Simultaneous Transmigration: From Douluo Continent to the Pinnacle

The Western Region branch of the Soul Palace is located deep within a dark mountain range called the Nether Abyss Mountain.

The entire palace is carved into the mountainside, with most of it embedded in the rock wall. From a distance, it looks like a giant black python coiled on the mountainside.

The palace gate was over ten zhang tall, cast from black iron, and a huge skull emblem was engraved on the lintel, emitting a faint, eerie light.

He walked in with a normal expression.

The heavy, black iron doors behind them slammed shut, isolating them from the outside world. The interior was dimly lit, save for the faint, eerie green glow emanating from the carved patterns on the walls, illuminating a long corridor leading deeper into the hall. The air was stagnant, almost still, and every dark blue-green stone brick beneath one's feet carried a bone-chilling cold, as if the hall itself were a living behemoth.

At the end of the corridor stood a massive, half-open door. Lin Yao had just approached, and before he could even push it open, a dense, impenetrable black mist suddenly surged from the crack, like a long-dormant venomous snake abruptly erupting, transforming into a gigantic black hand over ten feet wide, gripping his body. The black mist was icy cold to the touch, carrying a corrosive energy, like invisible chains coiling around him, attempting to lock his entire body and his fighting spirit in place.

Lin Yao did not resist, allowing the giant black mist hand to drag him into the space behind the door. The giant door swung open with a roar, and his vision was suddenly illuminated. The layout of the hall was completely different from the gloomy outside. The floor was covered with large pieces of black jade, and the four walls were inlaid with thousands of milky white night-illuminating beads, making the entire hall as bright as day. However, this brightness did not bring warmth. Instead, it made the dense sealing patterns on the black jade floor even more clearly visible, like a spider web, exuding a chilling sense of oppression.

In the very center of the main hall, seated on a black jade chair, sat a middle-aged man clad in a dark python robe. His face was angular and sculpted, with high cheekbones and a pair of narrow eyes that gleamed with a sinister light. His long, grey-black hair was casually draped over his shoulders, and he exuded an oppressive aura that only those long accustomed to high positions possessed. This was Ghost Fiend, the deputy hall master of the Western Region branch of the Soul Hall.

Gui Sha sat upright in his chair, observing Lin Yao, who was suspended in mid-air by the giant black mist hand, with great interest, his gaze like that of someone looking at an interesting piece of merchandise. He spoke slowly, his voice low and hoarse: "You're Lin Yao, recommended by that old bastard Feng Yuan?"

Lin Yao was enveloped in black mist in mid-air, but his face showed no panic. He even nodded leisurely: "It is indeed me. The Vice Hall Master's way of welcoming a newcomer is quite impressive."

Ghost Fiend paused for a moment, then laughed, a laugh that carried a chilling aura: "Interesting. A brat from the desolate northwest, who killed that piece of trash Mu Gu, thinks he can run rampant in the Soul Palace?" He slowly stood up, his killing intent surging out like a tangible force. "I summoned you here today to teach you the rules of the Soul Palace."

The moment the words fell, a boundless killing intent pressed down on Lin Yao like a collapsing mountain. The pressure of a peak Dou Zun, combined with the killing intent honed over many years by the Soul Palace's secret techniques, almost solidified the air in the entire hall. That pressure was like a heavy hammer weighing tens of thousands of pounds crashing down on Lin Yao. If it were an ordinary Dou Zun, his knees would probably have buckled and he would have already knelt down.

However, Lin Yao simply hovered quietly within the giant black mist hand, his expression unchanged, and even his breathing remained completely still. The murderous aura that would terrify an ordinary Dou Zun struck him, but it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, without stirring up the slightest ripple.

Ghostly Fiend's eyes narrowed slightly.

He intensified his oppressive aura, the dense killing intent hissing and crackling like tangible blades in the space around Lin Yao. Yet Lin Yao remained completely still, not even the hem of his white robe fluttering in the slightest. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and asked in an almost curious tone, "Vice Hall Master, is this a test of my strength?"

A chill ran through Gui Sha's tailbone. He gritted his teeth, channeling all the battle qi within him and unleashing the killing intent to its fullest extent. The sealing patterns on the hall's floor glowed with a blinding black light, as if the entire hall's formation resonated with him, all power converging into one, slamming fiercely towards Lin Yao. This strike had already faintly touched the threshold of the Dou Sheng level.

Then, he saw Lin Yao's eyes.

In an instant, those eyes became as deep as an abyss, as if billions of stars were swirling and collapsing within them, transforming into a bottomless pit capable of swallowing everything. A celestial soul power poured out from those eyes like a vast ocean, silent and without a trace, yet carrying an absolute and unquestionable pressure—like the light that pierced through chaos at the beginning of time, immense and merciless.

This soul power employed no fancy techniques, simply overwhelming the opponent with sheer force. The ghostly aura of killing intent was instantly swept away; the giant black mist hand seemed to be severed by an invisible blade, silently dissipating into countless black fragments that vanished into the air. Lin Yao landed lightly, but the soul pressure did not weaken in the slightest; instead, it pressed down on the ghostly figure like an invisible mountain.

Ghost Fiend's body trembled violently, his face turning deathly pale. He tried to unleash his battle qi to fight back, but found that his soul was as if gripped by an invisible hand, every thought and every ounce of will within him firmly controlled. His proud Soul Palace secret techniques, and the ferocious soul he had cultivated over hundreds of years, were utterly powerless before that force, as insignificant and futile as a child facing an ancient beast.

The array formations of the Netherworld Palace were operating frantically, but those array patterns, which would normally be enough to trap a Dou Zun expert, were now utterly useless, like mere decorations. Ghost Fiend's forehead veins bulged as he hissed, "You...who exactly are you?!"

Lin Yao didn't speak, but simply raised his right hand, his fingers slightly spread, and clenched it towards Gui Sha. Gui Sha immediately felt something being forcibly extracted from the depths of his soul; the pain was far more intense than being stabbed with swords, causing his entire body to involuntarily contort. He wanted to scream, but found that he couldn't even utter a sound. A thin, gray-black thread was pulled from between his eyebrows, writhing and slithering like a struggling venomous snake, before falling into Lin Yao's palm.

That thin, gray-black line was a materialized projection of the Ghost Fiend's soul essence. Lin Yao absorbed it into his sea of ​​consciousness and quickly read the information about the Western Region Branch of the Soul Palace inscribed within it, feeling as if he had turned the pages of a long-sealed book. At the same time, an invisible soul imprint quietly entered the depths of the Ghost Fiend's soul along with that projection, like a seed buried in the soil, waiting to sprout.

After doing all this, Lin Yao released his grip, erasing the wisp of soul projection. Gui Sha collapsed back onto the black jade chair as if his bones had been removed, panting heavily, his handsome face covered in cold sweat. He stared at Lin Yao in terror, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"Vice Hall Master, there's no need to be nervous." Lin Yao stood with his hands behind his back, his tone gentle, as if nothing had happened. "This junior is new here and may not know the rules. Please forgive me. However, there is one thing we must make clear first—this junior does not like being 'taught rules' in this way."

Gui Sha gripped the armrest of the chair, his chest heaving violently, sweat streaming down his temples. He could clearly sense a kind of restriction planted deep within his soul, a restriction far more subtle and sophisticated than any Soul Palace secret technique he had ever seen. With a mere thought from Lin Yao, his soul would be utterly shattered, turning him into a living dead. What terrified him most was that he had never been aware of how Lin Yao had orchestrated all of this.

How could a young man from the Northwest Continent, a junior who only seemed to possess the aura of a peak Nine-Star Dou Zun, possibly have such terrifying abilities? Ghost Fiend frantically considered all the possibilities in his mind, but couldn't find a reasonable explanation. After a long while, he finally suppressed his shock and hissed, "You... what exactly do you want to do?"

Lin Yao looked at him, his smile carrying an unfathomable depth: "Vice Hall Master, I hope we can have an open and honest discussion. As you know, I came to the Soul Hall naturally to accomplish great things. But what I want is not to be a dispensable pawn in these peripheral branch halls in the Northern and Western Regions. What I want to connect with is the true core of the Soul Hall, or even... those above it."

Ghostly Demon's pupils contracted sharply.

He remained silent for a long time. Concentrating his energy on sensing the restriction deep within his soul, he tentatively tried to touch and dissolve it with his soul power. However, the restriction was like a venomous snake coiled in the deepest part of his consciousness; touching it caused pain, making him afraid to act rashly. He tried several times, finally giving up the resistance, closing his eyes, and saying in a hoarse voice, "Okay… I understand."

He opened his eyes and looked at Lin Yao. The sinister look in his eyes had faded considerably, replaced by a complex and heavy sense of apprehension: "I am no match for you. You do have the ability to take my life. But you must know that the Soul Palace's resources are far greater than what a mere branch hall deputy hall master like myself can access. Since you intend to go further, I will introduce you to someone."

"Who?"

"Lord Hun Xuzi," Gui Sha said in a deep voice, "is a core figure of the Soul Clan, a ninth-grade Xuan Dan Grandmaster, and a seven-star Dou Sheng. He is currently, unusually, presiding over the Western Region Branch Hall." Gui Sha paused, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips, "He is the true backer of the Soul Hall. If you can get past him, the entire higher-ups of the Soul Hall will look at you differently."

Lin Yao's eyes lit up slightly. Hun Xuzi… he'd seen fragments of that name in Elder Mu Gu's memories. He was a highly respected alchemist within the Soul Clan, and also a genuine Seven-Star Dou Sheng. If his primary goal in coming to the Soul Palace was to infiltrate and establish a network, then a Ninth-Rank Profound Pill Master directly connected to the Soul Clan's core was undoubtedly an excellent conduit.

"Then I'll trouble the Vice Hall Master to make the introduction," he replied with a smile.

Gui Sha didn't delay. He straightened his robes, wiped the sweat from his brow, and led Lin Yao through the deep corridor of the main hall, into a bronze door hidden behind a wall. Beyond the door was a downward staircase, the walls on either side carved with numerous ancient patterns related to the Soul Clan. At the end of the staircase was a spacious stone hall, its dome inlaid with hundreds of fist-sized luminous pearls, illuminating the entire hall as if it were daytime.

A person was sitting cross-legged in the center of the stone hall.

The man appeared to be around forty years old, dressed in a simple white robe. His features were refined and handsome; were it not for the imposing aura emanating from him, he would have resembled an elderly scholar teaching in an academy. A palm-sized bronze medicine cauldron floated before him, its interior shimmering with golden light and emitting a delightful fragrance. Even in the dim light of the stone hall, the fragrance permeated the air, refreshing and invigorating.

This is Hun Xuzi, one of the core figures of the Soul Clan, a ninth-grade Xuan Dan Grandmaster, and an ancient being whose cultivation has reached the level of a seven-star Dou Sheng.

The moment Lin Yao stepped into the stone hall, Hun Xuzi opened his eyes. Those eyes were like a bottomless black pool, calm on the surface, but concealing countless years of stagnation and bloodshed. His gaze first swept over Gui Sha, his brows twitching slightly, before settling on Lin Yao, a barely perceptible glint of light flashing deep within his pupils.

"Ghost Fiend, your aura is disordered, and your soul fluctuations are abnormal." Soul Void's voice was calm, yet carried a penetrating power. "Have you encountered some troublesome matter?"

Gui Sha opened his mouth, about to speak, but Lin Yao stepped forward first and bowed: "Junior Lin Yao greets Lord Hun Xuzi. Vice Hall Master Gui Sha was testing my cultivation just now, and I couldn't stop myself, which startled the Vice Hall Master. I'm new here and don't know the rules, so please forgive me, sir."

Hun Xuzi remained silent, simply watching Lin Yao. A serious light gradually emerged in his dark, deep-sea-like eyes.

How terrifying is the soul power of a Seven-Star Dou Sheng? Although Hun Xuzi's main business is alchemy, his soul cultivation has also reached the Heavenly Realm. His mere gaze is enough to make the souls of ordinary Dou Zun tremble. He stared at Lin Yao's sea of ​​consciousness, trying to explore the young man's background. However, as soon as his soul power touched the surface of the other's sea of ​​consciousness, it was blocked by an invisible barrier, like knocking on a door, behind which was a bottomless black hole.

"Interesting." Hun Xuzi slowly stood up, his voice carrying a hint of coldness. "A junior of the Nine-Star Dou Zun class actually managed to conceal his soul fluctuations before me. If I'm not mistaken, that restriction within Gui Sha's soul... was your doing?"

Lin Yao's expression remained unchanged, but his gaze subtly deepened. He slowly stepped forward, his aura sharpening as he spoke: "Lord Hun Xuzi indeed has excellent judgment. This junior merely did not wish to be treated as an easy target upon my arrival, hence the use of some methods. If you find this presumptuous, I may withdraw the restriction and consider it a misunderstanding."

"Take it back?" Hun Xuzi shook his head slightly, smiling with an indifferent, calm demeanor. "No need. Someone who can remain unfazed after planting a scheme within my Soul Clan's branch hall shouldn't possess such cultivation. Who exactly are you?"

Before he finished speaking, his figure appeared like a ghost, about ten feet in front of Lin Yao. A slender hand reached out, fingers spread wide, a wisp of dark blue soul power coiling around the fingertip like a dragon, and gently pressed towards Lin Yao's brow. His movements were unhurried, yet contained the power of rules that transcended the spatial level, like the most profound trajectory in the world, characteristic of a Seven-Star Dou Sheng.

This is the Soul Clan's secret technique—the Soul-Devouring Finger. Using the soul as a guide and rules as a blade, a single finger strike can injure a person's soul or probe into the depths of their consciousness.

However, just as that finger was about to touch Lin Yao's brow, a powerful, almost violent aura erupted from within him. This aura wasn't simply battle qi, nor pure soul power, but something more ancient and fundamental. A halo of five-colored light appeared on his body, the five hues of cyan, white, blue, gray, and purple swirling and blending together like five divine dragons coiled around his body. An invisible ripple of energy exploded outwards from him, like a meteorite falling onto a calm lake.

Hun Xuzi's finger strike was abruptly blocked by the five-colored halo, producing a soft clang like metal clashing. The dark blue soul power sparked dazzlingly against the five-colored halo, yet it couldn't advance an inch. Lin Yao's body remained completely still, even sporting a composed smile.

Hun Xuzi's pupils suddenly contracted.

He withdrew his finger, and his battle aura surged forth like a tidal wave. The aura of a Seven-Star Battle Saint erupted without reservation, causing the entire stone hall to tremble slightly under that pressure, and the sealing patterns on the ground glowed with dazzling light. This was his true strength; the unfathomable battle aura and soul power within his body were perfectly fused, like a vast, raging ocean, attempting to crush the unfathomable young man before him with absolute power.

But Lin Yao merely raised his right hand, his five fingers coming together to form a fist. That fist was wreathed in the light of five different colored flames: the emerald green of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, the colorless of the Fallen Heart Flame, the deep blue of the Sea Heart Flame, the pale white of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, and the grayish-purple of the Netherworld Poison Flame. The energy of all five flames converged at the tip of his fist, like five roaring, enraged dragons intertwined. He swayed, and his fist slammed into the space in front of Hun Xuzi.

The attack didn't actually strike Hun Xuzi, but rather the void between them. However, the instant the fist's force touched the space, the energy of the five-colored strange fire transformed into a torrent that pierced through that area, rushing towards Hun Xuzi like lightning. The defenses constructed by Hun Xuzi's soul power, protective battle aura, and secret techniques of the Soul Clan shattered like paper before this punch, and ultimately, the force of the punch penetrated through all the defenses and solidly entered his body.

Hun Xuzi's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, tumbling several times in mid-air before crashing into the stone hall wall behind him with a dull thud. Hundreds of sealing patterns on the wall lit up simultaneously, barely managing to dissipate the remaining force of the impact. Even so, he remained kneeling on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper.

The stone hall was so quiet that only Hun Xuzi's heavy breathing could be heard.

Ghost Fiend stood at the palace entrance, completely frozen. His mouth was agape, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. When Lin Yao had subdued him earlier, although he knew the other was powerful, he had always assumed it was merely a suppression at the level of a soul technique. But what he saw before him made him realize—this young man hadn't even used one percent of his true strength against him.

Who is Hun Xuzi? A Seven-Star Dou Sheng! A core elder of the Soul Clan! A Ninth-Rank Xuan Dan Grandmaster! In his memory, even across the entire Central Continent, Hun Xuzi was a figure whose mere stomp could make countless forces tremble. Yet, such an all-powerful expert was sent flying by Lin Yao's single punch, utterly powerless to retaliate!

Hun Xuzi knelt on the ground, sensing the five-colored strange fire energy surging throughout his body. These forces, carrying violent auras of different attributes, intertwined and collided within his meridians, constantly eroding his battle qi. He attempted to expel the strange fire energy with his soul power, only to find that his soul power melted away as quickly as ice and snow encountering the blazing sun upon contact with the five-colored light. It felt as if he had encountered a power that was fundamentally superior to his own.

"You...who exactly are you?" Hun Xuzi raised his head, his refined composure completely gone, replaced by an extremely rare look of fear. He had lived for thousands of years and had never encountered such a bizarre situation.

Lin Yao did not answer his question. He slowly walked to Hun Xuzi, looking down at the Seven-Star Dou Sheng of the Soul Clan with a calm gaze that carried an irresistible power. Then he squatted down and gently pressed a finger on Hun Xuzi's brow, slowly channeling a wisp of pure soul power into it.

That wisp of soul power, like a gentle stream, silently seeped into the depths of Hun Xuzi's sea of ​​consciousness, swirling and circling in the most core memory areas. Hun Xuzi wanted to resist, but found that his battle qi was firmly sealed by the power of the five-colored strange fire, and he couldn't use even a trace of it; his soul power was completely unable to condense under the suppression of Lin Yao's Heavenly Realm soul, and he could only watch helplessly as Lin Yao rummaged through his sea of ​​consciousness.

After a moment, Lin Yao withdrew his finger, a satisfied glint in his eyes. The amount of information in Hun Xuzi's mind was vast, but he didn't intend to read it all at once. Instead, he precisely selected the parts that were useful to him—the essence of alchemy, pill formulas, methods of soul tempering, and the techniques and combat skills of the Soul Clan—and imprinted them one by one into his sea of ​​consciousness.

Having done all this, he stood up, looked at Hun Xuzi kneeling on the ground, and spoke in a gentle tone as if chatting with a friend: "Lord Hun Xuzi, don't worry, I won't kill you. On the contrary, I will allow you to continue being an elder of your Soul Clan and a ninth-grade Xuan Dan master. However, from now on, we need to cooperate in a different way."

Hun Xuzi's pupils contracted slightly, his voice hoarse: "You planted a restriction in my soul?"

"It's just a small insurance policy," Lin Yao nodded frankly. "As long as you don't think about betraying me, it will never activate. You should be able to sense that the restriction is very intricate, and you can't remove it with your current soul cultivation level. Of course, if our cooperation goes well in the future, I can remove it for you."

Hun Xuzi remained silent for a long time.

He was a wise man, having lived for thousands of years and witnessed countless storms. He knew that at this moment, he had completely lost any room for negotiation. Like the iron-fisted admonitions left by generations of powerful Soul Clan members, survival was paramount. He closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and said in a hoarse voice, "Fine. This old man... concedes."

"Very good." Lin Yao smiled and patted his shoulder, as if he were an old friend. "Then, let's start with your alchemy skills and soul techniques."

For the next few days, Lin Yao did not leave the stone hall.

He gained far more from Hun Xuzi than he had expected. Hun Xuzi's alchemy skills were inherited from the accumulated knowledge of the Hun Clan over generations, far more systematic and profound than the scattered knowledge in Elder Mu Gu's mind. From the identification and processing of medicinal materials to the timing of pill refining, from the precise control of soul power to the key points of pill pattern formation, thousands of years of experience had all converged into a vast treasure trove of knowledge, the depth and breadth of which greatly shocked Lin Yao. He absorbed that information into his sea of ​​consciousness, like polishing rough jade, integrating it into his Divine Radiance Technique, constantly perfecting that unique cultivation method that belonged to him.

The Soul Tempering Method also greatly benefited Lin Yao. Over thousands of years, the Soul Clan had accumulated a wealth of secret techniques in the soul dimension, some of which were more refined and efficient than he had previously imagined—almost a complete improvement path tailor-made for Heavenly Realm souls. Lin Yao integrated these methods into his own cultivation system, beginning to re-temper his soul power and sensing the operation and transformation of each soul particle.

The cultivation techniques and combat skills treasured by Hun Xuzi were invaluable to him. The Soul Clan's heritage was incredibly profound; each technique and skill would be a prized possession of any force in the Central Plains. Although most of them didn't align with Lin Yao's Five Elements Technique system, the underlying rules, combat skills, and power circulation methods they contained provided him with significant supplements and insights. He was confident that after fully digesting this foundation, he could elevate his overall strength to a new level.

At the same time, Lin Yao gained a deeper understanding of the Soul Clan's colossal foundation. Although Soul Void Child held a high position and wielded great power within the Soul Clan, he was far from being the strongest. At the true core of the Soul Clan, there were names that could make the entire Central Continent tremble, including more than a handful of Nine-Star Dou Sheng level experts. And the Soul Clan patriarch, Soul Heavenly Emperor, had reached the legendary level of the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng.

If it really comes down to a head-on confrontation, with his current strength, he still isn't entirely confident.

Lin Yao wasn't afraid of powerful enemies, but he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could sweep everything away. He needed time to fully digest his current gains and let them solidify into his true foundation, so that he could have more leverage in the external game. After all, the path of cultivation was still long. He could handle a Seven-Star Dou Sheng, but against true monsters like the Nine-Star Dou Sheng's Void Devouring Flame or the peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng, the Soul Emperor, he still needed to be cautious.

……