The Sect Master of Qinglian still felt lingering fear as he recalled the scene just now.
After finding the entrance to the secret realm, they had rushed there without delay.
Then, Ancestor Wuqian discovered a hidden treasure not far from them.
After a brief contemplation, Ancestor Wuqian chose to seize the treasure first before searching for the disciples of the Xuanqing Sect.
The Sect Master of Qinglian had initially voiced some objections, but now he realized Ancestor Wuqian's foresight was indeed accurate.
His actions had indeed successfully prevented the Soul Unraveling Bell from harming others, and he had also gained leverage over it.
The artifact spirit currently inside Long Haotian was the Soul Unraveling Bell's spirit, and judging by its previous words, it was not difficult to infer that Long Haotian and the others' souls were still in its possession and had not met with any accident for the time being.
What they needed to do now was to rescue the souls trapped within the Soul Unraveling Bell.
And currently, the only one capable of achieving this was Ancestor Wuqian.
The Sect Master of Qinglian cast a subtle, pleading glance towards his master.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Xuanqing Sect disciples, who had been cowering within the defensive formation, finally stepped out. Qu Xiaoxiao hugged the approaching Elder Qu, weeping uncontrollably, which greatly distressed Elder Qu.
Elder Zuiyue quickly came to Hong Shengyi's side. He scanned her body with his divine sense, his gaze towards Long Haotian filled with intense animosity.
"Spit out the souls of the others, and I can spare your life."
Ancestor Wuqian held the Soul Unraveling Bell, his tone indifferent.
"Hmph, you cultivators are the most insidious and cunning. I'm already disgusted by merely digesting your souls; do you think I would believe you?"
The artifact spirit, looking battered, lay prostrate on the ground, speaking ferociously.
"You refuse the offered toast and insist on a beating."
Ancestor Wuqian did not miss the deep-seated fear in the artifact spirit's eyes.
Under the artifact spirit's terrified gaze, Ancestor Wuqian transformed his divine sense into a sharp blade and fiercely stabbed at the Soul Unraveling Bell.
The attack was formless, yet its destructive power was astonishing.
The artifact spirit let out a piercing shriek as if a knife had plunged into its heart.
The Sect Master of Qinglian watched the artifact spirit contort Long Haotian's body into expressions of agony. He sighed inwardly, closed his eyes with a touch of reluctance, and sealed his ears with spiritual energy, refusing to see or hear.
Ancestor Wuqian gave the artifact spirit no chance to beg for mercy and attacked again with his divine sense.
The artifact spirit's roars grew increasingly shrill, then gradually weakened.
Its arrogance and disdain were thoroughly shattered.
"Spare me, spare me, I'll spit them all out."
However, Ancestor Wuqian acted as if he hadn't heard, transforming his divine sense into sharp arrows once more, shooting into the very core of the Soul Unraveling Bell.
This time, the artifact spirit lacked the strength even to howl. It could only lie on the ground, panting heavily, its eyes gradually dimming.
"Release them."
As Ancestor Wuqian's voice fell, the artifact spirit eagerly opened its mouth and spat out, releasing masses of dim, gray masses of energy that floated in the void.
After a few breaths, what it spat out were no longer complete masses, but wisps of gray smoke.
Those wisps of smoke briefly hovered in the air before quickly dissipating, leaving no trace behind.
Ancestor Wuqian's eyes darkened, his killing intent towards the artifact spirit intensifying.
"Those, those are the souls of other cultivators. I haven't touched a single one of your Xuanqing Sect people!"
Sensing Ancestor Wuqian's murderous intent, the artifact spirit quickly explained in a strained voice.
The first body it occupied was Jin Biao's.
However, it had not devoured the souls of either Jin Biao or Hong Shengyi; instead, it had sealed them within the Soul Unraveling Bell.
A thousand years ago, it had developed a faint consciousness. Its subconscious told it that only by devouring enough souls could it strengthen itself.
Initially, it had devoured the souls of all the demonic beasts within the secret realm.
At that time, its power had indeed grown considerably. However, because it had consumed all the demonic beasts, with no more souls available for it to devour, its cultivation was forced to a halt.
Later, when the secret realm unexpectedly opened and cultivators entered, it realized that this place was a secret realm.
It had intended to leave, but discovered that its本体 was bound by some unseen force and could not depart. Thus, it could only turn its attention to those cultivators.
On that occasion, coordinating with the secret realm's closing time, it devoured the souls of over a hundred cultivators, greatly increasing its power and entering a long period of slumber.
If not for the current unexpected opening of the secret realm, it would likely still be digesting the souls it had consumed previously.
Therefore, after capturing the isolated Jin Biao and Hong Shengyi, it did not choose to devour them immediately. Instead, it treated them as future provisions, sealing them all within its本体.
Later, it entered Jin Biao's body entirely on a whim.
Upon possessing a body, it suddenly discovered a subtle connection between itself and the secret realm; it could close the secret realm at any time.
Furthermore, having stolen the memories of Jin Biao, Hong Shengyi, and others, it knew that those cultivators believed the secret realm's closure had a specific time. Thus, it cunningly chose to close the secret realm in advance, catching everyone off guard.
It had initially believed these people were all nourishment it had cultivated.
But its calculations were flawed; the individuals this time were more formidable than the last.
Ultimately, it even alarmed such a powerful figure.
Its defeat was not unjust.
The Sect Master of Qinglian and Elder Zuiyue easily found their respective disciples among the multitude of souls.
Elder Zuiyue first transferred Hong Shengyi's soul back into her body, then carefully placed Jin Biao's soul into a special vessel, breathing a sigh of relief.
The Sect Master of Qinglian held Long Haotian's soul, his eyes reddening, "Haotian, father is here, don't be afraid."
Ancestor Wuqian looked at the remaining souls floating in mid-air and flicked his sleeve, collecting all of them into his sleeve.
Then, he looked at the artifact spirit and said, "Aren't you returning to your place?"
The artifact spirit's neck retracted, and it detached from Long Haotian's body as a streak of light, immediately re-entering the Soul Unraveling Bell.
The Sect Master of Qinglian seized the opportunity to send Long Haotian's soul back into his body.
Although souls could re-enter the body, the longer they remained separated, the greater the damage to the body. Therefore, the Sect Master of Qinglian dared not delay.
However, just as he returned Long Haotian's soul, he sensed something was wrong. Long Haotian's body, ravaged by the fire poison's backlash, was already riddled with holes.
Even if the soul returned to its place, it would be of no use and would only cause him further pain.
"Ancestor Wuqian, your reputation precedes you. I am Xu Yi from the Xuanji Sect. The situation is critical, and there's no time for lengthy discussion. I'll get straight to the point: I require your assistance."
Xu Yi suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Ancestor Wuqian.
"Ancestor Xu Yi, your reputation also precedes you," Ancestor Wuqian said with a slight smile, offering pleasantries.
"What? What did Ancestor Wuqian just call Senior Sister Xu?"
"I think I might be hallucinating. I heard Ancestor Wuqian call Senior Sister Xu... Ancestor Xu Yi? This is madness, I must be going crazy!"
"How is that possible? How can this be?"
Following Senior Brother Lu's revelation as the Sect Master of Xuanji Sect, Senior Sister Xu's ancestral status once again made jaws drop.
Some Xuanqing Sect disciples even doubted if they had already died at the hands of that monster, otherwise, why would they witness such bizarre scenes?