The opening scene reveals the story of Yao Lao, alarming the Soul Emperor.

The main hall was even larger than Hunyu had estimated.

The dome was so high that the stone walls were invisible; only black mist swirled and rolled overhead.

Two rows of eerie green will-o'-the-wisps stretched from beneath our feet to the high platform at the end, casting long shadows.

There are many shadows.

Fourteen people stood on the left, all wearing dark red robes, their auras ranging from one-star Dou Zun to three-star Dou Zun.

There were twelve people standing on the right, dressed in different clothes, but their auras were more powerful.

The weakest among them was a two-star Dou Zun, and the strongest ones were repelled by the thick aura as soon as Hun Yu's golden eyes swept over them.

Four-star Dou Zun or above.

At least two.

Several figures sat on the high platform in the shadows where the will-o'-the-wisp could not reach, their faces obscured.

The oppressive aura emanating from those highest-ranking individuals was on a completely different level from that of the Dou Zun on either side of the main hall.

Heavenly Venerable.

At the very top of the platform, above all the seats, there was a black mass.

The thing had no fixed shape; it was neither human nor mist.

It sits motionless and silent in mid-air between the dome and the high platform, but its very existence lowers the temperature of the entire hall by several degrees.

Soul Feather's golden eyes tentatively touched it, and the golden Bagua pattern shattered and bounced back.

He did not try a second time.

He calmly withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.

When I reached the third row of will-o'-the-wisps, something happened.

There was no warning, and no one spoke.

The auras of the twenty-six Dou Zun on both sides poured into the center of the passage at the same instant.

That wasn't the pressure of one person, but the combined pressure of twenty-six Dou Zun-level beings of varying cultivation levels, grinding down from both sides simultaneously.

The bluestone floor beneath his feet was the first to give way, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared outwards from where Hunyu stood. The cracks spread rapidly, and more than a dozen stone slabs were crushed into fragments.

The air crackled under the strain, the flames of the will-o'-the-wisp were pressed close to the ground, and the eerie green light shone on the broken stone slabs, creating a sinister atmosphere.

This is the Heavenly Gang Hall's routine show of force to the newlyweds.

The rules are simple: if you can endure it, you're qualified to move forward; if you can't, no one will help you up even if you kneel on the ground.

The combined pressure of twenty-six Dou Zun was enough to make a three-star Dou Zong bend his knees on the spot.

Hunyu's knees did not bend.

He didn't stop walking.

The white feather fan continued to wave without fail, at a moderate pace. He stepped out with his left foot, followed by his right, walking steadily and gracefully.

The oppressive force passed through his body, leaving nothing behind.

There was no fluctuation of battle aura on his body, not even the most basic protective qi.

Logically speaking, an ordinary person with no cultivation level would not even be able to breathe under the pressure of twenty-six Dou Zun.

But nothing happened to him.

The oppressive aura passed through him like wind through an open window.

In the third position on the left, a two-star Dou Zun couldn't help but frown, turned to look at his companion beside him, and spoke in a very low voice.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. Without protective battle aura or any array formation, the pressure just can't suppress him."

"There's something strange about the fan he's carrying."

"The fan didn't move."

Several gazes followed Hun Yu's retreating figure, filled with confusion and wariness.

Hunyu moved to the fifth row of ghost fire positions.

We're halfway there.

On the right-hand side, near the front, an elderly man in a gray robe cleared his throat and spoke, his voice echoing throughout the hall.

"Young man, stop right there."

Soul Feather didn't stand.

He continued walking forward, waved his fan, and replied in a casual tone.

"Please speak, senior. I'm in a hurry."

The old man in the gray robe raised his eyebrows.

"Twenty-six Dou Zun were there to intimidate you, and you didn't say a word?"

"There's not much to say."

"Don't you think this is an insult?"

"Insult?" Hun Yu finally slowed his pace, tilting his head to look at the gray-robed elder. "I thought this was the way your Heavenly Gang Palace treats its guests, and I was even thinking about whether I should say thank you."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of several people on both sides of the hall changed.

The gray-robed old man stared at him for a couple of moments, then let out a cold laugh.

"You're quite arrogant. The clan leader's decree says you're a collateral descendant of the Northwest Branch Hall, with no cultivation whatsoever, yet you managed to kill a Dou Zun."

"I saw it today, and it's true that he has no cultivation. But I'll have to see if his ability to kill a Dou Zun is real or not."

"Would you like to have it checked?"

"No rush. The road ahead is long, let's see when we reach the end."

The old man in the gray robe withdrew his gaze.

Soul Feather continued forward.

Walk to the seventh row of will-o'-the-wisps.

From the shadows on the right, another voice emerged, deeper and colder than the one of the gray-robed old man.

"Something's wrong with this kid's body."

The speaker sat on a stone chair, half of his body hidden from the dim green light, with only one hand resting on the armrest visible.

That hand is very big.

It's too big for normal.

"Under such pressure, even without kneeling, a normal person's heartbeat and breathing would become erratic. His heartbeat hasn't quickened at all since he entered the room."

Hunyu paused for a moment.

He didn't turn around to look at the person who spoke, but he slightly adjusted his direction and leaned his body slightly to the left.

The enormous hand in the shadows on the right slowly tightened its grip on the armrest of the stone chair.

The stone chair's armrests made a faint cracking sound in that hand.

"interesting."

That's what the voice said.

Why are you hiding?

Hunyu stopped between the eighth row of will-o'-the-wisps and turned to look at the shadows on his right.

He smiled.

"It's not dodging, it's making way."

"Give Way?"

"That chair you're holding is about to break. I don't want to get covered in dust when the shards fly out."

There was silence for two breaths in the shadows.

Then came a short laugh, devoid of any goodwill.

The cracking sound of the stone chair armrests stopped.

The large hand loosened its grip.

Hun Yu turned around and continued walking forward.

Walk to the ninth row of will-o'-the-wisps.

There are only three rows left before we reach the high platform.

The oppressive force from both sides did not weaken; on the contrary, it continued to intensify as he ventured deeper into the area.

The stone slabs underfoot were broken beyond recognition, and every step made a sound of rubble.

His white shirt was covered in dust at the hem.

But his back remained straight, and his steps remained steady.

From the shadows on the right, the person on the stone chair suddenly stood up.

The chair broke.

It wasn't cracked; the entire stone chair crumbled into dust the moment he stood up.

An aura ten times stronger than all the combined power of all the Dou Zun (Battle Venerables) exploded from the right side.

The Dou Zun on both sides of the main hall changed their expressions at the same time.

Several figures in the shadows of the high platform also made a move.

That person stepped out of the shadows.

He was ridiculously tall, standing at least nine feet tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back, and a half-smile on his fleshy face.

The dark red robe was embroidered with five golden celestial deity patterns.

The Five Heavenly Venerables.

Hun Yu's golden eyes flashed, and fragments of information about this person were quickly extracted from the Tian Gang Palace structure he had organized.

The Five Heavenly Venerables, Soul Mountain.

Ranked fifth among the Nine Heavenly Venerables, a core member of the pro-war faction, and at the peak of the half-step Dou Zun.

He has a volatile temper and ruthless methods. He hates three types of people the most: the weak, talkative people, and talkative weak people.

Hunyu went through these three points in his mind.

What a coincidence, he fits all three criteria.