Similar to the other coffins, the blood-red coffin was tightly bound by a dark, foggy chain. One end of this chain plunged into the center of the blood pool, while the other extended upward to bind another coffin.
Each coffin was enclosed by the same dark, foggy chain, linking them all together. The enormous blood-red coffin seemed to serve as the central core.
Emrys keenly observed the blood pool and discovered something. He discovered that the blood level within the pool was dropping by 0.1 cm every minute. Though it may sound insignificant, if added up quickly, it is quite a frightening amount.
Let's say, the blood level is decreasing by 0.1 cm every minute. In other words, the blood level decreases by 1 cm in ten minutes, and in one hour, it drops by 6 cm. Over the course of a day, the blood level falls by 144 cm which is equivalent to 1.44 meters.
Emrys had no idea how deep this pond truly was, but to keep it filled to the surface, who knows how many lives the Darkborne Family had sacrificed.
Deeply breathing, Emrys darted his gaze and looked at another pond not far away from the blood pond. Unlike the blood pond, this pond appeared ethereal. It was filled with exquisite blue-colored liquid that was glowing gracefully. Even from afar, just one look can pacify all the worries and negative emotions. It was the pool filled with a liquified form of Soul Force.
"Just how much Soul Force is inside this pond?"
Emrys exhaled deeply. Not knowing the depth of the pond caused Emrys's mind to conjure several possibilities. Each possibility, however, made his breathing grow more hurried.
Pa~
'Come back to your senses!'
Emrys slapped himself and muttered in a deep voice. But when his gaze fell on the Soul Force Pool again, he entered the same dazzled state.
"You don't have much time, why don't you hurry and absorb the Soul Force from that pond? The Soul Force there is unusually pure. It seems the mastermind has practiced an ancient dark-type Soul Cultivation Technique that can forcefully extract a person's Soul Force. The condition must be for people to still be alive in order to extract such pure Soul Force."
Emrys was startled when he heard a sound coming inches away from him. He almost jumped in fright. Fortunately, the voice was familiar.
He turned his head, only to see Elysia Nightshade standing. She was looking at the pond filled with liquified Soul Force as well.
Emrys wanted to ask how she came here, but he suddenly recalled that she was observing him very closely for a few days but he was unable to sense her presence. It is clear she has a way to hide her presence, making one unable to sense or tell whether she is there or not.
"What do you mean by a dark-type Soul Cultivation Technique?" Emrys asked.
Elysia turned to look into Emrys's silver eyes, and said, "Tell me, what is a Soul Cultivation Technique?"
Emrys thought for a while, recalled what his predecessor learned in Midnight City School, and said, "A Soul Cultivation Technique is a method only Soul Masters can use to refine and strengthen their soul force. It is more like a practice that combines meditation and mental discipline to enhance the Soul Force within our Soul River."
"True!"
Elysia nodded and then explained, "When a Soul Master practices a Soul Cultivation Technique, they can strengthen and enhance their Soul Force. This technique works solely within oneself and does not affect anyone else. As long as one has a Soul River, they can practice a Soul Cultivation Technique to improve the quality of their Soul Force, strengthen it, expand their Soul River, and more. Essentially, a Soul Cultivation Technique only impacts the Soul Master practicing it and cannot be used to disturb or influence another person."
"However," she continued, "a dark-type Soul Cultivation Technique can do everything a normal one does, and more—it can also affect other Soul Masters. The practitioner of a dark-type Soul Cultivation Technique can not only enslave other Soul Masters, but they can also devour or extract other Soul Masters' Soul Force for personal use. Because of this, those who practice dark-type Soul Cultivation Techniques are seen as threats to the world. Practicing such techniques is forbidden, and anyone who dares to do so is hunted down by everyone."
She then pointed at the ethereal-looking pond and said, "That pond is created using the method of extraction. In order to extract a Soul Master's Soul Force, the mastermind used a dark-type Soul Cultivation Technique. Also, he must have kept the Soul Masters alive before extracting their Soul Force."
Emrys was stunned. He never expected such dark cultivation techniques to exist as well.
To be honest, his worldview is still very shallow. His understanding and perspective of the world are limited and superficial. He lacks depth and insight into the complexities and nuances of the world around him.
Yes, he is aware of the dangers. He knows how dangerous it is out there in the world, however, even that awareness of dangers is very narrow. The current him cannot even imagine the darkness of the world and the darkness within one's heart.
He is usually very cautious, but he doesn't know that if not for Elysia, he would have died the instant he entered the tunnel.
Elysia looked at the startled Emrys. She could feel the waves that were rising and falling within Emrys's heart. It was clear that Emrys's heart was restless. He becomes anxious after knowing how the pond filled with Soul Force is created. And it goes without a doubt that the blood pond must be filled with the blood of all those Soul Masters whose Soul Force was extracted by the Darkborne Family.
Pa~
Bang!
"Ahhh!"
Elysia suddenly slapped Emyrs on his back lightly, however, Emrys was still sent flying. He collided against the wall near the ethereal-looking pond and fell to the ground. The pain from Elysia's slap and the collision made him scream out loud.
He stood up and looked at Elysia, not knowing why she suddenly beat him up.
"Have you come back to your senses, or do I have to slap you a few more times?"
Elysia looked at Emrys and asked. She showed a curious expression as if she truly wanted to know Emrys's opinion.
Nonetheless, Emrys could still see a cunning smile hidden in Elysia's eyes. She clearly enjoyed slapping him on his back just now, and it seems she wanted to do it a few more times.