COURTING DEATH!!

The sudden appearance of two Dou Huang experts left the forces of the Lan Shan Empire and the allied rogue cultivators in shock.

"Who are those two? They took down four Dou Wangs in one move!"

"Are you stupid? Didn't you hear one of them call himself the 'Barbarian Emperor'?"

"Hiss! A Dou Huang expert! No wonder the Emperor and Lord Chu aren't saying anything."

"A Dou Huang... I've lived in this empire for most of my life and never seen a Dou Huang before."

A Dou Huang expert—how terrifying!

The crowd below buzzed with conversation.

The Barbarian Emperor, standing beside the black-robed elder, sneered, "Such a small fry as a Dou Wang dares to covet the Dou Zong cave? Truly courting death."

With that, he flashed and appeared in front of the Vulture Dou Wang, his cold eyes gleaming dangerously. "Don't you agree?"

"So fast!"

"!!!"

Seeing the Barbarian Emperor suddenly appear before the Vulture Dou Wang, Yan Mao was shocked. "Such speed—he's not a low-level Dou Huang!"

Lan Cangshan also murmured to himself, "I didn't expect such a massive body to have such speed. He is not an ordinary Dou Huang."

The Vulture Dou Wang, trembling and pale, swallowed nervously and stammered, "Y-Yes... the lord Dou Huang's are doing this for our own good. We're grateful... we'll stay here and won't disturb you."

The Barbarian Emperor snorted, his gaze shifting to Yan Mao and the other two Dou Wangs.

"We have no objections," Mo Kun and Yan Ming said simultaneously.

It was no joke—they were dealing with a Dou Huang such exuding killing intent. Although Yan Ming's sect had a Dou Huang, the sect was over ten thousand miles away and couldn't help him here. Besides, they were only mid-level Dou Wangs. Challenging a Dou Huang would be suicidal.

Feeling the Barbarian Emperor's menacing gaze, Yan Mao tightened his grip, his expression is dark and uncertain. "Understood, my lord. Please proceed as you wish."

He had considered the possibility of encountering a Dou Huang. If it were just one Dou Huang, he could have joined forces with the other three Dou Wangs to hold their ground. But with two Dou Huang's present, and seemingly not low-level ones, he had no choice but to comply with them.

"Hahaha, Barbarian Emperor, no need to be so harsh. My distribution plan is flawless—they wouldn't dare object, would they, Emperor of Lan Shan?" The black-robed elder laughed, turning to face Lan Cangshan.

The elder was so brazen because he had already scouted the area while hidden and knew that this so-called Lan Shan Empire didn't have a Dou Huang. The strongest warriors present were only Dou Wangs, making them no match for him. Thus, he was acting arrogantly.

' This is problematc ' Lan Cangshan thought as he looked at the black-robed elder in front of him. 'With two Dou Huang's here, Dou Wangs aren't qualified to interfere. It seems I have no choice but to call on the Supreme Elder.'

He had hesitated to involve the Supreme Elder because the elder's lifespan was already nearing its end. Due to his old age, his strength had greatly diminished, and every battle further drained his remaining life force. Otherwise, he would have summoned the elder earlier instead of negotiating with Yan Mao and the other Dou Wangs.

Moreover, he had assumed that being in a remote corner of the northwest, the strongest opponents would be Dou Wangs. Even if a Dou Huang showed up, he believed that mobilizing 80% of the empire's forces would suffice to secure the Dou Zong cave. But now, two formidable Dou Huangs had appeared, complicating matters.

"You're pushing us too far!" The fiery-tempered Chu Zhengxiong, standing beside Lan Cangshan, finally couldn't hold back his anger.

These two were only so brazen because they knew there was no Dou Huang on the opposing side to challenge them.

"Hehe, pushing you too far? How so?" The black-robed elder smirked, waving his hand as blood-red Dou Qi condensed into sharp spikes that shot out in all directions, targeting the gathered family disciples and rogue cultivators.

"Ah!"

"Ugh!"

In an instant, many of the gathered Da Dou Shi were injured, spitting blood and retreating. As for the others, mere Dou Shi or Dou Zhe, most were either dead or seriously wounded within moments.

The black-robed elder then swooped down, appearing in front of Chu Zhengxiong in an instant. His pale, skeletal hand wrapped around Chu Zhengxiong's throat, tightening his grip.

"You...!!!!" Chu Zhengxiong's face turned deathly pale as blood trickled from his mouth.

"Old Bear!"

"Master!"

"You'll pay for this!"

"Let my father go, you old bastard!"

The members of the Chu family were filled with rage, their eyes burning with hatred.

"Hmph, you don't know your place. You're nothing but trash—not even a Dou Wang. Killing you is no big deal" the black-robed elder sneered. He flung Chu Zhengxiong to the ground and formed hand seals. Blood-red Dou Qi surged from his palms, taking the shape of two vicious serpents that lunged toward the members of Chu family.

"How dare you!" Lan Cangshan's face darkened as he saw the Chu family members about to be devoured by the serpents. He shouted, "Supreme Elder, please intervene!"

Boom!

A thunderous explosion shook the area as a massive shield formed from earth-attribute Dou Qi appeared behind the Chu family, blocking the vicious dou qi serpents.

Then, an overwhelming force burst from the shield, surging toward the black-robed elder.

"What powerful defense!" the black-robed elder exclaimed, sensing the immense energy behind him. His bony hands shot out to counter the attack.

Boom!

The enormous shield shattered with a deafening crash, sending shockwaves rippling through the area. Those below Dou Ling level were forced to retreat several steps under the impact.

...

"Oh, everyone's making their move?" The voice came from Xie Tianxiao, who had been quietly observing from within the spatial void.

Xie Tianxiao yawned lazily. "Well, it's about time I ended this boring battle. There don't seem to be anyone stronger left."

Just as Xie Tianxiao prepared to act, he sensed an ominous aura approaching from the distance, causing him to frown. "Hmm? Why do I sense a Dou Zong level presence coming this way... and it's so sinister."

"This feeling... it's from the HALL OF SOULS !!"

Based on Xie Tianxiao's speculation, a protector from the Soul Hall had likely caught wind of the gathering of powerful warriors here and had come to harvest souls while also checking out the Dou Zong's legacy in the cave.

"Interesting, this is getting more interesting. It seems this Soul Hall protector also wants to play the fisherman in this situation. But too bad, I wonder if he'll be the fisherman or the fish?"

Xie Tianxiao smirked coldly as he watched the Soul Hall protector lurking nearby.

After all, he had been biding his time in this cold, lonely space, watching this spectacle for so long, all for the sake of a few measly treasures. Was it easy for him? And now, a mere Soul Hall protector dared to try and snatch those treasures from him? He is courting death!!!