As long as Shannon Wei was safe, nothing else mattered. Joe Di proceeded with even greater caution. This time, after only a dozen breaths, he stopped again.
He could already see Melody Qin, Tyler He, and Sherry Jing. Not only were the three of them here, but many others were also suspended by pitch-black Soulbane Threads that pierced their bodies, hanging above a pool as dark as ink.
This black pool was extremely eerie. Joe Di's spiritual sense couldn't penetrate it at all. He could only feel a soul-related aura surging within the pool, with bones occasionally floating in the center, appearing and disappearing. A strange stench wafted over, making one nauseous.
Just as Sprout had said, this was no good place. This pool must be the Soulbane Pool.
Just as Joe Di thought this, he saw a pitch-black Soulbane Thread suddenly dissolve. The cultivator hanging from it dropped straight into the inky Soulbane Pool below, letting out a shrill, miserable scream.
Several black bubbles surfaced in the Soulbane Pool, then disappeared without a trace.
Joe Di was utterly shocked. His gaze landed on the three—Melody Qin, Sherry Jing, and Tyler He—all with their heads hanging low, seemingly resigned to their fate.
Perhaps the cultivator who fell into the pool startled Sherry Jing awake, as she instinctively raised her head. When she saw Joe Di, he simultaneously noticed the Soulbane Thread on her body suddenly disappear.
Joe Di didn't have time to think. He rushed forward—he absolutely couldn't let Sherry Jing fall into the Soulbane Pool. If she did, not even the gods could save her.
As Joe Di charged into the air above the Soulbane Pool, a terrifying oppression descended on him. This pressure didn't target his true essence or body, but his soul—as if invisible hands were tearing at his soul, making it hard to breathe.
In a matter of moments, Joe Di’s spiritual sense was shredded to pieces by those invisible giant hands. The remnants of his spiritual sense were forced back into his sea of consciousness, and then his body began to plummet straight down.
Joe Di grunted, his sea of consciousness frantically stretching out his spiritual sense. In the next instant, the spiritual sense that had been compressed snapped back out, halting his downward fall.
So powerful! Joe Di was secretly astonished. If not for his spiritual sense being refined by the Starstream Technique and further tempered by the Soul Tempering Technique, he would have already fallen into the black pool.
Sherry Jing wanted to speak when she saw Joe Di, but no words came out. Suddenly, she was horrified to see Joe Di rushing toward her.
Joe Di didn’t understand the terror of the Soulbane Pool, but Sherry Jing did. The Soulbane Pool could suppress the soul; flying above it meant any extended spiritual sense would be instantly torn apart or forced back. With spiritual sense destroyed or retracted, it was as if one had none at all. Without spiritual sense, one would naturally fall. Whether relying on true essence or artifacts, it was impossible to fly above the Soulbane Pool.
Even if one could fly above the Soulbane Pool, as soon as a cultivator entered its domain, Soulbane Threads would immediately pierce through their body, suspending them over the pool.
Sherry Jing desperately burned her true essence. As Joe Di grabbed her, she suddenly twisted her body and hugged him tightly.
Immediately, Joe Di’s spiritual sense clearly detected another black Soulbane Thread piercing through Sherry Jing’s body. At the same moment, Sherry Jing gripped him with force. Joe Di understood her intent—he didn’t resist and allowed himself to be flung out of the Soulbane Pool’s range by her strength.
“Brother Di, you can’t use spiritual sense above the Soulbane Pool, so you can’t cross it…” Shannon Wei felt deep regret. She had been too nervous and failed to warn Joe Di about this crucial danger.
“Sister Shannon, why did the black Soulbane Thread pierce through Sister Sherry but not me?” Joe Di was puzzled by this.