496: Ye Mao fell

Over the years, he had long since become a source of nourishment for Xun Xiuyuan to Cultivate his Mental Energy.

Under Xiao Xuan's arrangements, although his Soul body recovered at a decent speed, the amount of Soul Power he lost in every card game far exceeded what he could recover.

What was even more despairing was that he never controlled these card games—the cards were conjured by Xiao Xuan using a Divine Ability, and the rules of winning or losing were entirely at her whim.

This so-called Fight the Landlord game was nothing more than a meticulously designed harvest; have you ever seen a landlord and a peasant team up to bully another peasant?

In just a few short years, You Ming had lost a massive amount of Soul energy, enough to boost Xun Xiuyuan's Mental Energy by nearly ten billion.

If measured in exotic beast value, this was an unimaginably astronomical figure.

The three in the game had different thoughts: Xiao Xuan was calm and composed, as if she were merely passing the time; the old man, the artifact spirit, watched with indifference, as if he were uninvolved; while You Ming walked on thin ice, playing every hand in fear and trepidation.

Just as another round was halfway through, the old man, the artifact spirit, suddenly knit his brows.

Half of the cards he was holding between his fingers silently dissipated, turning into wisps of light that returned to the Void Realm.

Xiao Xuan immediately noticed and turned her head to ask, "Big Brother? What's wrong?"

The old man, the artifact spirit, slowly raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the pagoda walls to look into the far distance.

He hesitated for a moment before replying, "The Old Master is calling me... The connection is very faint, but it is constant. I must go out for a while."

Seeing this, Xiao Xuan curled her lips into a sly smile and chuckled at You Ming, "My big brother has matters to attend to, so you lose this round, and your Soul body will be cut twice as much."

Her voice carried a hint of mockery, as if she were talking about the most ordinary thing.

You Ming's expression froze, and his eyes widened. Just as he was about to open his mouth to plead for mercy, his lips moved, but he could not make a sound.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Xuan flicked her sleeve, and together with the old man, the artifact spirit, she turned into a stream of light and swiftly left the Ling Tian Pagoda, leaving behind only a faint, lingering aura.

The pagoda immediately fell silent, leaving only You Ming standing there, his robes swaying gently in the breeze, looking exceptionally disheveled.

He stood stunned for a long while before slowly coming back to his senses, a surge of helplessness and resentment rising in his heart.

He was, after all, a Peak Supreme Realm existence who had dominated the cultivation world for many years, yet he happened to run into an unsolvable existence like Xiao Xuan, getting the short end of the stick every time they clashed—he must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck.

He couldn't help but sigh, shaking his head with a bitter smile, feeling that this day was truly full of bad luck.

Having just arrived outside the Ling Tian Pagoda, one could see clouds and mist swirling, with Spiritual Qi thick in the air.

The entire pagoda stood towering and majestic, appearing to connect heaven and earth.

Xun Xiuyuan and Xie Nanqiao's robes fluttered as they continuously used teleportation techniques in mid-air.

Their figures flickered in and out of existence, with each flash covering several miles; their speed was so fast it was dizzying.

Suddenly, Xun Xiuyuan's Divine Sense stirred, and he noticed that Xiao Xuan had walked out of the Ling Tian Pagoda.

He stopped abruptly, standing quietly in the Void Realm.

Xie Nanqiao also stopped, her dark hair lightly swaying.

Her gaze, like still water, fell upon Xun Xiuyuan, as if waiting for his instructions.

Xiao Xuan quickly stepped forward and said respectfully to Xun Xiuyuan, "Master, my big brother said that someone is calling him, so he specifically came out to sense it."

Although her voice was soft, every word was clear, echoing amidst the ethereal clouds and mist.

Upon hearing this, Xun Xiuyuan nodded slightly without saying much, turning his gaze toward the old man, the artifact spirit, who was standing not far away.

The artifact spirit of the myriad things cauldron stood in the Void Realm, his aged face covered in a solemn expression.

He gazed into the distance, as if he could pierce through layers of space to glimpse the fluctuations in the distant world.

After a long time, the artifact spirit finally spoke slowly, his voice low and slightly hoarse, "The Old Master is currently still meditating within the Blue Star Great Universe and has already reached the threshold of the Supreme Realm, waiting to make a Breakthrough. Unexpectedly, Ye Mao took a step ahead and entered the Supreme Realm. The Master dares not act rashly at this moment; he can only conceal his aura, hide in his current location, and temporarily avoid his sharp edge."

Xun Xiuyuan knew that the "Master" the artifact spirit referred to was the Dao Law Progenitor, so he responded with a solemn expression, "In that case, our trip will have an additional objective—we must not only test the depth of Ye Mao's strength but also safely bring out the Dao Law Senior."

Upon hearing this, the artifact spirit immediately let his thoughts flow, conveying Xun Xiuyuan's intention to the Dao Law Progenitor far away in the Blue Star Great Universe.

After just a moment, a thought crossed the Void Realm and returned.

The Dao Law Progenitor replied, "If the strength of Xun Xiuyuan and Xie Nanqiao is not far from that of Bai Guang and Ye Mao, we can coordinate from the inside and outside to devise a plan to escape."

Upon hearing this, Xun Xiuyuan curled his lips upward and smiled calmly, "We shall follow the Dao Law Senior's words."

Having said that, he said no more.

With a movement of his body, he used the teleportation technique again, traversing the sky like a stream of light.

Xie Nanqiao followed suit, sticking to him like a shadow.

The two, one after the other, swiftly departed, piercing through the clouds.

Seeing this, Xiao Xuan hurriedly pulled the sleeve of the old man, the artifact spirit, and said, "Senior, please follow me into the pagoda."

She then led him into the Ling Tian Pagoda, and the pagoda doors slowly closed, completely sealing off the wind and clouds of the outside world.

Ye Mao's place of seclusion was silent, with only his rapid breathing and heartbeat echoing in the enclosed space.

At this moment, Ye Mao sat cross-legged on a jade platform, veins bulging on his forehead, his entire body soaked in cold sweat.

He had learned of Bai Guang's true situation—that the strongest person in the Blue Star Great Universe for the past ten thousand years had actually been having his Divine Soul controlled by an Outer Realm Soul Cultivator all along, living like a marionette.

This news was like a Heavenly Tribulation thunderbolt striking his Sea of Consciousness, causing Ye Mao's Divine Soul to tremble.

He remembered his deal with that mysterious figure, that Cultivation Technique that allowed him to advance to the Supreme Realm, and he dared not relax for a single moment.

That seed planted deep in his Primordial Spirit was operating on its own along with the Cultivation Technique of Kun Xu that he had switched to, beginning to crazily absorb his Soul Power.

Ye Mao opened his eyes abruptly, golden light surging in his pupils.

He formed hand seals, attempting to force out the Soul seed, only to discover that the strand of Outer Realm Soul Power had long since merged and coexisted with his own Primordial Spirit.

"No—!" Ye Mao let out a low roar, and monstrous waves surged within his Sea of Consciousness.

Countless golden runes emerged from his Primordial Spirit, turning into layers of shackles to trap that continuously expanding, deep blue Soul seed.

However, as the Lord of the Soul Beast Universe, Kun Xu's control over the Origin of the Soul had already reached the Transcendent level.

The Soul seed suddenly bloomed with thousands of tentacles, actually turning around to devour Ye Mao's Soul Power barrier.

In a struggle that felt as long as a hundred lifetimes, Ye Mao's Primordial Spirit was gradually permeated by the deep blue light.

When the last trace of golden Soul fire was devoured, Kun Xu slowly raised his eyes, a strange blue light flashing in the depths of his pupils.

His lips curled into a cold smile, completely different from his usual gentle demeanor, "Finally... it's a success."

Far away on the other side of the star sea, Bai Guang was currently standing on the star-gazing platform, staring at the galaxy, completely unaware of the drastic change that had occurred to his close friend.

Inside the mysterious secret realm, still in that sea of flowers, fluctuations of energy permeated the surroundings, as if even time were flowing slowly here.

Kayu stared intently at Kun Xu's expression, his eyes filled with eagerness and anticipation.

He couldn't help but take a step forward and asked in a low voice, "How is it? Did you succeed?"