Chapter 318 - 317: Devouring the Soul

When Snow’s cultivation erupted to the Ninth-Layer of the Spirit Body Realm, Ghost Head froze in place. The pressure was so immense his blood practically stopped flowing, and every breath became a struggle.

He gasped for air, but a deep chill still permeated his body. He felt a terror unlike anything he had ever known.

As Snow slowly walked toward him, his heart leaped into his throat. He trembled like a leaf in the wind, and a cold sweat streamed endlessly down his back.

His eyes widened, his mind completely broken.

’Impossible, impossible! It must be an illusion. How could she be at the Ninth-Layer of the Spirit Body Realm?’

’How could she have reached the Ninth-Layer of the Spirit Body Realm in an instant, right before my eyes? It’s absolutely impossible! She can’t do this! She’s a known waste, someone who couldn’t even cultivate anymore! Everything I’m seeing is a lie... all of it!’

As he muttered to himself, his spirit, like a candle flickering in the wind, was on the verge of being extinguished. All his previous bravado was gone.

’Even if this Realm isn’t real—even if it’s not her own power, just something someone temporarily lent her—I have no way to fight back.’

’Against the Ninth-Layer of the Spirit Body Realm, I, at a mere Fourth-Layer, have no chance of victory. Sometimes, the gap between the Ninth-Layer of the Spirit Body Realm and the Bright Soul Realm is as thin as a single membrane.’

’The pressure rolling off Snow isn’t something a Ninth-Layer of the Spirit Body Realm should possess. Her strength far surpasses what she’s showing. The power she wields could kill me with ease...’

As this pessimistic thought flooded Ghost Head’s mind, his spirit all but died. By then, Snow had already come to a stop right in front of him.

Yes, she had closed the distance with ease. She had simply walked up to him, step by step, and his heart could no longer muster any will to resist.

An ant cannot possibly move an elephant. In the face of death, all arrogance is but dust, utterly lifeless.

He knew that today, he would not escape his final destiny...

CRUNCH!

Suddenly, her small, delicate hand clamped around his neck and lifted him up with ease. His feet left the ground, dangling helplessly. Even on his tiptoes, he couldn’t touch the floor.

"You will die. I told you so," Snow said, the corner of her lips curling up. Within the phantom-like image of her Dragon Eye, a pressure that didn’t belong to her Realm emanated. "Try not to be so arrogant in your next life."

CRACK—

With a sudden POP, she squeezed her small hand. The man’s head burst like a watermelon, and gushing blood splattered Snow’s face crimson.

Red liquid trickled down her mask, but her eyes remained just as calm, without a trace of fear. She casually tossed aside the corpse, now broken in two, and lifted her head to gaze at the audience.

"How... how is that possible? She killed him so easily, without even batting an eye."

"No way... I thought they said she was terrified of death? I heard she was holed up in Elder Bell Fish’s palace, too scared to even go outside..."

"What are you talking about? Does that look like someone who’s afraid of death? More like she’s afraid her enemies *won’t* die!"

The moment her icy gaze swept over them, the clamor in the stands dropped by half. Many people fell silent, not daring to speak another word. It wasn’t for any particular reason.

It was just that when her gaze fell upon them, they felt as if they were being stared down by the ancient Dragon Race. An ant could not entertain even a shred of disrespect.

The regular disciples, save for the brain-dead ones, all shut their mouths. The same went for the Elite Disciples. As for the Direct Disciples who had come to watch the show, they were all dumbfounded, still unable to process what they had seen.

Among the Direct Disciples were many at the Bright Soul Realm, and even some at the Dharma Realm. Yet, at this moment, not a single one of them had any thought of mockery. When they saw Snow glance their way, they subconsciously took a step back.

In the face of danger, they possessed a far keener perception than ordinary disciples and knew how to avoid it...

"So this is what you meant by ’she’s stayed in her palace for ten years, almost never goes out, and has never harmed a living soul’?!"

From the Elders’ seats, the other Elders roared at Bell Fish. Their masks seemed to glow red as a bloody hue emerged upon them. They were like incarnations of fury, their rage demanding to be vented.

How could they not be furious?

Snow was once considered a genius by the entire Sect, one who could potentially enter the Yin Yang Celestial Pride List. The celestial phenomenon she caused—making snow fall over the entire Hundred Ghosts Sect—was not something a normal person could achieve.

Countless higher-ups had placed their hopes in her, even preparing to cultivate her as a Saint Heir. But then it was discovered she couldn’t cultivate. Unwilling to give up, they studied her for a long time, yet still came up with nothing.

But then, Bell Fish took Snow away. And not only did she take her, she secretly unlocked her Talent and didn’t tell anyone!

She had betrayed the Sect’s investment in her!

"You deserve to die, you selfish bastard!"

One Elder was so enraged he began to release his Nether Dark Spirit Charm. Bell Fish was now surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves. She furrowed her brow, wary that the Elders might attack.

’Something’s wrong. Something is very wrong today. Why are these Elders so aggressive? What happened to their dispositions?’

’In truth, a Cultivator who has mastered the Hundred Ghosts Dao should be exceptionally cold and indifferent, apathetic to everything except their own life and death.’

’And we are all at the Peeping Dao Realm. We have at least glimpsed the great Dao. How could our mental fortitude be so poor?’

Just as Bell Fish was pondering this, a gaze swept over them from the arena. Snow had merely glanced in their direction, but the Nether Dark Spirit Charms in the Elders’ hands quietly dissipated, and their temperaments grew cold and indifferent once more.

*Hiss—*

Bell Fish sucked in a sharp breath. A cold sweat inexplicably broke out on the back of her neck, and she quietly backed away from the center of the Elders’ attention.

Meanwhile, the Duel Elder stared at the arena, meeting Snow’s gaze for a moment before announcing loudly, "The victor of this Duel is Snow! You may now devour Ghost Head’s Soul!"

As his voice boomed out like a tidal wave, motes of light like fireflies began to converge from all directions within the Duel Secret Realm.

The fragmented motes of light gathered and took form before Snow. It was Ghost Head’s Soul. When his body was shattered, his Soul had instantly dispersed.

But the Duel Secret Realm was no ordinary Secret Realm. It had constrained his Soul, preventing it from entering the Yin Yang Law of reincarnation.

Now, it was Snow’s turn to devour him.

A bet is a bet.

"Mm."

After studying it for a moment, Snow reached out, grabbed the ball of soul before her, and swallowed it whole. An unprecedented desire to devour surged from the depths of her being!

VMMMM—

A breakthrough!