Chapter 578

Chapter 578: In a Desperate Situation

Murong Wuqing and Ding Qian exchanged uncertain glances, hesitating.

“If we don’t enter, where else can we look for an exit? The exit must be here. The other Golden Core disciples in the halls are likely doing the same—probing with their mental intent. They’ll find it too,” Ye Yun said gently.

“If so, most Golden Core disciples will die here,” Ding Qian replied, her face pale.

“Do you think staying in this hall will save you?” Ye Yun asked with a smile.

“At least we’d live longer, waiting for the Palace Master to rescue us,” Ding Qian argued.

“Useless. Nascent Soul experts can’t even enter the Secret Vault—the saint’s array would crush them. This hall has no spiritual energy. Once your spirit stones run out, your body will wither, leading to death and disappearance of the spirit. Do you want to slowly rot here?” Ye Yun’s smile remained.

Ding Qian shivered. His grin felt like it crawled from the Nine Nether Realms.

The idea of wasting away horrified her. Yet when she’d probed the black void above earlier, her mental intent shattered in moments. Entering might destroy her soul. Even surviving could leave her a hollow shell.

Trapped between horrors, she turned to Murong Wuqing. “Brother Wuqing, your thoughts?”

He shot her a cold look. “Ye Yun’s right. There’s no choice. Check your true qi—has it stayed full since we arrived?”

Ye Yun and Ding Qian froze, then checked. Their faces paled. Ding Qian staggered.

“How?!” Her voice cracked. “Half my true qi’s gone without me noticing!”

“The hall’s draining us,” Ye Yun said. “It’s forcing us into that void. No amount of spirit stones will last.”

“I noticed earlier,” Murong Wuqing added. “Worse—the drain speeds up. Half gone in an hour? The rest might vanish in minutes. Even Immortal Spirit Stones won’t help then.”

Ye Yun’s expression steadied. “The void above is our only path. The saint’s test demands sacrifice.”

Murong Wuqing nodded. “True. His Secret Vault shouldn’t come cheap.”

They shared a grim laugh.

“Well, Senior Sister?” Ye Yun asked Ding Qian. He pitied her—if the void shredded souls, her fragile spirit wouldn’t survive.

Ding Qian closed her eyes. When they opened, resolve burned within.

“If death’s certain, I’ll risk the void. Maybe it’s less terrible than we fear.”

Surprise flashed across the men’s faces. They’d underestimated her.

Of course—Ding Qian ruled Demon Suppression Peak’s youth, second only to Yin Suxin. While Suxin cared for arts, Ding Qian commanded respect. Her earlier panic was natural; now, her true strength showed.

“Impressive,” Ye Yun admitted. He’d disliked her flashy charm, but her courage earned respect.

“Naturally. I won’t let Absolute Heart Peak outshine us,” Ding Qian declared, confidence restored.

“Prepare then,” Murong Wuqing said. “Use any soul-protecting treasures or pills. We share resources.”

Ding Qian produced a miniature tower.

“What’s that?” Ye Yun sensed its soul-shielding aura.

“The Soul Protecting Tower. Our ancestors made it to preserve dying disciples’ souls. They could wait years for new bodies,” she explained.

Murong Wuqing sneered. “New bodies? You mean seizing others’ flesh. I didn’t know Divine Grace Palace practiced such sorcery.”

“Brother Wuqing, you’re wrong. The cultivation path defies the heavens and rarely succeeds. Countless cultivators abandon morals for resources, even family. Only Golden Core disciples who survived heavenly tribulation enter this Soul Protecting Tower. After such hardship, seizing a body is trivial. Besides, who’d choose possession if they could rebuild their form?” Ding Qian replied calmly.

Murong Wuqing snorted coldly. Her words mirrored his past—obsessed with cultivation, he’d ignored his father’s death and coldly told his mother “life and death are fated” before returning to his sect. Had Murong Wuhen not joined the Heavenly Sword Sect, he’d have forgotten having a brother entirely.

Unlike Ding Qian, Murong Wuqing occasionally gave unused resources to his brother and punished anyone harassing him. But Ding Qian’s creed was clear: discard all ethics for power. Body theft meant nothing.

“Enough talk. What else does the Soul Protecting Tower do?” Ye Yun cut in.

“It shields souls. When activated, it’ll protect ours—though I don’t know for how long,” Ding Qian answered.

Ye Yun nodded. “Good. Brother Wuqing, any soul-protecting treasures?”

Murong Wuqing coldly produced a jade bottle, tipping out three soybean-sized white pills. “Soul Nourishing Pills. They briefly replenish Soul Power, but it fades after the effects end. Take one before entering to resist the soul-crushing force.”

Ding Qian’s eyes glittered. “Soul Nourishing Pills? Your status in the Misty Sect must be high. These are priceless—they stabilize souls during cultivation, preventing deviation.”

Ye Yun examined a pill. “Can I have some?”

Murong Wuqing shoved the bottle forward. “Two left. Take them. One monthly—more harms the soul.”

“Thanks.” Ye Yun pocketed the pills, thinking they might slow Su Ling’s injuries if the Secret Vault lacked proper spirit pills.

“Got any soul defenses, Ye Yun?” Ding Qian pressed.

Ye Yun shook his head. “My soul’s naturally strong. The Cleansing Immortal Heart Technique trained it to peak Golden Core levels. Never needed protection.”

Murong Wuqing nodded. “Your soul surpasses peak Golden Core disciples. Matches early Nascent Soul Ancestors.”

Ding Qian gaped. Ye Yun’s soul rivaling Nascent Soul stage? At Golden Core first level? A true monster!

“Enough. Restore your energy. We leap in now—succeed or die!” Ye Yun crushed an Immortal Spirit Stone, inhaling its shards like a divine rainbow. Spiritual energy erupted around him, wind and thunder rumbling in his veins.

Murong Wuqing and Ding Qian stared, stunned. Who absorbed Immortal Spirit Stones like this?

“Quit gawking. Absorb the excess energy!” Ye Yun barked.

The duo snapped into action, marveling at the energy’s purity. Soon, their cultivation peaked.

“Go!” Ye Yun swallowed a pill and shot upward. The others followed.

The trio entered the black void, hands linked around the spinning Soul Protecting Tower. Crushing force struck—stronger than the Spiritual Pond’s center. Without his Golden Core breakthrough, Ye Yun would’ve shattered. Even Murong Wuqing strained.

Ding Qian fared worst. Blood sprayed from her lips despite her Immortal Garment. Ye Yun and Murong Wuqing shielded her with energy barriers.

As they adjusted, alien pressure invaded their bodies, attacking their souls—the same force that shredded their mental probes earlier.

“Open!” Ding Qian spat essence blood on the tower. Ripples shielded them, repelling the invader.

“Retreating?” Ye Yun frowned.

The force returned—an oceanic onslaught. They became driftwood in a storm.

*Focus! Defend!* The Ancestor of the Sword Path’s voice thundered in Ye Yun’s mind. Soul Power surged from his depths, forming an invisible canopy over them.

The Ancestor burned his nurtured Soul Power to protect them. Waves of soul-rending force battered the trio. Without robust bodies, Soul Nourishing Pills, the tower, and the Ancestor’s aid, they’d have perished instantly.

In this void, how many Golden Core disciples would survive the Secret Vault?