"Kid, find a way to open this iron cage and let me out right now. I'll give you many, many treasures..."
The man's voice seemed to emanate from a distant space-time, carrying a powerful allure.
More frighteningly, as his voice penetrated deep into Ye Yunfei's Soul Sea, it formed a rumbling echo that shook Ye Yunfei's Soul Body until it swayed unsteadily. His consciousness grew increasingly blurry.
"Ye Yunfei, wake up!
You've been hit by this guy's hypnotic technique!"
Hun Lao, standing nearby, saw Ye Yunfei's dazed expression and heavy eyelids. Sensing something was wrong, he quickly shouted.
"Hehe...
It's useless. With this kid's pitiful strength, how could he possibly awaken from my hypnotic secret art? From now on, he will obey my every command completely. Whatever I tell him to do, he will do."
The man laughed smugly.
"Argh...
This pain is killing me!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the man began to wail miserably again. The seal within his body was personally planted by the Guhuang Great Emperor. Once it flared up, the pain was unbearable.
"Kid, didn't you just say you had a way to make my pain disappear immediately? Tell me now!
Quickly!"
The man roared.
"Ye Yunfei, wake up quickly, don't tell him!
Otherwise, you won't be able to extort his treasures from him!"
Hun Lao hurriedly called out to Ye Yunfei.
"I do indeed know a method to make your pain vanish instantly. Moreover, I even know a way to release you from this iron cage."
Ye Yunfei spoke up.
"Really? That's fantastic! Quick, kid, release me immediately!
Once I leave this cage, I'll flee at once! I'll make sure the Guhuang Great Emperor never finds me again!
I'm finally going to regain my freedom!"
Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the man was instantly overjoyed.
He had been imprisoned here for an immensely long period, enduring inhuman torment at regular intervals. How deeply he yearned to escape this place.
"Ye Yunfei, you absolutely must not release this guy!"
Hun Lao paled with fright.
He knew that with Ye Yunfei's methods, he might very well have the means to release this man.
This man possessed earth-shaking power. Once freed, the consequences would be unimaginably dire.
With the Guhuang Great Emperor not here, no one could likely handle him!
"Kid, I command you to release me now!"
The man yelled at Ye Yunfei.
"Wanting to leave here is impossible. Don't even entertain the thought.
However, if you can produce treasures that satisfy me, I can make your pain disappear."
Ye Yunfei suddenly spoke again.
"Kid, you dare disobey my command?"
The man was taken aback.
He initially thought Ye Yunfei had already been hypnotized by him and would obey his commands completely. He hadn't expected Ye Yunfei to say such a thing all of a sudden.
"Why should I obey your commands?"
Ye Yunfei sneered.
Earlier, when Ye Yunfei's consciousness was fading, the trace of Heavenly Emperor's remnant soul deep within his Soul Sea had suddenly erupted, breaking the man's hypnotic technique.
"Ye Yunfei, so you weren't hypnotized by him after all! You gave me a scare!"
Hun Lao was delighted and let out a sigh of relief.
"Kid, you weren't hypnotized by me?
How is that possible? With your level of strength, how could you possibly resist my hypnosis?"
The man asked in surprise.
"I truly didn't expect you to be a member of the Soul Race.
This fleshly body isn't yours either, is it? It's merely a vessel you've parasitized."
Ye Yunfei stared at the middle-aged man, scrutinizing him up and down, then asked.
"You can tell I'm from the Soul Race?"
The man was stunned.
"Of course I recognize it, because what you're using is the Soul Race's hypnotic secret art. It's one of your race's innate talents."
Ye Yunfei sneered.
The Soul Race was a very peculiar race. They lacked physical bodies, possessing only Soul Bodies.
Furthermore, members of the Soul Race often conducted soul seizures, devouring the Soul Bodies of other living beings, then occupying their fleshly bodies. They would then conceal their spiritual soul aura, disguising themselves as members of other races, making them extremely difficult to detect.
Therefore, the Soul Race was known as the most secretive and elusive race in existence, almost leaving no shadow nor trail!
The Soul Race member before him couldn't believe he had been recognized so quickly by this human youth.
"Soul Race?
Ye Yunfei, are you sure this guy in front of us is the legendary Soul Race?"
Upon hearing the conversation between Ye Yunfei and the man, Hun Lao was also very surprised.
"Correct. He is of the Soul Race."
Ye Yunfei smiled.
Ye Yunfei had encountered the Soul Race in his past life and had even engaged in a Soul Power battle with a Soul Race expert. Being relatively familiar with them, he could confirm that the one before him was indeed a Soul Race member.
"Argh...
Guhuang Great Emperor, you bastard! This pain is killing me!"
At this moment, the man began wailing miserably again.
"If you want the pain to vanish immediately, hand over the treasures you have."
Ye Yunfei said indifferently.
"Don't even dream about it!
A junior brat like you dares to threaten me? Tell me the method to relieve this pain immediately! Otherwise, I will devour your Soul Body and occupy your flesh!"
The man roared at Ye Yunfei while continuing to wail in pain.
Ye Yunfei stopped speaking. He simply stood beside the iron cage, calmly watching the man.
Agh...
The seal within the man's body seemed to flare up more violently, his agonized cries growing louder.
Finally, after a moment.
"Kid, can you really make my pain disappear?"
The man asked in a weak voice.
"Of course."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Fine. These Soul Law Crystals, take them!"
The man took out five spatial rings and sent them flying in front of Ye Yunfei with a wave of his hand.
"Soul Law Crystals, not bad."
Ye Yunfei extended his Soul Power to sense them and nodded in satisfaction.
These five spatial rings were packed full of piles of Soul Law Crystals!
Soul Law Crystals were exceptionally rare, containing rich Soul Power energy and laws related to the soul!
Crystals containing Soul Power energy included soul stones, nightmare stones, and Soul Law Crystals. Among these three, Soul Law Crystals held the highest value!
"Aside from these Soul Law Crystals, I'm also interested in your Soul Race's inherited cultivation techniques. Teach me one of your Soul Race's core legacies."
Ye Yunfei flicked his sleeve, storing away the five spatial rings brimming with Soul Law Crystals, then spoke.
The Soul Race specialized in cultivating soul techniques. They were naturally adept at all sorts of high-level secret soul arts, forming a unique school all their own!
In his previous life, Ye Yunfei had specifically collected the cultivation techniques and secret arts of various sects and races across the world. He had also gathered a few of the Soul Race's techniques, but they were all of low quality and not core secret arts.
This was because the Soul Race was so elusive, appearing and vanishing without a trace, making them extremely difficult to locate.
Ye Yunfei had once found a Soul Race expert and battled him for several days and nights. Although he ultimately gravely injured that expert, a momentary lapse had allowed him to escape.
From then on, the Soul Race's higher-ups issued orders, commanding all Soul Race members across the Three Thousand Worlds to steer clear of Ye Yunfei.
This resulted in Ye Yunfei never being able to locate the Soul Race again in the subsequent years.
"Kid, you're courting death!
How dare you set your sights on our Soul Race's inherited techniques!"
The man flew into a rage upon hearing Ye Yunfei's demand.
"Hehe, if you don't give it, I'll prolong the duration of the seal's flare-up within you."
Ye Yunfei smiled.
"Ye Yunfei, you can prolong the flare-up time of the seal inside him?"
Hun Lao couldn't help but be startled.
"Of course I can. I'll demonstrate it for you right now."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
By now, Ye Yunfei had gained a certain understanding of the seal left behind by the Guhuang Great Emperor.
Then, Ye Yunfei sat cross-legged, formed hand seals with both hands, and began chanting strange, esoteric incantations. He continuously sent spell seals flying toward the man inside the iron cage.
"That's incantation text from the Curse Race!
Kid, how do you know this incantation?
Oh no! Back when the Guhuang Great Emperor implanted the seal in me, he mixed in the Curse Race's incantations!
Kid, could you really prolong the flare-up time of the seal inside me?
Stop!"
The man cried out in terror, his face pale with dread.