Chapter 400: Battle at the Branch Hall

As they looked at the distant building, the expression in the eyes of the people behind Xiao Ming turned grave. The upcoming battle wouldn't be easy.

"The space here has a spatial barrier..." Elder Shangguan noticed some distortion in the empty space not far away.

"We don't need to worry about being discovered here. Follow the plan and take action!" Xiao Ming's eyes filled with a cold fierceness. After speaking, a sharp aura slowly emanated from his body, and he took the first step into the spatial barrier.

...

In front of the black giant hall at the bottom of the mountain, there was a square. On some of the pillars in the square, faint black figures could be seen sitting cross-legged. These figures were shrouded in black fog, emitting a sinister aura as the fog swirled around them.

Crack!

Suddenly, a cracking sound echoed.

"Hmm?"

The figures on the pillars raised their heads one by one, their faces filled with astonishment as they looked at the figure in the sky.

One person reacted first, and his eyes were filled with shock. He quickly stood up and shouted loudly, "Be careful, we're under attack!"

"Sound the alarm!"

A shadow spoke in a deep voice, followed by a sharp sonic wave emanating from its mouth, swiftly entering the enormous hall that resembled a primordial beast.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just as the warning sound was heard, numerous black figures rushed out from the hall, their faces changing as they looked at the figure in the sky.

"Who dares to intrude upon our Hall of Souls? You..." A person with seemingly high status among the black-clad figures floated in the sky, furrowing his brows as he sternly shouted at the figure.

Bang!

Before he could finish his words, the space around him suddenly distorted, violently collapsing inward, forming an invisible palm print that crushed him into a bloody mess!

In an instant, the person transformed from a human into a blurry mass of flesh. The Hall of Souls' Protectors beside him took a moment to regain their senses.

"Quick, go find the Honorable Elders!"

Immediately, terror surged up, and their piercing screams echoed outside the enormous hall.

Sizzle!

As the desperate cries subsided, a deluge of lightning swiftly descended from the sky, piercing through the four Hall of Souls' Protectors.

Bang!

The spatial sky distorted slightly as the lightning struck. More than a dozen figures slowly appeared in the sky, right in front of the horrified gazes of the numerous powerful members of the Hall of Souls.

Boom!

Except for Xiao Ming, the four Dou Venerate powerhouses simultaneously erupted with an imposing aura that caused the square to tremble. The powerful pressure spread from the sky, causing the faces of some Protectors to change drastically.

"Hahaha, you scoundrels of the Hall of Souls, prepare to die!"

A burst of laughter resounded in the sky, followed by several powerful gusts of wind sweeping down from above. These gusts directly slammed the dozen or so powerful members of the Hall of Souls into the ground. The tremendous force instantly crushed them into nothingness.

"Hahaha, kill!" Figures descended from the sky like wolves entering a flock of sheep.

Even the formerly domineering Protectors, faced with this ferocious group, could only retreat in a panic. They never expected someone to be audacious enough to actively attack their own hall!

"Dare to cause trouble in our Hall of Souls? You seek death?!" The continuous screams of agony echoing in the valley finally caught the attention of the Honorable Elders within the hall. An angry roar immediately resounded, followed by seven figures bursting out from the enormous hall, exuding a murderous aura. Their gazes swept across the area until they fixed on Xiao Ming, who had yet to make a move.

"Xiao Ming? So, the Pill Tower dares to come to our Hall of Souls to snatch people? You must really have a death wish," said one of the black-clothed individuals in a sinister tone.

Looking at the seven figures, Xiao Ming tilted his head. He hadn't seen these people before, but they must have seen his portrait. It seemed that his reputation in the Hall of Souls wasn't insignificant.

Xiao Ming sneered and chose not to pay them any attention. Instead, his figure flashed and appeared in mid-air. With a movement of his hand, the Fallen Heart Flame separated from the White Glazed Heart Flame and floated in front of him.

Closing his eyes slightly and spreading his palms, Xiao Ming's mind moved. The Fallen Heart Flame in front of him immediately trembled, and then powerful invisible fluctuations, like ripples, spread out in a circular pattern.

The invisible fluctuations rapidly spread, and in the blink of an eye, they made contact with the Protectors.

Soon, a series of agonizing screams erupted, causing chaos among the Protectors who had just regained order due to the appearance of the Honorable Elders. Some of the Protectors' bodies began to emit white smoke.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Another wave of invisible fluctuations spread, and suddenly bursts of flames erupted from within the Protectors. The flames self-ignited, transforming into fireballs that wildly shot around. After a moment, the Protectors collapsed and fell to the ground, turning into ashes.

Among the Protectors, there were indeed some with formidable strength who could barely withstand the impact of the Heart Flame. However, Protectors with such strength were only a minority, few and far between.

As they watched Xiao Ming annihilate the Protectors in the blink of an eye, the seven Honorable Elders couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their eyes.

"Truly seeking death!"

The seven Honorable Elders in the sky immediately let out a cold shout. One of them directly released a majestic black fog, resembling a black serpent, soaring through the sky as it pounced towards Xiao Ming.

"Hahaha, let me have a few moves with you first!" said Shangguan Cuo, who had retreated to Xiao Ming's side after he dealt with the Protectors. With a clenched fist and a surge of flames, a fiery red giant hand emerged, forcefully shattering the formidable black mist. Then, he rushed forward to engage in a fierce battle with him.

"Hmph, I've long been annoyed by these Hall of Souls fellows who are neither human nor ghost!"

"Come and fight!"

Similarly, Fu Hai and the other three Dou Venerates, who had also retreated to Xiao Ming's side, rushed forward to divert the attention of three Honorable Elders. Although two more of them appeared than the intelligence suggested, they remained undaunted because they had Xiao Ming on their side. That was their confidence.

Giving a casual glance at the remaining three Honorable Elders, Xiao Ming said to the Pill Tower's Elders, "You guys go inside and search for the soul bodies of our alchemists. Leave these people to me."

"Understood."

The elders nodded and, with a swift movement, headed towards the enormous hall.

"How dare you!"

Seeing that Xiao Ming disregarded them, the three Honorable Elders sneered and quickly descended. One of them separated and carried a fierce killing intent, intending to deal with the Pill Tower Elders.

"You better stay put and face me!" Suddenly, a voice sounded beside him, and Xiao Ming's figure appeared next to him like a ghost. Startled, the Honorable Elder's sleeves billowed, and sinister black fog swirled around his palm as he swiftly struck towards Xiao Ming's chest.

"Heh!"

Xiao Ming let out a light laugh as his right palm seemingly lightly collided with the attack.

Bang!

The two forces clashed, and a terrifying gust of wind swept out, causing nearby massive stone pillars to crack and fissure.

Dang dang!

Despite mobilizing his Dou Qi to the extreme, the Venerable Elder still stumbled backward for about thirty steps before finally stabilizing himself. He then spewed a mouthful of blood.

"So strong!"