In front of his eyes, Ye Guichen saw a lake with a diameter of approximately ten miles.

In the lake stood a tree that required four to five people to encircle its trunk.

This enormous tree grew directly from the lake, towering several hundred meters high, without a single branch below a hundred meters, as if it had been deliberately pruned.

Most peculiar was the enormous canopy extending from the towering tree.

The canopy, seemingly deliberately trimmed, was shaped like a disk almost the size of the lake.

As for what lay atop it, Ye Guichen did not know.

However, the surface of this tree was unusually smooth, resembling a mirror, leaving no place to grip even if one attempted to climb it.

What was most eerie were the beast corpses scattered throughout the lake.

Densely stacked, ranging from first to eighth-tier beasts, all piled across the lake, yet there was not a single scratch on them.

Seeing this scene, Ye Guichen felt an inexplicable sense of horror.

The Four-eyed Dragon Scale Wolf beneath him emitted an eerie whimper, seeming terrified, yet its body unwillingly edged toward the lake.

"Stop!" Ye Guichen had finally realized that both the lake and the tree at its center were abnormal.

He shouted firmly, his voice piercing into the soul of the Four-eyed Dragon Scale Wolf, startling it.

"Retreat, do not approach!" Ye Guichen sensed a strange force emanating from the lake that neither spirits nor souls dared to approach.

After ensuring the Four-eyed Dragon Scale Wolf retreated to a safe distance, he furrowed his brow and scrutinized the lake.

There was no sign of any beast in the entire valley, it seemed they had all perished here.

These beasts had died in a peculiar manner, seemingly without any struggle before their end.

Moreover, at the lake’s edge, there were several human corpses.

These humans appeared to be clawing outward, as if something within the lake held onto their feet, forcing them to crawl.

Ye Guichen released two spirits.

Once the spirits emerged, they trembled in fear before even nearing the lake, refusing to advance regardless of Ye Guichen’s urging.

"In that case, let’s try using Yan Fang’s soul." At this moment, these mindless spirits seemed to instinctively sense danger ahead, thus refusing to press forward.

Yan Fang’s soul had been extracted directly from his body by Ye Guichen, being a Qi Refiner at the Foundation Establishment Realm, his soul was much stronger than the other spirits.

Originally, Ye Guichen had not intended to use Yan Fang’s soul so soon.

But given the circumstances, unable to venture forward recklessly himself, sending Yan Fang’s soul to investigate seemed the best course of action.

With a thought, Ye Guichen released Yan Fang’s soul from the Jiuyou Tower.

Upon release, Yan Fang felt a strange scene flicker before his eyes.

In the next moment, he realized he seemed to have exited the dark confines of the Jiuyou Tower, fully alert, his form transforming into black smoke in an attempt to escape.

Immediately, Ye Guichen extended an iron chain from the Jiuyou Tower, trapping him firmly.

"Ahhh!" Yan Fang screamed, struggling for a while, but the more he resisted, the tighter the chain formed from the dark energy bound him until his soul began to show signs of fracture.

Realizing further struggle would cost him his life, Yan Fang hastily knelt and pleaded, "Spare me, spare me, I won’t run anymore, I beg you, I won’t run!"

Ye Guichen snapped his fingers.

The black chain loosened slightly but remained fastened around Yan Fang’s waist.

"I have no interest in idle chat, Yan Fang, doesn’t it seem you haven’t acknowledged your predicament?" Ye Guichen glanced at Yan Fang sternly and said, "Your physical body is long gone; you are merely a soul now. You should understand, if your soul escapes my Jiuyou Tower, the outer world is not somewhere you can survive. Soon enough, you would become a mindless spirit if you chose to flee; I wouldn’t mind if you attempt it."

While speaking, Ye Guichen waved his hand, and the black chain disappeared.

Upon hearing Ye Guichen’s words, Yan Fang lifted his head.

He quickly grasped his situation.

Indeed, Ye Guichen had no reason to deceive him.

Yan Fang was not a Ghost Cultivator, yet he was somewhat aware of the brutal reality facing ghosts.

Moreover, once a soul is detached from its body, it requires nourishment by dark energy to survive for extended periods.

Similar to human needs for food and drink, without an environment rich in dark energy, spirits gradually disintegrate, losing consciousness, eventually vanishing into thin air.

Certainly, tales abound in this world of ghosts entering reincarnation.

However, for those dying naturally, or those slain on the battlefield, nobody truly knows where their souls wander, nor if there indeed exists an Underworld to shelter them.

Yan Fang now stood as a wandering ghost; even though he had achieved Foundation Establishment Realm in life, he cannot escape nature’s harshness.

Within seven days, Yan Fang faced the lighter consequence of losing consciousness, or the graver fate of complete soul annihilation.

Yan Fang gazed blankly at Ye Guichen, finally lowering his head, "What do you intend to do? I am already dead to others, vanquished by you, whether to kill or torture me, it is up to you. Why torment me so?"

Ye Guichen chuckled, "I recall that you belonged to the Spirit Beast Sect, don’t you?"