The Soul Refining Prison lay on a wasteland in the northwest of the Pill Realm. From afar, the area was shrouded in gray-black mist, within which countless twisted shadows could faintly be seen writhing, radiating Soul Pressure that made the heart tremble. Unlike the vibrant Medicine God Valley, the ground here was cracked and barren, and the air carried a faint stench of blood and decay.
"What powerful soul hostility." As soon as Mo Chen approached the edge of the Soul Refining Prison, he frowned and circulated his Origin Qi to protect his sea of consciousness. He could sense the violent soul energy contained in the surrounding mist, constantly battering the mind. Anyone with an unsteady will would likely be swallowed by that hostility in an instant, reduced to a walking corpse.
Xiao Yan was faring a little better. His soul had been tempered by Heavenly Flames and was far stronger than those of cultivators at the same level. With the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone protecting him as well, the soul hostility could hardly invade his sea of consciousness. Even so, he dared not let his guard down. The five-colored Heavenly Flames on the Heavy Xuan Ruler burned more fiercely, and the purifying power they radiated could drive away some of the surrounding hostility.
"The Pill God's Notes say that a 'Soul Refining Tower' stands at the heart of the Soul Refining Prison, and a fragment of the Heart of the Pill Realm is hidden on its top floor." Xiao Yan pointed at the indistinct silhouette of a tower deep in the mist. "But to reach the Soul Refining Tower, we have to cross this 'Soul Devouring Mist Sea.' The Soul-Devouring Ghosts inside love nothing more than devouring cultivators' souls."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a piercing screech rang out from the sea of mist. Dozens of translucent black shadows rushed out of it. They had no fixed shape, flowing like black smoke, and their faces bore only two hollow eye sockets glowing with a greedy green light. They were Soul-Devouring Ghosts.
These Soul-Devouring Ghosts were not particularly strong, their souls comparable in strength to those of Origin King Realm cultivators. But they made up for it with their numbers and their ability to blend into the mist, making them difficult to target.
"Watch their eye sockets! That's where their soul cores are!" Xiao Yan warned. He swept the Heavy Xuan Ruler across, and a ribbon of five-colored flame instantly engulfed three Soul-Devouring Ghosts. They let out ghastly screams in the flames, their bodies rapidly melting away until only two green points of light remained, which the flames burned to nothing.
Mo Chen also summoned his pill furnace. Countless tiny sparks of pill fire sprayed from it, dancing through the sea of mist like fireflies and striking the Soul-Devouring Ghosts hidden in the fog with pinpoint accuracy. The pill essence power contained in the pill fire was exceptionally effective against soul creatures. Once struck, the Soul-Devouring Ghosts melted away like ice and snow.
Back to back, the two warily fought off the Soul-Devouring Ghosts that kept pouring toward them. Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flames were overbearing, so he launched the frontal assault; Mo Chen's pill fire was precise, so he dealt with the ones that slipped through the net. They worked together seamlessly, and for a time, they did not let the Soul-Devouring Ghosts come a single step closer.
But there were simply too many Soul-Devouring Ghosts. As soon as one wave was killed, another came, seemingly without end. Mo Chen was expending a tremendous amount of pill fire, and his face gradually paled. Stabs of pain also began to pierce his sea of consciousness.
"This won't work." Xiao Yan frowned slightly. He could sense stronger soul fluctuations deep in the sea of mist; clearly, more powerful Soul-Devouring Ghosts were lurking there. "We have to break through the mist and reach the Soul Refining Tower as quickly as possible!"
"How? These things cling to us like sticky candy!" Mo Chen asked between gasps as he fought them off.
A glint flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes, and he looked at the Burning Heaven Cauldron in his hand. "We'll use this!"
He summoned the Burning Heaven Cauldron, and it rapidly expanded, hovering above their heads. At the same time, he channeled the energy of the Heart of the Pill Realm fragment into it. The Pill Patterns on the cauldron lit up, radiating a gentle yet powerful golden light that formed an enormous shield around them both.
The Soul-Devouring Ghosts slammed into the shield as though they had struck a wall of bronze and iron. They were instantly flung back by the golden light, and cracks even appeared in their soul cores.
"It's working!" Mo Chen was overjoyed.
"Hold on!" Xiao Yan shouted, controlling the Burning Heaven Cauldron. Carrying them both, the shield shot toward the Soul Refining Tower like a golden meteor.
Outside the shield, the Soul-Devouring Ghosts shrieked madly and slammed into it again and again, but beneath the combined protection of the Heart of the Pill Realm fragment and the Burning Heaven Cauldron, they could not break through at all. Protected by the shield, the two forced a path straight through the Soul Devouring Mist Sea. Half an hour later, they finally arrived before the Soul Refining Tower.
The Soul Refining Tower was built entirely of grayish-white stone, its walls covered in twisted soul runes that radiated even stronger Soul Pressure than the sea of mist. The tower doors were tightly shut, and an enormous skull was carved into them. A ghostly green light flickered in its eye sockets, as though it were examining the visitors.
"The soul energy here is so pure. It's violent, but if it can be put to use, it would be of great benefit for tempering the soul." Xiao Yan sensed the presence radiating from the Soul Refining Tower, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Mo Chen, however, was pale. "I feel like my sea of consciousness is about to be torn apart. Let's find the fragment and leave quickly."
Xiao Yan nodded and tried channeling Heavenly Flames into the skull's eye sockets on the tower doors. As soon as the flames touched the ghostly green light, the skull shook violently. The light in its eye sockets rapidly dimmed, and the tower doors slowly opened.
The tower's interior was even more sinister than the outside. Countless luminous crystals were embedded in the walls on either side of the stairs. Twisted souls were sealed within them, letting out cries of agony. A wave of soul hostility ten times denser than that outside hit them head-on, making Mo Chen step back despite himself.
"Stay close to me." Xiao Yan held the Burning Heaven Cauldron in front of them, shielding them both as he made his way toward the tower's top floor, one step at a time.
Along the way, they encountered several stronger Soul-Devouring Ghosts. They were larger, and their soul cores were more solid, their souls comparable in strength to those at the Initial Origin Emperor level. But suppressed by both the five-colored Heavenly Flames and the Burning Heaven Cauldron, these Soul-Devouring Ghosts could not withstand a single blow and were soon slain.
The higher they climbed, the stronger the Soul Pressure became. The soul runes inside the tower grew increasingly active, as though countless invisible hands were tugging at their souls. Cold sweat beaded on Mo Chen's forehead, and he could barely hold on thanks to the protection of his pill furnace.
Xiao Yan's situation was no better. Stabs of pain pierced his sea of consciousness, and his soul flame flickered violently, as though it might go out at any moment. But he gritted his teeth and pressed on. He could feel that although the violent soul energy was dangerous, it was also tempering his soul like a whetstone, making his soul flame more condensed.
"We're almost at the top." Looking at the platform ahead, Xiao Yan took a deep breath and quickened his pace.
The top floor was not large. A crystal fragment emitting a gray light floated above the stone platform in its center. It was the fifth fragment of the Heart of the Pill Realm. Dense soul hostility coiled around the fragment, forming an invisible barrier.
Just as Xiao Yan was about to take the fragment, countless pale hands suddenly reached out from beneath the stone platform and seized his ankles. A Soul-Devouring Ghost the size of a small mountain emerged from the ground. Its body was formed from countless twisted souls, and fierce green flames burned in its eye sockets. Its presence had actually reached the Peak Origin Emperor level!
"It's the Soul Devouring Ghost King!" Mo Chen's expression changed drastically.
The Soul Devouring Ghost King let out a deafening shriek, and a powerful soul impact swept toward them like a tangible sound wave. Mo Chen was instantly blasted backward into the wall. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and a searing pain tore through his sea of consciousness, nearly knocking him unconscious.
Xiao Yan was also shaken, his blood and Qi surging and his sea of consciousness convulsing violently. But he forced himself to endure the pain, and the five-colored Heavenly Flames erupted, burning the ghostly hands wrapped around his ankles to nothing.
"Heavenly Flames: Soul Burning!"
With a low shout, Xiao Yan compressed the five-colored Heavenly Flames into a thin thread of fire and shot it straight into the Soul Devouring Ghost King's eye socket. The thread contained pure soul flame, the bane of soul creatures.
"Aargh-!"
The Soul Devouring Ghost King let out an utterly ghastly scream. The green flames in its eye sockets flickered wildly, and its body began to fall apart. But it did not die immediately. Instead, it lunged madly at Xiao Yan, attempting to devour his soul before it died.
Xiao Yan's gaze hardened. Rather than retreat, he advanced, channeling the power of the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone into his sea of consciousness. His soul flame surged and collided head-on with the Soul Devouring Ghost King's Soul Pressure.
"Break!"
Xiao Yan roared. The soul flame in his sea of consciousness transformed into a sharp sword and slashed fiercely at the Soul Devouring Ghost King's soul core.
"Crack!"
The Soul Devouring Ghost King's soul core shattered with the sound. Its enormous body receded like the tide, finally dissipating completely into the air.
With the Soul Devouring Ghost King's death, the surrounding soul hostility rapidly withdrew, and the gray fragment on the stone platform revealed its true appearance.
Xiao Yan stepped forward, took the fifth fragment, and joined it to the previous four. Only three gaps remained in the crystal sphere, and its light shone even more brilliantly. The energy it contained quieted all the surrounding soul runes.
He went over to Mo Chen and fed him a healing pill. "Are you all right?"
Mo Chen shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "I almost couldn't hold on. This Soul Refining Prison is even more terrifying than I imagined."
Xiao Yan looked at the Soul Devouring Mist Sea outside the Soul Refining Tower, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes. "Although the soul energy here is violent, it really is a good place to temper the soul. Once the seal has been reforged, perhaps this place could be turned into a trial ground to help the cultivators of the Great Thousand World strengthen their souls."
Hearing this, a trace of anticipation flashed in Mo Chen's eyes as well. "If that can be done, it would be a great help in resisting the Lord of Darkness."
The two rested for a while, and once they had recovered most of their strength, they left the Soul Refining Tower and set off for their next destination-the Star Sea.
After leaving the Soul Refining Prison, the air around them finally grew fresh. Xiao Yan glanced back at the wasteland still shrouded in mist and thought to himself, Once the Lord of Darkness is dealt with, I must bring this place back to life.
He tightened his grip on the crystal sphere fragments, feeling the power they contained, and walked on with firm steps.
The Star Sea awaited their exploration. And what challenges and secrets would they find there?