Chapter 1294: The Wrath of the Punishment Beast

At that moment, a black light descended from the sky, enveloping the drifting white smoke and emitting a tremendous suction force.

The scattered smoke rolled and converged toward the black light. Though the white light clusters struggled desperately to escape, they were ultimately helplessly drawn into the black light one after another.

In a few breaths, all the smoke and light clusters were completely swallowed.

The black light rapidly shrank, and in a flash, the Soul-Devouring Beast appeared.

Her aura surged considerably, but it was unstable, churning violently.

"Are you alright?" Han Li asked, looking at the Soul-Devouring Beast.

"I'm fine. This wild soul contains an immense amount of ghostly power, filled with violent energy. It will take some time to refine," the Soul-Devouring Beast said, then immediately sat down cross-legged on the spot.

Shi Chuankong and the others also flew over.

"Fellow Daoist Han, it's been a while. I never expected your cultivation to have reached such a level, leaving us old friends far behind," Shi Chuankong said, a complex look in his eyes—part envy, part reluctance, but mostly admiration.

He had trained hard in the Demon Domain over the years, with the help of the Crab Daoist and considerable resources, yet he had only barely reached the Grand Unity realm.

"I've just had some luck. With your talent, Fellow Daoist Shi, you'll soon surpass me," Han Li said with a faint smile.

Shi Chuankong curled his lips and turned away, no longer looking at Han Li.

Zi Ling and Gold Boy stared blankly at Han Li, speechless.

"What's wrong? Don't you recognize me?" Han Li shook his head with a smile.

"I've never seen you like this, Uncle," Gold Boy laughed.

"Alright, enough joking. The Soul-Devouring Beast is refining the ghostly power of that wild soul and needs some time. Let's wait for her," Han Li said.

Gold Boy and Zi Ling agreed and sat down nearby.

"With you here, Fellow Daoist Han, what's there to fear?" Shi Chuankong laughed heartily and also sat cross-legged.

Han Li walked to the side and stood still, quietly waiting for the Soul-Devouring Beast.

"I originally tried to estimate your strength as highly as possible, but it seems I still underestimated you. Fellow Daoist Han, what level has your strength reached now?" the Ghost Witch's voice sounded in his ear.

"No comment. Think what you will," Han Li replied indifferently.

The Ghost Witch chuckled dryly and fell silent again.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, many ghost beasts attacked, but no wild souls appeared.

The Soul-Devouring Beast was surrounded by black light, and her previously chaotic aura quickly calmed.

Another day later, the meditating Soul-Devouring Beast suddenly opened her eyes and let out a long cry. The sound was like a phoenix's song and a tiger's roar, clear and high-pitched, causing the nearby sky to rumble and echo incessantly.

Shi Chuankong and the others were startled awake and looked at the Soul-Devouring Beast.

She was now surrounded by black light, and her aura had risen somewhat compared to before.

More peculiarly, black patterns appeared on the Soul-Devouring Beast's skin, somewhat resembling the bloodline patterns of true spirits.

Moreover, a blurry black shadow emerged behind her, though it was unclear what it was.

Seeing this, Han Li also showed surprise.

That blurry black shadow gave him a very mysterious feeling.

"It seems the Punishment Beast bloodline within her has begun to awaken," the Ghost Witch's voice sounded again in Han Li's mind.

"Punishment Beast bloodline? From what you say, is the Punishment Beast a race?" Han Li's eyes flickered as he transmitted his voice.

He had long known that the Soul-Devouring Beast was a Punishment Beast, but he had never been able to investigate what the Punishment Beast was.

"Of course. The Punishment Beast is a mysterious race in the Netherworld, dwelling deep within it and rarely appearing in the world. It was truly an anomaly that the Nether King, Blood Fiend, and I once ruled the three domains. The Punishment Beast's innate divine ability is extremely powerful, renowned across all realms. Fellow Daoist Han, no matter how formidable you are now, if the Soul-Devouring Beast fully awakens her Punishment Beast bloodline, you may not be able to withstand her innate divine ability," the Ghost Witch chuckled.

"Is that so? Then I'll be waiting to see," Han Li said.

The Soul-Devouring Beast soon stopped her long cry, stood up, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry to have kept Fellow Daoist Shi and Fellow Daoist Zi Ling waiting for three days."

Though the Soul-Devouring Beast had been cultivating these three days, she had not cut off her perception of the outside world.

"You're too kind, Fellow Daoist Soul-Devouring Beast. Since we're traveling together, we should support each other. Congratulations on your great increase in strength," Shi Chuankong said with a smile, though he felt bitter inside.

Han Li's strength now far surpassed his, and it seemed the Soul-Devouring Beast's strength was also above his.

Gold Boy, who had never made a move, was mysterious and clearly no simple character, making Shi Chuankong dare not underestimate him.

"We've already lingered long enough. Let's go," Han Li said.

The others naturally had no objections, and the group continued forward.

With Han Li's terrifying strength as a backing, they quickened their pace.

In the blink of an eye, several more days passed, and the group reached the center of the Hundred Ghost Forest.

Along the way, they encountered some ghost beasts, all of which were casually killed. They also encountered another wild soul, slightly weaker than the previous one, which Han Li again killed and let the Soul-Devouring Beast devour.

In the central area of the Hundred Ghost Forest, the yin qi was even denser, and some spirit herbs unique to the Netherworld began to appear.

Han Li and the others were not here for that, so they did not waste time searching for treasures, focusing solely on traveling.

Near a mountain range in the center of the forest, rumbling sounds and piercing roars rang out again.

A black and a white figure were fiercely fighting—the Soul-Devouring Beast and another wild soul ghost creature.

This wild soul was similar to the previous two, also ghastly white, but its cultivation was stronger.

The two figures moved faster and faster, their forms interweaving until they were indistinguishable. Intense black and white light intertwined, forming an explosive vortex.

The entire sky shook violently, and countless thin white cracks eerily appeared in the surrounding void, radiating in all directions.

The nearby forest was razed to the ground, and the clouds in the sky were torn to shreds.

Han Li stood atop a giant tree outside the battlefield, watching quietly without intervening.

Shi Chuankong, Gold Boy, and the others also stood nearby watching, as the Soul-Devouring Beast had requested.

"I never expected Fellow Daoist Soul-Devouring Beast to handle a wild soul alone," Shi Chuankong sighed.

"The Soul-Devouring Beast's divine abilities are specifically effective against ghost creatures, so she can handle this wild soul... The outcome is already decided," Han Li said indifferently.

As his words fell, within the explosive black-and-white vortex, the black light suddenly surged, suppressing the white light.

A blurry black shadow emerged within the black light—the same phantom that had appeared behind the Soul-Devouring Beast earlier. This time, the shadow was clearer, vaguely resembling a giant black ape, which opened its mouth and inhaled fiercely.

A strange fluctuation enveloped the wild soul within the white light. The wild soul showed terror and turned to flee, but it was too late.

It had barely flown a short distance when its head suddenly split open. A white, ethereal light flew out and was swallowed by the giant black ape phantom in one gulp.

With a "bang," the wild soul's body exploded, scattering into a large cloud of dense ghostly mist.

"So this is the Punishment Beast's innate divine ability—it seems to be an attack directly on the soul," Han Li thought to himself, watching from afar.

"Soul Devouring... No wonder it's called the ultimate soul attack technique," the Ghost Witch's voice sounded again, full of admiration.

Han Li's soul was powerful, and he could feel the shock that the Soul-Devouring Beast's "Soul Devouring" attack dealt to his own soul. He couldn't help but frown slightly.

His time law had reached great perfection, and he was confident he could effectively withstand any strange attack, except for soul attacks.

Soul attacks are completely distinct from laws; law power can hardly interfere with them.

Although his divine sense power and soul solidity far exceeded others due to his Soul Refining Art, facing a Soul Devouring attack that was far superior to that, it would be no easy task to defend.

As he pondered, the giant black ape phantom flickered and disappeared, as if it could not persist for long.

However, the black light transformed by the Soul-Devouring Beast began to spin rapidly, turning into a huge black vortex that emitted immense suction.

The exploding ghost qi around rolled into it and was completely swallowed in a few breaths.

The black vortex rapidly shrank and soon vanished. The Soul-Devouring Beast's figure emerged, her aura having risen considerably.

Black light dots appeared around her one after another, densely packed, totaling eight hundred and thirty-nine, reaching the early peak of the Grand Unity realm.

Black patterns appeared on her skin again, clearer than before.

The Soul-Devouring Beast looked at her condition, showing surprise and delight.

Han Li and the others flew over and landed near the Soul-Devouring Beast.

"Soul-Devouring Beast, you're amazing! What was that giant black ape phantom technique? It was a one-hit kill!" Gold Boy praised endlessly.

"Do you need time to refine it?" Han Li asked, feeling the aura on the Soul-Devouring Beast and feeling pleased.

"No need. For some reason, the backlash from the wild soul's ghostly power I absorbed this time is not strong. I can suppress it. I don't want to waste everyone's time. Let's set off as soon as possible," the Soul-Devouring Beast said, retracting the black light around her, causing her immortal apertures and black patterns to fade, and shook her head.

"Is it because the Punishment Beast bloodline is awakening... Very well," Han Li nodded.

The group then continued forward.

But shortly after they set out, the Ghost Witch suddenly let out a soft exclamation, his voice full of surprise and delight.

"What's wrong?" Han Li transmitted.

"Fortune, what a fortune! Fellow Daoist Han, head to your left front!" the Ghost Witch urged.

Han Li frowned slightly, but still followed the Ghost Witch's direction and flew there.

Shi Chuankong and the others, though puzzled by Han Li's sudden change of direction, asked nothing and immediately followed.

In a few breaths, following the Ghost Witch's guidance, Han Li arrived at a shady spot on a black mountain.

There was a pool of water here, emerald green in color, emitting an extremely dense yin qi.

Beside the pool was a patch of gravel, where a clump of unusually verdant green bamboo grew, swaying gently in the wind.

"You made such a fuss over these bamboos?" Han Li landed near the pool and looked at the clump of green bamboo.

These green bamboos were filled with yin qi, but that was all; there was nothing special about them.