In the center of the Pool. Within the inky black water, malevolent ghosts floated, their shadows dense at the bottom, spirits meandering like fish, saturating every corner of the pool.

A chilling, dead silence pervaded the Soul Gathering Pool. The moment Shi Yan plunged into the water, an icy dread rose from the deepest core of his spirit.

Countless vengeful spirits surged toward him in a swirling mass!

These specters were bizarre and varied, baring fangs and brandishing claws, their expressions ferocious, grasping and biting at his limbs and head. Revealing ghastly tusks, they sought to gnaw his body clean. The icy power from the Profound Ice Cold Flame formed wave after wave of chill. Wherever the cold air swept, the dark pool water rapidly froze over.

The deep cold essence of the Profound Ice Cold Flame was exceptionally potent. Wherever the icy aura spread, even the ghosts whose souls were merged with the water were frozen solid along with the liquid, locked in hard ice, unable to truly approach Shi Yan.

"Ignore these lingering souls, descend to the bottom!" The Profound Ice Cold Flame flickered restlessly inside the Blood-Patterned Ring, continuously sending signals. Shi Yan's expression was invigorated; his body, altered by the cold energy, could perfectly adapt to the Flame's chill. The ice coating his body felt strangely not stiff at all.

In his perception, that solid ice was akin to a kind of soft armor, in no way impeding his movements.

Taking a deep breath, Shi Yan’s eyes were bright as he sank toward the pool floor. Streams of vengeful spirits rushed forth, but before they could get close, they were frozen by the chill released by the Profound Ice Cold Flame. Among the countless ghosts in the Soul Gathering Pool, not one could truly pose a threat to Shi Yan under the chilling freeze.

Shi Yan concentrated fully, ignoring the spirits rushing past him, his gaze fixed intently on the pool bottom.

Alas. Because the Soul Gathering Pool was filled with innumerable vengeful spirits, and the water was utterly black, Shi Yan's vision was severely impaired despite being submerged. It was difficult to discern the scene below; he could only monitor the changes at the bottom as his body descended.

"Down and to the left!"

The Profound Ice Cold Flame urgently directed. The moment it entered the Soul Gathering Pool, the Flame grew visibly excited. Not only was it helping Shi Yan fight the omnipresent ghosts, but it was also guiding him to the location of the Soul Gathering Bead. In its pursuit of the Bead, it was exerting every ounce of its effort.

Due to its unique life form, the Profound Ice Cold Flame dared to release its soul power to probe the surroundings within the Soul Gathering Pool; Shi Yan, however, dared not. With his sight obstructed and his spiritual sense locked down, Shi Yan was effectively blind. Naturally, he wouldn't overreach, obeying the Profound Ice Cold Flame’s directions entirely. As soon as the Flame indicated a direction, he immediately followed its guidance, moving toward where it pointed.

"A little further forward!"

"Down!"

"Be careful! We're almost there!"

"..."

The Blood-Patterned Ring pulsed incessantly, the Profound Ice Cold Flame within feeling an ineffable excitement, transmitting wave after wave of soul messages.

Under the Flame’s command, Shi Yan sank deeper into the Soul Gathering Pool, constantly shifting his trajectory midway.

A few minutes later. A faint, hazy light suddenly appeared in the black water.

Shi Yan’s spirit jolted, and he stared in shocked awe toward the source of the light.

It was an octagonal ancient formation!

At the eight corners of the ancient formation lay eight multicolored Demon Crystals. Each crystal held an extraordinary energy fluctuation, emitting light that formed eight layers of differently colored light patterns, enveloping the octagonal array. At the center of the octagon rested a fist-sized, pitch-black Demon Crystal. Specks of dark light dotted this crystal, and upon closer inspection, every speck was revealed to be a malicious ghost magnified.

The eight Demon Crystals at the corners of the octagonal array seemed to exist solely to guard the central black Demon Crystal. This ancient formation evidently utilized the crystals at the corners to create eight layers of barrier, protecting the Soul Gathering Bead within. At the very heart of the octagonal formation, the Soul Gathering Bead pulsed with black light, stirring out mysterious soul fluctuations.

Each time a dark spot on the Bead’s surface flickered, a vengeful spirit would fly out, piercing the barrier of the ancient formation and soaring into the Soul Gathering Pool.

Countless vengeful spirits gathered near the surface of the pool, forming a strange mirror upon the water. Shi Yan looked up toward the surface and was horrified to see that from this angle, he could make out a deep black hole manifesting on the water’s surface. Rolling demonic miasma billowed out from that hole, escaping the Soul Gathering Pool and collecting in the sky, seemingly becoming a source of power for some demon entity above.

When viewed from outside the pool, Shi Yan hadn't noticed anything unusual about the Soul Gathering Pool.

Now, submerged at the bottom, looking up, he realized the pool’s surface had indeed formed a bizarre Soul Mirror!

The Soul Mirror acted as a bridge connecting two realms, releasing demonic energy from the Fourth Demon Domain to become a source of power for Demon Lord Mo Qidun, enabling him to contend against Mo Duanhun.

The Soul Mirror formed in the Soul Gathering Pool precisely because of the Soul Gathering Bead at the bottom; the tens of thousands of vengeful souls emitted by the Bead created the soul-connecting mirror between the two realms. Once the Soul Gathering Bead was destroyed, the tens of thousands of souls within the water would immediately surge back into it. At that point, the Soul Mirror would naturally vanish, the passage between the realms sealed. Demon Lord Mo Qidun’s soul would never be able to use the mirror to return to the Demon Domain! Demonic energy from the Demon Domain would also be unable to channel into Yunxia Island via the mirror!

The crux of everything lay with the Soul Gathering Bead!

In the seconds before reaching the Bead, a string of thoughts flashed through his mind. Shi Yan grew cautious, gazing at the octagonal formation protecting the Bead, and sent a soul message to the Profound Ice Cold Flame: "There’s a defensive barrier! How do we break the eight layers of light patterns?"

"The Eight Extremes Evil Spirit Array!"

The Profound Ice Cold Flame cried out. "It truly is that cult! That ancient cult used the Soul Gathering Bead to form a soul mirror, summoning outer-realm demons to fight. This Eight Extremes Evil Spirit Array is a unique evil secret technique of that cult, using eight Level Eight Demon Crystals imbued with beast souls as the eight array eyes to protect the Soul Gathering Bead. The eight different light patterns formed by the array possess the defensive strength of eight Level Eight Demonic Beasts—extremely difficult to break!"

"Eight Level Eight Demon Beast crystals as the foundation to guard the Soul Gathering Bead? Damn it!"

Shi Yan cursed. "How is that supposed to be broken?"

"This Eight Extremes Evil Spirit Array is not genuine. The eight crystals used here are from seven-level demonic beasts. Level seven crystals do not contain a spirit essence, so their power isn't overwhelming. This Soul Gathering Bead is from a Level Eight Soul Devouring Beast. If it were guarded by eight Level Eight Demon Beast crystals, it would suppress the Bead's energy entirely. Moreover, gathering eight Level Eight demon crystals was only possible during that cult's peak, and they were used to guard the Soul Gathering Bead of a Level Nine Soul Devouring Beast."

"A Level Nine Soul Devouring Beast’s Soul Gathering Bead can withstand the suppression of an array formed by eight Level Eight Demon Beast crystals?"

"Of course! When that cult was at its zenith, they used the Level Nine Soul Devouring Beast’s Soul Gathering Bead to form a soul mirror and summon demons at the True God Realm from another domain. Furthermore, they could use a secret technique to control the summoned demons for a period. It was an incredibly terrifying summoning technique. When that cult was annihilated, the True God Realm demon they summoned using the Level Nine Bead killed countless experts before it suddenly broke free from the cult's control and returned to its own realm. Otherwise, that cult might not have been destroyed."

"What now?"

Shi Yan had reached the perimeter of the Eight Extremes Evil Spirit Array but dared not act rashly, continuously questioning the Profound Ice Cold Flame with his mind.

"Strike one crystal with your strongest power! The light patterns forming above the array are interconnected; breaking one layer only reveals another, making it hard to breach. But the array cannot lack a single crystal. If one crystal shatters, the rest become useless, and the formation collapses instantly!"

"Seven-level beast crystals! Ugh, breaking even those won't be easy..."

Demon Beast crystals are the hardest substances from a demonic beast, and a Level Seven beast crystal is tougher than a Spirit-grade divine weapon. It certainly wasn't something Shi Yan, only in the Hundred Tribulations Realm, could shatter. "These crystals have existed for several thousand years, and much of their demonic power has dissipated. Well, that blue crystal has lost about seventy percent of its demonic energy. I will inject some power into you; if your full-strength strike can shatter that crystal, we succeed. If not, we retreat immediately; we’ll have to abandon the Soul Gathering Bead." the Profound Ice Cold Flame responded quickly.

"Let's give it a try."

Shi Yan took a deep breath, his eyes like lightning as he focused on that single, angular blue crystal.

He activated all his negative power, which began to surge through his body, filling every corner and causing Shi Yan to suddenly feel his strength double.

First Level Overload!

Simultaneously, the icy cold energy from the Profound Ice Cold Flame flowed out, gathering in Shi Yan’s hands and feet, poised to strike.

His blood began to boil, and the negative energy in his acupoints surged abruptly into his bloodstream.

The blood, carrying the chill, flowed powerfully, and an incomparably surging force suddenly spread throughout his entire body!

On top of his existing strength, Shi Yan’s total power seemed to double again!

Second Level Overload!

"It’s possible! This power! This power should be enough to shatter that crystal!" The Profound Ice Cold Flame in the Blood-Patterned Ring suddenly grew excited. "You can unleash such terrifying might! Doubling your total power instantaneously! That’s enough! It should be enough!"

Shi Yan remained calm, channeling all his strength. He formed one hand into the Life Seal and the other into the Death Seal, overlapping them to unleash the Seal of Life and Death!

Waves of cold energy spewed from his palms along with the strike of the Life and Death Seal, surging toward that single, angular blue Demon Crystal.

"Crack!"

That angular blue Demon Crystal shattered instantly, blasted into tiny chips by the impact of the Life and Death Seal, scattering everywhere.

The eight layers of light patterns covering the Soul Gathering Bead vanished without a trace.

Shi Yan rejoiced and immediately reached out to seize the Soul Gathering Bead.

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