The group followed behind Ling Xi, advancing cautiously towards the depths of the palace.
With every step, they had to endure the attacks of the soul threads and the erosion of the demonic qi. The path forward was exceptionally difficult.
On the palace floor, countless cultivators’ corpses were scattered. Their faces were pale as paper, eyes wide open, with expressions of terror still lingering on their faces.
Clearly, they had all died from having their souls extracted by the Soul Devouring Venerable.
Ling Yue looked at these corpses, her eyes filled with pity and anger.
She had once been the divine kingdom’s imperial physician, spending her life saving the injured and healing the sick. Now, she could only watch helplessly as so many cultivators met miserable deaths at the hands of demon cultivators.
“These are all our divine kingdom’s cultivators…”
Wu Hao’s voice carried a tremor. He recognised the attire of some of them. “They are all heroes who sacrificed themselves to protect the divine capital city…”
Chen Ping gripped the Dragon Slaying Sword tightly in his hand. Golden spiritual energy swirled around him, his eyes filled with killing intent.
He recalled Commander Ao Lie’s sacrifice, remembered those cultivators killed by demon cultivators in the small town. The anger in his heart burned ever fiercer.
“Soul Devouring Venerable, I must kill you!”
Chen Ping muttered in his heart, his steps becoming even more resolute.
At that moment, a massive booming sound suddenly came from the depths of the palace. Immediately after, a powerful aura emanated from within. The entire palace trembled violently, as if it might collapse at any time.
“Not good!”
Ling Xi’s expression changed. “His body solidification speed has accelerated!”
The group’s hearts tightened. They hurriedly quickened their pace, running towards the direction from which the aura came.
Turning a corner, the scene before them made everyone gasp in shock.
In the deepest part of the palace, the Soul Devouring Venerable floated in mid-air, surrounded by countless black soul threads. These soul threads connected to thousands of black soul urns around him.
Within the soul urns, countless white soul lights were rapidly vanishing, clearly being absorbed by the Soul Devouring Venerable.
The Soul Devouring Venerable’s body had already solidified nearly eighty percent. His originally illusory and transparent soul body had now become clearly visible.
He wore a black long robe, his face pale as paper, eyes deeply sunken, lips red as blood. His entire being exuded a suffocating evil aura.
“Hahaha… Finally about to succeed!” The Soul Devouring Venerable let out a burst of mad laughter, his voice filled with excitement and satisfaction. “It won’t be long before I fully solidify my flesh body and restore my peak strength!”
Ling Xi looked at the Soul Devouring Venerable, her eyes filled with gravity. She could feel that his power was several times stronger than before.
“Everyone be careful, his strength has increased several fold!” Ling Xi said gravely. The green spiritual light around her became even more dazzling, ready for battle at any moment.
Chen Ping, Wu Hao, and the others also released their own spiritual energies, looking at the Soul Devouring Venerable with solemn expressions.
They knew the upcoming battle would be exceptionally difficult.
“Ling Xi, you’ve arrived just in time!” The Soul Devouring Venerable slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Ling Xi and the others, eyes filled with disdain and killing intent. “Since you’re so eager to seek death, I’ll grant your wish!”
Before his words fell, the Soul Devouring Venerable’s figure flashed, instantly appearing before Ling Xi. He condensed a black demonic light in his hand and blasted it towards Ling Xi.
“Be careful!”
Ling Xi shouted loudly, hurriedly releasing green spiritual energy to block it.
“Boom!”
A tremendous explosion rang out as the green spiritual energy collided with the black demonic light, producing a massive shockwave.
Ling Xi only felt a powerful force transmitted from the demonic light. Her body involuntarily retreated several steps, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
“What?” Ling Xi looked at the Soul Devouring Venerable in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief. “Your strength has actually become this strong?”
Ling Xi’s brows furrowed, her expression extremely grave. In such a short time, she had actually been injured by the Soul Devouring Venerable.
The current Soul Devouring Venerable had not yet fully solidified. If he completely solidified his body, she feared she would be defeated in a single move.
