Chapter 344: Cold Yin Hand, Hand Seal of Soul Illumination

Yang Sixuan suddenly walked forward slowly for three steps and stood before Duan Rong.

Duan Rong raised his head and stared blankly at Yang Sixuan; he did not know what Yang Sixuan was going to do, but a bad premonition rose in his heart.

Yang Sixuan suddenly raised his hand and gently pressed his palm onto the top of Duan Rong's head.

His movement was very gentle, just as if an elder were affectionately stroking a junior's head.

The moment Yang Sixuan raised his hand, Duan Rong subconsciously wanted to dodge, but he discovered in astonishment that his entire body was completely unable to move.

This was the terror of a Cave Crown Realm powerhouse!

They fathom the origin of power and master a certain kind of Law Power!

Duan Rong's eyes were filled with fear, for Yang Sixuan was standing right in front of him, and at this moment, he vaguely saw a pair of cold eyes within the shadow of the cloak.

There was not a trace of human emotion in those eyes, which flickered with an eerie light.

Just as Yang Sixuan's hand was placed on the top of Duan Rong's head, a violent, stabbing pain struck Duan Rong's cranium.

After Duan Rong achieved the eleventh level of the Womb Treasury Sutra, his mental intent had already merged into one with the phantom in the void within his Lingming Sea of Consciousness.

Everything within his Sea of Consciousness was as clear as a mirror in his mind at all times.

The moment Yang Sixuan's hand, light as a duster, was placed on the top of his head.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, above the sky, a large gray hand seal suddenly appeared.

The hand seal, like smoke and mist, appeared as if solidified, and like Mount Tai pressing down on the top, it slowly slapped down.

As it slapped down, that palm, as large as Mount Sumeru, was still continuously expanding...

That hand seal was seen slowly pressing down on the head of the phantom sitting cross-legged in the void!

It was exactly the same as Yang Sixuan's hand touching the top of Duan Rong's head inside this prison cell.

The moment the hand seal in the Sea of Consciousness pressed down, the phantom sitting cross-legged in the void suddenly opened its eyes, and its blurred face presented an expression of extremely twisted pain.

In just an instant, the phantom cracked inch by inch, and it was clear it was about to collapse.

The eleven Star Bodies that had originally been rotating around the phantom also had their light instantly dim.

Moreover, as the light of the eleven Star Bodies dimmed, the Blood Core that had been quietly floating in the corner of the Cangqiong actually began to slowly bloom, like a flower bud, flashing with a patch of blood-red light.

Also at this instant, Duan Rong's body twitched violently, and he almost lost control of his bowels.

In the blink of an eye, Duan Rong hardened his heart and instantly drove his mental intent to shatter the three Soul Piercing Needles originally condensed within his Sea of Consciousness.

The three Soul Piercing Needles transformed into three clusters of gray light, merging into the phantom that was about to collapse!

The phantom finally stopped collapsing, but its form was already even more blurred, almost as if the outline of a person could no longer be distinguished; it was just like a fuzzy gray shadow.

But at least it was no longer collapsing, and the light of the eleven Star Bodies surrounding it lit up once again.

In the corner of the Cangqiong, the flower bud of the Blood Core also had its blood-red light dim, gradually shrinking back...

Duan Rong narrowly stabilized the situation within his Sea of Consciousness; he knew that the hand seal within his Sea of Consciousness must have been created by this person wearing the black cloak before him.

However, what was he trying to do?

He was definitely not trying to kill him!

Then, what exactly was he doing?

If he did not know what the other party was trying to do, Duan Rong would be unable to clarify his own next move.

Just as Duan Rong's gaze flickered, a soft sound of surprise suddenly came from within the black cloak.

Because Yang Sixuan saw that Duan Rong's eyes were still flickering nimbly at this moment.

The moment Yang Sixuan's sound of surprise rang out, Duan Rong reacted instantly, as if he had been tapped.

His gaze suddenly stalled, and his eyes immediately became dull and vacant.

Seeing Duan Rong's eyes become dull and vacant, Yang Sixuan's expression finally returned to normal.

What he used on Duan Rong was the Hand Seal of Soul Illumination from the Cold Yin Hand!

This was a secret technique for controlling souls!

This technique was extremely difficult to cultivate!

If it weren't for the fact that he had ascended to the position of Division Head of the Ruling Sect Justice Division over ten years ago, he truly would not have been willing to put so much effort into this secret technique.

Yang Sixuan touched the top of Duan Rong's head, and looking at Duan Rong's somewhat vacant and dull appearance, he suddenly asked, "Did Shang Xiangyu's second furnace of medicine refining explode the furnace?"

Duan Rong's gaze remained dull, and his words seemed somewhat slurred. "The furnace did not explode!"

Yang Sixuan asked again: "What was he refining?"

"I don't know!"

Yang Sixuan asked Duan Rong all the questions he had just asked once again.

Although Duan Rong's gaze was dull, his answers were exactly the same as before, without any discrepancy.

Yang Sixuan suddenly continued to ask: "Regarding the matter of Pan Yong stealing medicine, did you know about it long ago?"

At this moment, within Duan Rong's Sea of Consciousness, as time passed, the phantom that had barely stabilized its form was actually showing signs of collapsing again...

Seeing that fuzzy gray shadow, under the pressure of the hand seal, scattering bit by bit...

Duan Rong knew very clearly that once that gray shadow scattered, the one controlling his Divine Soul space would be that hand seal!

By then, he would fall into a state of muddled Divine Sense, and whatever that person in the black cloak asked him, he would answer.

Even regarding the matters of him killing Pan Yong, peeling off Pan Yong's skin, transforming into his appearance, stealing the medicine, and his cultivation of the Womb Treasury Sutra—by then, he would reveal it all without reservation.

If that happened, he would be on a dead-end road.

He had to hold on until the end.

Duan Rong's gaze was dull as he muttered, "I do not know."

"Those six types of rare medicines are all related to the Womb Treasury Sutra. Who did he steal them for? Who is cultivating the Womb Treasury Sutra?"

Duan Rong said: "I don't know."

Yang Sixuan's gaze flickered; for the series of questions he asked afterward, Duan Rong said he did not know for all of them.

He did not doubt for a moment that Duan Rong was deliberately hiding something, because no one could lie under the Hand Seal of Soul Illumination!

Anyone struck by the Hand Seal of Soul Illumination has no secrets to speak of.

It was at this very moment that the gray shadow beneath the great hand seal within Duan Rong's Spirit Sea completely dissipated...

The instant that gray shadow vanished, Duan Rong's entire body went into a spasm. It was just that his body was shrouded by Yang Sixuan's Law Power and could not move at all, so it was not visible.

Yang Sixuan looked at Duan Rong's dazed expression and sighed slightly.

Duan Rong was, after all, a Registered Disciple who had just entered the Sect this year, and he had only been by Shang Xiangyu's side for a little over a month; it was normal for him to be unclear about many things.

Yang Sixuan's heart stirred, and he removed his hand from the top of Duan Rong's head.

The moment Yang Sixuan withdrew his palm, Duan Rong trembled like chaff and collapsed, fainting away.

Yang Sixuan's face was buried in the shadow of his black cloak, and he cast a glance at Duan Rong, who had fainted on the pile of straw.

He knew this was the natural reaction after being struck by the Hand Seal of Soul Illumination; these people's Divine Souls had suffered damage and would need to sleep for several days to slowly recover.

Yang Sixuan walked slowly out of the cell, and Yang Yi followed behind him, locking the cell door.

Duan Rong lay on the pile of straw; he had truly fainted.

How could Yang Sixuan have expected that a Registered Disciple who had just entered the Sect could actually withstand his Hand Seal of Soul Illumination without his Divine Soul scattering, holding on until he had finished asking his questions.

He expected even less that Duan Rong had already achieved the eleventh level of the Womb Treasury Sutra.

One must know, the Womb Treasury Sutra is so difficult to achieve! Even among those Core Disciples in the Sect, not a single one had managed to achieve the eighth level so far.

The growth of the Divine Soul and Mental Power is inherently a process of patient grinding, an accumulation of every thread and every drop.

It takes years of effort to gradually achieve one level of the Womb Treasury Sutra.

Like Duan Rong, achieving one level a night is simply a fantasy; I fear no one would believe it even if he said it out loud.

Yang Sixuan and Yang Yi left the Dungeon and returned once more to the bamboo building in the mountain hollow.

Along the way, Yang Yi kept his head down in thought; he stepped on the creaking ladder, walked into the room, looked up at Yang Sixuan, and asked, "Chief, did Shang Xiangyu order Pan Yong to steal those rare medicinal ingredients?"

Yang Sixuan took off his black cloak in front of the clothes rack, looked at Yang Yi, and said, "Those six types of medicine are all auxiliary medicines for cultivating the Womb Treasury Sutra. Although they have other medicinal effects, the fact that all six are auxiliary medicines for the Womb Treasury Sutra is definitely not a coincidence."

"Shang Xiangyu does not possess the Womb Treasury Sutra, so what use does he have for these auxiliary medicines?"

"If he could be taught the Womb Treasury Sutra, he would only need to cultivate step-by-step for a few years, or at most a dozen years, and the shackles of the Wheel would inevitably be broken. There would be no need to risk cultivating that Nine Nether Great Treasury Art and turn himself into something neither human nor ghost."

"Unfortunately, the Womb Treasury Sutra is a supreme treasure of our Sect, and only Core Disciples are permitted to be taught it. Although Shang Xiangyu is a Pharmacist, he ultimately lacks this qualification."

Yang Yi blinked his eyes, his expression thoughtful as he said, "In that case, why did Pan Yong steal those auxiliary medicines for the Womb Treasury Sutra? Could it be that he obtained the Womb Treasury Sutra himself?"

Yang Sixuan looked at the candlelight on the side table and said with a profound look, "I fear we will only know once we catch him."

Yang Sixuan had already realized that the case of Shang Xiangyu and Pan Yong was shrouded in heavy mist, and many aspects could not be fathomed by deduction alone.

Although the interrogation of Duan Rong had unraveled a few mysteries, Duan Rong was, after all, just a Registered Disciple who had just entered the Sect and knew little; many parts of this case remained in the clouds and mist.

To completely pierce through the mist, one must capture Shang Xiangyu and Pan Yong.

As for whether these two were acting independently with their own conspiracies, or if Pan Yong was merely a puppet of Shang Xiangyu acting under his orders—on this point, Yang Sixuan could not yet fully fathom it!

Duan Rong lay on the pile of straw, feeling his consciousness like a rising tide, bit by bit, pouring back into his body.

At a certain moment, he suddenly regained control of his body and abruptly opened his eyes.

The instant he opened his eyes, a sharp pain surged through his skull, as if it were about to split open.

Duan Rong grabbed his head and let out a painful groan.

In the cell opposite Duan Rong, the old man whose shoulder blades were pierced by Iron Chains saw that he had woken up so quickly and, with some curiosity, pulled on the clanking Iron Chains and pressed his face against the wooden bars near the Corridor, saying, "Kid, you were struck by Yang Sixuan's Hand Seal of Soul Illumination. And you woke up this fast?"

Duan Rong glanced at the old man; he had no mood for idle chatter at this moment.

His divine sense had already sunk into his own Spirit Sea.

He saw that within the Spirit Sea, everything seemed to have returned to normal.

The phantom was still sitting cross-legged in the center of the Cangqiong, with eleven Star Bodies shining brilliantly, slowly rotating around him...

It was just that the phantom was significantly dimmer; although it was still a blurred human silhouette, it was clearly not as solid as before.

Duan Rong could not help but sigh; it seemed that the strike of that great hand seal had caused considerable damage to his Divine Soul, and looking at it, it would not recover in a short while.

Duan Rong glanced again at the collapsed Blood Core in the corner of the Cangqiong, then moved his divine sense and withdrew from the Spirit Sea.

Duan Rong withdrew from the Spirit Sea and turned his head with a listless expression to look at the old man in the cell across the Corridor.

As soon as the old man saw Duan Rong looking at him, he immediately sat up from the ground and said, "Kid, you look young and your features are decent. What major crime did you commit to provoke Yang Sixuan into interrogating you personally, and even using the Hand Seal of Soul Illumination on you?"

Duan Rong had no intention of answering his question and asked directly, "What was the last question they asked me when they left just now?"

The old man rolled his eyes upward, and it seemed to take a while before he recalled, saying, "It seemed to be asking... who was he stealing for? Who is cultivating the Womb Treasury Sutra?"

Hearing this, Duan Rong breathed a secret sigh of relief.

He had indeed held on until the end.

In truth, after answering that question, his consciousness had already dissipated. He had no memory of what happened afterward.

At that time, he had been completely under the control of the Hand Seal of Soul Illumination. If that person had continued to ask him questions, he would certainly have answered truthfully.

But clearly, he had finished asking.

Duan Rong asking the old man opposite was merely to confirm. He had basically expected that he had passed the test; otherwise, he could not have woken up safe and sound in this cell.

Having obtained the answer, Duan Rong lay back on the pile of straw, tilted his head, and prepared to sleep.

Seeing this, the old man said, "Kid, don't you understand the principle of reciprocity? I answered your question, but you haven't answered mine yet."

Duan Rong said, "Another day. My head hurts."

After saying this, Duan Rong fell into a deep sleep.

His head truly hurt; the Hand Seal of Soul Illumination had damaged his Divine Soul, and he would be in pain for several days.

The old man grumbled with some dissatisfaction, "You kid, you're really not kind. I've been stifled for over a month. It's not easy to run into a living person, and it turns out to be a dull gourd who doesn't like to talk..."

However, he had also tasted the Hand Seal of Soul Illumination, and the mere thought of that feeling made his scalp tingle; it was simply more unbearable than rolling on a bed of knives in hell. He also knew the aftereffects of the Hand Seal of Soul Illumination, which would take several days to dissipate, and the kid was currently suffering from a severe headache.

Seeing that Duan Rong was already fast asleep, the old man had no choice but to lie back down on his own pile of straw.

Huyang Prefecture, Cangtai County.

Shang Xiangyu was staying in a dilapidated inn in this place.

Shang Xiangyu's hometown was actually in Tonghe County, no more than twenty-some li away from here.

But Shang Xiangyu did not return to Tonghe County; after all, there were many acquaintances in his hometown, and with many people came many eyes, making it easy to be exposed.

He was here this time to seek out the Filthy Blood Sect and find a way to join them, so it was better for his movements to remain secret.

The reason he had returned to this Huyang Prefecture was that he was very familiar with the local customs and history here; whether looking for people or hiding, he could handle it with ease.

Moreover, in this Huyang Prefecture, Cangtai County, a Tainted Blood Case had erupted two years ago!

He believed that although they had been swept through once two years ago, there must still be remnants of the Filthy Blood Sect, and over these past two years, they must have been secretly developing followers.

Shang Xiangyu thought that rather than looking for a needle in a haystack, it would be better to investigate from various angles here; the chances would be greater.

Shang Xiangyu's appearance had already changed greatly; he had cut off more than half of his long hair, and the remaining hair had been dyed black and coiled into a bun. On his fair face, he had also attached a circle of thick beard, and at first glance, he looked just like a rough martial artist of the underworld.

With such an appearance, it would have been more fitting to wear a short tunic, but his hands and feet were full of strange, wrinkled skin, which was too eye-catching, so he had no choice but to wear a long robe and gloves; usually, his hands were hidden inside his robe sleeves.

This day, Shang Xiangyu ate a bowl of plain noodles at a noodle stall at the entrance of an alley, then began to stroll through the market.

As he walked, his eyes, flashing with cold light, scanned the faces in the market from time to time. The Filthy Blood Sect's development over these years had been very obscure and basically not revealed outwardly, but Shang Xiangyu knew one thing: that they practiced the Filthy Blood Divine Art, which required the blood of a virgin's deflowering.

Shang Xiangyu felt that this point might be his breakthrough.

As Shang Xiangyu wandered about, he arrived at the place where notices were posted at the city gate.

He saw that quite a few people had already gathered there. Shang Xiangyu squeezed into the crowd and looked at the notice on the wall.

It didn't matter until he looked, but upon seeing it, his whole body suddenly turned cold.

He saw that the newly posted wanted circular actually stated that there was a province-wide manhunt for Sect Registered Disciple Pan Yong, with the charge being the theft of rare medicinal substances from the Sect.

And the portrait on the wanted circular was clearly Pan Yong himself, without a doubt.

Shang Xiangyu felt puzzled in his heart.

How could this Pan Yong have stolen the Sect's rare medicinal substances?

How many days had it been since he came out? This fellow had been struck by his Insect Gu, so how could he dare to act so recklessly?

However, this wanted circular bore the official seals of both the Taiyi Sect and the Dali Temple of Shenyun Prefecture; it was clearly not a forgery.

(End of this chapter)