Zhiwei explained, her small face showing a belated realization.
At that time, she and Qing Jun had planned to give their master a surprise, but why did they forget later?
It turned out that this pearl was actually a Soul Obstruction Pearl.
Chen Ye concentrated, recalling.
The Mist Forest... that was already a rather distant matter.
Back then, when he first took office at the Moon Rhinoceros Lake District, his two young apprentices couldn’t bear to leave him, secretly following along, only to encounter danger in the Mist Forest...
Could it be that this pearl was the very Soul Obstruction Pearl originally intended to harm the ancestor of Songyang? Now it has ended up in the hands of his apprentice?
"Good! As expected of my apprentice!"
Chen Ye’s spirit was lifted, and he swiftly took the Soul Obstruction Pearl from Zhiwei’s hand.
It felt cold and slightly heavy in the hand, creating an illusion in the mind.
"How should this pearl be used?" Chen Ye looked towards Bai Susu.
"This pearl must be activated with the Power of Divine Soul!"
Bai Susu’s eyes reignited with hope and urgency,
"Place it at the point where the soul power connects, and then use your own will as a guide to encapsulate all foreign divine souls!"
"Hold on!"
Chen Ye understood, holding the Soul Obstruction Pearl, facing the divine soul’s oppression, taking one step at a time towards the scarlet Tao Stele.
"Buzz——"
The remaining soul inside the Tao Stele sensed the arrival of its nemesis and instinctively released a stronger suction.
The soul power chain connecting Bai Susu’s glabella turned from transparent to pitch-black, manically extracting her Power of Divine Soul.
Bai Susu groaned in pain, feeling her consciousness starting to blur.
"Guard your spiritual platform!"
Chen Ye shouted, pressing the Soul Obstruction Pearl onto the pitch-black soul power chain!
Hearing this, Bai Susu forcibly gathered her last bit of clarity to absorb the remnant soul with the Soul Obstruction Pearl.
The moment the Soul Obstruction Pearl touched the soul power chain, it was like snow touching a scorching iron, the flowing radiance rapidly dimming.
A terrifying idea laden with ancient resentment and pure greed suddenly burst forth from the Tao Stele!
"Poof!" Bai Susu, who bore the brunt, spat out a mouthful of blood, her already pale face turning ashen, her breath listless.
Chen Ye also felt as if struck by a heavy hammer, his sea of consciousness trembled violently, he groaned, gripping the Soul Obstruction Pearl without retreating.
"Squeak..."
The sudden explosion of violent divine soul power frightened the small white fox, causing its fur to suddenly stand on end, like a fluffy white ball!
Its pupils froze momentarily, losing all spirit.
It sat there foolishly, the whole fox appearing as if it had died.
"Little White!"
Zhiwei was startled, a look of worry crossing her cool face.
The small white fox was just an ordinary Spirit Beast, surely its sea of consciousness was shaken by this divine soul power.
She immediately held the soft little fox tightly in her arms, gently stroking its fluffed-up fur with her slender white hand, trying to comfort it.
But the more she comforted, the stiffer the little white fox’s body became, its eyes blank and bewildered.
It looked at its own paws in confusion:
"Squeak?"
"What’s happening..."
Zhiwei blinked in confusion, was the small white fox scared silly? It seemed like it had become a different fox.
She remembered that in the past, the small white fox would squeak twice, but now it only let out a solitary aloof squeak...
As for Chen Ye’s situation.
The soul power chain finally began to collapse inch by inch, disintegrating into tiny specks of light.
The Soul Obstruction Pearl successfully collected all the remnant soul.
The pearl, once gray-white, transformed into a deep black, as if a galaxy was surging within.
Meanwhile, the divine soul Tao Stele trembled violently!
The ever-flowing scarlet glow on the stele body seemed to be drained of life, dimming suddenly.
"...It’s done." Chen Ye exhaled a long breath, his tense nerves slightly relaxing.
He glanced at the Soul Obstruction Pearl in his hand and then at the shattered and dim divine soul Tao Stele, thinking to himself that the Nascent Soul’s remnant soul had been successfully contained and confined.
As for this Tao Stele... with its divine soul extracted, it’s probably just a piece of useless stone now.
Thinking this, he felt secretly excited; after all, this was a Nascent Soul True Monarch’s remnant soul! It was probably the greatest opportunity within the Songyang Cave Heaven.
Thud!
Without the support of the chain, Bai Susu could no longer hold on, her body weakened, and she was about to fall forward.
"Careful!" Chen Ye reacted swiftly, leaping forward and steadily supporting her unbalanced delicate body.
His hand felt a piece of ice-cold smoothness, the girl’s delicate body was soft like she had no bones, completely relying on his arm, panting urgently.
Her petite face was frighteningly pale, her golden hair disordered, she didn’t even have the strength to speak, only able to blink her eyes with difficulty.
"What do you want to say?" Chen Ye held her smooth wrist, channeling Evergreen Technique Spiritual Power to nourish her body.
Being held by Chen Ye, Bai Susu blinked her eyes more fiercely.
Chen Ye held back a laugh; he naturally knew Bai Susu was telling him not to touch her.
But she didn’t even have the strength to move a finger now; this warning gaze seemed more like a spoiled act.
Instead of letting go, he supported her more steadily, and with his other hand naturally wrapped around her waist, letting her lean comfortably against him.
"You... let... go..." Bai Susu squeezed out a few words through her teeth, but regrettably, they were soft and posed no threat.
Chen Ye pretended not to hear and just said to Zhiwei beside him, "Zhiwei, come and lend a hand, let’s help her rest aside."
Bai Susu was more affronted; she wasn’t heavy at all!
Chen Ye needed Zhiwei to help just to hold her?
Of course, Bai Susu understood that Chen Ye was deliberately avoiding suspicion...
...
During Bai Susu’s resting interval, Zhiwei held the little fox in her arms up to Chen Ye:
"Master, look at Little White."
Chen Ye looked closely and immediately noticed something was wrong.
Before, when the little white fox was stimulated, it would pretend to be dead or sleep, but once it woke up, it would recover to normal.
But this time... the little white fox was clearly awake, no longer chirping, just stared blankly at its tender paws.
"Little White?" Chen Ye tried calling out softly.
The little white fox lifted its head, dazedly glanced at Chen Ye.
For some reason, its gaze fell from his face to his fingers.
Suddenly, the entire fox started to tremble.
"Uh..."
Chen Ye, not changing expression, tucked his hand away, but under the little white fox’s gaze, his fingers felt inexplicably cold.
The little white fox’s eyes grew wider, then suddenly its body slumped, falling asleep in Zhiwei’s arms.
"Is this a white fox?"
Bai Susu had caught her breath, struggled to sit up, her gaze falling on the little white fox.
A cold smile suddenly appeared: "I always knew this Songyang Cave Heaven is the ancestral land of the White Fox Race! No wonder True Man Ye wants to undergo tribulation in the Three Thousand Great Mountains!"
Chen Ye sensed something was amiss, getting more uneasy: "True Inheritor Bai, what do you mean by this?"
Bai Susu glanced at him: "Since you’ve saved my life, no need to be so distant in the future."
"Susu?" Chen Ye climbed up along the pole.
Bai Susu straightened her little face: "Susu is a name you can call? In this world, only my father... You should call me master. From now on, I’ll sincerely take you in. Once we leave the Grotto Heaven, you can move to the Inner Sect Mingxiao Peak!"
Chen Ye’s fist tightened; so this is Bai Susu’s way of repaying kindness?
Heh, even wanting me to move to her place, acting like a servant...
Of course, Chen Ye didn’t know.
The Inner Sect Mingxiao Peak was Bai Susu’s exclusive Spirit Mountain where only she lived.
If he moved in, it would definitely stir controversy throughout the sect and across the vast Yan Kingdom.
But Bai Susu didn’t care; to her, this was a tremendous favor towards Chen Ye.
Zhiwei listening quietly at the side felt even colder, her frosty little face was covered in layers of ice, silently gripping the Canchen Sword tighter.
Damn it... what does this wicked woman want!
Could it be she wants to take master home and then...
The little dark-haired girl’s face alternated between red and white, and in her imagination, her master was bullied and pitiful...
Bai Susu’s voice broke her fantasy, explaining: "The so-called True Man Ye is actually from the demon tribe. If I’m not mistaken, she’s precisely from the White Fox Race. Probably... was the white fox who lived in Songyang Cave Heaven back then!"
"True... Man Ye, is a white fox?!" Chen Ye’s heart skipped a beat.
"Correct." Bai Susu cast him a glance, feeling his reaction was somewhat strange, "Why, you know her?"
Chen Ye pointed to the little fox in Zhiwei’s arms, chuckling dryly: "Susu, do you think this little fox might be True Man Ye?"
Bai Susu disregarded Chen Ye’s impolite address, glancing at the sleeping little fox, laughing ironically:
"Ridiculous, how could this little fox be True Man Ye? Besides, True Man Ye had long transformed into human form. Unless it’s due to thunder tribulation transforming into mortal, it’s impossible to reveal the original form."
"Moreover! Keep your distance from True Man Ye! That fellow... that fellow is a demon race, youthful cultivation accomplished, looking about the same age as your disciple... ahem, in any case, you must be careful with beautiful little girls! It’s possible she’s True Man Ye. Demons, they can eat people!"