Amidst the sheer mountain ridges, a vast and exquisite palace complex was nestled, yet beyond its boundaries lay several li of blood-red mist.

"Hoo!" "Hoo!"

Suddenly, the mist stirred with a faint ripple, and two handsome young men breached it.

"Dark Soul Hall?" One of the black-clad men let out a soft breath after glancing at the inscription on the main gate's plaque. "This place is truly hidden. If it weren't for that guiding pillar of light, I doubt anyone would venture into this red fog. Even if they got in, they'd lose their way within a few meters."

"Indeed."

The man in blue robes beside him gazed at the blood-red pillar of light shooting straight into the heavens behind the hall. His eyes burned with intense desire. "Senior Brother, let's hurry inside. Based on the situation, it seems we're the first to arrive. This time, the Yuhuo Youquan must belong only to us, the Spirit God Hall; it absolutely cannot fall into others' hands."

"..."

As they spoke, the figures of the two vanished swiftly into the hall's entrance.

Less than fifteen minutes after they entered, several more figures emerged from the mist, arriving outside the "Dark Soul Hall." Hearing the loud roars echoing from within the structure behind them, these newcomers were significantly more cautious than the two disciples from the Spirit God Hall. After cautiously consulting outside the hall for a moment, they slipped inside stealthily...

...

In the rear hall of the Dark Soul Hall, under the ceaseless assault of over a hundred spiritual beasts, the pillar of light actually appeared somewhat unstable. This fueled the beasts' frenzy even more; they barely spared a glance even when they sensed two figures sneaking into the hall's interior.

To the spiritual beasts, even the most delectable human soul power could not compare to the Yuhuo Youquan that was almost within reach.

The first to enter were those two disciples from the Spirit God Hall. Upon seeing the scene inside the hall, their expressions turned grave, their eyes flickering with astonishment and uncertainty.

"Senior Brother, isn't the Yuhuo Youquan supposed to be static? Why is it in that pool?"

"It is indeed strange, but this must be the Yuhuo Youquan; otherwise, it wouldn't evoke such a wondrous feeling. Perhaps the flowing Yuhuo Youquan outside originates from here."

"That makes sense. I didn't expect so many spiritual beasts inside, some even of the sixth or seventh grade. To snatch the Yuhuo Youquan from under their noses... it's utterly impossible..." "Senior Brother!"

"Be careful. There’s a spiritual beast hiding in that corner. Let’s not get too close to it."

"Mmm. Get the item ready. If those sixth and seventh-grade spiritual beasts attack us, leave immediately."

"..."

The two whispered near the doorway, unaware that their entire conversation had been overheard by Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling, who were hidden behind the wings of the Soulhawk King. At this moment, the Soulhawk King was crouched low like a dog, its wings spread wide, completely shielding the three behind it.

Not long after, several more figures appeared.

They did not enter the hall proper but peered cautiously from the doorway, their faces clearly grim, obviously startled. The two Spirit God Hall disciples only glanced over and paid them no mind; in this situation, driving others away would have been futile anyway.

Time slowly passed...

More and more figures appeared inside and outside the hall. The pillar of light rushing out of the circular pool looked shaky, yet no matter how the hundred-plus spiritual beasts attacked, it never truly dispersed. Instead, the beasts launching the tidal offensive grew increasingly exhausted, while the spring water seemed to grow more invigorating.

Finally, some of the weaker spiritual beasts sensed their strength flagging and prepared to rest.

However, they soon realized they couldn't stop their movements; it was as if a mysterious force within the pool of Yuhuo Youquan was relentlessly compelling them to continue their assault.

"Roar! Roar! Roar..." The first few beasts to notice this anomaly roared out in terror.

Their panic spread with their cries, quickly infecting every spiritual beast in the hall, leading to a chorus of fearful roars, even from the formidable sixth and seventh-grade beasts. This bizarre phenomenon left the Spirit Masters gathered near the doorway bewildered and confused.

...

"Those spiritual beasts are actually afraid?"

"Yes, I feel it too! How strange. If they fear the Yuhuo Youquan so much, why don't they stop attacking?"

"It's not that they don't want to; it seems they can't stop."

"The better for us if they wear themselves out. Then the Yuhuo Youquan will be ours."

"..."

The crowd muttered amongst themselves, discussing animatedly.

In less than a day, over a hundred Spirit Masters had gathered here. When they first arrived and saw the presence of sixth and seventh-grade spiritual beasts in the hall, some turned and fled immediately. Of course, many more noticed the beasts weren't attacking humans and chose to remain outside, eventually moving from the doorway to inside the hall.

By now, everyone felt much more assured, especially seeing the beasts throw themselves at the Yuhuo Youquan like moths to a flame, eliciting pleased expressions.

"Heh heh," hearing these sounds, the Spirit God Hall disciple in black suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Don't celebrate too soon. There’s still one spiritual beast motionless in that corner! Perhaps it’s the leader of all these beasts, the one commanding them to attack relentlessly, preparing to break open that pillar of light to devour the spring water inside!"

"..."

Hearing this, everyone’s hearts clenched, and their eyes involuntarily darted toward the corner.

Throughout this entire time, the spiritual beast crouched on the ground with spread wings had made no move, not even blinking, appearing as inert as an object, causing everyone to subconsciously forget its presence.

Now, with the Spirit Master's sobering comment, the crowd was suddenly alarmed.

"It's just one spiritual beast! Once all these others are exhausted to death, we can swarm it. I doubt it can hold out then!"

"That thing hasn't moved. Is it a statue?"

"..."

The crowd whispered quietly, yet no one dared to approach and provoke it.

Behind the Soulhawk King, Nie Kong sat quietly on the ground. Initially, he would steal glances toward the entrance. Now, he had delegated this task to Qing Yue. Qing Yue, a thousand-year medicinal spirit, could accurately distinguish if newcomers were members of the Flower Spirit Clan, far more reliably than Nie Kong’s own eyes. Moreover, although many Spirit Masters had entered the hall, there were still others outside whom Nie Kong couldn't see.

Qing Yue hadn't detected anything yet.

Nie Kong was anxious but hadn't completely given up hope. After all, this illusionary space was vast; if someone was too far away, it could take at least two, perhaps even three days for them to arrive, and only half a day had passed; the Spirit Masters who had arrived likely represented only one or two tenths of the total.

Therefore, Nie Kong continued to focus his attention on the Yuhuo Youquan, hoping it could withstand the attacks of the hundred-plus spiritual beasts for as long as possible. As long as the light pillar existed, it would allow the outside Spirit Masters to easily locate the Dark Soul Hall. Nie Kong had also noticed the strange behavior of the beasts once everyone observed it.

"Big Brother, this is truly bizarre!"

The Soulhawk King’s voice was so low that only Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling could hear it, barely a whisper. "Those beasts are attacking the Yuhuo Youquan, yet the Yuhuo Youquan is absorbing their soul power while they attack. By now, none of those beasts can escape. Strange, very strange. In my memory, the Yuhuo Youquan did possess a fatal allure for those beasts, but not truly fatal!"

The Soulhawk King was utterly baffled. After a pause, it added, "It seems only death will make these spiritual beasts cease their attacks."

And indeed, as the Soulhawk King had predicted...

"Thud!"

After some more time, a spiritual beast was swept by the pillar of light down beneath the octagonal platform. It struggled briefly before collapsing heavily. Sensing its life force rapidly draining away, the surrounding beasts roared with even greater terror, yet their attacks showed no sign of ceasing.

"It died! A spiritual beast died!"

"It truly exhausted itself to death!"

"..."

At the hall entrance, many Spirit Masters exclaimed in low voices, their eyes showing both joy and apprehension. They were joyful because, with enough time, all the beasts attacking the Yuhuo Youquan would surely perish from exhaustion. They were apprehensive because of the giant eagle in the corner; they had no idea what level of power it possessed.

With so many Spirit Masters present, no one could see through the giant eagle's rank, which naturally put everyone ill at ease.

If the giant eagle was only a sixth-grade beast, they might have a chance to fight it by pooling their strength. After all, several ninth-grade Spirit Masters who had reached the Spirit Controlling First Grade after entering this space were present.

But if that eagle possessed seventh-grade power, like some of the beasts attacking the Yuhuo Youquan, then it would be best to leave immediately to avoid being wiped out if it went berserk.

As everyone was pondering their next move, Nie Kong's spiritual sense suddenly detected something peculiar.

The instant that spiritual beast crashed to the ground, a small, blood-red flame floated up from its head, rising slowly in the air. Because the color of this flame was extremely faint, mixed in with the pervasive blood-red glow of the hall, it was almost impossible to detect.

If Nie Kong’s spiritual seed had not merged with his Heart Realm, making his spiritual sense exceptionally strong, he would never have sensed its existence. What fascinated Nie Kong most was that this tiny flame contained an incredibly pure form of soul power.

This "purity" wasn't the result of compressing large amounts of soul power; it was a fundamental source, completely untainted by impurities! Just as Blazing Spirit Fire is the most fundamental element of fire spirit energy, and life force is the most fundamental element of wood spirit energy, and death energy is the most fundamental element of dark spirit energy—that flame was also the most fundamental soul power.

Upon sensing this, Nie Kong couldn't help but feel eager. If he could absorb this most fundamental soul power, it would surely bring miraculous effects to his own soul. Furthermore, there were over a hundred similar spiritual beasts in this hall; they must all possess the same primordial soul power!

...