Soul Infant Formation

Fearing no death, the jade skeleton violently battered the seal. *Boom!* Stone pillars cracked and fractured. Old Demon Ye decisively flew backward. The power of the seal turned extraordinarily chaotic, and the two clusters of soul fire in the jade skeleton's eyes danced with increasing frenzy. *Boom!* At last, the jade skeleton broke through the seal! "Haha..." A bone-chilling roar of wild laughter erupted from the jade skeleton. Old Demon Ye looked up at the raving devil, his eyes flickering with uncertain thoughts. Right at that moment, the jade skeleton's laughter abruptly ceased. Uttering a curse of fury, it pitched forward violently and crashed onto the stone path. Only then did Old Demon Ye notice that even as hard as the jade skeleton was, the bones inside it were already fractured inch by inch. Such was the might of the seal—no wonder the devil had insisted that he find a jade skeleton for it. *Crack, crack...* The jade skeleton's body twisted in an eerie fashion. The brocade skin gradually recovered, inflating like a balloon at a speed visible to the naked eye, slowly restoring the outline of a human form. The fractured bones knit themselves back together one by one, and twisting contortedly, the jade skeleton rose from the ground. The devil's present state was bizarre. Even with all of Old Demon Ye's vast experience, this was the first time he had seen anything like it. It had neither flesh nor blood, yet its bones, skin, and meridians were intact. Through the brocade skin, one could clearly see the skeletal frame and the desiccated meridians. It ought to have been a dried corpse, yet at this moment, it had come back to life. Soul fire flickered in the hollow eye sockets. The jade skeleton twisted its neck and turned toward Old Demon Ye. Old Demon Ye felt the sensation of being stared at. Putting himself on guard, he instinctively took a step back. "Hmph!" The jade skeleton gave a cold snort, displeasure evident in its tone. "Had you released this seat sooner, why would it have come to this! Now I have no time to fully take control of this body, and my strength will inevitably suffer!" Old Demon Ye's expression remained unchanged. Staring at the jade skeleton, he felt only that it was unfathomably deep, which only heightened his wariness. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he said calmly, "According to what you said before, your current strength is already sufficient. Could it be that you were lying to me?" The jade skeleton let out a strange laugh. "You truly are suspicious. Although you have offended this seat many times, it was also you who released me from this dark, lightless cage. Compared to that, everything else is a trivial matter. Bringing you along is nothing more than a flick of the hand—it has no effect on me. Why would I risk a backlash to break my oath?" Old Demon Ye's eyes flashed. "Is that so? It is good that Senior understands Ye's difficulties. That I have lived until now is precisely because I am sufficiently cautious." Hearing this, the jade skeleton laughed heartily. "Well said! Well said! People like you do indeed live longer! To reach this point, you would be considered an outstanding talent even in this seat's era! Give me the Soul Infant Formation!" The Soul Infant Formation consisted of the crystal spheres sealing the Nascent Souls. The Nether Crystal Pagoda had devoured blood fiend and yin souls on the battlefield for years, and after integrating the Nascent Souls, it had been refined into an ultimate evil treasure. Old Demon Ye waved his hand, sending the Soul Infant Formation drifting toward the jade skeleton. Since the Soul Infant Formation had been refined by his own hands, he had no worry that the jade skeleton could usurp control over it. *Whoosh!* The jade skeleton formed an incantation seal, and the Soul Infant Formation spun rapidly before him, giving off a thick stench of blood. Plumes of blood-red qi diffused from the crystal spheres, and in the blink of an eye, the entire Soul Infant Formation transformed into a cloud of blood from which shrill ghostly shrieks echoed. Within the blood cloud, the Nascent Souls flickered in and out of sight. Like other evil ghosts, they had completely lost themselves, assimilated by the blood qi. None of the jade skeleton's movements were hidden from Old Demon Ye. In the devil's hands, the Soul Infant Formation whipped up gusts of foul wind, radiating boundless malice. He was refining the Soul Infant Formation to complete the final step—this was the agreement between him and Old Demon Ye. In the end, the two of them joined hands and brought the Soul Infant Formation to completion! "When the time comes, the Soul Infant Formation will require our combined strength to activate. For now, keep it with you..." The jade skeleton returned the fully refined Soul Infant Formation to Old Demon Ye. Suddenly, it paused, looking up into the distance with soul fire dancing in its eye sockets. "The Immortal Gate is about to open. Let's go! If you don't want to miss this chance, you must do as I instruct hereafter! If you ruin this seat's grand design, you know the consequences!" Sensing the overbearing pressure radiating from the jade skeleton, Old Demon Ye showed no fear, meeting its gaze calmly. "Senior might find it difficult to appreciate the agony of present-day cultivators. Even if there were only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of it being true, Ye would still choose to believe you this once. As this is the only opportunity in my life, I naturally know what to do!" The jade skeleton said indifferently, "Is it because this seat predicted every change in Ziwei Palace that you dared to trust me? But soon enough, you will know your choice was correct!" The two swept outward along the stone path. While snapping its bones back into place, the jade skeleton surveyed its surroundings. It felt like a lifetime ago! Looking clearly upon this cage that had imprisoned it for countless years, its soul fire flared brightly, radiating intense hatred. Yet on second thought, it fell into a daze. How many of the enemies who had imprisoned it back then were still alive in this world? The jade skeleton noticed that Old Demon Ye was flitting back and forth among layers of ancient restrictions, thoroughly busy. Guessing his intention, it remarked with disdain, "A pointless gesture." Yet it did not stop him. ... Abyss Ruins, the sea of mist. Standing far from the whirlpool with faces full of anticipation and vigilance, the crowd stared into the depths of the vortex. Turbulent currents surged like a tide, their roars shaking the heavens, and an unusual fluctuation appeared. Vaguely, they caught sight of the phantom of a colossal gate, tearing through countless turbulent currents by sheer overwhelming force to emerge from the whirlpool! Qin Sang and the others were seeing such a magnificent sight for the first time. The gigantic gate towered between heaven and earth, possessing a grandeur even more majestic than the remnant gate of Ziwei Palace. The crimson character for 'Sin' upon the gate radiated a terrifying killing intent, battering their minds and striking awe into their hearts! "Go!" Taking the lead, Daoist Canghong charged toward the Immortal Gate. The others hurriedly suppressed the shock in their hearts and followed closely behind. *Boom!* The Immortal Gate shook violently, a crack jolted open within it. The crowd did not rush inside, instead spreading out into formation outside the gate. After a moment, the shaking of the Immortal Gate grew increasingly violent, and the gap widened further, yet there was no movement from within. Trading glances, they filed inside one after another. What greeted them was a stretch of ruins! Having confirmed that Old Demon Ye was not here, Qin Sang took in the surroundings. Unlike the Inner Hall of Ziwei Palace, this place was incomparably dark and oppressive. Heavy leaden clouds hung exceedingly low above, blanketing the entire horizon without bound, giving people a suffocating sensation. Deep within the gloomy clouds, slender streaks of lightning occasionally flashed past, bringing the only faint light to this space. Though the lightning appeared thin, the fluctuations it emitted were extraordinary. One streak happened to appear not far from them. In that instant, Qin Sang's mind tightened. The hairs all over his body stood on end, and he nearly trembled, feeling as minuscule as an ant. If that streak of lightning had come for him, he would likely have been reduced to ashes on the spot. The others fared little better than Qin Sang. Even Jingyu, a born wielder of thunder, underwent a drastic change in expression, nearly reverting to her true form. A stir broke out among the crowd. Having just stepped into Sin God Palace, they had already been given a stern warning. It was not that Ziwei Palace lacked ancient restrictions more dangerous than this, but they were all hidden very deep. So long as they were not triggered, they generally did not reveal themselves.