Just then, the Old Ghost Willow branch underwent a strange transformation.
Above the branch, a surge of black mist enveloped it, and almost in the blink of an eye, it covered the entire hall.
Ye Xuan was naturally buried within it.
Gazing into the vast black mist, Ye Xuan wore a look of astonishment and soon burst into wry laughter, saying, "Can you even sense this?"
From within the black mist, a faint snort was heard, and an ethereal voice said, "There is nothing in this world that I cannot sense."
Ye Xuan touched his chin with his right hand while his left hand swiftly clutched the Old Ghost Willow branch. He spoke unhurriedly, "This branch wasn’t obtained from you, so you can’t just take it back, right?"
The elusive voice chuckled, saying slowly and deliberately, "Rest assured, I am not so petty. Those few branches that fell in the All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds detached on their own. Taking them back serves me no purpose."
"But you, your movements have been rather slow."
The black mist churned, forming a blurry human face.
At this moment, the blurry face faced Ye Xuan, bearing a slightly mocking expression.
Ye Xuan smiled and said, "You might not believe it, but I’ve been betrayed by my own wife and disciple."
The blurry face raised an eyebrow slightly, a peculiar expression on its face, "The mighty Undying Night Emperor, actually betrayed by someone?"
The speech was clearly laced with a trace of sarcasm.
Ye Xuan had also caught on to this and replied with a faint smile, "At the end of the day, human hearts are the most complex things. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have hidden yourself in that unknown place."
Ye Xuan looked up at the blurry face.
The blurry face set aside its sarcasm, speaking calmly, "Indeed, otherwise I wouldn’t have sought you out for that matter."
"But now, you seem rather weak, pitifully so?"
"Would you like me to lend you a hand?"
The blurry face said with a smile that was not quite a smile.
Ye Xuan rolled his eyes and replied, "I’d rather not have you take my life."
The blurry face chuckled heartily, "Tsk, tsk, even the Undying Night Emperor values his life now?"
Ye Xuan’s mouth quirked slightly as he responded, "After all, I don’t have the same capabilities as before."
The blurry face’s amusement faded, and its voice turned colder, "Can you still accomplish that task?"
Ye Xuan locked eyes with it and said calmly, "You trusted me back then, don’t you trust me now?"
The blurry face smiled again, "I’m afraid you might die too early..."
Ye Xuan did not speak.
The blurry face said no more.
After a long while, Ye Xuan spoke slowly, "I am still the Undying Night Emperor."
The blurry face nodded slightly, dissipating voluntarily.
The black mist swirled and disappeared without a trace.
In Ye Xuan’s hands, the Old Ghost Willow branch automatically emitted specks of black light, intertwining with Ye Xuan’s True Qi.
Watching the scene, Ye Xuan smiled faintly.
The Old Ghost Willow branch was refined.
Truth be told, he hadn’t anticipated this turn of events at all.
During the ritual, he hadn’t expected to rouse the Old Ghost Willow’s main body, let alone to summon it here.
In the end, the Old Ghost Willow still chose to trust Ye Xuan, offering the branch willingly to him, sparing him the effort of refining it himself.
Otherwise, using normal methods to refine it would take at least half a year.
Even if he wanted to use it temporarily, it would require about half a month of refinement.
However, after the Old Ghost Willow revealed itself, the branch was directly refined by Ye Xuan.
This saved him a great deal of time.
"Old Ghost, Old Ghost, what kind of experiences have you had..."
Ye Xuan looked at the Old Ghost Willow branch and sighed softly to himself.
Even he, the Undying Night Emperor, could not fully fathom what the Old Ghost Willow truly was.
In Ye Xuan’s mind, the Old Ghost Willow was at least at the same level as the Sovereign of Burial Emperor.
But their existences were extremely bizarre.
So bizarre that even Ye Xuan found them somewhat inscrutable.
There was a transaction between him and the old ghost Liu Shu.
That was also the matter that the two had just been discussing.
As for what that matter was, only the two of them knew.
Bang bang bang-------------
Just as Ye Xuan was lost in thought, violent tremors from outside the hall snapped him back to reality.
The doors burst open, and four figures rushed in.
The four figures who dashed in were none other than Ye Dong and the others.
All four had anxious looks on their faces.
But upon seeing Ye Xuan, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"What happened?" Ye Xuan couldn’t help but ask.
Upon hearing this, the four exchanged looks and ultimately Ye Dong spoke with some uncertainty, "Young master, nothing happened just now inside the hall, right?"
Ye Xuan realized what they meant and chuckled, "Nothing, I was just practicing a cultivation technique."
Hearing this, the four were still somewhat uneasy and murmured, "Are you truly unharmed, young master?"
Ye Xuan waved his hand dismissively, "Don’t worry, you know what I’m capable of."
"All of you, stand down."
"Yes, young master," the four said respectfully, and left the hall.
Upon exiting, they did not forget to pull the door closed.
Once outside the hall, the expressions on their faces were extremely grave.
They had been guarding the surroundings of Ye Xuan’s hall when, just a moment ago, they felt a breath of utmost terror—an aura that seemed capable of snatching away their lives in an instant.
Keep in mind, they were all powerful beings who had passed the Heavenly Human Five Decays, not yet at the Saint Realm Great Power level, but still formidable forces in their own right.
The pressure they felt was absolutely terrifying.
And this was happening within the Mo Family Divine City.
The ancestors within the Divine City hadn’t been disturbed, which was what had frightened them.
They rushed into the hall without a moment’s hesitation.
But after barging in, they found nothing out of the ordinary.
Seeing their young master safe and sound, they let out a huge sigh of relief.
’It must be that the young master was practicing some cultivation technique...’ the group mused to themselves in silence.
The four of them had no idea how terrifying the mysterious presence that had descended in the hall just now was.
So terrifying that it could destroy the East Desolation Domain with a mere wave of its hand...
As for this little incident, Ye Xuan didn’t pay it much mind, instead plunging into studying the various miraculous methods of the old ghost Liu Shu.
Ye Xuan held Liu Shu’s willow branch and lightly traced it through the void.
A visible crack in the void appeared out of nowhere, with chaotic void currents rampaging through it, emanating a breath of destruction.
This light trace demonstrated such ability that if it were drawn across a person, even a Saint Realm Great Power might be instantly slain!
This was undoubtedly a supreme treasure!
"I wonder if I can use its ability to bury the heavens and sunder the earth..." Ye Xuan muttered to himself but ultimately decided to give up.
Currently, he was in the Mo Family Divine City, and truly deploying it, destroying the Divine City, would be a terrible thing.
"This journey is complete; time for a good sleep!"
Ye Xuan pocketed the old ghost Liu Shu’s willow branch and grinned.
Before long, Ye Xuan fell into a deep sleep, with the Invincible Emperor Soul slowly regaining strength.
Whenever Ye Xuan slept, the power of the Emperor Soul would enter a recuperative phase.
Once the Emperor Soul recovered to its peak, that would be when Ye Xuan truly became invincible.
At the break of dawn...