Xu Ran left, and Ya Fei accompanied him.
"With my current power as a Dou Zong, I'm well capable of protecting myself," said Ya Fei.
She too wanted to venture into the outside world.
Currently, she didn't need to manage the affairs of the Mittel Family, unlike Yun Yun and the others. Plus, Ya Fei wanted to build her own influence outside.
"Now that I'm a Dou Zong Expert, I think I won't be inferior to anyone even outside. I heard that the deans at Canaan Academy are also just Dou Zongs," Ya Fei said proudly as she walked beside Xu Ran.
"Of course, my Ya Fei, need we even say it? Who could be your match? If someone ever surpasses you with their strength, I'll just help you increase your power again," Xu Ran said with a smile.
"..." Ya Fei was speechless.
She had been elevated to a Dou Zong Expert step by step thanks to Xu Ran.
Such an idea was beyond her wildest dreams before, but now it had become reality.
Even if you added up all the alchemists on the Continent, they probably wouldn't surpass Xu Ran.
"Heehee. Anyway, in the Jia Ma Empire, I won't be afraid of anyone. There are only three Dou Zongs in the entire Jia Ma Empire," Ya Fei said. Even if her actual combat abilities were slightly lacking, the strength of a Dou Zong was enough to crush all other Douhuangs.
"That's not necessarily the case. Didn't I tell you? The Jia Ma Empire isn't too peaceful. Although there might not be many local powerhouses, other forces will come here. The Jia Ma Empire currently has a Dou Zun Expert, and they're tracking us," Xu Ran explained.
"Dou Zun?"
Ya Fei's eyes widened.
She had only ever read about Dou Zuns and had never seen a Dou Zun Expert before.
Of course, Xu Ran was an exception, and Ya Fei still didn't know his true strength. All she knew was that Xu Ran had to be even stronger than a Dou Zun.
"Hahaha. So, it's indeed the person who has been stirring things up in the Jia Ma Empire recently. You actually discovered me."
A hoarse voice sounded, and two figures in black appeared behind Xu Ran and Ya Fei.
One had the power of a peak Seven-Star Dou Zun, and the other possessed the "Cultivation Level" of a Five-Star Dou Zong.
"Who are you?"
Ya Fei looked at the two figures in black in alarm; she had managed to break through to Dou Zong and yet hadn't detected anyone approaching them. This proved that these two were far superior to her in "Cultivation Level".
"Haha. To think she really is a Dou Zong. Even in Zhongzhou, I have never heard of any alchemist who could raise someone with virtually no talent from Dou Zhe to Dou Zong. Perhaps not even those Ninth Grade Alchemists could do it, right?"
"Even if they could actually concoct an Elixir that could enhance power, how could a Dou Zhe withstand such medicine? I bet the alchemists from Zhongzhou would be ashamed upon hearing this," said the Seven-Star Dou Zun Expert indifferently.
He, too, had been very skeptical and wouldn't have believed it had he not investigated thoroughly to confirm that such a master alchemist could come from such a small place.
"Such a powerful person staying in such a small place really is a waste of talent. How about it, Xu Ran, join our force? The Hall of Souls in Zhongzhou is the most powerful force. I think you must have heard about our Soul Hall," the expert said proudly.
In Zhongzhou, there's a Tower, a Hall, two Clans, three Valleys, and four Pavilions.
Now, the Soul Hall was even more powerful than the Pill Tower, rightfully the number one force on the Continent.
The Hun Clan behind the Hall of Souls is the largest clan in the world, even surpassing the Gu Clan.
This is also what the members of the Hall of Souls pride themselves on the most.
The Hall of Souls, number one in the world.
"What if I say no? Although the Hall of Souls is strong, it's just so-so in my eyes. And over the years, you've done a lot of evil, capturing souls everywhere. If I go with you, I'm afraid I would be enslaved. To the Hall of Souls, it seems alchemists are not as important as their souls," Xu Ran said leisurely.
Xu Ran knew that the Hall of Souls caused constant strife on the Northwest Continent to quietly collect the souls of powerful beings.
Any Dou Zong expert and above could become their target.
"You actually know all this?"
The two Hun Clan experts looked at each other, their eyes filled with apprehension.
They collected the souls of experts on the Northwest Continent because they feared other powers in Zhongzhou would discover their intentions, leading to numerous complications.
Although the Hall of Souls was filled with experts, those powerful forces in Zhongzhou were not to be trifled with, especially the Dou Di Families, which had tremendous influence.
"Since that's the case, we can't let you go. We did indeed intend to nurture you in our Hall of Souls, but since you're so ungrateful, we have no choice but to kill you first. We might not know your exact grade as an alchemist, but you'd surely satisfy the hall master. Heh heh heh."
"Truth be told, I am the Ninth Tian Zun of the Hall of Souls, a Seven-Star Dou Zun at the pinnacle of power. You should be content to die at my hands," he declared.
In the Hall of Souls, the two main gods were elusive, and the nine Heavenly Venerates were the spokespeople of the Hall.
The most powerful of the nine Heavenly Venerates was already at the level of Dou Sheng, and even the last, the Ninth Tian Zun, was at the pinnacle of Seven-Star Dou Zun.
Below the Heavenly Venerates were the respected elders, each of whom possessed the power of a Dou Zun, pillars of the Hall of Souls, and below the elders were the protectors. The protectors of the Hall of Souls were High-Level Dou Zong.
"Heavenly Venerate? Sounds intimidating, but your strength is lacking. Just a mere Dou Zun and you dare act so cocky in front of me?" Xu Ran mocked, looking at the Soul Hall expert before him.
"Just a mere Dou Zun? Quite the remark, 'just a mere Dou Zun'! I shall see what makes you so arrogant. Alchemists sure have some skill, but our Hall of Souls has ways to restrain your soul power. To us, you alchemists are nothing more than superb nourishment," boasted the Ninth Heavenly Venerate arrogantly.
A person from a small place, even if they're an alchemist with a legendary story, counts for nothing.
In the Hall of Souls, he was invincible, so how could he possibly consider others a threat.
The terrifying presence of the Dou Zun burst forth from his being, distorting the space in that moment. Under that formidable presence, all living beings within a ten-mile radius lost their vitality.
"Obliteration Soul Palm!"
Numerous presences surged into the Ninth Tian Zun's palm as he flashed forward, piercing through space to appear before Xu Ran.
A Dou Zun Expert could already manipulate space power quite proficiently.
Each Heavenly Venerate of the Hall of Souls had the potential to break through to Dou Sheng. The pinnacle of Seven-Star Dou Zun wasn't far from Dou Sheng. If given some opportunities, advancing to Dou Sheng in the future was not impossible.
The Hun Clan's research on souls far exceeded that of the Dou Di Families, and the powerful Dou Techniques of the Soul Hall's experts mostly came from the Hun Clan, with a great ability to suppress souls, which was terrifying for the majority of alchemists.
However, thinking of using such a method against him was a mistake.