In the stone chamber at the bottom of the lake, a young man sat cross-legged, his upper body bare. His eyes were closed, as if he were asleep, and a barely audible, rhythmic hum echoed in the room.
If Pill-King Gu He were here, he would be terrified and flee as fast as he could.
Because that sound was not a snore but the roar of soul power.
Invisible and intangible, his spiritual energy condensed into a long vine. As it swung, it carried a strange, heart-palpitating pressure, like a long whip from the underworld. It was a crushing force at the soul level.
The Soul Star Vine—a formidable soul skill from his cultivation method.
Chen Guan sat as still as a temple bell. With a single thought, the vine, several meters long, quickly split into two thinner strands. They then broke in the middle, becoming four, and this cycle repeated over and over until a writhing pile of thin ropes lay before him.
Like a weaver at a loom, Chen Guan carefully combed and re-wove the strands. Soon, the terrifying Soul Star Vine had been transformed into a net.
But he still did not stop. A green flame emerged, attaching itself to the net, forming a tangible web of fire. He controlled the soul-fire net, launching it upward. It left a fine, searing mark on the stone ceiling of the chamber.
His face paled slightly. Chen Guan opened his eyes, stood, and looked at the traces left by the Soul Star Vine and the Soul Fire Net. The vine was more powerful, but its function was singular. The net, though slightly weaker, was far more versatile. It could be used for offense, defense, and even to bind an enemy's soul.
"Good."
A bright smile touched his lips; he was very satisfied with the result.
He had been in seclusion in this stone chamber for more than a month.
It had taken him nearly half that time just to devour the Heavenly Flame and then consolidate his rapidly increasing cultivation. The process itself had been a surprise. Although he had experienced pain comparable to childbirth, a heart-wrenching agony, his life had never felt truly in danger. He remained conscious from beginning to end, with everything still under his control.
He guessed this was because his various preparations and his own foundation were far superior to Xiao Yan's in the original story. Although the Green Lotus Core Flame was only nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame List, the energy it had accumulated over thousands of years was terrifying. After successfully devouring it, his strength had soared like a rocket, even breaking through to the Dou Ling realm.
However, cultivation without a solid foundation is superficial and extremely detrimental to long-term development. To that end, Chen Guan had spent a great deal of time consolidating his strength, reigning it in from its explosive surge until the feeling of frivolous power was gone and his foundation was rock-solid.
For the past few weeks, he had not practiced his Dou Qi. He needed to calm his mind and wait for his power to settle naturally. So, he had spent his time practicing soul skills.
The urgency was related to one thing.
While he was devouring the flame, he had sensed someone attacking the stone gate from outside. Although it was just a light, probing attack that had stopped quickly, he had clearly felt the movement. Anyone who could cause an impact on this stone chamber had to be at least a Dou Huang. Or, a special genius who possessed the means to endanger a Dou Huang.
In the Jia Ma Empire, such people could be counted on one's fingers.
The person outside was definitely not Jia Xingtian, and it was impossible to tell if they were friend or foe. He didn't know how the person had found this place, but he was more inclined to believe they were an enemy.
With this understanding, he naturally had to prepare himself before going out. Relying solely on his puppets was not safe enough, so soul skills became the most suitable weapon to practice. He couldn't very well practice an Earth-rank Dou Skill in here, and even if he could, with his current strength, it might not pose a threat to someone at the Dou Huang level. Soul skills, however, were different. They were far more difficult to guard against.
With his puppets and his two new soul skills, the Soul Star Vine and the Soul Fire Net, Chen Guan was confident the person outside could not harm him. If his plan went well, it wasn't impossible to kill or even capture his opponent.
Hunter and prey had reversed roles at this moment.
"It's time to go out," he muttered to himself, having readjusted his condition.
But at that moment, an accident happened.
Chen Guan froze, his expression turning strange.
The long-lost suicide note had appeared again.
He recalled the last one, received what felt like an eternity ago. The time interval was so long, he had sometimes wondered if this ability had vanished. He hadn't expected it to come so unexpectedly today.
Shaking off his distracting thoughts, Chen Guan began to read. He wanted to know what flaw there was in his plan. In his opinion, there were no omissions. The person outside shouldn't be a Dou Zong, otherwise they could have easily broken in by force.
Unless it was a reclusive old monster playing the fool.
The third suicide note did not contain much information.
"Life is always full of ups and downs. After devouring the Green Lotus Core Flame, I thought that from then on, a latent dragon would emerge from the abyss, that the sea would be wide enough for any fish to leap, and the sky high enough for any bird to fly. It is undeniable; I grew arrogant."
"After leaving the stone chamber, I launched my plan and successfully lured out the person hiding in the dark. It turned out to be Queen Medusa of the Snake-People Race. I was quite surprised, but after thinking about it, it felt… normal."
"I could guess what she was planning, but I saw no reason to discuss it with her. Wouldn't helping her evolve be helping the enemies of the Jia Ma Empire? Although she would need a few years of transition, which was enough time for me to grow, I didn't want to cause more trouble. Naturally, the talks between us broke down, and a war broke out."
"Queen Medusa is indeed a leader at the Dou Huang level. Even though I played all my cards, we still ended up losing. Just when we were about to stop fighting, the most unfortunate thing happened."
"While the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, a monster suddenly appeared. From his conversation with Medusa, I learned that this guardian from the Hall of Souls was also seriously injured for some reason and was hiding in the Magical Beast Mountain Range to recuperate. If the fluctuations from our battle had not been so great, he would not have been lured out."
"I never expected that after being so cautious for so many years, I would end up dying so miserably. Damn the Hall of Souls. I hate you so much!"
After reading the suicide note, Chen Guan looked puzzled.
There was a seriously injured guardian from the Hall of Souls hiding in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. This was truly beyond his expectations; probably no one knew about it. This time, his 'death' wasn't caused by war.
It was just bad luck.
However, now that he knew this, his plan to lure out his stalker would have to be put on hold.
Compared with that plan, Chen Guan now had a bolder idea in his mind.
This guardian from the Hall of Souls could be killed.
It's not that I hold a grudge. I simply want to seek justice for the vast number of people who have suffered on the Dou Qi Continent.
Yes, that's it.
It is my responsibility to safeguard peace on the mainland.
(End of Chapter)
***
(End of Chapter)
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