C462 Cauldron Soul

The roar of the Chaos Roc thundered across the heavens, trapped within a cage woven from intersecting sword light.

He was visibly agitated, as if aware that the Blood Sacrificial Altar would soon be upon them.

The evil spirit, subdued by the Bone Devouring Shuttle, bided its time until the Fallen Star Eyes departed. After several futile clashes with the white bone short spear, it surprisingly settled down.

Mo Yan's "wait and see" effectively signaled his acceptance of Yu Yuan's proposal.

Thus, the trial participants from both continents, within the glass bottle and the Fallen Star Eyes, watched the approach of the Blood Sacrificial Altar with bated breath and tense anticipation.

"Evil Cauldron..."

Yu Yuan's face softened as he scrutinized the cauldron hovering in his chest. With a mere thought, streams of blood light burst forth from his Qi and Blood Mystic Technique, infusing into the dark cauldron.

Curiously, the previously restless Evil Cauldron had now become tranquil.

It seemed to understand that its union with the evil spirit was fraught with challenges, and so it waited patiently.

Yu Yuan engaged the Evil Body Refining Skill, drawing the cauldron toward him with his Qi and blood, while mentally beckoning it. Yet, stubbornly, the cauldron resisted re-entering his dantian.

Yu Yuan attempted to re-establish a connection with the Devil Palace and Heixun through the Evil Cauldron, eager to glean more information about the cauldron itself, the Blood Sacrificial Altar, and the Chaos Roc from Heixun.

But the Evil Cauldron steadfastly refused to settle into his dantian, leaving Yu Yuan without recourse.

"Soul Sound from Heixun echoed through a cluster of Demonic Marks..."

After some deliberation, Yu Yuan abruptly shifted his approach. He ceased using his Qi and blood as leverage and instead quietly employed the Soul Forging Technique, using his refined soul consciousness to seek understanding.

Once the Soul Forging Technique was initiated, a profound melancholy emanated from Yu Yuan.

He gazed at the Evil Cauldron floating before him, his eyes growing hollow. It was as though he had become deeply disillusioned with the universe, succumbing to a pervasive sense of despair.

"Alas."

"It seems our doom is imminent. Once the Blood Sacrificial Altar arrives, it could be the end for us all."

"The Starry Behemoth, the Evil Cauldron, and the Blood Sacrificial Altar have all converged. Is there any hope for our survival?"

"Let's just accept our fate and wait for the end."

"..."

Cultivators from the Sword Sect and the Ancient Desolate Sect sighed in resignation, succumbing to despair.

Su Yan let out a soft sigh, wallowing in self-pity. She lamented her poor fortune in facing such a calamity upon her initiation into the Taiyuan Sect, convinced that her path of cultivation was doomed.

Lau Ying, too, was overcome with a sense of defeat, her brief resurgence of spirit now tainted with melancholy.

Within the expanse of the Fallen Star Eyes, only Kong Banbi of the Sword Sect remained unshaken. As Yu Yuan employed the Soul Forging Technique, Kong Banbi experienced a peculiar intuition.

He gazed at Yu Yuan with curiosity, silently rebuking the unexpected wave of sadness that seemed to emanate not from the Evil Cauldron, but from Yu Yuan himself...

"Eh?"

Yu Yuan, discreetly practicing the Soul Forging Technique, felt a tremor pass through his three souls, and his vacant eyes suddenly sparked to life.

He was struck by an enigmatic sensation!

The Evil Cauldron, suspended within his chest, harbored a consciousness so deep and hidden that it stirred in response to his mournful emotions.

This consciousness was faint, barely perceptible, almost as if it didn't exist at all.

Without the use of the Soul Forging Technique, without his Heavenly Soul's perception, and without the release of his sorrowful emotions, this consciousness remained still, without the slightest ripple.

But now, he was certain that a fragile consciousness had been touched by his sorrowful state.

"Strange, truly strange. It's utterly bizarre..."

At that moment, Kong Banbi of the Sword Sect was no longer inwardly scoffing but instead softly pondered, "Sorrowful emotions, born from the death of beings, are like the evil aura—both are aggregates of various emotions. Could it be that Yu Yuan has gleaned this from the Evil Cauldron in such a brief time?"

It was as if lightning had struck Yu Yuan's spiritual consciousness, electrifying him with realization!

Kong Banbi was correct! The innate sorrow released during the practice of the Soul Forging Technique was indeed a unique emotion, one without the force of a powerful soul.

And the evil aura, too, was a crystallization of myriad emotions—perhaps fear, perhaps hatred, or even a yearning for life!

From this perspective, the desolate sorrow emanating from the Soul Forging Technique bore a striking resemblance to the malevolent aura and the gathering evil spirits produced by the Evil Cauldron, even to the ultimate form of the Evil Demon itself. It was a fascinating parallel!

Was it this similarity that allowed me to detect the consciousness lurking deep within the Evil Cauldron?

With this realization, I concentrated intently, fixing my gaze and thoughts on the dark cauldron, cautiously attempting to connect with that concealed consciousness.

I was determined to uncover the nature of this consciousness.

"Hu!"

After hovering for an extended period, the dark cauldron, which had resisted my attempts to draw it in, suddenly moved closer of its own accord.

I was momentarily taken aback. The Evil Demon Cauldron, which had emerged from my Qi and Blood Dantian, had once again slipped into my middle dantian, settling into the nascent Qi and Blood microcosm I had just established.

"Ah! The cauldron, where's the Evil Demon Cauldron?"

An Ancient Desolate Sect survivor, who had been intently watching the Evil Demon Cauldron, was startled to see it disappear into Yu Yuan's acupoint, exclaiming in surprise.

All those shrouded in sorrow were jolted awake by the disappearance of the Evil Demon Cauldron.

The crowd turned their eyes to Yu Yuan in unison, with Du Huang probing, "Did you just reabsorb that object into your body?"

Amidst my astonishment, I paid no heed to Du Huang, instead channeling my focus into the Qi and Blood Mystic Technique to scrutinize the proactive Evil Demon Cauldron.

It didn't take long to perceive that the faint consciousness within the cauldron, now back in my Qi and Blood realm, was actively seeking a connection with me.

A thread of thought, emanating from the consciousness within the Evil Cauldron, conveyed its astonishment, "You've practiced the Soul Arts of the Divine Soul Sect?"

"Divine Soul Sect!"

I was jolted, my concentration scattered by the revelation.

Regaining composure, I centered my thoughts and covertly communicated, "Indeed, I've delved into the Soul Arts of the Divine Soul Sect within the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area and received its legacy."

"What lies within the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area?" the consciousness inquired for confirmation.

"In the forbidden area, there's a Soul Transformation Pool and a Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation that eradicates malevolent spirits and demons!" After a brief hesitation, I responded candidly, "Beneath the Soul Transformation Pool lies an enigmatic space, suppressing a gateway to an extraterrestrial domain. I've encountered four archaic black characters there, known as 'Extreme Pain.' The Soul Arts I practice is named the Soul Forging Technique!"

"That's correct."

The faint consciousness lurking within the Evil Cauldron seemed to have confirmed its suspicion.

Simultaneously.

Strands of Yu Yuan's condensed Qi and blood, tethered to the Evil Cauldron, were yanked into its depths in a flash.

Inside the cauldron, a complex and enigmatic Demonic Mark, traced over by the luminous threads of Yu Yuan's Qi and blood, began to transform.

This very Demonic Mark was the one through which Yu Yuan had repeatedly perceived Heixun's Demonic Sound!

The cauldron's feeble consciousness, having ascertained that Yu Yuan practiced the Soul Arts of the Divine Soul Sect and listened to his revelations about the secrets deep beneath the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, seemed to have accepted him.

Upon this acceptance, its first act was to alter the Demonic Mark.

This alteration severed Heixun's ability to communicate with Yu Yuan through the mark, cutting off Heixun's connection to the Evil Cauldron and his capacity to sense anything within it!

"I am the spirit of this cauldron!"

The diminutive consciousness, after ensuring that neither Heixun nor anyone else could eavesdrop, divulged its secret, "Before I became the Artifact Soul of the Evil Cauldron, I resided in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area. Since you've earned the recognition of my sect and have been practicing our Soul Arts, you are one of us."

"What, what?" Yu Yuan was utterly dumbfounded. "You originated from the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area? Are you an evil demon repressed by the forbidden land, or an Earth Demon?"

"I hail from the Divine Soul Sect!" the Artifact Soul declared.

Yu Yuan, finally grasping the situation, paused to reflect before asking, "Then how did you become the Artifact Soul?"

"It's a long tale, and there's no time for an extended discourse," the Artifact Soul conveyed to Yu Yuan from within the cauldron. "If you trust me, follow my guidance. You, who have been honing the Evil Body Refining Skill, may not be fit to be my new master, but as a disciple of our sect, you have the necessary credentials."

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