Heavenly Court, Soul Suppression Hall.
Fairy Ziwei gazed at the Ghostly Soul's true body, which had shrunk into a ball before her, and furrowed her brow slightly: "Ghostly Soul, after all this time, do you still not face reality?"
Ghostly Soul did not answer, remaining silent as a stone.
Fairy Ziwei let out a cold laugh, then began activating this Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu House.
Immediately, purple lightning blazed along the iron chains, and the Ghostly Soul's true body, bound tightly by those chains, began to tremble.
His memories were forcibly extracted, transforming into colorful wisps of light that appeared before Fairy Ziwei's eyes.
It was a scene from the past.
Ghostly Soul had not yet become a Demonic Venerable — he was only a Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal.
Falling Spirit Valley.
Ghostly Soul stumbled into Falling Spirit Valley and collapsed directly onto the ground.
He opened his mouth and immediately spat out a mouthful of bright red blood.
His face was pale as paper. His condition was dire — gravely wounded and on the verge of death.
A figure then descended slowly from the sky above: "Ghostly Soul, you cannot escape. Today, you will die without question."
The newcomer radiated an Eighth Transformation aura. His expression was cold, his strength far surpassing Ghostly Soul's.
Ghostly Soul struggled to prop up his upper body and looked up at the sky: "I don't understand. This is the first time we've met. We have no enmity between us. Why are you willing to pay such a heavy price just to kill me?"
The newcomer barked: "Because you will bring bloodshed to the world. You will slaughter the masses and bring calamity upon all things."
Ghostly Soul laughed coldly: "The number of people you've killed far exceeds mine. Don't you find it laughable, saying such words?"
The Eighth Transformation opponent slowly shook his head: "It's not the same. The nature of your threat is far more severe than mine."
Ghostly Soul was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Is it because I intend to create the Soul Dao?"
The Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal's expression flickered with surprise, but he quickly recovered. He said in a deep voice: "That's right. The Soul Dao should never be brought into existence. In the current world, the Fate Gu has been destroyed. If the Soul Dao is created, it will inevitably bring about a revolution of heaven and earth. The dead will find no peace, and ghosts and spirits will roam freely among the living."
"Hahaha… hahahaha!" Ghostly Soul burst into laughter. "That sounds wonderful! Then I absolutely must create the Soul Dao. In the future, countless people will choose to cultivate it. Let heaven and earth be changed!"
As he laughed, he shot to his feet, his condition largely restored.
"As long as I'm here, you will only be indulging in fantasies!" The newcomer sneered as he dove downward.
Ghostly Soul suddenly raised both hands, and an enormous Gu formation blazed to life, trapping the Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal within it.
But the enemy reacted immediately, dismantling the Gu formation with unstoppable force.
"You think I wouldn't have noticed this Gu formation lying in ambush? I was deliberately talking to you — this formation has already been broken!" The Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal charged wildly, about to reach Ghostly Soul.
But Ghostly Soul stood on the ground with extraordinary confidence, not moving a muscle, simply watching the Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal rush toward him.
He scoffed: "The formation you've just dismantled was nothing more than the surface. Don't you find this valley rather special?"
The moment those words left his lips, the Gu formation erupted with its true power. The Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal was suddenly like a tiger stranded on flat plains, a dragon trapped in shallows — his charge ground to a halt.
"This is… Falling Spirit Valley?!" The Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal cried out in shock.
"That's right! This blessed land of heaven and earth is the supreme sanctuary for cultivating the Soul Dao. Heh heh — and it is also your burial ground!" Ghostly Soul declared with the proclamation of a victor.
"Ah!" The Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal screamed. Ghostly Soul's Immortal formation harnessed the power of Falling Spirit Valley, making it equivalent to a Ninth Transformation Immortal formation.
The Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal resisted for a brief moment before finally collapsing, perishing with great reluctance.
Ghostly Soul looked down at the corpse of his great Eighth Transformation enemy lying at his feet — disheveled, blood streaming from every orifice. Killing intent surged within him as he let out a cold laugh: "Hmph, a Heavenly Court Gu Immortal. Interesting. I, Ghostly Soul, swear that in the future I will definitely create the Soul Dao and bring even more people to cultivate it. Even if I fail and perish, Gu Immortal powerhouses of the Soul Dao will emerge one after another. Hahahaha!"
The projection ended there.
Fairy Ziwei's face turned ashen.
She stared at the imprisoned Ghostly Soul's true body for a long while before finally turning to leave.
Although she had extracted Ghostly Soul's memories once again, it was completely useless. It could even be interpreted as Ghostly Soul's response to Fairy Ziwei's earlier words.
If that was the case, it meant that Ghostly Soul possessed methods to resist Heavenly Court's soul-searching.
Though he could not withstand the power of the Soul Suppression Hall, he could choose the contents of his memories — what to "hand over."
"In that case, I'm afraid extracting anything of value will take a very long time." Fairy Ziwei sighed deeply in her heart.