The hearts of the sect leaders and elders were filled with utter shock!

 

The moment Bai Ke moved forward, Junxiao felt himself struck by a surge of energy that forcefully pushed him back. The energy was chaotic and unstable, as if it were pouring out uncontrollably, lashing out indiscriminately—even at Junxiao himself.

Yet, amidst the turbulence, the energy carried a strange familiarity, so recognizable that it left Junxiao momentarily stunned. He had not encountered such an aura in countless years, and for an instant, he forgot to react or defend himself. Struck head-on, he failed to stop Bai Ke in time.

A sense of disbelief overwhelmed him as he murmured almost involuntarily, "Master...?"

However, in the very next moment, clarity returned. Though the energy felt familiar, it was far too chaotic. Even without knowing Bai Ke's current state, Junxiao was certain that, at best, Bai Ke had only recovered a fraction—perhaps not even one percent—of Bai Lingchen's former strength. It was merely a superficial layer of power.

In such a weakened state, confronting the Ice Soul would undoubtedly be fatal.

Before his thoughts could fully form, Junxiao's body reacted instinctively. Like a meteor, he took a step forward, chasing after Bai Ke. In an instant, he reached the Ice Soul and grabbed Bai Ke’s hand tightly.

But it was still too late.

Half of Bai Ke's body had already been pulled into the hurricane generated by the Ice Soul. The sudden intensification of its suction force dragged him further into its core, and Junxiao, still gripping Bai Ke's hand, was pulled along. Together, they were swept into the heart of the Ice Soul, just like the countless spiritual trees of the forest whose vitality had been drained. They landed atop the Ice Soul itself.

Yu Xian, preoccupied with protecting the innocent disciples, failed to notice it until it was too late. His disciple and grand-disciple had already been caught in the Ice Soul. Now, amidst the swirling black hurricane, they were nowhere to be seen. Bloodshot eyes filled with rage, he let out a roar.

Though the others present were unaware of the Ice Soul’s true power, Yu Xian knew it all too well. In an instant, memories of the blood-soaked catastrophe from a thousand years ago surged into his mind. Even the powerful cultivators had faced certain death when caught off guard by the Ice Soul. Now, with Bai Ke reduced to the strength of an ordinary disciple, survival was utterly impossible. Even Junxiao couldn’t guarantee a safe return.

Yet, if Yu Xian recklessly abandoned his post to follow them into the Ice Soul, his unstable constitution—which was prone to dissipating his energy—would not only add to Junxiao’s burdens but also doom the group of defenseless young disciples outside.

Within moments, the entire forest was consumed by the Ice Soul’s suction force. Nothing remained but the fractured stumps of once-thriving trees, stripped bare and rapidly withering to ash. Torn apart by the violent winds, the remains were reduced to fine wood dust and swept away without a trace.

In an instant, the entire forest of Wanchao Valley vanished.

With the forest’s disappearance, its once-maze-like concealment was gone. Disciples who had entered the valley through the Green Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise gates were no longer separated. The formations that had divided them were destroyed by the overwhelming suction and shockwaves of the Ice Soul, leaving everyone exposed at the barren, desolate base of the vast valley.

From a distance, disciples from the various sects exchanged bewildered glances. Except for those from Hengtian Sect, Xuanwei Sect, and Changling Sect, who had witnessed everything, the rest remained in a state of shock, struggling to comprehend the sudden and dramatic turn of events.

But reality showed no mercy or patience. Thunderclouds loomed over the sky, lightning streaked wildly, and the hurricane raged on endlessly. Centered on the Ice Soul, an immense, demonic aura mixed with overwhelming spiritual energy radiated outward like rippling waves, spreading rapidly in all directions.

Yu Xian raised his sword, positioning it horizontally in front of him. With a single swing, he unleashed a surge of robust energy that split into three streams, forming a protective barrier in front of the disciples. The powerful energy shielded them from the overwhelming spiritual force emanating from the Ice Soul.

However, no matter how strong his swordsmanship was, it could not entirely block every corner or prevent even the slightest trace of the energy from leaking through.

In the desolate and vast valley, disciples from sects standing slightly off to the side were struck directly by the spiritual energy emanating from the Ice Soul. In an instant, their bodies and souls disintegrated, leaving behind nothing but a pool of blood and flesh, which was immediately swept up by an overwhelming suction force and drawn into the Ice Soul, disappearing without a trace.

Thanks to Yu Xian's intervention, the remaining disciples from various sects narrowly escaped death. Though they avoided being reduced to blood and mud, they could only watch helplessly as some of their fellow disciples perished, their remains completely obliterated. This sight left their faces pale as death, their expressions even more lifeless than the dead themselves.

With the forest drained of all vitality, the Ice Soul, deprived of its source of spiritual energy, became even more crazy. Without hesitation, it extended its grasp toward the most abundant sources of vitality in Wanchao Valley—the disciples.

In an instant, the sky darkened further, the black clouds thick as wet ink. Thunderbolts crashed violently to the ground, each strike carving thousand-foot-deep fissures as if threatening to tear Wanchao Valley apart completely.

The most dramatic change, however, was the suction force radiating from the Ice Soul. At that moment, it became like an inescapable black hole, impossible to resist or counter.

Even Yu Xian was beginning to struggle. He shifted his stance, stepping slowly to one side while drawing a half-circle on the ground with his foot. Then, planting his legs in a firm eight-shaped stance, he anchored himself to the ground with the weight of a thousand mountains, sinking downward to stabilize his body. It was as if he had grown roots deep into the earth, anchoring him securely.

Where his footsteps slid across the ground, they left deep imprints, pressing the earth down by half a foot and forming a trench beneath him.

Meanwhile, the disciples from the various sects, still stunned by the sudden and dramatic shift in events, struggled to comprehend how a seemingly normal trial tournament had suddenly devolved into such chaos, costing so many lives in an instant.

Before they could even process their shock, a new wave of terror struck them, leaving them gasping for air.

Above the secret realm of Wanchao Valley, the sky suddenly trembled violently, like a layer of glass shattering with a deafening explosion. Fiery meteors rained down from the sky, falling to the ground in clusters. Scattered flames of desolation ignited across the valley, trapping the already-panicked disciples within.

Immediately following the descent of the flames, dozens of figures fell alongside them, crashing into the secret realm of Wanchao Valley.

The disciples could only stare, wide-eyed, as these figures staggered to their feet in the valley, scanning their surroundings with alarm. The faces of these newcomers were so familiar that they couldn't be mistaken—these were none other than the sect leaders and elders of the various sects.

Unfortunately, these figures landed outside the protective range of Yu Xian’s sword barrier. Before they could fully assess the situation in the valley, they felt an enormous suction force enveloping them, pulling them violently in a certain direction.

The sect leaders immediately stabilized their spiritual energy, anchoring themselves to the ground with immense force to avoid being unceremoniously dragged away by the demonic power. Even so, some of the weaker leaders were pulled several steps forward before they managed to steady themselves. The stronger ones managed to root themselves in place, but it was by no means an effortless task.

This development filled the hearts of all the sect leaders and elders with utter shock.

When the formations of the Green Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise gates had been broken, they could no longer sit idly by. Even before the leaders of the Hengtian Sect could speak, the others had already decided to enter the secret realm through the breaches to investigate the immense surge of demonic energy and spiritual power. However, before they could act, they were forcibly dragged into the secret realm by a colossal pull. Even the leaders and elders of Hengtian Sect were no exception.

Before entering the secret realm, the sect leaders and elders were still filled with questions. But once inside, feeling the greedy, all-consuming suction force that seemed determined to devour all things, coupled with the sight of the enormous blue-glowing mass in the distance, their minds quickly pieced together the truth. The conclusion they least wanted to believe pushed all other thoughts aside, dominating their consciousness.

For a moment, the expressions of the sect leaders and elders who had experienced the catastrophe from centuries ago turned ashen. A single thought surfaced in their minds simultaneously: That demonic thing has reappeared!

Just as this realization took root, the suction force emanating from the Ice Soul intensified once again. Even Yu Xian furrowed his brows deeply, adding yet another layer of weight to his footing to brace himself. His eyes remained fixed on the Ice Soul, its core obscured by the black vortex. He seemed determined to pierce through the vortex with his gaze alone, desperate to discern the fate of Bai Ke and Junxiao—whether they still lived or had perished.

Yet, the figures of Bai Ke and Junxiao remained invisible, with no sign of any movement within the black vortex. It was as though the moment they entered, they had completely vanished into thin air.

Although Yu Xian could hold his ground, the same could not be said for others. Two elders with weaker cultivation clenched their teeth so hard they cracked, pushing their spiritual energy to its limits to resist. Yet, after only a few seconds, they let out anguished cries as the overwhelming force pulled them into the black vortex, vanishing into the Ice Soul’s core without a trace.

Seeing yet more elders get sucked in, the disciples shielded by Yu Xian became even more panicked, their faces pale with terror. Meanwhile, the expressions of the remaining sect leaders and elders grew increasingly ugly.

But the Ice Soul showed no signs of relenting. Instead, its suction intensified once again, and a new development emerged.

The sect leaders and elders who had witnessed the horrors of the past could only watch helplessly as a scene they never wanted to see again began to unfold—the same infernal vision from years ago that had been labeled ‘purgatory’. Black mist poured ceaselessly from the Ice Soul, spreading outward like the grasping claws of some malevolent demon. The mist moved with terrifying speed, blurring into shadowy shapes as it surged toward the crowd.

This sinister mist was something none of the sect leaders or elders could ever forget. More precisely, it was impossible for anyone who had witnessed it to erase the memory of those black eagle-like claws. This mist was the same force that, back then, had devoured everything it touched. Whoever was caught by it—be they a cultivator of immense power or an ordinary, defenseless commoner—would have their spiritual energy and cultivation completely drained. Their bodies would wither into husks, leaving not even skin, flesh, or bones behind. It had claimed victims across all walks of life, sparing no one.

The black mist, like the countdown to death, began its deadly work the moment it emerged from the Ice Soul. Yet no one could spare the effort to stop it. If they loosened their hold on their spiritual energy, they would be sucked into the vortex and die. If they didn’t loosen their defenses and the black mist touched them, death was still inevitable.

The claw-like black mist surged toward the crowd. Even Yu Xian’s pupils constricted as he watched its approach, his body tensing. The sect leaders and elders, seeing the mist rushing toward them, displayed expressions of utter despair…

 

Translator : DarNan