Ji Xia hesitated no longer. With a flick of his mind, the Grand Sun Spirit-Subduing Furnace radiated dazzling golden light. Even the two golden crows above emitted intense beams of brilliance.
These rays of gold pierced through Ji Xia's body, converging in the outside world to form a massive furnace.
The furnace stood on four legs, each adorned with a blazing sun that unleashed searing flames, endlessly tempering the structure.
As the golden furnace manifested, the spirits on the black gateway trembled and twisted in terror. Their blurred faces displayed profound dread.
With a cold snort, Ji Xia commanded the furnace to soar into the air. It emitted a golden glow that materialized into a giant three-legged golden crow, two to three zhang in size.
The golden crow flapped its wings and unleashed torrents of spiritual flames from its beak, engulfing the gateway.
The spiritual flames scorched the gate, and the spirits screamed silently as their hollow, gaping mouths grew even larger. Soon, they began to dissolve into wisps of black smoke.
As the smoke formed, the furnace's golden light grew brighter. The furnace aligned itself with the smoke and inhaled sharply.
The black smoke broke free from the immobilized spirits and was sucked into the furnace for safekeeping.
This process repeated over a long duration. The golden crow continued spraying flames, burning the spirits into black smoke, which the furnace voraciously consumed and sealed.
A Distant Desert in the Great Fu Region
A group of over twenty individuals was locked in fierce battle with a horde of monstrous creatures.
Among the monsters, five colossal beings stood out, towering over five zhang tall and dwarfing the smaller creatures around them, which were only about one zhang in height.
These towering monstrosities glowed with a faint green light and had semi-transparent bodies, making them exceedingly eerie. Their forms and faces were grotesque, as if hacked apart by countless blades and crudely stitched back together.
Thick white threads ran across their arms, torsos, noses, and even mouths. Large nails pinned their eyes into their sockets, preventing the disembodied orbs from falling out.
The giant creatures exuded formidable power. Each movement unleashed gusts of chilling wind and waves of dark spiritual energy, covering a radius of over a hundred zhang.
Beneath them were dozens of other luminous creatures of varied shapes and sizes, too numerous and bizarre to describe in detail.
Leading the group of black-robed individuals was a massive half-human figure. Their battle with the monsters was earth-shattering and intense. Within a thousand-zhang radius, the air surged with chaotic spiritual energy, rendering it a deathtrap for ordinary cultivators.
"Dark Priest, this is the seventh wave of phantoms we've encountered. How far are we from the Scorpion Sand Kingdom?" one black-robed individual asked after dispersing a smaller phantom with a powerful strike.
The Dark Priest responded, "This phantom-laden forbidden zone is vast, and its exact population is unknown. At our current pace, it will take two to three more days to reach the Scorpion Sand Kingdom."
The black-robed man nodded and resumed the fight with renewed vigor, his spiritual energy surging as he leapt into the air.
Suddenly, the Dark Priest's expression shifted dramatically. His face, marked with arcane inscriptions, twisted into an intense fury.
"Who dares?" he roared. "Who dares lay hands on the treasury of the Temple of Sacrifice?"
The surrounding black-robed individuals turned toward him, alarmed.
The Dark Priest, seething with rage, spoke in a low, foreboding tone. "Someone has dismantled the Treasury Gate!"
Another black-robed individual frowned. "The Temple of Sacrifice is concealed and protected by the Yin Lord's array. Not even a Spirit Palace cultivator could breach it. Could this be the work of a Divine Stage expert?"
The Dark Priest sneered. "Do you think Divine Stage experts are so common that they'd waste their time raiding a treasury they'd deem insignificant?"
The group fell into thoughtful silence.
"The problem likely lies with Shi Yu or Qin Ji," the Dark Priest said, his eyes flashing. Evading a massive phantom's strike, his body turned into droplets of water. "Shi Yu holds the Yin Lord in high reverence and would never defy him. This leaves Qin Ji as the prime suspect."
"Qin Ji dares act so recklessly?" one black-robed figure asked incredulously.
"Why bother speculating?" another chimed in. "If he's absorbed the sacrificial spirits, he'll be trapped within a hundred-zhang radius of the Temple. We'll capture him upon our return and flay him alive."
The Dark Priest shook his head. "There are too many unknowns. Qin Ji isn't foolish enough to act without an escape plan. I suspect he has other tricks up his sleeve and will discard the Soulwater Stone."
"What now? Retreating would expose us to more phantoms and make this entire mission pointless," another complained.
"Don't worry," the Dark Priest said ominously. "The Temple of Sacrifice has never faced such defiance. After our return, I will appeal to the Yin Lord's statue and invoke his gaze. That will reveal the identity of the greedy thief."
The black-robed group said no more, resuming their desperate battle.
Back at the Temple of Sacrifice
The once-formidable black gateway now lay in ruins. After enduring the golden crow's flames for over a dozen breaths, it was reduced to black smoke, which was absorbed entirely by the golden furnace.
The furnace, having devoured the entire gateway, transformed into golden light. It carried the black smoke back into Ji Xia's body, depositing it within the Grand Sun Spirit-Subduing Furnace atop his inner snow mountain.
The two golden crows circling above the snow mountain unleashed torrents of flames, and the four blazing suns emitted spiritual fire to burn and suppress the black smoke within the furnace.
Under this relentless purification, the writhing smoke gradually settled and was firmly subdued.
Ji Xia felt the furnace within him growing denser and more radiant, with the golden glow from the two golden crows almost tangible.
Grand Sun Spirit-Subduing Furnace
Progress toward Evolution: 153,800/500,000
Required Spiritual Essence for Instant Upgrade: 198,000
Ji Xia's connection to the furnace grew stronger. Following an intuition, he channeled a streak of golden light from the furnace into his eyes.
The Grand Sun Spirit Eye activated, revealing two blazing suns, each housing a golden crow perched majestically within.
The world before him became extraordinarily vivid. Dust and impurities were laid bare, and the flow of spiritual energy became discernible. Under the Spirit Eye, these currents slowed dramatically, moving at merely a fraction of their original speed.
While the confined space of the Temple limited the Spirit Eye's full potential, Ji Xia was elated.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He turned his gaze toward the Yin Lord statue in the hall.
Instantly, a chilling sensation gripped his heart.
Under the Spirit Eye, the once-regal and mystical statue revealed its horrifying true form: a shadowy creature with two heads, each crowned with twisted horns. Sparse hair dotted its skulls, while its body, pitch-black and goat-like, ended in cloven hooves.
This monstrous specter clung to the statue, its four eyes shut, seemingly deep in slumber.