Chapter 234: Interrogating Iron Protector
With the black beam traveling faster than lightning, Xiao Yuan had virtually no time to dodge!
Xiao Yi Xian's face turned pale with fear. She wanted to save him but was powerless to do anything—only able to watch helplessly as the black beam reached Xiao Yuan.
However, Xiao Yuan had been on guard against Xie Biyan from the start. Though his Dou Qi was nearly depleted, his means were not limited to just that!
A surge of powerful soul force, sent by Yao Lao, flooded Xiao Yuan's body. The next moment, a cyan-brown flame flickered at his fingertip as he quickly sketched the shape of a serpent in the air.
Heavenly Flame: Serpent Seal Technique!
With the appearance of the flame serpent, the immense soul force transformed it into a fiery snake. The snake opened its jaws and devoured Xie Biyan's final desperate attack. The serpent then turned into a totem, imprinting itself in Xiao Yuan's palm as a small snake-shaped seal.
"Feeling good now?"
With a flash, Xiao Yuan appeared in front of Xie Biyan and slapped his head clean off with a single blow.
As he watched his body grow farther and farther away, Xie Biyan's eyes filled with confusion.
Why does this woman have so many tricks?
Xiao Yi Xiang finally rushed over, grabbed Xiao Yuan's hand, and inspected his palm.
"Are you okay?!"
She asked urgently.
"I'm fine. His attack was sealed. It was pretty venomous, but I have a Heavenly Flame."
Xiao Yuan smiled, assuring her there was no need to worry.
"Good… that's good."
She let out a breath of relief, but her eyes narrowed at the snake-shaped imprint, seeing something within it.
"This old bastard really tried to use the Demon Venom Mark on you… Good thing you reacted in time. Otherwise, things could've gotten messy."
A trace of lingering fear flashed in her eyes as she pulled Xiao Yuan into a tight embrace.
Moments later, she pulled back, face frosty. She looked down at the remaining members of the Ten-Thousand Scorpion Gate, killing intent flashing in her eyes.
"You may be fine, but I'm still going to slaughter them all!"
Her voice carried an ominous tone—Xiao Yuan's brush with death had clearly enraged her.
"Let the elders handle the cleanup. You can explain this Demon Venom Mark to me instead."
Xiao Yuan gently held her hand and smiled softly.
"Mhm. I'll assign it now."
She nodded, called over the Poison Sect elders, issued her orders, and returned quickly with Zi Yan to Xiao Yuan's side. Together, they began their return to Sky Poison City.
In a peaceful valley outside the city, Zi Yan sat munching on medicinal pills. Upstairs, on the balcony, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yi Xiang sat together, talking.
"The Demon Venom Mark is a sinister technique from the Cloud Empire. It gathers all of a Dou Qi user's poisonous energy into a concentrated point, shooting it into the opponent's body. It forms a black mark, which continually releases venomous threads throughout the victim's meridians. Once they spread fully, the body collapses, and the victim dies in agony."
Xiao Yi Xiang explained, brows tightly furrowed, as she stared at the snake-shaped seal on his palm.
"So… this thing contains a Dou Zong's lifetime of poisonous Dou Qi. If I can neutralize it, I could absorb all that power?"
Xiao Yuan chuckled, inspecting the mark with interest.
"You knew this would happen and let him hit you on purpose, didn't you?"
She looked at him suspiciously.
"Not quite. Just a spur-of-the-moment idea. I had read up on it—this Demon Venom Mark is notorious. Someone in the Jia Ma Empire once died from it. I was naturally on guard."
He waved his hand casually.
"You're too reckless. Even I couldn't dissolve it unless I reach Dou Zong. The only way is to find someone at least one rank higher than the caster. Don't you dare try this again!"
She looked at him sternly, dead serious.
"Relax. I know someone that powerful. I wouldn't risk my life without confidence."
He smiled, then added, "Do you think it's possible to pressure other sects in the Cloud Empire into doing this, then cleanse the marks and absorb their power?"
She glared at him and punched his shoulder.
"Listen to yourself! Even if it works, what if the poison mutates or goes out of control and kills you?!"
"Ack, okay, okay—I was just saying!"
He raised both hands in surrender, looking rather pitiful in his female disguise. She couldn't stay mad and sighed.
"In any case, be careful. That thing will erupt in six months. If you can't dissolve it by then, I'll work to delay its detonation."
She said seriously.
"No need. Just trust me and give me time."
He smiled calmly.
"Alright. Then I'll stand guard."
She nodded. She had always chosen to trust him.
Once she settled into meditation, Xiao Yuan returned to his room. Waving his hand, he summoned a layer of soul force to seal off the space.
"Teacher, what do you think of the Demon Venom Mark?"
He summoned the Serpent Flame Seal, watching the black energy swirl inside with a frown.
"It's a clever move. It contains a Dou Zong's full life energy. If you refine it, your strength will grow tremendously."
Yao Lao stroked his beard while examining the seal.
"Luckily you were there. Without your soul strength, I wouldn't have sealed it in time."
Xiao Yuan admitted—he had no way to use the seal technique at that level on his own. It had only worked because of Yao Lao's soul power.
"Don't worry. Your five Qi Palaces demand a lot of energy. Using this to fuel your cultivation makes sense. I'll study it. Maybe I can create a new pill from this."
Yao Lao nodded, confident. As a revered alchemist, dealing with a venom mark was well within his skill set.
"I'll leave it to you then, Teacher."
Xiao Yuan sighed in relief. Then he retrieved the jade bottle containing Iron Protector's soul. Seeing this, Yao Lao reinforced the room with powerful seals—after all, it was still a Dou Zong's soul.
Xiao Yuan removed the flame barrier. The orange glow dimmed.
Yao Lao faded from view, concealing himself with space manipulation.
With the seal gone, the soul within the bottle burst out and tried to flee—only to crash into the seal and fall to the floor. Xiao Yuan flung out flames, wrapping the soul in a fiery cage.
Iron Protector screamed in pain.
Smiling coldly, Xiao Yuan tightened the fire dome, forcing it to close around the squirming spirit.
"What's wrong? Weren't you cocky earlier?"
He looked at the soul with amusement as it cowered within the fire.
"You… What do you want? All of Soul Hall's Protectors bear soul marks. If you kill me, they'll know. The Enforcers will come for you!"
Iron Protector shouted, eyes blazing with hate.
"I just want to ask a few questions. Answer truthfully, and I won't kill you."
Xiao Yuan ignored the threat and smiled calmly.
Iron Protector hesitated, then sneered. "What do you want to know?"
"Tell me everything about the Soul Hall."
At this, Iron Protector was taken aback. Most people avoided even mentioning them.
"You've got guts, boy. Don't think killing two Dou Zongs makes you special. To Soul Hall, crushing you is as simple as a flick. If you know what's good for you, let me go. Or else—AGHH!!"
Before he finished, Xiao Yuan compressed the flames, searing his spirit.
After half a minute of burning, Xiao Yuan let the fire ease slightly.
"That wasn't the answer I wanted. Don't think I won't kill you. And I'll make it slow."
He said coldly.
Iron Protector's eyes twitched, but fear crept in. After a long silence, he muttered, "Fine. What do you want to know?"
"How powerful is the Soul Hall?"
Xiao Yuan's question was steady. He knew a little—but not enough. This was a rare chance to gain clarity without alarming Yao Lao.
Iron Protector sneered. "Prepare to be humbled. Soul Hall's hierarchy is strict. Protectors like me are divided into Heaven, Earth, and Human ranks. I'm just a Human-rank. Above us are the revered Elders—each nearly unmatched on the continent. To your so-called Poison Sect, even a single branch hall could annihilate you."
"Do you know someone called Wu Protector?"
Xiao Yuan asked calmly, tapping the table.
"You mean Wu Ying? You've encountered him?"
Iron Protector looked surprised.
"We fought."
Xiao Yuan said flatly.
Iron Protector now scrutinized him more seriously. "He's a high-ranking Earth-class Protector."
"Where do you deliver captured souls?"
"We're assigned quotas and must report them on time. But we don't go to the main hall. Soul Hall has many branch halls. That's where we submit souls."
Iron Protector trembled under the flickering fire.
"Do you know where any of these branches are?"
"One. Human Protectors are only allowed to know one. Earth-level know two, Heaven-level three..."
He answered quickly under pressure.
"Where?"
Xiao Yuan narrowed his eyes.
Iron Protector clenched his teeth and shook his head. "It's a secret. If I expose it, I'll die just the same!"
Xiao Yuan's eyes gleamed coldly. He clenched his hand—the flame dome shrank, searing the soul again.
"You have two options: Die slowly here, or pray Soul Hall never finds out you talked."
"Y-you bastard! AGHH! I'll talk, I'll talk—just stop!!"
As his screams echoed, Xiao Yuan eased the fire again.
"The branch I know of is far from the Cloud Empire, near the central continent—at a place called Sky Burial Ravine in the Tianxin Empire."
He finally said, spirit trembling.
"Sky Burial Ravine... Tianxin Empire?"
Xiao Yuan murmured. He had never heard of that place before.
He nodded slightly and looked at the battered soul.
"I hope you told the truth. If I go there and find nothing, your fate won't be pleasant."
"You still plan to imprison me?!"
Iron Protector shouted angrily.
"What, you think I'd just let you go?"
Xiao Yuan sneered and, before Iron Protector could reply, summoned a surge of suction power that pulled the soul back into the jade bottle.
He infused it with searing flame, sealing the bottle—and keeping Iron Protector in a state of perpetual torment.
(END CHAPTER)
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