The spacious golden hall was deathly quiet.
After the artifact spirit finished its rant, it gave up all pretense and spilled all its secrets in one go.
The Soul-Unraveling Bell was a divine artifact specifically forged by the demon king's demonic artifact refiners using the most precious materials, targeting souls.
Initially, the Soul-Unraveling Bell did not have an artifact spirit; it merely possessed a faint consciousness. However, this consciousness was so minuscule that it would have taken at least a century to evolve into a true artifact spirit.
Everything changed when the Soul-Unraveling Bell sealed the divine soul of the demon king.
The new demon king, the Roc, was born with innate intelligence, and even its trace of divine soul emanated a golden light of wisdom.
Influenced by the Roc's divine soul, the artifact spirit of the Soul-Unraveling Bell was born. It also possessed high intelligence, similar to the Roc, and understood the method of rapidly strengthening itself by devouring divine souls.
In other words, the birth of the artifact spirit owed more than half of its credit to the Roc's divine soul.
Now, Xu Yi asked the artifact spirit to spit out the Roc's divine soul. The artifact spirit feared losing the golden light of wisdom, which would cause its intelligence to revert to a chaotic state. Thus, it exaggerated its claims.
Having experienced sentience, it did not wish to return to its former ignorant state.
Xu Yi suddenly understood and then revealed a cold smile.
"This is not a negotiation. If you are unwilling to spit it out yourself, then I will have to help you."
The artifact spirit cried miserably, but what did that matter to Xu Yi?
The artifact spirit had devoured the divine souls of so many cultivators in the Western Water Domain secret realm. If Xu Yi had not used the Earth's Heart Cyan Flame to incinerate it then, it would have been because she considered the Soul-Unraveling Bell a treasured item designated by the Monkey King.
Otherwise, the Soul-Unraveling Bell would have long since been scattered into ashes, instead of being here now, haggling with her.
Xu Yi's dominance caused the artifact spirit's demeanor to visibly and rapidly deteriorate.
It had forgotten that Xu Yi was never a soft-hearted person.
Its plea had utterly failed to move the unyielding Xu Yi.
The artifact spirit became disheartened, lowered its head, and refused to speak.
Seeing this, Xu Yi simply opened her palm and summoned the Earth's Heart Cyan Flame.
The leaping green flames brought forth waves of heat.
The artifact spirit, sensing the threat posed by the Earth's Heart Cyan Flame, trembled and was forced to release its grip, "Don't use it, I'll spit it out."
Xu Yi's expression was stern, unmoved by its words. "Quickly!"
The artifact spirit shivered at Xu Yi's roar, then transformed into a gray light and re-entered the Soul-Unraveling Bell.
Simultaneously, Xu Yi's ears twitched subtly, her gaze swept imperceptibly behind the golden throne, and the corners of her lips curved slightly upwards.
Although the Soul-Unraveling Bell had agreed to Xu Yi's demand to release the Roc's divine soul, once it entered the bell, the bell remained unresponsive, like a dead object.
Just as Xu Yi grew impatient, suspecting that the artifact spirit of the Soul-Unraveling Bell had reneged on its promise and would not release the divine soul, the Soul-Unraveling Bell suddenly erupted with a dazzling light.
Countless golden runes danced around the Soul-Unraveling Bell, flickering rhythmically as if breathing.
Xu Yi held her breath, her heart beginning to race.
The Roc's divine soul was about to be unsealed!
Just as Xu Yi thought events would proceed according to her expectations, a burst of maniacal laughter echoed from within the Soul-Unraveling Bell.
Xu Yi's pupils contracted, and she knew something was wrong.
"Xu Yi, since you won't let me live, then we'll fight to the death. Let's see who kills whom faster, you or me devouring this divine soul!"
The artifact spirit's arrogant laughter made Xu Yi's brow twitch violently.
She had miscalculated.
The artifact spirit's feigned weakness earlier was merely a temporary measure; it had no intention of obeying obediently.
Xu Yi wanted the Roc's divine soul, but the artifact spirit refused, intending to devour the soul in a final struggle.
Xu Yi was both shocked and enraged, but the urgent priority was to stop the artifact spirit.
She extended her right hand and struck the Soul-Unraveling Bell. The Earth's Heart Cyan Flame within her surged from her palm, engulfing the bell.
"Ahhhh!"
Screams of agony emanated from within the Soul-Unraveling Bell.
"Spit out the divine soul!" Xu Yi commanded sternly.
"Dream on! The Roc's divine soul is mine! Devour!"
The artifact spirit's voice intensified the coldness in Xu Yi's eyes.
Before Xu Yi could react, a surge of potent energy erupted from the Soul-Unraveling Bell, accompanied by a clear, ethereal cry.
"Caw—"
Rumble!
Xu Yi's body was thrown back by the sudden burst of energy, and the violently shaking palace swayed with it.
The master of the palace, the Roc, had awakened.
While Xu Yi rejoiced, she couldn't help but worry for the Roc.
The artifact spirit within the Soul-Unraveling Bell, provoked by her words, had entered a frenzied state, and its destructive power far surpassed its usual levels.
And the Roc, despite being a demon king, was now merely a wisp of a divine soul, still sealed within the Soul-Unraveling Bell. With the balance so uneven, it was difficult to predict the outcome.
Indeed.
Following the cry, intense collision sounds began to erupt from the Soul-Unraveling Bell, interspersed with the artifact spirit's fragmented curses.
The palace also continued to tremble due to the Roc's perilous situation.
Xu Yi quickened her pace, then suddenly stopped, turned, and looked towards the golden throne with a burning gaze. "Hand over my companion, and I can help it."
The palace's shaking momentarily ceased, then quickly resumed.
Seeing that the other party was still unwilling to release its hold, Xu Yi crossed her arms and stood with an indifferent air.
Now it was a test of who would lose patience first.
The battle within the Soul-Unraveling Bell raged on. The artifact spirit and the Roc had yet to determine a victor, but it was evident that the Roc's cries were growing weaker.
Clearly, its situation was becoming more dire.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Roc's defeat seemed imminent.
Xu Yi's expression remained composed, devoid of any worry, yet only she knew how tense she truly was.
The Roc's divine soul represented the whereabouts of the demon king, so Xu Yi absolutely did not want the artifact spirit of the Soul-Unraveling Bell to devour it.
However, on the other side was Ji Buwang, whose whereabouts were unknown, making Xu Yi even more unwilling to let her guard down.
Xu Yi inwardly counted down from ten. If the entity hiding behind the golden throne did not reveal itself after ten counts, she would directly intervene in the battle between the artifact spirit and the Roc's divine soul.
This would also mean she had lost this silent game of wills.
Ten.
Xu Yi's fingers unconsciously closed.
Nine.
Xu Yi's gaze slowly began to shift subtly.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five...
As Xu Yi counted to five, the palace's shaking suddenly subsided, and a dark figure was flung from behind the palace, landing before Xu Yi.
"Ji Buwang." Xu Yi quickly stepped forward to support Ji Buwang, her gaze scanning him as she asked, "Are you alright?"
Ji Buwang shook his head and said, "I am unharmed. It did not injure me."
As Ji Buwang spoke, a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.
Although he had not been harmed, he had been bound and tied, rendering him immobile.
It had been a long time since he had experienced such a feeling of being at someone else's mercy.