Chapter 835
Solving the Soul Wind
Suddenly, the ancient Bodhi tree swayed gently again, and as its branches danced, countless clusters of light drifted out from its trunk, soon covering the entire sky.
"Ok?"
Xiao Ling stared intently, then let out a soft exclamation of surprise. Within those orbs of light, various illusions were unfolding, and many of the figures within them were quite familiar to him.
Gu Qingyang of the Ancient Clan, along with several clansmen, Xiao Yan whom they had met at the Space Trade Fair, and a group of people dressed in Dan Tower attire were all present.
Among the remaining clusters of light, most were people whose names Xiao Ling couldn't recall. However, he could roughly determine their origins from their fighting styles, combat techniques, and distinctive attire.
Aside from the ancient clans and the Pill Tower, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan was also present, clearly all there in search of the Bodhi Ancient Tree.
Xiao Ling's gaze swept across the area, and in one of the clusters of light and shadow, he caught sight of a familiar figure—it was none other than Feng Qing'er, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
But the next moment, Xiao Ling suddenly realized that his own image was reflected in Feng Qing'er's illusion.
This scene caused his face to twitch slightly. He subconsciously turned his head to glance at Xun'er beside him, and only when he saw that her attention was not on them did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
"Brother Xiao Ling, Xun'er seems to have discovered something."
Suddenly, Xun'er called softly from beside him. Xiao Ling's heart tightened, and he quickly looked in the direction of her finger. Seeing that her gaze was fixed on another ball of light, he felt relieved again.
Fortunately, Xun'er wasn't paying attention to Feng Qing'er's illusion; otherwise, he would have had to spend more time and effort to appease the girl.
But when Xiao Ling focused his attention and clearly saw the ball of light that Xun'er was pointing to, and saw all the illusionary scenes inside, the slight sense of relief he had just felt vanished instantly. His expression turned serious, all his playfulness disappeared, and he became extremely earnest.
The reason for this was that he was also present in this illusion, but his own version of himself in the picture ended up in an extremely miserable state.
It is easy to see that the owner of this illusion is a member of the Soul Clan, and his status within the Soul Clan is definitely not low.
As for Xiao Ling himself, he had just stepped out of the Bodhi Ancient Tree's range when he ran into the master of this illusion and was ultimately suppressed by the master alone.
The ending of the illusion is even more shocking. The master eventually became the patriarch of the Soul Clan, broke through to the Dou Di Realm in one fell swoop, and thus dominated the entire Dou Qi Continent.
Xiao Ling's gaze was fixed on the ball of light, his brows furrowed, and his aura deepened. He turned to look at Xun'er beside him, his tone heavy with undisguised seriousness.
“Xun’er, take a closer look. Judging from the fighting techniques this person is using, he should be a member of the Soul Clan, right? But looking at his face, I have never seen or heard of him before. Do you remember him?”
Upon hearing this, Xun'er nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the powerful figure in the illusion. She touched her lips with her fingertips, pondered for a moment, and then spoke slowly, her voice carrying a hint of certainty.
“Brother Xiao Ling, if I’m not mistaken, this person should be Hun Feng, the young patriarch of the Soul Clan. He is a direct descendant of Hun Yuantian, the Soul Clan’s designated candidate for the next patriarch, and possesses a rare divine bloodline, making his talent extremely terrifying.”
She paused, then added,
"I have seen relevant records in the news of the ancient clan. This person not only has unfathomable cultivation, but also has the amazing ability to fight beyond his level. Since he embarked on the path of cultivation, he has rarely fought with people of lower level than himself. And he never shows mercy to any opponent he faces. Even in ordinary sparring, there will always be casualties. Therefore, he is also known as the 'madman' within the Soul Clan."
After listening to Xun'er's detailed explanation, Xiao Ling's doubts were cleared up, and he finally had a clear understanding of the origin of Soul Wind.
In fact, he was not completely ignorant about this young patriarch of the Soul Clan, but he never expected that the other party would personally come to the Desolate Ancient Domain when the Bodhi Ancient Tree appeared.
Logically speaking, Hun Feng's cultivation level should have already surpassed the threshold of Dou Sheng. The opportunity within the Bodhi Ancient Tree should have been of little use to him, and shouldn't have warranted such a large-scale mobilization. Yet, he still came, which must have concealed some unknown scheme.
Xiao Ling unconsciously rubbed his palm with his fingertips, his eyes growing increasingly serious. To say that Hun Feng came for the opportunity of the ancient tree would be too far-fetched; this elaborate journey seemed more like he was aiming for a specific goal.
Looking at everyone who entered the Desolate Ancient Domain this time, the only one who could get the Soul Clan's young patriarch to personally take action was probably himself.
Xiao Ling frowned and pondered for a moment, but ultimately could not immediately discern the true purpose of Hun Feng's trip. So he simply stopped worrying about it. There was no point in thinking about it now; it was better to act according to the circumstances.
He turned to face the ancient, majestic Bodhi tree, bowing slightly, his gaze fixed on the ball of light reflecting the figure of Hunfeng, his tone respectful and earnest.
“Senior, I have a favor to ask. Could you please release the master of this illusion? There are still some things between us that need to be clarified in person.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the branches of the ancient Bodhi tree swayed gently again, the leaves rustling softly as if in response.
It already harbored goodwill towards Xiao Ling, and being naturally pure and without many hidden agendas, it naturally wouldn't refuse such a casual request.
As the branches swayed, strange and gentle energy fluctuations emanated from the ancient tree, spreading and dissipating along the airflow.
The next moment, ripples suddenly appeared in the surrounding space, and then a tiny crack quietly spread out, eventually tearing open a deep spatial opening.
Just as the spatial rift formed, a slightly disheveled figure was gently "spit out" from one of the openings, crashing heavily to the ground and stirring up some dust.
The figure's aura was disordered, clearly indicating that it had suffered considerable torment within the illusion.
"So all that was just now was an illusion... No wonder it's the Bodhi Ancient Tree; such methods are truly terrifying!"
Having just escaped the illusion, Hunfeng was still unable to calm his turbulent emotions and his chaotic aura had not yet subsided when a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
Even with the cultivation of a late-stage Two-Star Dou Sheng, he could not hide the shock on his face and could no longer maintain any composure.
Recalling the illusory past of dominating the continent in the illusion, his heart tightened, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead. If the illusion had not suddenly dissipated, he probably would have been trapped in that illusion for a long time before regaining his consciousness.
Hun Feng had barely managed to suppress the surging battle qi within his body and stabilize his chaotic aura when he immediately raised his eyes to scan his surroundings. This space was filled with a vitality so rich it was almost tangible; the grass and trees were lush and verdant, and the light flowed around them, exuding an indescribable sense of strangeness. But before he had even finished his observation, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and the hairs on his body instantly stood on end. Not far ahead, a man and a woman stood side by side, their gazes fixed on him as if they were tangible, calm yet carrying an undeniable sense of oppression.
Although Hunfeng had never seen the two people's faces in person, he had seen them countless times in the clan's portraits, and he recognized them at a glance.
The woman possessed unparalleled beauty and a gentle yet cold demeanor; she was none other than Gu Xun'er, the renowned goddess of the ancient clan. Beside her stood a young man whose brows and eyes exuded a mature composure, and whose aura was restrained yet unfathomable. He was none other than Xiao Ling, a remnant of the Xiao clan whom the Soul Clan considered a major threat and whom they were determined to eliminate at all costs!
"Soul Clan's young master, Soul Wind, has the cultivation of a late-stage two-star Dou Sheng. Compared to his peers, he certainly deserves the title of 'powerful'."
Xiao Ling stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling on Hun Feng, whose expression had suddenly changed, with a half-smile. A faint, cold smile curved his lips, and his voice, though unhurried, carried a certain oppressive power that seemed to see right through people.
"I just don't understand why you, the young master of the Soul Clan, would personally come to the Desolate Ancient Domain and wade into the muddy waters of the Bodhi Ancient Tree? With your current cultivation level, the opportunities within this ancient tree are already dispensable to you, and it's not worth making such a fuss."
He paused, his eyes darkening slightly, his tone becoming sharper.
"I suppose you have ulterior motives for this trip, or perhaps your Soul Clan harbors some unknown schemes. I'm quite curious about your Soul Clan's shady plans. Why don't you tell us a little about them today, so we can have something interesting to hear?"
After a brief moment of alertness, Hun Feng quickly regained his composure, his dark eyes fixed intently on Xiao Ling. There was no trace of panic; instead, a chilling smile crept across his face.
"Hehe, Xiao Ling, my Soul Clan underestimated you. To have cultivated to a level comparable to mine at such a young age, if you were born into my Soul Clan, the Clan Chief would surely have given you a great opportunity. It's just a pity that you, a remnant of the Xiao Clan, will ultimately not escape a tragic end."
The moment he finished speaking, he quietly pulled out a luminous white jade slip from behind his back. He then used his fingertips to crush it, intending to use the spatial fluctuations of the jade slip to send a message for help to the Soul Clan elder.
But the next second, Hunfeng's expression suddenly changed slightly. A crisp sound of jade slip shattering came from his fingertips, but the spatial fluctuations that should have spread out seemed to hit an invisible barrier, and were completely annihilated as soon as they appeared, not even a trace could be transmitted out of this space.
"It seems you intend to ask the Soul Clan for help and finish me off here?" Xiao Ling took in Hun Feng's subtle movements, his tone remaining calm, but a knowing smile played on his lips.
"Unfortunately, you've miscalculated. This is the core space of the Bodhi Ancient Tree. With the Bodhi Ancient Tree's strength comparable to a Dou Di, your trick of transmitting messages is completely useless in this world."
He took half a step forward, his aura growing increasingly heavy, his gaze fixed on Hun Feng like a torch: "However, judging from your eagerness to seek help, I can guess that you, the young master of the Soul Clan, have personally set foot in the Desolate Ancient Domain, and I'm afraid that from beginning to end, your only goal is me, right?"
Xiao Ling paused, raised an eyebrow, and asked with a hint of inquiry, "I'm just really curious. I've always kept a low profile and never easily revealed my true cultivation level. How did your Soul Clan find out about my cultivation level, and even went so far as to have you, the young clan leader, personally take action to kill me?"
As he spoke, he shook his head slightly, a cold glint in his eyes: "Forget it, there's no need to rush to know these questions now. Once I capture you, I'll have plenty of ways to pry all the information out of you. Your Soul Clan's schemes and your channels for gathering information will all be clear then."
Xiao Ling's aggressive attitude caused the last trace of gentleness on Hun Feng's face to completely disappear, and his expression instantly turned as cold as ice.
He didn't get to where he is today, securing his position as the young patriarch of the Soul Clan with his cultivation at the late stage of the Two-Star Dou Sheng realm.
Moreover, both of them are two-star Dou Sheng, and he himself has been at the late stage of two-star for many years with a profound foundation. Even if Xiao Ling has extraordinary talent, it is probably not long before he breaks through to Dou Sheng, and his foundation may not be stable. Why should he dare to look down on him like this?
He raised his eyes and stared intently at Xiao Ling, his eyes surging with arrogance and coldness: "Arrogant! Do you really think I, Hun Feng, am easily frightened?"
"Trying to extract information from me? You're dreaming!"
As he spoke, Hun Feng's battle aura suddenly surged, dark purple energy carrying the sinister aura unique to the Soul Clan, swirling and swirling around him.
"Even if the message fails, I will still kill you here today! As long as the outcome remains the same, what is there to fear, whether or not there is elder support?"
The moment he finished speaking, he stomped his foot on the ground and shot out like an arrow, gathering powerful fighting spirit in his palm and slamming it down towards Xiao Ling.
Xiao Ling looked at the fiercely approaching soul wind, a faint, contemptuous sneer curling at the corner of his lips, his expression so calm as if he didn't take the attack in the face seriously.
He didn't unleash any complicated moves; he simply flicked his finger, and in an instant, a condensed stream of battle qi burst forth from his fingertip. Its color was clear and bright, yet it contained immense power. Like a silver streak piercing through the void, it shot straight toward Hun Feng.
"Oh!"
A deafening roar suddenly resounded through the space as the stream of battle qi collided head-on with the dark purple energy unleashed by the soul wind. The two terrifying forces exploded instantly, and violent energy ripples spread outwards like a tide, even causing the warm halo surrounding the Bodhi Ancient Tree to ripple.
Hunfeng felt an overwhelming force crashing into him, as if his chest had been struck by a heavy hammer. His blood surged, and his body flew backward uncontrollably, retreating nearly a hundred feet before he could barely regain his footing and stand on the void.
He pointed at Xiao Ling, his eyes filled with disbelief and horror, his voice trembling slightly.
"How...how is this possible? This kind of power...a three-star Dou Sheng? You've actually broken through to a three-star Dou Sheng? This is absolutely impossible!"
"Hehe, nothing is impossible. If I had to say, I would just say that I am too outstanding."
Xiao Ling shook his head with a smile, his face calm and collected. "Forget it, I'm too lazy to waste time with you. The important thing is to get rid of you and pry information out of you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Ling's brows furrowed slightly, and he directly mobilized the vast spiritual power within his Niwan Palace.
A simple and unadorned mental attack struck Hun Feng without warning. Hun Feng's soul power was considered outstanding among Dou Sheng of the same level, but when he encountered Xiao Ling, it was like an egg hitting a rock.
In a single exchange, Hunfeng's soul suffered a devastating blow; a loud bang echoed in his mind, and excruciating pain swept through his entire body.
He didn't even have time to utter a groan before his eyes glazed over, and he plummeted straight down from mid-air, crashing heavily to the ground, completely losing consciousness. (End of Chapter)