Fights Break Sphere: Purple Thunder Emperor

Chapter 448 Soul Palace Celestial Venerable
After seeing off Little Fairy Doctor, Yun Yun, and Qing'er as they entered the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Bai did not linger in the Purple Cloud Palace.

The Soul Clan's unusual silence hung like a sword over his head, intensifying his sense of urgency.

He briefly explained the affairs of the palace, then alone, tore through space, and sped off in the northeast direction.

The desolate ancient realm.

Located in the northeast of Zhongzhou, it can be considered the oldest place on the Dou Qi Continent.

This is no ordinary mountain range, but a corner forgotten by time, where the energy of heaven and earth is violent and primal, and the environment is extremely harsh.

A perpetual poisonous miasma permeates the outer perimeter of the ancient domain, where ferocious ancient demonic beasts roam, devouring any intruders.

Even a Dou Zun expert must be extremely careful here, or risk perishing.

Even with Xiao Bai traveling at full speed, it took him two days to reach the edge of this place known as a forbidden zone for humans.

As soon as you step out of the spatial passage, a wild, ancient aura, carrying a hint of blood and decay, hits you, making it hard to breathe.

Looking ahead, there was an endless ancient forest that seemed to connect heaven and earth. The trees towered into the clouds, with strange shapes and colorful poisonous mist swirling among their branches and leaves. Countless fierce auras lurked within, making one's heart tremble.

In stark contrast to this deadly forest is a town built against the mountain not far away.

The town is small, built of rough black boulders, its walls covered with marks of wind and rain erosion and claw-like tearing, exuding a tenacious vitality.

Xiao Bai narrowed his eyes slightly, and with a swift movement, instead of directly entering the perilous ancient domain, he disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already standing in front of the town's gate.

Above the entrance, three large, dark red characters were written in the blood of some kind of beast—

Wilderness Town!
The handwriting is unrestrained, yet it carries an indelible sense of vicissitude and iron-blooded spirit.

This is the closest human settlement to the ancient wilderness, serving as the last supply station and information exchange point for adventurers, outlaws, and those seeking opportunities within the ancient wilderness.

As Xiao Bai walked through the wide-open door, a complex smell, a mixture of sweat, blood, cheap liquor, and a faint herbal scent, filled his nostrils.

The town's streets are not wide, paved with stone slabs, but uneven and full of potholes.

On both sides were some simple stone or wooden houses, with some shops selling weapons, armor, pills and various magic cores and medicinal materials.

There weren't many people on the street, just a few here and there. Most of them had a sharp and shrewd look in their eyes, even with a hint of wariness and ferocity, and they all had scars or weapons on their bodies.

They spoke in hushed tones, and the town was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the bustling, lively cities of Zhongzhou. A sense of oppressive, iron-blooded ruthlessness permeated the air.

Xiao Bai, dressed in a neat black robe and exuding an extraordinary aura, naturally attracted some attention when he appeared.

Those gazes held scrutiny, curiosity, and even some ill intent.

However, Xiao Bai ignored them. He kept his aura under control, but the unfathomable depth he exuded made those shrewd people who had been living on the edge for years subconsciously lower their gazes and dare not provoke him easily.

As dusk approached and night was about to fall, Xiao Bai knew that the desolate ancient domain would be even more dangerous at night, and he was unwilling to venture out rashly at night without knowing the situation.

He wandered around the town and found a relatively clean-looking inn called "Ancient Domain Rest Stop" to stay in.

The inn was simple, but it was quiet.

Xiao Bai asked for a superior room, located on the top floor of the inn. When he opened the window, he could see the vast forest shrouded in twilight.

Night falls quickly.

The nights in Wilderness Town are far quieter than the days, as if the entire town is holding its breath.

There were few stars in the sky, only a hazy crescent moon casting a cold and dim light.

In the distance, the desolate ancient domain was completely hidden in darkness. The continuous mountain shadows and dense forests were blurred under the moonlight, resembling a prehistoric beast lying on the ground, ready to devour its prey. The faint, mournful howls of various ferocious beasts rose and fell, adding to the terror and involuntarily sending a chill down one's spine.

Xiao Bai stood by the window, his gaze piercing through the darkness, fixed on the direction of the ancient domain. The Bodhi seed in his palm emitted a warm sensation, guiding him to the depths of the desolate ancient domain.

Just as he was about to carefully sense it, suddenly, his eyes flickered, and a familiar, chilling aura appeared in his senses.

Suddenly, I turned my head and looked in another direction of the town, where there seemed to be an area of ​​abandoned stone houses.

"Soul Palace..."

Xiao Bai frowned, and as he murmured to himself, he vanished from the room like a ghost, without causing any energy fluctuations.

Under the cover of night, Xiao Bai's figure moved through the shadows, as if blending into the darkness.

His control over spatial power had reached a state of perfection; even when he passed by patrolling townspeople, they were completely unaware.

Soon, he approached the abandoned stone houses. This place seemed to be an abandoned residential area of ​​Manghuang Town in its early years, with ruins and overgrown weeds, appearing particularly desolate under the moonlight.

A faint, extremely subtle spatial fluctuation and a unique, eerie aura emanated from beneath one of the relatively intact stone houses.

Xiao Bai's figure blended into the shadow of a huge broken wall, and his soul power, like the finest spider silk, slowly spread out, penetrating the soil and probing underground.

Beneath the stone house, there was a rather large secret room.

Inside the secret chamber, seven figures stood, all dressed in familiar black cloaks embroidered with the eerie emblem of the Soul Palace.

Their auras were incredibly powerful; they were all at the Dou Zun level!

The leader's aura had reached the peak of the Ninth Rank Dou Zun, just half a step away from touching the Saint Realm.

"Nine Heavenly Venerables?!"

Xiao Bai's eyes showed surprise, because the weakest of these Soul Palace Dou Zun was none other than an old acquaintance of Xiao Bai's.

The Nine Heavens Venerable, who was nearly killed by him in the Creation Saint Ruins of the Beast Realm.

"Could these guys be the nine Heavenly Venerables of the Soul Palace? No, there are only seven here. Gu You and that Great Heavenly Venerable are still left!"

Xiao Bai muttered to himself, silently watching the several Soul Palace Celestial Venerables in the stone chamber, countless doubts rising in his heart.

These guys disappeared in Zhongzhou, but they all came here. Could it be that they have the same purpose as me, to find the Bodhi Tree?
Just then, the leading Soul Palace Celestial Venerable asked in a hoarse voice.

Have you made any recent discoveries?

A tall, thin celestial being respectfully replied:

"Third Brother, we've explored more than half of the outer area, but haven't found any definite trace of the Bodhi Tree. We've only found some residual ancient aura, which is somewhat similar to the aura of the Bodhi Tree in the records, but it's too weak to be confirmed."

The Celestial Venerable known as "Third Brother" was none other than the Third Celestial Venerable of the Soul Palace. He snorted coldly:
"The Palace Master personally ordered that the whereabouts of the Bodhi Tree must be found this time, and even the slightest clue must not be overlooked! Have the other teams had any news?"

Another burly Celestial Venerable said in a deep voice:
"My eldest and second brothers have personally led teams to explore the core area of ​​the ancient domain. However, this desolate ancient domain is far too vast and fraught with danger. Yesterday, we lost two Soul Envoy teams." The Three Venerables frowned deeply.
"The Bodhi Tree has not appeared in the world for ten thousand years. This time, we were able to capture a trace of its aura in the hall. The hall master has ordered that we must find it before anyone else does!"

At this moment, the Nine Heavenly Venerable, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but speak:
"Third Brother, forgive my bluntness, but while a Bodhi Heart is precious, is it really worth the Soul Palace mobilizing so many forces? Even our eldest brother, a two-star Dou Sheng, has been mobilized!"

The Three Venerables gave him a cold glance:
"Ninth Brother, when did you become so talkative? We only need to carry out the Palace Master's orders."

The Nine Heavens Venerable shrank his neck, but still muttered under his breath:
"I just find it strange. This Bodhi tree may be miraculous, but surely it shouldn't warrant the mobilization of all the Celestial Venerables in the Soul Palace?"

"Shut up!"

The Three Venerables shouted sharply, a cold glint in their eyes.
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask! Just focus on your own work!"

Outside the secret room, Xiao Bai's brows furrowed even deeper.

The Soul Palace's massive mobilization is definitely not just for the sake of Bodhi Heart.

He recalled information about the ancient Bodhi tree, and a thought suddenly struck him—

Could the Soul Palace's target be the Bodhi Tree itself?

Thinking of this, Xiao Bai waved his hand, causing the space to ripple and undulate, but the people in the underground stone chamber were completely unaware of it.

"Tell me, I'm also very curious about the purpose of your Soul Palace's visit here."

The sudden sound, like a thunderclap, exploded in the secret room, carrying a hint of languor yet containing an undeniable majesty.

"Who?!"

The expressions of the Soul Palace Heavenly Venerables, led by the Three Heavenly Venerables, changed drastically. Their battle qi erupted instantly, and a cold black mist spread out, filling the entire secret chamber.

Seven sharp gazes swept around like hawks, then suddenly froze, locking onto the stone chair in the corner of the secret room that had been empty.

Suddenly, a figure appeared there without anyone noticing.

It was a young man dressed in a black robe, with a handsome face, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. He was sitting casually on a stone chair, one hand on the armrest, his fingertips tapping rhythmically.

A faint, ambiguous smile played on his lips as he calmly swept his gaze over the seven men who looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy. His eyes held a mocking quality, as if he were looking at a caged beast.

"Xiao Bai!!!"

When they saw the face of the newcomer, all the Heavenly Venerables of the Soul Palace, including the Three Heavenly Venerables, had their pupils shrink sharply. Their hearts seemed to slow down for a moment, and an endless chill rushed from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads!
A person’s name is like a tree’s shadow!
A few years ago, they wouldn't have taken this young man seriously at all.

But things are different now. Not to mention that Xiao Bai is a powerful figure who has confronted their elder brother, the Palace Master recently issued an order that no one should provoke him during this period.

They couldn't understand why, after leaving the Central Plains and arriving in this remote and desolate Manghuang Town, and acting in secrecy, this evil star would still come knocking on their door.
Moreover, how did he break through the barrier outside the secret chamber and appear here so ghostly?
"You...how did you get here?!"

The Ninth Heavenly Venerable's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly. He subconsciously took a half-step back, a subtle movement that made the atmosphere even more tense in the eyes of the other Heavenly Venerables.

Xiao Bai did not answer his question, but instead focused his gaze on the three Heavenly Venerables at the head of the group, and chuckled softly:
"So you are the Third Venerable of the Soul Palace? Your aura is much stronger than these trashy fellows."

His words were utterly disdainful, causing the Nine Heavens Venerable's face to turn ashen instantly, yet he dared not retaliate.

As one of the top three Heavenly Venerables among the Nine Heavenly Venerables, with strength reaching the peak of the Ninth Rank Dou Zun, he suppressed his shock, his face ashen, staring intently at Xiao Bai:

"Lord Xiao Bai, this is a temporary stronghold of my Soul Palace. What is the meaning of your uninvited arrival? Does Zi Xiao Palace intend to start a full-scale war with my Soul Palace?"

"War?!"

Xiao Bai seemed to have heard something amusing. He glanced meaningfully at the subtle movements of the person behind him and shook his head.

"Don't waste your time. This space has been sealed off by me. Your messages can't get out. You'd better answer the questions honestly, otherwise..."

He paused, his fingertips that had been tapping the armrest stopped, and his eyes suddenly sharpened.

In an instant, an invisible, powerful aura slowly spread out. Although it did not directly oppress, it made the seven celestial beings feel that the surrounding air had become thick and heavy.

"What are you looking for the ancient Bodhi tree for?!"

His deep, resounding voice was like thunder from the heavens, echoing in the ears of everyone in the Soul Palace.

The faces of the seven Heavenly Venerables of the Soul Palace turned pale suddenly, and a trace of blood slowly slid down from the corner of their mouths.

"Xiao Bai, don't push your luck!"

One of the people beside the Three Heavenly Venerables felt the increasingly heavy pressure emanating from him, his legs trembling and creaking. He gritted his teeth and roared:
"Even if you are a half-saint, do you really think we're afraid of you?!"

Xiao Bai chuckled lightly, flicked his finger, and a streak of golden lightning tore through the void, piercing directly into his chest.

"Fourth Brother!"

"Fourth brother!"

The remaining six people stared in horror as they watched helplessly as a golden bolt of lightning pierced through the chest of the burly Fourth Heavenly Venerable, leaving a charred hole. The violent power of the lightning raged within him, destroying his life force.

The light in his eyes quickly dimmed, filled with disbelief, horror, and resentment, and he fell straight down, lifeless.

A Soul Palace Heavenly Venerable whose strength reached the peak of Dou Zun was not even able to put up a fight and was instantly killed!

The air in the secret chamber seemed to freeze. The remaining six Celestial Venerables, including the Third Celestial Venerable, all felt a chill rush from their spines to their heads, and their blood almost froze.

The Nine Heavens Venerable trembled, his legs went weak, and he could barely stand.

Their initial thought of fighting to the death vanished instantly; killing a high-level Dou Zun was as easy as crushing an ant!
Even if you wanted to fight to the death, this net is too strong and you can't break it!

"Now, can you talk properly?"

Xiao Bai remained seated on the stone chair, as if he had merely flicked away a speck of dust.

His gaze calmly swept over the remaining six people, finally settling on the Third Venerable, whose face was as pale as paper.

"My patience is running out. Next, who will answer?"

That calm tone was more chilling than any menacing threat.

The Three Venerables' throat bobbed, feeling extremely dry.

He glanced at the corpses of the Four Heavenly Venerables on the ground, and felt the terrifying pressure that pressed down on his soul like a towering mountain. All his will to resist completely collapsed in the face of the absolute difference in strength.

"I said..."

(End of this chapter)