495: Chapter 495 Is the Outpost Really Gone?

Ye Chen leaned back in the car's back seat and couldn't help but laugh at the words.

"Surpassing the Tianyi Realm?"

"Your Soul Hall doesn't seem to have any real powerhouses. He can surpass the Tianyi Realm? In his dreams?"

Elder He gave a dry cough, not daring to respond.

What Ye Chen said was not without reason.

Currently, besides the Hall Master, the strongest in the Soul Hall were the Left and Right Dharma Kings.

But those two seemed to have been slaughtered by Ye Chen because they acted without authorization.

If the Hall Master were truly just in the Tianyi Realm, his subordinates shouldn't be such weaklings.

But the problem was...

The Hall Master just happened to be very strong.

So strong that a powerhouse like Elder He, who was in the Late Heaven Realm, couldn't even muster the thought of resisting.

Elder He gave a bitter smile and spoke carefully.

"Instructor Ye might not know, but the Hall Master practices the Soul Hall's most terrifying Soul Art. That technique is extremely sinister; it devours others' souls to strengthen oneself, so his strength increases very rapidly."

"Furthermore, eighty percent of the Soul Hall's resources are poured into the Hall Master alone."

"Over the years, he has devoured the souls of countless powerhouses, and his strength has long been unfathomable."

"Before going into seclusion, he was already at the peak of the Mid-stage Tianyi Realm."

"This time, after coming out of seclusion..."

Elder He didn't continue, but the meaning was already very obvious.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and nodded thoughtfully.

Peak of the Mid-stage Tianyi Realm, devouring countless souls of powerhouses, plus eighty percent of the Soul Hall's resources...

If he really broke through, there was indeed a lot of room for growth.

However.

So what?

The corners of Ye Chen's mouth curled up slightly. "You people are such spineless cowards, following him without even getting any resources."

Elder He: "..."

Ye Chen continued indifferently, "Alright, we must arrive by tomorrow morning."

Elder He nodded quickly.

"Don't worry, Instructor Ye, we will definitely arrive before dawn!"

Ye Chen stopped talking, took his phone out of his pocket, and opened the WeChat chat window with White Charm.

Then.

His fingers quickly tapped a line of text on the screen: "The plan can begin. Have someone spread the word that their Guang City branch was taken down by me."

Send.

The other side replied quickly: "Your subordinate understands."

Ye Chen put away his phone, a smile appearing on his face.

The good show is about to begin.

...

In the early morning, the sea was shrouded in mist, and a solitary island loomed under the grayish-white sky.

The island wasn't large, but it exuded an indescribable gloom.

The surrounding reefs were like bleached white skeletons, and the seawater slapped against them, making a dull, wailing sound.

In the center of the island, a black Stone Fortress stood in the morning mist like a crouching giant beast.

In the deepest part of the Stone Fortress, in a secret room.

An old man sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, surrounded by thick black mist.

The black mist was like a living thing, churning and writhing around his body, occasionally condensing into distorted human faces that let out silent wails.

The walls of the secret room were covered with dense runes, which, combined with the dozen or so corpses lying haphazardly on the ground, looked particularly terrifying.

The air was filled with a nauseating scent of decay.

The old man slowly opened his eyes, and a terrifyingly powerful aura suddenly erupted from him!

On the walls of the secret room, those dark red runes flashed frantically, as if trying desperately to suppress this power, yet they still couldn't stop the spread of that aura.

The corpses on the ground were tossed around by the airwaves; some were even sent flying, slamming against the walls before falling heavily.

The old man slowly opened his eyes, then tilted his head back and let out a burst of laughter.

"Haha... Hahaha!"

"Late-stage Tianyi Realm!"

"I have finally broken through!"

The old man stood up, a domineering aura that looked down on the world bursting from his thin frame.

"If I continue my seclusion, I might be able to reach that Legendary Realm in one go."

"At that time..."

A sinister smile curled on his lips. "Whatever Kunlun Ruins is, it will be nothing more than ants under my feet."

He was once a member of the Kunlun Ruins!

But because he practiced a demonic art, he was expelled from the Kunlun Ruins...

"Hmph!"

"One day, I will step into the Kunlun Ruins again!"

"Every one of you will kneel at my feet and beg for mercy!!!"

Before his voice had even faded.

A burst of footsteps came from outside the secret room.

Next.

A woman's urgent voice sounded outside the door.

"Hall Master! Something has happened outside!"

The old man's brow furrowed sharply.

He recognized this voice.

Venerable Vermilion Bird.

One of the four Venerables of the Soul Hall, and also one of his most capable confidants.

Before he went into seclusion, he had strictly ordered that no one was to disturb him.

Three of the four Venerables had been arranged by him to guard the perimeter of the island, responsible for being on alert, and they were not to leave their posts unless there was a major incident.

Now that Venerable Vermilion Bird had personally come to knock on the door, and her tone was so urgent...

A cold light flashed in the old man's cloudy eyes.

"Come in."

The door to the secret room was slowly pushed open.

A woman wearing a long red dress walked in.

She looked to be in her thirties, tall and with a beautiful face, but her phoenix eyes were filled with panic.

It was indeed Venerable Vermilion Bird.

As soon as she entered, she frowned slightly at the thick scent of decay in the secret room, but she quickly focused her attention on the old man.

"Hall Master!"

Venerable Vermilion Bird stepped forward quickly, knelt on one knee, and lowered her head, her voice carrying a hint of fear.

"During the time you were in seclusion, many major events have occurred..."

The old man stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at her expressionlessly. "Speak."

Venerable Vermilion Bird gritted her teeth and spoke word by word.

"First, regarding the buddha head at the Beijing Auction, we failed."

"White Charm and White Fiend were one killed and one injured. Other Soul Emissaries were either killed or wounded. They are all waiting for you to come out of seclusion to make a decision."

The old man's face darkened slightly.

Venerable Vermilion Bird didn't dare look up and continued.

"Second, the Left and Right Dharma Kings acted without authorization and took a contract from the Manluodi Family of the USA to kill someone."

"The result..."

"They are also dead; not a single one returned."

The old man's pupils suddenly contracted.

Originally, the Soul Hall's resources were all occupied by him, so the strength of others who joined the Soul Hall was not very great.

Therefore.

The Left and Right Dharma Kings were the strongest combat forces under his command!

But now, they were all dead???

"Who did it?"

The old man was furious. "Who dares to kill Tong Sanqian's people!"

Venerable Vermilion Bird swallowed hard and forced out two words.

"Ye Chen."

"The Chief Instructor of the Hidden Dragon Pavilion of the Dragon Group, Ye Chen."

"Both matters were done by him."

"Furthermore, news has come from White Charm that Ye Chen has already declared he is coming to find trouble with you!"

Tong Sanqian's eyes narrowed sharply, and an intense killing intent erupted from his pupils.

"Dragon Group?"

"Ye Chen?"

"What else?"

Venerable Vermilion Bird took a deep breath and continued.

"Third..."

"The stronghold over in Guang City was taken down last night."

"Wang the Tiger and over a hundred of his men were all captured by the Dragon Group."

"Venerable Xuanwu is already on his way back and should be arriving soon!"

As her voice fell, the secret room became quiet.

A deathly silence.

Tong Sanqian stood where he was, motionless, like a statue.

Venerable Vermilion Bird knelt on the ground, cold sweat dripping down her cheeks from her forehead.

After a long time.

Tong Sanqian suddenly laughed.

That laughter was very light, yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness that made one's hair stand on end.

"What a Ye Chen."

"What a Dragon Group."

"How long has it been since I went into seclusion, and you've already turned the world upside down?"

He lowered his head and looked at Venerable Vermilion Bird kneeling before him, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"Who took down the Guang City stronghold?"

Venerable Vermilion Bird spoke with difficulty, "It was also... Ye Chen."

In Tong Sanqian's eyes, killing intent shot out like something tangible.

"Ye Chen again..."

He murmured the name as if he wanted to chew the words up and swallow them into his stomach.

"I want to see just how capable you really are."

"Pass down the order."

"Gather everyone."

"I will go and meet this Ye Chen personally!"

Venerable Vermilion Bird was just about to speak...

Suddenly!

Another burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the secret room.

The next second.

A voice came from outside.

"Hall Master! Venerable Xuanwu has returned!"

Tong Sanqian raised an eyebrow, the killing intent in his eyes slightly receding, replaced by a hint of confusion.

"Old He is back?"

"He came at the right time. I was just about to ask him about the Guang City matter."

Having said that.

He flicked his sleeves and strode toward the outside of the secret room.

Venerable Vermilion Bird quickly got up and followed behind, but she vaguely felt something was not quite right.

Venerable Xuanwu had been ordered to station in Guang City and was responsible for the affairs of several southern provinces. Now that the stronghold had been taken down, instead of staying behind to handle the aftermath, he had rushed back to the headquarters...

This was not logical.

But she didn't dare say much and just silently followed behind Tong Sanqian, passing through the dark corridors toward the Stone Fortress's main hall.

...

The main hall of the Stone Fortress.

In the center of the hall stood an old man wearing a grayish-white robe.

It was indeed Elder He.

He stood there, his expression normal, but fine beads of sweat were faintly visible on his forehead.

And behind him stood a young man and woman.

Around the hall, a dozen or so Soul Emissaries had already arrived upon hearing the news and were waiting on the side.

However.

The looks they gave that pair of man and woman were a bit strange...

At this time.

Tong Sanqian strode out from the inner hall, with Venerable Vermilion Bird following closely behind.

As soon as he appeared, he saw Elder He and then the pair of young people behind him, his brow instantly furrowing into a deep knot.

But he didn't rush to ask about the identities of the man and woman; instead, he asked the question he was most anxious to know the answer to.

"Old He, is the stronghold really gone?"