The moment Nie Kong finished speaking, the Soul Eagle King felt an abrupt presence deep within its soul—a sprig of purple grass, bearing four small leaves and a tightly closed bud.

This bizarre sight caused the Soul Eagle King's voice to tremble: "This... this..."

Seeing this, Nie Kong chuckled faintly.

This technique was called "Heart Shadow," a manifestation of mental projection utilized by the Half-Spirit Clan. By separating and condensing one's mental image into a small phantom and implanting it within another, one could achieve control over that person's body. Nie Kong, however, had gone a step further, planting the Heart Shadow directly into the Soul Eagle King's very soul. The King's soul had already been infused with a considerable amount of Spiritual Treasure Essence by Nie Kong, making this feat extremely easy to accomplish.

However, this technique could only last for a maximum of two days—forty-eight hours. After it failed once, Nie Kong would need at least a half-month buffer period before attempting to manipulate the creature again. Furthermore, each condensation of a Heart Shadow chipped away a portion of the power from Nie Kong's mental projection related to the Amethyst Illusory Spirit Incense.

Nie Kong would not resort to using it unless absolutely necessary.

The Soul Eagle King actually knew Nie Kong wouldn't release its soul so easily, yet it felt utterly secure. Fifty years ago, its power had already ascended to the Ninth Grade.

Once its soul returned to its physical body, although a long period of recuperation would be required to regain its former strength, its flesh was incredibly tough, rendering it completely unafraid of Nie Kong's schemes. Moreover, before stepping back, it hadn't detected anything abnormal within its soul.

Thus, it stubbornly believed that Nie Kong must have tampered with its physical body the moment its soul returned, aiming to maintain control. Naturally, it remained fearless, unaware that Nie Kong had ignored the body entirely, choosing instead to seize silent control of the soul itself.

"Soul, how does it feel?" Nie Kong asked with a smile.

"Terrible! Absolutely terrible! Big Brother, don't act! I was just joking with you earlier. Truly, you've been so good to me—healing my soul and helping me find my body. I am overwhelmed with gratitude; how could I ever betray you!" Feeling the throbbing pain in its soul subside, the Soul Eagle King nodded incessantly, its blood-red eyes showing a profound, almost human-like subservience and desire to please.

"If that's the case, then you handle the situation here," Nie Kong waved his hand dismissively.

"It is my duty, Big Brother," the Soul Eagle King responded eagerly.

"..."

The scene on the circular altar underwent such a dramatic reversal that Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling were first momentarily stunned, then realization dawned swiftly.

This made sense!

Since Nie Kong dared to return the spirit beast's soul to its body just as the other beasts were about to arrive, he must have been supremely confident. Yet, seeing the giant eagle now—trembling and utterly servile—it was genuinely difficult to associate it with the arrogant and utterly dominant spirit beast from moments before.

In an instant, Mu Hongling became curious about Nie Kong's method of controlling spirit beasts.

"Caw—!" At that moment, the Soul Eagle King turned outward and let loose a piercing shriek, the sword-shaped mark on its head erupting in an even brighter crimson glow.

Around the circular altar, hundreds of figures had gathered; perhaps every spirit beast belonging to the "Dark Soul Hall" had arrived. They remained circling, but their eyes kept darting toward the direction of the Nether Fire Ghost Spring, punctuated by anxious roars that hinted at mounting impatience.

"Roar! Roar..."

Upon hearing the Soul Eagle King's cry, almost all the spirit beasts roared in response, their sounds laced with intense resentment. Their restlessness grew severe, so much so that Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling could clearly perceive the frantic emotions in their collective noise.

Nie Kong's expression turned cold: "What is going on?"

"Big Brother, things are taking a bad turn." The Soul Eagle King sounded somewhat enraged. "I just commanded them not to approach the Nether Fire Ghost Spring, but they don't seem very obedient! These damned wretches dare to ignore the command of the Guardian Beast! If it were before..." As it spoke, a vicious glint flashed in the Soul Eagle King's eyes.

Nie Kong said gravely, "Why is this happening? Weren't they listening to you just fine earlier?"

The Soul Eagle King sighed helplessly. "Big Brother, the constraints we, the Guardian Beasts, impose upon them have weakened generation by generation. If I still possessed my Ninth Grade strength, they would certainly obey, but now, my strength is at best at the peak of the Fifth Grade, perhaps even weaker than some of the beasts here. If my command aligns with their desires, they will naturally respect me. But commanding them to leave the Nether Fire Ghost Spring alone directly contradicts their will; how could they willingly submit?"

As it finished speaking, it glanced nervously at Nie Kong, seemingly afraid of being blamed. The reason those spirit beasts had obeyed earlier was that surrounding Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling to absorb their soul energy was an incredibly enticing prospect for them. However, the Soul Eagle King dared not voice this truth.

Nie Kong snorted, narrowing his eyes to examine the Soul Eagle King.

Feeling uneasy under Nie Kong's gaze, the Soul Eagle King quickly hastened to reassure him. "Big Brother, please don't worry! Although they are a bit disobedient now, I am still the Guardian Beast. As long as I am here, they absolutely dare not attack you." "Caw—!" the King exclaimed loudly, trying desperately to sound commanding toward the end.

"Caw," "Caw!" "..."

However, the harder the Soul Eagle King cried out, the more agitated the spirit beasts below became.

"Roar!"

One spirit beast could no longer contain itself. It bypassed the circular altar and charged toward the barrier behind them.

The Soul Eagle King shrieked in furious despair, suddenly spreading its massive wings. Its colossal body swooped over the offending beast, its sharp beak aimed at the creature’s head. Unfortunately, due to the long disuse of this body, the Soul Eagle King's attack speed had significantly decreased, allowing the beast to dodge the strike.

The Soul Eagle King grew more frantic. It beat its wings, unleashing a torrent of fierce energy that sent the targeted beast flying backward. Then, its claws clamped down, instantly tearing the creature apart. Still feeling unappeased, the Soul Eagle King pecked down again, causing the beast's head to explode violently.

"Roar! Roar!"

This brutal spectacle failed to frighten the other spirit beasts into submission; instead, it made them realize the Guardian Beast's bluff. Two spirit beasts, their bodies massive as small mountains, roared together and, bypassing the Soul Eagle King in front, flashed like lightning into the rippling barrier.

Led by those two, the rest of the agitated spirit beasts erupted in excitement, surging past the circular altar one by one...

"Caw..."

The Soul Eagle King shrieked in furious exasperation, yet it could not halt the beasts' advance in the slightest. In mere seconds, the hall became utterly empty. Aside from Nie Kong’s trio and the Soul Eagle King, not a single other figure remained—all had rushed into the rear hall.

Watching the Soul Eagle King fly back onto the high platform, utterly dejected, Nie Kong wasn't sure whether to strike it or scold it. Its strength was already reduced to the peak of the Fifth Grade; what was the point of trying a "kill the chicken to scare the monkeys" routine? If it had killed the first offending beast cleanly and decisively, it might have deterred the rest for some time. But the Soul Eagle King’s first strike failed, eliminating even the meager shred of obedience the others held for it.

"Big Brother, I..." The Soul Eagle King whimpered, looking as if its parents had died.

"Enough!" Nie Kong waved his hand, cutting off its lament. He turned to Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling. "Let's go! Little Sister Bai, Little Master, let's go see. It would be a terrible shame if those beasts swallowed the Nether Fire Ghost Spring!" As he spoke, Nie Kong began drifting down from the altar.

...

When the three people and one beast returned to the exterior of the hall via the same path, they encountered a truly bizarre scene: spirit beasts were continuously charging onto the octagonal platform, pouncing upon the still wildly leaping Nether Fire Ghost Spring.

But the moment their claws touched the column of light, they were flung backward, crashing down onto the floor beneath the platform.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "..."

Corpse after massive corpse slammed into the ground with resounding crashes. All the fallen beasts immediately scrambled up, then charged back onto the platform, rejoining the endeavor to strike the Nether Fire Ghost Spring. Indeed, as the Soul Eagle King had stated, the Nether Fire Ghost Spring exerted an intense allure on these spirit beasts.

"Hiss!"

A beast that had been coiled silently at the edge of the platform suddenly lifted its head and roared fiercely. Hearing its cry, the attacks of the surrounding beasts faltered momentarily, clearly showing apprehension toward the colossal creature. All eyes turned toward it.

Instantly, a rare silence descended upon the wide hall.

"Whoosh!"

The giant beast moved like a sudden gust of wind, instantly arriving beside the blood-red column of light. It opened its massive, blood-soaked jaws and lunged to swallow the spring water leaping within. Its long, four-foot fangs sank nearly a foot into the light column, but just as it was about to touch the water inside, it was violently repelled by the light column and thrown down to the platform floor.

"Roar..."

Seeing its identical outcome, the other spirit beasts resumed their assault.

This one appears to be only a Seventh Grade spirit beast!

Nie Kong’s heart skipped a beat as his gaze settled on that beast.

The instant he, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling appeared within the hall (uploaded by the Shushu Library hands), the closest spirit beasts bared their teeth and snarled at them, preparing to attack. However, upon catching sight of the sword-shaped mark on the Soul Eagle King’s head, they retracted their hostility and refrained from rash action.

Still, if Nie Kong's trio dared to ascend the platform, the situation would likely change.

Fortunately, these creatures couldn't yet harm the Nether Fire Ghost Spring, so Nie Kong wasn't in a hurry. He exchanged a look with Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling, and the three of them quietly slipped into a corner of the hall. The Soul Eagle King, acting like a well-behaved child, stationed itself in front of them. This position ensured they wouldn't be caught off guard by a sneak attack from the spirit beasts while the King was distracted, and also allowed them to keep all figures entering the hall within sight...