Chapter 46: Spirit Abyss Realm

"You and I are merely chess pieces. Do you really want to go for mutual destruction? If you kill me, you'll die as well."

When Xia Yi woke up, he felt as if he had been dreaming for a very long time. Yet, the moment he opened his eyes, the content of the dream faded completely from his memory.

Only a single sentence lingered in his mind.

Xia Yi looked around and realized he was now in the dormitory of East Sea Academy.

Besides Wu Jin, Gu Yue was also present in the dormitory.

Wu Jin informed Xia Yi that the president of the Forging Master Association, Mu Chen, had personally brought him back.

"What on earth happened?" Gu Yue asked solemnly.

"Where is Zi Ji? Is she alright?" Xia Yi inquired.

"I'm fine," Zi Ji answered as she entered the dormitory. She glanced briefly at Wu Jin and began recounting the events that transpired after Xia Yi had lost consciousness.

"What's going on with you? Why can't even a divine weapon harm you? And why was a Super Douluo with a three-word battle armor directly absorbed into your body? Where is she now?" Gu Yue's gaze fixed intently on Xia Yi. Everything about him was beyond her comprehension—there was no way a ten-year soul beast could accomplish such feats.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" Xia Yi shook his head and looked at the dark phoenix tattoo on his arm. With a mere thought, the phoenix seemed to come alive instantly.

"Go!" Xia Yi commanded. The dark phoenix flew off his arm and headed toward Zi Ji.

Zi Ji raised her delicate hand and lightly pinched. The dark phoenix immediately dissolved in her palm.

"Not bad. Its offensive power can already rival most two-ring soul masters. It possesses effects of dark erosion and intense burning. Dark erosion can contaminate soul power, while the high-temperature flames can cling to a soul master's surface. Moreover, this dark phoenix fire is very difficult to extinguish. The dual nature of internal and external damage makes it a commendable ability," Zi Ji commented, a glint of admiration in her beautiful eyes.

With this soul skill, Xia Yi's combat strength would be on par with most of his peers.

However, such a soul skill would undoubtedly consume a great deal of Xia Yi's soul power.

Unbeknownst to Zi Ji, within Xia Yi's body, in a small space, Leng Yulai suddenly froze as she felt a tiny portion of her soul power inexplicably diminish.

Though the decrease was minimal, it was noticeable.

This space wasn't very large, approximately 200 square meters, 20 meters long, and 10 meters wide.

The surrounding walls were made of bluish-gray metal, including the floor. There was neither a door nor a window.

Fortunately, the ceiling was not metal. Looking up, one could see the vast starry sky.

The metal walls were only a little over two meters high.

But what drove Leng Yulai to madness was her inability to escape from this metallic space. Whenever she attempted to fly upward, the metal walls would grow along with her.

No matter how high she flew, the walls would rise at the same pace.

Even when she unleashed her soul skills to try and bypass the metal walls, the walls would extend upward to block her attacks.

After countless attempts, she couldn't escape this metallic prison.

"Damn it, what is this place?" Leng Yulai summoned her battle armor once more. A massive dark phoenix materialized behind her, slamming fiercely into the metal wall.

Yet, even with the full force of a Super Douluo and her three-word battle armor, she couldn't leave a single scratch on the wall.

Not even a spark.

After trying over a hundred methods and exhausting herself, Leng Yulai finally sat down, dejected. Only then did she notice that the metal walls were engraved with intricate designs of mountains, rivers, and forests.

"Who could carve such detailed patterns on metal this indestructible?" Leng Yulai was filled with awe. Even her full-strength attack couldn't leave a trace, yet someone had managed to carve on this metal.

She retracted her battle armor and gently ran her fingers over the walls. The metal was not cold to the touch but exuded a sense of solidity and weight.

"What kind of metal is this? It shows no signs of forging. It looks like ordinary bronze, but how could ordinary bronze withstand my attacks?" Leng Yulai frowned deeply. Unwilling to give up, she resumed her assault as soon as she regained a bit of strength.

"Can you stop for a moment?" a deep voice suddenly rang out. Startled, Leng Yulai turned abruptly to see a faint wisp of soul fire floating behind her.

Leng Yulai stepped back in shock. Although the soul fire seemed weak enough to extinguish at any moment, it still emanated a deadly threat.

"Who are you?" Leng Yulai asked, stunned.

"I am Xia Yi, the person you tried to kill. I was the one who brought you into this space," the soul fire replied.

"What do you mean?" Leng Yulai's single-use divine weapon, the Devil God Sword, appeared in her hand as she prepared for a fight.

"Not even the Plane Lord could kill me. What makes you think you can?" The soul fire's voice was calm, devoid of any emotion.

"Who exactly are you?" Leng Yulai pressed.

"Some say I'm a chess piece. Originally, I had already perished, but someone preserved a fragment of my soul and a drop of my blood. What you tried to kill earlier was a body formed from that drop of blood. My soul should have been much stronger, but when the Plane Lord discovered I didn't belong to this world, it tried to destroy my body. We clashed, and I ended up severely weakened," the soul fire explained.

Gu Yue and Di Tian had always assumed that Xia Yi had been forced to take on human form by the Plane Lord.

Little did they know that the Plane Lord only allowed Xia Yi to take human form after failing to destroy him.

"Not of this world?" Leng Yulai was shocked. She tentatively asked, "Are you from the Divine Realm?"

"My world should be a level higher than the Divine Realm," the soul fire said solemnly.

"Why should I believe you?" Leng Yulai asked coldly.

"You don't have to," the soul fire replied indifferently. "You've killed countless for your selfish desires. Even if I killed you now, it wouldn't be unjust. But I'm giving you a chance to live—provided you help me with something."

"How ridiculous. You've imprisoned me. Why should I help you?" Leng Yulai sneered.

"You have no choice. I've already bound your life to my body. If my body dies, so will you," the soul fire said.

"You're bluffing," Leng Yulai said grimly.

The soul fire ignored her and continued, "I'm too weak and will soon dissipate. Once I'm gone, the Plane Lord may attempt to destroy my body again."

"You want me to stop the Plane Lord? You must be overestimating me," Leng Yulai scoffed.

"No," the soul fire shook slightly, as if shaking its head. "The Plane Lord has gone into slumber after its clash with me. It won't awaken anytime soon."

"Then what do you need me for?" Leng Yulai asked.

"I can't hold on until my body comes here to retrieve my memories. When I dissipate, I'll seal my memories in this space. You'll need to guide my body to retrieve them. Once it does, it will grow strong enough to resist the Plane Lord before it awakens," the soul fire explained.

"How am I supposed to guide it?" Leng Yulai asked coldly.

"I'll teach you. Once it retrieves my memories, you'll be free to leave," the soul fire replied.

"When will your body come here to retrieve the memories?" Leng Yulai's eyes flickered. She clearly wanted to leave; the thought of spending years or even decades in this cold, metallic prison was unbearable.

"According to Douluo Continent's standards, when its spiritual power reaches the Spirit Abyss Realm," the soul fire said.

"Spirit Abyss Realm? Do you know how long it takes to reach that level? Are you planning to keep me locked up here forever?" Leng Yulai demanded angrily. The thought of spending endless years in this space without even the soul fire to talk to drove her to despair.

"This isn't a prison but a place many people would dream of having. Cultivating here will only benefit you," the soul fire said indifferently.

(End of Chapter)