In another part of the area while Jing Wuying was fighting patriarch Qin in that fearsome battle in the skies.

Deep underneath the earth, a ghastly-black figure was wandering the semi-collapsed tunnels in the mines.

No one alive was still down here in the mines, it was stupid for anyone to even consider staying down here, whether they were from the Qin or not. Multiple battle scars adorned the caves and had corpses literally everywhere, making the tunnels seem more like a passageway to the underworld than a mine.

There was a single person traversing these tunnels despite the horrors. But his traveling seemed almost as eerie as the tunnels themselves. 

“Rumble!!”

Another section of the tunnel collapsed following the rumbling of the earth. Clods of dirt and stone detached from the roof as if about to bury anyone unlucky enough to be underneath.

The figure was moving with the same gait regardless of the dangerous situation of the tunnels. Black light coiled around his person to act as a protective barrier against any crumbling pieces of dirt. Whenever it seemed like the coast was clear, the black light would retreat back into the figure’s body to allow him safe passage through the tunnels… 

With how the black light rose and fell from his body, the facial appearance of the man could be seen at times. He was a slightly skinny elder with a sinisterly dark expression on his face. This person was none other but the soulbeast contracted with Mo Ni and one of the Eight Soulbeast Rulers, the Black Dragon King!

He was looking this way and that as he walked forward. His eyes were shining with a light sharp enough to penetrate the darkness to look for something.

He continued to walk in this fashion for a while longer before the Black Dragon King finally came to a stop. “This is the place!” He uttered to himself.

Whoosh…”

He shot out from one of the tunnels to reach a ‘cave’ far larger than any other part of the mines!

This place was…the original spot where patriarch Qin first trained in!

The cave was a lot more spacious due to Qin Shu being forced to self-destruct and then the fight between Jing Wuying and the patriarch breaking out. Multiple parts of the cave were completely caved in, and other parts had only a small subsection clear of any debris.

The first thing the Black Dragon King did when he arrived was look around the place before resting his eyes upon a giant stone pile to the right.

“Over there!”

A gleeful smile appeared on his face as he reached his right hand out for the pile. The stones were cleared away with a quick pile to reveal a stone ‘platform’ several meters in size!

The joy on the Black Dragon King’s face intensified at the sight of the platform. He dropped the platform in front of him so that it made a heavy ‘gong’ within the cave when it fell.

Placing his right hand onto the platform, the Black Dragon King concentrated onto it to allow some of his energy into it.

“Bz…”

The platform began to hum as soon as the Black Dragon King’s black aura was absorbed into it. A faint dark light started to shine out from it before forming a series of mystical patterns!

This…was what the patriarch had been using to train…the Soul Fusing Array!

It had been assumed that the Soul Fusing Array had been broken when Qin Shu self-destructed and the energy released by it was absorbed by Jing Wuying and the patriarch. But the truth of the matter was that only the light from its activation had dissipated. The array itself was still very much intact!

The Black Dragon King looked ecstatic at the light. “It’s still useable!”

To say the Black Dragon King was excited was an understatement. He immediately leaped onto the platform and sat down on it. A few hand seals and some soulforce later, the Black Dragon King pressed both palms down onto the surface of the platform!

“Bzz….”

The platform trembled violently before a curtain of black light shined from the outer perimeter of it to conceal the Black Dragon King behind it!

This sight was identical to when the patriarch had activated the Soul Fusing Array!

Bits of gray energy began to drift in into the Soul Fusing Array as if pulled by something to be dragged into the Black Dragon King’s body!

    ……

Li Yue had told both Mo Ni and the Black Dragon King what happened deep down in the mines when they first met up. And while Mo Ni was busy concentrating on Bai Yunfei, the Black Dragon King took the opportunity to head down to check on the Soul Fusing Array!

As limited in environment the Black Dragon King had when it came to training—with most of his time spent in the Soulbeast Forest—he was still quite knowledgeable. He knew of the results of the Soul Refining School when they experimented with the Soul Fusing Array following the annihilation of a small city.

And as the soulbeast partner of Mo Ni, the Black Dragon King was given a decent amount of information about the Soul Fusing Array from Li Yue. Both Mo Ni and Li Yue knew why the Black Dragon King was so interested in it, the Black Dragon King had obviously wanted to make use of the array himself.

It was a daring prospect to use the array but also one with great returns. The construction of the Soul Fusing Array would require the Soul Refining School multiple years to prepare, so not making use of the operational one in front of them now would be foolhardy.

And so the three went their separate ways. Li Yue went to hide for an ambush, Mo Ni went farther away to observe in safety, and the Black Dragon King went deep underground… 

    ……

Now that the array was activated, all sorts of energy from the souls of the departed was starting to gather…the energy of everyone that had died in the mines!

The power of the Soul Fusing Array allowed a Late-stage Soul King the ability to break through and become a Soul Emperor. Its benefits could be seen in how both Jing Wuying and patriarch Qin had grown stronger from it. For the early-stage class seven Black Dragon King, the Soul Fusing Array would definitely grant him a large amount of power.

He had to hide his aura since so many Soul Kings were in attendance of the fight above, but now that he was deep underground, he was free to do as he wanted!

“Eh?”

The Black Dragon King caught onto something strange from the energy around him. One strand of energy was multiple times stronger than the other strands!

“This is the energy of a Soul King!!”

His eyes lit up with joy when he realized the source!

He wasn’t on the surface to know what was going on on the surface, so there was no way he’d know that multiple Soul Kings were dying. The only thing he did know was that this was good for him!

Training using the energy of a departed Soul King!! Not even patriarch Qin had that luxury!

Like a chain reaction, more and more strands of energy started to gather in the cave for the Black Dragon King to absorb!

“How many Soul Kings died?!”

He was simply stunned by just how much energy he was being fed. How intense was the battle upon the surface?!

“Haha! So be it then! Keep on dying! In fact, just let everyone die!!”

The Black Dragon King roared with laughter as he started to take in all the energy at once!

Originally, the Black Dragon King used to be a late-stage class seven soulbeast. His experiences as being such a soulbeast were making things easier for him to get stronger. His aura was rapidly expanding in size as it started to reach the levels of a mid-stage class seven soulbeast!

“Bzzz….”

Another powerful wave of energy was brought into the Soul Fusing Array, and by extension, the Black Dragon King’s aura grew again!

“Just a little more!” The light in the Black Dragon King’s eyes was shining brighter and brighter in anticipation.

“What!?” But then at that moment…

“This is…transportation! What is he doing, using that soul armament?!” The joy was gone from the Black Dragon King’s face. His bond with Mo Ni was telling him that Mo Ni had just used a transportation-type soul armament! 

In other words…Mo Ni was in a state of extreme danger! And by extension…Mo Ni was fleeing the place!

“Damn! Damn…I just needed a little more! Let me breakthrough!!”

The Black Dragon King was starting to look worried now. He tried his best to hurry the process and absorb all the energy into his body!

“Creak….crack…” Because of his actions, the platform beneath his feet started to creak and buckle under the pressure before finally exploding!

“Boom!!”

Stone and dust went flying in every direction as the cave shook from the explosion.

And then from the wreckage…a powerful aura exploded out from it!

The aura of a mid-stage class seven soulbeast!

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