"Such tremendous power,"
Ya Fei watched in horror as the Ninth Heavenly Venerate struck, her heart roiling with shock and awe.
Just moments ago, she was excited about her breakthrough to Douzong with the help from Xu Ran, but now, witnessing the terrifying combat power of such an opponent, she felt an immense sense of insignificance.
With that single palm strike, she could be annihilated without any chance to retaliate.
She believed that all the strong ones of the Jia Ma Empire would be just as helpless against such a force.
And from her understanding of Xu Ran's conversation, this was merely Soul Hall's Ninth Heavenly Venerate, which meant that there were a full eight others above him in strength.
What kind of power could that be? It could easily crush the Yunlan Sect and the Mittel Family, she feared.
Now, Xu Ran had offended such a power, and just the thought of it sent shivers down her spine.
"Boom!"
Xu Ran, holding Ya Fei, also struck out casually with a palm.
In an instant, the entire space trembled momentarily.
Terrible energy radiated from where Xu Ran clashed with the Ninth Heavenly Venerate; energy shockwaves shredded everything around them, and countless lives were extinguished in an instant.
"I didn't think your strength would be so formidable," the Ninth Heavenly Venerate stepped back two paces, greatly surprised.
He hadn't expected Xu Ran's power to reach such an extent.
That one palm had completely neutralized the force of his Obliteration Soul Palm, and his own arm was throbbing with a dull pain.
"I've said before, even if the people behind your Soul Hall were to come, I wouldn't be afraid. You are too weak," Xu Ran said indifferently.
"I don't believe it!"
Streams of sinister black fog surged from the Ninth Heavenly Venerate's body, eventually condensing into dark clouds in the sky, obscuring even the sunlight above.
Terrifying dark energy continuously poured out, boundless in its horror.
A desiccated fist, as if it could tear through space itself, smashed towards Xu Ran.
"Boom!"
When fists met, an even more terrifying energy erupted.
In the sky, thunder rolled, and every collision caused heaven and earth to change colors, with explosive sounds roaring like thunderclaps.
"This Xu Ran, is he really that strong, to the point that even the Ninth Heavenly Venerate can't capture him?" Wu Hu Fa inhaled sharply in disbelief.
And it looked like Xu Ran was actually gaining the upper hand.
Every attack was initiated by the Ninth Heavenly Venerate, while Xu Ran was merely defending passively, never having taken the initiative to attack.
What would the scene be like if Xu Ran were to attack?
Each of the nine great Heavenly Venerates of Soul Hall had a resounding reputation on the Continent, they were the spokespersons of Soul Hall, and any one of them was a decisive figure upon the Continent.
Currently, the peak Dou Sheng experts of the Continent were in seclusion, making high-level Dou Zuns the strongest walking on the Continent.
"Could it be..."
Wu Hu Fa had a foreboding premonition in his heart.
He had realized Xu Ran's strength during his hidden time in the Yunlan Sect, and in these days, he had heard quite a few stories about Xu Ran.
However, when he reported these to the Soul Hall headquarters, those higher-ups didn't take the events occurring in the Jia Ma Empire seriously.
In the eyes of those higher-ups, what kind of talent could come from a minor place like the Jia Ma Empire?
Originally, he wanted to suggest that Soul Hall dispatch a Dou Saint expert to capture Xu Ran, given Xu Ran's mystique made him unwilling to underestimate him. But the Ninth Heavenly Venerate didn't believe in superstitions and came personally, so he couldn't say much.
As an absolute powerhouse in Zhongzhou, the Ninth Heavenly Venerate was adamant about meeting Xu Ran himself, so naturally, Wu Hu Fa had no objections.
But now, it seemed Ninth Heavenly Venerate wasn't a match for Xu Ran...
"Could it be that Xu Ran is a Dou Sheng?" Wu Hu Fa gasped in shock.
Originally, he had planned to remain hidden within the Yunlan Sect, but when Xu Ran last expunged the mark that Soul Hall had placed in Yun Shan's soul, he realized that he had been exposed, which was why he had reported to Soul Hall the need to swiftly eliminate Xu Ran.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The countless impacts placed immense pressure on the surrounding space.
The extraordinary phenomena of heaven and earth along with the terrifying battle scenes caused the nearby cities of the Jia Ma Empire to be utterly astonished.
"Puh!"
After numerous impacts, Ninth Heavenly Venerate spat out a mouthful of blood, looking at Xu Ran with terror.
He had just used a secret technique, sacrificing his own body to drastically increase his strength to the pinnacle of Dou Zun, and yet, even so, he was still unable to handle Xu Ran.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Could it be you are a Dou Sheng? I am aware of all the Dou Sheng experts in Zhongzhou, and apart from the few great ancient clans, there are very few other Dou Sheng experts on the Continent. Who are you, really?"
Ninth Heavenly Venerate could no longer maintain his previous confidence.
His face was filled with wariness.
"I am me, who else could I be? Haven't you all investigated thoroughly already?" Xu Ran said with a smile.
"Impossible. You definitely have another identity. You must also know the secret of the Xiao Family. For someone as powerful as you, it's impossible you are in the Xiao Family with no ulterior motives."
Ninth Heavenly Venerate clenched his withered fists.
The Xiao Family, the once Xiao Family, was a family even Soul Hall was wary of.
The prodigy of the Xiao Family came close to becoming a Dou Di.
Although the Xiao Family had declined, as the former number one family, they still harbored that secret, the secret to breaking through to Dou Di.
It was precisely for this reason that they paid such close attention to the Xiao Family.
"You must be a member of the Imperial Clan, or maybe from the Pill Tower or another major force in Zhongzhou. Looking at you now, you must have already succeeded. Is that item in your hands?" Ninth Heavenly Venerate looked at Xu Ran as if he had gone mad.
He even began to speculate whether the secret to Dou Di had already been discovered by Xu Ran.
If Xu Ran hadn't succeeded yet, how could he possibly leave the Xiao Family?
And he speculated that it was after obtaining that item that Xu Ran had become so powerful.
The Dou Techniques displayed by Xu Ran were terrifyingly powerful, and yet he had never heard of them. Could they possibly be...
Whatever secret the Xiao Family was hiding, even Soul Hall was unaware. But now with people even from the ancient clans coming to the Xiao Family, and with a powerhouse like Xu Ran showing up there, it was enough to explain everything.
"Think whatever you want. In any case, you won't be leaving here now."
"You've had your turn to attack, now it's my turn to make a move."
As Xu Ran spoke, his speed surged to the extreme, and he threw a punch towards Ninth Heavenly Venerate.
"You've taken what belonged to our Soul Hall, you're looking for death. If those supreme powerhouses find out about that item, you only have one path left, and that is death. If you hand it over to our Soul Hall, you'll be lauded for great merit. With your talent and strength, you might even have a chance to become one of the Vice Hall Masters of our Soul Hall," Ninth Heavenly Venerate still didn't give up, retreating with the speed of lightning while speaking.
"Soul Hall? I'm not interested."
Xu Ran's fist landed on Ninth Heavenly Venerate's body.
In an instant, space around Ninth Heavenly Venerate was sealed, and he had nowhere to retreat.
To Ninth Heavenly Venerate, that fist loomed ever larger in his field of view.