The power of the Chaos Green Lotus Martial Soul surged within his body, its verdant vitality attempting to mend the jagged cracks.
The Eternal Night Void Emperor (pseudo) Martial Soul desperately maintained a faint sliver of spatial stability, trying to alleviate the tearing pain.
Even so, when he was violently thrown out by the distorted portal of light and slammed onto the cold, hard mountain rocks, Xiao Han's vision went black, and he almost fainted.
"Puff!"
A large mouthful of blood mixed with bits of internal organs and flesh spurted out, Xiao Han's face was deathly pale, and his spiritual power was completely depleted. The newly evolved [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes] was now experiencing needle-like pain due to the previous forced activation, and even his vision began to blur.
He struggled to sit up and looked around.
This is a completely unfamiliar, wild mountain range, with ancient trees reaching for the sky, and miasma rising and falling. In the distance, the intermittent roars of monstrous beasts can be faintly heard, filled with a primal and unsettling danger.
Without time to think it over, Xiao Han first checked the biggest gain of this trip— the Blood Soul Source Crystal that had begun to merge with the [Mysterious Soul Jade].
The Source Crystal floated in his palm, its dark red light flickering erratically. The soul energy contained within it was as vast as the sea, yet also incredibly violent.
Previously refined by the Purple-Robed Elder, and then intercepted and disrupted by Xiao Han, his pure soul essence is now constantly dissipating from it. Even worse, a powerful backlash is surging out from within the Source Crystal, threatening to erode his soul!
"Oh no!" Xiao Han's heart trembled violently.
Just then, the [Mysterious Soul Jade] that he had been holding tightly in his hand and that was now attached to the crack in the Blood Soul Source Crystal suddenly emitted a soft and deep dark light.
This dark light possessed a peculiar suction power, actively drawing in all the violent soul essence that had escaped from the Blood Soul Source Crystal.
What surprised and delighted Xiao Han even more was that, after being transformed by the Soul Jade, these soul essences turned into pure and gentle soul power, which slowly fed back to him, allowing him to absorb it gradually and greatly reducing the backlash from the Blood Soul Source Crystal.
"This Soul Jade..." Xiao Han's heart trembled, and he could hardly contain his joy. This thing was absolutely a heaven-defying treasure! Not only could it assist in soul cultivation, but it could also save his life in critical moments!
[Ding! Host made a decisive move in a moment of crisis, snatching food from the jaws of death and achieving a last- Illusion-Breaking Spirit Eyes] has successfully evolved into the [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes]! Unlocking the prototypes of True Sight (seeing through the essence) and Soul Intimidation (shaking the soul)!]
[Ding! Special reward issued: Soul-Devouring Pearl x1 (A one-time consumable item that can forcibly devour a portion of the target's soul power to nourish oneself. It has remarkable effects on soul bodies or divine souls. Use with caution.)]
The system notification sounds rang in succession.
Xiao Han had no time to delve into the mysteries of the [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes] or the purpose of the [Soul-Devouring Pearl]. He suddenly looked up, his expression changing drastically.
"Roar!"
"Awoo--"
Several powerful and ferocious auras of demonic beasts, like hungry wolves that have smelled blood, quickly surrounded them from all directions.
Clearly, it was the energy fluctuations emanating from the Blood Soul Source Crystal that attracted them, and some of the auras among them were even comparable in strength to those of early or mid-stage Martial Grandmaster Realm!
"Damn it!" Xiao Han cursed inwardly. It was like going from one wolf's den to another tiger's lair.
He forcefully suppressed the surging blood and the stinging sensation in his soul, quickly returning the Blood Soul Source Crystal and the Mysterious Soul Jade to his storage space, leaving only a faint trace as bait.
[Void-Piercing Divine Eyes - True Sight, Activate!]
Within his pupils, pale golden vortexes swirled silently.
In an instant, the world around him completely changed in his perception. The veins of plants, the internal structure of rocks, the flow of energy... everything became crystal clear, leaving nothing hidden.
He endured the stinging pain and quickly scanned his surroundings, searching for the best place to hide and retaliate.
Extending my perception, several hundred meters to my left and front, beneath an extremely steep stone wall, faint energy fluctuations distorted the light, creating a nearly imperceptible blind spot. Without the True Sight of the [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes], it would be impossible to detect.
"A natural illusion array? There seem to be spatial fluctuations inside..." Xiao Han's thoughts stirred slightly.
Without further hesitation, he grabbed a few healing pills and qi-restoring pills from his storage ring, swallowed them in one gulp, and then activated the "A Step to the Ends of the Earth" footwork, his figure transforming into a blurry shadow as he raced towards the illusion array area.
The Eternal Night Void Emperor Martial Soul's subtle perception of space, combined with the [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes]'s ability to pierce through illusions, allowed him to quickly find the weakness in the illusion array.
Just as Xiao Han staggered into the illusion array and disappeared in front of the stone wall, a deafening roar came from behind.
"Roar--!"
A giant ape, five zhang tall, covered in dark red fur, with blood-red eyes, suddenly pounced out of the forest.
It exuded the terrifying pressure of Martial Grandmaster Realm Third Layer, clearly deeply attracted by the aura of the Blood Soul Source Crystal. It was none other than one of the overlords of this mountain range, the Blood-Eyed Demon Ape!
The Blood-Eyed Demon Ape twitched its nose, sniffing the lingering, alluring scent in the air, before finally focusing its attention on the stone wall where Xiao Han had disappeared. Its enormous, fan-like hand slammed down with immense force onto the natural illusion array!
"Boom!"
The illusion array shook violently, rippling outwards, but it did not immediately collapse.
At this moment, Xiao Han, who had just entered the illusion array, felt the scene before him change. Behind the stone wall was the entrance to a deep, bottomless cave. From the depths of the cave, a faint tremor of spatial power could be heard.
"An ancient teleportation array?" Xiao Han's heart skipped a beat.
Before he could observe carefully, the illusion array behind him flickered rapidly, and with a muffled "bang," it was broken open by the furious Blood-Eyed Demon Ape with brute force!
A tall, imposing figure blocked the cave entrance, its blood-red, ferocious eyes flashing with greed and bloodlust as it stared intently at Xiao Han, or more accurately, at the source of energy on Xiao Han that it perceived as something it desperately craved.
A formidable enemy lies in their path ahead, while an ancient teleportation array poses an unpredictable threat from behind.
Xiao Han secretly regulated his breathing, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. To heal his injuries peacefully, he had to kill this beast first!
His mind raced, and he tried to activate the nascent Soul Intimidation of the [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes].
"Buzz!"
An invisible Soul Impact spread out from him, instantly enveloping the Blood-Eyed Demon Ape!
"Huh?"
The Blood-Eyed Demon Ape's hill-like body stiffened abruptly, a hint of confusion and pain flashing in its crimson eyes, and its ferocious movements faltered. Although its soul was far more resilient than that of a human Martial Artist of the same level, Xiao Han's Soul Intimidation still made it feel uneasy.
Now!
Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Han flipped his right hand, and the [Soul-Devouring Pearl] he had just acquired was already in his palm. He mobilized all his remaining strength and hurled the jet-black bead, which exuded a strange suction aura, at the Blood-Eyed Demon Ape!
"You beast, try this fresh one!"
"Woo--Awooo!"
The Soul-Devouring Pearl transformed into a streak of dark light, imprinting itself precisely on the Blood-Eyed Demon Ape's brow.
The next moment, the bead suddenly unleashed an unimaginable suction force. The Blood-Eyed Demon Ape's massive body convulsed violently, and its enormous, bell-like crimson eyes were instantly filled with endless terror and excruciating pain, letting out an extremely shrill scream.