C717 The Yin God Who Was Far away

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As hundreds of bizarre souls and specters burst forth from the cavern's dome, the airborne Evil Cauldron suddenly shimmered with a dark halo.

Splash!

Newly refined Evil Demons howled as they emerged from the cauldron's maw.

The crystalline Ice Concubine, materialized from the cauldron's seventh Divine Demon tier, soared out like a deity sculpted from ice, radiating a chilling, gloomy soul light.

Crack! Crack!

Several lion and tiger-shaped ghosts appeared, only to be bisected by a swift stroke of the Ice Concubine's Soul Blade. Their severed soul shadows froze mid-air, scattering icy light.

The armor, darting through the cave like a stone shot from a well, was suddenly ensnared by the Ice Concubine's cold soul intent, its ascent abruptly halted.

"Soul Split!"

The cauldron soul's ethereal wail echoed in the recesses of his mind.

One by one, the Evil Demons that had departed the cauldron reassembled in the void, reforming the formidable Soul Split array.

Previously, the Soul Split was composed of seven hundred unrefined evil spirits. This time, nearly a thousand refined Evil Demons constructed it anew.

As the Soul Split formation materialized, a dread so intense it threatened to pulverize all souls and phantoms emanated from its core.

Like an expansive net, the Soul Split array unfurled towards the ghostly beings.

The first spirit caught in its mesh stood no chance; it was obliterated in an instant, leaving not even a trace of its existence.

Witnessing this, all the intelligent spirits and ghosts scattered in terror, soaring upwards, abandoning any thought of rescuing the enigmatic woman within the armor.

"Hehe."

Yu Yuan, standing at the base of the palace, gazed upward with a smirk, thoroughly pleased with the Soul Split's potency.

"A ghost spirit of exceptional intellect, sealed by Liu Linzhi within a rose pattern—what secrets does she hold?"

He stroked his chin, pondering deeply.

It must have been after Liu Linzhi's demise at the hands of the second Evil Demon that the mysterious woman's spirit began to subtly manipulate the rose seal's array, altering its intricate patterns without the continued infusion of soul power from the Evil Cauldron.

Yu Yuan sensed something peculiar in the subtle shift of the pattern, a manipulation he was certain she had orchestrated in secret.

The woman must have regained her senses long ago and silently witnessed Liu Linzhi's demise, hence her reluctance to make any hasty moves, biding her time for the right moment.

Had Yu Yuan not detected the alteration in the pattern and commanded the Evil Cauldron to strip her soul, she would not have surfaced.

Aware of the Evil Cauldron's dread power and unwilling to meet the same fate as Liu Linzhi, she chose to risk exposure in her bid for escape.

The hundreds of ghostly spirits and phantoms that responded to her call likely learned of Liu Linzhi's downfall from his scattered forces, lying in wait atop Dark Mountain for an opportune time.

"To be aided by such a multitude of ghostly spirits and phantoms, she must have a significant past. Could it be... she's a Heavenly Ghost on par with Liu Linzhi?" Yu Yuan's eyes sparkled with realization.

Heavenly Ghosts, with their combat prowess sealed in Horror Land, matched the Yang Gods of humanity in strength.

Liu Linzhi, a peer of the second Evil Demon and a Blood God Cult affiliate, shared a similar soul essence, yet was bound by the Evil Cauldron's rules, preventing him from ascending to a top-ranking Evil Demon status.

Yu Yuan felt a tinge of regret at this revelation.

If the woman trapped within the Armor Rose Flower was indeed another soul of Heavenly Ghost caliber, and the Evil Cauldron succeeded in drawing her into its crucible for refinement, she could emerge as the third formidable Evil Demon, alongside Ice Concubine and the second Evil Demon.

"Extract the soul spirit!"

Yu Yuan commanded with authority.

In that moment, he observed the armor, now unable to ascend due to the penetrating chill of Ice Concubine's soul force.

The Evil Cauldron, unhurried, had positioned itself above the armor, its maw facing downward, ready to engulf its prey.

But this time, there would be no escape for the armor.

"Wuwu."

From within the armor, the mysterious woman emitted a haunting wail. The lingering ghost spirits and phantoms, upon hearing her mournful sound, let out anguished cries and, with great reluctance, dispersed into the ether.

It seemed they understood they could not save her and, at her behest, withdrew.

Whoosh!

With a shift in the "Soul Split" formation, dozens of ghostly souls that had manifested were swept into the miniature world within the cauldron.

The cauldron soul's voice, filled with glee, rang out, "These can be forged into new 'Evil Devils'! And once they become evil, they'll hold high ranks, likely within the third or fourth tiers! In Horror Land, ghostly souls that can materialize are quite formidable. However, not all ghostly souls are fit to be transformed into Evil Devils."

The cauldron soul explained that only those ghostly souls with intense auras and deep-seated obsessions could be refined into Evil Devils.

The majority of ghostly souls couldn't withstand the process and would disintegrate, squandering the cauldron soul's time and effort—a loss not worth the cost.

Thankfully, the cauldron soul had a clear understanding of which ghostly souls were apt for becoming Evil Devils and which were not.

"Extract her soul from the armor and show it to me," Yu Yuan commanded.

"Master, please step inside. It will be ready shortly," responded the cauldron soul.

Yu Yuan was taken aback by the swiftness of the task. He hesitated for a moment before soaring into the descending Evil Cauldron. In the next instant, he was within the cauldron's inner sanctum.

There, Liu Linzhi's armor rested on the cauldron's dark iron-like floor, and above it hovered a figure that exuded a serene tranquility.

This figure was none other than a female Yin God.

She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, with a frail frame, clothed in a long, ash-white robe. Her beauty was marred by a look of fury as she spoke, "I am a practitioner from the Taiyuan Sect of the Heavenly Source Continent, named Jiang Xingwen. We have no past grievances. Why have you detained me?"

"The Taiyuan Sect?!"

Yu Yuan paused, scrutinizing the Yin God who had ventured into Horror Land for training, and inquired, "What is your cultivation level?"

"Soul Wandering Stage, Middle Period," Jiang Xingwen replied with reluctance.

"Soul Wandering Stage? Middle Period?" Yu Yuan expressed his astonishment, "With such a level of cultivation, how were you captured by Liu Linzhi and imprisoned within a rose in Horror Land?"

"This place is known as Horror Land. He wielded the power of a Heavenly Ghost and knew the terrain well," Jiang Xingwen admitted with a hint of embarrassment. "My true form remains at the Babel Chamber of Commerce, rendering me unable to utilize many spiritual spells and secret arts. Is it any wonder I'm at a disadvantage compared to Liu Linzhi, who knows this place inside out?"

"If you knew all this, why didn't you reveal yourself after I killed Liu Linzhi?" Yu Yuan questioned sharply, his voice tinged with accusation. "Were you hiding within that rose, plotting mischief from the shadows?"

"I..." Jiang Xingwen bristled with frustration. "Even with Liu Linzhi gone, I couldn't break free immediately. It was only two days ago that the array's power began to wane, revealing a crack that I exploited to subtly alter the array and gain the strength to leave. But I didn't know who you were, and I wasn't about to act rashly."

"When did you first arrive in Horror Land?" Yu Yuan pressed.

"I've been here for over two years. I came to fortify my Yin God. A Heavenly Ghost friendly with our Taiyuan Sect allowed me to cultivate on Dark Mountain," Jiang Xingwen explained, her brow furrowing. "After he was slain, Liu Linzhi pursued me. I was already weakened and was easily captured and sealed within the rose armor."

"Liu Linzhi, having evolved from a human Yin God into a Heavenly Ghost, wanted to interrogate me about the outside world and planned to consume my Yin God at the opportune moment, which is why he kept me alive."

"I survived simply because the time wasn't right," Jiang Xingwen clarified.

After a moment of contemplation, Yu Yuan shifted the conversation. "You've been with the Taiyuan Sect in Horror Land for two years. Tell me, do you know Su Yan? Su Yan of the Devil Moon Empire, from the Su family—is she familiar to you?"

"She... she's my apprentice," Jiang Xingwen replied, her expression turning peculiar.

"Uh."

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