The most eye-catching feature was the pair of wings on its back, formed purely by the nine-colored radiant glow!
The wings gently fluttered, scattering starlight, splendidly beautiful, creating a stark contrast with the eerie and desolate surroundings!
"It’s it! It’s definitely it!"
Gu Yuanyuan exclaimed joyfully, pointing at the Nine-Colored Demon Beast.
"Master! It’s the one that saved the disciple back then! The disciple remembers its appearance!"
The Nine-Colored Demon Beast treaded the swamp as if it were flat ground, and walked straight up to Gu Sheng.
Its eyes quietly gazed at Gu Sheng, filled with indescribably complex emotions—reverence, affection, and even... deep sorrow.
Under Gu Yuanyuan’s surprised gaze, this holy, graceful demon beast slowly lowered its head to Gu Sheng, bent its front knees, making an action similar to a human kneeling!
Gu Sheng’s gaze slightly hardened.
He attempted to release a gentle spiritual power, trying to communicate with this unusual demon beast.
"You... know me?"
The spiritual power sank like a stone in the sea, the beast did not react, still maintaining the prostrate pose, emotions swirling in its eyes.
Gu Sheng reached out, trying to touch the beast’s horn emitting a soft glow. An eerie event occurred!
His fingers passed through the beast’s body effortlessly, as if it were only a phantom projection!
"Master?"
Gu Yuanyuan noticed the anomaly as well.
Gu Sheng withdrew his hand, slightly furrowing his brow.
This demon beast... is not of substance? Or perhaps, its form of existence is extremely special?
"Yuanyuan, you try."
Gu Sheng said.
Following the order, Gu Yuanyuan cautiously approached, reached out, and gently touched the beast’s forehead.
This time, no penetration!
Her fingers indeed touched the smooth, warm, and strangely soothing fur!
The Nine-Colored Demon Beast seemed to sense her touch, lifted its head, gently pressed against her palm, and emitted a low hum, filled with affection.
Gu Yuanyuan was overwhelmed with joy.
"Master! I can touch it!"
Gu Sheng’s eyes gleamed with depth.
This beast seems to respond tangibly only to Gu Yuanyuan? Or perhaps, it acknowledges only the Gu Yuanyuan holding the fragment?
He no longer delved, and made a decisive move.
"Use that fragment to open the door."
"Yes!"
Gu Yuanyuan quickly responded, taking the metal fragment to the huge stone door, aiming at the irregular groove in the center.
The moment the fragment was placed into the groove—
The entire Thousand Souls Hall suddenly quaked!
On the stone door, the complex array patterns that had lain dormant for countless years abruptly lit up!
Countless streaks of ghostly blue light rushed along the vein of the array patterns, converging!
The dark golden lines on the fragment also exploded with dazzling light, perfectly blending with the patterns on the door!
Boom!
Amidst ear-splitting thunderous sounds, the gigantic stone door that seemed to have never opened, began to slowly open inward amidst the intertwining blue-golden brilliance!
Heavy friction like the awakening of an ancient giant beast, an older, more vast aura, intermingled with endless melancholy and bereavement, surged out from the interior like a flood sealed for eons!
At the pinnacle moment of the door opening, within the depths of Gu Sheng’s Sea of Consciousness, beside the spiritual embryo emitting chaotic radiance, a phantom figure slowly solidified.
The figure was that of an elder, hair and beard all white, with a gaunt face and profound eyes, exuding wisdom and lingering fatigue.
"Correct!"
Yue Shen Gong’s voice carried uncontainable anger and sorrow.
"Inside the Thousand Souls Hall, a hidden ancient forbidden array—the Thousand Souls Sacrifice Array! Once activated, it could forcibly sacrifice a thousand martial artists matching the main array master’s realm!
This array could strip their lifelong cultivation, qi-blood, and even divine soul source, forcibly smelting and infusing into the main array master’s body! Creating a peerless great power that exceeds several levels beyond his own realm within a short time!"
He paused, his tone even more somber.
"Yet this array defies the heavens, the cost is devastating! The sacrificed ones would be utterly obliterated, entity and soul! Whereas the main array master, though gaining immense power, his divine soul would endure tremendous impact, easily losing himself!
More importantly, the main array master serving as the array’s core, after enduring such violent force infusion will become extremely powerful, yet also gradually lose vitality, becoming a soulless shell!
His lifespan would burn and exhaust at hundredfold or thousandfold speed! It’s akin to consuming poison to quench thirst, a suicidal path!"
Gu Sheng’s eyes flickered with cold light!
Forcibly sacrificing a thousand martial artists of the same level? Creating a temporarily invincible powerhouse? Transforming into a soulless shell? Exhausting lifespan?
These pieces of information rapidly combined and deduced in his mind!
Thinking about Zhao Boyang’s words regarding Wuya Sect, thinking about those two geniuses on the Holy Academy’s True Inheritance List from Wuya Sect—Xiao Beixuan and Xia Fuqu!
And considering the residual soul of Venerable Ming River hiding within Wuya Sect with ill intentions!
A clear outline of conspiracy gradually took shape!
"Venerable Ming River..."
Gu Sheng coldly chuckled in his heart.
"What a grand scheme! He intends to use Wuya Sect’s hand to activate the Thousand Souls Sacrifice Array! At the cost of sacrificing a thousand genius martial artists, forcibly creating a soulless shell possessing terrible strength yet limited lifespan, potentially secretly controlled by him!
Utilizing the power of this shell to attack and damage the ancient restriction sealing his true body!"
"Xiao Beixuan... Xia Fuqu..."
Gu Sheng’s eyes sharpened like a blade.
"Among these two, at least one must have been chosen by Venerable Ming River as the ’Main Array Master’ of this sacrificial array! Or should I say, the one about to be sacrificed as the ’Soulless Shell’!"

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