How formidable is an Emperor-Realm soul force?
According to the original tale, Xiao Yan, wielding an Emperor-Realm soul force, could effortlessly dispatch the seven-star Dou Sheng master of the Hall of Souls. He could even hold his ground against the eight-star Dou Sheng Hun Yuantian without falling behind!
In other words, Yun Xian now possessed combat prowess comparable to an eight-star Dou Sheng!
Across the vast Dou Qi Continent, those capable of posing a threat to him could be counted on one hand.
Gu Yuan, Hun Tiandi, Zhu Kun, the embryonic God Pill. And, perhaps, two decades hence, the Void Swallowing Flame, whose soul ascends to Emperor-Realm by refining countless soul bodies amassed by the Hall of Souls.
Barring these few, Yun Xian was, for all intents and purposes, invincible!
So why bother toiling away at cultivation?
As for aspiring to become a Dou God or chasing dominion, Yun Xian had no interest whatsoever.
Wasn't lying back and savoring life far more appealing?
Consider Xiao Yan in the original story—endlessly leveling up and battling foes, facing countless brushes with death… busier than a corporate drone working overtime, the epitome of relentless grind!
Yun Xian had no desire for such a grueling existence. Back in my past life, I was a workhorse. If I'm still a workhorse after crossing over, what's the point of transmigrating? With an Emperor-Realm soul force, he was already more than equipped to live securely in the Dou Qi Continent. No need to sweat over cultivating Dou Qi—just lie back and enjoy life. Wasn't that the dream?
"So that's it… I understand now!"
"You must be carrying some kind of treasure!"
A sharp glint flashed in Yun Leng's eyes.
The notion of a "Dou God inheritance" was utterly implausible to him.
As for how Yun Xian, a mere Dou Zhe, could withstand the pressure of a Dou Wang powerhouse, Yun Leng deduced he must possess some mysterious artifact.
Perfect!
Yun Leng already disliked Yun Xian, and now he had a reason to act—kill and seize the treasure!
Seeing the unmasked greed and murderous intent on Yun Leng's face, Yun Xian couldn't help but chuckle. "Yun Leng, you really do love courting death, don't you?"
"Arrogant! Let's see how a puny Dou Zhe like you can make a grand Dou Wang like me perish…"
Before Yun Leng could finish his taunt, his voice abruptly cut off.
Yun Leng: ???
What was happening?
His body… wouldn't move.
In Yun Leng's eyes, the world seemed to freeze, time itself halting as all things fell silent.
From Yun Xian's body emerged a white shadow, materializing before him in an instant.
Thud!
A sensation of being struck, yet no pain followed.
Huh?
Yun Leng saw his own body receding rapidly from his view. Only then did he realize, in horror, that it was his translucent soul body hurtling backward!
A mighty Dou Wang, felled in an instant by a mere Dou Zhe?
No…
No!
I'm the Grand Elder of Yunlan Sect!
One of the top ten powerhouses in the Jia Ma Empire!
How can I die so easily?
Terror contorted Yun Leng's face as he watched his soul body fracture into countless fragments, dissolving into flickering firefly-like specks.
Thump!
With his soul shattered, Yun Leng's Dou Qi wings flickered out. Like a kite with its string cut, his lifeless body plummeted from the sky, a husk devoid of vitality.
"That's it?"
"No fight at all?"
Gazing at Yun Leng's unmistakably dead corpse, Yun Xian blinked, still processing the anticlimax.
But on reflection, it made sense. An Emperor-Realm soul force against a Dou Wang was nothing short of a dimensional annihilation. Yun Leng had no chance of survival.
You might wonder, as fellow members of Yunlan Sect, wasn't Yun Xian's ruthless killing a bit cruel?
Yun Xian didn't think so. In his past life, he lived by a simple creed: Repay kindness with kindness, and grudges with vengeance.
Not only had Yun Leng repeatedly harassed him in the past, but today, driven by greed for Yun Xian's "treasure," he harbored murderous intent.
As the saying goes, those who seek to kill must be prepared to be killed. Since Yun Leng bore ill will, Yun Xian felt no burden in retaliating.
Moreover, there was another reason: Yun Leng was a reckless fool. Left unchecked, he'd eventually drag Yunlan Sect into ruin!
From Yun Leng's corpse, Yun Xian retrieved several high-grade storage rings, each imprinted with potent soul seals that only their owner could unlock. Any outsider attempting to probe them would trigger a backlash.
But for Yun Xian, this was trivial. With a flicker of thought, he erased the soul seals effortlessly, rendering any backlash moot.
Scanning the storage rings' contents, Yun Xian's consciousness cataloged the haul: a Three-Vein Green Spirit Pill, a Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, a High Xuan-Class cultivation method and Dou Technique, and an anonymous black gold card worth four million gold coins…
Surveying Yun Leng's wealth, a flicker of surprise crossed Yun Xian's eyes. This was no ordinary Dou Wang's fortune. Clearly, as Grand Elder of Yunlan Sect, Yun Leng had embezzled vast resources over the years!
No wonder in the original story, Yun Leng was so invested in Mo Cheng, a mere outer sect deacon.
It seems much of the Mo family's tributes to Yunlan Sect lined Yun Leng's pockets!
Yun Xian sneered, unbothered. Yun Leng was dead, and his lifelong amassed wealth now belonged to him.
To cover his tracks, Yun Xian left no loose ends.
"Spatial Crush."
With a casual murmur, the space around Yun Leng's body warped violently, like an invisible millstone grinding his corpse into dust. The fragments flowed like sand into an endless spatial vortex, vanishing without a trace.
Yun Leng's disappearance sent ripples of unrest through Yunlan Sect.
As the sect's Grand Elder and one of the Jia Ma Empire's top ten powerhouses, his inexplicable vanishing was nothing short of perplexing.
"How is it, Elder Gu He?"
"Nothing… within a hundred miles, I've sensed no trace of Yun Leng's soul aura. It's as if he vanished into thin air."
Faced with Yun Yun's inquiry, Gu He, who had initially boasted confidence, now wore a sheepish expression.
"The sect's barriers remain undisturbed…"
"Could the enemy have used spatial power?"
Yun Yun's brows furrowed. To infiltrate Yunlan Sect undetected and eliminate a high-level Dou Wang in an instant was a feat even a Dou Huang couldn't accomplish.
"Don't underestimate a sixth-grade alchemist, Sect Leader."
"Even if a Dou Zong powerhouse took Yun Leng, their spatial manipulation would leave some trace."
Eager to salvage his pride, Gu He spoke with conviction. He wasn't lying—ordinary Dou Zong could only wield spatial power on a small scale, and their methods were crude. With his sixth-grade alchemist's soul perception, he'd surely detect any lingering signs.
Unless… it was a legendary Dou Zun!
The thought surfaced, but both Yun Yun and Gu He dismissed it with a shake of their heads.
What a joke!
A Dou Zun in the Jia Ma Empire?
Even across the entire northwest continent, Dou Zun were as rare as phoenix feathers. Why would one appear in the humble Yunlan Sect?