Chapter 98: Fellow Daoist, until we meet again!

"This bastard — I, this seat, was actually tricked by someone at the Qi Gathering Realm?" Blood Spirit Venerable absorbed the split soul, as if re-sensing the entire dream experience.

A dignified Blood Spirit Venerable, actually tricked by a mere mortal?

"Mortals truly are full of tricks, unfit for the Great Dao!" Blood Spirit Venerable snorted coldly. If he had fallen at the hands of someone of the same realm, he wouldn't have been this angry.

But Blood Spirit Venerable was also puzzled — why had his soul force been plundered?

Logically speaking, when a yin soul enters a dream, even if the beguilement fails, the soul force should still be recalled back.

Even Chen Shijie hadn't been able to make him lose soul force.

Yet now he'd actually lost the greater part of it?

If everyone were like Zhao Xing, he wouldn't be able to use this yin-soul-entering-dream move at all — he'd be sucked dry on the spot.

So Blood Spirit Venerable was especially eager to know exactly what the reason was.

Suppressing the fury in his heart, Blood Spirit Venerable patiently endured and finished watching the dream experience.

"Hm?" Blood Spirit Venerable's gaze suddenly sharpened. At the instant the dream ended, he clearly sensed that this dream-entry was utterly different from others'.

"The three spirits converged — he entered the dream of his own accord?"

"In other words, this dream, from the very start… was he the one controlling it?"

Blood Spirit Venerable was immediately somewhat startled.

Entering a dream of one's own accord — that was extremely difficult.

No cultivator could guarantee that once they fell asleep, they would be able to dream.

No matter how strong the Life Soul, if one couldn't achieve the 'convergence of the three spirits,' one couldn't enter a dream at will.

"Entering a dream at will is already very hard; to control the dream is even harder still."

"The Life Soul must not only sense the Heaven Soul and Earth Soul, but also be able to influence them to a certain extent."

"But his realm is so low — how could he possibly manage it?"

Blood Spirit Venerable's brows knitted tightly. He felt this matter reeked of strangeness.

He carefully reviewed the dream once more.

Blood Spirit Venerable ignored the parts where Zhao Xing played the fool, and savored every detail.

The more he watched, the more solemn and heavy his expression became.

"He has not only cultivated the Life Soul, but also mastered an extremely advanced secret art — and is further guarded by a high-grade soul-type treasure!"

"This kind of method…" Blood Spirit Venerable faintly felt a sense of familiarity.

He was a proper true-disciple of Xuantian Sect by origin. Only, ever since the Sect Era ended, his main body had spent most of its time slumbering along with the sect, awaiting revival, leaving only a wisp of split soul in Xuantian Sect to receive offerings.

Blood Spirit Venerable had lived long enough — he had been a true disciple of Xuantian Sect even before the Great Zhou was founded, and was broadly experienced. He vaguely felt that the secret art Zhao Xing employed carried a sense of familiarity.

"This dream-weaving method seems like something I've seen before…" Blood Spirit Venerable rapidly searched his memories, but the memories were too distant — from the Sect Era to now, it had been over ten thousand years!

"Hm? Could this be the Dream God Sect's ultimate art, 'Great Dream Spring and Autumn'?"

A possibility suddenly surfaced in his mind, and Blood Spirit Venerable's brow gave a twitch.

The Dream God Sect — that was a top-tier sect from the ancient Sect Era.

Those styled 'Shen Sect' — even in the glorious Sect Era, there were only ten.

Later the Dream God Sect declined, underwent splits and upheavals, its methods grew rather ruthless, and it came to be called the 'Nightmare Sect.' Even so, its strength remained terrifying.

In the Sect Era it was peerless; in the Fate Dynasty Era, the Dream God Sect also became the state religion of Great Li, monopolizing an entire Fate Dynasty.

For instance, Great Zhou has seventy-two Daoist Academies — those are sects that submitted. But Great Li had only the Dream God Sect alone.

"How could he possess 'Great Dream Spring and Autumn'? That ultimate art was lost long ago, wasn't it?"

"Is he an inheritor of the Dream God Sect? Or a great power of the Dream God Sect… reincarnated?"

This thought surfaced in his mind, and Blood Spirit Venerable was immediately startled. The Fangwaizong Sect had many methods of waiting for the spiritual qi revival era.

Xuantian Sect chose slumber and concealment — the vast majority of the sect slumbered, with only a few taking turns to wake and observe the changes of the mortal world, awaiting the day spiritual qi revived.

But there were also more advanced methods — reincarnating within the mortal dust.

One capable of reincarnation would, after rebirth, inevitably display stunning brilliance.

In different eras, they could rise to fairly high positions, even leading the currents of the age.

The benefit of this was that when spiritual qi revived, one could seize the initiative!

"Could this Zhao Xing be the reincarnation of some powerful figure from the Dream God Sect?" Blood Spirit Venerable shivered, startled by his own thought.

"Impossible." An instant later, Blood Spirit Venerable shook his head again, denying this guess. "If it were truly so, how could I have seen through it so easily?"

Zhao Xing was currently so weak — if easily seen through… he would easily be cut down, his soul scattered.

"It's more likely a chance encounter, where he happened to obtain some portion of the Dream God Sect's inheritance." Blood Spirit Venerable thought to himself.

Thinking of this, a trace of greed surfaced in Blood Spirit Venerable's eyes: "Dream God Sect inheritance… Zhao Xing, this Venerable has remembered you."

Just at this moment.

"Gurgle~"

The blood pool suddenly began to boil, interrupting Blood Spirit Venerable's reverie.

He looked up and saw a middle-aged man with a solemn, dignified face, wielding a crescent moon blade and clad in silver battle armor, drifting over.

The surrounding red light membrane shattered, repelled by the golden light of the Golden Body.

"Earl of East Lake?" Seeing this golden-armored war general, Blood Spirit Venerable immediately understood that he had wasted some time on the matter of Zhao Xing.

With the result that this Gucheng city god, Earl of East Lake, had come looking for him.

"What manner of monster are you!" Earl of East Lake looked at Blood Spirit Venerable, and his brows immediately bristled upward.

"Little one of East Lake." Blood Spirit Venerable smiled faintly: "By age, you should still address this Venerable as senior."

"Monster, you have wrought such slaughter — your crimes deserve death a thousand times over!" Earl of East Lake looked at the blood pool and could not help but be furious; golden light flickered ceaselessly.

"Hmph, you consume the offerings of the mortal world, and so does this Venerable." Blood Spirit Venerable said coolly: "It's merely that the methods differ, that's all."

With a flick of his purple sleeve, clusters of red light immediately flew out from the blood pool and were hurled toward East Lake Earl: "Look, these are what Yin souls love most. Would you like to try some too?"

Blood Spirit Venerable tempted: "This Seat is generous, so I'll give you a grand gift!"

"Die!" East Lake Earl swung his Crescent Moon Blade, Jin Guang flashing, instantly slicing the blood clusters to pieces.

"Sizzle sizzle~" As the blood clusters were cut down, the Jin Guang on the Crescent Moon Blade also dimmed somewhat.

"Pitiful tool." Blood Spirit Venerable looked at East Lake Earl with pity. "In life you were a running dog of Great Zhou, and in death you remain bound by it. Though your divine soul endures, you cannot be free. How tragic!"

"Kill!" East Lake Earl's Jin Jia flared with light as his Crescent Moon Blade shot straight toward Blood Spirit Venerable.

"Mysterious Blood Sacred Spirit, rise!" Blood Spirit Venerable waved his sleeve.

"Gurgle gurgle~" All the liquid in the blood pool was drained and condensed above the altar into nine blood shadows. These blood shadows seemed to be formed of blood, with tiny human heads tumbling within them.

When they appeared, they let out piercing cries and lunged at East Lake Earl.

As for Blood Spirit Venerable's split soul, it retreated deeper into the altar.

He could not afford to be held up by East Lake Earl. The longer he was delayed, the less chance this split-soul body had of escaping.

"This split soul of mine can handle Yin gods sustained by a county-level divine temple, but not those of a commandery level." Blood Spirit Venerable passed through the soil, drifting swiftly through the night, retreating along his predetermined route.

In the ruined factory building and fenced courtyard, Zhao Xing ordered a second-order Entangling Straw Man to loot the corpse.

"Sizzle sizzle~"

When the Entangling Straw Man touched Wu Mei, the blood on it immediately began to hiss, and then the entire corpse began to self-corrode.

"Thud~" The Entangling Straw Man was corroded and could no longer maintain the straw-man technique, collapsing to the ground and turning into a pile of withered vines and dead branches.

"Looting corpses from the Xuantian Sect is such a hassle." Zhao Xing complained. "Even dead, they won't let people loot in peace."

He did not send out another straw man but quietly waited for Wu Mei's corpse to corrode away.

If there were any valuable treasures left behind, they could be preserved even through this kind of corrosion.

If nothing was left, it proved the items on her weren't worth much.

"I wonder if she was a Hall Master or Deputy Hall Master? If she was a Hall Master, besides the Blood Spirit Needle, she should have brought some treasures." Zhao Xing stared quietly. Of course, it was also possible she had left treasures at a 'safe house' along the retreat route for resupply.

As the corpse self-corroded, a piece of paper painted with a purple-robed figure was revealed on Wu Mei's belly.

Then half a jade pendant appeared at her chest.

The body's surface melted. Next would be the inside.

In her stomach, a blood-red pearl appeared. The pearl contained extremely dense baleful Qi, though this baleful Qi was mixed with some other things.

Soon, only Wu Mei's skeleton remained; not a scrap of flesh was left.

As for her soul?

It existed on that paper painted with the purple-robed figure.

"Whoosh~"

Before Zhao Xing could examine it closely, the paper spontaneously ignited and turned into a wisp of smoke and dust.

Then a faint, piercing scream could be heard.

"Soul scattered and body destroyed." Zhao Xing shook his head.

For someone from a Fangwaizong Sect like Wu Mei, with such a low rank, souls could not exist within Great Zhou's territory.

Once they died and lost their protection, the outcome was soul scattering and body destruction.

"I'd never be a spy no matter what, especially a spy for a sect faction. Soul scattered and body destroyed, not even a chance to switch to cultivating as a Yin god." Zhao Xing thought silently.

"Crack~" After the paper burned, the half jade pendant also couldn't hold up and shattered into two pieces.

"The Mysterious Concealment Jade Pendant, paired with the Xuantian Sect's Yin god protection, allows one to stay hidden. Once the Yin god protection vanishes, the Mysterious Concealment Jade Pendant is useless too."

Zhao Xing looked, and seeing no more items appear on Wu Mei's remains and no further changes occur, he ordered a second straw man to pick up the treasures.

"A fourth-order Blood Baleful Pearl."

After the straw man brought it over, Zhao Xing stared at it from two meters away.

"Roar!"

Within the Blood Baleful Pearl, the phantom of a golden lion appeared, stimulating Zhao Xing's Life Soul.

It gave him an urge to swallow the Blood Baleful Pearl.

"A fourth-order Blood Baleful Pearl. To make one, slaughter a sixth-rank exotic beast, take a single drop of its essence blood, and fuse it in."

"Then mix baleful Qi with the exotic beast's essence blood and store the Blood Baleful Pearl in an acupoint within the body. This can unleash extraordinary close-combat power and also grant baleful Qi body protection."

"However, there are pros and cons. The user must constantly endure the exotic beast's will tormenting them, and must periodically expel it to dispel the baleful Qi, unless the user's will can completely subdue the exotic beast's will."

"Sell it for money." Zhao Xing decided the fate of this pearl.

Using it himself was too troublesome. This was for martial artists. For a Si Nong to use a fourth-order Blood Baleful Pearl, they'd probably need to be at least a proper eighth-rank upper.

"The Blood Baleful Pearl and the Blood Spirit Needle are worth quite a lot. After buying the Dao-spreading paintings, I'm already broke, so this is a nice blood refill… Fellow Daoist, you died well." Zhao Xing murmured. "If there's a next life, I'll come kill you again."

"Boom!"

Suddenly an explosion came from afar, and the night was briefly illuminated.

Zhao Xing looked toward the direction of the explosion, and then saw a familiar flash of Jin Guang.

"That's Long Xiao's Divine Firmament Sword Art—is that the Geng Metal Sword-Control Form?" Zhao Xing was very familiar with this 'old superior.' His Divine Firmament Sword Art was an incomplete sword art obtained from an ancient tomb, and later he kept researching the sword Dao and comprehended his own version of the Divine Firmament Sword Art.

This move was much weaker than the perfected sword techniques he would later use, but in a scene like this, it was more than enough. After all, martial artists were martial artists, and sword cultivators were sword cultivators.

"It should be about over soon." Zhao Xing glanced at the almanac. The Evil-Avoiding Almanac had already dropped to the minor misfortune level. "It's just that East Lake Earl doesn't seem to have returned yet."

Standing in the courtyard and activating Bright Pupils, Zhao Xing withdrew his gaze. From another direction, he saw several figures flash past.

"Is that Li Chengfeng?"

As the light flickered, Zhao Xing saw Li Chengfeng walk out of the courtyard, with a black shadow standing beside him.

When the explosion sounded, Chen Deshun and Li Chengfeng both looked toward it.

Li Chengfeng and Chen Deshun also saw Zhao Xing in the courtyard, and Wu Mei outside the courtyard.

"What?!" Chen Deshun saw that skeleton and was instantly shocked. "Did he kill Wu Mei? Or was it someone else?"

Zhao Xing saw Chen Deshun, his Fate Soul stirred, and through Karmic Soul resonance, he instantly overlapped him with the rice guest from the Niu family compound earlier.

"Was Li Chengfeng bewitched, or was he being controlled?" Zhao Xing frowned. Although he didn't like this 'gentleman.'

But at this moment, Zhao Xing still shouted out: "Li Chengfeng! Fall back!"

The Yin Wind blew violently toward Chen Deshun, but when it blew toward Li Chengfeng's back, it turned into a gentle breeze, attempting to shake the other's soul to make him come to his senses.

After the Yin Wind passed, it immediately turned into Yang Wind, pulling Li Chengfeng toward another courtyard.

"Z-Zhao Xing..." Li Chengfeng turned his head. Blood spots appeared on his forehead, with a thin needle stuck in them—the needle had already entered three inches into the Heavenly Spirit.

Li Chengfeng's gaze toward Zhao Xing was incomparably complex: fear, surprise, regret.

Of course, Zhao Xing only saw that his expression seemed somewhat pained.

"Hmph!" Chen Deshun grabbed Li Chengfeng's shoulder, his baleful aura neutralizing the Yin Wind, then rolled away and swiftly vanished into the night.

"He's been controlled by the Blood Spirit Needle." Zhao Xing shook his head. It wasn't out of kindness that he had intervened.

Lending a hand was just for Old Chen's sake.

This plan was led by Old Chen. If Li Chengfeng was abducted, the merit would likely be greatly diminished.

But that was the extent of it. In such a chaotic situation, protecting oneself came first.

Li Chengfeng and Chen Deshun vanished.

Zhao Xing also grew wary. He retreated behind the protective straw man and used ropes to bind his own legs to the doorframe.

At the same time, he ordered the straw man he had made: Before dawn, stop me from leaving the courtyard.

This order was also given to the little mountain cat.

"Being careful is never a bad thing." Zhao Xing wound vines layer by layer around his legs, had the straw man surround him completely, then relit the Eternal Lamp and sat quietly on the steps waiting for dawn.

About a quarter-hour after Wu Mei's death, Chen Deshun and Li Chengfeng appeared and then vanished.

Another quarter-hour passed.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from outside the courtyard gate: "It's over. Come out."

Zhao Xing stood up and saw Chen Shijie's figure appear outside the fence.

It's over?

Zhao Xing breathed a sigh of relief and stood up from the steps: "Is my lord Chen alright? Where's my teacher?"

Chen Shijie nodded and said: "I'm fine. The main ringleaders of the Xuantian Sect have all been executed."

"But some still escaped. Most of the soldiers went to pursue them. I fear there may still be remnants here. It would be wise for the clerks of the Agricultural Supervisor to withdraw."

Zhao Xing, who had just loosened the vine bindings, heard these words and his expression instantly stiffened. He stopped again.

"What? You don't trust me?"

Zhao Xing closed his eyes, slowly retreated, sealed off his hearing, wrapped Yin Wind around himself, and retreated to the side of the table.

He reached out to feel.

Sure enough, the Eternal Lamp had already gone out.

'Chen Shijie' looked over in surprise, and a voice sounded in Zhao Xing's mind: "Where did this seat reveal a flaw?"

"The real Chen Shijie would never refer to himself as 'this official' in a private setting." Zhao Xing saw that sealing his five senses was ineffective, so he opened his eyes again. "You have quite the nerve, not leaving yet. You're not afraid of the East Lake Earl, but aren't you afraid of the Commandery Prince of Nanyang?"

Zhao Xing was also somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that split-soul Yin God from the Xuantian Sect to come to him personally.

Logically speaking, the first stage of 【Yin Wind Enters Dreams】 had passed, and the second stage of capturing people had also passed. It should be the third stage where everyone runs away and it's over.

But unexpectedly, there was suddenly another first and second stage.

Where exactly did things go wrong?

"The East Lake Earl is being held off by this seat." 'Chen Shijie' said calmly. "But this seat's clone can't escape either. Just as you said, this seat isn't afraid of the East Lake Earl, but fears that Commandery Prince of Nanyang."

"Didn't expect his face to be so big, he actually invited him here. This seat can't leave, so I simply won't leave. Came to take a look at you."

Zhao Xing said: "I'm just a minor clerk. Why come see me? Hurry and run. How would you know if you can escape without trying?"

"Hahaha." The Blood Spirit Venerable couldn't help but laugh. He could tell Zhao Xing was afraid.

Good that he's afraid, good that he's afraid.

Just as he was about to say more, he heard a flash of golden light in the distance, followed by a shout: "Zhao Xing, don't open the door!"

The Blood Spirit Venerable looked at Zhao Xing one last time: "Fellow Daoist, until we meet again."

Hum~

Then flames began to erupt from the Blood Spirit Venerable's body. He actively dispersed, destroying this Yin Soul body.

At this moment, the real Chen Shijie had already rushed over, and the East Lake Earl had also returned to the statue in the room.

Swish~

Chen Shijie leapt into Zhao Xing's courtyard.

He had been invited, so he could enter freely. This also proved that the Chen Shijie before him was the real Chen Shijie.

"How are you?" Chen Shijie asked.

"I'm fine." Zhao Xing shook his head. "What happened just now?"

"It was the Blood Spirit Venerable." Chen Shijie simply said one sentence. "But it's fine now."

Zhao Xing nodded.

He couldn't help but recall the Blood Spirit Venerable's last words.

Fellow Daoist? What does that mean?