The attacker was no pushover; he was a sixth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. The might of the falling hammer was enough to destroy the entire mud house. Liang Zhuangmin and the woman within would most likely suffer as well.

Xiang Shaoyun bolted from the ground without hesitation and stopped the hammer with one hand. His other hand assumed a blade stance and chopped at the opponent.

Devil Severing Edge!

Xiang Shaoyun's attack was fast and violent, instantly aiming for his opponent's opening. The sixth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm expert had his chest split by the chop before being sent flying away. At this time, three other Dragon Ascension Realm cultivators arrived with their attacks.

These three were using ranged attacks, deciding to punish Xiang Shaoyun for what he had just done.

As for Xiang Shaoyun, he was forced to protect the mud house behind him. Thus, he unleashed a flurry of attacks in all directions, sending out numerous Devil Severing Edges and breaking through the incoming attacks. The three attackers were struck and killed on the spot.

With Xiang Shaoyun's combat prowess, which was at the level of a peak Emperor, these regular Emperors were not his match. The other Coiling Snake members no longer dared to act rashly.

"I haven't gone looking for you, yet you're here for me? How audacious!" Xiang Shaoyun roared.

"You're the audacious one! Do you know that the Coiling Snake has businesses spread throughout the Holy Hall? You dare kill our men? We won't spare you!" shouted the leader. "If you are willing to surrender, you will suffer less."

"What can trash like you do to me? You're too naive," Xiang Shaoyun sneered as he strode toward them, preparing to kill all of them.

"You really think you can defeat us? Time for you to taste the suffering of 10,000 snake bites!" said the leader coldly. He took out a short flute and blew it.

Wuuu—

The instant he blew the flute, numerous pythons emerged from all directions and surrounded Xiang Shaoyun.

Xiang Shaoyun did not know where these pythons came from, but there were a lot of them. Furthermore, none of them were below the Demon King realm, and there were even a few Demon Emperors among them. It would be hard for him to stop all of them at once.

He took out the Overlord Skyslaying Saber, and as his killing intent leaked out, he slashed at the pythons. Python blood sprayed everywhere as the pythons died one after another.

"You think you can defeat me with just some snakes? Naive!" Xiang Shaoyun roared as he charged the Coiling Snake members.

These pythons couldn't pose a threat to him. The Coiling Snake members did not flee. Rather, they separated into different positions to form a formation before attacking as well.

Coiling Snake's Sword Formation!

The five unleashed attacks of different intensities, creating numerous energy snakes that surrounded Xiang Shaoyun. The attacks worked together, combining to unleash a might comparable to a peak Emperor's attack.

"If you can break even the Coiling Snake's Sword Formation, I'll consider myself unlucky," said the leader of the group.

Xiang Shaoyun had not expected that the python swarm was merely for the sake of delaying him so they could prepare their formation.

"You think a mere sword formation can stop me?" Xiang Shaoyun sneered and finally started to turn serious.

Lightning Slash From the Clear Sky!

With his saber raised, he unleashed the Nine Overlord Skyslaying Saber Technique's first stance. Numerous lightning bolts rained down alongside numerous saber energies, unleashing an incredibly destructive attack.

Rumble! Rumble!

By the time the explosions ended, the Coiling Snake members were already completely battered. Two were killed, while three were badly injured. They finally lost their courage and fled without hesitation.

They were even fleeing in different directions, afraid that Xiang Shaoyun would get all of them together. Alas, they weren't even able to leave far before they found themselves trapped inside the Nether Soul Domain.

Using the Domain, Xiang Shaoyun killed two of them, sparing one. He then used the Nether Dragon Soul Curse to put that final survivor under his control. He was a captain in the Coiling Snake, his name Yang Dongling. He was a seventh-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator.

From him, Xiang Shaoyun learned more about the Coiling Snake. It turned out the Coiling Snake was one of the 18 subsidiary organizations under the Holy Hall. They were rather influential in the Holy Earth Hall and were under the Holy Hall's direct command.

The Coiling Snake was a sinister organization specialized in slave trafficking and smuggling numerous items of dubious origins. They were spread throughout the Holy Earth Hall and had more than 20,000 members.

This city was the Holy City of the Holy Earth Hall, containing numerous organizations. The strongest organization here was the Holy Hall, something equivalent to the imperial palace of an imperial dynasty. The Holy Hall had an unimaginable might in the Holy Earth Hall. There was also a saying depicting their power: The Holy Hall commands, the world dares not disobey.

Xiang Shaoyun was also able to learn some general information about the Holy Earth Hall. This was indeed a lost civilization of the desert. The Holy Hall's first-generation master had used a heaven-defying method to transform this place into an independent space capable of supporting life. There were five regions here, each region as large as three legions of the outside world. All of them were under the Holy Hall's administration.

As this place was buried deeply under the desert, it was isolated from the world. Due to its location, it was named the Holy Earth Hall. Although the Holy Earth Hall was isolated, many organizations had access to this place.

To enter, one needed to possess a Holy Hall Token. Otherwise, one would have no way of entering. As for how Liang Zhuangmin had become a slave, it was a long story.

Based on Yang Dongling's explanation, the Coiling Snake also had some relationships with the organizations of the outside world. Each year, those organizations would supply them with slaves and items of dubious origins to be fenced in the Holy Earth Hall. In this manner, Liang Zhuangmin and the other slaves were sent here.

As for the organization responsible, it was actually the Rat Assassins, an organization Xiang Shaoyun was familiar with. When he heard the name, a thick killing intent rose within him. "Enemies truly meet on a narrow road. Just wait until I leave this place. I will make them pay!"

The Rat Assassins had moved against him many times, and Huo Xudong was one of their potential successors. Xiang Shaoyun himself had nearly fallen under their hands, and with the additional grudge of what they had done to Liang Zhuangmin, he would definitely settle the score with them.

At this time, the Holy Hall's people arrived.