Senior Brother

"What did Senior Brother mean by this?"

A flicker of instinctive wariness rose in Ye Xiu's heart.

"Don't be so tense, Junior Brother."

Fang Qiong wore a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"You cultivate the Burning Soul Art, so you will inevitably need a great number of soul beads. I happen to have a task for you. So long as you get it done, not only will you repay the favor you owe your senior brother, it will also benefit your cultivation."

As he spoke, Fang Qiong took a token from his hand.

"This is the control token for the Soul-Devouring Formation the sect has set up in White Cloud Town. Go collect a batch of soul beads for me and turn them over to the sect, and your debt will be repaid."

As a Devil Dao Sect, the Yin Harmony Sect naturally possessed specialized means of acquiring soul beads.

Slaughtering mortals on a massive scale would invite the joint assault of righteous sects. Secretly using formations to siphon away mortals' flesh and blood, however, was far more discreet.

Ye Xiu had heard information about the Soul-Devouring Formation from other disciples in the sect, and he also knew that collecting soul beads was a cushy assignment.

After all, so long as one handed over enough soul beads to the sect, the remaining yield could naturally be pocketed.

There was no risk, yet one could obtain a large number of soul beads. For every devil cultivator, that was difficult to refuse.

Yet the greater the benefits, the more something felt wrong to Ye Xiu.

He forced a smile onto his face.

"Senior Brother, collecting soul beads is a matter of great importance to the sect. How could this junior brother possibly be worthy of taking Senior Brother's place?"

Where there was something abnormal, there had to be a demon lurking behind it. Ye Xiu had no intention of gambling his life for such petty profit.

Now that he had the Wasteland World as a backup source of resources, there was no need for him to take such a risk.

"Do you think I'm discussing this with you?"

Fang Qiong's expression turned cold upon hearing Ye Xiu's words.

With a cold snort, he released the immense pressure of the ninth level of Qi Refinement.

Ye Xiu felt his shoulders sink, as though a mountain of corpses and sea of blood had appeared before his eyes.

Gritting his teeth, he circulated his spiritual power to resist, but in an instant, his head was already drenched in sweat.

Fang Qiong looked coldly at Ye Xiu before him. Only after a long while did he withdraw his pressure.

"If your senior brother were not on the verge of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, and if controlling the Soul-Devouring Formation did not damage the soul and require me to recuperate, do you think such a good opportunity would fall to you?"

As he spoke, his tone carried a trace of threat. "You took the Soul-Reaping Thorn. Claiming a spiritual artifact beyond your station without authorization is not only grounds for confiscation—it is punishable by the sect."

Ye Xiu fell silent. Fang Qiong had already exhausted both threats and temptations. Under the circumstances, he had no choice but to agree.

"Since it is Senior Brother's order, this junior brother would not dare disobey."

As he spoke, Ye Xiu reached out and accepted the token.

Seeing Ye Xiu compromise, Fang Qiong immediately put on a smile.

"That's more like it."

He stepped forward and patted Ye Xiu on the shoulder.

"The situation is urgent. Three days from now is the day to submit the soul beads to the sect, so I will take you to White Cloud Town today."

Facing Fang Qiong, Ye Xiu had no way to refuse. He could only board the bone boat Fang Qiong had summoned, and the two sped toward White Cloud Town.

Above White Cloud Town's earth vein, outside a secret chamber.

"The Soul-Devouring Formation is inside. Once you enter, channel your spiritual power into the token, and you can gather blood essence and living souls to form soul beads."

Fang Qiong pointed toward the pitch-black entrance to the secret chamber. A trace of hesitation flashed across Ye Xiu's face.

"Senior Brother, this is a matter of great importance. Is it really alright for this junior brother to go down alone...?"

"Junior Brother, you talk too much."

Fang Qiong shook his head, and a vicious gleam suddenly flashed across his face.

He abruptly waved his hand. Ye Xiu felt a gust of sinister wind forcibly sweep him up, then he was hurled straight into the secret chamber.

Boom!

Before he had even hit the ground, Ye Xiu felt the token at his waist suddenly blaze with light.

Then, with another boom, the chamber door slammed shut. Within the foul-smelling, dim secret chamber, the Soul-Devouring Formation began to rumble into operation.

Ye Xiu tried to circulate his spiritual power and force open the door, but under the formation's influence, it did not budge in the slightest.

"Don't waste your effort, Junior Brother. Once this formation starts operating, it cannot be stopped."

Fang Qiong's sinister voice penetrated the stone wall.

"It is fortunate you chose the Burning Soul Art. Otherwise, it would not have been so easy to frame you."

At those words, Ye Xiu's heart sank.

He spoke in a low voice, "Fang Qiong, you dare to maliciously frame a disciple of our own sect. Are you not afraid of the sect's punishment?"

Outside, a mocking smile appeared on Fang Qiong's face. "Don't misunderstand, Junior Brother. Your senior brother is not that kind of person."

"It is simply that White Cloud Town has long been watched by a righteous sect."

"When they activate this formation and discover the soul beads left inside, along with this formation still in operation, do you think they will uphold justice on Heaven's behalf?"

"Or perhaps you can place your hopes on the two hours of protection this great formation provides and break through to Foundation Establishment? Then perhaps you might have a chance to escape with your life."

By the end, Fang Qiong could no longer hold back his laughter.

Breaking through to Foundation Establishment in two hours? That was nothing more than a fool's dream. The fastest Foundation Establishment breakthrough in the Yin Harmony Sect's history had still taken half a month.

Not to mention that had been under the sect's unlimited supply of resources. What remained in the Soul-Devouring Formation were only the soul beads he had deliberately left behind to frame Ye Xiu, nowhere near enough for a breakthrough.

"Farewell, Junior Brother. You have helped your senior brother ward off a calamity. I will remember this bond. If you can still leave behind an intact corpse, your senior brother will refine it into a puppet, hahaha."

Fang Qiong's voice gradually faded into the distance.

Ye Xiu let out a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

According to Fang Qiong, the righteous sect's cultivators would arrive in two hours at most.

Unfortunately for him, no matter how carefully he calculated, he could never have imagined that Ye Xiu had the Wasteland World as his trump card for turning the tables!

The ten-to-one flow of time was the key to his reversal!

With a grasp of his hand, Ye Xiu directly drew over all the soul beads in the secret chamber.

Fang Qiong had forced him to come last night, but Ye Xiu had not spent the journey doing nothing.

During the trip, he had thoroughly comprehended the Burning Soul Art!

As he activated the Burning Soul Art, the spiritual energy in the surrounding heavens and earth began surging rapidly into Ye Xiu's body.

The immense, impure spiritual energy crashed painfully through Ye Xiu's meridians, but just as he was about to collapse, the currents of life and death within the soul beads swiftly and forcibly suppressed that spiritual energy.

First level of Qi Refinement, second level, third level...

Ye Xiu's realm rose at lightning speed, like a rocket shooting into the sky.

And with his consumption, the soul beads before him shattered into fragments one after another.

When he opened his eyes again and felt the immense power within his body, a flash of excitement crossed Ye Xiu's face.

Fifth level of Qi Refinement!

In the brief time it took an incense stick to burn, his strength had actually soared from just entering Qi Refinement to the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

Although the circulation of spiritual power through his meridians was choked with obstructions, this realm was absolutely real.

The Burning Soul Art truly was powerful. At this rate, so long as he could gather two hundred soul beads, he would certainly be able to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Ye Xiu silently calculated his previous consumption. Yet before he could rise and familiarize himself with his newfound power, a thunderous roar suddenly came from the stone wall above.

"Senior Brother, the informant's intelligence was indeed correct! That devil cultivator is in here!"

"Senior Brother, let's quickly break open this secret chamber and destroy that devil cultivator!"

Within Ye Xiu's senses, several auras had appeared outside. The weakest was at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, while the strongest was even more powerful than Fang Qiong.

"Don't be hasty. Once this devil formation begins operating, it is difficult to interrupt. But it can hold out for no more than two hours. Let us conserve our strength. The moment the door opens, we will finish off that devilish scum inside!"

The voices outside gradually faded, but Ye Xiu knew that the true killing intent was already waiting beyond the door.

He no longer hesitated. Closing his eyes, he sat cross-legged as the gate connecting the two worlds opened, and his figure gradually vanished...