The Demon Hall

"I'm not willing to accept this! I'm not!"

The shrill wails and howls of ghosts seemed to sink into every inch of the land. The nightmare-inducing sounds echoed for a long time across the empty region.

Ji Tian stood before a vast pit, gazing at the pool in his hand, now reduced to a single drop of water. Four tiny silver fish swam inside it, continuously releasing silvery light that formed an illusory chain and bound a mass of black shadow.

The black shadow thrashed and roared inside the droplet, baring its claws. But then a force of confinement dragged it firmly back.

Watching the shadow struggle, Ji Tian smiled faintly. Recalling what had just happened, he couldn't help feeling shaken. It had all been so dreamlike, as if he were still in a dream.

The root of all this had turned out to be that undead he'd looked down on, the fellow he could have sent flying with a single slap.

As Ji Tian refined the undead, he had stirred its shattered memories—indelible memories left behind by repeated deaths.

Life was as fleeting as a mayfly, born at dawn and dead by dusk. It had wanted to change that heartbreaking existence.

Watching the undead die again and again, helpless each time, had touched the softest part of Ji Tian's heart.

The undead had pleaded, "I'm willing to become a spirit of the restriction and control this pool. I can send you out, and even give you the Sealing Bone. But I want that wisp of remnant soul suppressed forever."

"As you say, all of this is the remnant bone's scheme. How am I supposed to trust you?"

Ji Tian hesitated, but he had no better option.

Many things in this pool were controlled by that remnant soul: the Death Qi gradually condensing into an Inner Core, and the force of the restriction pressing down on him.

What choice did he have but to trust the other party?

"To become a spirit of the restriction, I'll need your soul power. My soul is simply too weak."

Ji Tian asked in confusion, "Do you know the secret of this pool's restriction? Can you become its spirit?"

"He used me as a test subject every time he worked out the restriction, so I learned a little from it. I just never realized that all those who died were me. Sometimes, I died within seconds. I couldn't accept it. I didn't want to go on like that."

"Eventually, I gradually figured it out. This restriction exists to suppress that remnant bone, and it hardly repels any other living beings. As long as you aren't the being the restriction is suppressing, you have a chance. The reason the remnant bone can control the pool's restriction is that it has nearly abandoned its own body and turned into a mass of Death Qi. It, like me, is a spirit born from Death Qi. But it still can't let go of the power of its body. Every so often, it returns to its body to absorb soul power."

Ji Tian asked, "How can we keep him from finding out?"

"Keep refining it. Do your best to refine the Black Stone. That's what he wants most, and it's one of the reasons he's stayed here. He's too confident. That's his weakness, and it'll prove fatal. We'll strike when he's least on guard. We're sure to succeed."

Ji Tian said, "When he's least on guard? That might be when the Black Stone has been completely refined."

"That won't do. There's an incredibly powerful force inside it. If he takes it, we'll be finished."

Ji Tian mused, "If you become the spirit of the restriction, can you create an illusion? For instance, make him think the Black Stone has been completely refined. If possible, I could even drive him mad with rage. Wouldn't that give me a better chance?"

"Maybe. Let's try. You'd better absorb as much of the restriction as you can."

Ji Tian frowned. "This..."

"You can only take a chance. This might not be a trap."

Ji Tian was truly torn. This was an opportunity, but it could also be a scheme. If he absorbed a large amount of the restriction, the worst that could happen was that he became its spirit. It was a huge gamble, with his life as the stake.

If he won, he would gain freedom and a piece of Sealing Bone.

If he lost, he would be trapped here forever, perhaps to be refined by someone one day.

Looking at the droplet in his hand, Ji Tian realized he had won the gamble.

Although he had obtained a finger bone, he would never get Pangu's remnant soul unless he could refine the droplet of restriction and subdue that wisp of remnant soul.

Perhaps he really could restore Great God Pangu's shattered arm. Then who could withstand a single blow from him? The Heavenly Dao would be the last thing he had to defeat.

The Black Stone was a treasure, too. He had already refined half of it, and the vitality seeping from it could nourish his primordial spirit.

Ji Tian set the droplet down on the black earth.

The droplet suddenly swelled, slowly flowed into the valley, and transformed into the strange pool. Who could tell what was real and what was illusory? Perhaps even the pool itself didn't know.

The four silver fish swam happily in the black pool.

Ji Tian cupped his hands toward the pool. "I hope you'll transcend your tribulation soon, fellow Daoist."

Ripples spread across the pool as it gathered into a silvery-white phantom. It spoke to Ji Tian. "Perhaps I'll attain the Dao one day, too."

Just then, a roar came from the pool. "You ungrateful traitor! One day, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

Ji Tian sighed and silently walked away. The pool had prepared another gift for him.

Black rocks lay haphazardly, without a trace of life. White bones stood starkly pale all around.

Ji Tian walked toward a desolate cave. Inside, a black Bone Dragon trembled with fear.

Ji Tian said calmly, "Are you willing to follow me?"

The Demon Dragon had long since lost its former arrogance. Its hollow eyes were filled with hope.

This Demon Dragon was a dragon-shaped skeleton that had fallen into the pool after being badly wounded. Nourished by the pool's vitality, it had fortuitously cultivated a primordial spirit. But it had also been constrained by the power in the pool and made its guardian.

Now Ji Tian had freed it from that restraint.

A strange great hall stood here—the Demon Hall, which had wounded a Skeleton Emperor of the Golden Flame Level.

Darkness shrouded the world, making it seem utterly lifeless. Ji Tian headed toward the valley where the Demon Hall stood. Bands of black cloud curled around the Bone Mountain, chilling anyone who looked upon them to the bone.

The Demon Dragon flew reluctantly toward the white Bone Mountain in the valley. Beneath the pitch-black night sky, the hundred-zhang Bone Mountain glimmered with eerie will-o'-the-wisps and seethed with Ghost Qi. The palace on the mountain looked especially sinister and terrifying in the darkness, like a gigantic demon thrusting its hideous head out from among countless bones.

Ji Tian climbed the steps strewn with white bones and strode toward the main entrance of the hall. The Demon Dragon hesitated, roaring again and again. It was a fear that came from the depths of its soul. When they reached the pitch-black, lightless Demon Hall, it refused to go any farther. Its four bony claws dug into the ground, and terror showed in its hollow eyes.

The moment Ji Tian stepped into the hall, a chill swept toward him. He pushed open the Stone Door with all his strength. Inside was a vast hall, where Ghost Fire flickered now and then. Its faint green glow made the place seem especially eerie, like the sinister underworld itself.

The vast, pitch-black hall lay in utter silence. In the darkness, where he couldn't see his own hand, Ji Tian felt his way forward with his keen spiritual senses.

Ji Tian sensed an immense pressure bearing down on him. The overwhelming force made his heart tremble, sending a shudder through his soul.

Demonic Qi surged, and an immense, boundless pressure on his mind descended without warning. It felt as if a mountain had settled on his chest, leaving him oppressed and miserable. His mind seemed on the verge of collapse.

A Nine-Headed Monster Lion made of countless strands of Black Qi suddenly appeared before Ji Tian.

The monster lion tilted its head toward Ji Tian, then closed its eyes and lay down in the hall, as if deep in thought.

Ji Tian mocked himself. It seemed there wasn't any danger after all.

Just then, the Demonic Cloud coiling around the Demon Lion began to shake violently. Black Demonic Qi surged like a raging sea, rising and falling in turbulent waves.

The monster lion roared and howled within it, darting around, biting at everything in sight. It went berserk.

Ji Tian had the strange feeling that someone had seized his soul. His emotions swayed against his will with theirs. He was like a small boat tossed about in towering waves, pitching and heaving violently...

After the Nine-Headed Monster Lion had vented its fury, it calmed down again. Ji Tian panted heavily. This lion had to be mad.

The Nine-Headed Monster Lion suddenly stood up and wailed toward the heavens. An indescribable emptiness, loneliness, and heartache filled the entire hall.

Affected by those emotions, Ji Tian wept bitterly. The liquid formed from his spiritual power streamed from his eye sockets. His primordial spirit trembled faintly, and he hurriedly gathered his spiritual power to keep it steady. The monster was trying to wear him to death.

He was a primordial spirit. If all his spiritual power ran out, he would be finished.

What kind of monster was this? Why was it so crazed and erratic?

Ji Tian focused his mind, trying to free himself from the feeling that someone had seized his soul. But his soul seemed to be beyond his control. No matter how hard he tried, it was as if someone else were controlling him.

It was terrifying. If this monster lion attacked him, Soul Scatter would take him in an instant.

While the monster lion had calmed down, Ji Tian hurriedly placed his soul inside the Black Remnant Bone. Perhaps only that could help him resist the force suppressing his soul.

Two pieces of Black Remnant Bone floated in the hall, emitting a faint black glow.

Ji Tian racked his brains, trying to figure out what kind of monster could possess such powerful soul force.

It was happening again. This time, Ji Tian only felt as if the whole world were beginning to shake. He didn't feel that suffocating pressure. After all, the Black Remnant Bone was Great God Pangu's remains. But the power of the monster's soul could still affect him. Could it be a monster on the same level as Great God Pangu?

How was that possible?

Ji Tian sighed. Why was he so beset by misfortune? He had escaped one prison only to end up in another.

He couldn't go on like this. What was he supposed to do?