrogant, strange laughter stopped abruptly, like a duck whose neck had been strangled.

He could feel that his proud Soul Power, in front of this golden hand, was like a firefly before the bright moon; it was simply not in the same dimension.

"This... what is this..."

Before he could react.

That golden hand moved.

It moved at a speed that seemed slow but actually ignored spatial distance, and towards Protector Wu, it gently...

"Grabbed."

As casually as catching a fly.

"No!!!"

Protector Wu let out a heart-rending scream, black mist exploding all over his body, countless Soul-Binding Chains dancing crazily, trying to resist.

But, it was useless.

All resistance, in front of that golden hand, was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

The hand closed.

Protector Wu's arrogant figure, along with all his Divine Ability and Magic Treasure, were easily pinched in the palm.

Like catching a little chick.

The whole scene was deathly silent.

Everyone stared blankly at the golden hand spanning heaven and earth.

And at Protector Wu, who was pinched in the hand, struggling crazily like a dead dog.

"This... this... this..."

Protector Wu felt that his Soul body was about to be crushed, and those two scarlet ghost fires were filled with endless fear and absurdity.

He used his last bit of strength to let out an incredulous, trembling voice:

"Dou... Dou Zun expert?!"

(*Note: Dou Zun in this worldview corresponds to Soul Transformation/Void Refining realm*)

"No... no! This pressure..."

"It's a Dou Sheng!!!"