Time, in the Rift of the Underworld, was a meaningless concept.
There was no day or night here, only eternal gloom and deathly silence.
Lin Yuan didn't know how much time had passed. He only knew that he had gradually transformed from a "prey" who could only passively defend himself into an efficient "hunter" in this desolate realm.
At this moment, the number of Soul Soldiers under his command had reached ten.
They were uniformly clad in standard armor, wielding long-handled spears. Under the command of his will, they formed a simple wedge formation, tightly encircling an Evil Spirit the size of a giant bear in the center.
This Evil Spirit was more powerful than any he had encountered before. The red glow emanating from its body was almost tangible, and each roar could scatter one or two weaker Wandering Souls (Wandering Soul - a soul that has not yet found its resting place, often lacking full consciousness or direction).
But Lin Yuan's eyes showed no fluctuation, even revealing a hint of triumph.
"Left three, thrust. Right two, side slash. The rest, press forward!"
Cold commands echoed in the hearts of the Soul Soldiers.
The Soul Soldier legion moved like a precise war machine, executing the orders instantly. Long-handled spears pierced into the Evil Spirit's joints from tricky angles, effectively slowing its movements.
"Now!"
Lin Yuan's soul body, like an azure lightning bolt, silently circled behind the Evil Spirit. The power of the Eon Soul-Suppressing Lamp's nether flame condensed at his fingertips, transforming into a pitch-black dagger, which he fiercely plunged into the Evil Spirit's back!
"Roar!"
The Evil Spirit let out an earth-shattering roar. Its massive body disintegrated within a few breaths, transforming into an incomparably pure torrent of Soul Power, which was completely absorbed by the Eon Soul-Suppressing Lamp.
"Hoo..."
Lin Yuan's soul body fluctuated. Feeling the feedback of Soul Power, his already solidified soul seemed to have grown another size.
"Still too slow," he murmured to himself.
After this period of exploration, he discovered that simply relying on devouring these muddled Evil Spirits, the efficiency of Soul Power growth was decreasing. Like a big eater who always eats rice, there comes a time when he gets full; he needed "meat."
Furthermore, he had discovered a pattern.
This Rift of the Underworld was not a monotonous plain. The deeper one went, the stronger the wandering Evil Spirits became, but also the rarer. And in certain specific areas, there were scattered glowing crystals.
He had cautiously approached one once. The Soul Power contained within that crystal was purer than devouring ten ordinary Evil Spirits!
Given his location in the Rift of the Underworld, surrounded by Wandering Souls and Evil Spirits, he named it—Soul Crystal (Soul Crystal - a crystal containing highly refined soul power, often found in specific areas of the underworld or nether-realms).
However, Soul Crystals were often guarded by extremely powerful "lord-level" Evil Spirits, or... other "Hunters" (Hunter - an entity, often a soul or spirit, that actively seeks out and preys on other souls for power or sustenance) like him, who retained their consciousness.
Just now, he had personally witnessed another conscious residual soul, leading a few inferior Soul Soldiers it had cobbled together, attempting to snatch a fist-sized Soul Crystal. As a result, it, along with its Soul Soldiers, was torn to shreds by a wolf-shaped Evil Spirit guarding the Soul Crystal.
"To quickly become stronger, I must obtain Soul Crystals." A thoughtful gleam flickered in Lin Yuan's eyes. "But a head-on charge is a dead end."
In his former life, he was the chief disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, relying not only on his talent but also on a mind and strategy far superior to his peers.
"Perhaps, I can try a different approach."
He cast his gaze towards another "Hunter" wandering in the distance.
It was a slender soul body, accompanied by five or six Soul Soldiers. Its strength seemed comparable to his own before.
A plan quietly formed in his mind.
He ordered his ten Soul Soldiers to stand by, suppressing their aura to the lowest possible level. As for himself, he went alone, pretending to be a "newbie" Wandering Soul who had just gained consciousness and was aimlessly drifting around. He cautiously, yet seemingly without purpose, "approached" the Soul Crystal guarded by the wolf-shaped Evil Spirit.
Sure enough, his appearance immediately attracted the attention of that slender soul body "Hunter."
That Hunter did not immediately act, but instead hid in the shadows, quietly observing, its eyes filled with scrutiny and greed, as if looking at prey delivered right to its doorstep.
Lin Yuan pretended not to notice the other party and continued to approach the Soul Crystal.
"Roar!"
The wolf-shaped Evil Spirit guarding the Soul Crystal discovered him and let out a warning roar.
Lin Yuan was "scared," his soul body trembling. He thought, "Darn it, I've been discovered!" Then he turned and fled in a panic.
The wolf-shaped Evil Spirit was enraged and immediately gave chase.
An opportunity!
The slender soul body in the shadows saw this scene, and a sharp glint flashed in its eyes. This was the moment it had been waiting for!
Taking advantage of the guardian being lured away, it immediately led its Soul Soldiers out of its hiding place, charging straight towards the unguarded Soul Crystal!
However, just as its hand was about to touch the Soul Crystal—
A series of icy killing intents suddenly erupted from the darkness behind it!
Ten Soul Soldiers, who had been lying in wait, appeared like phantoms under Lin Yuan's mental command. They instantly formed a battle formation, completely surrounding this Hunter and its ragtag army!
"You!"
The slender soul body was both shocked and enraged. It was then that it realized it had fallen into a trap! It was the one being targeted!
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan, who had lured away the wolf-shaped Evil Spirit, did not get entangled with it at all. Instead, he used his movement technique to make a wide circle, returning to the battlefield at an even faster speed, blocking this Hunter's last retreat.
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." Lin Yuan's voice was cold. "Now, you have two choices. One, be torn to shreds by me and my Soul Soldiers, becoming my Cultivation Resources. Two, pledge allegiance to me and become the first 'Soul General' (Soul General - a powerful Soul Soldier, often a former intelligent soul or a leader among Soul Soldiers, serving as a commander under a master) under my command."
"Dream on!" The slender soul body roared, commanding its Soul Soldiers to charge at Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan shook his head.
"Stubborn."
Ten minutes later.
The battle ended.
The slender soul body and its Soul Soldiers were all transformed into nourishment for the Eon Soul-Suppressing Lamp. Lin Yuan's Soul Power surged once again. He felt as if he was just one step away from a certain bottleneck.
He walked to the Soul Crystal and picked it up. Pure Soul Power surged into his body, making him let out a comfortable groan.
But he was not satisfied with just this.
He looked up, gazing into the deeper darkness of the Rift of the Underworld.
He noticed that the most powerful lord-level Evil Spirits seemed to be wandering around a central point, as if guarding something, or perhaps worshipping something.
There, he could feel an extremely faint, yet distinct spatial fluctuation.
"The exit... might be there."
An unprecedented light ignited in Lin Yuan's eyes.
His new goal had appeared.
No longer just simple survival and hunting, but to break into the core of this desolate realm and find the path to leave!
And before that, he needed to become stronger, strong enough to crush those "lords"!
He looked down at the translucent Soul Crystal in his hand, then at the ten uniformly arrayed Soul Soldiers beside him.
"Not enough... far from enough!"