Chapter 617: The Emergence of the Demon Lotus Flame, Soul Hall Master
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the sky above, dark clouds gathered, with lightning snaking through them like silver serpents. The deafening sound of thunder echoed throughout the entire space.
At the same time, a vast, invisible wave of energy, as immense as the heavens themselves, began to spread out from the mountain peak, sweeping across the area like a storm.
"What an incredible soul force!"
On top of the Yuan Palace's main tower, Snake Elder and the others looked up at the sky, their faces solemn as they watched the unnatural phenomenon caused by this immense soul energy. Their eyes were filled with astonishment.
Meanwhile, atop the mountain, Mo Yu sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly closed. In front of him, a miniature version of himself—his soul clone—was absorbing the massive influx of soul energy with all its might.
With the nourishment of the soul essence and the soul power of the Great Heavenly Lord, the soul clone was growing at a breakneck pace, as though being propelled by rocket fuel.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
As more and more soul essence was absorbed, invisible waves of energy rippled out from the soul clone, spreading far and wide.
These waves of energy brought a sudden, eerie silence to the thousand-foot radius around the mountain. All the creatures in the forest felt an instinctive fear deep in their souls. Even the fiercest magical beasts lay trembling on the ground, too scared to utter even a growl.
Swoosh!
The commotion caused by the soul clone's cultivation wasn't small. Though invisible, the waves of soul power carried an irresistible force, sending waves of pressure throughout the entire Yuan City.
Time passed quietly as Mo Yu continued his cultivation. Days turned into weeks, but the soul waves emanating from the mountain did not diminish. Instead, they grew stronger.
After a month, the entire area within a radius of ten thousand miles felt the effects. Aside from a few powerful individuals, most people found it unbearable to fly under the oppressive soul pressure and had no choice but to travel by foot, despite the discomfort.
Two more days passed in this state.
Atop the mountain, Mo Yu remained sitting calmly. In front of him was his soul clone, now encased in a strange, crystalline layer. The clone looked identical to Mo Yu in every way.
By now, the Great Heavenly Lord's soul had been completely absorbed, and the originally large mass of soul essence had dwindled to the size of half a human head. Pure, concentrated soul energy continued to drift out from it.
Whoosh...
The soul clone sat motionless, like a statue. After a long while, its mouth suddenly opened slightly, and a suction force emerged. The remaining soul essence, now a glowing orb, was pulled into the clone's mouth and swallowed whole.
Boom!
As soon as the orb entered the clone, its body trembled violently. Blinding light erupted from within, and an immense, invisible shockwave blasted outward like a storm, covering the entire area.
At that moment, the sky darkened with thick clouds, and lightning raged wildly.
"Oh, it succeeded."
Sensing the powerful energy radiating from his soul clone, Mo Yu slowly opened his eyes, a smile of joy appearing on his face.
He could feel that the soul clone had reached the same level as himself—at the two-star Dou Saint stage. Its strength now mirrored his own exactly.
As Mo Yu's soul clone, it could be controlled by him in every way. He could receive all the information it gathered, making it a perfect extension of himself.
"Wow, there are two Mo Yus now!"
In the sky above, the space rippled as a group of figures appeared. Seeing the two identical Mo Yus, Ziyan exclaimed in surprise. She curiously darted down, examining them both closely.
"A soul clone that's identical to the original, huh? Impressive," the Elder of Arms remarked as he descended, his eyes filled with admiration as he observed the soul clone.
"And its strength isn't any weaker than the original body. The two can work together perfectly, which would make them a terrifying force," Snake Elder added with a smile.
Mo Yu smiled back. "Apart from a few special techniques, this soul clone has all my abilities. If I ever leave Yuan Palace, I can trust it to watch over the place."
Hearing this, the elders around him nodded approvingly. As the leader of Yuan Palace, Mo Yu often left for extended periods, so having the clone to hold down the fort would provide much-needed security.
After a month of seclusion, Mo Yu found himself with more free time. He spent his days with Xiao Yu, Xiao Yixian, and his other companions, and occasionally trained his three disciples.
Feeling guilty for neglecting Xiao Yu, Mo Yu even spent several nights with her, engaging in long, intense battles, leaving him somewhat exhausted.
Meanwhile, Ziyan, who had quickly grown close to Xiao Yu and Xiao Yixian, behaved humbly within Mo Yu's family. Despite being the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, she never displayed the domineering attitude she was known for in the Dragon Clan.
This made Mo Yu reflect on her earlier words. He couldn't help but smile wryly, realizing what Ziyan might have meant. Although she had matured and her beauty and figure were on par with the other women in his life, Mo Yu still saw her as the strong, mischievous little girl from their early adventures.
Mo Yu chuckled at himself, deciding to take things as they came without forcing anything. Though the idea of being a "dragon knight" might be a dream for many men, for Mo Yu, dealing with so many women was already a headache.
While Mo Yu enjoyed this rare period of peace, rumors about the imminent emergence of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame spread like wildfire across the Central Plains, captivating the hearts of countless people.
As one of the top three ranked flames on the Heavenly Flame List, the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame's appearance was a major event that sparked widespread interest. Naturally, Mo Yu and Yuan Palace couldn't pass up the opportunity to get involved.
One day, while Mo Yu was meditating atop a giant tree, he slowly opened his eyes and looked up toward the distant sky. In the western horizon, two crescent moons—one above and one below—suddenly appeared!
At the same time, nine brilliant stars in the night sky began to shift, aligning into a straight line.
Twin moons, nine stars in alignment—this was the sign. The Demon Flame was about to emerge!
Boom!
As the nine stars aligned, a tremendous surge of energy swept across the land. Strange mist began to billow from the void, and the faint sound of tides could be heard echoing between heaven and earth.
"Oh, so the Demon Flame's emergence is causing such a commotion," Mo Yu muttered to himself as he stood atop the tree, watching the mist spread across the sky.
Swoosh!
As he spoke, several beams of light shot through the sky and landed beside Mo Yu. It was Snake Elder and the others.
"The Demon Flame is about to be born," Snake Elder said gravely as he landed beside Mo Yu.
Mo Yu nodded. By tomorrow, countless strong cultivators would be rushing toward the place where the flame was emerging. Among them, the one most eager would be none other than his cousin, Xiao Yan.
"When should we move?" Snake Elder asked.
Seeing Ziyan and the others approaching, Mo Yu thought for a moment before replying, "We should leave right away. The birth of the Demon Flame is a rare event in the Central Plains. We must act quickly."
With his soul clone guarding Yuan Palace, Mo Yu didn't need to worry. He could bring the palace's top fighters with him and face any Soul Clan members without fear.
"Let's go!"
Without further delay, Mo Yu transformed into a beam of light, shooting out of Yuan City at lightning speed toward the location of the Demon Flame. A large group of black-clad figures followed closely behind.
As Yuan Palace prepared for action, other major factions across the Central Plains also mobilized their forces. From every corner of the continent, groups of cultivators soared through the sky, all heading toward the same destination—the northwest of the Central Plains!
In a single night, the entire Central Plains was buzzing with excitement.
Swoosh!
The wind roared as Mo Yu's group flew through the sky. After a while, Mo Yu looked ahead and said, "We're approaching the area where the Demon Flame is about to emerge."
In the distance, intense light, as bright as the sun, flickered on the horizon.
As they drew closer, waves of terrifying heat began to roll toward them. Even though the group was composed of strong fighters, many were drenched in sweat from the intense heat.
"No wonder it's ranked so high. Even from afar, the residual heat of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame is enough to overwhelm these six-star Dou Zuns," Mo Yu thought as he glanced at the group, frowning slightly.
A six-star Dou Zun was considered a top-tier fighter on the continent, but even they were struggling to endure the residual heat from the flame. This alone showed just how fearsome the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame was.
"Mo Yu, we've encountered at least ten other groups on the way. They're all after the Demon Flame as well. It looks like this will be an intense competition," Ziyan said, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.
Mo Yu nodded slightly. Along the way, they had indeed crossed paths with many groups with the same goal, though most weren't particularly powerful.
"I wonder if the Heaven's Pavilion Alliance, the Soul Hall, or other ancient clans have arrived yet," Mo Yu mused as he looked into the distance. He waved his hand and commanded, "Let's move faster!"
A few minutes later, Mo Yu and his group finally arrived at a region filled with towering mountains.
The area before them had turned into a white desert, with a searing heat rising from the sand. The once-vast mountain range had been reduced to a scorched desert under the terrifying flames of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame.
"What a terrifying fire. It burned this entire mountain range into a desert," a Yuan Palace elder remarked in shock, recalling how the area had once been full of life.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Not long after Mo Yu and his group arrived in the desert, the sound of rushing wind filled the air as more and more figures appeared from all directions. They stopped a safe distance away, their eyes filled with awe as they looked out over the landscape.
"Mo Yu!"
Suddenly, the sound of space tearing apart was accompanied by a cheerful voice. Mo Yu instantly knew who it was.
"Xiao Yan, cousin! I knew you wouldn't miss this."
It was Xiao Yan, who had arrived with a large group of people. Among them were Yao Lao, the fiery Cloud Ancestor, and some other prominent elders from the continent. Xiao Yan had clearly grown into a formidable force.
"Mo Yu, I heard you destroyed a Soul Hall branch recently and even fought off their Vice Hall Master. That's amazing!" Xiao Yan laughed as he greeted Mo Yu warmly.
Mo Yu waved dismissively. "Unfortunately, I didn't manage to kill the Vice Hall Master, so it's not much to boast about."
Hearing this, the strong cultivators from the Heaven's Pavilion Alliance exchanged glances, deeply impressed by Mo Yu. Defeating a Vice Hall Master of the Soul Hall, a peak-level expert, was no small feat. Ordinary young fighters wouldn't dare to even say such a thing, but Mo Yu had earned the right to speak with such confidence.
Mo Yu exchanged greetings with Yao Lao, then turned to Xiao Yan and smiled. "Congratulations on breaking through to Dou Saint, Xiao Yan. Truly a great achievement."
Xiao Yan scratched his head with a grin. "It's all thanks to the Bodhi Seed you gave me, which Master used to refine the Bodhi Pill. Without it, I wouldn't have advanced so quickly."
Mo Yu smiled back but said nothing more. He merely patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder.
As Mo Yu and Xiao Yan chatted, a ripple passed through the space around them. Suddenly, thick black mist began seeping out from the void, spreading across the sky.
A chilling and overwhelming aura filled the air, drawing everyone's attention.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, several figures appeared as the black mist dissipated.
"That's… the Soul Hall Master?"
Seeing the terrifying black-robed figure at the front of the group, Yao Lao's pupils shrank in shock, and his Dou Qi immediately began to stir within him.
(End of Chapter)
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