Asura Mad Emperor

"It seems that the people of the Ghost Race must be plotting some great conspiracy; otherwise, they wouldn't have entrusted this Absolute Death Fire-Defining Bead to these Human Cultivators,"

Qinchuan pondered secretly in his heart.

"To make the Ghost Race willingly utilize and hand over such a sacred artifact, could it be that this involves the entire species of the Ghost Race, could it possibly be..."

Suddenly, Qinchuan thought of a possibility.

At this thought, the voices of the three people below rose again, and he withdrew his thoughts, looking once more towards the center of the hall.

The cultivator of the Netherworld Hall, referred to as Elder Ye, looked at the three people, Er Rengu, Feng, and Gu.

"Good!"

Elder Ye first nodded his head, then a gleam of spiritual light twinkled in his hand.

The next moment, a fiery red Liu Li bead appeared in his hands.

As soon as he took out this fiery red Fire-Defining Liu Li Bead, a thin barrier formed around his body within a radius of three zhang.

Runic inscriptions surged on the barrier, and its ancient Dharma Pattern aura was different from all the Magical Treasure auras Qinchuan had seen before.

This mysterious barrier completely blocked out the aura emanating from the soul of the Undying Phoenix.

"Worthy of being a sacred artifact left behind by Kaitian, it can completely isolate even the flames of the Undying Phoenix's soul!"

Qinchuan mused secretly, as it was also his first time seeing this fabled Fire-Defining Bead.

And at this moment, an unexpected change occurred.

Er Rengu suddenly moved, his hand shining with brilliant Divine Skills, and a giant skull head condensed out of thin air, bearing down towards the top of Elder Ye's head.

Er Rengu attacked Elder Ye with the swiftness of lightning, intending a sneak attack.

But it seemed Elder Ye was well-prepared.

"Pfft!" He held the Fire-Defining Bead in one hand and spread the fingers of his other hand wide, a crystal-clear Palm Imprint condensed and shattered Er Rengu's Divine Skill.

Afterward, Elder Ye leaped into the air, and a torrential stream of Demonic Qi burst forth from his mouth, sweeping toward Er Rengu, Feng Hongyi, and Gu Changtian.

The Demonic Qi surged to the skies, and Elder Ye's move instantaneously pushed the three individuals beyond the protective range of the Absolute Death Fire-Defining Bead.

"How could this old man not be aware of the thoughts in your hearts!" Elder Ye said with a mocking smile curling up at the corner of his mouth.

In that brief instant earlier, Er Rengu had made his move, seeking to snatch the Fire-Defining Bead from Elder Ye's hands and monopolize the Soul Essence of the Undying Phoenix.

However, within the scene, all four individuals present harbored this thought, all intending to monopolize the Soul Essence of the Undying Phoenix.

Er Rengu was fast and took the initiative to strike.

But as everyone was on guard, he naturally didn't gain any advantage. Instead, it allowed Elder Ye to respond swiftly, using Divine Skills to force the three out of the barrier of the Fire-Defining Bead.

The three were forced out of the range of the bead; their skin burst open, and their bodies began to melt.

"Gu Changtian, Feng Hongyi, let's join forces to suppress this neither human nor ghost creep, and we three will absorb the Soul Essence of the Undying Phoenix together!"

Er Rengu, knowing they wouldn't last long under the flames of the Undying Phoenix's soul, made the proposal at this moment.

"Very well! I also don't fancy the idea of the Undying Phoenix's Soul Essence falling into the hands of a person who disgusts me just by smelling them," Gu Changtian said, his eyes sharp and flickering with a ruthless light.

As for Er Rengu's suggestion of the three of them sharing the Undying Phoenix's Soul Essence, he obviously didn't believe it. However, eliminating an outsider first, and then having the three of them contend for it, was also in line with his intention.

"You two, be careful. Stop him at the periphery of this divine flame. Don't let him enter the center with the Fire-Defining Bead, or we will have no way to deal with him," Feng Hongyi also stepped forward at this time, indicating agreement with Er Rengu's proposal.

The three of them formed an Array formation, trapping Elder Ye within a confined space.

"Then we'll see if you have the ability to do so!"

Elder Ye, trapped by the three, remained calm. His aura roiled about him as he pushed out with both condensed palms.

Both parties practiced the art of Ghost Demon Evil Qi, and the moment they engaged, a cloud of demonic qi enveloped the entire hall.

The four of them clashed at the edge of the hall, emitting thunderous, muffled sounds. Elder Ye, facing three opponents alone, stood tall and unyielding, holding his ground without falling behind.

"Suppress!" Elder Ye expelled a bundle of essence qi from his mouth, and the colorless Art of the Divine Soul suddenly burst forth.

This was precisely Netherworld Hall's Spiritual Soul Secret Techniques, the Hundred Refinements Divine Art.

"Hmm!"

The three had not expected Elder Ye to resort to Spiritual Soul Secret Techniques; caught off guard, they were affected and their figures momentarily frozen.

But these three were no ordinary foes; even as their souls struggled to break free, their physical bodies instinctively and subconsciously performed a backward instant shift, narrowly evading Elder Ye's palm force attack in the blink of an eye.

"Swoosh!"

Just then, a sound of ripping through the air suddenly erupted, its crisp resonance akin to a life-claiming talisman.

An azure spirit arrow pierced through the void, flying into the hall.

"Bang!"

This spirit arrow penetrated Gu Changtian's chest, his body blooming like a blood lotus in the void, collapsing thoroughly, meeting his demise.

Though the spirit arrow was swift, had Gu Changtian's soul been clear, it surely would not have struck him.

However, Gu Changtian was bound by Elder Ye's Art of the Divine Soul, and in the end, he did not avoid it.

"She actually came too!"

Qinchuan looked towards the outside of the hall, where the resplendent figure of Wu Xin Fairy was stepping through the air, her feet creating lotuses, slowly approaching the hall.

With the fall of Gu Changtian, the three stood separated.

"Wu Xin Fairy, I didn't expect you to have found this place!" Elder Ye said coldly to Wu Xin.

"The Soul Essence of the Undying Bird is too precious to miss," replied Wu Xin Fairy nonchalantly, holding the Spirit Bow.

"Oh? I didn't expect you knew about the Soul Essence of the Undying Bird as well," commented Er Rengu, his voice steady yet betrayed a hint of puzzlement. They had learned of the location of the Undying Bird's Soul Essence from the Ghost Race Cultivators; how had Wu Xin come to know of it?

On the other hand, Qinchuan thought to himself, "The existence behind Wu Xin is incredibly mysterious; it's not surprising she knows some ancient secrets."

"Otherwise, what did you think, I was so concerned about the pair of keys that Mo Yu hid away for?" Wu Xin Fairy said calmly. She had always maintained this demeanor, unruffled by anything, tranquil and indifferent, only concerned with killing to achieve her ends.

"It seems seizing the Undying Bird's Soul Essence has been part of your plan for a long time," said Elder Ye icily.

"Enough talk; hand over the Fire Stabilizing Bead in your possession, and I'll spare your life. Otherwise, the next arrow will pierce through your head!"

"Hmph, we'll see if your arrows are sharp enough!" Elder Ye retorted with a sidelong glance.

Speaking, Elder Ye's arm turned dark and emitted surging demon light that continued to spread upward, runes flickering on his arm, resonating with clanging sounds.

"Netherworld Demon Hand!"

Elder Ye swung his arm with thunderous fist shadows, aggressively bombarding the approaching Wu Xin Fairy.

"This old fellow, he clearly still had some tricks up his sleeve!" Er Rengu and Feng Hongyi exchanged glances, both sensing the terrifying energy emanating from that divine power.

"Break!"

Wu Xin Fairy pulled the bowstring, and countless azure spirit arrows converged in the void.

Arrows fell like a curtain of rain, creating lightning in the void, turning the region into a realm of thunder seas and arrow rain.