554 Golden Spirit Temple
Qin Huai watched as the defeated martial artist’s form crumbled into pure white stars, which then surged towards Bai Shiquan like a swarm of fireflies.
“Is this how one cultivates in the spirit world?” he wondered aloud, finding the concealment of souls method seemingly crude.
“Essentially, it’s still about seizing,” Long Huixing admitted, forcing a smile. “The progress of martial artists and evolution of beings all boil down to competing for the world’s resources, challenging all life forms.”
“However, it appears we are not destined for this opportunity,” he added, his face solemn. “With a strong expert like Bai Shiquan, we stand no chance. That man is a direct descendant of the white tiger clan, one of the eight royal races, granting him an inherent advantage. As for Bai Shiquan, he has the most solid foundation among his peers.”
Long Huixing attempted to coax Qin Huai away from the troubling scene, but his attempts were in vain. Qin Huai’s eyes remained glued to Bai Shiquan, the crowd’s harbinger of doom.
“We’ll make our stand here,” Qin Huai said calmly. “My time is limited, so I see no need to waste it seeking the next opportunity. I believe I can defeat Bai Shiquan. After all, dying in the spirit world does not equate to real death.”
His words were modest, yet Long Huixing could feel the confidence radiating from him. “My lord, you are being irrational!” he protested. “Repairing a damaged soul is no trivial task. When I said it could be healed, I meant we would require the backing of a significant faction and the power to utilize a supreme artifact for nourishment. How could an ordinary person have such resources?”
Long Huixing wore a grim expression. He understood from Qin Huai’s inquiries that the latter must have hailed from a modest background, possibly unaware of even the rulers of the sixteen states of Great You. How, then, could he possess a treasure capable of nourishing the soul? Any such artifact could incite a bloody upheaval in a province.
Bang!
Suddenly, the ground beside them gave way as a figure crashed heavily at Qin Huai’s feet. The starry spiritual light scattered across the sky, slowly gravitating towards Bai Shiquan, the perpetrator.
Qin Huai instinctively reached out to intercept the spiritual light. However, as his hand closed around it, the spiritual light slipped right through his flesh.
“Is it some form of soul fragment that can’t be captured?” Qin Huai murmured.
He decided to activate the black dragon world again. The dark domain didn’t envelop the surrounding area, and Long Huixing’s expression remained unchanged. No aura emanated from Qin Huai’s body. It appeared useless…
Yet, Qin Huai’s gaze sharpened suddenly, as if the spiritual light had drifted slightly closer to him. Was it an illusion?
Qin Huai activated the black coffin once more. To his surprise, the spiritual light gravitated toward him. He had the power to wield the black coffin here!
Previously, this skill was only working within the black dragon world. Perhaps, in the spirit world, the black dragon world’s domain was active but suppressed by the spirit blood level, causing it to lose most of its power.
Eager to test his capabilities further, Qin Huai attempted to use his king’s force. However, the dragon king within his dantian remained unresponsive. Only the emperor’s force managed to display a sliver of power under the spirit world’s laws, suggesting that not even this place could entirely suppress an emperor’s strength.
Bang!
Suddenly, a muscular man with golden pupils landed heavily before them.
“I thought you were someone else!” he scoffed. “Just a royal family’s stray dog. You stole my white tiger Clan’s throne once, and now you’ve stooped to stealing this pitiful bit of spiritual energy?” Bai Shiquan’s words dripped with scorn.
Behind him, only a dozen or so visceral prefecture realm experts remained from the original hundred. Bai Shiquan had eliminated those who were imprudent, while most of the others had withdrawn, cowed by his formidable strength.
Bai Shiquan, towering over two meters tall with his snow-white body, presented an eerie sight. Even for Qin Huai, who had encountered grotesque followers of the Sacred Heart Sect, Bai Shiquan’s appearance seemed alien.
“The Golden Spirit Temple is soon to open,” Bai Shiquan announced, glancing at Long Huixing. “I see you still cling to unrealistic hopes, don’t you?”
Without giving Qin Huai a second glance, Bai Shiquan strolled past them.
Once Bai Shiquan had departed, Qin Huai turned his gaze to the lake, now shimmering with golden light. “Are you giving up this opportunity?” he asked.
“Ahhh!”
His query was answered by a sudden scream. Qin Huai and Long Huixing turned to see a figure desperately trying to escape the lake’s embrace.
However, the water acted like a quagmire, pulling the struggler deeper as he fought to free himself. To their horror, the person began to disintegrate, turning into wisps of spiritual energy that faded into the air.
“What is…” Qin Huai started, furrowing his brows.
“It’s a trap!” Long Huixing exclaimed, breaking into a cold sweat. “In the spirit world, the deadliest threats aren’t just the remnants of old demons and elite warriors of different eras. Some places hold an equally great danger.
“When those opportunities appear, they’re often accompanied by traps that mimic these opportunities to lure in martial artists, devour them, and convert them into nutrients.”
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