Chapter 476: Earth Hall

In the remote northeastern region of the Central Plains, a vast canyon stretched for thousands of meters, its depths seemingly bottomless. Eerie winds whispered through the air, and an impenetrable black fog shrouded the surroundings.

Descending along the cliffs, where the black fog was thickest, all signs of life disappeared, and no vegetation dared to grow. It was a desolate, lifeless realm, a forsaken land where even mercenaries who roamed far and wide would never venture in search of treasure.

However, as one descended deeper into the unfathomable abyss, one would eventually encounter a spatial barrier. Within this barrier lay a cluster of dark palaces, like colossal beasts lurking in the depths of the canyon.

In the black fog, these palaces appeared and disappeared like phantoms. Several figures in black robes emerged from the palaces at this moment, their presence breaking the eerie silence of the place.

All of them were clad in black robes and exuded formidable auras. Amidst the eerie winds, they murmured their discontent.

"... Damn it, why do they keep sending us out to capture souls every day? Are souls that easy to capture? We don't even get a day off!"

"... Calm down, at least the rewards are much richer now. We couldn't earn these rewards in the past, even if we worked three times as hard."

"The conflicts with the Heavenly Court have escalated recently. Many Protectors who went out haven't returned. Even the Venerable Elders have become scarce. We must be vigilant."

"..."

At that moment, a crack appeared in the canyon sky amidst the black fog, and two figures stepped out of it.

"Who are you!"

The black-robed individuals outside noticed the sudden arrival of the unfamiliar figures. The deep aura emanating from these newcomers sent shivers down their spines, but one of them still dared to call out sternly.

However, the two newcomers paid no attention to them. They continued to tread on the void, descending gracefully until they reached the cluster of palaces. The earlier call had caused more black-robed figures to emerge from the palaces.

An eight-star Dou Venerate, a Tianzun-level figure, stepped forward and raised his head to the sky. Even he couldn't help but feel a palpable sense of oppression from the mysterious black-robed figures.

"Who is Your Excellency? How dare you invade the territory of my Hall of Souls?"

"Ha, the Hall of Souls? This is exactly where we wanted to come. Why should we be afraid?"

Zi Yan glanced around the surrounding palaces with a hint of disdain in her tone.

"You!"

"Yellow Spring Finger!"

Xiao Ming couldn't be bothered to listen to any more of his nonsense. His white robes fluttered without a breeze, and a slender palm appeared beneath them. At first glance, the palm appeared fair and unblemished, but the next moment it was stained with countless traces of blood.

With a casual gesture, an immense amount of energy gathered and quickly condensed into a massive, deep yellow finger hundreds of meters in length. Although its surface appeared coarse, it exuded a faint aura of destruction. Viewed from afar, it resembled a colossal pillar standing tall between heaven and earth.

The aura of sanctity permeated the surroundings, enveloping the black-robed individuals like an icy cave, leaving no room for resistance. Their faces were contorted with horror, their eyes clouded with fear and despair.

"A Dou Saint-level powerhouse..."

Boom!

With another tap, the colossal Yellow Spring Finger descended from the sky with a deafening roar. The entire expanse of space crumbled at that moment, deep ravines ruptured all around, and the earth shook violently, resembling an earthquake.

Without even a chance to scream, whether they were Protectors, Venerable Elders, or even Tianzuns, they all turned into mere specks of dust in an instant under the might of this giant palm.

Then the giant finger continued its descent, crashing into the cluster of sinister palaces. The sturdy structures and unbreakable chains all crumbled and snapped in an instant. The whole place descended into utter destruction.

"You scoundrel! Who do you think you are, daring to provoke my Hall of Souls! Today, this hall chief will ensure you have no chance to return!"

As the palaces crumbled, several formidable auras surged forward. Among them were three Dou Saints, with the most powerful among them being a three-star Dou Saint who appeared as young as a teenager.

"Deputy Chief, it's been a while." Xiao Ming said with a smile.

"It's you, you little piece of trash! How dare you invade my territory to cause trouble?!"

The Deputy Chief of the Hall of Souls gritted his teeth at the sight of Xiao Ming, his eyes almost spitting fire. He vividly remembered the last time Xiao Ming had thrown one of his avatars into a pit latrine.

It was truly humiliating!

Now that he was face to face with his enemy, his hatred burned even fiercer.

With a flick of his finger, a dense black gas shot out and transformed into a black dragon that swooped down on Xiao Ming. At the same time, his hand reached out and unleashed a torrent of black fog from his five fingers, forming five massive chains that rushed towards Xiao Ming.

"Do not think that breaking through to the three-star Dou Saint is enough to be arrogant. We have three Dou Saints on our side! You'll see how I deal with you after I capture you today!" A sinister grin appeared on the Deputy Chief's face.

His strength had reached the advanced three-star Dou Saint stage, and with two other Dou Saints assisting him, he was confident that Xiao Ming wouldn't leave this place unscathed.

Because he was so focused on Xiao Ming, he overlooked Zi Yan's superior strength next to him.

The other two Dou Saints immediately joined the battle. In an instant, the world trembled as their overwhelming aura pierced the sky, creating an atmosphere of impending doom in the canyon.

However, despite the ferocious attack from the Hall of Souls' Deputy Chief and the other two Dou Saints, Xiao Ming's expression remained calm. His figure flashed, effortlessly cutting through the storm of Dou Qi and appearing right in front of the Deputy Chief. Without any fancy moves, he unleashed a straight punch that shattered all of the Deputy Chief's defensive measures.

A wild burst of lightning power then erupted. The Deputy Chief was instantly transformed into a glowing figure, convulsing and shaking uncontrollably.

Seizing the moment when the Deputy Chief was temporarily paralyzed, Xiao Ming delivered a blow that snapped his neck, and then another that ruptured his heart meridians!

Afterward, he smoothly extracted the Deputy Chief's soul and sealed it away, his actions executed flawlessly.

The unfortunate fellow didn't even have a chance to utter a last word before he met his end!

"How is this possible!!"

The two remaining Dou Saints from the Hall of Souls were horrified to see the Deputy Chief die so quickly. If even the Deputy Chief had met such a miserable end, what chance did they have? They immediately tore open a rift in space and tried to flee.

"Tsk. That Deputy Chief was such a waste! I didn't even get a chance to join in the fun," Zi Yan grumbled in disappointment before gracefully stepping forward and disappearing into the void.

Seeing this, Xiao Ming no longer cared about the fleeing Dou Saints. Instead, he gazed down at the ruins below, where a few surviving Tianzuns and Venerable Elders could still be seen.

With a sudden step into the empty space, a surge of dark energy erupted, creating ripples like roaring waves. These waves formed a circular pattern and rapidly spread out in all directions.

In an instant, they caught up with the fleeing Dou Venerates, crushing them to a pulp.

Blood rained from the sky, and in this bottomless canyon, the eerie atmosphere and looming black fog gave it the semblance of a realm of death.

Eventually, only Xiao Ming remained alive in this desolate place.

A short time later, the space tore apart.

Swoosh!

Zi Yan stepped out, carrying two lifeless bodies.

These two bodies were the Dou Saints who had tried to escape.

With that, the Earth Hall of the Hall of Souls was annihilated, and not a single survivor was left.