Breaking the Masked Man

"This is none of your business. Just keep an eye on them." He didn't say anything more, coldly tossing out these words before getting up and leaving. He planned to visit those two from the Soul Palace that very night. He had been feeding them quite well lately, and it was time for them to do something for him.

Perhaps he would have to join forces with some Dou Zong powerhouses in the Black Corner Region. Han Feng believed that the collection of an eighth-grade alchemist was enough to tempt any Dou Zong powerhouse.

……

The courtyard of the mansion.

Yao Yan watched the streak of light shooting into the sky, his eyes flickering slightly. He knew that Han Feng had gone to fetch reinforcements. He had been humiliating Han Feng in this way in order to drive him to a dead end, and Han Feng was cooperating perfectly. For him, the Soul Palace was undoubtedly the best partner to cooperate with.

For others who are unaware of the situation, if they are scheming against someone who is not, they could very well be tricked and killed by Han Feng.

However, this obviously did not include himself. To him, the Soul Palace was like home. He even looked forward to Han Feng bringing people from the Soul Palace over, so that he would not have to go looking for them.

"...Soon. After I finish dealing with these matters, I should go and take a look at the Soul Clan."

Yao Yan looked at the bright night sky with a melancholy gaze, his mind filled with memories of the past few years. He couldn't help but sigh softly. He knew that once he went back this time, the next time they met might be many years later, and by then, everything might have changed.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 160 Improving Strength

In the still of the night, from a canyon shrouded in black mist, wails could be heard from time to time.

Under the cold moonlight, one could vaguely see figures flickering in the black mist. Their movements were not like those of living people, but rather like walking corpses. There were many such figures in the canyon, densely packed and wandering aimlessly, turning this place into a dead zone, like the underworld below the nine netherworlds, filled with a sinister and terrifying feeling.

"Brush~"

In the distance, a blue streak of light sped towards them, hovering steadily above the canyon. The newcomer was none other than Han Feng. At this moment, his handsome face was somewhat distorted and ferocious, as if he could not suppress the anger in his heart. His cold gaze was fixed on the dead land below, and he said coldly, "Please come out and have a talk, you two!"

"Heh heh, the Medicine King seems to be in a bit of a temper today. Could it be that someone in the Black Corner Region dares to provoke you?" Accompanied by a low, eerie laugh, a strange figure emerged from the black mist amidst the flickering shadows, its scarlet eyes fixed on Han Feng.

As the shadowy figure emerged, another, more burly figure appeared from the side. His voice was hoarse, tinged with anticipation: "Well, do you need us to help you eliminate the enemy?"

Recently, they have been cooperating quite well with Han Feng. With his help, they have successively annihilated two cities, taking away hundreds of thousands of souls and bodies, which allowed them to be promoted to protectors in the Soul Palace. Therefore, the two now have a very good impression of Han Feng and even want to continue cooperating with him.

If they could slaughter another seven or eight cities, they might be able to catch a glimpse of the realm of the Venerable Elder!

Just thinking about it makes my heart race, and I can hardly contain my excitement.

“That matter has already attracted a lot of attention, and it can’t continue. I heard that old man mention it back then. The Black Corner Region has its own rules. If we go too far, we might cause some big trouble!” Han Feng shook his head and said in a deep voice.

Slaughtering a city once or twice is fine, but if it happens too often, it will inevitably attract the attention of some old guys. Not to mention the distant ones, just that mysterious 'eighth-grade' alchemist right now is quite troublesome.

Thinking of this, he looked at the two below and continued, "Compared to this matter, I have a big deal here. I wonder if you two have the guts to take it. If not, you can ask the elders of your branch hall if they are interested in hunting an alchemist with a spirit realm soul!"

"?!"

As Han Feng finished speaking, the expressions of the two people below changed instantly. The crimson light in their eyes flickered uncertainly as they stared at Han Feng in astonishment, seemingly doubting whether he was joking.

The soul is connected to four realms: the mortal realm, the spiritual realm, the celestial realm, and the imperial realm!

Most of them remain in the mortal realm throughout their lives. Only a few alchemists have the ability to elevate their soul realm to the spiritual realm, or even the heavenly realm. Without exception, these alchemists are the targets that the Soul Palace focuses on. The Medicine Venerable of yesteryear was one such example!

The more powerful an alchemist is, the stronger and more valuable their soul will be; one such alchemist can be worth the souls of millions of ordinary people.

"How could such an alchemist appear in the Black Corner Region? Are you trying to deceive us?"

The leader of the shadowy figures narrowed his eyes slightly, and his tone became a bit heavy. This was because any alchemist with a spiritual soul power was at least a high-ranking seventh grade, and it was even very likely that they had already reached the eighth grade. How could such a being come to a place like the Black Corner Region, let alone come into contact with Han Feng?

"Of course not. I don't know why that person came to the Black Corner Region. He came to me on his own. It seems he had a grudge against my teacher from back then. Hearing my name, he came to me..." Han Feng said through gritted teeth, thinking about everything that had happened today.

He hadn't felt this humiliation in years, kneeling before the other person like an ant, begging for mercy.

Thinking of his pitiful state today, his expression became extremely ferocious, his eyes even more like those of a predatory beast, wanting to vent his rage on someone.

"Oh? Looks like you've suffered quite a loss today, hehehe." The leading figure in black chuckled, his tone full of mockery.

"...I didn't come here to be a laughing stock!"

Han Feng snorted coldly and said with dissatisfaction.

"I can't give you a direct answer to this matter. We don't know how strong that person is yet, but an alchemist with a Spirit Realm soul is at least as strong as a Dou Zong. It's very troublesome!" The protector standing behind the shadowy figure said in a gloomy tone. He was quite calm and had not been swayed by Han Feng's words.

While the souls of the Spirit Realm are highly valuable, you need the ability to hunt them. Otherwise, you might end up getting yourself into trouble, which would be a joke.

"That old man..."

Han Feng was about to say something when he was interrupted by the other party.

"Don't even think about it. The Venerable Elder won't step into the Black Corner Region. At their level, there are constraints between them, so they won't enter the Black Corner Region. Besides, the Venerable Elder has to oversee the branch hall. Why would he go out for a mere Spirit Realm soul?" the shadowy figure said coldly, shattering all of Han Feng's fantasies.

"Then what do you mean?!" Han Feng asked in a deep voice.

Without the intervention of a powerful elder from the Soul Hall, they can only gamble on the fact that the opponent's strength is not very high, which carries a very high risk.

"We can test them. Since they've set foot in the Black Corner Region and even attacked you, their strength must not be very high. They're probably not a Dou Zun level expert, at most a Dou Zong. With your reputation as the Medicine Emperor, you should be able to find some Dou Zong level experts in the Black Corner Region... Let them try!"

The leader of the shadowy figures spoke in a chilling voice. For him, it was better to give up on things he wasn't confident about than to risk his life himself and let others go and die.

Because no matter who wins or loses, he can harvest the other's soul with almost no loss in the process.

Even if the mysterious alchemist and the opponent are both severely injured, he can still reap the benefits. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

"A Dou Zong level expert from the Black Corner Region..."

Han Feng frowned slightly. In all the years he had been in the Black Corner Region, he had dealt with very few Dou Zong experts. He really had no clue who was capable of dealing with Yao Yan.

Seemingly sensing Han Feng's troubles, the dark figure kindly reminded him, "The patriarch of Demon Flame Valley is quite powerful. You can lure him into making a move."

"What, you've got your eyes on Demon Flame Valley?!"

Upon hearing this, Han Feng's eyes flickered, and he immediately fixed his gaze on the other party, saying in a deep voice that he did not believe the other party would be so kind as to remind him. The cooperation between the two parties was only based on interests, and they had no personal relationship whatsoever.

"Just a side effect," the shadowy figure said, not denying their intentions.

As their strength increased, their ambitions naturally swelled as well. Compared to 'small-scale skirmishes,' the souls of the strong were far more attractive, especially those at the Dou Zong level. Each soul was extremely cost-effective, whether used to exchange for contribution points in the Soul Hall or to be devoured by themselves.

“...Alright, I’ll give it a try. I was just thinking of making a move against Canaan Academy. Rumor has it that Demon Flame Valley and Canaan Academy don’t get along. Maybe I can take advantage of that.”

Han Feng pondered for a moment, then a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke in a low voice.

He now had no way out. He either gambled once or lost everything. He didn't believe that guy would show him any mercy. As for the two newly promoted protectors of the Soul Clan in front of him, he obviously couldn't count on them either, because the people of the Soul Palace never offered help in times of need, but only kicked him when he was down. Friendship was worthless in their eyes, and all they cared about was profit.

Han Feng was no different from them in this respect, so he saw it very clearly.

"Canaan Academy..." Upon hearing this, the shadowy figure hesitated for a moment. The elder of the branch hall had warned him not to attack Canaan Academy casually, but he had not explained why. Now that Han Feng was about to attack it, he seemed to have no reason to stop him.

If Han Feng were to die at the hands of the other party, it wouldn't be so bad. He could collect the body for him; the soul of a sixth-grade alchemist and the Sea Heart Flame of the Strange Fire are quite valuable.

You can't lose money no matter how you look at it~

As for why Han Feng had his eye on Canaan Academy, he had no interest in knowing; the people of the Soul Palace were only interested in souls.

Han Feng glanced at the two below and then turned to leave. He had only come here to inform them of this news. He believed that the two would not be able to resist. The attraction of an alchemist with a Spirit Realm soul to the people of the Soul Palace was extremely fatal. As long as he could force the other party to reveal their strength, the two would probably make a move.

Just as Han Feng had expected, not long after he left, the two began to talk about the alchemist who possessed a spiritual soul.

"Should we inform the elder? A pharmacist with a spirit realm soul is enough to warrant the elder's intervention once." The burly figure behind the shadow said coldly, his eyes flashing with greed. If he weren't weak, he would have liked to take action himself and devour it.

The soul in the spirit realm... I really don't know what it feels like.

"We've been notified. Is there any left for you and me?" the leading figure in black sneered and retorted.

His growing strength fueled his ambition. Rather than becoming a Dharma Protector, he aspired to become a Venerable Elder. While Dharma Protectors enjoyed a certain status and freedom, they could not compare to Venerable Elders. If he could devour a Spirit Realm soul, he might have a chance to reach the Venerable Elder realm.

“We can’t take them down,” the latter said calmly, showing he hadn’t been blinded by greed.

"How will we know if we don't try? Let Han Feng test the waters first. If it doesn't work, then we can inform the elders."

"it is good!"

……

……

Time flies, and ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.

For the past ten days, Yao Yan has been living a very comfortable life with Han Feng, and Han Feng has been serving her extremely well, trying his best to meet all her requests and not daring to be negligent in the slightest. Meanwhile, Yao Yan has been putting pressure on Han Feng, forcing him to take action against Canaan Academy. As for whether Canaan Academy will find out about this, he has nothing to worry about.

As someone who is half a member of the Soul Clan, you don't really think Yao Yan is a good person, do you?

In a sense, Yao Yan is also a selfish person, but his selfishness has some bottom line and doesn't seem so inhuman. Perhaps this is the last obsession he had in his previous life, which makes him somewhat different from the people in this world.

“Senior, I have persuaded several Dou Huangs from Demon Flame Valley to help us break into the inner courtyard of Canaan Academy… However, we still need to investigate further about the location of that strange fire.”

Han Feng stood respectfully beside Yao Yan, reporting his recent behavior without daring to lift his eyes, just like a lackey.

Yao Yan leaned against a beautiful maid's chest, enjoying the kneading of two maids on her legs. She half-closed her eyes and listened to Han Feng's report. After he finished speaking, she said indifferently, "Then investigate. Tell me the results... If you can't find it, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Damn it..." Han Feng cursed inwardly, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he replied, "This junior understands!"

After saying that, he respectfully got up and left to deal with the matter of attacking Canaan Academy, because the deadline given to him by Yao Yan was getting closer and closer. As for escaping... where could he run to? Once he left the Black Corner Region, there were quite a few people in the Central Continent watching him.

Did you really think that the Medicine Master back then had no friends?!

There were many suspicious points surrounding his death back then, and many people wanted to find him to get to the bottom of it. If he hadn't run away quickly, he probably would have lost his life.

After Han Feng left, Yao Yan opened his eyes slightly, a hint of contemplation in his eyes. According to his original plan, he wanted to follow Xiao Yan's path and pretend to be forced to refine the Fallen Heart Flame. However, he later realized that it was unnecessary, because it would take some time for the Fallen Heart Flame to burn through the seal, and he did not have the time to wait.

"Well, I can fool you for a while, but I can't fool you forever," Yao Yan thought to himself, already having some plans for his next move.

Thinking about this, he lost interest in enjoying himself.

He raised his hand to stop the four beautiful maids from leaving for the time being. Then he sat cross-legged on the soft couch, took out a Douling Pill from his storage ring and threw it into his mouth. Soul power surged from between his eyebrows, sealing off the area around the house and blocking all his aura from leaking out. He began to refine the medicinal power, preparing to raise his strength from a six-star Dou Wang to a nine-star Dou Wang in one go.

He has already stabilized his battle qi and can continue to improve. Although this behavior is somewhat risky and hasty, with his current soul power, he doesn't need to worry about losing control of the power, and his body can withstand it. The time he spent building his foundation in the past was not wasted.