SYSTEM'S REAPPEARENCE!

As Xie Tianxiao watched the others depart, he let out a sigh. "So, this is the power of being a strong person. Just a few words from me, and Lan Cangshan and the Dou Wang's were overjoyed!"

He reflected for a moment. "If I had fused with an ordinary Dou Zhe when I first transmigrated, I might not have survived this long, let alone meet people like Lan Cangshan."

Turning his attention back to Protector Shou, who lay crumpled on the ground, Xie Tianxiao lifted him with one hand, a playful smile forming on his lips. "Sorry, I almost forgot about you while talking to them. If you have any last words, say them now. Maybe I'll let you live."

Before Protector Shou could respond, a mechanical voice echoed in Xie Tianxiao's mind.

[Contact with special lifeform detected. Begin devouring?]

A screen appeared before Xie Tianxiao, displaying the prompt in large letters.

Surprised, Xie Tianxiao thought to himself, "Strange, the system hasn't reacted in so long, and now it suddenly appeared?"

"And there's no Heavenly Flame around, yet it mentions of a special lifeform..."

Wait a minute!

The system prompt appeared as soon as I touched Protector Shou…

"Could it be?!"

As Xie Tianxiao pondered, Protector Shou, pale with fear, spoke franticly, "Great Dou Zun, your strength is unmatched. It was my grave mistake to offend you."

"But, you should know, all members of the Soul Hall have a life token. If I die, the Hall Master will know immediately. Even with your power, this could bring you great trouble!"

Hearing this, Xie Tianxiao momentarily set aside his surprise at the system's prompt. He nodded and said, "You're right. I'm aware of the life tokens that Soul Hall members possess. But I'm curious—under which branch is your life token registered?"

Protector Shou, thinking Xie Tianxiao was hesitant to kill him to avoid trouble with the Soul Hall, breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly answered, "Thank you great one for sparing my life."

"My branch is located six thousand miles south of here in a forest called Soul Burial Gorge, near the borders of several small nations. I am responsible for this region."

"I see,Not too far from here" Xie Tianxiao murmured. Then, with a cold look in his eyes, he glanced at Protector Shou and said, "It seems you misunderstood something. I just wanted to know where your branch is located. I never said I wouldn't kill you."

A mere Soul Hall protector dared to threaten him with the Soul Hall's name. How foolish!

"What?" Protector Shou's eyes widened in horror. "Great Dou Zun, what do you mean by this?!"

Xie Tianxiao's response was cold and dismissive. "Don't worry. Your branch members will join you soon."

Leaning in close, he whispered in Protector Shou's ear, "And by the way, I'm not just any Dou Zun. I'm known as 'Devourer Tianxiao.'"

Without giving Protector Shou a chance to react, Xie Tianxiao mentally commanded, "System, begin devouring."

[Devouring initiated.]

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air as Protector Shou's body rapidly shriveled. In a matter of seconds, he turned to ash, leaving only his black robe behind, which quickly dispersed into the wind.

[Devouring complete.]

"Ahh…" Xie Tianxiao let out a long breath. "Finally, some peace. Being a powerful figure is exhausting, one slip, and the whole act could fall apart."

He reflected on his original intent—he had only come to collect some free resources. He hadn't planned to directly offend the Soul Hall. After all, even with his half-saint strength, he feared they might send a stronger force if he eliminated one of their lower-ranking members. A direct confrontation could spell disaster.

But, as it turned out, the system had other plans. When the system displayed its prompt after he touched Protector Shou, Xie Tianxiao's strategy shifted.

Upon completing the devouring, he realized that his soul power had increased slightly, sparking a desire to find and devour more Soul Hall protectors.

"Not bad. The system is impressive! My soul, at the peak of the Mortal Realm, has advanced slightly!"

"And this was just from devouring a Dou Zong-level protector. If I manage to devour a Dou Zun, or even a Dou Sheng member of the Soul Hall, could my soul power leap straight into the Emperor Realm?!"

In the world of cultivation, soul power was divided into the Mortal Realm, Spiritual Realm, Heavenly Realm, and Emperor Realm, with each realm further divided into low, middle, high, and great perfection stages.

For alchemists, a soul at the Spiritual Realm qualified one to refine eighth-tier pills, while a soul at the Heavenly Realm allowed for ninth-tier pill refinement. A soul at the Emperor Realm could even rival an eight-star Dou Sheng in power.

Most people possessed only Mortal Realm souls. Even high-ranking alchemists, such as those who could refine sixth or seventh-tier pills, typically had Mortal Realm souls. Thus, soul cultivation techniques were incredibly rare.

In today's Dou Qi Continent, beyond ancient texts, few even knew how to cultivate their soul power.

But Xie Tianxiao had found a way to enhance his soul by devouring Soul Hall members!

"This is fantastic! Even though I'm not an alchemist, if I can elevate my soul power to the Emperor Realm, I won't fear even an eight-star Dou Sheng!"

Xie Tianxiao clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

Despite his excitement, a question lingered in his mind. "If the system can devour special lifeforms like this Soul Hall protector, why didn't the prompt appear when I first encountered him?"

"And this system is great, but it never communicates with me directly. All I get are prompts, and I have to figure out the rest on my own."

Despite his complaints, Xie Tianxiao was satisfied with the system's reappearance.

"Forget it. I'll figure it out when I get to that Soul Hall branch."

Feeling a bit more relaxed, he suddenly remembered, "Oh, I almost forgot. I still need to explore that Dou Zong's cave. Can't forget the basics!"

"Even a small gain is still a gain. I can't leave all these treasures for someone else."

With that, Xie Tianxiao's figure blurred and vanished from sight.

…

Moments later, he reappeared inside the Dou Zong's ruins that everyone had been fighting over.

His eyes sparkled as he surveyed the mountains of gold, jewels, and piles of Dou Techniques and medicinal pills.

"Not bad. These resources are better than those found in some Dou Zong from sects that previous owner of body have been destroyed."

Xie Tianxiao quickly swept all the gold into his storage ring, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Oh, there are even a few Earth-tier Dou Techniques and quite a number of seventh-tier pills. Seems this guy was a high-ranking alchemist too. No wonder he was so wealthy."

As he scanned the remaining Dou Techniques and pills, Xie Tianxiao couldn't help but feel pleased. "This trip was worth it. Not only did the system enhance my soul power, but I also collected six Earth-tier Dou Techniques, nearly a hundred Xuan-tier techniques, and countless pills!"

After securing all the treasures, Xie Tianxiao touched his storage ring and sighed contentedly. "It's a good thing that Soul Hall protector showed up when he did."

"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have discovered the system's ability to devour Soul Hall members and enhance my soul power. Nor would I have earned the gratitude of Lan Cangshan and the others."

"He was a real help!"

While Xie Tianxiao didn't care much about reputation, it was always better to have a good one than to be slandered behind your back.

"With everything collected, it's time to leave."

"Hehe... Soul Hall, here I come."

With those words, Xie Tianxiao's figure disappeared, leaving the Dou Zong cave empty and desolate.

…

Meanwhile, six thousand miles away, deep within a forest known as Soul Burial Gorge, another Soul Hall protector was kneeling on ground, respectfully reporting to an elder of the Soul Hall seated before him.

"Reporting to the honored elder, Protector Shou's life token has shattered."

"According to the information he sent before his death, the one who killed him is at least a Dou Zun!"

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END