176: The Demon Emperor's might, finding a way out in dire straits.

The corpse of the Golden Scaled Hou was still warm, and the air was filled with a faint scent of blood and burnt flesh. Lin Xuan and his four companions had not yet had time to celebrate this victory of the weak overcoming the strong when a pressure, ten or a hundred times more terrifying than that of the Golden Scaled Hou, descended suddenly like the Nine Heavens collapsing!

This pressure was not directed at the Physical Body but acted directly on the level of the Divine Soul! It was as if an ancient primordial beast that had slept for eons had opened its eyes, cold, indifferent, and carrying an absolute will that looked down upon them like ants!

"Pfft—" Yun Shang, whose cultivation was the weakest, was the first unable to bear it. Her face turned as pale as paper, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing to the ground, her aura instantly withering. Gongsun Yu's delicate body trembled violently, the lightning around her went into Chaos, and she nearly knelt down. Even Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan, both in the Late Golden Core Stage, felt as if their Divine Souls were being gripped by an invisible giant hand; their spiritual energy circulation became sluggish, and all color drained from their faces!

Lin Xuan bore the brunt of it. He only felt an indescribable, immense terror shroud his heart, as if his Divine Soul would shatter in the next moment! He let out a muffled groan, and his Taichu Sword Domain was triggered, the Chaos radiance flickering around his body, struggling to support the crushing force originating from the level of the Divine Soul! His sin-severing sword emitted rapid buzzing sounds within his Dantian, seemingly wanting to break out of his body to contend with it!

"Is this... an Incarnation Stage Demon Emperor?!" Qu Feiyan's voice was dry, carrying unprecedented horror. Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation, which seemed to be only one rank apart, were actually a chasm between mortal and immortal! A Nascent Soul Cultivator could still maneuver with Magic Treasures and Formations, but an existence at the Soul Transformation stage had already begun to touch the Laws of heaven and earth; its power could not be made up for by numbers!

That pressure did not continue to attack; it was more like a warning, or rather, a Domain unconsciously radiated by a high-level existence. It swept across this area like a tide, paused slightly on the corpse of the Golden Scaled Hou, and then, an ancient, indifferent voice that seemed to originate from the primordial era echoed directly in the depths of their Divine Souls:

"To kill the mountain-patrolling envoy under my seat... Human Race... what great courage..."

The voice was not loud, but it sounded like a thunderclap, shaking the five people's Divine Souls so violently they were on the verge of leaving their bodies!

"Trespassing into my forbidden Domain... coveting the 'Sacred Item'... the crime is compounded..."

"Considering your low cultivation, perhaps out of ignorance... leave behind all items related to 'Phoenix-roost' on your persons, and cripple your own cultivation... I can spare your remnant Souls... to enter Reincarnation..."

The content of these words made Lin Xuan's heart shake violently! This unknown Incarnation Stage Demon Emperor not only sensed the death of the Golden Scaled Hou but also seemed to have detected the Phoenix-roost wood core they were carrying, and perhaps even... guessed their purpose in going to Qiwu Valley! The "Sacred Item" it spoke of was very likely the nirvana flower!

Leave behind the treasures and cripple their own cultivation? How was that any different from having their bodies and Souls destroyed!

The pressure was like a physical mountain, pressing down heavily on everyone, making it hard to breathe. In the face of this absolute gap in power, any resistance seemed pale and ridiculous.

Gongsun Yu clutched Lin Xuan's sleeve tightly, her little face full of fear, yet she stubbornly refused to cry. Su Wanqing stared fixedly in the direction from which the pressure came, her frost silence sword emitting an unyielding hum, but the light of the sword dimmed continuously under the pressure. Qu Feiyan's face was pale, her fingertips digging deep into her palms; her Blood Lotus Demonic Art was suppressed to the point where it could barely circulate.

The atmosphere of despair, like a cold viper, coiled around everyone's heart.

Lin Xuan's brain worked at high speed, and the System was crazily calculating the survival probability of various plans, yet the results were despairingly low. Fight head-on? Ten deaths, no chance of survival! Run? In the Domain of a Soul Transformation existence, escape techniques were like child's play! Hand over things and cripple cultivation? That was a dead end!

Was there really... no way out?

No! There must be a chance of survival!

Lin Xuan suddenly looked up, a flash of determination in his eyes. He thought of the jade talisman gifted by Daoist Master Miao Dan, thought of the three "Danger" characters marked on the remnant map, thought of the incredulous look in the Golden Scaled Hou's eyes before it died... This Demon Emperor seemed particularly concerned about items related to "Phoenix-roost," perhaps even... wary? Or was it some kind of rule Restriction?

It did not immediately kill them but instead proposed conditions, which in itself did not conform to the common nature of an Incarnation Stage Demon Emperor who would seek revenge for the slightest grievance! Unless... it had scruples, or it could not directly attack them?

That was it! This might not be its core territory, or it might be in some special state (like sleeping, sealed, or injured)? The Golden Scaled Hou was its "mountain-patrolling envoy," responsible for clearing out intruders, and they had killed the envoy, which finally drew its attention, but it did not reach the bottom line that required it to act personally?

In a flash, Lin Xuan made a bold guess and decision!

He resisted the terrifying pressure, slowly stood straight, looked directly in the direction from which the pressure came, his voice somewhat hoarse due to the oppression, yet carrying an unquestionable firmness:

"Senior, please calm your anger! We had no intention of offending the Demon Emperor's dignity. Killing the mountain-patrolling envoy was truly in self-defense, a last resort! As for the 'Sacred Item' Senior mentioned, we Juniors are of low status, how would we dare to covet it? We came only to find a 'nirvana flower' to save a companion's life, and absolutely have no intention of blaspheming the Sacred Item!"

He deliberately pointed out the "nirvana flower" instead of the vague "Sacred Item," which was both a probe and an indication of a "limited" purpose. At the same time, he secretly released a trace of the pure Phoenix aura obtained from the Phoenix-roost wood core, mixed with Tai Chu Spiritual Energy, and carefully released a sliver.

That weak yet high-essence Phoenix aura, in the Domain of the Incarnation Stage pressure, was like a drop of ice water thrown into boiling oil, instantly causing a violent reaction!

"Hum—!" The pressure covering everyone stalled abruptly, and for the first time, that indifferent voice carried a trace of clear fluctuation, seemingly surprised, seemingly doubtful, and even containing a trace of... indescribable complex emotion?

"The aura of a Phoenix... so pure... not a fake... where did you... obtain it?"

It worked! It cared about this!

Lin Xuan felt slightly relieved and continued neither humbly nor arrogantly: "This was obtained by this Junior by chance. Senior, please see clearly, we only seek medicine to save a life. If we can achieve our wish, we will surely be grateful for Senior's grace, immediately exit the mountain range, and never disturb Senior's peace again! If Senior permits, this Junior is willing to offer this item as a token of apology!"

As he spoke, he took out the energy-rich Nascent Soul demon core he had obtained from the Golden Scaled Hou and held it in his palm. This demon core was also a supreme treasure for the Yao Race.

Silence.

A suffocating silence.

The Incarnation Stage pressure still existed, but it was no longer as destructive as before; instead, it seemed to be scrutinizing, weighing.

After a long time, the ancient voice sounded again, the tone seemingly softened a bit, but still cold:

"The nirvana flower... is indeed in the depths of Qiwu Valley... However, its surroundings have ancient Restrictions and guardian battle spirits... It cannot be obtained without predestined affinity... It cannot be approached without great perseverance..."

"Considering you bear the Phoenix affinity... possess the token... and your purpose is simple..."

"This King can make an exception... and not pursue this matter..."

Hearing this, everyone felt a sense of relief, as if they had seen a ray of light in the endless darkness!

However, the voice immediately changed, carrying a kind of unquestionable Law power:

"But... the death penalty may be avoided, but the living penalty is inevitable!"

"For trespassing into the forbidden Domain and killing the mountain-patrolling envoy, you must endure the blowing of the 'Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Wind' for one stick of incense! If you can endure it, you may continue forward! If you cannot endure it... Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, that is also destiny!"

As soon as the words fell, before Lin Xuan and the others could react, the surrounding environment changed drastically!

The originally dim dense forest disappeared instantly, and the five seemed to have been teleported into a void space, with deep darkness above, below, and all around. Immediately after, an invisible, intangible, yet cold wind that acted directly on the Origin of the Divine Soul blew from somewhere!

This wind was not wind in the physical sense; it ignored all physical defenses and drilled directly into the Sea of Consciousness, scraping at the Divine Soul! In an instant, indescribable severe pain came from the depths of the Soul, as if countless tiny knives were slicing their consciousness one by one!

"Ugh—!" Yun Shang was the first to let out a painful groan, hugging her head and curling up on the ground, the light of her Divine Soul dimming at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Gongsun Yu's little face was also distorted, her tightly bitten lips oozing blood, the lightning around her completely dissipated, and she could only struggle to support herself by sheer will.

Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan, although their cultivation was higher, were also pale-faced at this moment, blue veins bulging on their foreheads, evidently also enduring extreme pain.

Lin Xuan only felt that his Sea of Consciousness was like being thrown into a meat grinder. His Taichu Sword Intent spontaneously protected its master, turning into a chaotic nebula in the Sea of Consciousness, constantly evolving and dying, trying to offset the erosion of the Soul-Devouring Wind, but it was still a drop in the bucket, and his Divine Soul transmitted bursts of tearing pain!

The power of this "Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Wind" far exceeded imagination! Let alone a stick of incense, at this rate, I'm afraid they wouldn't last even half a stick of incense before Yun Shang and Gongsun Yu's Divine Souls would collapse!

The desperate situation had not truly been resolved! This Incarnation Stage Demon Emperor gave them a glimmer of survival, but it was also a test of nine deaths and one life!

Lin Xuan's eyes were splitting, looking at the painful appearance of his companions, an unyielding will burst forth from the bottom of his heart!

Cannot give up! Absolutely cannot give up!