Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 266 The Art of Dreams
"Ghost... ghost!"

A young soldier finally succumbed to the immense mental pressure, cried out in alarm, and dropped his long sword with a crisp sound.

The sound was particularly jarring in this deathly silent world.

In an instant, all the "people" on the street stopped moving.

They all turned around at once, their unfocused eyes fixed on the direction of the convoy.

A chilling sensation instantly enveloped everyone.

The elite soldiers of the Beijing garrison formed a circular formation, protecting the carriage in the center. They were all pale-faced and breathing rapidly.

Inside the carriage, Bai Yingluo's expression was also somewhat solemn.

As the Holy Maiden of the Nine Nether Sect, she was no stranger to matters of the soul, but the scene before her was something she had never heard of before.

Because these souls are neither ordinary wandering ghosts nor refined evil spirits, but rather like puppets stripped of all emotions and will, left only with the ability to repeat the obsessions of their former lives.

This method made her feel a little uneasy.

“Brother…” At this moment, Xia Ling Shuang gently tugged at Chen Ye’s sleeve and whispered, “This is the Dream Soul Technique, a secret method of the Wrathful Soul Sect. It can forcibly separate the soul from the body and erase its consciousness, so that it will live forever in the obsession of the moment before death. Doing so can preserve the freshness of the soul to the greatest extent, making it an excellent material for making soul food.”

Chen Ye didn't speak, but just quietly watched the souls that surrounded them.

He sensed no malice or murderous intent from these spirits, only a stagnant numbness.

Just then, a commotion arose from the center of the city, in the direction of the former prefectural government office.

The sounds were cacophonous and chaotic, filled with all sorts of piercing shrieks, snarls, and roars, a stark contrast to the deathly silence of the city.

……

Meanwhile, at the prefectural government office in the county seat.

The once solemn and dignified hall has now been transformed into a den of demons.

In the center of the hall, the seat that originally belonged to the prefect was smashed to pieces, and in its place was a throne made of pale bones.

A colossal black soul, several meters tall, was currently perched atop the skeletal throne.

It has no fixed shape, like a constantly writhing mass of thick ink, with only a vague human outline that can be discerned. At the same time, countless painful and distorted faces appear and disappear on its surface, emitting silent wails.

Below it, dozens of demonic cultivators with different auras stood on both sides, each with an arrogant expression and eyes flashing with cruelty and tyranny.

These people are the core high-ranking members of the Wrathful Soul Sect in Nanhe County.

At this moment, there was a great commotion in the hall.

"Sect Master! The soul fields in the West City have been harvested, and the quality is top-notch! But those good-for-nothings in the East City haven't even met their quota yet, they're just dragging all of us down!" A one-eyed burly man shrouded in black energy roared.

"Bullshit!" A gaunt man, as thin as a bamboo pole, immediately retorted in a shrill voice. "The East City has the largest number of souls, and their quality is the most mixed, making them time-consuming and laborious to clean up! Unlike you West City, which is full of common people, whose souls are pure and naturally easier to collect! If you're so capable, let's switch places!"

"Hmph! Slow to collect is slow to collect, why make so many excuses! I think you just want to hoard some of the soul food!"

"You're spouting nonsense! I think you're the one trying to hide it!"

The two hall masters of the Wrathful Soul Sect were arguing heatedly, their faces flushed, and it looked like they were about to come to blows.

Most of the others around them had expressions of watching a good show, and some were even gloating and fanning the flames.

Clearly, the Li Hun Sect is not a monolithic entity.

On the throne of bones, the enormous black spirit remained oblivious to the commotion below, like a lifeless sculpture.

However, the moment Chen Ye's convoy stepped through the city gate, the enormous black spirit suddenly trembled.

Within that writhing mass of ink, a pair of eyes slowly opened.

It was a pair of dark vortexes that seemed capable of swallowing all light.

The instant those eyes opened, an indescribable, terrifying pressure originating from the deepest part of the soul swept through the entire hall like a tsunami.

The once noisy lobby instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All the demonic cultivators of the Wrathful Soul Sect, including the two most vocal hall masters, lowered their heads in fear, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The black spirit ignored them.

Its gaze seemed to pierce through layers of buildings, landing precisely on the carriage that was slowly entering the city.

"Ok?"

A deep, hoarse voice, as if produced by the friction of countless souls, resounded from the throne of bones.

"Xia Lingshuang?"

For the first time, a clear ripple appeared in that hoarse voice.

"How could she be here? I clearly sent her to Blood Spring Valley to oversee the crafting of the Myriad Soul Banner... Why is she mixed up with an outsider? And the mark of loyalty that I personally planted deep within her soul seems to have become blurred?"

The black soul, the sect leader of the Wrathful Soul Sect who had lived for hundreds of years, regarded all living beings as food and human hearts as playthings, felt for the first time that things were somewhat out of his control.

The holy messenger, whom he had carefully nurtured for many years and regarded as his most perfect creation, seemed to have betrayed him.

Meanwhile, on the street.

When that gaze fell upon her, Xia Ling Shuang's body stiffened abruptly, and her face turned deathly pale, devoid of any color.

A fear that originated from the depths of her soul and was etched into her bones instantly seized her mind.

That is the fear of a natural enemy, the instinctive trembling of a lamb facing a tiger.

Although at this moment, in her heart, the Wrathful Soul Sect and its leader were far less important than her brother, as the Holy Envoy of the Wrathful Soul Sect, she knew better than anyone how terrifying the being on that skeletal throne was.

"Brother, be careful..." She gripped Chen Ye's sleeve, her teeth chattering, "It's the Sect Master..."

In fact, Chen Ye didn't need Xia Lingshuang to remind him; he had already sensed that extremely cold and evil power.

It was a pure, unadulterated malice.

Just then, a hoarse and strange voice suddenly rang out in the minds of everyone in the convoy.

"How interesting, a few lively little mice have somehow sneaked into my ranch..."

The sound seemed to act directly on the soul, carrying a nauseating stickiness and a bone-chilling coldness.

Qian Yi, Hou En, and the others felt a buzzing in their heads, as if they had been hit hard with a heavy hammer. Their vision went black, and they almost fell off their horses.

Half of the ordinary elite soldiers of the Beijing garrison had blood seeping from their mouths and noses, indicating that they had suffered serious injuries to their spirits and bodies.

Immediately afterwards, a dense cloud of black mist shot into the sky from the center of the city, in the direction of the prefectural government office!

boom--!
The black mist, like a pillar of ink connecting heaven and earth, shot straight into the sky, then exploded in mid-air, turning into a dark cloud that blotted out the sun, completely dyeing the already dim sky black.

Then the boundless black clouds began to churn and writhe, gradually coalescing into a gigantic, hideous demonic face! It was a face composed of countless twisted and wailing souls, with eyes that were two abysses burning with eerie green flames, and a nose and mouth that were constantly opening and closing dark vortexes.

It hung high in the sky, looking down on the people in the city, emitting eerie laughter that sent chills down one's spine.

"Hehehe, welcome to...my feast!"

The dim sunlight had been completely swallowed up, and the entire county was shrouded in a despairing darkness. Only the eerie green flames burning in the demon's eyes, like two ominous dark moons, cast a chilling light that illuminated the pale faces of the people below.

The sheer oppressive aura emanating from this demonic form was like an invisible mountain, pressing down heavily on everyone's hearts.

"Ugh..."

"Pfft!"

The first dozen or so elite soldiers of the Beijing garrison didn't even have time to scream before their eyes rolled back, white foam appeared at their mouths, and they fell straight off their warhorses.

The rest of the people weren't much better off.

Although they were still barely standing, their bodies were shaking uncontrollably, their weapons fell to the ground, and their teeth chattered uncontrollably.

Some of the more psychologically fragile individuals even broke down, babbling incoherently and crying out about devils and hell.

When faced with this terrifying being that transcends mortal understanding, these battle-hardened soldiers found their pride in courage and will as fragile as a sheet of paper.

“Chen…Brother Chen…”

Hou En's face was ashen, and he felt as if his legs were filled with lead, each second he stood was draining his already dwindling strength.

He tried to lift the knife, but found his arm to be as heavy as a thousand pounds and completely unresponsive.

Qian Yi was in slightly better condition, but his expression was extremely grave, with veins bulging on his forehead. He gripped the hilt of his knife tightly to keep from kneeling down.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Bai Yingluo's body tensed slightly, and the Nine Nether Demonic Qi within her body began to circulate spontaneously, forming a thin layer of black halo on her body surface to resist the terrifying pressure from the outside world. However, her complexion was still not good, and a trace of blood even seeped from the corner of her mouth.

The strength of the sect leader of the Wrathful Soul Sect far exceeded her expectations. Bai Yingluo even felt that this person was much stronger than the sect leader of the Nine Nether Sect.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but steal a glance at Chen Ye, only to find that the man was still leaning against the cushion, his expression unchanged, as if that all-encompassing demonic face was nothing more than a gentle breeze blowing past the window to him.

This composure miraculously calmed Bai Yingluo's anxious heart.

It was as if the sky would never fall as long as this man was still alive.

Meanwhile, Xia Ling Shuang was trembling like a leaf in the wind, not daring to look up at the sky, at the face she once held in such awe.

Chen Ye raised his head expressionlessly, his gaze piercing through the carriage curtain to meet the enormous eyes burning with eerie green ghost flames in the sky.

In his vision of the Throne of Desire, the demonic face in the sky, composed of countless souls and resentment, had a core burning with an unimaginably vast fire of desire.

It was an extremely complex color.

Among them are dark gold, representing the ultimate thirst for power; jet black, representing the desire to devour and possess; and blood red, representing the desire for cruelty and torture...

This is an old ghost who has lived for hundreds of years, whose desires have long since swelled to the extreme, and who considers devouring and manipulating others as the meaning of his existence.

"Ok?"

The demonic face in the sky seemed to notice Chen Ye's gaze; its hoarse laughter paused slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in its enormous eyes.

How dare a mortal look me in the eye, and there is no fear in his eyes?
This is interesting.

"Xia Lingshuang".

The voice of the Sect Master of the Wrathful Soul Sect resounded once again throughout the world, this time with a hint of cold mockery.

"I never expected that the Holy Envoy, whom I had carefully nurtured for many years and regarded as my right-hand man, would betray me."

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Xia Ling's ears.

Xia Lingshuang's body trembled violently.

"And it was all for a man."

The demonic face's voice carried a hint of amusement, "My good Holy Envoy, what benefits did he give you that made you abandon even the sect's grand plan and my favor?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Ling Shuang suddenly raised her head, and for the first time, anger appeared on her pretty face, which was streaked with tears.

A pure anger arising from the humiliation of his brother.

This anger temporarily overwhelmed the fear deep in her soul, giving her courage she had never felt before.

"You're not allowed to talk about your brother like that!"

The girl's voice was clear and sharp, with a slight tremor from excitement, echoing in the deathly darkness.

"You're wrong, my brother isn't an ordinary person! He's... he's the best person in the world! You have no idea..."

Xia Lingshuang seemed to want to make a strong defense, but her words were so pale and powerless. After all, in her mind, Chen Ye was the only light in her life, the god who saved her from the darkness. How could such feelings be explained in just a few words?

"Oh? The best person in the world?"

The demonic face in the sky let out a mocking laugh.

"How pathetic, Xia Ling Shuang! I bestowed upon you power and status, transforming you from an orphaned girl who was bullied by everyone into a holy envoy who holds the life and death of countless souls in her hands. I thought you would be my most perfect creation, a tool without emotions, only knowing loyalty and killing."

"But I never imagined that such a ridiculous and despicable thing called emotion would still remain deep in your soul."

The demon's voice suddenly turned cold, and a chilling aura emanated from his pair of eerie green ghost fire eyes.

"It seems I have been too lenient with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the thousands upon thousands of soul puppets that had been quietly watching on the street suddenly moved.

Instead of repeating their previous actions, they all raised their hands in unison, pointing in the direction of the convoy.

"No...don't..."

Xia Ling Shuang watched this scene with immense fear in her eyes, because she knew what the sect leader was about to do.

"Since you care about him so much, then I will let you kill him with your own hands."

The cold words were like a final judgment.

"Then I will personally extract your soul, erase your pitiful emotions, and turn you back into the most perfect tool."

"No! I don't want to!" Xia Lingshuang screamed, then anxiously cried out to Chen Ye, "Brother, go! Go quickly! Don't worry about me!"

She would rather her own soul be scattered than harm Chen Ye in the slightest.

However, before she could finish speaking, an irresistible command from the depths of her soul exploded in her mind.

Kill the man in front of you!

(End of this chapter)