Standing atop the high platform and looking down, the evil miasma spring water that covered the ground had already risen to a considerable height.
This spring water wasn't truly liquid, though it appeared much like it—thick and viscous, containing all manner of evil and danger within its depths.
The evil spirits flocked to this spring water eagerly, ceaselessly devouring the energy within. But if a martial artist fell into it, things certainly wouldn't end well.
Yet now, Yang Kai, shrouded in a coating of black qi, was completely unaffected by the evil miasma spring water. He moved through it like a fish swimming freely in water, drifting and weaving about without a care.
Everything he passed, all the scattered evil spirit essences floating outside were drawn into his body.
On the rare occasion he bumped into one or two blind evil spirits, they didn't even attack him. Those evil spirits seemed unable to detect his existence at all, completely ignoring him as if he were invisible.
The entire group on the platform was dumbfounded!
The old man up on the platform was no exception—his eyes nearly splitting with shock, his face a mask of disbelief.
The kid's current state was utterly bizarre. The energy radiating from his entire body was completely different from before, brimming with a sinister and brutal aura. He looked like a blood-soaked demon lord who had lost all reason, the sheer malevolence of his presence enough to make one's heart tremble.
What stunned the old man even more was that Yang Kai was currently harvesting evil spirit essences down below. After all the killing between the evil spirits, there were countless essences scattered below. The kid merely drifted through and collected dozens of them in one pass, enough to make anyone's eyes burn with jealousy.
And he was absorbing the evil spirit essences directly into his body, seemingly without any worry that the evil contained within would cause him harm.
"Heh heh heh heh…" Yang Kai chuckled with glee as he swam through the evil miasma spring water, gathering essences while letting out that bone-chilling laugh.
There was surprise and smugness in his laughter, but even more than that—excitement.
His body and mind were both abuzz with excitement, his very blood boiling, as though he were holding a beautiful woman stripped bare in his arms, running his hands over her body and savoring every exquisite moment.
Rhythmic pulses emanated from within the Proud Bone Golden Body. The evil spirit essences he had just absorbed had delighted the Golden Body immensely, causing it to ravenously devour the evil energy from the surrounding spring water. These energies seemed to suit the Golden Body's appetite perfectly.
His body had transformed into a massive vortex, pulling in all the surrounding evil energy.
Far from feeling discomfort, Yang Kai wore a look of pure satisfaction.
He didn't know why this was happening, but since the Golden Body enjoyed this kind of energy, there was no need to overthink it. He simply kept absorbing.
After absorbing for quite some time, Yang Kai suddenly felt a sensation of saturation.
It wasn't the Golden Body that had reached its limit—the Golden Body was a bottomless pit that could never be filled no matter how much energy it consumed. Rather, it was his current cultivation realm that had hit its ceiling.
Unless he broke through this bottleneck, the Golden Body would stop absorbing. Otherwise, it would likely become a burden on Yang Kai.
Realizing this, Yang Kai couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
This wild spree of absorption had not only been a tremendous feast for the Golden Body, but his dantian had also stored nearly a hundred evil spirit essences. He hadn't had time to refine these essences yet, so they could only remain temporarily in his dantian.
He couldn't store any more.
Especially that special essence left behind by the soul-type evil spirit—it was something Yang Kai was very interested in. Compared to the others, this one was clearly different.
He needed to refine it quickly so he could absorb more essences, and perhaps use the opportunity to break through his current realm.
At this thought, Yang Kai's heart burned with fervor.
He turned to look back. The group on the high platform was still watching him with worried expressions, especially the Hu sisters—their beautiful eyes filled with unmistakable concern and worry.
Warmth bloomed in his chest. Yang Kai darted to the base of the platform and waved up at them. "Hand over all your Spirit Purification Bottles."
"Heh heh…" Shen Yi let out a greedy, wicked laugh. "I knew Brother Yang was a generous man!"
With that, he hurriedly collected everyone's Spirit Purification Bottles and tossed them down to Yang Kai.
There were only five bottles in total. Three had been brought by the Treasure Artifact Sect, two by Ghost King Valley. The Hu sisters had fled here as refugees, so naturally they had no Spirit Purification Bottles.
Each bottle could hold twenty essences. Five bottles meant one hundred!
Such a staggering quantity was enough to make anyone's heart race with desire.
Yang Kai returned to the evil miasma spring water, swimming freely among countless evil spirits without a care in the world, continuously filling his Spirit Purification Bottles with essences—filling one before swapping to the next.
Before long, all five bottles were full.
The old man and the members of the Carefree Sect watched with naked longing, every eye burning with greed and envy.
They had been fighting tooth and nail up on this platform, with no time to spare for collecting essences. But Yang Kai? He drifted through the spring water without a single worry, gathering essence after essence that made their eyes redden with jealousy.
Comparing the two situations, how could they not be envious and bitter?
The old man was now filled with regret so deep his intestines had turned green. His ancient face was a kaleidoscope of conflicting emotions, his mind a churning storm of feelings.
Had he known the kid had such incredible ability, he never would have burned his bridges with Yang Kai! But he had only now witnessed the depth of his mystery and power, and regret was useless now.
That strike he had landed on Yang Kai earlier had completely destroyed any hope of building a good relationship with him.
Even if he couldn't get Yang Kai to help him produce that miraculous defensive barrier, it would have been great just to have him help collect some essences! The way the kid gathered essences down there was easier than picking melons.
Damn it all—what terrible luck! He had let such a golden opportunity slip right through his fingers!