Chapter 467: Doing Things? Must Be Soul Hall!

"Yan? I once heard some Soul Hall enforcers say there was a Yan Guardian who rose rapidly, becoming a Tian Ji Protector in a short time."

"You're insane. Becoming a Guardian isn't hard, but becoming a Venerable requires the Hall Lord's personal appointment—let alone a Heavenly Venerable, which demands a challenge; only by defeating a Heavenly Venerable can you become one."

"True enough. Even Soul Sovereign clan members couldn't reach Heavenly Venerable so fast. This guy thinks Heavenly Venerable is some title you just hand out to newcomers?"

Xiao Yan remained calm, though he was speechless—the Soul Hall headquarters didn't even have a single chair, so he had to use his own.

Xiao Yan casually found a corner, yawned, and leaned back against the wall to rest.

Seeing Xiao Yan's posture, the surrounding Soul Hall Venerables instantly changed their gazes; whether on the Dou Qi Continent or within the entire Soul Hall, they were all prominent figures, and now they all sized up this so-called Heavenly Venerable of Yan.

"Jiejiejie, Heavenly Venerable of Yan? I've been a Heavenly Venerable for years and have never heard of any Heavenly Venerable of Yan. Probably some brat making up a title." A wrinkled old man clad in a robe shimmering with starlight let out a creepy laugh, his sharp gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, laced with disdain.

Does anyone think they can just call themselves a Heavenly Venerable? He spent countless efforts, risked death countless times on missions, and barely defeated one Heavenly Venerable to replace him.

"That one is called Star Plucking. He's been a Heavenly Venerable for many years—he was involved in the recent attack on Sheng Dan Cheng," Qinghai Venerable quickly whispered to Xiao Yan, since his duty was to guide him.

Others didn't know, but he himself knew: Xiao Yan wasn't some seasoned Soul Hall Heavenly Venerable—he'd only just been promoted recently!

Hearing this, Xiao Yan glanced at Star Plucking Venerable; the man hadn't disguised himself—he was truly just an ordinary old man, tall and thin, the kind you'd pass on the street and never notice.

"Attacked Sheng Dan Cheng?" Xiao Yan's expression turned strange—wasn't this guy essentially half his subordinate?

After all, the plan to kill Mu Gu had been Xiao Yan's idea—he intended to use Mu Gu's death to win the trust of several Pill Giants, then have some Soul Hall Heavenly Venerables delay the Giants so Xiao Yan could refine the Three Thousand Yan Flame and kill Mu Gu.

But Xiao Yan hadn't known who the Hall Lord assigned to delay the Pill Giants—turns out it was this Star Plucking Venerable. Still, Xiao Yan quickly confirmed: Star Plucking was probably just there to stall, maybe against Pill Tower's Grand Elder Qiu Ling or similar—he only had Five-Star Dou Zun strength.

"Five-Star Dou Zun? Seems like a good test." Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, a faint smile appearing beneath his hood.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do—he was no longer Xiao Yan, but the Soul Hall's Heavenly Venerable of Yan!

Doing things? Must be Soul Hall!

BOOM! With a sudden burst of power, Xiao Yan stomped the floor—special black stone flooring nearly cracked under the terrifying force.

A black shadow shot forward at blinding speed, like a thunderclap tearing through the crowd, straight toward Star Plucking Venerable; his eyes flashed with lethal intent, fist raised—he unleashed Eight Extreme Shatter!

Xiao Yan relied purely on physical strength; having trained his body in the Tian Feng Blood Pool, he'd never tested its full power—this Five-Star Dou Zun was perfect.

Seeing Xiao Yan attack without warning, Star Plucking Venerable sneered, then laughed; a pale hand slid from his sleeve, and vast black mist surged forth, instantly coalescing into a ten-zhang-wide black mist palm print that slammed down toward Xiao Yan.

BOOM!! Fist met palm—a dragon's aura erupted from Xiao Yan's fist!

Though Eight Extreme Shatter was only Arcane-Rank High-Level, it depended on who used it. Xiao Yan's current physical strength rivaled that of an ordinary Eight Rank Tai Xu Ancient Dragon—immensely powerful, capable of splitting mountains and shattering earth with a single punch.

BOOM! A deafening explosion rocked the hall; Star Plucking Venerable's black mist technique shattered under the dragon aura, and the terrifying shockwave blasted nearby Soul Hall Dou Zun backward.

Some weaker Soul Hall Venerables even activated Defensive Dou Techniques to block the residual waves.

At Xiao Yan's sudden attack, none of the Soul Hall Venerables showed surprise—they watched calmly.

This was the Soul Hall! All of them were Soul Hall Dou Zun! Fighting on a whim, killing, robbing, extracting Spiritual Souls—that was their daily life!

They were Soul Hall people. Doing things? Must be Soul Hall things. Xiao Yan acting like this? Perfectly Soul Hall!

If I'm unhappy, I'll beat you.

"Hmph. What right does a Three-Star Dou Zun have to call himself a Heavenly Venerable?" Star Plucking Venerable's eyes blazed with fury—how dare he strike first?!

Several other Heavenly Venerables watched the two with keen interest.

"A Three-Star Dou Zun provokes a Five-Star Dou Zun? How amusing."

"Jiejiejie, indeed amusing. This Heavenly Venerable of Yan has quite the temper."

"But I wonder if his strength matches his temper—Star Plucking isn't some Zhong Zhou street thug. Ordinary Five-Star Dou Zun aren't his match."

Shouli Venerable, who knew Qinghai Venerable, frowned and murmured: "Is this guy a beast? How can his physical strength be so terrifying?"

Star Plucking Old Ghost narrowed his eyes, opened his palm, fingers pointing at Xiao Yan; his fingers trembled, and five thick strands of black mist erupted from his fingertips, coalescing with a clinking, clattering sound into eerie black chains that twisted midair—CHI! —piercing through Space, reappearing instantly above Xiao Yan's head.

Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly; his Soul Force, refined to Ling Realm Late Stage, surpassed everyone present. Silver light flashed beneath his feet—BOOM! —lightning arcs surged as he retreated.

CHI! PUFF PUFF PUFF!! The chains plunged down violently, grazing Xiao Yan's side before slamming into the hard black rock; with a slight tremor, cracks spiderwebbed across the surrounding stone.

"Jiejiejie, is that all you can do—run?"

Star Plucking Venerable chuckled, flicked his fingers—the chains leapt like venomous snakes, whipping through the air with lethal force, sweeping toward Xiao Yan's vital points.

The dense barrage of chains moved with terrifying speed; afterimages lingered in the sky, making defense impossible.

Seeing the attacks blur into afterimages, Xiao Yan licked his lips, fingers flashing as he formed hand seals; behind his Soul Robe, a pattern appeared—WHOOSH! A pair of enormous black Phoenix wings erupted from his back.

The Tian Yan Nine Steps Wings were a Flying Dou Technique—not actual wings growing from his back, just a special technique.

The Heaven Phoenix Wings flared violently, their force tearing open Space; waves of Space Turbulence surged from the ruptured void.

All of Star Plucking Venerable's black mist chains were sucked into the Space Turbulence.

"Kuang?! This guy's from the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan!"

"No wonder his physical strength is so strong—he's from the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan!"

Shouli Venerable nodded inwardly—so none of them were human, all beasts.

Most stunned was Qinghai Venerable—he stared, dumbfounded: Wasn't Xiao Yan a human Alchemist? How did he turn into a beast?!

Seeing the immensely powerful black Heaven Phoenix Wings behind Xiao Yan, Star Plucking Venerable stared at him, a flicker of shock crossing his face.

With his experience, he could tell those black wings weren't ordinary Heavenly Demon Phoenix wings—they filled him with a chilling dread!

Xiao Yan's expression didn't change; his eyes flashed, and behind him, the Heaven Phoenix Wings trembled lightly—his speed exceeded even Soul Perception; in less than a thousandth of a second, he appeared instantly behind Star Plucking Venerable.

"You old-timer Heavenly Venerable doesn't seem as strong as you claimed."

Star Plucking Venerable's face turned pale—he spun around. There, floating midair, arms crossed, clad in black robe with hood, Xiao Yan smirked.

Without giving Star Plucking Venerable time to react, Xiao Yan's leg lashed out like a whip, striking his face—the physical strength of an Eight Rank Tai Xu Ancient Dragon tore Space apart with the blow.

PUFF! The kick sent two of Star Plucking Venerable's teeth flying; blood spurted from his mouth—SHOO! —he crashed into the black wall.

Black wings fluttered gently as he hovered in midair. All Soul Hall Venerables now looked at Xiao Yan with changed eyes.

The Soul Hall values strength. Xiao Yan understood this perfectly—he used Star Plucking Venerable to establish his authority.

No one would underestimate this mysterious Heavenly Venerable anymore—Star Plucking's fate had proven it.

Xiao Yan's combat power rivals that of a Five-Star Dou Zun.

There were certainly people present capable of defeating Star Seven Heavenly Venerable, but to casually kick him flying at the level of a Three-Star Dou Zun? That was absolutely impossible!

Xiao Yan proved with his strength that he, himself, was the Heavenly Venerable!

Of course, the main reason Xiao Yan could defeat Star Seven Heavenly Venerable so easily was because the Tian Feng Blood Pool had forged his body to an extreme degree of strength.

Although Xiao Yan did not know how beasts were classified, if Spiritual Souls were divided into Common Realm, Spirit Realm, and Heavenly Realm, then he would categorize physical strength into Common Flesh, Transcendent Flesh, and Saintly Flesh.

Merely having strong physical strength would make one just an ordinary beast—but Xiao Yan not only had sufficient physical strength, but also ample Soul Force and sufficient Cultivation Realm, which created this result.

"You deserve to die! Star-Plucking Hand!!"

Star Seven Heavenly Venerable's face twisted into a ferocious expression—he had once used other Soul Hall Venerables as stepping stones to establish his reputation, yet today he himself had become a sacrifice to establish someone else's authority! How could he possibly endure this!

Black mist swirled, and suddenly Star Seven Heavenly Venerable's right hand expanded by a full circle; his body moved like a phantom, appearing before Xiao Yan.

Tiny points of starlight flickered on his hand, as if he could truly grasp the sun and moon and pluck the stars, reaching straight for Xiao Yan's head.

"Star-Plucking Hand?! This old devil is using his strongest Dou Technique!"

"That's a Quasi Heavenly Rank Dou Technique! I've heard he's perfected it—its power may have reached Heavenly Rank!"

"Quasi Heavenly Rank Dou Technique? That's all?" Xiao Yan didn't even bother to glance at Star Seven Heavenly Venerable's so-called Star-Plucking Hand—did he really think he could pluck stars?

A hum rang out—just as the giant hand struck, Xiao Yan's Heaven Phoenix Wings wrapped around his entire body, forming a black shield; Dou Qi surged wildly into it, and threads of Black Heaven Phoenix Beast Fire ignited, burning a strange black Spiritual Energy Sealing Array Rune that vanished in an instant.

CRASH!!! A palm slammed down, emitting a piercing sound that shook the entire Tian Dian; all Soul Hall Venerables were forced to use Dou Qi to cover their ears and shield their bodies against the sonic assault!

This sound was similar to the Demon Phoenix Bell used by the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan!

Xiao Yan himself probably didn't realize—the Demon Phoenix Bell, this Beast Technique, was actually developed based on the counter-shock sound waves produced when the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix defended itself with its wings!

In short, Xiao Yan's current form was the true Demon Phoenix Bell—seen from afar, his wings wrapped around him resembled a giant black bell.

PUFF!! Star Seven Heavenly Venerable, taking the full force, spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward like a severed kite, grievously wounded.

Xiao Yan, having lifted his defense, rubbed his nose—he hadn't expected such a counter-shock effect, and felt a slight pang of guilt toward Star Seven Heavenly Venerable.

Then Xiao Yan turned his gaze to the Heaven Phoenix Wings, and couldn't help but rejoice.

Xiao Yan had never possessed any defensive techniques—yet these Heaven Phoenix Wings were a Heavenly Rank Flying Dou Technique, not only astonishingly swift but also granting him this powerful defense, perfectly compensating for his lack of a Defensive Dou Technique.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan may be tyrannical, but their artifacts are truly excellent." Xiao Yan licked his lips—sparring Feng Qing'er's life had indeed been the right choice.

"The Nine Underworld Earth Snake Clan was once a vassal race of the Ancient Heavenly Snake—do they perhaps possess some valuable treasures too?"

Xiao Yan's eyes grew hot—he considered the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan's dominance, but the Nine Underworld Earth Snake Clan was far weaker; he might as well be a bit more tyrannical.

Far away in Shou Yu, the Clan Leader of the Nine Underworld Earth Snake Clan suddenly felt a chill—he had no idea his clan had already caught the attention of the Heavenly Venerable of Yan!

As Xiao Yan pondered when he should return to Shou Yu to discuss compensation for the Nine Underworld Earth Snake Clan's earlier attack on the Yan Alliance, a violent spatial fluctuation erupted—then two vast, far more powerful auras slowly appeared before Xiao Yan.

Sensing these two vast auras, even Xiao Yan furrowed his brow—these auras… were both Peak Six-Star Dou Zun!

Dou Zun was a true gap of heaven and earth between each level; Xiao Yan had been able to bridge the two-star gap because his body, Dou Techniques, Cultivation Method, and Soul Force all surpassed Star Seven Heavenly Venerable's.

Peak Six-Star Dou Zun was no simple matter—let alone two of them.

Black mist surged, space twisted, and the two vast auras rapidly sharpened in clarity. Sensing their arrival, the wounded Star Seven Heavenly Venerable sneered.

As the spatial light slowly faded, two aged figures emerged into view; upon seeing them, veteran Venerables and Heavenly Venerables grew solemn, abandoning their laziness.

It wasn't that these two figures were exceptionally powerful—but because their appearance signaled the imminent start of the ceremony.

"Jie jie jie, it's been many years since I've seen such an energetic newcomer—quite a ruckus you've made." The old man in the white Soul Robe squinted and chuckled.

"Too much noise isn't good." The old man in the black Soul Robe cast a cold, disdainful glance at the fallen Star Seven Heavenly Venerable.

Xiao Yan slightly turned his head and saw two figures—one black, one white—a powerful pressure descended upon him, as if trying to crush him.

His eyes narrowed slightly; Xiao Yan's expression remained impassive as the Inferno Scripture slowly activated within him, his potent Strange Fire power resisting the combined pressure of the two Peak Six-Star Dou Zun.

Even Xiao Yan, this "watered-down" Heavenly Venerable, knew exactly who these two were.

Black and White Heavenly Venerables—rumor had it they were descendants of a Dou Emperor Family, their Dou Emperor Bloodline considered a defective vein, so they were despised within their clan; eventually, they murdered their siblings and parents and fled, joining the Soul Hall.

Every Dou Emperor Family had descendants—these were the lowest tier, yet the most crucial layer; after countless generations of breeding, the number of such descendants in each Dou Emperor Family had grown substantial.

These descendants all carried Dou Emperor Bloodline—but it was so faint as to be negligible; by Dou Emperor Bloodline standards, even the Xiao Clan today might not qualify as descendants.

Of course, rare accidents or mutations could suddenly strengthen a descendant's bloodline; upon discovery, such individuals saw their status skyrocket, becoming true members of the Dou Emperor Family, enjoying supreme honor.

The Dou Emperor Family's Adult Ceremony was, in fact, the ritual granting the Clan Mark to descendants whose bloodline had strengthened to Four Grade Dou Emperor Bloodline or higher.

Black and White Heavenly Venerables were the strongest Heavenly Venerables after the Nine Heavenly Venerables; together, even ordinary Seven-Star Dou Zun could not match them.

"Hmm?" Black and White Heavenly Venerables exchanged glances, both growing serious.

Their combined pressure had failed to suppress Xiao Yan.

After a moment, they both withdrew their pressure—fighting and killing was common in the Soul Hall. But now, the important ceremony was about to begin; they were merely guides.

Sensing Black and White Heavenly Venerables had withdrawn, Xiao Yan slowly descended, retracted his Heaven Phoenix Wings, and stared intently into the depths of the hall—he could sense terrifyingly powerful auras approaching through the Space Wormhole!

Black and White Heavenly Venerables stepped aside, like two gatekeepers clearing a path. Even the wounded Star Seven Heavenly Venerable, battered by the sonic backlash, dared not remain lying down—he clutched his wound and retreated to the side, glaring fiercely at Xiao Yan.

Only eleven individuals in the entire Soul Hall warranted such caution from Black and White Heavenly Venerables!

Black mist surged, and nine figures slowly emerged from the black mist deep within the hall—the first to step forth was an old man clad in blue robes.

"Hmm? Jie jie jie, it seems this hall has some fiery young blood—haven't seen anyone fight in Tian Dian for a long time."

Xiao Yan stood beside Qinghai Venerable, his gaze sharp as he studied the old man.

As this figure appeared, the air in this realm instantly grew humid; faint water vapor coiled around his body.

Nine Heavenly Venerables, Rain of Magic!