Jun Changxiao was equally curious whether the Soul Control clan of the upper universe and the Soul clan of the lower realm had any relationship. To know the inside story, he had to understand their history.

As it happened, the gold soul expert he captured, named Song Dehen, was born into a prestigious family and had read extensively since childhood, so he could provide quite a bit of information.

The Soul Control Realm had a long history spanning hundreds of thousands of years, and the Soul Control clan was considered one of the ancient clans of the upper universe.

The creator was Soul Ancestor.

Reportedly his strength was extremely terrifying—he could devour heaven, earth, sun, and moon.

Soul Ancestor was single-mindedly obsessed with martial arts. Only when his great limit approached did he marry and have children. After the passage of many years, there were now hundreds of billions of Soul Control clansmen.

“Nonsense.”

Jun Changxiao interrupted, “The higher one’s martial arts realm, the more they’re sanctioned by heaven and earth. How could he possibly have nine sons in just a hundred years?”

“Our ancestor once obtained a secret method that could ignore heaven and earth sanctions and reproduce at will.” Song Dehen said, reverence filling his eyes.

Like Demon Ancestor, Soul Ancestor was regarded as a supreme deity by his own clan.

Speaking of Demon Ancestor, that unlucky bastard, he was still quite memorable. Who knew how he was doing in the Star Spirit Realm right now?

“I see.”

Jun Changxiao said, “Continue.”

“Ancestor’s nine sons were all heaven-blessed talents. While expanding their branches, they actively strengthened the Soul Control Realm, ultimately creating today’s prosperity.” Song Dehen said.

“And then?”

“That’s all.”

“Clang!”

Jun Changxiao drew his sword and placed it against his neck, saying coldly, “You’re not cooperating.”

“……”

Song Dehen was about to cry.

Wasn’t history supposed to be summarized in short form, highlighting key points?

Did he really want to hear more details? That way, it wouldn’t finish in days and nights!

“Over these years, have any clansmen left the Soul Control Realm?” Hua Meigui asked.

“None have left.”

“However……” Song Dehen said, “Some were exiled.”

“Who?”

Hua Meigui asked.

Song Dehen paused briefly, then said, “The Ninth Gate’s Supreme Master, Hua Qianxing.”

Hua Meigui looked at Jun Changxiao, excitement rising in her bright eyes.

She was also surnamed Hua, and this Ninth Gate Supreme Master was also surnamed Hua. Moreover, they were both of the same clan. This probably wasn’t a coincidence.

“Where was he exiled to?”

“This…… I don’t know. The history books only record that Hua Qianxing committed an error and had his cultivation completely abolished, was erased from the Ninth Gate, and was expelled from the Soul Control Realm along with his family members.” Song Dehen said.

“Are there any other records related to this person?”

“Let me think……”

“That’s right!”

Song Dehen slapped his forehead and said, “I saw in an unofficial history that Hua Qianxing was the strongest of the Nine Gates’ Supreme Masters at that time, especially fond of researching soul techniques. He was praised as the descendant closest to our ancestor, and even proposed a bold concept—that above all souls, there’s something even stronger!”

“What does that mean?”

“Our Soul Control clan regards gold soul as the strongest. Hua Qianxing believed that above gold soul there’s another color. If it could be researched, one would inevitably possess divine abilities like our ancestor to devour heaven, earth, sun, and moon.”

“Of course.”

“This wasn’t recorded in official history. The information came from unofficial history, so its authenticity is unknown.”

……

Outside the cave.

Hua Meigui walked out lost in thought.

Jun Changxiao said, “Hua Qianxing should be related to you.”

“I hope so.”

Because the Soul Clan Continent had almost no records of their ancestor, even though they shared the same surname and clan, Hua Meigui didn’t dare confirm they were related unless she found evidence.

“Let’s go.”

“I’ll take you to the Ninth Gate. Perhaps we can obtain clues there.”

Soul Ancestor’s nine sons were divided into nine branches, also called the Nine Gates. Each gate had one Supreme Master who jointly governed the Soul Control Realm.

Of course.

Because Hua Qianxing was exiled, the Ninth Gate had long since disappeared from the river of history. However, the residential ruins still existed.

“Big brother!”

Song Dehen said desperately, “The Ninth Gate is listed as a forbidden area. If clansmen enter, they’ll be severely punished. Having me lead the way is sending me to my death!”

When the sword was once again placed against his neck, he said seriously, “No problem, I’ll lead the way!”

True to his name—completely cowardly.

……

The Soul Control Realm was very large.

However, with Jun Changxiao present, even the ends of the earth could be reached quickly.

Coincidentally, when the three arrived at the abandoned valley where the Ninth Gate was located, it was deep night. Cold winds howled, wild beasts roared—the atmosphere was quite eerie and sinister.

“Bro!”

Song Dehen said weakly, “There’s a restriction formation at the valley entrance. Once touched, there will be backlash.”

His survival instincts were truly strong. He called “bro” without any awkwardness.

Don’t look down on this.

Such people often live very long.

Conversely, those experts who want dignity and refuse to submit often either die or are on the road to death.

“No problem.”

Jun Changxiao stopped and waved his hand gently.

“Whoosh!”

“Whoosh!”

Led by Old Man Taixuan, members of the Formation Hall appeared out of thin air. Although there were only about ten people, they were all elites who studied Star Spirit Realm formations.

“What the!”

Song Dehen’s eyes widened.

Suddenly a group of living people jumped out—this was a bit exaggerated!

“Swish!”

Old Man Taixuan and Jun Changxiao had no verbal communication. Leading his disciples to the valley, he began laying out various tools.

Breaking formations.

They were professionals.

“Buzz!”

In just a few minutes, the formation hidden at the valley entrance manifested, then like a bubble was popped by someone with a needle.

“……”

Song Dehen’s mouth twitched violently.

That was a restriction formation set up by the Eight Gates’ Supreme Masters mobilizing numerous formation masters. It was actually broken by a group of strangers—this was simply too fast!

“Done.”

Old Man Taixuan said, “Packing up.”

Swish! Swish!

The Formation Hall members quickly collected their tools, making “OK” gestures to each other.

Strictly speaking, the Soul Control Realm was actually similar to the upper realm—both belonged to the quasi-second tier. But considering the clan bonus, it barely touched the rear end of the second tier.

Old Man Taixuan led the Formation Hall members in regular dealings with Star Spirit Realm formations. Breaking their formations was simply too easy.

Actually.

This was also a manifestation of the sect’s hard power.

“Let’s go inside.”

After collecting Old Man Taixuan and the Formation Hall members into the Eternal Realm, Jun Changxiao took the first step into the valley.

……

The Ninth Gate’s ruins existed within the valley.

It was a city of considerable scale. Because no one had set foot there for many years, it had long been covered by vines and moss.

“Strange.”

Walking along the bluestone path toward the city, Jun Changxiao said puzzledly, “Why are there no leaves on the ground?”

On both sides of this path were towering trees. The wind occasionally carried grass and tree leaves, but the ground was very clean, as if it had been swept.

“That’s right!”

Song Dehen wondered, “Too strange!”

“Excuse me.”

Just then, an aged voice came to their ears. A disheveled old man holding a broom stood behind them, seemingly intending to sweep the fallen leaves at their feet.

“Oh.”

Song Dehen acknowledged and hurriedly moved aside a little.

However, when he came to his senses, his expression changed dramatically. He jumped directly onto Jun Changxiao, legs clamped around his waist, screaming at the top of his lungs, “A ghost——”

“……”

Black lines rose on Hua Meigui’s forehead.

This guy was not only cowardly but also very timid.

Actually, Song Dehen had heard about the Ninth Gate ruins since childhood, and most were paranormal incidents, so coming in today, his mindset was definitely different from others.

“Boom!”

Jun Changxiao grabbed the guy’s shoulder and slammed him hard on the ground. Looking at the suddenly appearing old man, he said, “Who are you?”

“Waited tens of thousands of years.”

The disheveled old man slowly raised his head, revealing an extremely cold face. Then looking at Hua Meigui, his voice hoarse as he laughed eerily, “Finally waited for you.”

“Swish!”

Just then, Jun Changxiao took an arrow step forward, his hand clamping onto the other’s neck, executing a beautiful shoulder throw, then lifting his foot to kick crazily, saying, “I’ll teach you to play ghost tricks!”

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

“Ouch……”

“Don’t…… don’t hit…… I…… mean no harm……”

—