"Although his heart was black, this soul is remarkably pure. My refining technique truly works."
The old Daoist looked at Sima Xiangtu's soul, a look of extreme excitement on his face.
After all, this was something he had been anticipating for a very long time.
Yet strangely, his excited smile did not last long before it gradually faded.
Especially when his gaze swept over Sima Xiangtu's withered remains, a look of melancholy actually surfaced on his face.
"Planning this for so many years, I thought that upon success I'd be too excited to sleep. I didn't expect to feel like this."
Staring at Sima Xiangtu's remains, the old Daoist fell into deep thought.
After a long while, it seemed he had made some sort of decision.
"Fine. Let me give you a dignified send-off."
With that, he waved his arm, and a wave of barrier power surged into Sima Xiangtu's body. Sima Xiangtu's withered remains immediately restored to their original form.
Though all life had vanished, at least he was no longer a shriveled husk — he was a presentable corpse.
He then personally crafted a coffin and placed Sima Xiangtu's body inside it.
With a gentle push of his palm, the coffin drifted through the starry sky, heading toward the depths of the vast Martial Cultivation World.
The old Daoist watched the coffin until it vanished from sight before turning his gaze back to the soul in his hand.
Suddenly, his mouth opened, and he swallowed the soul directly into his belly.
He then formed hand seals with one hand, and under the power of the seals, his eyes began to glow as extraordinary changes swept over his entire body.
Had anyone been present, they would have been able to tell that these were highly beneficial changes. But the old Daoist's eyes suddenly filled with panic.
"Still not quite enough?"
These words left his lips, and the old Daoist turned his gaze toward the Black Fiend Old Demon.
He reached out and grabbed, and the Black Fiend Old Demon was pulled before him.
Ughhh—
A painful scream tore from the Black Fiend Old Demon.
His soul was being devoured by the old Daoist.
Before long, the Black Fiend Old Demon ceased all movement entirely. His body turned rigid as though petrified, not a trace of color remaining.
The moment the old Daoist released his grip, the body immediately crumbled to ash, scattering into the starry sky.
Yet the worry on the old Daoist's face had not diminished in the slightest.
"Too weak. Not nearly enough."
The old Daoist's brow furrowed deeply, as though he had encountered a difficult problem.
But soon, a look of delight appeared on his face.
"I almost forgot about this old fellow."
As he spoke, the old Daoist retrieved an item from his Universe Bag. With a raise of his arm, a massive palace materialized above the starry sky.
This item was called the Myriad Transformations Celestial Palace.
It was the Black Fiend Old Demon's secret treasure.
Years ago, when Chu Feng and Xia Yan, along with Princess Xiao Xiao, had gone to attend the betrothal competition that the Black Fiend Old Demon had prepared for his granddaughter, they had entered this Myriad Transformations Celestial Palace to undergo its trials.
The Myriad Transformations Celestial Palace was itself a secret treasure that even the Black Fiend Old Demon could not fully control. His relationship with it was more akin to a partnership.
The Black Fiend Old Demon had to continuously channel barrier power into the Myriad Transformations Celestial Palace. Only after channeling it for a full thirty years could the palace be opened.
And once opened, only the younger generation could set foot inside.
If the young ones who entered could obtain benefits, then the Black Fiend Old Demon would also receive benefits from the Myriad Transformations Celestial Palace.
This was precisely why the Black Fiend Old Demon was willing to let the younger generation enter despite spending thirty years of his own barrier power to refine the palace and open it.
BOOM—
But now, the old Daoist raised his palm and struck, sending the Myriad Transformations Celestial Palace cracking with fissures.
Immediately after, the old Daoist launched another palm strike.
This time, however, the palm did not unleash an attack. Instead, it condensed into a colossal martial power hand.
The martial power hand thrust directly through the cracks in the Myriad Transformations Celestial Palace and into its interior.
After a short while, the martial power hand withdrew from the palace, and within its grasp was a figure.
It was an elderly man with long hair and a long beard.
Both his hair and beard stretched dozens of meters, flowing from his body like bolts of silk, drifting in midair.
He had the bearing of an immortal — otherworldly, as though a celestial being had descended to the mortal realm.
Yet for such a being, chains were wound around his body, those chains extending all the way back into the Myriad Transformations Celestial Palace.