Ye Yin's mental force suddenly caught a very faint vibration that hummed deep within his soul. This strange feeling came from a marshland to his front left, a place hidden by a thick, grey mist. The marsh was eerily quiet. There were no sounds of birds or insects, only a heavy, deathly stillness that hung in the air.
"It's over there!" Ye Yin said, his eyes sharpening as he took the lead and walked toward the swamp.
The others followed him closely. The nearer they got, the more they felt an odd sense of pressure and fear. As they stepped into the grey mist, their vision became blurry, and even their mental searching felt slow and difficult. The marsh was filled with black mud and rotting trees, and a faint smell of decay floated around them.
"Be careful," Ye Yin warned his friends. "This mist is not normal; it can eat away at your spirit power and mental force.". As he spoke, his Good and Evil Treasure Orb began to glow softly, pushing back the grey mist around them. Everyone quickly used their spirit power to create shields for protection.
Deep inside the marsh, they finally spotted the Spirit Beast. It wasn't very large, but it was a semi-transparent, grey-black color. Its body looked like a twisting shadow that never stayed in one shape. Sometimes it looked like a pile of smoke, and other times it looked like a blurry human face. It gave off waves of sad and angry feelings. It floated silently over a black pool, looking very dangerous.
"Is that... a Nether Curse Spirit?" Tang San asked, looking surprised.
Ye Yin's eyes lit up with joy. "It's a very rare mental Spirit Beast. They say it's born from pure hatred and curses. It has no real body and is great at messing with emotions and creating illusions.". He looked at the energy coming from it and added, "It looks like it's between thirty thousand and fifty thousand years old!".
This beast was perfect for Ye Yin. Since it was made of negative energy and curses, it matched his Good and Evil Curse Pearl Spirit perfectly. Even though he didn't strictly need a specific type of beast, he didn't want to let such a perfect match go.
"Everyone, stay back and guard me," Ye Yin said as he took a deep breath. He knew the Nether Curse Spirit's mental attacks were hard to block, and having too many people nearby might just make things harder.
He walked toward the black pool. Sensing him, the spirit's body stiffened, and it let out a silent scream that hit Ye Yin's soul. A wave of sadness, anger, and despair crashed against his mind. At the same time, the grey mist turned into ghostly hands that reached out to grab him.
Ye Yin just snorted. His hundred-thousand-year Wisdom Skull bone glowed, protecting his mind and easily blocking the mental attack. His Good and Evil Treasure Orb spun around him, shining with grey and white light. The ghostly hands melted away as soon as they touched the light.
"Curses won't work on me," Ye Yin said calmly as he kept walking.
The Nether Curse Spirit realized it was in trouble. It shrank its body into a thin line and tried to dive into the mud to escape.
"You're not going anywhere!" Ye Yin shouted. He used a Mental Shock from his Spirit Bone. A beam of black and white light hit the thin grey line perfectly. The spirit froze and slowed down, looking like it was stuck in glue. Ye Yin moved fast, appearing right above the beast, and punched it with all his might.
The power of his Spirit Ability and his physical strength crushed the spirit. It let out one last scream before its body fell apart. A dark black spirit ring floated up into the air. It was so dark it seemed to suck in the light, and tiny, angry faces could be seen flickering on it. It was much stronger than a normal sixth spirit ring.
"Yin-ge, be careful!" Tang San called out. He knew that absorbing such a dark, powerful ring was very dangerous.
Ye Yin looked at the ring with confidence. He sat down, calmed his breathing, and started the process. A huge amount of energy and dark emotions flooded into him. But Ye Yin's body and mind were stronger than the beast's spirit. After an hour, the wild energy calmed down and was fully absorbed.
When Ye Yin opened his eyes, grey symbols flashed deep within them before disappearing. He felt stronger and more controlled. He was now a Level 60 Spirit Emperor!.
"How is it, Yin-ge? What are your new abilities?" Xiao Wu asked excitedly. Everyone gathered around to hear the news.
Ye Yin smiled and explained that his sixth Spirit Ability had two parts, just like his others.
"The first part is called Source of Blessing," he said. "I can pick a person and it will give everyone around them different buffs. But the coolest part is that it gives them a soul shield. It can block one mental attack or curse and even reflect some of that power back at the enemy.".
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened. "So it's like a shield that makes you immune to mental attacks once and then hits them back? That's amazing for saving lives!".
"The second part," Ye Yin continued, "is called Source of the Curse. I pick a target and turn them into a source of bad luck. For a while, anyone who tries to hurt them will likely get hit with bad luck themselves. And the more they try to attack, the unluckier they get.".
The group went silent for a second and then started laughing. This skill was so sneaky! They imagined an enemy trying to hit one of them, only to trip over their own feet or have their weapon break at the worst time.
"Yin-ge," someone teased, "you're really becoming the king of making people miserable!".
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