"Die."
Countless members of the Soul Hall were slaughtered. From the shadows, a voice—having failed to halt the carnage—let out a furious roar and burst forth. The void quivered as a colossal black chain, stretching a hundred feet in length, tore through space, whipping toward Chen Xiaoming like a serpent of doom.
Sensing the immense power radiating from the chain, Chen Xiaoming simply shook his head. With a light tap of his right index finger, the overwhelming force of the chain was halted mid-air. Layers of spatial ripples unfurled along its length, and from within the darkness, a muffled grunt echoed out.
From the shadowy void, a figure shot forth. His face was pale, drained of strength, and blood lingered at the corner of his mouth. His eyes were filled with terror as he stared at Chen Xiaoming, dread growing in his heart.
"A Dou Saint…"
Wounded by a single strike—something only a Dou Saint could manage. Gu You's expression twisted in disbelief as he frowned deeply. He couldn't fathom when such a young Dou Saint had emerged on the continent.
Chen Xiaoming's gaze swept toward him with indifference, as if he were observing a mere ant. A high-rank Half-Saint wasn't even worth his interest.
"Come out. Today, your Soul Hall shall fall by my hand!"
His eyes shifted toward the great hall behind Gu You. As his voice fell, a cold snort rang out from deep within the massive temple. In the next instant, dense black mist surged forth. Within it, a gaunt and skeletal figure slowly emerged—an eerie presence instantly engulfing the surrounding space.
The old man was clad in black robes. His withered face was sunken, his eyes hollow, with two ghostly flames flickering within his sockets, exuding a sinister aura.
"Soul Clan's Grand Venerate, huh?"
Chen Xiaoming gave the man a cursory glance. Late-stage Two-Star Dou Saint—not even Three-Star. A wave of disappointment swept through him.
"How pitifully weak."
He shook his head. Whatever fighting spirit he had vanished instantly. He had hoped for a real battle, but clearly, it wasn't necessary.
"You dare offend my Soul Hall—Soul…"
Before the Grand Venerate could finish his words, Chen Xiaoming raised his right hand and reached out. Space instantly froze. The Grand Venerate's expression changed dramatically—he hadn't expected Chen Xiaoming to strike without hesitation.
Caught off-guard, the Grand Venerate's face darkened slightly. From his sleeve, his hand rapidly formed a mysterious seal.
"Bone Emperor—Heaven Splitter!"
The space above Chen Xiaoming cracked open. A colossal bone blade, radiating a malevolent aura, tore through the void and slashed downward.
Whoosh!
With the eerie descent of the bone blade, a strange ripple surged forth like lightning, cutting toward Chen Xiaoming. But before it could reach him, it was stopped by a similar ripple that emerged in his defense.
"Hmph, a soul attack."
There was soul power embedded in the bone blade—but Chen Xiaoming remained unfazed. His Imperial Soul Realm surged forth, completely overwhelming the Grand Venerate before he even had the chance to retaliate. Boundless soul force pressed down like a tidal wave.
"W-What? Imperial Soul Realm? Impossible!"
The Grand Venerate exclaimed in shock. His own soul force was shattered in an instant. Chen Xiaoming's overwhelming soul power condensed into a streak of silver light and pierced straight into his mind.
A searing pain shot through his soul. The Grand Venerate kicked off the ground as tendrils of black soul force surged from his hands. A soul orb formed and floated before him—he devoured it in one gulp.
Color returned to his pallid face as his soul force spiked. His gaze toward Chen Xiaoming turned cold… tinged with a greedy glint.
In a flash, he appeared beneath the colossal bone blade hovering in the sky. Black mist surged from his hand, morphing into a massive claw that gripped the hilt. With a thunderous shout, the bone blade split the air, descending with devastating ferocity.
"Heh heh… I want your soul."
An Imperial Soul—an invaluable treasure. To the Grand Venerate, Chen Xiaoming was nothing more than a fragrant, irresistible tonic.
"Hmph, ignorant fool."
As the blade fell, Chen Xiaoming's Dou Qi erupted. Brilliant silver light ripped through space. Radiance surged from his right hand, condensing in the void into a colossal silver palm that struck toward the descending bone blade.
Boom.
The moment of impact unleashed an earth-shaking blast. Within the sealed space, an overwhelming energy storm raged wildly.
The Grand Venerate's expression grew tense. Gripping the bone blade with both hands, dark energy gushed from within him. Grotesque soul wraiths flew from his body, their shrieks piercing the air as they merged into the blade.
Crimson lines began to snake across the ghost-white bone blade—stained with blood and venomous energy that began to corrode the silver palm.
The shimmering silver light dulled under the blade's corruption, weakening with every passing moment. Under the Grand Venerate's forceful assault, the giant hand began to falter.
"Heh heh… now die."
His sinister laughter echoed. Black energy poured into the bone blade, and the air above seemed to transform into the Nether Hell, filled with the endless wails of tormented spirits.
Chen Xiaoming raised his head slightly. His gaze swept past the Grand Venerate to the sinister aura of the wailing souls above. His brows furrowed, a colder gleam flashing in his eyes.
Those anguished spirits had once been living soul bodies, captured and tortured by the Soul Hall—reduced now to mindless puppets.
"Are you done talking?"
Killing intent radiated from his gaze. Dou Qi exploded within him, and a silver light shot from his eyes like twin beams, merging into the giant palm.
In an instant, the dim palm flared brilliantly once more. Bathed in radiant silver light, the black mist above the Grand Venerate's head was pushed back, and the descending bone blade was again caught in the palm's grasp.
Crack. Crack. Crack...
A sharp cracking sound echoed as fine fractures began to form along the hundred-foot-long bone blade. Within the silver palm, a terrifying pressure surged. The void trembled violently. Space rippled like water, and faint cracks spread out like spiderwebs.
"This is bad!"
The Grand Venerate's expression froze. In a flash, he darted toward the blade. Waves of power pulsed across its surface, and under those waves, the Grand Venerate's body merged into the blade.
"Man-Blade Unification!"
Faced with Chen Xiaoming's overwhelming power, the Grand Venerate had no choice but to go all-in. With this technique, he merged entirely with the ancient blade. Dark mist coiled around it, and its aura exploded.
Buzz…
The bone blade vibrated violently. Razor-sharp energy surged forth, shredding the void. Deep fractures appeared in the fabric of space.
"Hmph."
A cold snort rang out.
The next moment, a searing silver light burst forth, merging into the colossal palm. With a crushing grip, it seized the bone blade once more.
Crack. Crack—
Cracks began to spread across the surface, and the bone blade's black aura was instantly crushed and dispersed. Its terrifying might collapsed entirely, and from within, a heart-wrenching wail echoed out.
"No! You can't kill—"
The anguished cry of the Grand Venerate rang out, but before the words could finish, Chen Xiaoming's right hand closed slightly. A surge of overwhelming soul power, laced with the dreadful force of spatial energy, crushed the bone blade into fragments. Silver radiance seeped into its core—obliterating the Grand Venerate sealed within.
"I told you… the Hall of Humanity will fall today!"
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/igotneonlight [remove the parenthesis ( )]