Using the power of Soul Devouring to refine Ye Xian’s soul and obtain his memories had always been Shui Miao’s long-cherished desire, and now, finally, the opportunity had arrived.
Under the corrosive effects of the Soul Devouring force, Ye Xian couldn’t help but panic.
“Ugh… I miscalculated…”
“I didn’t expect your cultivation progress, Shui Miao, to exceed my imagination by such a margin!”
“No wonder you were able to rescue Bai Feng and stop Huangquan Laizu from completing his Thunder Soul Body…”
Ye Xian was astonished repeatedly, yet even at the brink of death, he merely expressed admiration and shock, without the slightest hint of pleading for mercy.
Shui Miao felt a bit curious, slightly concerned that Ye Xian might have some other means of escape, so he focused intently, fully committing to devouring Ye Xian’s soul.
Ye Xian’s soul had always been weak; under Shui Miao’s full-force consumption, he naturally couldn’t last long.
“Hahaha…” Suddenly, Ye Xian laughed. “Shui Miao, you must be dying to know who you were in your previous life, right? You must want to obtain the memories from me to resolve your inner doubts. Unfortunately, I won’t let you have your way. I will leave you forever in confusion, never allowing you to uncover the truth. I have another Yuan Shen hidden elsewhere, and I can be reborn again. But you can’t. You only have one life. If you fail, you lose completely. I can afford to lose, but you cannot. Hahaha…”
So that’s it—he relied on having a Yuan Shen for rebirth!
Shui Miao’s heart trembled. He finally understood why Ye Xian hadn’t begged for mercy. Yet, he was even more curious about Ye Xian’s words and couldn’t help but counter-question, “Just who exactly are you? Why are you toying with me?”
Shui Miao said this deliberately, trying to probe Ye Xian.
Ye Xian, in response, willed his soul to begin fragmenting while coldly stating, “Do you really think you’re that lucky? You don’t realize that all of this has been our setup—you’re merely a small pawn in this game. I must admit, though, you’re a very hardworking pawn. Oh, and I can tell you one more secret: I’m leaving now, but soon, others will come to help you enhance your cultivation, making you an increasingly stronger pawn. Keep striving, then… hahaha…”
Ye Xian’s soul completely dissipated amid his laughter.
Shui Miao withdrew his Soul Devouring force and stood there, stunned.
Deeply shaken, Shui Miao suddenly felt as though he were indeed just a pawn, manipulated from the shadows by someone behind the scenes. If that weren’t the case, how could a mere mortal like himself, who had practiced the same martial arts as his grandfather, quickly gain incredible spiritual energy, divine power, and even Soul Devouring ability? It all seemed far too easy, didn’t it?
Standing motionless, his thoughts raced frantically, but try as he might, he couldn’t untangle the many mysteries in his heart.
※※※
Huangquan Laizu and Zhuge Suo Pan stood beside Shui Miao, both watching him while secretly exchanging thoughts through mental communication.
“Strategist, quickly help me decide something. According to the book, once a cultivator successfully forms the Thunder Soul Body, they can soon receive the Ascension Force from the Immortal Realm and ascend to Heaven. But I’ve already completed the cultivation for a while, and I haven’t sensed any Ascension Force at all. I suspect I might need more cultivation time. However, the Nine Cauldron Furnace is in Shui Miao’s hands. Should I take the opportunity to kill him and reclaim the furnace?”
Huangquan Laizu was not a noble person. He believed that circumstances change, and if necessary, he would毫不犹豫地 destroy Shui Miao’s soul and seize the furnace.
Hearing this idea, Zhuge Suo Pan, who was usually upright and principled, was immediately alarmed. For some reason, Zhuge thought of Bai Feng, and how she called Shui Miao “younger brother,” so he felt he should speak up for Shui Miao: “Ancestor, I advise you not to do this. Shui Miao might be hiding great strength, and besides, you’ve already promised to give him the Nine Cauldron Furnace…”
“I never promised that—it was Ye Xian who did. Also, his strength is nothing special; he’s definitely not hiding great power…”
Huangquan Laizu had murder in his heart, refusing to acknowledge his previous words, completely disregarding the oaths he had made.
Huangquan Laizu slowly approached Shui Miao, secretly channeling thunder energy, preparing to launch a sudden attack.
Zhuge Suo Pan felt a surge of anxiety. Suddenly, he realized he deeply disliked Huangquan Laizu. He knew very well how selfish and treacherous the old master was. Once Huangquan Laizu ascended to the Immortal Realm, he would surely abandon the Huangquan Sect, leaving Zhuge Suo Pan, the strategist, to share the same fate of abandonment.
Thinking of his loyalty and how he had been framed by Ye Xian and others, losing hundreds of years of cultivation, and how now, after Huangquan Laizu had completed the Thunder Soul Body, he still refused to give Zhuge any pills to restore his power, Zhuge felt a chill in his heart. Watching the old master preparing to attack Shui Miao from behind, Zhuge suddenly shouted, “Ancestor, I just remembered something!”
“What?!”
Startled, Huangquan Laizu quickly retracted his thunder energy and turned to look at Zhuge Suo Pan.
Shui Miao, startled too, snapped out of his daze and also turned toward Zhuge Suo Pan.
Seeing the old master glaring at him with fury in his eyes, Zhuge hurriedly said, “Ancestor, have you forgotten where we are? To receive the Ascension Force, you must go to the Yang World!”
“Ahh! How could I have forgotten that! I’m leaving right now, immediately…”
At these words, Huangquan Laizu became instantly excited. Urgent to leave, he immediately abandoned Shui Miao and Zhuge Suo Pan, flying off directly toward the surface.
As soon as Huangquan Laizu left, Zhuge Suo Pan quickly approached Shui Miao, lowering his voice to urge him, “Quickly escape! Just now, the old master was about to attack you and reclaim the Nine Cauldron Furnace. I thought quickly and came up with this plan. I don’t know if it will work, but if you don’t leave now, when will you?”
“Why are you helping me?” Shui Miao, influenced by Ye Xian, wondered, Could Zhuge Suo Pan also be someone sent to help me?
It was strange that Zhuge blinked, slightly taken aback by the suspicion. “I don’t know why either. I just feel that you shouldn’t die. The old master is untrustworthy and goes back on his word. I should save you.”
“…”
Seeing Zhuge’s sincere expression and not seeming to be lying, Shui Miao furrowed his brows and immediately activated the Wind Riding Technique to flee.
Earlier, while meditating, Shui Miao had learned the Wind Riding Technique from Bai Feng.
Shui Miao only knew the way back through Huangquan Marsh, so he awkwardly flew back to Huangquan Inn, where he met Lao Cai and the others.
Turning around, he saw Zhuge Suo Pan still following him, which puzzled him. Just as he was about to speak, Zhuge urgently said, “Don’t waste any more time. We must hurry to the surface. If the old master successfully ascends to the Immortal Realm, then we can finally relax. But if he fails, your lives will be in grave danger. He will definitely come back to seize the Nine Cauldron Furnace.”
“Alright, we’ll go to the surface now!”
Lao Cai, being experienced and knowledgeable, understood the seriousness of the situation and immediately led Shui Miao out through the Ghost Gate, returning to the surface world.
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