Ming Feng was the Sacred Deer Academy's number two disciple. He was as strong as Jiang Qi and was only ranked lower because of his lower popularity. Ming Feng himself was a sinister and ruthless person who wasn't exactly well-liked in the academy. Even so, there was no doubt that he was a prodigy, a ninth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator.

He was a tall and slim young man. Clad in a black robe, he held a black cat in his arms, giving off a gentle and effeminate demeanor. He was the person using a commanding tone toward Xiang Shaoyun, as though he was speaking to his subordinate. He was viewing Xiang Shaoyun with complete disregard.

A few other youths were following behind him as well. None of them was a weakling, and their cultivation levels were around the sixth and seventh stage of the Dragon Ascension Realm. One of them was even an eighth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator.

In fact, when they had arrived at Lonesoul Island, Ming Feng had already noticed Xiang Shaoyun. He could feel that Xiang Shaoyun had impressive combat strength, but Ming Feng was never one to submit to anyone. Thus, he wouldn't show any fear toward Xiang Shaoyun. In any case, he also had several powerful followers with him. He was confident Xiang Shaoyun wouldn't do something stupid in this situation.

Xiang Shaoyun looked at Ming Feng's group. He pulled the banner out of the altar and started striding toward Ming Feng one step at a time.

"Young Master Feng, looks like that kid is quite smart after all," said the eighth-stage Emperor beside Ming Feng.

A different person agreed, "That's right. A real hero will always be able to recognize the situation he's in. Young Master Feng is the number one disciple of our academy. Even if this kid is blind, he will know what to do in this situation."

Ming Feng smiled proudly, and the people in his group laughed. In their eyes, Xiang Shaoyun was a clown. There was no doubt that he would submit before them. Little did they know, they were the clowns in Xiang Shaoyun's eyes.

A smirk formed on Xiang Shaoyun's face as he said, "You want the banner? Catch it."

Whoosh!

The banner unfurled amid the wind, and a ferocious and bloody killing intent spread out. This was the symbol of an undefeated army. A bloody aura and countless evil spirits instantly flooded forth toward Ming Feng and his group. Almost instantaneously, they all melted into a clump of waste. Their souls became one of the spirits inhabiting the banner. Henceforth, the human named Ming Feng ceased to exist.

This was a war banner that had never lost a battle. It had bathed in the blood of countless warriors, and it had devoured countless evil spirits. This combination had transformed the banner into a heaven-defying weapon in and of itself. It would stand tall so long as the person wielding it still stood.

Ming Feng and company were all genius cultivators, but they were nothing before a banner that had bathed in the blood of Saints. In fact, they didn't even realize what was happening even at the moment of their deaths.

Xiang Shaoyun lightly stroked the banner and muttered, "Since you're a banner that has bathed in the blood of countless warriors and has witnessed one victory after another in order to gather the souls of numerous warriors, I shall name you the Holy Spirit Banner."

The banner seemed to understand what Xiang Shaoyun was saying. It started fluttering even in the absence of wind as though responding to Xiang Shaoyun's words and agreeing to its new name.

Xiang Shaoyun kept the Holy Spirit Banner away before retrieving the corpse that was previously possessed by the evil spirit. Not even saint weapons could damage the corpse; it was a true indestructible body. Perhaps it hid even more secrets.

Xiang Shaoyun returned to the altar and searched through the pile of bones. He found several damaged weapons underneath the altar. They had lost their spirituality and luster. Even so, some useful materials could still be extracted from them, and they would all be saint-grade materials.

The materials would come in handy when he needed to reforge the Overlord Skyslaying Saber and return the saber to its past glory. After putting away all the damaged weapons, he went on the road again. This time, his target was the saint tree.

The saint tree seemed like it was an existence separate from the entire secret space. A saintly radiance surrounded its surroundings, and an aura of vigor spread around it, making its immediate vicinity look alive. No evil spirits could enter the tree's sphere of influence as there seemed to be some sort of power repelling them.

Many disciples noticed that the tree was bearing fruit. Thus, many of them were heading toward the tree. The Dragon Phoenix Academy's Gui Mochou and Feng Xiaosha were among them.

Gui Mochou wasn't supposed to be able to participate in the competition, but Shadowflash and Feng Huosuo could easily empty a spot for him. And here he was. The two were aware that Xiang Shaoyun was also in the secret space, so they had been trying to keep a low profile so as not to get into a conflict with Xiang Shaoyun. They knew well that his strength was too scary for them to deal with.

Naturally, there were other Dragon Phoenix Academy disciples near the tree as well. However, the disciples with the highest chance of getting whatever was at the tree were the three freaks from the True Martial Academy and the two freaks from the Nine Palace Academy.

They were now standing before the saint tree, finally getting a clear look at it. The tree was called the saint soul tree, and it bore a type of fruit called the saint soul fruit. This fruit could let any Sovereign's soul easily match the level of a Heaven Battling Realm cultivator's soul. With it, one could instantly forge a saintly soul, greatly shortening one's distance from the Heaven Battling Realm.

It wasn't surprising for a saint soul tree to grow here, with the numerous bones and evil spirits everywhere. This was the kind of unique environment that would grow a tree like this after a long period of time.

Nine saint soul fruits could be seen hanging from the tree branches. There were about 60 disciples gathered around the tree. The fruits were definitely not enough for all of them, and a bitter battle for the fruits was definitely coming.

Each fruit was the size of a fist and shone with captivating radiance. The fruit was shaped like the face of a baby, giving one a sense of disconnect when looking at it. Everyone gulped, wanting to be the first to gather up all the fruit.

A freak from the True Martial Academy declared, "These nine fruits are ours. None of you can touch them."

"Who do you think you are? These fruits are without an owner. They will belong to whoever is capable enough to get them," said someone else with a resentful voice. They even attacked in anger, triggering the start of the battle.

The dozens of disciples present started fighting each other for the saint soul fruits. Some did not engage in the battle. Instead, they made use of their speed and rushed the tree. But when they approached, their souls were struck heavily. With a wail, they were sent flying.

"Damn it! This tree is capable of soul attacks!" someone cried out in alarm.