All chaos broke loose as tremors rippled through the Ghost Territory, echoing the disturbance that had begun only a few hours earlier.
Deep within the Cave of Styx, a mysterious bell suddenly descended, crashing down upon Lee Xiao and pinning her beneath its immense weight.
The bell appeared ancient, etched with strange, temple-like structures across its surface. Golden qi radiated from it, swirling like living light as it engulfed Lee Xiao completely.
Everyone present stared in stunned confusion at the sight before them the Chaos Fortune Bell its power awe-inspiring, its purpose uncertain. Their gazes lingered on Lee Xiao, trapped within the golden glow.
What is this…? Lee Xiao's thoughts churned wildly as beads of sweat trickled down her temple.
No... I have to get this thing off me!
Her eyes flashed sharply, and in the next instant, she erupted with a surge of soul power that far surpassed the Forging Realm.
The bell trembled, letting out a deep hum. Then, with a soft buzz, it shrank down and shot back toward the two girls standing upon the bridge.
"Tch—"
"My strength still isn't enough to control it," one of the girls muttered with a trace of bitterness.
"You…"
Freed from the bell's pressure, Lee Xiao lifted her head, her expression darkening as she locked eyes with the owner of the artifact. Realization struck, and her gaze turned icy.
"Wang Li," she said coldly, blood staining the corner of her lips, "I'll remember this."
Though she had managed to break free, the backlash from unleashing her true power left her half-beaten and barely standing.
Suddenly, a sword energy shot toward Lee Xiao. "Shoot!"—an arrow was also fired from her side at the same time to counter it, but it had no effect.
Seeing this, Lee Mo picked up Lee Xiao and flew upward. However, the sword energy slightly grazed the hand holding the fire stick, causing her to drop it.
A strange force enveloped both Lee Xiao and Lee Mo, beginning to devour their souls.
"What is this? lee xiao's eyes contracted It's so strange.
Looks like without the fire stick, this place will not acknowledge us," Lee Xiao muttered. She looked around and decisively snatched a fire stick from one of the cultivators nearby.
As she did, the force subsided—but it devoured the soul of the female cultivator from whom the stick was taken. The cultivator died a horrible death. Seeing this, everyone clutched their fire sticks tightly.
Wang Li was standing near a tree. In her hand was a small bell, and her maid stood in front of her holding a sword.
Lee Xiao's eyes turned cold as she glared at Wang Li and her maid, her gaze sharp enough to kill. Then, her eyes flickered, shifting toward the nearby tree, and an eerie smile curved across her lips.
"Hahaha! Wang Li, you and your maid will die here!" she laughed mockingly. After speaking, she looked at Lee Mo, who was preparing to fire—but not at them. He shot an arrow toward the massive tree that bore the face of an old woman.
Originally, the face wore a neutral expression, but the battle between Lee Xiao and Wang Li's maid caused it to furrow its brows, emitting a strange pressure for some time.
As Lee Mo fired, he and Lee Xiao immediately flew away. Not so fast—Wang Li's maid struck toward Lee Xiao, but the latter vanished into thin air.
The arrow lodged between the old woman's brows. Her face twisted in pain, and she opened her eyes.
They were entirely black, and a dark liquid began dripping from them. A sinister smile formed through her eyes.
Everyone shuddered. Yang Mon gripped Yang Bing's hand tightly—only three cultivators from their group remained.
Wang Li showed no emotion. She quietly looked at the old woman's face, then turned to Yang Mon, Yang Bing, and their group, who were trembling with fear, and said
"There's no time. This ghost tree is waking up. If it fully awakens, it will bring endless disaster to all of us."
"Yes, we should leave as soon as possible," Yang Bing said to Luo Xuan and Yang Mon. Yang Mon had already copied the sword technique and would share it with the others, as agreed. Everyone nodded and flew out of the place.
Wang Li and her maid also flew out. With the fire stick in their possession, returning was not difficult. They crossed the bridge and reached the path's entrance, eventually leaving the area completely.
The face of the old woman on the tree continued to ooze black liquid from her eyes. Suddenly, a creaking sound echoed, followed by a terrifying scream that resounded throughout the ghost territory, making even other ghosts tremble in fear.
Two withered hands appeared beside her face, as if she were trying to pull herself out of the tree.
Elsewhere:
Ye Kaishan and Song Yan also heard the scream. They were sitting on a rock—Song Yan stabilizing her realm, while Ye Kaishan… well, better not to talk about that.
"What is that sound?" Ye Kaishan frowned.
Song Yan's eyes widened. "Looks like someone woke up the old woman."
"The one on the tree?"
"Yes. That's her," Song Yan replied.
"We have to get out of here. That woman has at least the power of a Saint. We're no match for her. We've already achieved our goal, so there's no need to stay," she added, then looked at Ye Kaishan. He understood—but...
"I can't teleport," Ye Kaishan said awkwardly.
"Why not?" Song Yan asked, puzzled.
"I can only teleport a few times a day, and I've already used them all," he replied.
"What?!" Song Yan looked stressed.
"It'll be alright in four hours. Then we can teleport out," Ye Kaishan said, trying to reassure her.
"Four hours... okay. If that's the case, we must avoid that woman.
Since we've formed a perfect soul forge by absorbing the Emperor Orb and Yin Drop, she'll sense the strong soul energy from both of us. We need to get out of here as soon as possible," Song Yan said.
Ye Kaishan became solemn. He used space exploration to locate the old witch's presence and instantly detected two figures flying in the south direction, with three more behind them—escaping from the area near the tree.
"Looks like they're the ones who woke her up," Ye Kaishan murmured. Just then, a white figure emerged from the cave. She wore a black dress. Her hands were cuffed, her neck chained, her body frail and withered, and her hair white.
"That's the old witch," Ye Kaishan wondered.
"Yes, that should be her," Song Yan nodded, looking into the space pond Ye Kaishan had created to detect her.
She also noticed Wang Li and her maid fleeing.
"Why is she here?" Song Yan muttered.
"You know her?" Ye Kaishan asked.
"Yes. In my past life, she was someone known as the 'Sword Empress'—famous for her sword."
In the Soulspirit Continent, every female cultivator awakens a male companion. They can trace their companion's location via soul link. This is the only way for men in this continent to gain strength and become cultivators.
Of course, some male cultivators are born with exceptional constitutions, and those will naturally be awakened by female cultivators.
Which path a female cultivator takes depends greatly on her companion's elemental qualifications.
If a female cultivator has poor potential in the Soul Breaking Realm, but her male companion has extraordinary talent, their combined potential can rise.
That's why many sects, ancient families, and holy lands raise male disciples with special constitutions or exceptional talent.
The Wang family also had such disciples, and Wang Li was a prodigy raised by them. Many elders hoped she would awaken an extraordinary companion. Many sects hoped she would awaken their male disciples.
But instead of a person, she awakened a rusty sword.
Because of this, she was harshly criticized within her family. She awakened no element but instead pursued the Law of the Sword.
"A sword, huh?" Ye Kaishan mused. His gaze lingered on Wang Li's image within the space pond as his thoughts drifted. "That sword must not be ordinary… I suspect it has a soul."
Song Yan slightly surprised.
In her past life, she hadn't been close to the Sword Empress—or anyone, except her parents—but she had heard that her sword had a soul.
That's likely why it formed a soul link with Wang Li. But when Wang Li found the sword, it was sealed. The Wang family couldn't sense the soul and thought it was just an old piece of metal. But Ye Kaishan noticed it.
He had read many works like this in his previous life. Based on that, he was sure.