Chapter 568: Tier Eight Martial Emperor

Ye Xuan’s Devouring Martial Soul, ever since it reached Four-Stars, had been able to leave his body and act independently. Because it was a being of pure Soul Thought, it was difficult for others to see its true form, making it exceptionally convenient for reconnaissance.

"Go."

With a thought from Ye Xuan, the black figure shot into the sky like a phantom, speeding toward the heart of the imperial palace.

Because the black figure stood proudly in the sky and was composed purely of Soul Thought, not a single one of the many Martial Artists below noticed it.

Before long, Ye Xuan once again sensed the Seventh Grade Soul Sense wall at the core of the imperial palace.

BOOM!

The Devouring Martial Soul, like a black War God, slammed viciously against the Soul Sense wall. The entire Soul Sense barrier trembled violently. A black-hole-like vortex appeared on the Devouring Martial Soul’s chest, and it began to frantically absorb the Soul Power from the wall.

The devouring power of the Devouring Martial Soul was terrifying. In just a moment, a huge gap was devoured into the Soul Sense wall—a wall that even a Tier Seven Third Layer Martial King would find difficult to break. The black figure shot through the opening.

Inside the great hall, Elder Tianyi was directing the experts of the Profound Mystery Sect as they set things up. Suddenly, he was startled and shot to his feet.

BOOM!

He looked up and sensed a black figure bursting through a gap in his Soul Sense wall. Without any hesitation, he raised his Skull Staff. An invisible black light shot out, pressing down violently toward the black figure’s location.

Ye Xuan’s gaze hardened. He had just rushed into the Ancient Hall and hadn’t even had time to look around when he saw a stream of black light transform into a giant black net, enveloping him.

"The Martial Soul is formless, capable of ten thousand transformations."

In the inn outside, Ye Xuan, who was sitting cross-legged, swiftly formed a Hand Skill.

The Devouring Martial Soul, resembling a black War God, suddenly blurred until only a pair of brightly shining eyes remained, glinting sharply. Its speed skyrocketed in an instant, allowing it to dodge the black net. The net landed on a stone wall with a PFFT. The entire wall immediately started to SIZZLE, emitting plumes of black smoke before melting into a pool of black liquid.

Ye Xuan’s expression darkened. ’That black net contains immense corrosive power, and it’s extremely damaging to a Martial Soul. Thank goodness it didn’t hit me. The consequences would have been unimaginable.’

Only then did he have a moment to survey the great hall.

It was a very ancient hall, of an indeterminate age. A single glance told him it was a remnant from the era of the Guyang Empire. The entire hall was solemn and dignified. The surrounding stone walls were carved with various totems, and a strange, eerie aura flowed everywhere.

In the hall, more than ten Martial King Level experts were currently engraving something. Obscure and complex patterns covered the floor of the hall. Streams of blood-red energy flowed along the patterns, making them look exceptionally sinister and terrifying.

In the middle of the hall, an old man holding a Skull Staff was staring at him coldly, his pair of ghostly green eyes emitting an uncanny light.

"Master Tianyi, what happened?"

The previous commotion had startled Tang Zhao and the others. They all looked up, and upon seeing the Devouring Martial Soul that looked like a black War God floating in mid-air, their expressions changed drastically.

Terrifying auras erupted from their bodies as they surrounded the soul. The dense Profound energy actually formed an invisible barrier.

"A solidified Soul Thought?"

Elder Tianyi held his staff, his voice raspy. His gaze was like a hawk’s, locked onto the soul. He said coldly, "Which Profound Beast level Demon King are you, to dare trespass in a city of the Human Race? Are you unaware of the agreement made a hundred years ago between the Profound Domain and the Demon Race?"

Ye Xuan was taken aback but quickly understood. ’Elder Tianyi thinks my Devouring Martial Soul is the solidified Soul Thought of a Profound Beast level Demon King.’

’It’s understandable, though. He himself had been shocked when he first discovered his Devouring Martial Soul could leave his body. In both his past and present lives, this was the first time he’d ever heard of a Martial Soul that could move independently.’

After all, a fundamental principle of Martial Soul theory is that a Martial Soul must be attached to its host’s body and cannot travel too far from it.

"Jiejie." Ye Xuan’s Devouring Martial Soul sent out an invisible Soul Thought, taking in the situation in the Ancient Hall. It then said coldly, "This king was just hunting a human Martial Artist and unintentionally stumbled upon this place. Since there is an agreement, what happened before was just a misunderstanding. I will take my leave."

With that said, the soul turned to leave.

Ye Xuan had only learned of the agreement between the Human Race and the Demon Race after sending Jin Lin out.

A hundred years ago, not long after his own demise, a great war had broken out between the Human and Demon Races. The cause was simple: a Demon King had killed a Martial King in a human city. But as it turned out, that Martial King had a significant background—he was a disciple of the Sealed Demon Valley, one of the Seven Great Sects of the Profound Domain.

So, the Sealed Demon Valley sent out its experts and forcefully executed the shapeshifted Demon King. Unexpectedly, that Demon King wasn’t some ordinary Demon Race Loose Cultivator, but a disciple of the Golden Lion Race, a major tribe within the Demon Race. As a result, the conflict instantly escalated.

The Demon and Human Races already harbored deep-seated hatred for one another. The war grew larger and larger, eventually leading to the fall of many Human Race Martial Emperors and Demon Race Demon Emperors.

After several years of fighting, neither side wanted the conflict to escalate further. The higher-ups of both races finally established an agreement: Demon Race Demon Kings could enter human cities in their transformed shapes but were not to wantonly kill Human Race Martial Kings. In turn, human experts could enter the various Demon Race mountain ranges but were not to wantonly kill Demon Race Demon Kings.

Of course, this agreement was only superficial. It was rarely enforced in practice. After all, the struggle between the Human and Demon Races had lasted for over ten thousand years, forging an indelible hatred.

"Trying to leave?"

Seeing the intruder try to leave immediately after entering, a savage expression appeared on Elder Tianyi’s face. He waved his Skull Staff forcefully. WHOOSH. An invisible black membrane of light appeared as if from thin air, sealing the entire hall tightly.

HUMMM!

At the same time, a strange pressure enveloped the entire space, pressing down on the Devouring Martial Soul. Ye Xuan could clearly feel that the surrounding space had been sealed in an instant.

The soul’s figure froze. It said coldly, "This king is a member of the Wolf Emperor Hall from the Endless Mountain Range. You, sir, appear to be an expert from a human sect. What, are you planning to violate the agreement between our two races?"

Its tone was cold and severe, but inwardly, Ye Xuan was secretly shocked. ’I can already tell that this expert from the Profound Mystery Sect is not only a Seventh Grade Soul Refiner, but also a Tier Eight Martial Royal!’

And the strange pressure he released was precisely the Domain Realm barrier power that only a Tier Eight Martial Royal possessed.

He was utterly shocked. ’The Profound Mystery Sect actually sent a Tier Eight Martial Royal and so many Martial King experts this time? And they’ve all remained hidden in the forbidden grounds of the imperial palace without showing themselves. What exactly are they trying to do?’

Ye Xuan sensed a thick aura of conspiracy.

"The Endless Mountain Range, Wolf Emperor Hall?" Elder Tianyi frowned and glanced at the soul, seemingly pondering something. But immediately after, a murderous glint flashed through his eyes.

’This is bad.’

Ye Xuan was instantly alarmed. Without hesitation, the soul transformed into a streak of light and slammed into the black barrier.

TCHSS!

Plumes of black smoke rose from the Devouring Martial Soul. Ye Xuan immediately felt an intense pain spreading from it. The Soul Power aura of the Devouring Martial Soul weakened rapidly.

"Ancestor?" Tang Zhao and the others all looked at Elder Tianyi.

"Kill it," Elder Tianyi said coldly. "The Soul Thought of a Profound Beast level Demon King is its very essence. If the Soul Thought is destroyed, it’s like its soul dissipating. It will surely die." As he spoke, streams of light burst from his black staff, slashing swiftly toward the Devouring Martial Soul.

Although he didn’t want his sect to provoke a great enemy from the Demon Race, this Demon King had peeked at the Profound Mystery Sect’s great secret. If he let it leave and the secret was exposed, the Profound Mystery Sect’s plan would be ruined. This was something Elder Tianyi would absolutely not allow.

Therefore, even at the risk of provoking a powerful Demon Race enemy, he had to kill the Profound Beast’s Soul Thought before him.

With Elder Tianyi’s order, Tang Zhao and the others also sprang into action. Streams of multicolored light, like meteors in the night sky, shot toward the Devouring Martial Soul.

"Damn it."

Ye Xuan’s face was grim. ’I never expected the people from the Profound Mystery Sect to be so ruthless. Fortunately, inside this Ancient Hall, Tang Zhao and the others are holding back, not daring to unleash their full power.’

Ye Xuan continuously formed Hand Skills. The Devouring Martial Soul radiated hazy black glows, its speed skyrocketing in an instant as it dodged and weaved desperately throughout the hall.

At the same time, it roared repeatedly, "Humans! I am a Demon King from the Wolf Emperor Hall! How dare you attack me! Do you not fear the retribution of the great Wolf Emperor?"

Ye Xuan was growing anxious. ’My Devouring Martial Soul is only at Four-Stars. It’s only because of its special properties that it can withstand the attacks of Tier Seven Martial Kings for a short while. If this keeps up, it’ll be annihilated sooner or later.’

Tang Zhao narrowed his eyes and shouted coldly, "Sir, you have trespassed into a crucial location of my Profound Mystery Sect! Surrender now, and you might have a sliver of a chance to live. Otherwise, you will surely die today!"

As he shouted, a dense Martial Soul aura began to appear above his head. He was clearly about to release his own Martial Soul to fight against Ye Xuan’s Devouring Martial Soul.

’I’ll risk it all!’

Seeing this, Ye Xuan’s gaze turned fierce. ’If Tang Zhao and the others all release their Martial Souls to fight, then no matter how strong the Devouring Martial Soul is, it won’t be able to withstand so many attacks.’

"Formless Soul Skill—Void Escape Shuttle!"

The black, War God-like Devouring Martial Soul suddenly erupted with brilliant light. It stopped resisting and transformed its entire body into a streaking arrow of light. With a PFFT, it pierced through Elder Tianyi’s Domain Realm barrier and the black screen, then slammed viciously against the Soul Sense wall.

Black smoke poured from the Devouring Martial Soul’s entire body as if it were on fire. The SIZZLING sound was incessant as its Martial Soul power continuously drained away. It unleashed its terrifying devouring power, instantly swallowing a gap in the Soul Sense wall and rushing out.