484: Speculation about the treasure

After hearing the news brought by Xie Nanqiao, Xiao Xuan looked with a solemn expression at Xun Xiuyuan, who was still in closed-door seclusion with spiritual energy swirling around him. She then moved, instantly reappearing at the place where Youming resided.

She stared directly at the flickering remnant Soul and said in a cold tone, "Old man, that so-called method for reshaping a Spirit Body you mentioned last time simply doesn't work. I suspect you are still hiding some key information. If you refuse to tell the truth again, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Upon seeing this red-clad woman who had suddenly descended, Youming could not help but show undisguised fear on his face.

He hurriedly lowered his head, barely managing to squeeze out a fawning smile, and replied cautiously, "Great-aunt, please understand, that method for repairing the Physical Body of a Spirit Body has indeed been passed down for a long time, and theoretically, there is absolutely no problem... Perhaps you could try it a few more times..."

Xiao Xuan did not buy his act at all, snorted coldly, and said, "I've tried it, it's completely useless! How dare you try to fool me?"

Before she finished speaking, she raised her hand and waved it through the air. In an instant, a blinding force of thunder surged out, tightly locking the remnant Soul of Youming inside like a cage.

Youming immediately let out a shrill scream—under the suppression of this violent thunder, he could not even achieve the most basic recovery of his Soul body, and could only endure the tearing pain brought by every bolt of lightning.

This old Soul, who had once appeared composed and even slightly arrogant even when facing Xun Xiuyuan, had completely lost all confidence in front of Xiao Xuan. Not only did he dare not contradict her in the slightest, but even the tone of his replies was filled with humbleness and begging.

Xie Nanqiao's figure was as fast as lightning; in just an instant, she had crossed a vast distance and arrived at the territory of the Yuan Ling Sect.

She swept past the layers of Restrictions in front of the Sect like a gust of wind and walked straight towards Elder Nangong Yan, who was guarding the cosmic vortex. The two exchanged a simple and tacit greeting, and then Xie Nanqiao stepped into the base without hesitation.

Nangong Yan was already very familiar with Xie Nanqiao. This was not only because of the long-standing cooperation plan between the Yuan Ling Sect and the academy, but also because the two of them had handled important matters between the academy and the Sect together many times.

Every contact made Nangong Yan's understanding of Xie Nanqiao deeper, and now, facing her Realm, Nangong Yan no longer felt surprised, only habitually perceiving that unfathomable and deep aura that was difficult to pry into.

Because at this moment, he could no longer sense what Realm Xie Nanqiao had reached.

At this time, the magnificent hall that had originally covered the cosmic vortex had disappeared, replaced by a huge vortex suspended in the air, emitting mysterious and vast energy fluctuations.

The Void Spirit Beast stood quietly in front of the vortex, its eyes filled with a bit of helplessness. It looked at Wan Hai and the others, as if waiting for something. And the ultimate purpose of all this waiting was only one—the arrival of Xie Nanqiao.

Wan Hai was at his wit's end; the situation before him far exceeded his initial expectations and range of control.

The formidable strength displayed by Bai Guang had completely overturned all his previous judgments and imagination.

In Wan Hai's internal cognition, although he had always believed that Bai Guang's cultivation was unfathomable, he had always felt that the other party had not truly reached that Realm of being invincible and sweeping through everything.

However, reality was merciless, like a heavy and resounding slap, fiercely shattering all his expectations and wishful thinking.

What made it even harder for him to accept was that the several powerful experts he had specially gathered this time—each one a presence that could shock a region—plus the fact that he and Star Swallower had personally taken action, joining forces to form such a luxurious lineup, were still unable to suppress Bai Guang. Instead, they were defeated step by step in the fierce battle, with no chance of winning.

If it hadn't been for Star Swallower resolutely choosing to self-destruct at the last moment, using a method of near self-destruction to temporarily force back Bai Guang, the price they would have had to pay would not just be the fall of one companion, but the desperate situation of potentially facing total annihilation.

What particularly made Wan Hai feel shocked and powerless was that among this group of Hongmeng Realm Experts he had gathered, there was even a top existence ranked in the top ten of the Cosmic Battlefield.

Coupled with himself and Star Swallower—two experts who also stood at the pinnacle of billions of Cultivators—such a lineup was almost equivalent to nearly half of the top ten combat powers of the Cosmic Battlefield gathering here.

Yet even so, they could not even kill Bai Guang, or even achieve a situation of being evenly matched and in a stalemate; they were completely at a disadvantage.

Wan Hai stared at the dark, bottomless, and constantly rotating cosmic vortex before him, his voice soft but with a hint of probing, as he asked, "Fellow Daoist Void Spirit, could it be that you are the Void Spirit Beast that Bai Guang previously tamed?"

The Void Spirit Beast's heart trembled slightly; an instinctive rejection made it unwilling to mention that name—Bai Guang.

Perhaps it was out of some deeply buried fear, or perhaps it was a past that it did not want to be uncovered again, it itself could not clearly say.

Especially after Xun Xiuyuan used the Soul Control Technique on it, that avoidance of topics related to Bai Guang had almost become an imprint deep in its Soul.

Seeing that the Void Spirit Beast remained silent, a trace of understanding flashed in Wan Hai's eyes; he seemed to have understood something.

Then, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and he couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist Void Spirit, could it be... that Xun Xiuyuan really holds some supreme treasure in his hands?"

Bai Guang's Void Spirit Beast had actually become a gatekeeper for Xun Xiuyuan here; it was not excessive for Wan Hai to have this speculation.

The Void Spirit Beast frowned slightly, still not making a sound.

It knew that Xun Xiuyuan possessed the xuanhuang one qi pagoda, because the purpose for which it was sent here was precisely this supreme treasure.

However, it knew clearly in its heart that although these people had not yet shown hostility towards the Yuan Ling Universe, who could guarantee that they were not people with hidden daggers in their smiles and evil intentions?

Before the truth was clear, silence was still its safest response.

Wan Hai was indeed a clever person, meticulous in his thinking and observant in detail.

He keenly sensed that as long as the Void Spirit Beast remained silent and did not clearly express opposition or doubt, it was almost equivalent to tacitly agreeing with their speculation.

After noticing this attitude of the Void Spirit Beast, the other seven people present had subtle changes in their expressions, and thoughts, surprise, or sudden realization flashed in each of their eyes.

A companion couldn't help but transmit his voice to Wan Hai, "Old Wan, if that Cultivator named Xun Xiuyuan really possesses a supreme treasure, then all the things that happened before, all the doubts, can all be explained."

Another person followed up, with a bit of conviction in his tone, "That's right, Old Wan, no wonder that old ghost Star Swallower would specially instruct us to come here to find Xun Xiuyuan; it must be because he holds a supreme treasure in his hands."

At this time, a third person's voice transmission joined the discussion, proposing a bolder conjecture, "What do you say, is there a possibility that the true intention of that old ghost Star Swallower was to let us seize the opportunity to snatch that supreme treasure, and then use it to deal with Bai Guang?"