Chapter 1: Suppression (Part 1)

The black object obtained from the Bone Mountain Pass in Dayuan Tan was already extremely mysterious. According to Li Ran, it was not a life form of this world, and he didn’t know what it was either. After Guo Shier put the black object into the Ancient Ink Lotus, it was transferred to the Soul Suppressing Cauldron, where it remained stable. Unexpectedly, this time it was affected by the fluctuations of the Golden Flame.

When the black object was touched by the Golden Flame’s fluctuations, it began to vibrate as well. In just a moment, its vibrations counteracted those of the Golden Flame, disrupting the entire pattern. Yu Zhong was shocked to discover that these chaotic vibrations could not affect souls—meaning the Golden Flame’s attacks had completely disordered and could no longer strengthen souls.

Yet Yu Zhong didn’t know what to say and simply sighed before stopping his cultivation. Guo Shier also wore a bitter smile. He muttered, “Damn it, I knew this thing was unreliable. The Golden Flame’s fluctuations could even make it resist. This is troublesome…”

The old man said, “Not necessarily. Let’s wait and see.”

Guo Shier could already sense the fluctuations in the Soul Suppressing Cauldron. At first, he couldn’t control it, but as the Golden Flame’s fluctuations caused chaos, he gained a slight chance. By casting spells continuously, he gradually took control of the cauldron, seizing power bit by bit, as if seizing authority.

The old man also figured out the secret and kept casting virtual talismans. The Soul Suppressing Cauldron had grown to hundreds of meters tall. Its massive body floated up and down in the Golden Flame, emitting intense colored light with each fluctuation. Guo Shier couldn’t control it either; he could only passively communicate and not fully take control yet.

Soon, Guo Shier realized that it was the black object controlling the Soul Suppressing Cauldron, which filled him with horror. After all, most of his wealth was stored in the cauldron. If the black object took control, the losses would be immeasurable. Both he and the old man paled and frantically cast virtual talismans, fighting over control.

Guo Shier cursed, “Damn this thing…” He was in a panic. The old man snorted coldly, “Calm down! You’re the one who’s panicking first… What the hell are you doing?” Guo Shier wasn’t an ordinary person. Shocked by the old man’s words, he immediately understood that he couldn’t act rashly now.

The two types of fluctuations clashed back and forth, like two boats sailing on calm water, their waves affecting each other. Yu Zhong and the others couldn’t even cultivate; they had to activate their defenses just to stay put and avoid being affected by the fluctuations.

Gradually, the struggle between Guo Shier and the Soul Calming Cauldron grew more intense. The black entity seemed to be awakening, its fluctuating power growing stronger. With the help of the old man, Guo Shier could temporarily hold back the Soul Calming Cauldron, but he knew that if this continued, he might not be able to keep it under control.

Yu Zhong saw Guo Shier’s face covered in cold sweat, but he couldn’t do anything to help. A look of surprise appeared on his face as he wondered what to do.

Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan, on the other hand, remained calm, confident in Guo Shier. They had followed him for many years and knew of his various unconventional tactics. They simply stayed vigilant, moving slightly closer and keeping their sacred treasures ready to be used at any moment.

The old man growled, “Push harder… It’s about to get out of control!”

Guo Shier roared, “I just don’t believe it…” Suddenly, he fell silent and began silently reciting his soul scriptures. Waves of soul energy radiated from him.

The three types of waves instantly intertwined, causing chaos as the entire Golden Flame began to tremble violently.

Yu Zhong kept retreating. He realized things were completely wrong and sensed a huge danger approaching. Panicked, he shouted, “Back off!” He flew backward first, trying to return to the natural talisman array.

Yao Yao and Wu Jing were even more panicked, their faces filled with terror. What could it be that scared Yu Zhong so much? Without hesitation, they also retreated. Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan exchanged a glance but continued to protect Guo Shier. The old man turned around and shouted, “You two, retreat too!”

Eagle Demon cried, “No!”

The old man cursed, “Idiots! You can’t help now. It will only distract Shier. Go! Go!”

Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan exchanged a bitter smile. Luo Zhan said, “Alright, Eagle. We’ll retreat. Old man, please take care of it!” The two quickly returned to the natural talisman array.

As the three waves intertwined, the old man played a crucial role. He helped Guo Shier gradually take control of the Soul Calming Cauldron while suppressing the black entity inside it.

Guo Shier felt anxious. He realized his soul scriptures weren’t enough to suppress those two types of waves; he could only maintain balance for now. None of the three waves could gain the upper hand, maintaining a strange equilibrium.

The old man also couldn’t fully control the Soul Calming Cauldron, but it was better than before—at least it wasn’t out of control. He sighed in relief and said, “Shier, you need to find a way to take back the Cauldron. This can’t go on!”

Guo Shier couldn’t answer. He thought, “If I had a way, I would have used it already… Hmm, wait—there’s still one method I haven’t tried!” He suddenly realized that his own Soul Scripture wasn’t very strong; it was a kind of cultivation fluctuation with no offensive power. But he still had Li Ran’s Scripture, and that kind of fluctuation should work well here.

The fluctuation suddenly began to change. Guo Shier silently recited Li Ran’s Soul Scripture. Instantly, a powerful fluctuation spread out, instantly overwhelming the other two. Old Shuai was overjoyed and said, “Haha, this works!”

Guo Shier’s spirits soared. He looked back but could no longer see Yu Zhong and the others, so he simply recited the Scripture loudly. The fluctuation grew even stronger, completely suppressing the black substance inside the Soul Calming Cauldron. The Cauldron gradually shrank and quickly detached from the golden flames. Old Shuai exclaimed happily, “Good, good! It worked…” He felt in control of the situation.

In just over ten seconds, the Soul Calming Cauldron shrank to the size of a fist and landed above Guo Shier’s head. At this point, Guo Shier didn’t dare act rashly. He quickly stored the Cauldron in his soul. He stopped reciting the Scripture and said, “Old Shuai, go inside the Soul Calming Cauldron and take a look. Seal it… completely!” He was furious and also greatly frightened by the black substance. Inside the Cauldron were not only most of his possessions but, more importantly, it had now become his life-saving sacrificial treasure. If it got out of control, it could cost him half his life.

Old Shuai replied, “Okay! Be careful yourself.” With that, he retreated to the altar and entered the Soul Calming Cauldron.

When the two fluctuations disappeared, the golden flame’s fluctuation resumed. That powerful fluctuation began to affect Guo Shier’s altar and soul. After experiencing it for a while, he gradually understood why this fluctuation was beneficial to the altar. It was similar to a soul fluctuation, with only one frequency. Although it wasn’t as comfortable as the fluctuation caused by the Soul Scripture, it was a naturally occurring fluctuation that perfectly matched a certain rhythm for enhancing the soul and altar. No wonder advanced altar practitioners came here.

The change in the golden flame’s fluctuation also caught Yu Zhong’s attention, who had retreated to the natural talisman array. He immediately said, “It’s solved. Let’s go out.” He was puzzled, not knowing how Guo Shier had managed to break free. The group quickly went to the edge of the golden flames. Now wasn’t the time for detailed questions. He sat on the altar, silently enduring the refining effect of the golden flame’s fluctuation.

Yao Yao, Wu Jing, Eagle Demon, and Luo Zhan also silently endured the purification by the golden flames. Without the interference of the black energy fluctuations, the four immediately realized the benefits of these golden flame fluctuations. Especially Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan understood this even better—these fluctuations were different from the soul waves emitted by Guo Shier, and they were extremely beneficial to the altar.

Guo Shier’s soul scriptures targeted souls, whereas the golden flame fluctuations targeted the altar—there was a huge difference between the two.

The group remained silent, sitting quietly on the altar. Guo Shier observed carefully and gradually showed a hint of joy, as the golden flame fluctuations were gradually purifying the altar—a phenomenon he had never experienced before. His altar was a famous Heavenly Altar, with a massive and intricate structure, but it had many flaws that neither he nor Old Shuai could fix, as it was simply too complex.

Under the purification of the golden flame fluctuations, the flaws in the altar gradually disappeared, making the entire altar more perfect.

Three days later, the group retreated to the natural talisman array to rest. Each fluctuation of the golden flames took about three days. Staying in the Golden Flame Plain was harmful rather than beneficial, so they had to retreat to the natural talisman array to wait.

It was only then that Guo Shier brought out the Soul Calming Cauldron. He asked, “Old Shuai, how is it?”

Old Shuai returned to the altar and said, “See for yourself.”

Guo Shier sent his soul into the Soul Calming Cauldron and found that it had completely changed. The cauldron’s surface was dark and dull, no longer as dazzling as before. An idea crossed his mind—perhaps this was what was meant by “spiritual objects becoming dim.” The interior of the cauldron was also entirely different, with a vast space that resembled a small hidden realm, filled with countless spirit beasts wandering about.

The black entity hovered above the center of the Soul Calming Cauldron, bound by 108 giant purple chains. Layers of golden seals were placed on the black entity, making it impossible to discern its original form. Old Shuai had gone to great lengths, even using natural runes to seal it. It was clear that Old Shuai was also a bit afraid, so he was determined to suppress the black entity at all costs.

108 giant pillars were connected to 108 purple chains, extending to the seals on the black entity in the air, creating a spectacular sight. In the sky and on the ground, spirit beasts were everywhere, many of them mutated into evil spirit beasts. Countless virtual talismans drifted down like snow—Guo Shier knew they were control talismans generated by the Soul Calming Cauldron itself.

The world within the Cauldron is vast—at least that’s what Guo Shier thought. The ability to hold nearly a million Soul Beasts in such a space seemed incredible to him. He stored the Soul-Calming Cauldron back within his soul and nodded in satisfaction. “There should be no problems now. Old Man Shuai, this thing has always been a source of instability. Is there any way to get rid of it?”
Old Man Shuai replied, “Stop dreaming. It’s completely impossible! We can’t control its power; we can only seal it away. To get it out, even with our combined strength… it’s useless.”
Guo Shier asked, “What if I advance to a level beyond the Ninth-Level Altar? Is there any hope?”
Old Man Shuai thought for a moment before saying, “It’s difficult, very difficult. I don’t know what the outcome will be. But… by my intuition, even if you surpass the Ninth-Level Altar, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to control that black entity… Perhaps there’s only a better way to suppress it.”