Under the probing of Xiao Yan’s soul perception, it was revealed that beneath the gray robe, there was no blazing aura of combat qi as in others, but rather a layer of ethereal energy. This kind of energy was not unfamiliar to Xiao Yan; it was the power of the soul! That meant the Eagle Mountain Elder within the forest below was not his true form, but a phantom body coalesced by his soul!
“No wonder this old man would be so ostentatious in leaving the city. It turns out this is just a soul phantom, and the real Eagle Mountain Elder must have already left Black Emperor City with the Bodhi Transformation Saliva long ago,” Xiao Yan’s thoughts raced like lightning. His expression gradually darkened. It seemed everyone here had been played by this old man.
Although he did not know how the Eagle Mountain Elder could condense such a powerful phantom body with his soul, whatever the case, a fake was a fake. Under Xiao Yan’s soul perception, the latter’s intentions were completely exposed. However, was it too late now? With the old man’s speed, a short while like this would be enough for him to escape into the sparsely populated mountains of the Black-Corner Region. With his strength, if he wanted to hide his aura, even a Dou Zun would not be able to drag him out of the vast mountains.
“What’s wrong? Did you find something?” Xiao Yan’s darkening expression was quickly noticed by Su Qian, Little Healer Immortal, and the others. They all asked in slightly surprised, hushed voices.
“The Eagle Mountain Elder below is a fake, and the Bodhi Transformation Saliva is not on him.” Xiao Yan slowly exhaled, then spoke with a grim face.
Xiao Yan’s words fell like a thunderbolt, stunning everyone into silence. After a long while, Su Qian recovered first and knitted his brows, “A fake? But why does it feel so similar?”
“This should only be a manifestation of the Eagle Mountain Elder’s soul. I underestimated his skills. Such an eerie soul shadow clone is the first one I’ve encountered. The ability to use soul power to this extent—besides my teacher, he is the first person I’ve seen who can do so,” Xiao Yan said coldly, gazing at the “Eagle Mountain Elder” who remained calm under the attack of many people.
Soul coalesced clone, this wondrous method of soul application, Xiao Yan indeed had never seen before. Of course, he had also never seen his master do it. Even so, he naturally knew that, when it came to the use of soul force, Medicine Elder far surpassed the Eagle Mountain Elder. After all, Medicine Venerable’s resounding name wasn’t for nothing.
Dou Zun, that was a level more distant and terrifying than Battle Sect. A powerhouse at that tier was already at the pinnacle of this continent, and their methods far surpassed those of a Battle Sect.
“Soul clone?” Hearing Xiao Yan, Su Qian and Little Healer Immortal were both stunned. Though they were Battle Sect themselves, honestly, asking them to condense a clone with soul force and imbue it with real strength, they admitted they couldn’t do it. Yet, surprisingly, the Eagle Mountain Elder had reached such a level.
“Well, what do we do now? Since this is a false body, the real Eagle Mountain Elder must have already left,” Xiao Li frowned tightly, then muttered a curse, “This old man is really cunning, to actually have such a trick up his sleeve.”
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, then suddenly closed them. His soul perception surged again, but this time, instead of focusing on the Eagle Mountain Elder, it roamed the sky, scanning back and forth continuously.
Using soul force to create a clone, although it made the clone possess the original body’s aura and some power, regardless of the distance between the clone and the original body, there still would be an extremely subtle connection. Although this connection was very faint and obscure, it existed. If this thread of intangible perceptual contact could be found, perhaps one could pinpoint the location of the Eagle Mountain Elder’s original body.
The robust soul force interwove into an invisible soul net in the sky, sweeping back and forth carefully. For strong individuals primarily focused on combat qi, generally, soul force was not highly valued. On the whole, the truly formidable soul force in the world of combat qi belonged to Alchemists since soul perception was a necessary function for alchemy. The acuteness of soul perception depended on the robustness of the soul force. Thus, generally speaking, an Alchemist’s soul force was stronger than those of equal rank. As an outstanding individual among them, Xiao Yan’s soul strength was even praised by the Medicine Elder. Therefore, relying on the strength of his soul, it was not impossible to trace the Eagle Mountain Elder’s soul perception.
Seeing Xiao Yan close his eyes once more, Su Qian and the others ceased their conversation. They could subtly sense an invisible force emanating from Xiao Yan, like water ripples, silently skimming over the sky…
The bloodshed in the mountain forest continued. Perhaps due to the deafening sound of slaughter, some originally stagnant forces began to make their move. Even a few powerhouses teamed up to approach the Eagle Mountain Elder’s body, but in the end, they were severely wounded and driven back.
Just as the Eagle Mountain Elder was clashing with those powerhouses, Xiao Yan, whose eyes had been shut, suddenly opened them. His gaze instantly turned towards the east, where a faint, almost imperceptible soul fluctuation emerged.
“Found it?” Seeing where Xiao Yan was looking, Su Qian and the others tensed up, hurriedly asking.
“There’s some sensation. That old man didn’t go far,” Xiao Yan’s face lit up with a hint of joy. Then, glancing at the Eagle Mountain Elder’s soul clone in the forest, he resolutely said, “Little Healer Immortal, Zi Yan, follow me. Grand Elder, you watch here. I’ll leave marks along the way. If you see the soul clone dissipate, immediately come over.”
“Just the three of you?” Su Qian frowned, asking.
“Now, no one knows what kind of connection the soul clone has with the Eagle Mountain Elder. So, better to be cautious. For that side, having Little Healer Immortal and me should be enough.” Smiling, Xiao Yan did not linger. He waved to Little Healer Immortal and Zi Yan. The green fire wings extended from behind him, and with a flash, he soared into the air, heading towards the origin of the soul fluctuation to the east. Little Healer Immortal and Zi Yan followed closely behind.
Watching the retreating figures of Xiao Yan and the others, Su Qian and the rest sighed in relief. It seemed Xiao Yan had picked up some trail. As long as the Eagle Mountain Elder hadn’t escaped, there was still a good chance of getting the Bodhi Transformation Saliva.
“Now, let’s see what kind of trickery this old fellow is up to…” Smiling, Su Qian’s gaze slowly turned to the Eagle Mountain Elder’s soul body, surrounded by the crowd, and whispered.
While Su Qian and company were engaged in a bloody battle, in a secluded mountain pass to the east of Black Emperor City, peace reigned supreme.
In the valley, a grey-haired elder sat cross-legged, eyes closed, enveloped by a potent soul force. His withered fingers danced in front of him, flashing like flowers. Every change in his fingers caused fluctuations in the enveloping soul force.
After about ten minutes, the grey-haired elder slowly opened his eyes, a smirk appearing on his face. Just as he was about to stand, his expression suddenly changed. His gaze shot like lightning towards the valley, and he coldly shouted, “Who’s there?”
“Ha ha, the Eagle Mountain Elder truly lives up to his reputation, able to coalesce a soul clone. Truly, I am pleasantly surprised…” As the shout from the grey-haired elder ended, several figures gradually appeared outside the valley, the foremost of whom was none other than the Sect Master of the Black Emperor Sect, Mo Tianxing. Behind him, Qi Shan and Mo Ya followed closely.
“Mo Tianxing!” Seeing the figure, the Eagle Mountain Elder’s pupils constricted, and he said in a chilly voice, “Sect Master Mo, what is your meaning? Are you trying to tarnish the reputation of the Black Emperor Sect?”
“Ha ha, Eagle Old Fiend, don’t try to intimidate me. What good is reputation in the Black-Corner Region? The people here don’t buy that nonsense,” Mo Tianxing sneered.
“How did you find me?” The Eagle Mountain Elder’s face darkened, and he suddenly realized something. His eyes turned icy cold, “You did something to the Bodhi Transformation Saliva?”
“A mere combat qi mark,” Mo Tianxing smiled faintly, “Eagle Old Fiend, no need to waste time. After using the soul clone, your original body’s strength has weakened. In your current state, you are not a match for my sect. So, hand over the Bodhi Transformation Saliva.”
“Hand it over, and I get to leave?” The Eagle Mountain Elder sneered.
Mo Tianxing shook his head, smiling, “No, but you can be our honored guest in the Black Emperor Sect.”
Upon hearing this, the Eagle Mountain Elder’s lips twitched, and a sinister look flashed in his eyes. He snarled, “Mo Tianxing, even if I am not at my peak, taking the Bodhi Transformation Saliva from me is easier said than done!”
As he spoke, a massive aura surged from the Eagle Mountain Elder, pressuring all the Black Emperor Sect’s powerhouses except for Mo Tianxing to step back hastily.
“Let’s test it out then,” Mo Tianxing’s mouth curved with a cold smile. He waved his sleeve, unleashing a formidable aura rivaling the Eagle Mountain Elder’s, like a tidal wave!
The two titanic auras clashed in the narrow valley, causing the space to tremble. Cracks as thick as arms crawled up the cliff walls.
The tension between the two auras stretched to a breaking point. Just as they were about to erupt into a breathtaking battle, a clear laughter echoed from the skies above.
“Ha ha, didn’t expect the real show to be here. I almost missed it.”
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