"Will the complete dissipation of his Dou Qi cultivation not affect this old man's body? I still need a Dou Ancestor body!"
Yan Qingshan spoke again, but his words were somewhat surprising. He had been hit by the Demon Poison Spot, yet he still had the presence of mind to be concerned about Xie Biyan's condition.
Although Fa Ma didn't know why Yan Qingshan was asking this question, he still replied, "No, it won't. It is said that some people who were hit by the Demon Poison Spot and miraculously survived were able to quickly recover their cultivation using medicinal pills."
"What are you doing, you're still…"
Medusa's expression was anxious and terrifyingly grim. The space around her violently fluctuated. At this moment, she was extremely unstable. She stared at Fa Ma and said urgently, "Is there any way to resolve this Demon Poison Spot?"
Fa Ma hesitated for a moment. "This… If it were a Demon Poison Spot unleashed by an ordinary Dou king or even a Dou Emperor, the few people here might be able to resolve it. But this Xie Biyan is a Dou Ancestor powerhouse… without a Dou Venerate to help, I'm afraid it's…"
A sky-high murderous aura suddenly erupted from Medusa's body. The thickness of this murderous aura caused Yun Shan and Jia Xingtian's expressions to change instantly.
"You old goat, hand over the antidote."
Her long, smooth hair billowed in the wind. Medusa's figure flickered, and she appeared directly next to the venomous-looking Xie Biyan. Her slender hand grabbed his throat, and her cold voice sounded as if it came from the depths of the Nine Underworlds.
"Hehe, after using the Demon Poison Spot, I don't have long to live anyway. If this kid can come down and join me, then I won't be lonely…"
Looking at Medusa's eyes filled with killing intent, Xie Biyan let out a dry laugh. Medusa was about to make her move when Yan Qingshan's voice came through, telling her to leave him a whole corpse.
"If you die, I will have everyone in the Ten Thousand Scorpions Gate buried with you. I won't even spare a single dog from your sect. I will make sure your descendants and future generations live a life worse than death…"
Medusa's words, filled with a grim killing intent, caused the mocking smile on Xie Biyan's face to freeze slightly. After a moment, he slowly closed his eyes. "Do what you want. The Demon Poison Spot cannot be resolved even by the person who uses it.
Therefore, I have no antidote."
"Cai'er, come back."
Medusa was about to kill Xie Biyan and exterminate everyone below when Yan Qingshan's voice came through again. Her delicate body paused, and her eyes struggled for a moment before she turned and flew towards Yan Qingshan's location in the sky.
"I'm fine."
Yan Qingshan used a handkerchief to wipe away the blood on Medusa's body and spoke in a low, comforting voice. How could he not know about his own condition? He was a person who was afraid of death. If this Demon Poison Spot really had no solution, he would have been frantic.
"Old man, I should actually thank you. You've given me such a massive amount of Dou Qi, which will help me advance to Dou Ancestor as fast as possible!"
Yan Qingshan led Medusa and the others to Xie Biyan's side. The old man was on his last breath. Hearing Yan Qingshan's words, he only showed a sarcastic smile, as if mocking him for making a foolhardy claim and overestimating his own abilities.
Xie Biyan's hoarse voice came intermittently. "You little beast, you… have only… half a year left. During this time, you and your… mistresses should work hard. Maybe you can even leave behind a child or something. Hahaha…"
Xie Biyan's laughter made Medusa and the others' eyes grow even colder. However, there seemed to be something else in the cold gazes of the beautiful women.
"Old man, you don't need to worry about that. I will accept your Dou Ancestor body."
Yan Qingshan inspected Xie Biyan's body. After nodding in satisfaction, he smiled at him. His smile then turned cold. He then exerted a little force with the hand that was holding his head.
"Ah…"
Xie Biyan, who was clearly on the verge of death, let out an unprecedented, painful wail. The mournful scream made it hard to imagine what kind of pain he was enduring.
"Old man, let me teach you a lesson: don't have such a foul mouth in your next life. You're almost dead, yet you don't seek a quick death and instead infuriate your enemies. Aren't you just asking for trouble? 'A death worse than death' is not just an empty phrase."
Yan Qingshan's tone was grim. Looking at Xie Biyan's pained expression, the strong fighters on the Jia Ma Empire's side couldn't help but shiver. A death worse than death and a life worse than death didn't sound like good things. These two were truly a perfect match!
"You guys stay here. We're going to go meet those few protectors of the Hall of Souls."
Yan Qingshan's palm suddenly moved slightly, and a spatial message informed him of some information. He then spoke again. The first half of his sentence was a command to Yun Yun and the others, and the second half was unclear, but Yun Shan, Jia Xingtian, and Medusa all heard it clearly.
"Are you really okay?"
Medusa was still worried about Yan Qingshan's condition. She didn't seem to believe that he was truly fine, after all, this was the death throes of a Dou Ancestor!
Yan Qingshan wrapped his arm around Medusa's slender waist and, in front of everyone, pecked her on the cheek. "I'm really okay. Why would I lie to you? Besides, isn't there still Yao Lao here? He was once a famous powerhouse on the continent. At worst, I'll just shamelessly beg him…"
"Let's go first."
Medusa couldn't handle this kind of trick. The countless gazes on her made her feel as if she was being pulled out to be executed ten thousand times. Her beautiful face was flushed and hot. She immediately used the power of space and left the Black Mountain Fortress with Yan Qingshan.
Jia Xingtian and Yun Shan exchanged glances and also prepared to follow. Before Yun Shan left, he gave Yun Yun a look. Seeing that she was still looking in the direction where Yan Qingshan had disappeared like a lovesick maiden, he could only sigh and said nothing, stepping into the void and leaving the area.
…
Twenty li outside the Black Mountain Fortress, in a mountain range, the three black-robed figures who were performing the soul-summoning technique suddenly stopped what they were doing. They simultaneously looked in the direction of the Black Mountain Fortress. They had discovered Yan Qingshan and the others approaching, but they didn't choose to leave.
"Yun Shan, you've got some nerve!"
Yan Qingshan and the others had just arrived when a series of sinister laughs came from within the valley. A large amount of black mist poured out, which quickly condensed in the sky and finally formed a ten-zhang-wide, profound-colored mist ball.
The black mist contracted and undulated. Under everyone's gazes, it slowly condensed into three black-robed figures completely enveloped in profound black smoke. Faintly, a pair of slightly crimson eyes peeked out from the profound darkness.
The three black-robed figures were completely covered, without a single visible feature. They floated in the black mist, appearing extremely sinister and eerie.
"Protector Wu, these two must also be from your Hall of Souls!"
Yun Shan's gaze lingered for a moment on the person who had spoken, then he looked at the other two figures, who were somewhat unfamiliar to him. He had only contacted one Protector Wu, but three Dou Ancestors from the Hall of Souls had appeared, which was a bit of a surprise to him.
However, thinking that the plan had gone smoothly so far, he wasn't flustered at all. Instead, he looked at the other two with some interest.
"I am Protector Tie of the Hall of Souls. Yun Shan, you actually dared to use my Hall of Souls as a part of your scheme. Don't you have anything to say?"
Protector Tie, who was next to Protector Wu, roared. His figure moved, and with a rattling sound, black chains shot out from his body like venomous snakes, coiling and entangling behind him.
"Protector Xuan of the Hall of Souls!"
The last black figure had a group of fluctuating soul bodies behind him, which seemed to form a strange array.
"Yun Shan, you used my Hall of Souls to get the three great empires to agree to your gathering of strong fighters, then you set up an ambush and wiped them all out. You have some incredible guts. Aren't you going to give me an explanation?"
Protector Wu let out a cold laugh and said in a sinister voice, "Don't you forget, it was my Hall of Souls that helped you become a Dou Ancestor. We can make you, and we can also crush you. You must give us an explanation for this matter."
"Protector Wu, hehe, are you out of your mind?"
Yun Shan did not speak, but Yan Qingshan responded instead. "The strong fighters from the Chu Yun, Mulan, and Luo Yan empires were all ambushed and killed by us. Your Hall of Souls only served as a messenger. What explanation do you want? What right do you have to ask for one?"
The black mist around Protector Wu's body grew even thicker. "How dare you speak such nonsense here? Who are you!"
Yan Qingshan stared at the three of them and let out a cold laugh. "Who I am isn't important. I only know that you are in for some bad luck. Since my Jia Ma Empire set up an ambush this time, we will definitely take control of these three empires. As for you three, you're useless."
Protector Tie let out a cold laugh and roared, "Kid, from the sound of your words, do you intend to make us stay here as well? What a joke."
"My 'Ten Thousand Souls Devouring Spirit Array' seems to be missing a main soul. You have a sharp tongue."
As Protector Xuan spoke, the churning black mist behind him unleashed a series of mournful screams from ghostly soul bodies with crimson eyes. The sound caused everyone to frown.
"Protectors of the Hall of Souls, what a grand name. It's just a pity that this time, you were careless. Yao Lao, since we've confirmed that it's only them and no one else, please make your move!"
Yan Qingshan gave a cold glance at the three black figures, then looked in another direction. A figure in a black robe, with a sinister white flame coiling around him, suddenly appeared. The moment he appeared, the expressions of the three protectors of the Hall of Souls changed drastically.
"Bone Chilling Flame, you're Yao Chen!"
Protector Wu was first shocked, then pleased. "To think it's actually you! You were lucky to escape back then, and it cost my Hall of Souls a lot of effort… If we can capture you today, the Hall Master will be overjoyed."
"A bunch of monsters like rats! Back then, you helped that beast Han Feng attack me. Today, we will settle that debt!"
Yao Lao, possessing Xiao Yan's body, watched the black mist known as Protector Wu with a cold gaze, his voice filled with fury and killing intent.
"Hehehehe… If you had a physical body, this protector might fear you a little. But for a soul body, hehehe, my Hall of Souls has plenty of ways to deal with you…"
The three protectors laughed together. Then, Protector Wu even looked at Yan Qingshan. "Kid, this old man is only a soul body. So what if he still has the strength of a Dou Ancestor? His experience might be useful against a regular high-star Dou Ancestor, but we are protectors of the Hall of Souls…"