Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

”Not a place of virtue?”

Upon hearing this, Ye Nan’s brows furrowed, and he repeated in confusion what Wang Sanman had just said.

The Soul Fire in Wang Sanman’s skeletal head blazed brightly. The flickering of the Soul Fire seemed as if he was continuously nodding in agreement.

A mysterious tone seeped from Wang Sanman’s words.

”You don’t know…”

”According to rumors…”

”There are ghosts in this place...”

Ye Nan and the other two exchanged glances.

Ghosts? Aren’t you a freaking ghost yourself?

The situation Ye Nan and his companions encountered was hardly unique.

After the Soul Bead completely shattered and the Dominator released an army of Demon Fiends, the entire Heavenly Palace had grown increasingly bizarre and perilous.

Countless dead souls awakened. Those of a benign nature might chat with a professionist they encountered, showing little to no hostility. However, who could tell if these dead souls were actually gathering information or harboring some unknown motives?

These revived souls had regained their sentience. They were no longer the walking corpses they once were. To put it bluntly, their intellect and experience far surpassed the average level of the Earth Human Race—this was an indisputable fact!

However, there was also a considerable number of malevolent dead souls!

For a time, battles were common: between Demon Fiends and dead souls, between dead souls and professionists, between professionists and Demon Fiends, and even among dead souls themselves.

「Third Layer of the Heavenly Palace.」

An eerie exchange was rapidly taking place in an equally eerie atmosphere.

Lan Bo swallowed hard as he stared at the skeleton before him, which had a peculiar appearance and attire.

As the commander of the military’s pioneer squad, Lan Bo’s combat prowess and intelligence were naturally above average, but the current situation…

Even Lan Bo was bewildered.

”Do you have any thoughts on the proposal I just made?” a calm voice emanated from the skeleton opposite him.

Hearing this, Lan Bo wore a complex expression, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

”Well…”

”I need to consult my superiors. I can’t make decisions on such important matters myself.”

After Lan Bo spoke, he saw the skeleton nod slightly. He took a deep breath, retrieved a communicator from his space ring, and dialed the number of Fran, the Chief Commanding Officer of the Heavenly Palace military forces.

The wait felt rather long; it seemed Fran also had a host of urgent matters to attend to. Fortunately, Lan Bo wasn’t in a rush, or rather, the skeleton facing him showed no signs of impatience.

After nearly three minutes, the call finally connected.

”Lan Bo? There’s been a change in the pioneer squad’s operation plan. Something has happened in the Heavenly Palace; most of the dead souls have regained their former consciousness. We’re shorthanded at the second-layer headquarters now. I need you to return as soon as possible.”

Hearing Fran’s message, Lan Bo couldn’t help but show an expression of exasperation.

He raised his head and casually scanned his surroundings.

Countless skeletons in uniform had surrounded the hundreds of pioneer squad members. Facing enemies numbering in the tens of thousands, the military’s pioneer squad, led by Lan Bo, seemed as helpless as a young woman about to be violated. Although the squad members were individually superior in strength, three bizarre, menacing giant machines in the distance prevented Lan Bo from making any rash moves.

”Sigh...”

Lan Bo heaved a long sigh.

”We’ve encountered a situation here. How should I put it… we can’t return for the time being. A large group of those dead souls you mentioned—the ones who’ve regained their former consciousness—has us surrounded.”

”Moreover, they asked me to relay a message to you. They wish to establish diplomatic relations with us...”

When Lan Bo uttered the words ”diplomatic relations,” Fran’s breathing on the other end of the communicator noticeably hitched.

”Oh, right,” Lan Bo added one last thing.

”They said they’re members of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. From their explanation, as I understand it, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is similar to our Earth’s military—an official organization of the Universe of Immortals and Heroes. And judging by the number of Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance members and their equipment around me, they seem quite powerful...”

They were far from weak. These Third-level beings were capable of surrounding Level 5 military elites, even with the assistance of war machines. Such strength was truly considerable.

Fran remained silent on the other end of the communicator for a long while.

”Hand your communicator over to them.”

「Fourth Level of the Heavenly Palace.」

Wen Yu was still idly spinning tales to Tang Haofei.

”Back when I was in M City…”

A torrent of rambling, fabricated stories poured from Wen Yu’s mouth. He spoke rapidly, yet his enunciation was clear.

Though they were pure fabrications, Tang Haofei listened with rapt attention.

”And then? What happened?”

”Then… let me think…”

BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ.

An urgent hum emanated from Tang Haofei’s waist.

”Hold on, I need to take this call.”

Seeing Tang Haofei pull the communicator from his waist, Wen Yu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Making up stories wasn’t Wen Yu’s strong suit—luckily, discerning the truth of stories wasn’t Tang Haofei’s forte either. Tang Haofei was just enjoying the excitement.

Ignoring Tang Haofei’s conversation—Wen Yu wasn’t the snooping type—he instantly connected his mind with the Almighty Demon Vine.

”How much further?”

”Not far. But what are you thinking? Bringing Sequence Number 1 up with you?”

Sigh, I just want an extra layer of insurance. You saw it too; with my current strength, to be honest, I lack the confidence to venture further up. But I absolutely must reach the Eleventh Floor of the Heavenly Palace. Bringing Tang Haofei means he can shield me at critical moments.

When Wen Yu had first entered the Heavenly Palace Treasure Land, his confidence had been sky-high—at that time, Wen Yu believed he could fight his way to at least the Seventh Level of the Heavenly Palace!

Unfortunately, encountering one Breakthrough Achiever after another from the Universe of Immortals and Heroes had made Wen Yu profoundly understand the true depth and power of that world. He realized that if he encountered a Breakthrough Achiever on the upper levels, his life could end instantly.

And if danger arose, the benefit of having Tang Haofei along would become immediately apparent. If Wen Yu couldn’t win, Tang Haofei could!

Even if Tang Haofei couldn’t win initially, he could surely win after dying a few times—the combination of Life and Death Battle Execution and the Challenger’s trials would result in a terrifying combat prowess that Wen Yu could vividly imagine!

However, the Almighty Demon Vine seemed to have a different opinion…

”You’re being too clever for your own good!”

”Hey... I’ve arranged an identity for you up there...”

”Once you get there, you won’t have to worry about your safety at all.”

Hearing this, Wen Yu was momentarily stunned.

”Identity? What identity? Isn’t my identity that of a native of the Universe of Immortals and Heroes?”