Seeing that Ye Guyi was powerless against his curse, Xu Zhengyang felt a little dejected. This curse was always a hidden danger for him, and he didn't know when it would erupt.
Xu Zhengyang had tried many times to awaken the gray aura in his mind, but there was never any response. In particular, the sentence he heard when he first obtained the gray aura made Xu Zhengyang always have doubts, but he was also extremely helpless.
For the next few days, Xu Zhengyang cultivated diligently, and since the curse did not erupt for the time being, he did not think about it too much.
However, that night, while Xu Zhengyang was meditating in his dormitory, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Xu Zhengyang sensed a very strange aura emanating from the person outside the door. This aura was extremely obscure and mysterious, completely unlike that of a normal person. However, remembering that this was the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, Xu Zhengyang, though somewhat wary, still opened the dormitory door.
Outside the dormitory door stood an extremely tall man dressed in black robes, his entire head shrouded in black. He exuded a terrifying aura, a black, evil aura enveloping his entire body, even his face was distorted, making him look completely unlike a normal person.
Xu Zhengyang asked warily, "Who are you? Why are you looking for me?"
The man in black laughed instead, "Heh heh, weren't you the one who was looking for us?"
Xu Zhengyang's expression changed. "Are you a member of the Holy Spirit Cult?"
The man in black handed Xu Zhengyang a hood. "Put this on and come with me."
Xu Zhengyang hesitated only briefly before putting on the hood. The hood seemed to be specially made; it was actually a Soul Tool that completely blocked his mental energy, plunging him into darkness.
Before Xu Zhengyang could react, a terrifying force instantly grabbed Xu Zhengyang right hand, causing him to lose control and immediately fall into a dazed state.
Xu Zhengyang felt as if he were floating on clouds, feeling dizzy and disoriented. He was clearly being carried away by this person, but the special hood isolated him from everything outside, and he only felt a sense of weightlessness.
Even so, Xu Zhengyang still gripped the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear tightly with his left hand.
The man in black clearly didn't care much about Xu Zhengyang's actions, but he glanced at Xu Zhengyang's Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear one more time, and then completely ignored him.
Time flew by, and Xu Zhengyang's unusual condition lasted for a full day before he was brought to the ground.
When Xu Zhengyang saw the light again, he was immediately struck by its brightness. His hood was removed, and he felt as if he had entered a special environment. It turned out to be a huge Soul Beast Forest, and this Soul Beast Forest was very strange. It was filled with an evil aura and seemed to be more bloodthirsty and terrifying than other Soul Beast Forests.
What came into view was a huge stone gate. This stone gate seemed to be specially protected, or even disguised. If it weren't for the black-clad man leading the way, I probably wouldn't have been able to find this stone gate on my own.
The man in black remained unusually calm. "We've arrived. This is our destination. However, I can only take you to the entrance. If you want to enter, you'll have to rely on your own abilities."
After the man in black finished speaking, he vanished like a shadow into the stone passage, disappearing without a trace.
Xu Zhengyang glanced around at the surroundings. This Soul Beast Forest was very special, completely different from any Soul Beast Forest he had ever seen before. All the plants were black, and they were even shrouded in a special aura, completely different from the boundless vitality of the Soul Beast Forests he had seen before.
Xu Zhengyang instantly understood that this must be the headquarters of the Holy Spirit Cult, also known as the legendary Evil Demon Forest. Even with his mental power at its strongest, it seemed to be subject to special interference, likely a so-called mental shielding array.
The stone gate before them resembled a gigantic maw capable of swallowing anyone whole, even spiritual energy entering the gate instantly vanishing into nothingness.
Xu Zhengyang thought for a moment and then stepped into the stone gate without hesitation. The moment he entered, he felt as if he were in a dark ocean, and a peculiar aura began to invade his body, making him extremely uncomfortable.
But it was at this moment that a scorching aura surged forth from Xu Zhengyang's body, colliding with this evil aura and bringing him back to his senses.
After leaving Xu Zhengyang, the man in black arrived at a certain underground location, where there was a relatively small hall, with a seat in the center.
A thin, small man.
This person looked extremely thin and gloomy, with a withered appearance, dark skin, and one eyebrow higher than the other. There was a faint black "king" mark between his eyebrows. The aura emanating from him was extremely terrifying, and he was definitely a true powerhouse.
The man in black bowed and said, "Sixth Master, the man has been brought here and is now outside the stone gate. I just don't know if he dares to come in."
This person is Zhang Peng, the sixth honoree of the Holy Spirit Cult, nicknamed Scorpion Tiger Douluo, Soul Power has reached an astonishing level of ninety-six.
Zhang Peng waved his hand. "Don't worry about that. Our Holy Spirit Cult isn't so easy to join. Go to the main hall and wait. If this Xu Zhengyang can get into the main hall, bring him to see me then. Remember to monitor his condition in real time, and don't let him die."
The man in black looked puzzled. "Sixth Elder was just a junior. He's dead, so what? Could there be any problems?"
"Besides, this kid is the first person in all these years to try and find members of my Holy Spirit Cult. How can we not make him pay a price?"
Zhang Peng shook his head. "This Xu Zhengyang is not that simple. He took the initiative to want to see the Holy Maiden. Not only did the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire speak to our leader, but even that old fellow Jing Hongchen spoke to me. If we rashly kill him, we can't be too disrespectful to the Sun Moon Empire."
"But our Holy Maiden isn't so easy to meet; it's impossible to do so without paying a price, unless he can bear it."
"If they become corrupted by evil and fall into the same slumber as us, then they can't blame us. Jing Hongchen and the Crown Prince won't have anything to say then."
The man in black quickly spoke up, "Sixth Elder is wise, but I think this Xu Zhengyang is no ordinary person. Although he is only at the Soul Ancestor level, his physical attributes are extremely strong, especially his unique method of Martial Soul forging, which is somewhat similar to our Holy Spirit Cult. If he can join our Holy Spirit Cult, he will surely have a bright future."
Without wasting words, Zhang Peng took out a piece of paper and handed it to the man in black beside him. The paper contained detailed information about Xu Zhengyang, including: Xu Zhengyang was a member of a collateral branch of the Xu Clan, the Sun Moon Empire Imperial Family; his Soul Ancestor Martial Soul was a mutated spear; he had performed exceptionally well in the Soul Master Tournament, and had once fought against a top Soul Emperor.
The man in black's expression changed upon seeing this information. "Sixth Elder, this kid's experience is simply unbelievable. To cultivate to this level with such a low Innate Soul Power, and even become the top student at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, could it be that he also used our Holy Spirit Cult's cultivation methods? Apart from our Holy Spirit Cult, there shouldn't be anyone else who could defy fate like him."
Zhang Peng nodded. "This is one of the reasons why the leader agreed to let Xu Zhengyang come to the Holy Spirit Cult to see Tang Ya. From my personal experience, Xu Zhengyang is someone I've seen only once in a hundred years. If our Holy Spirit Cult could also master this cultivation method, it might be of other help to us."
"Furthermore, Xu Zhengyang has a special identity and a complex web of connections. He is related to the royal family, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, and even the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion. If we can get him to join our Holy Spirit Cult, it will be like putting a thorn in the side of the royal family, which will also facilitate our future development."
"Therefore, Xu Zhengyang must not be allowed to get into trouble, and we must find a way to make him one of us, but we cannot force him. That's why we let him join the Holy Spirit Cult on his own."
The man in black's eyes lit up. "I understand. Sixth Elder is wise. Joining our Holy Spirit Cult isn't so simple. Even ordinary Soul Emperor can easily lose their way, let alone someone who's only Soul Ancestor. Once Xu Zhengyang's soul is corrupted, we can guide him a little, and we won't have to worry about him not joining our Holy Spirit Cult."
Zhang Peng continued, "By the way, how is the Holy Maiden now?"
The man in black said, "The Holy Maiden knows that someone is looking for her, but she continues to cultivate. The Holy Maiden is currently very dedicated to cultivation, especially pursuing the improvement of her Soul Power, particularly her Martial Soul, the Dark Blue Silver Grass, which has an extremely strong devouring ability."
Zhang Peng nodded. "Continue to monitor Xu Zhengyang and the Holy Maiden's situation, and report back immediately if there is any news."
The man in black quickly obeyed and left, while Zhang Peng's eyes flashed with an unusually sinister light, filled with an evil aura.
"You Mingdu the chosen ones, each one joining my Holy Spirit Cult in pursuit of strength and to escape the limitations of your talents. But joining my Holy Spirit Cult is not so easy; you will likely have to pay with your souls."
After Xu Zhengyang stepped through the stone gate, he was met with a bottomless staircase. The entire staircase was constructed of granite, and even the walls were made of rare metals. These structures could not only withstand impacts but also resist Spiritual Detection and even isolate the aura of the ground. Not to mention, this place was located deep within the Evil Demon Forest, possessing a natural deterrent effect.
Meanwhile, peculiar flames flickered on both sides of the steps. These flames were all a deep blue color, as if some kind of special fuel was burning. Yet, from these deep blue flames, there was a captivating aura that made people feel mesmerized.
"Interesting. It actually uses red spider lilies and rosemary as ingredients, and probably also some special Soul Beast corpse powder. Even Soul Emperor could be unconsciously knocked out and lose their senses without realizing it. The Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters is indeed well-protected; they have no intention of letting outsiders in or out."
Just then, the massive stone gate suddenly closed, and at the same time, the entire ground seemed to tremble, and the entire entrance seemed to slowly move downwards. Just one minute later, the stone gate seemed to have completely disappeared into the Evil Demon Forest.