Chapter 9: Fighting the Soul-Devouring Beast (Part 1)

The Ancestor of Nanqiang wasn’t foolish. Upon hearing this, he immediately teleported upward. Guo Shier’s Stabilizing Pearl could only hold the Soul-Devouring Beast in place for a dozen seconds or so, so after shouting, he too teleported upward. According to Old Shuai, the Soul-Devouring Beast couldn’t be killed; unless there was a way to capture it, it was better to leave as soon as possible.

As soon as the two moved below the Sea of Evil, the Soul-Devouring Beast broke free from the Stabilizing Pearl’s restraint, roared, and charged at them.

Old Shuai had taken back the Stabilizing Pearl, and the umbrella-shaped sacrificial artifact suddenly began spinning. Guo Shier shouted, “Ancestor, go first!”

The Ancestor of Nanqiang was helpless against the Soul-Devouring Beast and knew it was useless to stay. He said, “I’ll wait for you up there!” He understood that he must not be stubborn at this moment. With his speed and no interference, he could break out of the Sea of Evil in just a few breaths.

But it was harder for Guo Shier to escape. To the Soul-Devouring Beast, the Sea of Evil was like fish in the ocean—it was its world. Evil energy quickly gathered and slammed down at Guo Shier.

Like flaming shells, countless golden evil energies condensed into sharp blades that slashed wildly. Even more terrifying was that the blades were also on fire with crimson evil flames.

Old Shuai appeared again. He took control of the umbrella-shaped sacrificial artifact, and the power of a sixth-grade sacrificial artifact was immediately revealed. In an instant, countless virtual talismans shot out from the tip of the umbrella, turning into thin needles that struck the incoming blades. With a series of loud clinking sounds, the blades reverted back into evil flames and golden evil energies.

Guo Shier steered his altar upward and shouted, “Old Shuai, use the Stabilizing Pearl!”

Old Shuai replied, “What use is stabilizing it? How can we hold the Soul-Devouring Beast in place in the Sea of Evil? Run fast!”

The Soul-Devouring Beast roared and kept attacking. The umbrella-shaped sacrificial artifact was extremely powerful, defusing each attack. After less than a minute of struggle, Guo Shier’s altar broke out of the Sea of Evil. He shouted, “Ancestor, hurry up!”

The Soul-Devouring Beast rushed out of the Sea of Evil, roared, and charged at them, only to be stabilized by Old Shuai once again. Guo Shier and the Ancestor of Nanqiang quickly fled into a cave. The Soul-Devouring Beast seemed to realize it couldn’t leave the evil environment either. After roaring a few times, it returned to the Sea of Evil and descended.

Guo Shier and the Ancestor of Nanqiang soon returned to the first magma lake before stopping. The Ancestor of Nanqiang was still shaken. After a long while, he said, “What was that thing… It could even destroy my sacrificial artifact. This is the first time I’ve seen something so abnormal.”

Then he added, “It’s a shame—there are countless precious materials inside… Hmm, it seems we need to seal this cave up.”

Guo Shier quickly said, “There’s no need to seal it right away. I need to refine my sacrificial treasure first. I’ll go in after some time. Since this was done in a hurry with no preparation, failure is quite normal.”
Nanqiang’s Ancestor was delighted and asked, “Are you confident you can kill that thing?”
Guo Shier replied, “We have to try. It would be a shame to give up now.”
Nanqiang’s Ancestor nodded. “Indeed, it’s a pity to give up. There are many valuable things inside. Ah, by the way, Ancestor Guo, I also want to thank you for your rescue.” He expressed his gratitude earnestly.
Every time Guo Shier heard someone call him Ancestor Guo, he felt a strange sensation; being called “Ancestor” was slightly better. He said, “Ancestor Nanqiang, you’re too polite…”
Nanqiang’s Ancestor smiled slightly and asked, “Shall we go back now?”
Guo Shier replied, “No, I’ll stay here.”
Nanqiang’s Ancestor asked, “Weren’t you going to refine your sacrificial treasure? Are you planning to do it right here?” He was puzzled. Refining a sacrificial treasure was a serious matter that took a long time, and this place, with its intense heat and flames, was clearly not suitable for such a task.
Guo Shier laughed and said, “I’m just adding some talismans to the existing sacrificial treasure for refinement. It’s not possible to create a new one.”
Nanqiang’s Ancestor understood. “I see. Alright, I’ll go up first. Don’t worry; I’ll personally watch over the teleportation array and wait for you to return.”
Guo Shier thanked him. With Nanqiang’s Ancestor guarding the teleportation array, no outsiders would disturb him, allowing him to focus on dealing with the Soul Fiend Beast. Although he still didn’t know what use there was in bringing the Soul Fiend Beast to the altar, he had learned from Old Shuai that it was very precious.
Nanqiang’s Ancestor turned to leave. Before entering the cave, he reminded him once more, “If it’s not feasible, just give up.”
Guo Shier nodded. “Okay.”
After seeing Nanqiang’s Ancestor go, Guo Shier flew back the way he came. He stopped near the passage leading to the Sea of Sorrow, quickly created a small space beside the cave, and then flew inside with the altar.
Guo Shier didn’t put away the altar but continued to sit on it. He said, “Old Shuai, let’s refine the Ancient Xi Bi here, and also strengthen the altar at the same time.”
Old Shuai replied, “Let’s do it together. I can’t do it all the time; you must do your part too.”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Okay, let’s refine it together.” He also wanted to participate in the refinement. The old master was too powerful; he didn’t need to do much himself. Although he could slack off a bit, he knew he still needed to train, otherwise he would stagnate, and his path as a professional would end at the level the old master had reached.

The old master protruded half of his body and, with a wave of his hand, Guxi Bi fully emerged from the altar, looking delicate and small. Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh—Guxi Bi resembled a mop head, creating a amusing contrast with the old master.

Guxi Bi affectionately rubbed Guo Shier’s face and body with its tentacles. Guo Shier cried out, “Stop moving around… Hey, where are you reaching?”

The old master was initially stunned, then burst into loud laughter: “Haha, hahaha!”

Guo Shier sighed, “Old master, stop laughing. Be careful your chin falls off.”

The old master obediently smacked his chin against the top of the altar. Only then did Guo Shier realize that this guy was a soul entity—losing a chin, let alone its head, wouldn’t be unusual at all.

The old master said, “Alright, let’s start. You should already have the method to refine Guxi Bi. Just cooperate with me. We need to infuse fire evil energy and gold evil energy into Guxi Bi’s body. Well, it may not be as good as a Evil Soul Beast, but it can still maximize Guxi Bi’s capabilities. You know how powerful the Spirit Devouring Beast is.”

Guo Shier thought for a moment. Since Guxi Bi was almost entirely refined by the old master—though he had contributed a bit as its master—it was time for him to be fully involved this time. He said, “Wait a moment, let me get familiar with it first.”

The old master generously replied, “Fine, but don’t mess it up. Remember, you only have one Guxi Bi! If you kill it, you won’t have another.”

Guo Shier nodded. “I know. Is there enough evil energy beads collected?”

The old master said, “There’s enough. We don’t need to turn Guxi Bi into an Evil Soul Beast—that’s unrealistic. We just need to ensure Guxi Bi isn’t afraid of evil energy.”

Guo Shier said, “Let me do it first.” He began reciting incantations, sending countless virtual talismans into Guxi Bi’s body. Guxi Bi seemed to know that Guo Shier was strengthening it; it floated calmly between the two of them, its numerous tiny tentacles moving in the air as it actively drew in the virtual talismans emitted by Guo Shier.

After waiting for a while, the old master joined in, sending far more virtual talismans than Guo Shier, pouring them down like a rainstorm.

The two of them kept reinforcing the virtual talismans back and forth. During the intervals between reinforcements, the old man swept his hand across the altar’s surface, and a pile of Golden Fiend Beads appeared. He said, “Use Golden Fiend first, then Fire Fiend.” Once the Golden Fiend condensed into beads, they became golden spheres, no different from gold beads, each about the size of an egg. Guo Shier took one, inserted several virtual talismans into it, and immediately the Golden Fiend Bead transformed into strands of golden destructive energy. The old man chanted an incantation, and thousands of virtual talismans combined with the golden destructive energy to form Golden Fiend Talismans, which quickly merged into Gu Xi Bi’s body. As the Golden Fiend Beads decreased, Gu Xi Bi’s entire body shone with golden light. If it hadn’t kept moving its tentacles, it would have looked as if it were made of gold. Guo Shier couldn’t help but say, “Damn, it’s a Golden Gu Xi Bi! Old man, I feel its tentacles have a… well, a fierce quality to them.” The old man replied, “It’s not just fierce. With enough Golden Fiend energy, each of Gu Xi Bi’s tentacles could become invincible, even more powerful than ordinary sacrificial treasures. It’s a pity Gu Xi Bi is essentially a soul entity; if it were physical… hmph, then it would be even more formidable. But with Fire Fiend added, who knows what kind of being Gu Xi Bi will become?” Another pile of Golden Fiend Beads was used. The old man complained, “I have to reinforce Gu Xi Bi while also concentrating on purifying the Fiend Beads.” Guo Shier smiled and said, “Those who are capable have to work harder. Hard work, indeed.” The old man sighed, “Ever since I followed you, my life has been full of hardships. Keep going, don’t stop!” As one after another Golden Fiend Beads disappeared, the entire Gu Xi Bi began to emit a dazzling golden glow. Guo Shier asked, “Does it seem almost done? If we keep reinforcing it, Gu Xi Bi will turn into a Golden Fiend Gu Xi Bi. Old man, why can’t we reinforce it with Fire Fiend first?” The old man patiently explained, “Using Golden Fiend Beads makes it easier for Gu Xi Bi to adapt. With Fire Fiend Beads, a single mistake could destroy it—Fire Fiend energy is too violent; ordinary spirit beasts simply can’t withstand it. This order can’t be reversed. It’s a shame; if we had Earth Fiend energy too, it would be even better. After all, Golden Fiend energy is slightly inferior.”