Chapter 419: Deputy Chief of the Hall of Souls
Xuan Kong Zi and the others should have already detected the Hall of Souls' activities, though the precise timing remained uncertain. Nevertheless, given their heightened vigilance, Xiao Ming found little to contribute. He, too, did not have access to significantly more information than the others.
At most, when the Hall of Souls arrived, he was prepared to go all out. With his Late Heaven Realm soul power coupled with the Intermediate Tian Soul Skill, even a low-star Dou Saint would serve merely as a testing ground for him.
After bidding farewell to Qiu Ling, Xiao Ming promptly returned to his residence. With a few additional days at hand, he was looking forward to spending quality time with his partners.
Over the next two days, Xiao Ming seldom engaged in cultivation, preferring to enjoy leisurely moments. In a flurry of activity, the days merged into one another.
During that time, he thoroughly enjoyed touring Holy Pill City with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin by his side, wandering through its streets, pausing at famous spots, eating delicious meals, and even going on shopping sprees.
The fact that Xiao Ming made time for them made Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin extremely happy. They had been anticipating this for quite some time. Despite the fact that they had spent a lot of time with him, they were rarely able to share bonding time like this.
In addition to spending time with both girls, Xiao Ming spent some time mentoring Ye Xin Lan in her alchemy skills.
And so, these two days swept by in the blink of an eye.
...
Xiao Mansion, Courtyard.
The courtyard blossomed with a colorful array of flowers, gently swaying in the breeze. A delicate floral fragrance wafted through the air, creating a refreshing and delightful atmosphere.
At the center of the courtyard stood a small pavilion.
Inside the pavilion, beside a stone table, Xiao Ming held both girls in his arms as they shared hushed whispers. The girls leaned comfortably against his chest, occasionally showering affectionate kisses upon his upper body.
Laughter and conversation flowed freely, weaving a cocoon of warmth around the trio.
Xiao Ming's fingers traced the strands of Xiao Yi Xian's hair as they listened to Qing Lin's words. Just as he was about to chime in, a violent tremor suddenly rippled through the entire pavilion. Immediately after, a cold and domineering voice filled with murderous intent resounded through the sky.
"Hmph! Who dares to stir trouble within our Pill Tower!"
Rumble!
The powerful shout reverberated, causing Xiao Ming's expression to change. He gently released the girls from his embrace and stood up, his gaze deep as he looked towards the outside of the pavilion.
'The Hall of Souls... Have they finally made their move?'
...
In Holy Pill City, individuals emerged from their residences, their expressions a mix of surprise and uncertainty as they directed their gazes towards the distant sky.
Due to the immense size of Holy Pill City, most of them couldn't clearly see what was happening, but they could faintly sense that someone was causing trouble for the Pill Tower today.
Within the central square of the Pill Tower Headquarters…
Many powerful Pill Tower experts had already gathered, their expressions solemn as they gazed at the sky.
With their strength, they could see that the area outside Holy Pill City was engulfed by thick and overwhelming black fog.
Not far from the city's periphery, numerous figures stood poised upon the darkened haze, their eerie stares fixed intently on the city below.
"The people from the Hall of Souls have arrived..."
Venerable Fu Hai, who had previously acted alongside Xiao Ming, furrowed his brow and spoke in a deep voice.
"There are many formidable auras. It seems that the Hall of Souls truly intends to teach us a lesson this time. They are not holding back," Qiu Ling said, his face displaying a hint of gravity.
"Teach us a lesson? Are they even qualified?" Shangguan Cou's face was full of disdain. The Pill Tower experts were not to be trifled with.
"Since the Hall of Souls dares to come, we must not take it lightly."
As the voice resounded, the space in front of them began to twist and distort. Soon after, the Three Giants of the Pill Tower stepped forward with an imposing presence. Their eyes were filled with a chilling aura, exuding an air of majesty.
Upon seeing Xuan Kong Zi appear, Qiu Ling quickly bowed in salute.
Xuan Kong Zi nodded towards the crowd and suddenly noticed that one young figure was missing among the group of senior figures.
"Hmm? Xiao Ming is absent?"
The crowd exchanged glances, confirming that indeed, Xiao Ming was nowhere to be seen. However, no one thought that Xiao Ming was afraid or too timid to come.
After all, he had recently led an operation that razed a Hall of Souls branch. How could he possibly be afraid to come?
"He's probably gone to assist at the outskirts," someone conjectured.
Not everyone would gather in the square. Some had gone to intercept the Hall of Souls' experts.
The people gathered here were afraid of the Hall of Souls taking advantage of any openings, so they were waiting for Xuan Kong Zi to assign them their tasks.
There was no time for Xuan Kong Zi to ponder further. He nodded and intended to send the people to support the Pill Tower experts outside Holy Pill City.
Suddenly, everyone seemed to sense something. They all looked up, their gazes converging on the sky. Violent distortions appeared in the space, and a large black spatial channel slowly emerged in their field of view.
Thick black fog permeated from within the channel, and at the same time, an indifferent voice devoid of any emotion resounded through the square.
"Xuan Kong Zi, surrender the things you acquired from our Hall of Souls, and perhaps this hall chief shall spare the Pill Tower today."
Along with the cold voice echoing through the space, a large group of dark shadows surged through the crack in space. They transformed into streams of light and, in the blink of an eye, appeared in the sky above the square.
The final figure to appear was completely shrouded in black fog. Vaguely, two exceptionally eerie gazes shot out from within, sending chills down everyone's spines.
"By the way, hand over Xiao Ming to this hall chief as well."
The black fog undulated slowly, revealing an exceptionally pale face. Despite its youthful appearance, the face did not exude a sense of youthfulness. On the contrary, its tone of voice was incredibly sinister, making it clear that the person's true age was not as it seemed.
'This hall chief?' Xuan Kong Zi's pupils suddenly contracted when he saw the youthful face. It was evident that these people were indeed from the Hall of Souls, and those outside Holy Pill City were merely tools to distract the Pill Tower experts.
Moreover, this person called himself "hall chief." Could it be that he was that extremely mysterious hall chief of the Hall of Souls?
"Hall chief of the Hall of Souls?" Xuan Kong Zi questioned.
"Perhaps addressing me as deputy hall chief would be more appropriate," That black fog fluctuated slightly while a faint laugh was emitted.
"It seems that your courage as Deputy Chief is lacking. Since you dared to trespass into our Pill Tower, why not directly use your actual body? An illusory figure, isn't this a sign of cowardice?" Xuan Yi, standing beside Xuan Kong Zi, curled her lips into a cold smile.
Her heart was filled with resentment towards the Hall of Souls ever since Yao Chen died due to their schemes. Furthermore, she noticed the ethereal nature of the figure before her. It was clear that this human figure in the black fog was merely a shadow and not the actual body. Naturally, she took the opportunity to mock him.
"Jie jie. Someone who claims my courage falters… How amusing."
Hearing this, the deputy chief let out a strange laughter, though inwardly he felt somewhat annoyed.
In reality, it was true. Attacking the headquarters of the Pill Tower was acceptable as long as their strength did not greatly exceed what the Pill Tower could handle. If it truly surpassed the Pill Tower's capabilities, who knew if the Pill Tower Ancestor would suddenly emerge from some corner?
Moreover, their purpose in this operation was solely to teach the Pill Tower a lesson. With his three-star Dou Saint strength, there was no need for him to personally come forward. If it weren't for Xiao Ming, he wouldn't have even sent this illusory figure.
"First Tianzun, teach her a lesson."