One after another, the souls within the pool water transformed into streams of dark light during this process, shooting into the Soul Gathering Orb.

Even though three-fifths of the Soul Gathering Orb was coated in Shi Yan’s saliva, the exposed portion still exerted an immense soul-sucking force, drawing in the souls from the Soul Gathering Pool one by one.

Shi Yan finally surfaced, taking a breath of fresh air. Just as he prepared to climb out of the water, the Profound Ice Cold Flame sent another message: "Get back down!"

Startled and not understanding why, Shi Yan immediately obeyed the warning. After just a few breaths, he plunged back into the pool.

He had always been an extreme enthusiast, and holding his breath underwater was something he did constantly. He was extremely adept at maximizing the duration of a single breath.

In his former world, without martial cultivation, he could hold his breath for seven or eight minutes after taking a single inhale.

Now, his body was far beyond that of an ordinary person, with all his functions vastly enhanced. Holding his breath underwater for half an hour was now effortless.

Taking that single breath, Shi Yan sank back into the water, sending a message to the Profound Ice Cold Flame: "What's wrong?"

"There is a formidable entity lurking in the valley. According to your human rankings, its cultivation level should be around the Nirvana Nest realm. My power is currently restricted by the ring; I cannot kill this person unless you allow me to exit the ring. Otherwise, you are no match for him," the Profound Ice Cold Flame explained.

"A martial artist in the Nirvana Nest realm?" Shi Yan was secretly alarmed. After a moment of contemplation, he immediately realized the visitor was likely Gu Jian Ge’s father, Gu Lie.

When he arrived at Cloud Mist Island, he had learned some details about the Gu family from Linda—he heard that Gu Lie and his son, Gu Jian Ge, remained on Cloud Mist Island to negotiate with the Yang family, and Gu Lie happened to be in the Nirvana Nest realm.

This valley had previously only contained Gu Jian Ge. Now, with a Nirvana Nest expert appearing, it was almost certain that Gu Lie had arrived.

Most of the Profound Ice Cold Flame’s power was sealed within the ring, making it difficult to unleash its full strength.

Although the Soul Gathering Orb was powerful, it was effective only against souls. Gu Lie still possessed a physical body, so the Orb’s effect on him was minimal—it couldn't restrain him at all. If he were to emerge from the Soul Gathering Pool, and Gu Lie decided to kill him, Shi Yan would indeed be powerless to resist.

What Gu Lie didn't know was that he feared the situation even more than Shi Yan did!

"Wait until he leaves before you resurface. If you stay within the Soul Gathering Pool, he definitely won't dare to enter and confront you. Also, temporarily slow down the rate at which you collect souls; keep the water in the Soul Gathering Pool from becoming too clear. Be careful—if anyone enters the pool, we must immediately sink deeper," the Profound Ice Cold Flame cautioned.

Shi Yan nodded underwater. "Understood!"

Sending out the message, Shi Yan quietly sank a few more feet into the pool, floating on his back while watching the movement on the surface.

Many souls had been absorbed by the Soul Gathering Orb, and the Soul Mirror on the pool’s surface had vanished completely.

Without the Soul Mirror, the passage connecting the two realms naturally ceased to exist, and no more demonic qi surged out from the Demon Domain.

Shi Yan’s heart was tight with tension. He secretly watched the surface, concentrating his attention, ready to react instantly.

In a hidden spot within the valley.

Gu Lie and Gu Jian Ge were also crouched down secretly. They were even more cautious than Shi Yan. Although they had seen Shi Yan surface from their high vantage point, they dared not act, instead waiting for the soul of the Demon Lord, Mo Qixiao, to arrive.

The flight of a soul was much faster than that of a physical body. Not long after Gu Lie sent his signal, dense demonic clouds gathered above the valley.

The demonic clouds churned and rapidly condensed into a colossal demonic shadow. The shadow resided deep within the clouds, and a wave of malevolent intent suddenly washed over Gu Lie: "Where is the Soul Mirror? Gu Lie! If you dare to trick me, I will not let you off!"

"Calm down, calm down!" Gu Lie said, face etched with terror, quickly transmitting: "I truly intended to help you, which is why I killed so many civilians to gather nascent souls to open the passage for you. However, there was an unexpected complication—a Heavenly Flame possessed someone and entered the Soul Gathering Pool. It seems to be trying to destroy the Soul Gathering Orb..."

Gu Lie’s mind trembled as he quickly explained the situation, adding: "I am sincerely cooperating with you; I never anticipated the situation escalating like this!"

"Heavenly Flame?" Mo Qixiao's consciousness echoed from the demonic cloud. "Go down and check if that thing has obtained the Soul Gathering Orb! As long as it hasn't secured the Orb, I still have means to deal with it. But if it knows how to wield the Soul Gathering Orb, I won't dare to clash with it directly!"

"Me go down?" Gu Lie gave a bitter smile. "The Profound Ice Cold Flame is incredibly powerful. If I enter the pool water, I'll be instantly frozen to death!"

"If you don't go down, I will immediately obliterate your soul!" Mo Qixiao’s consciousness roared fiercely. "Stop the nonsense! Get into the Soul Gathering Pool immediately! If you waste my time, I will destroy both you and your son!"

Gu Lie’s face turned pale. He glanced at Gu Jian Ge beside him, grit his teeth, and said, "Fine! I'll go!"

"Whoosh!"

At that very moment, a streak of cyan light suddenly slashed across the void.

Mo Duanhun, with a cold expression, abruptly appeared above the valley.

Frowning, he let his divine sense sweep out, immediately detecting the locations of Gu Lie and Gu Jian Ge. He scoffed: "Gu Lie, you have some nerve! Daring to collude with demons! Do you know what the Yang family hates the most?"

Gu Lie, who was about to move, looked utterly aghast, staring at Mo Duanhun appearing in the sky with fearful eyes.

Gu Jian Ge kept his head lowered, silent, his expression equally grim. At this moment, he didn't know what to do.

Whether it was the Demon Lord Mo Qixiao or Mo Duanhun, the foremost of the Three Asura Kings, if either of them wanted to kill the father and son, escape would be impossible.

He dared not make any rash moves, fearing he might incur the Demon Lord Mo Qixiao’s displeasure and have his soul instantly executed.

Gu Lie was also secretly lamenting. At this critical juncture, he naturally dared not answer Mo Duanhun, choosing instead to send a soul message to the Demon Lord Mo Qixiao: "What should I do?"

"Stop the chatter! Get into the pool water and check the situation at the bottom. Don't worry about what’s happening up here; I am here, and Mo Duanhun can't do anything!" the Demon Lord Mo Qixiao responded impatiently. Then, the demonic clouds rolled again, and the demonic shadow twisted continuously, resembling a black curtain that suddenly enveloped Mo Duanhun.

Mo Qixiao had only descended as a soul, yet he possessed the cultivation of the Divine Realm. He could condense demonic energy from his soul to form various exquisite attacks.

This churning of demonic clouds enveloped Mo Duanhun, unleashing all sorts of malicious energies simultaneously—a soul-shattering impact, like an apocalyptic demonic seal, violently pressed toward Mo Duanhun's soul.

In the valley, crackling explosions echoed through the air as the malicious energies manifested as if they were solid objects.

The valley, frozen by the Profound Ice Cold Flame, saw its solid ice shatter everywhere. Rubble flew, and various chaotic lights shot out in all directions.

The wave of soul impact from the Demon Lord Mo Qixiao actually smashed the valley sealed by the Profound Ice Cold Flame into pieces, shattering blocks of hard ice.

Mo Duanhun, appearing as a dazzling point of light, erupted with a fierce, murderous aura. Within the light cluster, faint images of trees, flowers, various monstrous beasts, faces of humans from different nations and regions, and spectacular sights from various locales could be dimly discerned.

"Myriad Manifestations of the Universe!"

A crisp shout suddenly rang out above the valley. He Qingman exclaimed in surprise: "That is the Yang family's Saint-Grade Secret Treasure, the Myriad Manifestations of the Universe Diagram! The Diagram is the Yang family's most formidable defensive treasure, rarely leaving Undying Island. Lord Mo actually brought it out this time! No wonder he can hold his own against Mo Qixiao’s soul attack for so long!"

Xia Xinyan’s beautiful eyes also lit up. "The Myriad Manifestations of the Universe Diagram encompasses all aspects of the world—nearly every life form, leaf, beast, nation, and wonder that exists. The Yang family must have expended countless efforts to refine it. This Diagram not only contains the world's myriad phenomena but can also use these phenomena to resist any attack, including soul attacks!"

"Saint-Grade Secret Treasures are truly formidable!" He Qingman appeared very excited. "I’ve only heard of the Myriad Manifestations of the Universe Diagram; I've never seen it before. Today is truly an eye-opener!"

In the void, Mo Duanhun was enveloped within the Myriad Manifestations of the Universe Diagram, appearing as a single point of light surrounded by constantly shifting, illusory scenes projecting the world's myriad states.

The Demon Lord Mo Qixiao’s soul impact, upon entering the Diagram, had to continuously penetrate layer upon layer of scenery. With each layer pierced, Mo Qixiao's soul impact weakened slightly.

Mo Duanhun knew his soul realm was a full level below Mo Qixiao's, so he dared not engage the soul directly. He merely used the Diagram to block the soul impact, lacking any power to counterattack.

Meanwhile, under Mo Qixiao's instruction, Gu Lie cautiously approached the Soul Gathering Pool with apprehension.

"Shi Yan might be at the bottom of the pool!" Mo Duanhun, from within the Myriad Manifestations of the Universe Diagram, suddenly shouted: "Don't let Gu Lie enter the water!"

Because the sixth-grade Wind Thunder Flying Lion was faster than the fourth or fifth-grade Azure Blood Demonic Bats, the Asura Blood Guards had not yet reached the valley. Currently, only Xia Xinyan and He Qingman heard Mo Duanhun's shout above the valley. He Qingman paused, pursed her lips, and murmured: "Gu Lie is in the Nirvana Nest realm; I am no match for him. Besides, the Demon Lord Mo Qixiao is still present. Attacking Gu Lie now might invite an ambush from Mo Qixiao. We cannot act rashly."

"I'll go!"

As soon as Xia Xinyan heard that Shi Yan might be at the bottom of the pool, she didn't hesitate. Taking a deep breath, she immediately activated her Reincarnation Martial Soul, flying off the Wind Thunder Flying Lion. Temporarily elevating her cultivation to the Celestial Rank, she charged toward Gu Lie, who was near the Soul Gathering Pool.

Gu Lie’s expression changed when he saw Xia Xinyan descend from the sky. He froze, seeming to wait for something.

A soul impact suddenly struck from the demonic clouds. Xia Xinyan, suspended in mid-air, suddenly spat a mouthful of blood and tumbled downward.

"Sister Xinyan!" He Qingman cried out. She patted the Wind Thunder Flying Lion, and the sixth-grade beast immediately accelerated, catching Xia Xinyan before her delicate body fell to the ground.

He Qingman ripped off Xia Xinyan’s veil and saw that her beautiful face was ashen white, her bright eyes dimmed, and blood continuously streamed from the corner of her mouth.

"Sister Xinyan! Sister Xinyan!" He Qingman was frantic. She pulled out a handful of pills from her embrace and shoved them into Xia Xinyan’s bleeding mouth without preamble, urging the Wind Thunder Flying Lion to flee the Soul Gathering Pool quickly.