The Soul-Reaping Ring

The black ring appeared completely ordinary. Yet when Xiangliu Fang's hand—as vast as a bank of black clouds, his fingers transformed into enormous serpents—came smashing down, the black ring simply passed right through it. There was no wound whatsoever on that Fiendgod's massive hand. It was as if the black ring was made of a different type of energy, as if it were insubstantial, simply phasing through without interacting.

"What is this?" Xiangliu Fang was stunned.

"Kill him." Shao Yanong's eyes were filled with killing intent at this moment, but then he too stared in shock at the black ring which had now appeared above them.

The seemingly ordinary black ring filled both Shao Yanong and Xiangliu Fang with wariness. They simply could not understand what kind of treasure it was.

One of them was an ancient Fiendgod, immensely experienced.

The other was virtually the next Feather God Duke of the Shaoyan clan, equally knowledgeable, having seen countless treasures in his time. Yet neither of them could recognize this black ring at all. They could not even identify its purpose.

"How did that black ring just pass through Xiangliu Fang's Fiendgod hand without leaving a single wound?" Mu Northson was also astonished.

It was like a mortal colliding with a ghost—the ghost would merely pass through.

The collision between Xiangliu Fang and the ring was exactly the same. The ring simply passed through.

But Xiangliu Fang's divine power was immensely strong! If it had been something like a ghost, it would have been instantly destroyed.

"What kind of strange treasure is this?" Nine Lotos was stunned. She came from the Dongyan clan, yet she had never even heard of such an item.

"Hm..." Cangjiang Daoist, who had already recovered some fragments of his memories, was also puzzled.

Yu Wei was confused at first, but then her expression shifted to one of shock. "Could it be... how is that possible..."

When the black ring flew to a position above and before Shao Yanong and Xiangliu Fang, it suddenly began to emit a hazy, dreamlike radiance, making it appear even more ethereal and unreal.

"Break!" Xiangliu Fang bellowed in fury, a long spear suddenly appearing in his hand. The spear was saturated with endless killing intent as it viciously stabbed towards the black ring in the air.

"Defend!" Shao Yanong also felt that the black ring was ominous. The leaf-like Dao talisman he had been holding—the very one he had used to fend off the sneak attack from the black-armored puppets—was immediately crushed. A hazy golden light instantly enveloped him, shielding him completely. "Even a full-strength attack from a Loose Immortal should be held off for a few moments."

Whoosh.

Xiangliu Fang's vicious thrust met only empty air. It was as if the black ring simply did not exist, as if it were located in a completely different dimension.

The black ring released its hazy light, and suddenly, an invisible pulling force appeared.

"This is..."

Shao Yanong and Xiangliu Fang's faces suddenly changed drastically.

Both of them could feel an invisible, irresistible suction force, and this force was aimed specifically at their souls!

"Ah, no—!" Shao Yanong's face twisted in terror and agony as he let out a piercing shriek. His soul was forcibly ripped from his body, twisting and writhing as it was sucked into the black ring with a whoosh. As a Wanxiang-level Perfect cultivator who had trained in supreme visualization techniques since childhood, Shao Yanong's soul was nearly comparable to a Primal Daoist's. It was almost corporeal, and Ji Ning and the others could all clearly see that twisted, screaming soul being drawn into the black ring.

"What treasure is this, why is it absorbing my soul? How, how... how did it come to this? How can I die at the hands of this Ji Ning?! Am I going to be annihilated, body and soul? Ji Ning! Ji Ning! Spare me! Spare me!" Shao Yanong's soul let out a silent, psychic shriek as it was twisted and devoured.

"I... I..." Xiangliu Fang struggled madly as well.

But his powerful soul was still forcibly ripped from his Fiendgod body. As a Primal-level Fiendgod capable of generating clones, his soul had long since become completely fused with his physical body, flesh and spirit united as one. Yet even so, it was forcibly torn apart.

His enormous soul let out a howl that echoed through the entire hall before it too was drawn into the black ring.

Just like that...

Shao Yanong and Xiangliu Fang. Despite having powerful divine bodies and protective treasures, in the face of this terrifying, mysterious treasure, their souls were forcibly devoured.

Crack. The black ring made a crisp sound, like shattering ice, then it split apart and melted into the air, not even a trace remaining. Shao Yanong and Xiangliu Fang's souls were completely gone as well.

Thud.

Shao Yanong's physical body stood there for a moment, eyes vacant, before collapsing limply to the ground. The mighty Xiangliu Fang also stood for a moment, then fell, silently dead. This ancient Fiendgod, who had lived since the Primordial Fiendgod Era before being enslaved by the Shaoyan clan, had finally met his end.

"Shao Yanong and Xiangliu Fang... just... just died like that?" Mu Northson's eyes were wide, his throat bobbing as he swallowed in sheer disbelief.

"Dead. This... this..." Cangjiang Daoist was also stunned.

Nine Lotos and Yu Wei stared at the master and servant who had fallen to the ground without a sound, feeling as if it were all a dream.

How powerful Xiangliu Fang was! An ancient Fiendgod!

And Shao Yanong's status and background were immense! Just earlier, when dealing with the Yaksha Dao-soldiers, the 'Seal' scroll and the 'Starseize and Constellation Shift' disc he had produced had already made them feel that this heir to the ancient Shaoyan clan, the next Feather God Duke, was truly extraordinary, his life-preserving treasures numerous. And yet... they had both died.

Ji Ning, who had been sent flying backward, spitting blood and tumbling to the ground, also wore a stunned expression.

He had never imagined the black ring would be this powerful.

Back when he had first received the black ring, the yellow-furred bear had said, "Ji Ning, I was originally not going to give you this treasure. But by the time you grow stronger, it will no longer be of much use to you. Once you become a Primal, you'll be able to carry the aquatic palace with you directly. The Wanxiang Adept stage is the easiest period for you to fall. This treasure was personally forged by my master back in the day. Although it was merely a casual creation, it's more than enough to protect yourself. It will be enough to save your life once."

"A casually created treasure personally forged by Daoist Threelives... effortlessly taking down a Primal-level Fiendgod and a Wanxiang Adept who is practically a Feather God Duke heir." Ji Ning could not help but marvel inwardly.

He only knew that the black ring was a tool for absorbing and destroying souls, but he had never used it before and had no idea how powerful it truly was.

Ji Ning was stunned for only a brief moment before he understood: he had already set foot upon a path of no return.

In truth, the moment Shao Yanong had identified him as a descendant of the Yuchi clan and decided to kill him, he had already stepped onto that road. There were only two paths left: either be killed by Shao Yanong, or kill Shao Yanong himself. Those were the only options! And killing Shao Yanong, who was virtually guaranteed to be the next Feather God Duke... his background was terrifying.

Just as he himself had once been the near-certain heir to the Western Prefecture of the Ji clan, backed by his father, the Prefectural Lord and the strongest warrior of the Western Prefecture...

Shao Yanong was the near-certain next Feather God Duke of the Shaoyan clan. There would definitely be immensely powerful beings backing him!

With Shao Yanong dead, those powerful beings would seek revenge, driven by either emotion or the need to uphold the Shaoyan clan's face!

"Ahahaha..." Ji Ning let out a loud laugh instead. With a wave of his hand, a stream of earthfire shot out, instantly incinerating the nearby Xue Hongyi to ashes. He then collected all of the treasures Xue Hongyi had left behind. Xue Hongyi had possessed an Immortal-ranked treasure, after all. Since he was about to become a fugitive, the more treasures he had, the better.

Whoosh.

Ji Ning took a single step, appearing beside Shao Yanong and the Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang. Another burst of earthfire burned Shao Yanong's corpse to ash. However, Xiangliu Fang's Fiendgod body remained completely unharmed by the flames. Ji Ning frowned.

"Let's take it." He simply stored the Fiendgod's corpse and the many treasures away.

Ji Ning waved his hand, and the key to the Immortal estate appeared.

He began to rapidly bind it. The key was merely a token; binding it was much easier.

Mu Northson, Nine Lotos, Yu Wei, and Cangjiang Daoist watched as Ji Ning burned Xue Hongyi and Shao Yanong's corpses and swept their treasures away, all of them still in a state of profound shock.

"Senior apprentice-brother, you... you killed Shao Yanong?" Mu Northson opened and closed his mouth, still somewhat dazed.

There were also over a dozen surviving Zifu Disciple retainers in the hall, all staring fixedly at Ji Ning, especially the two maidservants who had been following Shao Yanong.

"Swish!"

Ji Ning's gaze swept across them, and suddenly a rain of sword-light filled the air, howling as it descended.

All of these loyal retainers were instantly slain.

"Living retainers will only expose everything." Ji Ning was well aware that these people were one hundred percent loyal to Shao Yanong. They had witnessed everything. If members of the Shaoyan clan found them, everything would be revealed.

"Ji Ning." Nine Lotos's face was filled with frantic urgency, even tears welling up in her eyes. "How could you have killed Shao Yanong?! This... this... the Shaoyan clan will hunt you down for sure. There's no way to stop them. He was one of the Four Young Masters of the Grand Xia's capital! His reputation precedes him! The Shaoyan clan will hunt you down at any cost to protect their own name!"

Ji Ning looked at Nine Lotos. "I had no choice. I was only given two paths. One was for Shao Yanong to kill me. The other was for me to kill him! It was either him or me. Tell me, what should I have done?"

Nine Lotos was so anxious that tears were streaming down her face.

She had not wanted Ji Ning to make an enemy of Shao Yanong in the first place, but the final result was even worse than she had feared. The heir to the Shaoyan clan, the almost-certain next Feather God Duke, 'Shao Yanong,' had died here.

"There's no need to panic." Ji Ning's voice was cold. "I killed Shao Yanong, but I believe none of you will voluntarily report me. That means the Shaoyan clan will have no way of knowing who killed him for some time. They will need to investigate. I'll have you leave this Immortal estate immediately. When you return to the Dongyan clan, to the Black-White College in Anchan City... none of this has anything to do with you. I am the murderer. The Shaoyan clan will not target you. By the time they investigate and find the truth, I will have already made my arrangements and fled far away."

"Junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, you're wrong." Yu Wei's voice was also filled with anxiety. "Legend has it that some supreme beings, such as Celestial Immortals, are capable of reversing time and space, allowing them to view past events in full detail. They can discover the truth and find you."

Ji Ning's heart clenched.