Chapter 278

Chapter 278: The Trapped Soul Beast

You You stepped forward, sensing a steady stream of dark energy rising from beneath the bed. The bed board even seemed to sink slightly under her touch. She instinctively reached out to investigate.

“Wait!” Feng Rong suddenly grabbed her hand, pulling her back with tension. “Don’t touch it recklessly. What if you get sucked in again?”

You You paused, recalling her previous mishap with the formation that had sent her to the Demon Realm. “There’s no formation here,” she explained.

“Still, be cautious!” Feng Rong tightened his grip, as if fearing she’d vanish.

“Prudence is wise,” Yuan Qi agreed, his voice tinged with unease.

“…” Well, those with past incidents shouldn’t argue.

Yuan Qi swiftly cast a spell, summoning a wind blade that slashed toward the bed. With a crash, the wooden board splintered. Dark energy erupted like steam from a lifted lid, plunging the room into icy coldness. The frigid air carried a sharp, oppressive edge.

Was that… resentment?

“Look!” Feng Rong pointed at the shattered bed.

A pitch-black hole gaped beneath, not man-made but as though space itself had torn. Dark energy oozed from its depths, obscuring whatever lay within.

“This must be why the Soul Beast vanished,” Feng Rong said grimly.

“We need to investigate,” You You declared.

Yuan Qi stepped forward, affixing a talisman to You You. “The dark energy here is intense. Use spiritual energy to shield yourself.”

Nodding, she gripped Feng Rong’s hand and leaped into the hole.

Cold enveloped them as they fell silently through utter darkness. After minutes of weightless descent, Feng Rong announced, “We’re here!”

He pulled her close, casting a spell to slow their fall until their feet met solid ground.

Darkness pressed around them until Feng Rong summoned a flame in his palm. The feeble light revealed only swirling shadows beyond their immediate circle.

“Too dark,” Feng Rong muttered. With a wave, dozens of flames burst forth, scattering to illuminate the cavern.

The sight left them speechless.

An underground expanse stretched before them, vast as a metropolis, dwarfing Feng City above. Rivers of dark energy snaked through the air, pouring downward from thread-like veins in the ceiling—each connected to a ghost above. No wonder the ghosts had seemed devoid of dark energy earlier.

But ghosts also bred resentment, which grew with time, twisting them into vengeful spirits.

“The resentment’s being separated!” Yuan Qi pointed upward.

Dark energy gathered into a massive cloud before splitting—one stream, pure and thick, sank into the ground, while a wispier thread of violent energy seeped into the walls.

“Resentment splitting on its own?!” Feng Rong stared. Spellcasting purified both energies together—this separation was unheard of.

Yuan Qi frowned. “Doesn’t that dark energy mass seem… excessively large?”

You You squinted. The roiling cloud occupied a quarter of the space, its center churning unnaturally.

Wait—movement!

“Something’s inside!” she shouted.

Feng Rong hurled a firewall at the mass. His True Fire of the Phoenix repelled the dark energy, exposing a three-meter-tall black beast crumpled midair.

“Soul Beast!” You You cried.

Yuan Qi summoned a gust to cushion its fall. The trio rushed over as Yuan Papa cast healing spells. The Soul Beast stirred, blinking dazedly before letting out a grievance-filled whimper.

“Are you hurt?” You You stroked its head.

“Awoo…” it moaned weakly.

“Can’t shift to human form?”

It shook its head.

“What trapped you here?” Feng Rong pressed.

The beast weakly pawed toward the right. Beyond the dark energy loomed a stone wall.

“Something’s behind that?” You You guessed. A nod.

Yuan Qi channeled divine power, striking the wall. A white flash repelled his attack, staggering him.

“It reflected my power?!”

“My turn.” Feng Rong unleashed his divine energy—then froze, wide-eyed.

“What’s wrong?” You You asked.

“I…” He stared at the wall. “This divine power… it’s the same as mine.”

You You: “…”

Yuan Qi: “…”