Chapter 44: Soul Capture

Unable to hold their breath any longer, several individuals finally exhaled, gulping down air. Their gasps were completely swallowed by the furious wind. Yet, the hundreds of vengeful spirits drifting through the air suddenly halted, all turning their gaze towards them. Before these unfortunate souls could even take two full breaths, the vengeful spirits surged forward, crashing directly into their minds. With a soft pop, the three life-lamps on each of them instantly flickered out. In such a situation, no one dared to intervene.

To onlookers, after the vengeful spirits entered their ears and noses, these individuals became briefly dazed for a few moments, then began screaming while clutching their heads. Their eyes turned red, and saliva drooled from their mouths, making them appear rabid. However, unlike puppets possessed by the three-corpse worms, they didn't attack those around them. Instead, they stumbled aimlessly in all directions, rolled on the ground, or repeatedly crashed into walls. Dozens of vengeful spirits arguing, pulling, and attacking each other within a single mind felt like dozens of firecrackers exploding simultaneously inside one's head—who could endure that? In just over ten breaths, these individuals collapsed, bleeding from all seven orifices, and died. Everyone watched, their hearts pounding in fear.

The troubling reality was that a faster heartbeat shortened the duration one could hold their breath. Most people were now struggling, their faces turning purplish-blue from holding it in, yet the vengeful spirits continued to surge forth relentlessly. When would this nightmare end? It was a choice between suffocating to death or dying from a vengeful spirit piercing one's mind. Just moments later, another five or six people were compelled to choose the former.

He Lingchuan and Nian Songyu fared better, as martial artists naturally possess superior lung capacity. However, He Chunhua's face had already turned a deep purplish-red from holding his breath, and he was clearly nearing his limit. He Lingchuan, disregarding everything else, grabbed Sun Fuping's sleeve and mouthed, "Do something!" As a martial artist, his skills were completely ineffective against vengeful spirits.

Perhaps sensing the opportune moment, Sun Fuping waved his sleeve, dislodging He Lingchuan's hand, then strode into the midst of the troops and raised his staff. He inserted something into the monstrous beast's mouth, then, holding his staff aloft, plunged it into the ground! Centered around the beast's head, a shimmering yellow barrier materialized, perfectly encapsulating everyone within. A barrier!

"You can breathe now!" Sun Fuping announced loudly. Everyone felt as if granted a great reprieve, many bending at the waist, some even coughing uncontrollably from inhaling too quickly. Even He Chunhua showed a hint of anger this time. "National Preceptor, why did you only act now?" he demanded. "If he had intervened just moments earlier, those five or six lives could have been saved."

Sun Fuping's expression was grave. "My illusory barrier lasts for a very short time and is not as effective as the life-lamps. I only use it as a last resort," he explained. "Can you predict how much longer these vengeful spirits will keep surging out?" No one could. He Chunhua had no reply. The soldiers' gazes upon Sun Fuping, however, spoke volumes without words. But he paid them no mind.

"Preserving the lives of the majority is paramount," Nian Songyu stated, then asked, "What do we do now?"

"We wait," Sun Fuping replied, his eyes fixed on the pool's surface. "Only when no more vengeful spirits emerge from it can we plan our next move."

With their initial shock subsiding, the group finally had a moment to observe the countless vengeful spirits swirling through the air. Situ Han let out a sound of surprise. "The human-shaped vengeful spirits are most numerous now," he remarked, "and there are also many armored riders." These fallen souls galloped wildly, brandishing their blades and roaring, as if still caught in the unending chaos of battle.

"Fallen soldiers are most common on battlefields, and their resentment is also the strongest," He Lingchuan commented, then gasped in surprise. "Look at that!" The vengeful spirits emerging from the pool had evolved from bizarre, amorphous shapes to predominantly human forms, and now, to an astonishingly massive size. Although vengeful spirits had no physical weight, the one He Lingchuan spotted appeared to be a composite of seven or eight individual spirits, boasting seven arms, eight legs, and multiple pairs of eyes across its chest and shoulders. An ordinary vengeful spirit standing before it was as insignificant as a human standing before an ancient banyan tree; their sizes were simply incomparable. The oppressive aura it exuded towards the living was also on an entirely different scale.

Upon seeing this monstrous entity, Sun Fuping actually seemed to sigh in relief. "Just as I expected," he murmured.

"How so?" He Lingchuan asked, annoyed by the constant half-explanations.

"After spending a long time in the vessel, some vengeful spirits begin to devour and merge with each other, forming new, more powerful entities, much like the practice of raising Gu," Sun Fuping explained, gesturing towards the monster. "As expected, the vengeful spirits are emerging in order from weakest to strongest. This means our ordeal is nearing its end."

This multi-limbed monster had crawled out and was initially moving to follow the main throng upwards. But just as Sun Fuping finished speaking, it suddenly turned its head, its sixteen eyes blinking in unison, and stared directly at the barrier! He Lingchuan felt a chill run down his spine under its gaze. "Its stare is far more terrifying than Nian Songyu's," he muttered. "Can it see us?"

"Hush!" Sun Fuping quickly cut him off. But it was too late. The sixteen-eyed creature distinctly made a sniffing motion, then moved out of the pool and began crawling towards the barrier. The creature's movements were comical, its numerous limbs uncoordinated, causing it to stumble slightly. But Sun Fuping knew this was merely because it had just entered the human realm and had not yet fully adapted.

The illusory barrier offered no genuine defensive power—nor could it, as that would only provoke the vengeful spirits' aggression. Its sole purpose was to mask the characteristics of the living, preventing the deceased from detecting the scent of flesh and blood. However, among the myriad strange vengeful spirits, there were always a few with unique abilities, not easily deceived. Judging by the actions of the sixteen-eyed creature before them, it hadn't fully seen through the illusory barrier, but it was clearly suspicious and determined to investigate further. In its perception, the area covered by the illusory barrier held no discernible scent of the living. Yet, it could faintly sense a flicker of vitality, like sparse fireflies intermittently glowing in the night, only to become indistinct upon closer inspection. This undoubtedly piqued its curiosity, drawing it closer for a detailed examination.

As it neared the barrier, Sun Fuping cried out in a low voice, "Baishan, Qingshui! Bring forth the Soul-Calming Banner!" Behind him, two attendants lunged to the very front of the group, positioning themselves at the barrier's edge. From seemingly nowhere, they produced a massive white cloth banner and began waving it vigorously at the sixteen-eyed creature. The banner was adorned with dense black and red runes. As the white fabric fluttered against the wind, these runes appeared to lift off the surface, slowly rotating, while a faint sound of chanting seemed to emanate from the air. Though the banner appeared to be nothing more than an ironwood pole with a piece of white cloth attached, swaying lightly, the attendants struggled to wield it. It clearly required four hands from two people to keep it aloft. The way they waved the white banner resembled the continuous, steady tracing of an infinity symbol in the air.

Concurrently, Sun Fuping moved to the front of the group and gestured for everyone to close their eyes. This command, however, came a little too late. The moment the white banner appeared, everyone's gaze instinctively tracked its movement. After it swayed just twice, several individuals' eyes glazed over, and they began walking towards it, as if drawn by an invisible magnet. One person walked past He Lingchuan, who forcefully pressed down on their shoulder, helping them close their eyelids. The person struggled briefly, then became still. Others quickly followed suit, restraining their companions who had been ensnared.