Battle Through the Heavens: The Holy Sun Immortal Venerable

Chapter 85 Soul Palace Protector! Ancient Clan Elder!

"Hehehe... This Jia Ma Empire is truly full of hidden talents. A few days ago, a Venerable appeared in Shimo City. I didn't expect that there would be a Dou Zong powerhouse in Zhen Gui Pass now."

"With such a robust bloodline and a flourishing soul, if I were to capture you and take you back, it would surely delight the Palace Master."

The overwhelming black mist coalesced into a figure shrouded in deep black smoke. Accompanied by a pair of crimson eyes, a jet-black chain suddenly burst out from the black mist with a rattling sound, attacking Lin Ran like a venomous snake!

"Capture me?"

Lin Ran smiled faintly, and a blue flame rose in his palm.

It then suddenly transformed into a rocket and shot out, finally colliding violently with the black chain.

The next moment, the black chains that had attacked him hissed in the blue flames, and within a few breaths, they were all broken and burned.

"A strange fire?!"

The attack failed, and the dark chains swirled back around the Soul Palace expert. His reddened eyes stared coldly at the azure flame in Lin Ran's palm, and he said with slight surprise.

The techniques and fighting skills mastered by the people of the Soul Palace are mostly extremely cold and sinister.

This type of cultivation technique is very convenient for dealing with soul entities, but when faced with a fiery and powerful natural treasure like a strange fire, it will lose the advantages inherent in the technique itself, and may even be subtly restrained by it.

Unexpectedly, this kid not only possesses abundant blood energy and a powerful soul, but also has a rare treasure like a strange fire.

"It seems this protector has truly struck gold today!"

The Soul Palace protector sneered, flicked his arm, and three black shadows surged out from behind him with a whooshing sound, finally coiling endlessly above his head like three venomous snakes.

"Triple Soul Chains!"

A hand shrouded in black mist reached out, and then the hand seal changed. The three chains that had been hovering above his head shot out with a whistling sound as they broke through the wind.

The three chains transformed into black lines, crisscrossing and blocking all of Lin Ran's escape routes. Clearly, this protector had reached an extremely high level of proficiency with such a strange weapon as chains.

With a flick of his sleeve, Lin Ran sent three streaks of azure flames rapidly coalescing into shape, coiling around his body like long snakes, and colliding head-on with the three chains.

Clang! Clang!

The chains collided with the blue flames, instantly producing a series of crisp sounds like metal striking metal.

There were even bursts of sparks.

However, no matter how unpredictable the chain attack was, Lin Ran's azure flames were able to completely seal it off, a method that left countless people in the surrounding fortress dumbfounded.

"You Soul Palace protectors are really something, always trying to capture anyone you see. I wonder what level you belong to among the 'Human, Earth, Heaven' tier of protectors?"

"I didn't expect you to know so much about my Soul Palace." The Soul Palace protector was quite surprised to hear this.

Lin Ran toyed with the azure flame in his hand and said calmly, "Over the years, I've killed at least seven or eight Soul Hall protectors. How could I not know?"

"The souls of you Soul Hall people are quite interesting. Their strength far surpasses that of others of the same level. Although they are not comparable to those of alchemists, they could be quite useful if refined."

Lin Ran's tone was calm, but his words caused the Soul Palace protector's expression to change slightly.

A shadowy look appeared in his crimson eyes.

"Hehehe, my name is Han Shuo, a Heavenly-level Protector of the Soul Palace. You dare to be an enemy of my Soul Palace? You really don't know the immensity of heaven and earth."

"Today, I, the Dharma Protector, will take your soul back and burn it day and night with soul fire, making you suffer all the pain in the world!"

Lin Ran's eyelids twitched slightly, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"So you are a Heavenly Protector. No wonder you dared to show yourself after sensing my presence."

The Soul Palace Protectors are divided into three levels: Heaven, Earth, and Human. All the strong individuals in these three levels are Dou Zong. The strength of the Heaven-level Protectors is basically above that of a Seven-Star Dou Zong.

Judging from his current aura, Protector Han's strength is no less than Lin Ran's.

"Boy, you are indeed powerful. Even I, the protector, cannot defeat you in a short time. But don't forget where you are."

Protector Han sneered, and with a sudden movement of his hand, the three black chains that had been coiled around him shot out, instantly tearing through the sky at a speed that was dazzling.

puff!puff!

Three chains shot out and, to the horrified eyes of the guards at Zhen Gui Pass, pierced through their chests.

The black chains rattled rapidly, and the guard, his eyes wide with terror, was lifted high into the air.

Amidst the swirling black mist of chains, the chains forcibly extracted illusory souls from their bodies, swallowing them into the chains, while the soulless corpses were carelessly discarded.

"You bastard! What are you doing?!"

Mu Tie, who had been in a daze, suddenly realized what was happening and angrily shouted at the sky.

But the next second, the dark chains pierced his chest and took his soul away.

Countless guards were terrified and tried to escape, but the chains transformed into black shadows and shot down from the sky. The rattling sound of the chains was like the Grim Reaper's scythe, urging them to their deaths.

"Freeze!"

A large number of souls were bound by dark shackles, condensed by black mist, and gathered into the body of Protector Han on the horizon. In an instant, the black mist around Protector Han expanded wildly, and his aura became increasingly profound and terrifying.

The souls of the guards at Zhengui Pass are not particularly powerful; most of them are fighters or fighting masters.

If the quality is lacking, quantity can make up for it.

There are countless guards in this Ghost Town Pass. In just a short while, Protector Han has absorbed hundreds of souls, greatly increasing his strength, which surprised Lin Ran.

This guardian is quite something!

The Soul Hall guys, whether as depicted in the original work or as Lin Ran encountered them himself, were all arrogant, conceited, and easy targets.

Judging from the aura on the paper, this protector's strength is comparable to Lin Ran's, both being eight-star Dou Zong.

According to the normal procedure, the two should have clashed several times, and only after feeling Lin Ran's strength would the latter use this special move of devouring souls to enhance their power.

Lin Ran was genuinely surprised that Protector Han had revealed his trump card right from the start.

Yeah, a villain with brains.

You cannot be allowed to live!

As Protector Han's aura continued to expand, Lin Ran formed a hand seal, covering his palm with the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. With a tremor of his sleeve, the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame in his palm fluctuated and then rapidly writhed. After a moment, it actually condensed into a jade-gold longsword that was more than ten feet wide.

The surface of this longsword was extremely brilliant, its entire body a dazzling emerald gold. When the longsword was formed, the surrounding space rippled violently, demonstrating the immense energy it contained.

The next moment, Lin Ran's golden sword slashed through the air, and a chilling sound resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

"Azure Lotus Sword Qi!"

With Lin Ran's cold shout, the emerald gold longsword in his hand transformed into a streak of azure light and shot out.

The longsword was so fast that it could even penetrate the barriers of space. In just a few flashes, it appeared in front of Protector Han. The terrifying energy fluctuations were not only scorching and fierce, but also drew in the energy of the surrounding heaven and earth.

This is the mark of a low-level combat skill!

"Heh heh heh, brat, your strange fire fighting technique may be powerful, but how could it possibly break through my Soul Palace's secret technique?!"

"Mist Soul Palm!"

The emerald-gold sword energy swept across the sky, but just as it was about to crash into the black mist, the black mist churned and swirled, and a palm print of soul energy suddenly condensed. The moment it left the black mist, it suddenly grew larger and collided with the sword energy.

The two eroded each other, eventually turning into nothingness.

"Mist Soul Forest!"

The two fighting techniques were evenly matched, but suddenly a strange suction force erupted from the black mist. This suction force swept down and enveloped most of the Ghost Town Pass in an instant.

The bodies of countless guards suddenly froze, then stood still like puppets, their faces contorted in pain and contorted in agony.

Within a few breaths, those people's bodies exploded, and their gray souls were completely drawn in by the suction force, all merging into the black mist in mid-air.

The massive influx of soul energy, though of low quality and murky, caused Protector Han's aura to surge dramatically, forcefully breaking through to the level of a nine-star Dou Zong, and it was still rising!

Seeing this, Lin Ran frowned deeply.

Is this guy who goes all out and reveals his trump cards the moment he meets someone really from the Soul Palace?

The devouring of a massive number of souls caused Protector Han's aura to surge continuously, with black mist billowing around him. In an instant, Protector Han appeared behind Lin Ran like a ghost, and countless dark shackles angrily stabbed towards Lin Ran's chest.

Lin Ran's emerald-gold longsword, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind that shook the space, blocked the chain attack. But the next moment, a fist suddenly shot out from the body of Protector Han, which was shrouded in black mist.

It attacked Lin Ran's head.

"boom!"

As soon as the fist was unleashed, the vast, billowing black mist surged with tremendous waves, transforming into a gigantic black python tens of feet long as it writhed violently.

The giant python roared to the sky, and with a flick of its massive tail, it ripped through the void with a whoosh, rushing towards Lin Ran with unparalleled force.

The black python swept across the sky, and the powerful wind pressure it created, even though it was far away from Lin Ran, still caused a depression dozens of feet long to appear on the ground of Zhen Gui Pass, and even the majestic city wall was completely cracked.

Faced with Protector Han's fierce attack, Lin Ran swung his longsword, unleashing countless chilling sword energies.

But Protector Han gave a sinister smile, waved his sleeve, and a strange black mist surged out from his sleeve, directly enveloping all the sword energy.

The black mist seemed to contain extremely strong corrosive power. The moment it came into contact with the sword energy, it rapidly corroded away all the enormous energy contained within the latter. Even the terrifying high temperature of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame gradually dimmed under the erosion of the strange black mist.

"You've got something..."

Lin Ran murmured, and golden light suddenly flashed on the soles of his feet. Then his body trembled, and his original figure remained in place. However, his figure appeared in front of Protector Han in an instant without any warning.

"That speed!"

The sudden appearance of Lin Ran caused Protector Han's pupils to shrink slightly, and a sense of horror rose in his heart. His soul energy surged wildly, and then a pitch-black chain flew out of his hand and rushed towards Lin Ran.

Lin Ran neither dodged nor evaded; his emerald-gold battle aura surfaced on his body, and his Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame surged, as if he were trying to withstand this attack head-on.

Lin Ran's physical body was incredibly strong, and now he was also adorned with a strange fire, which was the natural counter to darkness. Although Protector Han's level was slightly higher than Lin Ran's, how could he possibly break through Lin Ran's defense with such a move?

The Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame surged wildly, instantly burning away the pitch-black shackles.

Lin Ran suddenly leaned forward, instantly appearing in front of Protector Han. Azure flames burned on his right palm, and surging pure Yang battle qi condensed in his palm, slamming down onto the gurgling black mist.

"Ten Directions Azure Lotus Palm!"

The blazing Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame instantly burned away the black mist on Protector Han's body, revealing his true form.

The next moment, Lin Ran's right palm, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound as it tore through the air, struck Han Hufa's chest hard.

"boom!!!"

The moment the palm struck down, the vast battle qi hidden within it surged forth, finally entering Protector Han's body amidst his horrified expression, and then suddenly erupted.

"Pfft!"

The terrifyingly high temperature of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame erupted from the inside out, causing Protector Han to spit out a mouthful of bright red blood. Black mist churned, and he was blasted back a hundred feet.

With a violent cough, the black mist surrounding Protector Han thinned considerably, and his aura plummeted. Clearly, Lin Ran's move had caused him great and serious damage.

"Damn it, even among Earth-rank techniques, this must be of extremely high grade. How can this kid have such a profound foundation!"

Protector Han's gaze was extremely solemn, and his expression was quite unpleasant.

He had anticipated that Lin Ran would be a difficult opponent, but he hadn't expected it to be this difficult. The power behind this guy must be quite formidable.

So what if they have a deep foundation? When has my Soul Palace ever been afraid of other forces, whether they are powerful or not?

Protector Han took a deep breath, his gaze sharp.

They even hunted down forces like the Dan Tower, so why would they be afraid of anything else?

"I didn't expect you to have such a deep foundation. It seems that once I capture you and bring you back, I should be able to complete my mission immediately."

"That's only if you can catch it."

Lin Ran stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.

"Hehehe... Don't think you can stop me just because you've mastered a few high-level combat techniques. I, the protector, have never failed to take anyone I set my sights on."

Han Hufa sneered a few times, and a cloud of black mist suddenly broke off and hovered in front of him. The black mist was filled with a strong soul fluctuation.

"A soul bag?!" Lin Ran frowned slightly.

"I didn't expect you to even recognize the Soul Bag. I suppose those Soul Palace protectors who died at your hands also used this item."

Protector Han sneered, "My accumulated foundation is far beyond what those Human or Earth-level cultivators can compare to. Prepare to face your fear, brat!"

Protector Han looked at the black mist with a pained expression, then gritted his teeth and made a hand seal. The black mist suddenly expanded and then rapidly shrank. Immediately, a phantom soul was ejected from it.

As soon as the soul appeared, Protector Han opened his mouth and spat out a black mist to envelop it. The soul, which was enveloped by the black mist, seemed to sense something and began to struggle violently, with a terrified soul fluctuation spreading out continuously.

"snort!"

Seeing the soul struggling, Protector Han snorted coldly, then suddenly opened his mouth, and a powerful force surged out, directly sucking it into his mouth.

After devouring this soul, the black mist, which had become thin due to Lin Ran's attack, immediately became much denser, and Protector Han's aura also became much more powerful.

After devouring one soul, Protector Han did not stop immediately. Instead, he spat out another soul from the black mist and continued to devour it.

In just a few breaths, Protector Han devoured all the souls in the soul bag.

The strange black mist surrounding him was also fluctuating more and more violently.

In the end, it was as if it were boiling, almost filling the entire sky!

After a few breaths, the black mist began to shrink rapidly, and finally, a figure shrouded in a set of black armor slowly appeared in front of Lin Ran.

The black armor was dark in color and made of an unknown material. It was covered with strange patterns that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be grotesque human heads.

Han, the protector, reappears.

A terrifying, chilling aura, several times stronger than before, slowly rose out.

Finally, it enveloped the entire town of Ghost Pass.

At this moment, the once clear sky darkened, a chilling wind blew, and a vast and terrifying aura pressed down, making it suffocating!

Peak Dou Zong!

"Time to give your last words, kid, hehehehe..."

Protector Han sneered repeatedly, a fierce glint appearing in his eyes. He formed a hand seal, and a torrent of black energy surged out, instantly condensing into a half-foot-long black chain in front of him.

The chains trembled, like the hiss of a giant python, exuding a chilling aura, just like a deathly python crawling out of hell. Just one glance was enough to send a shiver down one's spine.

"Ghostly Forest Lock!"

As the pitch-black shackles took shape, Protector Han's face twisted in a ferocious grimace as he roared at Lin Ran. Immediately, the black chains shot out mercilessly, viciously attacking Lin Ran.

In this attack, Protector Han showed no mercy. He had already sensed Lin Ran's threat, so after devouring the soul and raising his own power to the limit, he directly used all the battle qi in his body!

The black chains didn't seem large, but wherever they passed, even space itself began to collapse, revealing black voids. These voids made the black shackles appear even more sinister and terrifying.

This attack actually possessed some of the power of a Dou Zun!

"bring it on!"

Lin Ran's expression was solemn, but he was not afraid.

While Protector Han was unleashing his full power, Lin Ran was also gathering his strength. His golden palm print had already been fully formed and was now tinged with a layer of azure flames, making it look like a dream.

Faced with the approaching black chains, Lin Ran suddenly raised his palm, and a jade-gold palm print roared out.

"Big day...!"

"Freeze!"

Just as Lin Ran was about to unleash the Heavenly Rank Battle Technique that he had condensed to its limit.

An aged voice rang out, and at the same time, the space around them suddenly froze.

As the space stagnated, both Protector Han's black chains and Lin Ran's Great Sun Holy Palm were forced to stop.

At that instant, an extremely powerful spatial force suddenly surged out, instantly distorting the space around the two of them and creating a crack.

Just as the rift was forming, three figures completely shrouded in black robes slowly emerged from the spatial rift.

As the figure stepped out, three vast auras, like a storm, suddenly swept up within the Ghost Town Pass. Under this vast storm, the Ghostly Lock, which was almost as powerful as a Dou Zun, and the Heavenly Rank Dou Technique Great Sun Holy Yang Palm, seemed to be like candles in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment!

"A Dou Zun level expert?!"

As soon as the three mysterious figures appeared, Lin Ran's expression darkened, and Protector Han's expression changed drastically.

"You brat, you actually have such a venerable helper?!"

now.

Han, who devoured all the souls in the Soul Bag, had reached the peak of the Dou Zong level, and could even be called a half-step Dou Zun.

However, in his perception, the three black-robed elders who appeared at this moment had incredibly concealed strength and aura, making them impossible to discern in the slightest.

What else could this be but a Dou Zun?

Three Dou Zun—this level of strength and this lineup far surpasses that of ordinary Soul Hall branch halls. After all, ordinary Soul Hall branch halls typically only have one Venerable, and only the Heavenly Gang Hall and Earthly Fiend Hall in the Central Continent have several Dou Zun in their ranks.

Three Dou Zun—even some of the top-tier forces in Zhongzhou don't possess that!

What kind of power does this kid belong to, that he has such a strong foundation?

Han Hufa's heart sank completely. Facing a true Dou Zun powerhouse, he was as weak as an ant.

"This aura..."

Lin Ran frowned, looking at the three black-robed elders who had broken through the void, and he had already understood something.

Although he didn't recognize these three Dou Zun, Lin Ran was familiar with their auras.

It was the same aura as that of the old man in the white robe from before.

In other words, these three Dou Zun...

They are from the ancient tribe!

"People from the Soul Palace, huh?"

Three black-robed elders arrived through the air, their gazes lingering briefly on Lin Ran before turning to the towering black mist surrounding Protector Han.

"This kind of soul energy seems to have devoured a large number of souls, forcibly elevating its own realm."

"That suits the nature of you dark rats."

"Who are you? Since you know about my Soul Palace, then don't get in my way." Protector Han said coldly. Although he could only look up to the three Venerables in front of him, the reputation of the Soul Palace was not ordinary.

"Gentlemen, don't let a mere nobody cause you to offend someone you can't afford to offend, just to protect your powerful connections!"

"hehe."

Upon hearing Protector Han's words, the three elders exchanged smiles. The other elder stroked his white beard, shook his head, and said with a half-smile, "These words might have some impact if spoken by the Hall Master of the Soul Palace, but you are just a mere protector, so forget it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Protector Han suddenly felt an irresistible and terrifying pressure emanating from the surrounding space.

Under this oppressive force.

Even the fighting spirit within his body stopped flowing at this moment.

After struggling violently but still unable to break free, Protector Han's eyes were filled with panic. He could only grit his teeth, his gaze fierce, and roar, "You dare to harm me? That's making an enemy of the Soul Palace! I don't know what your background is, but offending the Soul Palace is the most foolish thing you can do!"

"Heh, what arrogance! So what if it's the Soul Palace?"

Upon hearing this, the black-robed elder on the left let out a strange laugh, waved his sleeve, and the space where Protector Han was located suddenly collapsed.

Under the immense pressure of the endless spatial forces, the once mighty Protector Han was actually crushed into minced meat!

"Still trying to run?"

The aged voice was utterly indifferent. The old man in black robes sneered and waved his sleeve once more.

The distorted and collapsing space began to writhe again. The next moment, Lin Ran heard a terrified cry suddenly come from the collapsed and shattered space. Then, a phantom soul was forcibly pulled out of the void.

As soon as the spirit appeared, it tried to flee in all directions.

But with the three Venerable Ones here, where could he possibly run to?

The black-robed elder on the left calmly made his move, unleashing an irresistible and domineering battle aura from his palm, which directly obliterated the soul of Protector Han.

The world, which was bustling with energy fluctuations just moments before, suddenly fell silent.

After doing all this, the three Dou Zun experts' gazes fell on Lin Ran, as if they had just crushed not a half-step Dou Zun, but an ant.

Lin Ran narrowed his eyes. The pressure from these three Dou Zun was immense, far surpassing that of the white-robed Dou Zun from before.

Conservatively speaking, the three Dou Zun in front of us are at least five-star or higher!

"I never thought that there really was a pure Yang body in this world. It's a pity that he went astray and was taken advantage of by those three trashy Scorpion Demons."

The old man in black robes who was leading the group looked at Lin Ran and clicked his tongue twice, as if he was lamenting that some treasure had been wasted.

Lin Ran did not answer, but stared intently at the three old men. He did not know much about the Pure Yang Body, only that his three masters treated him better than their own sons.

It wasn't until his cultivation stagnated that his three masters gradually shifted their attention from him to the Cloud Rain Sect.

"You should already know who we are by now."

Looking at the silent Lin Ran, the leading elder smiled faintly: "You killed my clan's guards and injured my clan's elders. According to the rules, I should destroy your physical body and imprison your soul."

"However, I value talent. If you are willing to return to our ancient clan with us, I can spare your life. What do you say?"

Lin Ran sneered. If he went to the ancient clan with these old guys, would he even survive?

"Pure Yang Body is rare. It would be such a pity if someone were to lose an arm or a leg," the black-robed elder said calmly.

"You think you can decide everything for me with just a few words? You really have a lot of nerve."

Lin Ran narrowed his eyes slightly. Facing the three Dou Zun, he indeed felt an extremely dangerous, even irresistible, aura.

However, this is not enough to make him surrender. The only way to make him submit is for a Dou Sheng level expert to come!

"Holy Essence Ignites Blood!"

With the secret technique activated, Lin Ran's fighting spirit surged forth, forcefully breaking through the spatial seal.

The next moment, golden light flashed beneath Lin Ran's feet, and his figure retreated rapidly, leaving a series of afterimages in the sky, dazzling the eyes.

Seeing Lin Ran retreat rapidly, the leading black-robed elder lowered his eyes slightly, while the black-robed elder on the left understood and the space around him slowly distorted, and his figure mysteriously disappeared.

The moment the black-robed old man disappeared, Lin Ran's hair stood on end. However, the moment he blinked, he saw that the black-robed figure was less than two feet away from him.

"The strength of a Dou Zun is beyond your comprehension."

The old man in black robes remained indifferent as he lightly flicked out his right palm. Emerald light condensed at that moment, accompanied by a suffocating and terrifying aura, and he swung it towards Lin Ran.

This seemingly weak palm strike caused Lin Ran's expression to become extremely solemn. He couldn't release the Great Sun Holy Yang Palm in time, so he could only release the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame to cover his palm and grit his teeth to collide with it.

"Buzz!!"

The two collided, and almost instantly, Lin Ran's figure was sent flying backward, finally crashing heavily onto the city wall of Zhen Gui Guan. The terrifying force caused the solid city wall to be instantly covered with cracks as thick as an arm.

"puff!"

Lin Ran wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spat out the blood foam.

He stared at the old man in black robes in the sky with a grim expression.

Back when he was a Seven-Star Dou Zong, he could still put up a fight against that white-robed Dou Zun when he activated his Saint Yuan Blood Burning state.

But in the hands of this old man, he had no power to fight back at all!

Most importantly, this guy clearly listened to the old man in the middle, which means that the old man in the middle is the most powerful!

"Stop struggling, come with me."

In the sky, the old man in black robes looked at Lin Ran indifferently, and with a movement, he appeared in front of Lin Ran.

The withered hand slowly reached out and grabbed Lin Ran's shoulder. Lin Ran gritted his teeth, gathered his energy, and forcefully unleashed his fighting spirit again. He then used the Aurora Dragon Step to create distance.

"I know you possess a Heaven-Rank Battle Technique, incredibly powerful, even comparable to the attacks of a Dou Zun expert. But that's not enough. You won't have the chance to unleash such an attack in front of me."

"It seems you have quite a comprehensive understanding of me."

Lin Ran spat out a mouthful of blood, clenched his fist, and a faint light appeared in his storage ring. A jade slip suddenly appeared in his hand, which he then crushed abruptly.

"Did that old man tell you how he lost his hand?!"

With a force exerted from his palm, the jade slip shattered instantly.

A suffocating aura suddenly erupted from Lin Ran's palm!

(End of this chapter)