"Getting stronger? I was just complaining, that's all. So I got a little angry." The person inside the orb laughed.
"Complaining? Impossible! Don't think I don't know. Tell me, who was it? Who is that person?" The Ghost Lord said, not believing him.
"Believe it or not, I can't be bothered. Anyway, you can't touch me." The person in the orb sneered.
"You." The Ghost Lord was furious, but there was nothing he could do. This was a seal—if he broke it, the person inside might come out, and if he used their artifact, he'd be finished.
The person inside the orb also knew the other was afraid of his artifact, so he dared not touch the seal. Otherwise, if he got out, he'd be killed. Right now, he could use the artifact to make the other hesitate.
"If you have the guts to let me out, I'll make sure you taste my flames." The person in the orb sneered.
"Fine, you won't talk? I can find him myself!" The Ghost Lord's eyes instantly turned blood-red.
Seeing the Ghost Lord like this, the person in the orb was shocked and cursed inwardly.
The Ghost Lord then left, following the route he saw in his eyes—the same direction Evan Yang had gone.
At this moment, Evan Yang was rushing along, but the terrifying aura behind him kept spreading closer.
Sensing the terrifying aura, Evan Yang was shocked and sped up, but the force behind him was even faster. Evan quickly separated his soul from his body, tossed his body into his tower, and rushed toward the area with the most souls.
After a short while, Evan saw a crowd of souls searching for something and blended in among them.
Soon after, the Ghost Lord appeared. Seeing so many souls and unable to tell who was who, he was furious and roared, "Which one of you was it? Who just came out from inside?"
Everyone was busy searching and didn't care, but when they saw it was a Ghost Lord, no one dared make a sound.
Seeing their silence, the Ghost Lord snorted, "Looks like I'll have to kill you all!"
The Ghost Lord would rather kill the wrong person than let anyone escape. A huge wave of destructive aura swept over, but just then, another Ghost Lord appeared. The first Ghost Lord immediately stopped when he saw him.
"Lord Skypiercer, what are you doing? Are you going to attack my people?" the newly arrived Ghost Lord snorted.
"Lord Northsky, what do you mean? I'm chasing a soul!" Lord Skypiercer said. "Chasing a soul? You want to wipe out all my souls just for that? That's ridiculous. Isn't this supposed to be a fair hunt for the fruit? Everyone knows Ghost Lords can't attack each other's people. Are you ignoring all the Ghost Lords' rules?" Lord Northsky snorted.
"What are you implying?" Lord Skypiercer said angrily.
"Isn't it obvious? We Ghost Lords have an agreement. Move aside." Lord Northsky replied angrily.
Lord Skypiercer was furious but unwilling to back down. He snorted, "Just wait and see," then left.
Lord Northsky snorted, thinking he was being underestimated. Then he turned to the souls and said, "Everyone, hurry up and search. Don't let the other Ghost Lords' people find it first."
With that, everyone searched even more carefully.
Evan Yang couldn't leave for now and had to keep waiting for the right moment.
Because Lord Northsky was nearby, and Lord Skypiercer was close as well.
So, Evan Yang held back for a whole day.
About a day later, Lord Northsky suddenly received some news and said to everyone, "Everyone, follow me."
There were hundreds of souls, large and small, following Lord Northsky, and Evan Yang had no choice but to follow as well.
He noticed more and more souls were appearing, all gathering in the same direction.
Evan Yang was curious where everyone would gather. So he followed along, and after a while, they arrived at their destination.
Here, a huge crowd of souls had gathered.
In front of these souls stood a Stone Tree.
To be precise, it was shaped entirely like stone, and on one of its branches, something glittered brightly—like a fruit.
Evan Yang listened carefully to the conversations around him.
Each Ghost Lord was watching the others.
"What do you all think?" one Ghost Lord asked.
"What else? We wait for it to ripen. If you pick it now, it's worthless," another Ghost Lord replied.
"But now all the souls are here. How will we compete when the time comes?" the first Ghost Lord laughed.
"Whoever grabs it first gets it," said another Ghost Lord.
"Is that so? Fine," another Ghost Lord agreed, and the rest echoed their assent.
The other Ghost Lords agreed and all prepared to make their move.
Evan Yang was curious about when the fruit would actually ripen.
The other souls didn't know either and could only keep waiting.
Looking at the fruit, Evan Yang felt a kind of energy drawing him in, just like when he first entered the Death Abyss.
So Evan Yang slowly moved past the souls and stopped under the Stone Tree. Seeing the tree just a few steps away, he paused and closed his eyes.
At first, nobody noticed anything, but after a while, everyone realized something strange—a faint fragrance was drifting from the fruit.
The fragrance was intoxicating, even mesmerizing.
"Looks like it's almost ripe," a soul exclaimed. The Ghost Lords hadn't expected it to ripen so quickly, and they showed surprise.
So all the souls received orders: no matter what, they had to get that fruit.
The souls began to stir, and as the stone shell peeled away, a pale green fruit appeared before everyone.
All the Ghost Lords made their move, and fighting broke out among the souls beneath the Stone Tree.
Nearby, Ghost Lords fought, but only Evan Yang stayed back, watching the fruit. Suddenly, it dropped and flew into his hand.
All the souls were stunned. Evan Yang knew this was a hot potato, but now it was in his hand.
The Ghost Lords didn't recognize Evan Yang, assuming he was from a rival faction. They ordered, "Everyone, seize the fruit!"
Realizing he had to act, Evan Yang quickly summoned his body and merged. His speed shocked everyone, and when the souls saw his human form, many cursed, "Damn it!"
That was nothing compared to what happened next—a wave of flames spread out. Evan Yang could only rely on his Sacred Flame to escape the soul army.
Evan Yang was engulfed in flames, which spread massively and destroyed the surrounding souls.
The Ghost Lords were shocked and tried to attack from behind, but the flames were too vast to find Evan Yang. He broke through the soul army and headed for the exit.
The exit was sealed. Evan Yang turned to see a group of Ghost Lords glaring at him, furious because he had destroyed many souls.
"Who are you, kid?" a Ghost Lord demanded angrily.
Evan Yang said nothing. He just wanted to find a way out quickly—after all, the energy in the Fire-Gathering Orb couldn't be wasted.
"Speak!" the other Ghost Lords shouted angrily.
Evan Yang refused to speak, staring back at the Ghost Lords.
"If you won't talk, we'll destroy you!" a Ghost Lord threatened.
Evan Yang knew escape was impossible, but he had a plan. He withdrew his flames, revealing his body. The Ghost Lords were shocked and rushed to capture Evan, hoping to seize the fruit.
At that moment, Evan Yang raised the fruit and said, "If you come closer, I'll destroy it."
"Destroy it?" The Ghost Lords quickly retreated. The fruit was rare, and its destruction would be a huge loss. The Ghost Lords ordered, "No one approach, or your soul will be annihilated."
Thanks to the fruit, Evan Yang had a lifeline. He smiled and said, "I wonder when this door will open."
"It'll open tomorrow," a Ghost Lord said angrily. "I see, then I'll wait for it to open," Evan Yang replied with a smile.
"You! Damn it, kid, don't push us!" a Ghost Lord growled.
"Do you want to see the fruit destroyed?" Evan Yang retorted coldly.
Evan Yang's words intimidated the souls, so he warned again, "You'd better not push me."
The Ghost Lords could only glare at Evan Yang, unable to act. They secretly discussed their options.
Evan Yang wasn't foolish. He gripped the fruit tightly and kept an eye on them.
Evan Yang had no idea the fruit was changing. Its essence was slowly absorbed by his Heaven-Cold Seed, making him feel hot all over.
Seeing the changes, Evan Yang was shocked but kept silent. If the Ghost Lords found out, escape would be impossible.
Evan Yang cursed inwardly, "Of all times to absorb, you pick now! You're going to get me killed!"
Facing the situation, Evan Yang concealed the changes and waited, feeling as if he faced a vast army. The Ghost Lords and souls all watched him.
Any movement from Evan Yang could drive the souls mad.
Evan Yang dared not move, carefully covering the fruit so the souls wouldn't notice.
As time passed, the fruit's essence was gradually absorbed by Evan Yang, his strength swelling as the Heaven-Cold Seed devoured the energy and slowly transferred some to his body.
At that moment, Evan Yang felt that if he paused for a moment of enlightenment, he could break through his cultivation.
But now wasn't the time. He was surrounded by thousands, facing death at any moment.
Thus, he waited until the next day. When Evan Yang sensed movement behind him, he released his spiritual sense to check.
The Ghost Lords and souls were all ready. Everyone prepared for the coming struggle.