Chapter 753: Pool of Puppets

In the Spirit Marrow Pool, the pure water began to roil violently.

Ye Xuan’s eyes were tightly shut as he sat cross-legged in the water. Above his head, a seven-colored Profound Yuan vortex suddenly appeared and began to frantically absorb the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, funneling it into his body.

‘This is the Profound Yuan vortex that forms when breaking through to the Martial Emperor Realm,’ Ye Xuan knew.

The transition from Martial King to Martial Emperor was a massive transformation that required an astonishingly large amount of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi.

Under normal circumstances, the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi required for a Tier Seven Martial King to advance to a Tier Eight Martial Emperor was enough to drain the entire region for dozens of miles around.

However, to Ye Xuan’s horror, no matter how frantically his seven-colored vortex absorbed, the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi flowing into his body was pitifully scarce—nowhere near enough to support his breakthrough to the Tier Eight Martial Emperor Realm.

Ye Xuan’s heart jolted. He immediately understood. This was the Spirit Marrow Pool, a place where the surrounding Heaven and Earth Profound Qi was incredibly scarce, making it impossible for him to complete his breakthrough.

If he failed to absorb enough Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, his breakthrough would inevitably fail. Not only would his cultivation level fall, but he would also lose any future chance of ever reaching the Tier Eight Martial Emperor Realm.

For any Martial Artist, this was an extremely dire situation.

But while Ye Xuan was horrified, he didn’t panic. He raised his hand, and a supreme-grade Profound Stone the size of a human head was immediately tossed into the seven-colored vortex.

CRACKLE!

The head-sized, supreme-grade Profound Stone instantly shattered within the seven-colored vortex, and a pure stream of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, like a milky-white liquid, immediately surged into Ye Xuan’s body.

Supreme-grade Profound Stones were the most heaven-defying type of Profound Stone. The Heaven and Earth Profound Qi they contained was so pure that even a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor could absorb it. Even a small piece was considered a supreme treasure, let alone one the size of a human head.

With this rich supplement of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, Profound Yuan rapidly formed in Ye Xuan’s Profound Veins, and an incredibly powerful sensation washed over him.

At the same time, an indescribable spatial power emerged between heaven and earth. It appeared in iridescent wisps, descending upon Ye Xuan like a waterfall from the heavens. The space around his body grew hazy.

‘This is the spatial power entering my body during the breakthrough to the Martial Emperor Realm,’ Ye Xuan realized. ‘It contains the ultimate Space Law. Comprehending even a single trace of it would be a huge help for my future breakthroughs.’

Ye Xuan held his breath and focused, immersing himself completely in comprehending the spatial power.

Most Martial Emperors, having just broken through, had no understanding of spatial power and could only grasp a single trace of it. Even creating a Domain Realm barrier was something they would have to figure out slowly over time.

But in his previous life, Ye Xuan had been a Tier Eight Triple Peak Martial Emperor. Nicknamed the Carefree Martial Emperor, his mastery of space far surpassed that of other experts at his level. Given this second chance to comprehend the complete spatial power, Ye Xuan immersed himself in it entirely.

Profound principles of Space Law surfaced in his mind. Things he had failed to grasp in his past life now became crystal clear as he bathed in the spatial power, as if he had been granted sudden enlightenment.

This spatial fluctuation lasted for fifteen minutes before it completely vanished. The seven-colored Profound Yuan vortex above Ye Xuan’s head dissipated along with it.

SWOOSH!

Ye Xuan, still sitting cross-legged in the Spirit Marrow Pool, suddenly opened his eyes. A brilliant flash, like a bolt of lightning, shot from them.

“Haha, I’ve broken through! I’ve finally broken through!”

Ye Xuan flew into the air and let out a long cry, so overcome with excitement that tears nearly streamed down his face.

So many years after his rebirth, he had finally returned to the Martial Emperor Realm. Although he was only at the Tier Eight First Layer, breaking through to Martial Emperor meant he had reached an entirely new level.

SPLASH!

With a light wave of his hand, clear manifestations of the Space Law appeared around him like ripples in water.

These ripples were clear and transparent, yet profound and abstruse. They represented the complete power of space, and his control was even more thorough and terrifying than that of a Tier Eight Triple Peak Martial Emperor.

“Hm?”

After his breakthrough, the entire Spirit Marrow Pool became much clearer to his senses, but he immediately felt that something was wrong.

The pool water seemed to contain a mysterious power that was slowly invading his body and corroding his flesh.

This power was so faint and subtle that he hadn’t detected it at all while absorbing the energy earlier. It wasn’t until he broke through to the Tier Eight Martial Emperor Realm, and both his Profound Sense and Soul Sense reached the Eighth Grade, that he finally noticed something was amiss.

“What is this power?”

Ye Xuan was startled. He quickly scanned himself with his Profound Sense and Soul Sense and was horrified to discover that his body was completely saturated with this power. His Profound Veins, Profound Yuan, and even his Profound Sea were permeated with this faint, indistinct, black, gas-like energy.

Sensing it more carefully, Ye Xuan could immediately feel an extremely evil aura emanating from this power.

Furthermore, this power was still spreading, gradually seeping into his mind, trying to merge with his soul.

‘I absolutely cannot let this power take over my soul!’ Ye Xuan was instantly alarmed and began circulating the Nine Profound World-Defying Art to try and force the power out.

Under the circulation of the Nine Profound World-Defying Art, the power was clearly revealed, taking the form of a black stream of energy that was present everywhere throughout his body.

But no matter how he circulated the Nine Profound World-Defying Art, he could only make the power manifest; he couldn’t force it out.

As if sensing his actions, the previously dormant black power began to surge wildly, transforming into a venomous snake of black mist that lunged toward his mind.

Thin black lines began to appear on Ye Xuan’s face, and even his pupils turned an unnatural, demonic black.

Ye Xuan’s mind grew fuzzy and groggy. A tyrannical, bloodthirsty feeling washed over him, and he felt a strange, disembodied sensation, as if his soul were about to float away from his body.

‘This is bad!’

Ye Xuan forced himself to calm down. He didn’t know what this power was, but this black, evil aura clearly intended to possess his soul. Once it succeeded, he would surely lose all reason and become a puppet to this dark force.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ye Xuan circulated his Purple Wound Flame and Endless Molten Flame to burn the dark power.

To his astonishment, however, the Purple Wound Flame, an Earth Fire, had no effect whatsoever against this black power. And while the Endless Molten Flame was a Celestial Fire, it was not yet in its complete form. Although it burned the black power, causing it to twist and distort, it couldn’t completely destroy it.

The current crisis was even more dangerous than when Zhan Shang had tried to possess him.

Last time, Ye Xuan had been on guard and never let Zhan Shang take over his mind. But this time, the black power had entered his body along with the Spirit Marrow Liquid, and without him even realizing it, a portion had already fused with his soul.

Ye Xuan felt his thoughts becoming sluggish, his mind growing hazy. He was overcome with a feeling of drowsiness.

‘I can’t fall asleep! I absolutely cannot fall asleep! Devouring Martial Soul, devour it!’

At the critical moment, Ye Xuan gritted his teeth and, at the last possible second, activated his Devouring Martial Soul, directing it to violently consume the black energy.

To Ye Xuan’s surprise and delight, the black power that even the Endless Molten Flame couldn’t burn away was actually being slowly absorbed by his Devouring Martial Soul.

Although the process was extremely slow, the black power within his body was steadily diminishing.

As the black energy receded, Ye Xuan’s mind grew clearer, and the absorption speed increased. Finally, after about an hour, the black energy in his body had been completely consumed by the Devouring Martial Soul, reduced to nothing.

“That was close.”

Ye Xuan let out a long sigh of relief, drenched in a cold sweat. ‘That was too close. Just a hair’s breadth. If I hadn’t broken through to the Tier Eight Martial Emperor realm and discovered this black energy, my mind would have been taken over, and I’d have become a mindless puppet.’

Ye Xuan became extremely vigilant. ‘Who on earth placed this altar here?’ he wondered. ‘And this Spirit Marrow Pool… it seems like a great opportunity for cultivation and breakthroughs, but it actually hides an immense danger. Anyone who cultivates in it will be invaded by that black energy.’

Moreover, this black energy seemed to be sentient. As long as you didn’t discover it, it would just continue to seep into your body, slowly taking over your soul and consciousness. But the moment you detected its presence, it would immediately try to seize control of your mind and soul as quickly as possible, turning you into a mindless puppet.

At this point, Ye Xuan finally understood. No wonder the Nine Heavens Martial Emperor couldn’t break through the Restriction outside. A Nine Heavens Martial Emperor’s senses would be incredibly sharp, allowing them to easily detect the presence of this black energy. Therefore, the person who built this Spirit Marrow Pool and laid the Restriction never intended for a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor to enter.

What a venomous heart. What a vicious scheme.

A flicker of rage ignited in Ye Xuan’s eyes, and he unhesitatingly released his Purple Wound Flame.

BOOM!

The hazy purple flames began to burn rapidly in the Spirit Marrow Pool. He was going to incinerate every last drop of the Spirit Marrow Liquid so it could never harm anyone else.

As the Purple Wound Flame burned fiercely, the level of the Spirit Marrow Liquid in the pool dropped rapidly, and the white mist above it also began to dissipate.

Only then could Ye Xuan clearly see the true interior of the altar. The walls and ceiling were carved with bizarre demonic patterns, forming a massive Array. Lifelike humanoid figures of the Spirit Demon Race, baring fangs and brandishing claws, with two horns growing from their heads, were depicted all around, exuding a bewitching aura.

“These demonic patterns…”

By now, Ye Xuan was no longer a newcomer to this mysterious land; he had a considerable understanding of its Restrictions and Array patterns. He could tell at a glance that the demonic patterns carved all around were extremely strange. They could bewilder the mind and suppress a Martial Artist’s senses, perfectly complementing the black energy in the Spirit Marrow Pool. It was a type of sealing Array.

This wasn’t a Spirit Marrow Pool at all; it was a Pool of Puppetry.

The Spirit Marrow Pool burned fiercely. Wisps of black energy rose from it, surging madly toward Ye Xuan, only to be continuously devoured by his Devouring Martial Soul.

Gradually, as the water level dropped, Ye Xuan suddenly saw the naked form of a woman emerge from the pool.