The Secret of the Magical Core (Part 2)

The unprecedented energy piqued Ye Han's curiosity. Throughout his battles across the continent, he had never encountered such an aura in anyone's energy, nor had he heard of any energy that could spontaneously induce submission in a soul. Not even in the memories of the Inferno King or the Immortal King was there any mention of it.

Ye Han sat again above the blood pool, taking out another ninth-level magical core. He covered his entire right hand with his soul power, focusing intently as the core melted.

His eyes turned completely gray as the core neared the end of its dissolution. A thread of energy, neither gray nor black, emerged, exerting a compelling pressure on Ye Han's soul.

Before Ye Han could study it further, the energy vanished into space. "What kind of energy is this, that it exerts such pressure on my soul without being controlled by any living being?"

Ye Han tried with another core, observing closely, but each time, the energy disappeared into space without new insights.

Frustrated, Ye Han contemplated a dangerous method: absorbing the energy into his body the moment it emerged. Perhaps it would last longer that way. Intrigued by the mysterious energy, he was determined to conquer it.

An energy that could shake the soul was invaluable. In battle, the mere presence of submission or fear in the soul could drastically reduce combat effectiveness. Facing top-tier opponents on the continent, Ye Han was not about to let go of anything that could enhance his power.

Deciding to take the risk, Ye Han took out a ninth-level magical core. He intensified the purple fire around him, speeding up the core's melting. He concentrated his entire focus on the core.

"There it is." The moment Ye Han sensed the energy's release, he created a strong suction in his hand, absorbing the special energy from the core into his body.

"Boom!" An explosive sound rang inside his body as the energy entered. All the meridians around it burst instantly, and a blood sword shot out from Ye Han's body.

The energy rampaged through his body, causing all meridians it passed to burst. "Boom, boom," blood swords erupted from all over his body.

Ye Han screamed in agony, spreading his wings and howling. The rampant energy shattered numerous meridians, causing intense pain in the depths of his soul.

"Huff, huff, I didn't expect this energy to be so domineering. Just a wisp nearly destroyed my body." The energy eventually escaped from his body, dissipating into space.

A gleam of determination flashed in Ye Han's eyes, his expression turning fierce. "If I can't conquer even this energy, how can I contend with the world's strongest?" he said coldly.

He quickly used the Fan Shi Jue to heal his injuries, drawing vast amounts of blood from the pool to replenish what he lost. It took three days for Ye Han to recover.

He tried again with another ninth-level core. Despite consuming nearly a hundred cores without success, Ye Han persisted, undeterred by the repeated failures and destruction in his body.

Three months passed in his relentless research, with no success but continuous breaking and repairing of his meridians and body, inadvertently strengthening him. This was perhaps the proverbial gain for his loss.

Although he lost hundreds of ninth-level cores without mastering the energy, his defenses had improved significantly. In the end, Ye Han felt he had gained more than lost.

As Ye Han delved into his research, mercenaries and the Fengshuang Empire suffered great losses outside.

"You Fengshuang Empire are too domineering. The Hengduan Mountains don't belong to you. What right do you have to demand those magical cores from us?"

Tens of thousands of mercenaries were currently confronting the hundred-thousand-strong army of the Fengshuang Empire. Failing to find Ye Han over several months, the army's general turned his attention to the tens of thousands of magical cores.

The mercenaries, however, were faster, having secured nearly all seventh and eighth-level cores. By the time the army arrived, there was little left.

"You can keep them, provided you can break through the siege of my hundred thousand troops," the general of the Fengshuang Empire declared to the mercenaries.

The mercenaries, outraged, rallied to fight back, knowing their numbers were not much less than the enemy's. Mercenaries, accustomed to life on the edge of death, are among the bravest on the continent.

"Everyone, calm down!" a ninth-level swordsman shouted, immediately silencing the crowd. His reputation among the mercenaries was evidently significant.

"It's not that we mercenaries are afraid of dying, but I've heard that the Fengshuang Empire's five thousand imperial guards are here," the swordsman continued. The general smirked slightly at this mention, his confidence in confronting the mercenaries bolstered by the arrival of the elite guards.

A wave of shock and despair swept through the mercenaries.

"Half," the general finally conceded, realizing the mercenaries' willingness to fight and his own concerns about the critical mission of capturing Ye Han.

The standoff ended, but the mercenaries were left seething with anger. Many had died in the struggle for the magical cores, only to have their efforts seized by others.

Meanwhile, Ye Han made a new discovery about the mysterious energy. Each time it was absorbed, it wildly coursed through his body but always avoided one specific area – the region of his corpse pill. Realizing this, Ye Han decided to take a gamble.

During the next absorption, Ye Han deliberately manipulated the corpse pill to exert a strong suction force just as the mysterious energy approached it.

"Boom!" The moment the energy entered the corpse pill, Ye Han's soul vibrated violently, nearly shattering. The surface of the corpse pill cracked slightly under the impact.

The energy trapped within the corpse pill violently collided against it, causing constant vibrations in Ye Han's soul. Suddenly, the energy surged towards the depths of his soul, alarming Ye Han.

Rushing into his soul space, Ye Han followed the mysterious energy deeper into his soul. The depths of the soul are unknown territories, and even Ye Han wondered what secrets it might hold. Perhaps this journey would uncover secrets no one had yet discovered.