Chapter 153 Dragon Soul Questioning Heaven Hall

"As a gentleman, Miss Yuehen, you should make the first move," Baozi said with a smile.

Yuehen's expression remained indifferent. Without another word, she struck out with a single palm, resembling layers of surging waves and kicking up successive ripples of air pressure.

Zhang Xiaofan felt a slight pang of surprise; in just a short span of time, Yuehen's strength had improved considerably.

Baozi's initially casual expression suddenly tightened. Goodness gracious, this beauty's strength was no joke!

Following that, he also threw out a palm strike, shifting his feet as his clothes whipped about. But right as their palms were about to make contact, Yuehen's hand suddenly turned illusory. Before Baozi could realize something was wrong, that palm was already about to imprint itself onto his chest.

Baozi abruptly kicked off the ground with his right foot and hurled his body backward.

A look of disdain couldn't help but surface at the corner of Yuehen's mouth. Her speed suddenly accelerated in an instant, and under Baozi's astonished gaze, her palm struck squarely against his chest.

Baozi instantly felt a surge of roiling blood and qi as he staggered backward.

Damn it all, it was too humiliating—he actually couldn't beat her... Baozi's face flushed red.

"Baozi, not going so well?" Zhang Xiaofan smiled. Yuehen's strength was probably on the verge of entering the Qi-Opening Realm, which genuinely surprised him.

"Come again. Just now, I was being too careless," Baozi said, his face still red.

"Oh, give it a rest. You're indeed no match for her," Zhang Xiaofan remarked.

Feng Chonglong was also shocked. Even a woman by Zhang Xiaofan's side possessed such strength; it seemed his choice had been the right one.

"Indeed. If not for my recent breakthrough, you might have won," Yuehen said calmly.

"Baozi, maidens aren't so easily wooed, you know. You'd better focus and put some effort into your cultivation," Zhang Xiaofan said.

"How are things going?" Zhang Xiaofan asked immediately afterward.

"There are still seven streets left. We can finish all of them today," Baozi replied.

"Mm. After taking over, there will be even more work to do, so you must handle everything properly. There will definitely be other factions coming to cause trouble; deal with them as you see fit. If you run into anything you can't resolve, just give me a call. Hehe, look at you now, our Baozi has become a big boss in his own right."

Zhang Xiaofan asked, "What name are you planning to give yourself?"

"Brother Fan, what do you think of the Brotherhood?" Baozi pondered for a moment before answering.

"It's fine. But remember my words: breaking the law, committing heinous crimes, or anything of that sort is strictly off-limits," Zhang Xiaofan instructed.

"Don't worry, I know better than that," Baozi assured him.

"All right, go take care of your business. I'm leaving," Zhang Xiaofan said.

He then looked at Feng Chonglong and said, "Once I finish handling what's on my hands, I'll come look for you."

"Mm," Feng Chonglong nodded.

"Yuehen, let's go."

With that, Zhang Xiaofan led Yuehen into the Hummer.

On this very day, the East, South, West, and Central districts of the capital were shaken considerably. The head of every major family learned that the Northern District had changed hands.

They were completely unfamiliar with this newly emerged force, yet they knew that anyone capable of taking over the Northern District so quietly was certainly not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

"Little Yueyue, I just realized you've joined the Dragon Soul as well," Zhang Xiaofan said inside the Hummer as Yuehen tidied her long hair and he caught sight of the distinct Dragon Soul insignia.

"Yes, but I'm currently only a member of the Xuan Group," Yuehen nodded.

"Not bad at all. Keep working hard," Zhang Xiaofan encouraged.

"Brother Fan, where are we going now?" Yuehen asked.

"To buy some supplies. Brother Fan is getting ready for an expedition—would you like to come along?" Zhang Xiaofan said with a smile. Since the two pieces of Spirit-Suppressing Stone had been gathered, and his blood could break the barrier, he no longer needed to wait.

Furthermore, Su Xue had probably already used his vital essence to negotiate with the Dragon Soul. Now that he had obtained the half piece of the Spirit-Suppressing Stone belonging to the Feng family, the Dragon Soul would naturally be able to track him down very quickly with their capabilities.

Of course, if there were still no news, he had intended to head out on his own anyway.

It was just as well for Zhang Xiaofan to make some preparations now.

"Wherever Brother Fan goes, I go," Yuehen replied, already calling him Brother Fan quite naturally.

Zhang Xiaofan smiled, continued driving, and arrived at their destination before long.

"Boss, give me a few flashlights, a few bundles of ropes, a couple of compasses, and also two of those Bagua luopans."

This was a shop selling all sorts of miscellaneous goods. Such stores were already rare in the capital, and the items they sold were mostly tools commonly used for grave-robbing.

Ancient sect ruins were no less dangerous than ancient tombs, so some necessary preparations still had to be made.

Once the supplies were purchased, they filled the entire trunk. Fortunately, the Hummer had plenty of space; otherwise, it wouldn't have all fit.

Right as they got back into the car, Zhang Xiaofan's cell phone rang. Seeing that it was a call from Du Yuefeng, Zhang Xiaofan smiled and answered.

"Old Man Du, I knew you'd be calling me sooner or later."

"Cut the crap and come to the Dragon Soul headquarters. Bring the Spirit-Suppressing Stone," Du Yuefeng said, his tone quite serious.

"Alright, I'm on my way," Zhang Xiaofan nodded and hung up the phone.

He changed direction and headed straight toward the suburbs; the Dragon Soul headquarters was located precisely there.

After driving for a full hour, Zhang Xiaofan finally reached the outskirts. There was no help for it—traffic inside the capital was truly gridlocked.

The car exited the ring highway, navigated through several more roads, and finally came to a stop at a secret base. This was the Capital Military Region, and stationed here was the field army corps, within which the Dragon Soul headquarters was housed.

"Identification."

At the checkpoint, a guard in camouflage fatigues knocked on the Hummer's window.

Zhang Xiaofan opened the door and pressed his finger against the sensor pad nearby, which immediately flashed a passage-approved signal. The guard then saluted smartly, "Officer, please enter."

Just like that, through six consecutive checkpoints, Zhang Xiaofan finally reached the last one. As the guard pressed a button and a hidden mechanism activated, the Hummer slowly began to sink downward.

After descending a full hundred meters, it finally came to a stop. Driving the Hummer into a designated area, he walked over to the metallic doors ahead, aligned his eyes with the camera on the door, and after a retinal scan, the massive doors slowly slid open.

Having not returned in three years, he felt a wave of nostalgia. He wondered how many people here would still recognize him.

Zhang Xiaofan sighed inwardly, noticing many fresh faces that he did not know.

However, this newly entered level housed only the outermost members of the Dragon Soul, responsible for communications and other daily administrative tasks.

The technology here was also extremely advanced.

After walking down a long corridor where another set of metal doors opened, a completely different scene unfolded before his eyes. Following the underground mountain range were rows of ancient-style buildings.

Although underground, it was as bright as day, and there was even sunlight. Above this complex of buildings, one could see a faint, shimmering layer of energy fluctuations.

These fluctuations were precisely the spiritual energy barrier, jointly cast by the top-tier experts within the Dragon Soul Hall.

Linked together, the entire architectural complex resembled a dormant giant dragon.

Beneath Zhang Xiaofan's feet was a flight of stairs leading into the distance. Looking ahead, it stretched upward in a terraced fashion. Where his line of sight reached, enveloped in mist at the very end, loomed a massive and magnificent structure.

That was the place yearned for by every single member of the Dragon Soul... the Dragon Soul Hall!

Beneath the Dragon Soul Hall lay the Tian Group, followed in descending order by the Di Group, the Xuan Group, and the Huang Group.

Yuehen was stunned by the scene before her. Although she had already joined the Dragon Soul, this was her first time coming here.

At that exact moment, two figures materialized beside them seemingly out of nowhere. One figure was shrouded in thick white mist, making their features indistinguishable, yet the fierce aura emanating from them was palpable.

"Follow me," the white-robed figure uttered in a deep, resonant voice, then turned and walked away step by step, as if walking on air rather than along the steps beneath their feet.

"Keep up," Zhang Xiaofan told Yuehen. One could walk the stairs below, but they were fraught with lethal hidden mechanisms.

With that, he grabbed Yuehen's hand and followed step by step. After taking several dozen paces, the white figure's body vanished into thin air. Without hesitation, Zhang Xiaofan stepped forward, and instantly, both of their figures vanished from the spot.

Then, amidst ripples resembling water waves, an ancient building materialized before their eyes. They stood upon a platform, and a flight of stairs led directly up to the archaic structure.

Inquiring Heaven Hall...

Zhang Xiaofan was somewhat surprised. He had truly never seen this ancient building before. Then again, three years ago he was merely a Xuan Group member of the Dragon Soul, and he hadn't stayed here for long, spending most of his time participating in that major operation.

Come to think of it, very few Dragon Soul members actually lived here. Although there were the four groups—Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang—the vast majority of their members operated out in the world.

Only the top-tier experts of the Dragon Soul Hall lived here year-round.

Moreover, Dragon Soul members only gathered here for major assemblies.