Xie Zhaolin stood at the entrance of the passage, her gaze solemn as she stared into the depths where high-ranked yin souls drifted about.
These yin souls came in all shapes, some retaining humanoid forms, others resembling beasts, their bodies shrouded in thick yinsha qi that made them far harder to deal with than the weaker ones she had faced earlier.
"Bee swarm, stand by."
With a thought, the queen bee immediately led the worker bees back to the edge of the stone chamber, leaving only the strongest few to guard her side.
She took a deep breath and slowly walked toward the edge of the formation. This time, she had to act personally. High-ranked yin souls were cunning. If she relied only on the bees to lure them out, they'd only be alerted and slip away.
"I can't strike rashly. I need just the right balance," she thought to herself.
These yin souls already had some measure of intelligence. If she pushed too hard, they'd flee. If she showed weakness, the threat of the skeletal remains would make them abandon her outright. She had to find the perfect middle ground.
Controlling the formation, Xie Zhaolin opened a narrow crack. She deliberately suppressed her aura, letting only a faint ripple of spiritual energy leak through. It wasn't strong, but not weak either, like a wounded cultivator's power slipping out by accident.
"They're coming!"
Her keen senses picked up movement deep inside the passage.
A black blur shot toward the crack like lightning but stopped just short, still wary. She held her breath as she peered through the opening. It was a leopard-shaped yin soul, pitch black from head to toe, with eyes glowing an eerie green. Its body was nearly solid, proof it had devoured plenty of its kind.
"You'll do just fine," she thought, delighted.
Compared to humanoid yin souls, beast forms had lower intelligence and were easier to control. The perfect first target. She deliberately weakened the aura a little more, and had the bees buzz uneasily. The entire stone chamber now looked fraught with danger, but also faintly fragile.
The leopard soul pricked up its ears, eyes darting toward the bee swarm, but it didn't pounce right away. Instead, it cautiously took half a step back.
"Careful one, aren't you."
She didn't rush. Instead, she slowly withdrew her spiritual aura and had the bees scatter a little. Her fingertip quivered, releasing a wisp of silver spiritual light through the crack. It looked weak, but it was pure, and in the dim passage, it was blinding.
The leopard soul's nostrils flared, a flicker of hunger flashing in its eyes, but it still held back, pawing the ground uneasily.
"Not enough yet."
Xie Zhaolin suddenly let out a muffled groan, staggering back like her injuries had flared up. At the same time, she let the bees' formation falter, a few even spilling out of the protective shield.
That flaw finally shattered the leopard soul's restraint.
"Roar!"
With a guttural snarl, it lunged! Its claws sliced the air, its body leaving a streaking afterimage in the passage.
"Open!"
Just as the leopard soul was about to slam into the formation, she widened the crack. Unable to stop in time, it crashed straight through.
"Seal!"
The gap closed instantly!
The leopard soul realized too late it had been tricked. Panic flickered in its glowing eyes, but what shocked it even more was the pile of shattered bones on the ground.
The skeleton it had feared was gone!
"Roar!"
Its fear turned into fury. Its form swelled, claws gouging deep scars into the floor as it glared at her, murderous light blazing in its eyes.
Xie Zhaolin stayed calm, fingers weaving hand seals. The bees shifted into formation, spinning a net of silver around them. But she didn't attack, keeping just enough distance between her and the beast.
"I know you can understand me." Her voice was soft, carrying a subtle lure. "Submit to me. Not only will you live, you'll grow even stronger."
The leopard soul growled low, unmoved. In the next instant, it lunged, claws slashing for her throat!
"Stubborn beast!"
Her eyes flashed cold. She sidestepped, her right hand whipping out a lash of silver light that cracked across its back. At the same time, baleful qi condensed in her left hand into a sharp spike that drove into its belly.
"Shhhk!"
The lash tore open its back, dark resentful energy spilling out. But in its frenzy, it ignored the wound, claw swiping straight for her face. At the last instant, the bee swarm's silver web intercepted the blow. The claws shredded the net, but that brief delay was enough for her to evade.
"You're courting death!"
She stopped holding back. Her hands pressed together, firing a blast of fused energy. The leopard soul couldn't dodge and was struck square in the chest, its form exploding in a gaping hole.
"Roar!"
It let out a shrill scream, still refusing to yield. It frantically devoured the dissipating soul energy nearby, desperately trying to mend itself.
"Perish!"
Her hands flew through seals, seven silver-black arrows shooting out, pinning its limbs and head.
The final arrow pierced its core!
Boom!
With a dull thud, the soul core shattered. Its roar turned into a wail of unwillingness before its form unraveled completely.
Xie Zhaolin sighed quietly and quickly drew the yinsha qi into her dantian.
The pure energy made her body shiver.
"A shame…" she muttered, then straightened again.
She hadn't managed to subdue it, but the battle gave her valuable experience. After adjusting her breathing, she turned her gaze deeper into the passage. Soon, her eyes locked onto her next target—a fox-shaped yin soul. Its entire body was snowy white, except for the blood-red tips of its tails. Smarter than the leopard soul, it kept a careful distance, its eerie blue eyes glinting with cunning.
"Clever little thing." Her lips curled. To deal with this one, she needed a different approach.
She let the formation show a slight weakness and had a few bees pretend to struggle weakly near the crack. The bait quickly caught the fox soul's eye. But it didn't rush in. Instead, it circled cautiously, evaluating the risk.
Xie Zhaolin waited patiently, even letting a thread of silver energy spill from her fingertip. Exactly the lure the fox soul craved most.
Finally, it couldn't resist. Moving warily, it crept closer, but still kept itself ready to retreat at any sign of danger. She knew she needed to tempt it beyond doubt. With a thought, she drew a shard of yinsha core from her storage ring, rolling it between her fingers.
The fox soul's eyes lit up instantly. That shard was irresistible.
"Do you want it?" Her voice was soft and coaxing. "Submit to me, and it's yours."
The fox soul hesitated.
It wanted the shard, but instinct screamed at it to be wary.
Xie Zhaolin didn't rush it. She set the shard on the ground and stepped back.
That broke its last shred of restraint. In a flash, it darted through the crack, lunging straight for the shard.
"Seal!"
The formation snapped shut.
The fox soul froze, realizing it had been caught.
But unlike the leopard soul, it didn't strike right away.
"Smart choice," she smiled. "I know you understand me. Form a contract with me, and not only will you have the shard, you'll gain far greater power."