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"Who dares to say I'm their mount!"
Ziyan's delicate, adorable face was filled with fury. For the first time, killing intent flashed in her big eyes. Being bullied—she could endure that and planned to get back at them once she grew stronger. But being used as a mount? That was unforgivable!
Suddenly, thick, eerie black mist rose in great waves. Amidst the swirling fog came a sinister, cackling laughter, echoing across the sky like the cawing of crows. The mist contracted and fluctuated, eventually condensing into a figure cloaked in deep black smoke. From the darkness, a pair of faintly blood-red eyes glowed.
"Heh heh heh, little girl, you've got quite a temper. Even if your innate gift lets you cross space at the peak Dou Wang realm, you can't possibly escape this Protector's grasp."
"A Dou Zong far stronger than the old man—better get out of here fast."
Ziyan quickly crossed space, darting at top speed toward Canaan Academy's location. Her face showed no panic. Whether in the Beast Mountains or at the Academy, no one had ever caught her alive so far.
"You are indeed capable, little girl, but with your current cultivation, how could you possibly escape Protector Xuan's hand?"
Protector Xuan chuckled darkly, unleashing the power of a Seven-Star Dou Zong with every gesture. With a wave of his hand, he took control of the space within a thousand meters.
"Space lockdown!"
Under his spatial control, Ziyan could still move but her speed was greatly reduced. Protector Xuan pursued her like a cat chasing a mouse.
He moved his palm, and from it extended a pitch-black chain that clinked as it uncoiled. The chain was connected to a sharp scythe of moderate size.
The black chain trembled slightly before Protector Xuan let out a sinister laugh and flicked his arm. The chain sliced through the air like a black streak, thrusting violently toward Ziyan.
"Shhhk!"
The sound of tearing fabric rang out. A bloody scratch appeared on Ziyan's smooth white arm. She hurriedly rolled up her right sleeve, revealing a black mark left by Qian Renhan. She injected Dou Qi into the mark, sending a message: "Senior, save me!"
In a mountain near Canaan Academy, Qian Renhan swallowed the pills he had just refined from the looted medicinal herbs, letting them dissolve and fuse in his body. A tremendous surge of Dou Qi rose within him, and moments later, the energy settled. His cultivation officially reached the Eight-Star Dou Zun realm.
Suddenly, Qian Renhan spoke aloud, "Come out."
At his command, an elderly man in black robes appeared. His white hair and beard framed cold, sharp eyes like blades. He bowed slightly to Qian Renhan, saying, "Greetings, Senior. I am Su Qian, Senior Elder of Canaan Academy."
"On behalf of Canaan Academy, I thank you for the medicinal herbs you provided freely."
Su Qian's cold eyes regarded Qian Renhan with respect. The aura Qian Renhan released after his breakthrough far surpassed that of the hundred-plus elders; none of them could even approach him. The elders were at the peak of Dou Zong, and only those as strong as the Academy Director—a Dou Zun—could rival him.
Qian Renhan shook his head lightly, "I just don't want to lose a reliable errand girl. Those herbs don't do much for me anyway. This mountain range belongs to your Academy—I'm just an outsider."
Seeing that this senior who had slain the Blood Sect and easily defeated Yi Chen wasn't so difficult to get along with, Su Qian's tone softened. He smiled, "As long as you are pleased. Thank you for taking care of Ziyan lately."
At that moment, Qian Renhan's eyes lit up. The mark he left on Ziyan's arm was reacting—she was in trouble, which meant reinforcements had arrived!
Su Qian was startled as well. "Such clear and vibrant eyes... This must be the vitality only young, ambitious students of Canaan Academy possess."
Elsewhere, Ziyan was wrapped tightly in black chains, her body bloodied and held in Protector Xuan's hand.
Protector Xuan spoke mockingly, "Heh heh heh, I told you to behave, but you insisted on suffering. Seeing this, even I feel a bit sorry for you."
Ziyan shouted angrily, "Bastard! You treat me like this, but Senior and Elder Su will avenge me!"
"Senior? Ha! Who in the entire Dou Qi Continent dares interfere with the Soul Hall's affairs? Little girl, your imagination is truly wild."
The Soul Hall's influence stretched across the continent. Protector Xuan carried Ziyan, flying toward the Soul Hall branch established in the Black Horn Domain. This area had one of the highest mortality rates on the continent—of course, the Soul Hall would have a branch here, collecting souls.
Although this was only the lowest-tier Soul Hall, its strongest cultivators barely reached the Dou Zong level. Yet, in the Black Horn Domain, this was more than enough to capture souls.
"Little girl, if you obediently become this Protector's mount, he might even raise you until you mature," Protector Xuan sneered.
"Dream on! Even if I die, I'll never be your mount!" Ziyan bit fiercely at Protector Xuan's ear.
"That's not your choice. If you don't cooperate, the Soul Hall has plenty of ways to deal with you," Protector Xuan chuckled darkly. "You just sent a message to your so-called senior, didn't you? Well, I'll be waiting here in the Soul Hall to kill him in front of your eyes—shatter your last hope."
Protector Xuan dragged Ziyan to a dark clearing. He formed several hand seals, and the calm space before them rippled like water. The ripples formed a spatial barrier enclosing a massive black hall, dozens of zhang wide, crouching like a prehistoric beast. From within the shadowy structure emanated a bone-chilling, terrifying aura.
Its grandeur dwarfed even Canaan Academy's Tianfen Qi Refining Tower by an unimaginable scale.
The moment Ziyan entered, her pupils constricted sharply—because the gatekeeper of this giant hall was a Dou Wang-level powerhouse. A Dou Wang guarding the gate—just how terrifying was this organization?
These were the Soul Envoys, the lowest-ranking soldiers of the Soul Hall, commonly called cannon fodder.
To the Soul Hall, if you didn't at least have Dou Wang strength, you weren't even qualified to be their cannon fodder.
Protector Xuan chuckled, "So, little girl, scared of our Soul Hall's power now?"
Looking at all this, even Ziyan, confident enough to slap away a six-rank magical beast like Qian Renhan, was silently praying that he wouldn't come after her. Twice now, misunderstandings had pushed Qian Renhan into the position just below Su Qian in her respect.
After a while, Qian Renhan tracked the aura left on Ziyan's body and arrived at the clearing.
"The aura disappears here. This clearing feels unreal."
Focusing his spirit power, Qian Renhan discovered a massive formation covering a thousand-meter radius. A smirk crossed his lips as black Dou Qi surged out, corroding the array. To him, the giant hall rivaled the Shura Shrine in scale and power.
In front of the hall's plaza, several bursts of Dou Qi from Dou Wang to Dou Huang level exploded.
"Those who trespass on the Soul Hall—kill without mercy!"
"Soul Hall?" Qian Renhan's eyes flashed cold. "You're exactly who I'm looking for."
(End of chapter)