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**
The giant bird was covered in black feathers, its body alone stretching dozens of meters long, with a wingspan reaching nearly a hundred meters. Three black tail feathers trailed behind it, also dozens of meters in length.
Its physique was not particularly muscular or gallant, but rather exceptionally slender, exuding a sense of dark aesthetic—like a divine bird emerging from an endless abyss.
Its entire body was wrapped in profound black flames that spiraled outward in a tornado shape, permeating the sky like a raging storm.
Ling Xiao and the others faintly heard a strange sound of wind emanating from the flames on the giant bird. As the wind reached their ears, they couldn't help but feel a peculiar chill in their hearts.
However, the surface of their bodies did not feel cold; this sensation of frigidity was birthed entirely from the depths of their hearts, influencing them from the inside out. This was completely different from typical ice-attribute powers, which produced cold from the outside in.
The black giant bird moved with extreme speed.
Before Ling Xiao and the others could even move, they saw a pair of giant talons entwined with black flames ruthlessly seize the Dark Thunder-Horned Rhinoceros Dragon. The Dark Thunder-Horned Rhinoceros Dragon struggled frantically.
Its lightning power erupting wildly as thunderous light surged like a sea, turning it into what looked like a massive sphere of lightning. However, under the suppression of those black flames, its efforts were utterly futile and met with total defeat.
The lightning was rapidly extinguished by the fire. As the black flames ravaged its entire body, the Dark Thunder-Horned Rhinoceros Dragon seemed to suffer a heavy blow; its body gradually stiffened, losing the strength to struggle as despair filled its eyes.
A violent gust of wind rose as the black giant bird flapped its wings, lifting the Dark Thunder-Horned Rhinoceros Dragon high into the air and flying far away, plunging into the depths of the Death Canyon before quickly disappearing from sight.
Throughout the process, the lingering pressure radiated by the black giant bird exerted a powerful deterrence over Ling Xiao's group.
Yet, it had not directly attacked them.
Perhaps to the bird, Ling Xiao and the others were far too weak—mere ants beneath its notice—and it simply couldn't be bothered to strike.
"This... could this be?"
Seeing this somewhat unfamiliar evil beast, Ling Xiao recalled the information regarding the soul beasts of the Mystic Trace Canyon he had studied before entering.
He thought of an extremely powerful soul beast race, and as he compared that information with the giant bird before him, he found them to be a perfect match.
"That's right. This should be the other soul beast race that stands at the overlord level within the Mystic Trace Canyon, though their numbers are even scarcer: the Nine-Nether Bird," Xie Yue said with a solemn expression.
If the Dark Dark Thunder-Horned Rhinoceros Dragon was the overlord race of land-based soul beasts in the Death Canyon, then the Nine-Nether Bird was the pinnacle existence among the aerial soul beasts.
Within this Death Canyon, no avian soul beast could contend with the Nine-Nether Bird.
"Rumor has it that the Nine-Nether Bird is a direct descendant of one of the phoenix-type Luan birds, the Nine-Nether Underworld Luan. It is an exceptional existence even among top-tier soul beasts."
"That Nine-Nether Underworld Luan is considered an overlord among many top-tier soul beasts, no weaker than the Azure Luan or the Fire Phoenix. It is said that if a Nine-Nether Bird's bloodline is pure enough and its strength reaches a certain level."
"It will awaken the top-tier flame that only the Nine-Nether Underworld Luan can control—the Nine-Nether Wind Flame. Furthermore, if the bloodline undergoes further transformation and sublimation, it can truly evolve into a Nine-Nether Underworld Luan."
Hu Liena added further, her voice tinged with surprise.
"The cultivation of this Nine-Nether Bird before us has likely exceeded fifty thousand years. The black flames burning on its body should be the legendary Nine-Nether Wind Flame."
Yan nodded, his expression grave, yet hiding a flicker of excitement at encountering another top-tier flame, "It must be the Nine-Nether Wind Flame. I can feel the Fire Mountain Rock Flame controlled by my Lord of Fire Martial Soul being slightly suppressed."
"This is something I've never encountered before. It's a pity my cultivation is too weak. If I had the realm of a Soul Saint, I would definitely fight this Nine-Nether Bird to experience the power of the Nine-Nether Wind Flame."
"You probably shouldn't think about that for a while. Once your cultivation reaches the Soul Saint realm in the future, you can try coming back to the Mystic Trace Canyon to seek out a Nine-Nether Bird for battle."
Ling Xiao couldn't help but comment, "Though by then, I won't want to come here again. To be honest, I don't even know how long we've stayed here. I've seen enough of this place's perpetual gloom; I never want to see it again."
Xie Yue reversed his blades, holding them behind his arms.
Hearing this, he shook his head and said, "I don't like this place either. If we hadn't entered together and been able to talk, being alone here would truly drive a person mad. I think only a ghost could live here forever."
"Oh? Are you talking about me?"
Suddenly, an extremely hoarse and low sentence rang out.
The voice was ethereal and faint, sounding weak as if the speaker were on the verge of death and could return to the underworld at any moment. Yet, it carried a soul-hooking magic that made those who heard it feel dazed and entranced.
"Who goes there?!"
Ling Xiao and the others were shaken to their core.
They spun around, their expressions turning heavy as they stared fixedly at the ground in the distance. A swirling vortex of black energy had suddenly manifested on the earth, emitting wisps of dark mist.
As the fog grew denser, a black, humanoid figure drifted out from the center. Wrapped in lingering mists like a vengeful spirit, the figure possessed a pair of dark blue eyes that contrasted sharply with its shadowy body, creating a truly macabre sight.
There was no detectable ripple of Soul Power, yet it radiated an aura of extreme, bone-chilling cold—much like the frigid sensation of the Nine-Nether Wind Flame from moments ago, but far more pure and concentrated.
It was enough to make one's skin crawl.
"Look over there!" Xie Yue suddenly warned.
Following his gaze, Ling Xiao and the others realized that within a few short breaths, a massive number of figures composed entirely of that strange black mist had appeared around them. Their auras were identical: eerie, grim, and utterly desolate.
In the dark forest, at least a hundred ghost-like black shadows were slowly drifting toward them.
Ling Xiao even noticed more black silhouettes in the distance crawling along the ground, rocks, and trees like incorporeal entities, gliding forward rapidly. They didn't resemble living creatures in the slightest.
"Are there... actually ghosts?"
Alarm bells rang in their heads as they took up defensive stances.
Ling Xiao felt as though the scene before him was transcending his understanding of the Douluo Continent.
Standing in this gloomy place, surrounded by a horde of ghost-like entities, he couldn't help but wonder if the Death Canyon was like the "forbidden zones" from the novels of his past life—places that contained not just maddened soul beasts, but also wraiths and zombies.
But he wasn't a Taoist priest!
He was a Soul Master, and yet he was encountering things like this? The genre felt all wrong!
Strangely, while Ling Xiao, Xie Yue, and the others were reacting as if facing a mortal enemy, Hu Liena had relaxed after her initial surprise. Seeing the terrified expressions on the faces of her brother and Ling Xiao, she couldn't help but speak up in a helpless, melodic voice:
"Grandpa Ghost, please stop scaring them."
"Huh???"
Hu Liena's words left Ling Xiao and the rest of the group stunned.
"Hehe, you kids performed quite well."
That same hoarse, low voice rang out once more.
Simultaneously, the surrounding ghostly shadows seemed to receive an order; they dove into the ground, turning into mere shadows before vanishing completely.
**
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