Chapter 1093: Revenge Begins

The Black Soul Divine Sect.

Lei Kuangfeng rushed back to the sect with his disciple's body, still shaken. As a Vice Hall Master of the Soul Sect, he was a prominent figure in the Blackya Realm, yet he had never encountered anything so bizarre and terrifying.

Just as he was about to head directly to the Main Hall, he saw someone approaching and immediately quickened his pace.

The man was short and stout, but his eyes were fierce like a vulture's. His face was expressionless, yet he exuded a chilling pressure. As he moved, a terrifying aura, characteristic of a Spirit God realm expert, followed him like a shadow. Wherever he passed, the sect's guard disciples immediately knelt on one knee.

Lei Tiangang, the Chief Hall Master of the sixty-four halls of the Black Soul Divine Sect and Sect Master Lei Qianfeng's cousin, held a status equal to that of the elders. His profound cultivation had reached the mid-Spirit God realm, making him an exceptionally formidable figure in the Blackya Realm, feared by all, both within and outside the sect.

"Chief Hall Master!" Lei Kuangfeng quickly rushed to Lei Tiangang.

Seeing the body in Lei Kuangfeng's hand, Lei Tiangang frowned deeply: "What happened?"

"Chief Hall Master, I was overseeing the disciple selection assessment on Black Soul Mountain today on behalf of the Hall Master, but... a hundred disciples, all perished on Black Soul Mountain." Lei Kuangfeng said, repeatedly wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

"What!?" Lei Tiangang roared in anger: "Someone dared to ambush my Soul Sect disciples? Who did this?"

"I don't know," Lei Kuangfeng replied. "When I found them, they were all dead. Only an hour had passed, and I wasn't far, yet I noticed nothing."

"What did you say?" Lei Tiangang frowned deeply, clearly not believing Lei Kuangfeng's words.

Lei Kuangfeng lowered the body in his hands: "Not only that, the way these disciples died is extremely strange. Some were decapitated with no signs of struggle, while many others... became these living dead."

Lei Tiangang knelt down, placed his hand on the 'body's' chest, then his brow furrowed. He then grasped its skull. After a long moment, he slowly stood up, his face grim and uncertain.

"Chief Hall Master, how did he die?" Lei Kuangfeng asked.

Lei Tiangang's eyes were clouded as he said in a deep voice: "How far were the bodies of these disciples from you?"

"No more than fifty li at the furthest," Lei Kuangfeng replied. The fact that the disciples had only traveled that distance meant they had likely all died within fifteen minutes of the assessment starting.

"Hmph, if what you say is true, for a hundred disciples to die silently within such a short distance, without you noticing anything... even I might not be able to do that!"

Lei Kuangfeng's heart jolted: "I would never dare to deceive the Chief Hall Master!"

"I suppose not!" Lei Tiangang's face remained dark and grim. "This method of death is even stranger. There are no internal or external injuries on the body, and even life still remains, as if their souls were searched to death... And this disciple was already in the Soul Spirit realm, with a soul source as solid as bedrock. Unless he didn't resist, even the Sect Master wouldn't be able to search his soul!"

Lei Kuangfeng's scalp tingled: "Could it really be a ghost or a god?"

"What ghost or god!" Lei Tiangang snapped, then suddenly asked: "Did the perpetrator truly leave no trace?"

Lei Kuangfeng quickly pulled out a Profound Shadow Disc and projected the image he had previously captured: "This sentence must have been left by him."

"One hundred thousand Black Soul lives, blood sacrifice for the Wood Spirit soul."

"Ling Yun!?" Lei Tiangang's expression drastically changed. He suddenly looked up and roared: "Immediately notify all halls! Each hall must bring at least five thousand disciples and depart at once to search the mountain! If you encounter any living person, seize them immediately! You can heavily injure or cripple them, but they must be alive!!"

Lei Kuangfeng was startled. Even though so many Soul Sect disciples had been ambushed, the scale of this search was truly excessive: "Chief Hall Master, who exactly is this Ling Yun...?"

"No need to ask!" Lei Tiangang said in a deep voice: "Do you know why the Sect Master suddenly departed overnight for Blackya City himself? I didn't expect him to deliver himself to our doorstep... One hundred thousand Black Soul lives? Heh, what an audacious declaration – What are you standing there for? Go quickly! Remember, he must be alive!"

"Yes, sir!" Lei Kuangfeng acknowledged the order and departed.

Lei Tiangang picked up a communication jade and transmitted: "Sect Master, there's no need to go to Blackya City anymore. Ling Yun has delivered himself to our doorstep!"

The Black Soul Divine Sect immediately erupted in activity, with hundreds of thousands of Soul Sect disciples streaming out in formation, heading straight for the Black Soul Mountain Range. Deploying nearly ten percent of the main sect's disciples for a search was unprecedented, and it happened without any warning.

The Black Soul Mountain Range was already home to numerous dangerous profound beasts, and very few profound practitioners even dared to enter, let alone venture deep. The eastern region of the mountain range belonged to the Soul Sect; unless one was tired of living, profound practitioners in the Blackya Realm, even with ten times their courage, would never dare to approach.

Thus, the large-scale search continued until dusk, but aside from disturbing countless profound beasts, not a single person was found.

As night fell, a thick layer of grey mist gradually enveloped the entire Black Soul Mountain Range.

The search teams, having found nothing, returned to the sect one after another and reported their findings to Lei Tiangang.

"Chief Hall Master, we searched all day. Not only did we find no one, we didn't even find any trace of an outsider." The speaker glanced at Lei Kuangfeng: "Lei Kuangfeng, are you sure what you said is true?"

"How dare I joke about such a thing!" Lei Kuangfeng angrily retorted: "Chief Hall Master, he must have ambushed them and then immediately fled. However, as long as he doesn't leave the Blackya Realm, he will definitely not escape our grasp."

"It seems he has indeed fled. I was foolish to think he would truly take a hundred thousand lives from my Soul Sect. The Sect Master should be returning soon; we'll discuss this matter upon his return." Lei Tiangang glanced at the hall masters and suddenly asked: "Why is one missing? Where is the Eleventh Hall?"

"Chief Hall Master!" No sooner had Lei Tiangang spoken than an urgent voice came from outside. Immediately after, a middle-aged man rushed in, none other than Lei Chuo, one of the Eleventh Hall's Vice Hall Masters.

His appearance made everyone frown deeply. Lei Tiangang said in a grave voice: "What happened?"

"Chief Hall Master, when I led the disciples back to the sect and took attendance, I found that one hundred and sixty people were missing. I immediately ordered men to return to Black Soul Mountain... Just now, I received word that over seventy bodies have been found, and their deaths are identical to what Lei Kuangfeng described earlier! The other missing disciples have likely also met a grim end."

"What... what!?" The atmosphere in the hall suddenly changed. All the hall masters' faces showed shock... and a hint of terror.

Hundreds of thousands of disciples, led by nearly two hundred Vice Hall Masters and even Hall Masters, had found no trace... yet over a hundred disciples had died silently. And judging by Lei Chuo's reaction, he had clearly not noticed anything beforehand.

A chilling coldness ran through everyone's bodies.

"What's going on!"

Before he even entered, an imposing voice, carrying a thunderous pressure, settled upon everyone's minds. At the hall entrance, a middle-aged man in black robes slowly approached. On his chest was the emblem of a black serpent wreathed in lightning, its fangs bared. Behind him followed four other individuals, also dressed in black.

His arrival caused the air in the entire hall to instantly solidify, becoming as heavy and oppressive as clouds covering the sky.

The Grand Sect Master of the Black Soul Divine Sect, the Great Realm King of the Blackya Realm, and the sole terrifying figure at the pinnacle of the Blackya Realm's profound cultivation, the only one in the Divine King realm.

Lei Qianfeng!

"Sect Master!" His arrival made everyone hastily bow, their heads lowered deeply, no one daring to lift their gaze.

"Rise... Tiangang, what exactly happened?" Lei Qianfeng glanced at everyone and asked indifferently.

Lei Tiangang rose and quickly recounted the day's events.

"Ling... Yun." Lei Qianfeng's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked up: "How strange. My Soul Sect hasn't even settled scores with him yet, and he dares to provoke us, even claiming he'll take one hundred thousand lives from my Soul Sect... all because of a Wood Spirit? Heh, it seems this kid is probably a lunatic."

"Sect Master, this Ling Yun seems far from as simple as we imagined. The way these disciples died reminds me of the 'Demonic Cultivators' mentioned in records from the Northern Divine Realm. It's rumored that those demonic cultivators hide in the shadows, silently seizing souls. Of course, people there never leave the Northern Divine Realm, and it's impossible for Ling Yun to be from there, but... it's quite similar." Lei Tiangang said.

"Once we catch him, we'll naturally know what methods he used," Lei Qianfeng said sternly. "Ling Yun is clearly hiding in Black Soul Mountain. Tomorrow, all sixty-four halls will mobilize and scour Black Soul Mountain. Dig three feet deep if you must, but find him for me!"

"Sect Master, who exactly is this Ling Yun...?" A Hall Master finally couldn't help but ask.

"You don't need to know too much about this," Lei Qianfeng said in a low voice. "Just know that he possesses something the Divine Martial Realm wants!"

The three words "Divine Martial Realm" made the faces of all the Hall Masters change dramatically.

"And this item, he stole it from us," Lei Qianfeng took a deep breath, his eyes glinting fiercely. "The Divine Martial Realm only gave us one month! If we can't retrieve 'that thing' within a month, I fear we'll all be in deep trouble!"

"Remember... capture him alive!"

Overnight, the name Ling Yun became known throughout the entire sect.

After the first large-scale search, the next day saw an even larger search operation than the first. Furthermore, all those deployed were from the sixty-four halls... In the Black Soul Divine Sect, the sixty-four halls represented the highest echelon.

Such a massive mobilization, just to find one person, made everyone think it would merely be an exaggerated game of cat and mouse. They never imagined it would be the beginning of a terrifying nightmare.

Just like the first day, they searched all day but didn't even catch a glimpse of anyone. However, as they ventured deeper into the search, they gradually found one body after another... all Soul Sect disciples. No one had seen or knew how they died, and there had been no unusual aura or sound before they were found... as if their souls had suddenly vanished.

After a full day, they had gained nothing, bringing back only two hundred soulless living dead.

The third day was no different.

On the fourth day, Lei Tiangang led the various Hall Masters personally to Black Soul Mountain. They remained high in the sky, their spiritual senses pushed to the extreme by profound energy. Several hours later, he received a communication that nearly made him vomit blood:"Chief Hall Master! All disciples guarding the back mountain secret realm are dead! Their deaths are identical to those on Black Soul Mountain... It's very likely Ling Yun!"

"What? The back mountain secret realm!!" Lei Tiangang roared: "Let's go! Ling Yun isn't here!"

They drew a blank in Black Soul Mountain, then scoured the back mountain area thoroughly, still finding nothing. Yet, chilling news kept pouring in repeatedly."Chief Hall Master, two hundred disciples returning from a mission in the Purple Bamboo Domain were ambushed en route; none survived!""Sect Master! The group you secretly dispatched to Blackya City half an hour ago... they're all dead. Their bodies are less than three hundred li from the sect.""Chief Hall Master, the second and seventh sons of the Seventeenth Hall Master, along with their guard disciples, died in the Black Soul River... it must have been about half an hour ago.""The disciples sent to transport Purple Thunder Stones three hours ago still haven't returned, and there's no news. They've likely already..."

Chilling news arrived one after another; every day brought reports of Soul Sect disciples dying or even disappearing. It happened at different times and in different areas, but always near the Soul Sect, and those who died or disappeared were always Soul Sect disciples.

From a few to hundreds at a time!

In just half a month, thousands of Soul Sect disciples had perished.

If it were merely simple deaths, the Soul Sect would not have fallen into panic. But over those two weeks, as the death toll steadily climbed, the entire Soul Sect spared no expense, frantically searching for Ling Yun's traces, as if wishing all eight million disciples of the main sect could be deployed.

The news of Soul Sect disciples dying never ceased for a single day, meaning "Ling Yun" had never left the vicinity of the Soul Sect. Yet, the immensely powerful Soul Sect, which overshadowed the entire Blackya Realm, could not even glimpse "Ling Yun's" shadow on its own territory, despite frantic searches.

Furthermore, from the Sect Master and Chief Hall Master down to the lowest-ranking disciples, no one knew what he looked like.

The only thing known was the name "Ling Yun."

And this invisible, intangible fear was more terrifying than any dreaded demon god. As days passed, this fear accumulated, reaching a point where almost no disciple dared to leave the sect casually. Those who were ordered to depart the sect walked every step in trepidation... their entire backs felt cold, as if the eyes of death were silently watching them.

Half a month later, the Soul Sect finally issued its most humiliating decree in history: All Soul Sect members below the Divine Tribulation realm were forbidden from leaving the sect without permission!