Yun Che glanced at the repeatedly bowing Xu Liguo and was just about to speak when his expression shifted slightly. The storage bags of Zhou Gang and the other two disciples immediately flew into the air and landed in Yun Che’s grasp. At the same time, he waved his right hand, sending out several dark-blue fireballs that fell upon the disciples of the Nine Nether Remains Sect and their corpse puppets. In an instant, they were reduced to nothingness.

  Without hesitation, he seized Xu Liguo’s Nascent Soul, which dared not resist, and shot into the sky like a streak of light, disappearing from the volcano.

  Moments later, disciples from the other three sects of the Flameburn Kingdom emerged from their respective craters, having finished harvesting the Burning Gold Fruit. They departed separately, unaware of what had occurred.

  Back in the cave, Yun Che set down the Burning Gold Vine and tossed Xu Liguo’s Nascent Soul forward. Xu Liguo bowed frantically.

  “Daoist friend, please, let’s talk! I was wrong earlier. Spare me, and I will agree to anything!”

  Inside, Xu Liguo felt bitter humiliation. Once a mighty Nascent Soul cultivator, his physical body had been destroyed in battle, and his Nascent Soul severely damaged. Unable to afford a Nascent Soul–level body from the Nine Nether Remains Sect, he had purchased a Foundation Establishment body instead. Though safe and legitimate, it meant his recovery would take years—nearly the same as starting over from scratch.

  Now reduced to late Foundation Establishment strength, his Nascent Soul was little more than an empty shell. Against Yun Che’s Extreme Divine Sense, he was utterly defenseless—a paper tiger.

  Yun Che ignored his pleas. He sealed the cave entrance with a strike to the wall. Xu Liguo’s expression changed drastically as he tried to flee into the stone.

  A flash of red lightning—Yun Che’s Extreme Divine Sense—intercepted him. Xu Liguo trembled as a destructive force engulfed him. Yun Che seized the Nascent Soul once more.

  As he stared at it, a strange familiarity surfaced in his mind.

  Then he understood.

  This Nascent Soul resembled the mutated wandering souls he had encountered in the Space of Nirvanic Destruction.

  An idea took root.

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  If he could not bring wandering souls out of that space… could he create one here?

  If he succeeded, his Extreme Divine Sense would grow stronger. More importantly, wandering souls—demonic entities capable of devouring without regard for cultivation level—would grant him a terrifying new weapon. With enough of them, even Core Formation cultivators would no longer threaten him.

  He knew too well how limited his techniques were. Aside from a single flying sword and a handful of basic spells, he possessed little.

  After everything that had happened in Zhao Kingdom, Yun Che’s mentality had changed. Every action now served a single purpose—to grow stronger and seize control of his own fate.

  With cold resolve, he carved out a stone chamber and erased Xu Liguo’s consciousness entirely using his Extreme Divine Sense—a process that nearly exhausted him.

  The Nascent Soul became a translucent, mindless entity.

  He began experimenting.

  Small beasts were thrown into the chamber. At first, nothing happened. But under pressure from Yun Che’s divine sense, the Nascent Soul was forced into one of the creatures.

  The beast convulsed violently and died.

  The Nascent Soul emerged—its eyes no longer vacant, but tinged with madness.

  Encouraged, Yun Che repeated the process.

  One by one, the beasts were devoured. The madness intensified.

  Finally, he introduced a creature with faint spiritual intelligence.

  The Nascent Soul resisted at first, but under the crackling coercion of red lightning, it lunged forward.

  Half an hour later, the creature exploded.

  A crimson phantom leapt out, shrieking.

  It was no longer a Nascent Soul.

  It was a demon.

  Dark-red light radiated from it, and a violent aura filled the chamber.

  Yun Che’s eyes gleamed.

  The demon attacked him immediately—but a flash of red lightning sent it crashing back. He seized it effortlessly.

  “Seek death?” he said coldly.

  Each pulse of lightning made the demon tremble. Its savagery faded into fear… and finally submission.

  “Hide within,” Yun Che ordered, tossing out the iron fragment.

  The demon transformed into a red streak and entered the metal.

  Satisfied, Yun Che sealed the cave behind him and departed eastward.

  According to Ma Liang’s memories, the Underworld Divine Hall lay in that direction. There he would obtain a map back to Zhao Kingdom and learn the art of artifact refinement.

  He also needed to find an Extreme Yin land to continue cultivating the Nine Nether Cold Prison Art. Only by forming the Nine Nether Cold Core could he advance beyond mid–Foundation Establishment.

  Far away, three figures—Zhou Zihong, Yang Xiong, and Lin Tao—waited anxiously on a mountain peak.

  When Yun Che finally appeared, a cold aura enveloped them.

  Lin Tao collapsed to his knees. “Lin Tao greets Master.”

  Yang Xiong and Zhou Zihong followed.

  Yun Che’s gaze swept across them like a blade.

  Yang Xiong had planned betrayal—but the overwhelming pressure shattered his resolve.

  Yun Che accepted the jade slip on artifact refinement. Lin Tao promised to obtain the map within ten days.

  Finally, Yun Che spoke calmly:

  “As long as you do not provoke me, I will return your soul-blood when I leave the Flameburn Kingdom. But harbor ill intent… and do not blame me for being merciless.”

  A new demon had been born.

  And so had a new Yun Che.