Outside Li Yan's spirit power shield, the area over his chest seemed to be dented inward slightly by an invisible force, pausing for a moment before immediately recovering.
At his neck, a nearly invisible streak of faint green light penetrated an inch deep before dissolving into nothingness. The spirit power shield likewise returned to normal.
This time, Li Yan was confident he could have dodged these two attacks, but he didn't. He simply relied on his defenses to block them.
"Soul Spirits!"
A look of astonishment appeared in Li Yan's eyes. This time, he didn't say "Soul Cultivators," but "Soul Spirits!"
He had just now truly perceived the true nature of his enemies. They were not living beings at all, but souls after death—and souls that had been refined by someone at that, also known as "Soul Spirits"!
"Soul Spirits" should have long lost their self-awareness, yet they had somehow retained some consciousness.
All their conscious actions were determined by the cultivator who refined them. Whatever consciousness was instilled in them during the refining process was the only consciousness they would ever maintain.
The eyes of this "one person, one demon" were clearly filled with only malice and slaughter. It was obvious that the cultivator who created them wanted them to be nothing more than killing puppets.
'The one I attacked before was undoubtedly a 'Soul Spirit' as well!'
Li Yan carefully recalled the figure he had killed earlier.
Because he had been cautious, he had used the "Fireball Art" infused with potent poison. Due to the opponent's low strength, it had been instantly reduced to nothingness.
At the time, Li Yan had assumed the opponent's physical body was incinerated by the fierce flames, and that even if anything remained, the poison in the fire would have corroded it completely.
Therefore, Li Yan hadn't realized at the time that the opponent was just a drifting "soul."
'No wonder it appeared so silently, almost undetectable to me. It has no physical body at all. What kind of aura could a soul reveal? If anything, just its own Yin qi. This place is already gloomy and sinister, which happens to help them blend in perfectly.'
Li Yan thought to himself, but his steps did not stop. Now that he roughly knew the enemy's details, he had some countermeasures in mind.
However, he still had to be careful of their attack methods. The attack methods of these "Soul Spirits" were not the same as those of ordinary ghosts.
Instead, they had all been refined into various attacks targeting the soul. This was unlike the souls of the dead, which basically just latched onto some weak mortals, causing them to fall gravely ill.
Li Yan had suffered a loss before; he did not want to let their attacks penetrate his body a second time.
Everyone's soul was their most fragile part. A single touch could potentially kill you. This was, in a way, similar to the effect of Li Yan's Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spike.
Unfortunately, Li Yan only knew the attack method of the Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spike, not a defensive one.
And just as Li Yan continued forward a few more steps, three more figures suddenly appeared from the sky and from ahead...
Half an hour later, Li Yan had walked a little over a hundred zhang. The long alley was still as dim as ever.
At this moment, more than thirty figures appeared in front of him, behind him, and in the sky above. These figures were continuously besieging Li Yan below, most of them having reached the peak of the initial-stage of Foundation Establishment.
And Li Yan below, with a wave of his hand, turned all thirty-plus figures into nothingness.
Although he could shatter their bodies with a punch or a kick, almost seventy percent of the power would be wasted. Instead, the arts of a Dharma Cultivator were sharper and more precise.
The moment those figures vanished, Li Yan suddenly let out a muffled grunt. His face turned slightly pale, and his figure swiftly retreated.
Several more "Soul Spirit" figures quickly appeared around Li Yan, drifting towards him at high speed.
Li Yan's palms formed a sealing gesture in front of him, and a wall of qi instantly blocked his path.
Unleashing the "Phoenix Soars to the Heavens" movement skill, he shot away. In a flash, Li Yan had put thirty zhang of distance between himself and his opponents.
After Li Yan left, the qi wall, under the attack of the several figures, held on for a while before collapsing, no longer sustained by Li Yan's magical power.
And those "Soul Spirits," after flying about randomly for ten zhang, the crimson and bloodlust in their eyes slowly dissipated.
One by one, they reverted to a dazed state, then slowly vanished into the hazy long alley and sky. Everything returned to a deathly silence.
Li Yan's hand trembled slightly as he took out a bottle of pills. He carefully "shook" out a pill and put it in his mouth, quickly refining it with his spirit power.
Li Yan had been injured after all. In the hands of a group of "Soul Spirits" with only Foundation Establishment cultivation, he had been penetrated by their attacks three times and had been forced to retreat.
In this half-hour, Li Yan had already figured out some of the situation here.
This place was very likely a trial ground for the disciples of the Hellsoul Clan. Starting from the point of entry, there was initially only one "Soul Spirit" attacking.
But as Li Yan advanced, the number of "Soul Spirits" around him would increase. They didn't just come from the front.
Figures would suddenly appear from the sky, from behind, and even from underground, attacking instantly and making it impossible to defend against.
When Li Yan guessed that this might be a trial ground for the Hellsoul Clan, he thought of a possibility.
The Hellsoul Clan couldn't possibly let their disciples die here at will. Either there were powerful experts guarding them in secret during the trial, or there were other ways to protect the lives of the disciples undergoing the trial.
After trying various methods, he finally discovered a way to escape the "Soul Spirit" attacks.
As long as he completely broke contact with them and maintained a distance of more than ten zhang, the "Soul Spirits" would lose their target and slowly disappear.
This was the difference between "Soul Spirits" and ghosts or soul bodies. The cultivators who refined them had instilled in them a consciousness of attack range, which was then continuously reinforced during the refining process.
Ultimately, they wouldn't be like ghosts, which, once they found a target, would cling to it relentlessly.
With this discovery, Li Yan also began to move forward continuously.
But the deeper he went into the long alley, the stronger the "Soul Spirits" that appeared. Just now, about thirty initial-stage Foundation Establishment "Soul Spirits" had already appeared.
As long as Li Yan attacked, it was impossible for his defense to be watertight. Just now, on three occasions, just as his old magical power was being replaced by new, he had been penetrated by a small amount of three invisible attacks.
When it came to attacks on the "soul," as long as it made contact with the body, it didn't matter which part; it would go straight to the depths of the soul.
Although it was only a sliver, Li Yan felt a pain as if a sharp claw was tearing at his soul. He could have held on for a little longer, but after another wisp entered his body, he had to immediately disengage from those "Soul Spirits."
As the medicinal pill was refined, the pain in the depths of Li Yan's soul also gradually subsided. He stood by the wall and slowly fell into deep thought.
'I have no idea how long this alley is, or rather, how long this trial path is. Right now, there's no other way out. I've only advanced about a hundred zhang, and already more than thirty 'Soul Spirits' have appeared, their strength reaching the peak of the initial-stage of Foundation Establishment. Further down, there will definitely be mid-stage, late-stage, and Great Perfection Foundation Establishment...'
Although he could kill these "Soul Spirits," their various bizarre attacks upon death were impossible to defend against. A moment of carelessness, and he would be hit.
The more Li Yan thought, the colder his heart became. He didn't know if there would be Golden Core-level "Soul Spirits" here, but based on his current predictions, the chances were high.
The thought of being besieged by a group of Golden Core-level "Soul Spirits" made Li Yan's heart sink to the bottom.
He didn't need many; if he was besieged by seven or eight Golden Core-level "Soul Spirits" that specialized in attacking the soul, a single hit penetrating his body might rob him of the strength to even flee.
'This Hellsoul Clan is no benevolent force. Just how many cultivators' souls have they refined? Is this trial path specifically for Foundation Establishment cultivators, or is it also for Golden Core cultivators? The most terrifying thing is that I know nothing about this place. If one or two Nascent Soul-level 'Soul Spirits' were to appear, I wouldn't even have a chance to escape in a single encounter...'
Li Yan thought to himself, a bone-chilling coldness filling his heart.
However, he could also guess one thing: even if there were Golden Core or Nascent Soul "Soul Spirits" further on, their numbers would definitely decrease as their realm increased.
But he had no other path now; he could only try to find a way out.
'I've pretty much figured out the situation now. I must discuss this with Senior Sister!'
When Zhao Min's figure appeared in the dim alley, although her face maintained its usual solemnity, the doubt in her eyes already betrayed her thoughts.
"Senior Sister, I was drawn into..."
With a wry smile, Li Yan recounted the story of his search for the statue. As Zhao Min listened with a somewhat astonished expression, he also told her about the "Soul Spirits" he had encountered here.
"Right now, I haven't found a way out. Take a look at this!"
As Li Yan spoke, a broken earthen jar suddenly appeared in his hand, which he then passed to Zhao Min.
Zhao Min extended a hand as smooth and white as silk and took the broken jar. Then, she also began to try various arts she knew, one by one.
Li Yan stood quietly to the side, watching. Soon, after several dozen breaths, Zhao Min handed the broken jar back to Li Yan.
She could only activate the faint trace of soul power within the jar's belly, but it had no effect on the surrounding environment. All other arts were like a clay ox entering the sea—gone without a trace.
"Let me try. You don't need to act!"
Zhao Min's voice was as pleasant as the clinking of ice cubes. Then, without waiting for Li Yan's reply, she walked forward alone.
When she had walked a short distance, five figures suddenly appeared in front of her, attacking silently...
A dozen or so breaths later, after killing several "Soul Spirits," just as more "Soul Spirits" appeared around her, Zhao Min's figure flickered, and she escaped the encirclement.
Then, she swept her jade palm forward, immediately creating a wall of qi that connected the sky and the ground.
The qi wall blocked the alley, temporarily separating her from her opponents, while she swiftly retreated...
"Senior Sister, we can fight our way through like this, but we will inevitably be hit in the process. Pills that heal the soul are extremely precious. I only have seven or eight of them here, which might not be enough to get us through this..."
Li Yan retreated rapidly alongside Zhao Min. The moment they landed, he spoke helplessly. But this time, before he could finish, Zhao Min's crisp and pleasant voice cut in.
"Junior Brother, why must we take pills?"
The moment her words fell into Li Yan's ears, his expression froze slightly, but he quickly understood.
"Senior Sister, you're saying this is also a fortunate encounter for us!"
There was no one else here, and Zhao Min had long since reverted to her peerless beauty. This was a detail Li Yan hadn't even noticed; whenever she was alone with him, Zhao Min would reveal her true face.
A rare smile appeared on Zhao Min's cold face.
"What do you think? Since you've guessed this is a trial ground, what do you think the purpose of the Hellsoul Clan refining so many cultivators' souls is?"
"It's to cultivate the secret arts of the Hellsoul Clan, and another purpose is to temper the souls of their disciples. It's like Body Refining Arts—it requires a thousand temperings and a hundred refinings, not recovery through medicinal pills!"
A sharp light flashed repeatedly in Li Yan's eyes.