The chaos that had been so prominent all over the mountain was now completely gone now as everyone's eyes were transfixed to the sight in the sky with a look of horror on their faces.
"No!! That's the sign of the pocket about to collapse!"
Possibly hundreds of soul cultivators had entered the pocket for a chance to get the Extreme King Pills. Of those people, only the extraordinary had managed to survive every single obstacle so far to get the mountain. And yet, of all these extraordinary soul cultivators here, every single one of them could only stop and stare for a while at the fracture over their head.
"What?! The pocket's going to collapse!? But how! Weren't we safe as long as a Soul King doesn't come in here? Can't the pocket handle anything but that?!"
Someone else cried out in disbelief. It was hard to believe what he was hearing, but it was true.
And just at that moment…
"Bzz…"
The surrounding air had a stinging feel to it that numbed the skin at the touch. The air was crackling with energy as the fracture spread farther and farther away from its epicenter in the sky!
Everyone felt the crackling energy bearing down on them. It prickled not only their physical skin but also their souls and made control of their soulforce harder than normal even.
"This is…this is…"
"This is the aura of a Soul King!! Damn! What's going on?! Is a Soul King really coming into this place!?"
A moment later, someone cried out in realization of what was going on!
The blanket of raw power descending down on them was indicative of the presence of a Soul King!
"A Soul King came in here! The pocket's going to collapse! We're all going to die in here!!"
In practically milliseconds, widespread horror began to spread to everyone on the mountain!
…………
The developments that were taking place on the top of the mountain had been going on for a decently large amount of time, but throughout that entire period, Bai Yunfei was nowhere to be seen. So where was he?
A little while ago before the chaotic battle had yet to even begin…
"Eh?"
Just as Bai Yunfei was about to cross over into the portal to the left, his eyes flickered back to the portal on the right in surprise. "This is…"
Several emotions flickered across Bai Yunfei's eyes as he thought to himself. Something from the right portal had pinged his interest. Something familiar. He raised his right hand up to touch at his own forehead.
To touch the Soul Sentinel Scarf.
The Extreme King Pills were essentially right in front of him. No matter what other thing caught his eye, it was almost a given that Bai Yunfei would've chosen to go into the left portal. But for some reason, whatever he senses from the other portal gave him a familiar sensation to the Soul Sentinel Scarf. And it was that sensation that made him stop and think for a brief moment.
Now that he was fully stationary, Bai Yunfei really could feel a strange rise of activity from his Soul Sentinel Scarf. It was as if something within the Soul Sentinel Scarf was stirring, something like an emotional response.
Bai Yunfei knew that the Soul Sentinel Scarf held a spirit inside of it.
The 'spirit' of the armament wasn't something he really thought about, but it at the very least was a confirmed existence for him. At certain times, such as when one of the effects of the scarf activated, Bai Yunfei could feel the spirit inside the scarf trying to 'control' it.
Normally though, the Soul Sentinel Scarf would usually remain still and silent. Bai Yunfei wasn't even normally able to feel its existence if he meditated.
Something was different this time. Bai Yunfei could sense that the spirit within the Soul Sentinel Scarf was 'excited'! As if experiencing a thrill of some kind, it was releasing a very special type of energy!
To put it simply, this was an example of…resonance!!
Bai Yunfei felt this feeling before! It was back in the Royal Palace in the Palace! The Soul Sentinel Scarf had the exact same reaction while he was speaking with the dynast of the Tianhun Continent, Wu Hong!
Back then, Bai Yunfei as more than confident that another Regalia was resonating with the Soul Sentinel Scarf.
Was that not the same case here if the Soul Sentinel Scarf was resonating again?
"Th-thump."
Bai Yunfei could hear his heart pounding in his chest as the implications of the situation started to set on him. He couldn't confirm his guess, but neither could he deny the possibility.
Was there not another Regalia here?!"
This specific frequency of resonance wasn't the first of its type. It was the second time actually!!
The first time had been back in Black Cloud Valley when Bai Yunfei had just killed the black-scaled serpent. That was how he came to notice that hole to begin with and was transported to that mysterious place. It was in there that he felt this sensation, but his reaction to pull out the permafrost mastiff saw to him being transported from Black Cloud Valley to Crushed Stone River.
Only this time, the 'resonance' felt a lot weaker than before. Bai Yunfei had hardly felt the resonance. Had it been any weaker, Bai Yunfei would've mistaken it for something else.
But right now, the response from the Soul Sentinel Scarf was inversely stronger than before! Though the resonance was weaker from the other side, Bai Yunfei could feel it through the Soul Sentinel Scarf. Now that he was fully aware of it, Bai Yunfei found himself more and more confident in that he was close to a Regalia!
"Can it really be? This 'resonation' is coming from another Regalia?" Bai Yunfei muttered to himself as he touched at the Soul Sentinel Scarf.
"The spirit of the armament…and this pocket…are they connected to a Regalia somehow?!" Bai Yunfei's eyes flew wide open as his mind made a second guess. "If that's the case, then is it the spirit's doing?! Is it giving me this second choice because it wants me to…find it?!"
This idea felt a lot more outlandish than the first, but Bai Yunfei still felt excited nonetheless.
"Eh?"
Bai Yunfei looked back over to the portal on the left. He could very clearly see many people had already chosen that portal and were currently starting to fight each other for the Extreme King Pills.
The portals flickered for a second as if urging him to make a decision quickly.
"The Extreme King Pills…" Bai Yunfei muttered in hesitation. It was very much possible that choosing the left portal would take him to where the Extreme King Pills were, and if he were to get that, he could very easily become a Soul King as he dreamed of.
"A Regalia…" His eyes flicked back to the portal on the right. It was an uncertainty if a Regalia would even appear if he went to the portal on the right. If he was by chance mistaken in his senses, then not only would he lose out on the Regalia, but also the Extreme King Pills.
The decision should've been an easy one to make considering the probabilities of success for both outcomes. Becoming a Soul King was something Bai Yunfei had only dreamed about, and the possibility of becoming one was practically killing him.
But Bai Yunfei just couldn't avert his gaze away from the portal on the right.
No one could understand soul armaments, or even 'equipment', the way Bai Yunfei did. They held a special allure over him, and even more so if it was a Regalia! Bai Yunfei was far more than aware just how valuable a Regalia was…
"Tch!! I'll become a Soul King by my own strength sooner or later, forget the Extreme King Pills!"
Bai Yunfei made his choice. He would give up on the Extreme King Pills! Taking a step forward, he stepped across the portal on the right!