Upon hearing this, everyone immediately responded.
The next second, the twelve individuals simultaneously circulated their spirit power, fully releasing their Spirits, which shone with dazzling light.
Immediately after, Soul Spirits of various forms and unique auras also emerged.
The Soul Spirits and their Spirits echoed each other, displaying the wondrous state of co-existence between Soul Spirits and Spirits.
The moment everyone displayed their Soul Spirits, the thick black clouds that had enveloped the sky above seemed to be suddenly dispersed by an invisible force.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone down, and a figure approximately two meters tall slowly appeared directly in front of all the Soul Spirits.
This figure had a human-like appearance and a tall stature, but it was surrounded by a disturbing, twisted, and sinister aura that made people afraid to look directly at it.
That was the oppressive power emanating from the Evil Emperor's Origin, making the surrounding air cold and viscous.
The most bizarre thing about this figure was that it lacked the usual human facial features.
There was only a single, infinitely deep eye, glowing with a dark red light, embedded solitary in the center of its face.
Within that eye seemed to hide an endless abyss, exuding gloom, strangeness, and ferocity.
Just one glance sent shivers down one's spine, making the Soul tremble uncontrollably.
This was the Evil Emperor's human form, having shed its massive beast body, yet appearing even more mysterious and dangerous.
As the Evil Emperor revealed its form, Kong Deming moved slightly, instantly appearing beside the Evil Emperor and standing shoulder to shoulder with it.
He didn't say another word, merely watched the Evil Emperor with a calm expression, his spirit power quietly circulating, maintaining vigilance at all times.
The Evil Emperor ignored Kong Deming beside it, its gaze intently fixed on the twelve Soul Spirits before it.
It meticulously observed the state of each Soul Spirit, feeling the symbiotic connection between the Soul Spirits and their Hosts.
It even used its Soul power to quietly communicate with these Soul Spirits, exploring the true details of the Soul Spirit Method.
From the Soul Spirits' conscious state and retained wisdom to their compatibility with humans, nothing was overlooked.
After a long while, the Evil Emperor slowly withdrew its gaze, its dark red eye looking at Xu Tianhao, its tone suddenly becoming cold and ruthless, filled with deep apprehension:
"If possible, this Venerable One would spare no cost to kill you immediately."
As these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point.
Kong Deming and Poison Immortal's expressions changed drastically, their internal spirit power surged wildly, and all their spirit rings lit up.
A powerful aura erupted, and their eyes sharply fixed on the Evil Emperor.
If the Evil Emperor made any unnecessary move, or showed the slightest intention of harming Xu Tianhao,
they would not hesitate to join forces, protect Xu Tianhao with all their might, and fight the Evil Emperor to the death.
The Evil Emperor glanced at Kong Deming and Poison Immortal, whose spirit power had surged and who were on high alert, and waved its hand calmly, showing no intention of acting:
"Don't be nervous, what this Venerable One said was under the premise that we have no cooperation."
It paused, its gaze falling on Xu Tianhao again, its eyes filled with deep apprehension:
"This little fellow is too much of a Prodigy; at such a young age, he can create such a Heaven-Defying Soul Spirit Method."
"His mind, talent, and methods far surpass ordinary people. Such a human is a truly fatal threat to my Spirit Beast race. If he is allowed to grow, he will surely become a great disaster in the future."
With that, the Evil Emperor's tone shifted, the previously cold words softening slightly, carrying a hint of a decision made after careful consideration:
"However, since you have proposed cooperation, this Venerable One has no reason to refuse."
It stood tall, its surrounding sinister aura slightly restrained, its tone carrying a hint of arrogance:
"Although this Venerable One is cold-blooded and bloodthirsty, and has always been irreconcilable with humans, the Soul Spirit Method is truly a great boon that can benefit my Spirit Beast race."
"It can allow countless Spirit Beasts to escape the fate of being hunted and having their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, and to continue their vitality. This Venerable One naturally wants to support such a good deed."
Hearing this, the heavy stones weighing on Kong Deming and Poison Immortal's hearts finally fell, their tense bodies slowly relaxed, and their surging spirit power gradually receded.
The two exchanged glances, both seeing relief and joy in each other's eyes; the purpose of this trip had finally reached its first step.
Seeing this, Xu Tianhao immediately stepped forward, his expression solemn, and said sincerely:
"Since Senior Evil Emperor is willing to agree to cooperate, let's strike while the iron is hot and determine the specific details of our future cooperation."
"If the Soul Spirit system can be promoted earlier, it will bring immense benefits to both humans and Spirit Beasts."
"The sooner it is implemented, the sooner more Spirit Beasts can benefit, and some of the animosity between the two races can be resolved."
The core Foundation of the Soul Spirit system is not merely to allow Spirit Beasts to coexist with Spirit Masters in Soul Spirit form.
Its core essence is to break the shackles of fate that have existed between Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts for thousands of years.
It allows Soul Spirits, even after the Host Spirit Master's Lifespan is exhausted and their body and Dao perish, to still be able to detach from the Host's body, remain completely preserved, and be passed down through generations.
Rather than dissipating with the Spirit Master's demise.
However, achieving this groundbreaking feat cannot be accomplished solely by the Spirit Master's own mental force or the Soul Spirit's will.
An isolated space, independent of the real World and exclusively for Soul Spirits to inhabit and live, must be constructed—this is the Soul Spirit Space.
This space is not only a sanctuary for Soul Spirits after detaching from Spirit Masters, but also a crucial carrier for Soul Spirits to recuperate and maintain their spiritual consciousness from perishing.
It is also the core Foundation for the entire Soul Spirit system to continue for a long time and benefit countless generations.
Xu Tianhao had already unreservedly shared the complete concept and construction principles of the Soul Spirit Space with Kong Deming.
Kong Deming, as the Sun Moon Empire's foremost Soul Engineer, and a rare Space-type Soul Engineer in this era, his Spatial Power attainments had already reached the pinnacle.
Kong Deming's control and application of Spatial Power had few rivals across the entire Douluo Continent.
Yet, even so, for Kong Deming to construct a stable, vast, and capable-of-housing-thousands-of-Soul Spirits isolated space by himself still presented considerable difficulty.
However, with the Evil Emperor, who controlled top-tier Spacetime Power, joining in, the situation would be entirely different.
As the second-ranked of the ten great savage beasts, having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, the Evil Emperor's comprehension of Spacetime Power was deeply ingrained.
Its power Origin was highly compatible with spatial rules. Kong Deming's spatial attainments, combined with the Evil Emperor's Spacetime Power, would complement each other and make up for shortcomings.
This would greatly reduce the difficulty of constructing the Soul Spirit Space and significantly increase the chances of success.
This was also one of Xu Tianhao's core objectives in urgently seeking cooperation with the Evil Emperor.
To ensure the Evil Emperor fully understood the value and feasibility of the cooperation, Xu Tianhao initially shared the complete concept, construction principles, and long-term benefits of the Soul Spirit Space as mental memories with the Evil Emperor, without any reservations.
This made it clearly aware of the significant meaning of this plan for the Spirit Beast race.
It also made the Evil Emperor understand that this cooperation was by no means a one-sided demand from the Sun Moon Empire, but a win-win situation for both Spirit Beasts and human Spirit Masters.
A complex glimmer flashed in the Evil Emperor's profound eyes; it was not carried away by this beautiful vision.
Instead, it looked at Xu Tianhao with a calm expression and slowly retorted, "According to the information you've conveyed to me, the first Spirit Pagoda you plan to build is located in Tianhui City."
"However, the accompanying core Soul Spirit Space is to be built in Sun Moon City, which is your Sun Moon Empire's capital."
"If this Venerable One agrees to cooperate with you and helps construct the Soul Spirit Space, wouldn't that mean this Venerable One would have to personally travel to your capital?"
Sun Moon City is the political, economic, and spirit tool core of the Sun Moon Empire, also known as Mingdu.
It is one of the most prosperous and heavily guarded cities in the entire Sun Moon Empire.
It gathers more than half of the Sun Moon Empire's top powerhouses and Soul Engineers, and is the core of the Sun Moon Imperial power.
Although the Evil Emperor has lived in seclusion deep within the Evil Demon Forest for many years, rarely venturing into the human World for tens of thousands of years, and focusing solely on Cultivation without concern for worldly affairs, it deeply understands the status and significance of Mingdu.
That is the heartland of the Sun Moon Empire, its absolute core, guarded to the extreme.
Countless top-tier spirit tools stand guard day and night; ordinary Spirit Beasts would be instantly annihilated if they even approached within a hundred li of Mingdu.
Let alone it, the second-ranked of the ten great savage beasts, renowned across the Continent, and the supreme ruler of the Evil Eye Clan.
For such a super Vicious Beast, capable of overturning the heavens with a flick of its hand and destroying a city with a raise of its arm, to go to the core of a human Empire's capital, was simply too inconceivable.
If it were to harbor ill intentions, its terrifying power combined with Spacetime Power could instantly turn the entire Mingdu into ruins.
Destroying the core Foundation of the Sun Moon Empire. Such a risk is absolutely unbearable for ordinary people.
But this is an ideal state. The Evil Emperor is not foolish; it has a chance to destroy Mingdu, but with Mingdu's military strength and Spirit Master combat power, it is not impossible to keep it there.