C714 Divine Demon Seat

Yu Yuan scrutinized the cauldron's interior. The walls were lined with grooves, each one seemingly indicative of the hierarchy among various gods and demons. The Second Bane, having consumed Liu Linzhi's soul, had ascended two levels and now occupied the highest rank within the Crucible of Evil. Yet, three more levels loomed above, awaiting conquest.

In terms of combat prowess, the Second Bane had considerable room for improvement before it could attain the pinnacle at the tenth level.

"This cauldron has categorized Baneful spirits into ten distinct tiers since its inception," the cauldron spirit elucidated. "A member of the Colddeath Cult currently holds the seventh tier, while the Frost Queen occupies the sixth. The weakest evil spirits are refined at the very bottom before they transform into Baneful entities. Upon becoming a Bane, they are then ranked by their power."

"A soul as formidable as Liu Linzhi's would be placed at a minimum on the fifth tier upon its conversion into a Bane."

"From what I recall since my reawakening," continued the cauldron spirit, "at its zenith, the cauldron hosted twelve Baneful beings on the tenth tier. The ninth tier was home to nearly sixty, the eighth to about two hundred, the seventh to close to a thousand, and the sixth..."

Yu Yuan, meanwhile, took note of the ongoing refinement process at the cauldron's base, where nearly six hundred evil spirits were being transformed. This did not account for the seven hundred that had departed to arrange the Soul Shatter.

On the second level, over three hundred evil spirits had successfully metamorphosed into Baneful beings. Further up, the third level housed only a sparse number of Baneful entities. The fourth level's grooves cradled a mere six, while the fifth level was desolate, devoid of any Baneful presence.

The sixth level bore a single groove with the indistinct shadow of the Frost Queen. Her absence and lingering presence indicated that this was her designated seat among the Baneful ranks.

With a whoosh, the Frost Queen, her form a glacial blue, drifted down from the cauldron's mouth and made a beeline for her seat on the sixth level. As she settled into her place, Yu Yuan observed with astonishment that the sparse Baneful beings on the second, third, and fourth levels had soul threads emanating from their seats. These threads traced the glyphs etched into the cauldron's walls, spiraling upwards, layer by layer, converging at the Frost Queen's position.

She was ingesting the soul threads and refining them within her body.

"This..."

He felt a slight tremor in his heart, accompanied by a sense of astonishment.

"The Second Bane has devoured Liu Linzhi's soul, reaping far more than it expended. There's no need for additional power," the cauldron spirit communicated telepathically, perceiving his confusion and promptly providing an explanation. "The Frost Queen, in her battles with the ghosts loyal to Liu Linzhi, merely managed to fend them off."

"She failed to consume some of the more formidable evil spirits and assimilate them into herself."

"As a result, she emerged from this battle at a net loss. The power she forfeited can only be reclaimed from the weaker Banes below."

"The higher-level Banes siphon power from their inferiors, assimilating it to swiftly regain their combat strength. This immutable law has governed the cauldron since its creation."

"The lower-level Banes must fight desperately to ascend and break through to the tenth layer. At the pinnacle, they can draw power from all the Banes beneath them."

The cauldron spirit explained.

Yu Yuan listened intently, marveling at the revelation. The Crucible of Evil seemed to him a microcosm of an entire world!

All the evil spirits it absorbed first transformed into Banes, then progressively grew stronger, climbing higher.

How similar was this to human cultivators embarking on their spiritual journey, constantly elevating their realms?

Wasn't it akin to commoners striving for promotions and titles?

And didn't the ghosts of the Land of Terror also seek to ascend to higher echelons like the Celestial Shade and the Ghost King through warfare and the seizure of enemy resources?

According to Liu Linzhi, only those who attained the status of Ghost King could reincarnate with their memories intact.

"It seems all beings are alike. Humans, cultivators, archdemons, ghosts, including the Banes!"

Yu Yuan inhaled deeply, suddenly aware that fierce competition was omnipresent, with struggles for survival occurring in both seen and unseen realms.

The law of the jungle, the natural selection of the strong over the weak, this ultimate truth has never wavered.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The seven hundred evil spirits that had previously formed the Soul Shatter array poured into the cauldron's little world, settling obediently at the very bottom of the cauldron wall to undergo a new cycle of Evil Converge.

"The cauldron's numerous wondrous Soul Nexuses require a sufficient number of Banes to activate. Currently, there are too few Banes, so we're using evil spirits as a temporary substitute. The recent activation of the Soul Shatter Formation didn't unleash its full potential because the Second Bane was crafted by the experts of the Colddeath Cult, who are adept in their mystique and Spirit Magic."

"He infiltrated the rune circle and fundamentally suppressed Liu Linzhi, leaving him no chance to resist before consuming him."

"To fully unleash the might of Soul Shatter, each of these seven hundred evil spirits must undergo a transformation into a Bane."

The cauldron spirit informed him that the ease with which Liu Linzhi was subdued was only partly due to the Soul Shatter; it merely ensnared his soul within the rune circle, temporarily imprisoning him.

Relying on the seven hundred evil spirits to constitute the Soul Shatter rune circle, attempting to split Liu Linzhi's Celestial Shade was exceedingly difficult and impractical.

This is because the residual thoughts of Liu Linzhi's soul could still coalesce within the rune circle.

Without the Second Bane's intervention, the remnants of Liu Linzhi's soul could reform into another Liu Linzhi, either escaping or reassembling. They wouldn't truly perish.

The arrival of the Second Bane meant that the fragments of Liu Linzhi's soul were devoured, and only then did Liu Linzhi understand fear and realize his end was near.

Liu Linzhi was acutely aware that the parts consumed by the Second Bane were lost forever.

"Just give me another fortnight. All the evil spirits that amassed outside Afnetalos will be transformed into demons. At that point, when Soul Shatter is activated again, it will reveal its true strength!" the cauldron spirit declared with confidence.

"Within the cauldron wall, there are arrays of Demon Seats, where the higher ones can siphon the power from those below. So, you're suggesting that I should be able to...?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"Master, as the spirit of the cauldron, I can draw strength from all the Banes on its walls," the cauldron spirit revealed candidly. "Thus, the more Banes within the cauldron, the more powerful they are, the stronger I become. Eventually, I'll be able to recall everything and recover all my lost memories."

"Perhaps, at that time, this cauldron could regain its status as a Divine Artifact!"

"Master, you too might possess the power and cultivation of the Unbound realm by then!"

The cauldron spirit spoke with longing.

Yu Yuan nodded firmly, "Such a day will come."

With that thought, he instantly transitioned from the little world inside the cauldron back to the outside, reappearing in the palace within Liu Linzhi's cave.

Still standing within the cauldron, shrouded in dark malevolent light, he surveyed his surroundings to find that none of Liu Linzhi's faithful followers remained.

Nor could he see any sign of the ghosts that once darted through the palace's rocky ceiling.

This indicated that the ghosts, which had been cultivating with dense Yin Qi, were aware of Liu Linzhi's predicament and, fearing Yu Yuan's retribution, had fled.

The biting wind howled through the underground palace, still seeping in through the opening Liu Linzhi had created with his mystique.

Nearby lay the armor, emblazoned with the blood-red pattern of a rose, and the ancient bronze box.

"The bronze box!"

Yu Yuan maneuvered the Crucible of Evil towards the box's location. He summoned the scabbard from the Bracelet of Holding, reached beyond the protective light screen, and gently nudged it.

Whoosh!

The bronze box flew straight toward the dark cauldron, and he caught it in his hand. Lifting the lid, he found a mechanical handle, which he grasped and turned forcefully.

"Click!"

The numerous finger-sized holes in the floor of Shadow Mountain's cavern were slowly sealed with stones, becoming airtight.

The harsh wind blew once more, as if dissolving into the stone walls of Shadow Mountain and the icy earth beneath.

Yu Yuan waited a bit longer to ensure that no more chilling winds could enter before leaping out of the Crucible of Evil, suddenly appearing right in front of the dagger.

"This is a blade perfect for those who practice fire magic!"

Grasping it, he focused his mind, invoking the Nine Glories Wheel. Instantly, the dagger in his hand burst into a blinding crimson glow.

The dagger heated up, as if it were a piece of iron fresh from the forge.

"Excellent find!"

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