Chen Ping ignored the panicked cultivators. His right hand had already retrieved the half-person-high soul jar from the groove.
A flicker of black and white flame appeared at his fingertip. He gently touched it to the soul jar.
The flame seemed weak, yet it contained immense power.
The soul patterns on the surface of the soul jar cracked instantly. Several strands of pale blue soul threads floated out from inside. As soon as they touched the air, they flew off into the distance like startled birds.
Those were the remnant souls of the cultivators whose souls had already been extracted. Without a host, they could only wander aimlessly.
They drifted in the air, as if searching for their place of belonging.
“That’s… soul threads!” an elderly man with white hair said in a trembling voice, his eyes full of disbelief.
He finally understood that everything Chen Ping had said was true. Where was this a breakthrough? It was clearly their souls being drawn out!
His heart filled with regret and self-blame. He hated himself for so easily believing the golden-robed cultivator’s words.
“Fellow Daoist! Please release our souls!”
The middle-aged cultivator who had been tearfully excited earlier dropped to his knees with a thud. He kowtowed repeatedly to Chen Ping.
His forehead struck the ground, making “thud thud” sounds. In no time, blood flowed freely.
The other cultivators also reacted. They knelt down one after another, crying and begging, “We know we were wrong! Please have mercy, Fellow Daoist, and return our souls to us!”
Their voices were filled with despair and pleading. They hoped to salvage their mistake.
Chen Ping looked at the cultivators kneeling and begging on the ground. There was no trace of pity on his face.
Flame flickered at his fingertip once more. This time, the flame directly enveloped the soul jar.
As he circulated the Heart Condensing Art within his body, the soul threads belonging to the Soul-Gathering Altar cultivators were gradually drawn out from the soul jar. They transformed into streams of pure soul energy, surging into his body through his fingertip.
Chen Ping’s Heart Condensing Art could refine all things, so these souls could also become resources for his cultivation.
Since these fools bit the hand that fed them and failed to recognise kindness, Chen Ping saw no need to save them.
His aura grew thicker at a visible speed. The black and white flames around him burned even more vigorously.
The flames were like burning stars, emitting dazzling light.
“You… what are you doing! That’s our souls!” Seeing this, a cultivator’s eyes turned red. He struggled to lunge forward, but Chen Ping’s pressure pinned him down firmly. He could only rage impotently.
His body twisted nonstop, yet he could not break free from the pressure’s restraint.
“You can’t do this! We know we were wrong!” another cultivator cried out, his voice full of despair.
Tears burst from his eyes, sliding down his cheeks.
Chen Ping turned a deaf ear and continued absorbing the soul energy.
These cultivators had clearly had the chance to see through the plot, yet they were blinded by their obsession with “breaking through.” They had even turned to attack him. Now, facing this end, it was nothing but their own doing.
Though a trace of reluctance stirred in his heart, it was overshadowed by disappointment in these cultivators.
“You demon! Even if I die, I won’t let you go!” the burly man with the bushy beard cursed angrily, his eyes full of venom.
His gaze seemed intent on devouring Chen Ping alive, yet he was powerless.
Chen Ping’s eyes turned cold. With a casual flick, a strand of flame shot out.
The flame was like a fire dragon. It instantly engulfed the burly man.
The burly man did not even have time to scream before the flames consumed him. He turned into a pile of ashes in an instant.
The surrounding cultivators fell silent at once. No one dared to curse anymore. They trembled in fear, their gazes towards Chen Ping filled with terror.
They finally understood that the man before them was no soft-hearted soul, but a decisive and ruthless killer.
Chen Ping slowly withdrew the flames. The soul energy in the soul jar had already been absorbed for the most part.
