Chapter 233

What does it mean to be unaware of one's own state?

Yunhe felt astonished and doubtful in his heart.

But after the astonishment, he took a deep breath, calming himself quickly.

After a brief consideration, he no longer merely listened to the old monster, using his divine sense to ask:

"Senior, you tell me all this, but I don't know what you aim for."

The other party said so much to me; it's clearly not just idle talk, there must be some purpose.

Hehe, talking with smart people is simple. I won't hide it either: Xuekui has set his sights on you, and I have also set my sights on him, but given my condition, you, junior, must have some guess.

After a pause, the old monster on Mu Haitang, his aged voice gaining a hint of resonance, spoke in a deep voice:

How about you and I join forces, junior? We'll take down that Xuekui—how about it?

Aside from Xuekui?

Yunhe froze for a moment, almost laughing out loud.

That is a genuine Nascent Soul old monster!

Even though this guy hiding on Mu Haitang was once a renowned Nascent Soul True Lord, what does he have left now?

In his condition, let alone dealing with Xuekui, Yunhe estimates that even if he faced himself, relying on the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Sword and the Corpse Soul Gu's counteraction, he might not be able to defeat himself.

Where does this confidence come from?

What's more,

"I thought your goal would be Old Ancestor Xuanming," Yunhe said.

After all, Mu Haitang escaped from the Corpse Sha Hall, and this old ghost on her body was likely also taken from there; one would expect his hatred for the hall's master, Xuanming, to be greater, so why would he target Xuekui?

Indeed, after hearing those words, that old ghost fell into a brief silence.

After a moment, the voice sounded again.

It seems you know quite a bit, junior. Indeed, my enmity with Xuanming cannot be resolved, but I am not his match.

But his tone was quite calm, without the gnashing of teeth or exasperation Yunhe had imagined, as if merely stating a fact.

Even when saying he was not a match, he was very candid.

This made Yunhe regard him with a bit more seriousness.

However, Xuekui is different. He too is a heavily wounded body, only barely regaining mobility by refining blood into a puppet; junior, you must be quite shocked—and even chilled—by his method of making human puppets.

Yunhe also nodded candidly.

Had he not discovered it in time, he would by now have become one of Xuekui Old Ancestor's 'human puppets'.

Merely thinking of a "human puppet" that possesses one's own thoughts but whose body and mind are not under one's control sends a chill down his spine.

Junior, do you know why Xuekui that guy is heavily wounded, even on the brink of death?

I would like to hear the details.

Hehe, speaking of Xuekui that guy, he was once considered extraordinarily talented, entering the Dao through puppets, searching throughout the vast history of the Cloud Upper Realm; his attainment in the puppet arts is at least among the top five.

Listening to the other's words, Yunhe still felt quite in agreement.

Cultivating such a deviant puppet technique to the Nascent Soul stage, its difficulty can be imagined.

He has a secret technique called the Blood-refining Worm Puppet; by silently injecting this worm puppet into a cultivator's body, it can, without the target even realizing it, gradually usurp their consciousness, alter their thoughts, forge their fleshly puppet body, and ultimately become a pawn in Xuekui's hands.

Blood-refining Worm Puppet?

So, Han Yongzhuo actually had this secret technique implanted in him?

"'How does this feel somewhat similar to gu techniques?'"

Yunhe thought subconsciously.

This secret technique is hard to detect; not only is the afflicted person unable to notice it, but after implantation, if it lies dormant, outsiders also find it hard to spot. Back then, the flourishing Xuekui relied on this secret technique to widely spread the Blood-refining Worm Puppet; many sect core disciples were afflicted without realizing it, causing these sects to lose vast quantities of precious texts and, moreover, to provide him with abundant resources harvested in secret, becoming the nourishment for his cultivation advancement.

Listening on, Yunhe gradually came to understand how Xuekui suffered his grave injuries.

This person truly has immense gall.

Having harmed many sect core disciples, is this not tantamount to challenging those sects' bottom lines, touching the reverse scale of their inheritance?

How could someone like this still be alive today?

As for what came later, I imagine you've guessed a thing or two: Xuekui incurred public wrath, and finally the Star Derivation True Lord of the Cloud Upper Palace struck him down.

Although I don't know why he ultimately survived, his heavily wounded body is beyond doubt; otherwise, upon entering the Nether Heaven Secret Realm this time, you, junior, would not see only the person before you, but would have been implanted with the Blood-refining Worm Puppet.

Yunhe pressed his lips together.

Xuekui is heavily wounded, he has no doubt.

Otherwise, he would not have escaped calamity back then.

"Could it be that Core Formation cultivators cannot resist this secret technique?" he couldn't help but ask.

Of course not. If a Core Formation cultivator's divine sense is strong enough, he can obliterate it before it enters the body; or, by cultivating blood cultivation methods, thunder methods, and many other means, he can counteract it.

Thus, the Blood-refining Worm Puppet secret technique demands quite a high level from the afflicted.

But what Yunhe first thought of was, if he were implanted with the Blood-refining Worm Puppet, and then transmitted the worm puppet to the Yao Shou Shijie, what would happen?

One would think even a Nascent Soul old monster couldn't manage to span the two great worlds.

This put Yunhe's mind at ease.

After all, between his Cultivator Body and Demon Beast Body, transmitting things requires nothing more than mere contact.

Of course, transmission does require a bit of time.

Getting back to the point, I need Xuekui's Blood-refined Body; only that body offers a chance for me to return to my peak state. Given Xuekui's current condition, I am confident I can take him down; all you, junior, need to do is use your special soul-seizing ability to restrict his soul.

The old monster on Mu Haitang finally revealed his purpose in seeking out Yunhe.

It is quite evident that what he has taken a liking to is Yunhe's Corpse Soul Gu.

Although he seems unaware that Yunhe's soul-seizing ability stems from a Corpse Soul Gu, if such a gu intervenes in a contest of two souls, the other party could gain a considerable advantage.

"Is this about seizing a body?"

Yunhe's eyes flickered.

"I'm afraid it's not just seizing a body; they intend to completely take over everything that belongs to the Blood Kui Old Ancestor!"

After all, this person's ultimate goal might still be the Xuanming Old Ancestor; however, they first need to obtain a physical body to have a chance to fight it.

After pondering for a moment, Yunhe did not immediately reply, but instead asked:

"I still don't know your name, senior."

"I am Lingyin, disciple of 'Muziya,' which is what you call the 'Xuanjinghukanchairen'." That voice sounded again.

It turns out the 'Xuanjinghukanchairen' is called 'Muziya'.

It seems the 'Xuanjinghukanchairen' still has a deep connection with the Corpse Fiend Hall.

Yunhe shook his head and let out a light sigh.

But before he could voice his refusal, he heard Lingyin Old Ancestor say: "Junior, don't rush to refuse; hear my conditions first, then decide."

"Oh?"

"Junior, you came here for nothing other than the Nascent Soul Supreme Treasure, but let me frankly tell you: within this restriction, there is no Nascent Soul Supreme Treasure you need; instead, there is a stalk of Blood-Congealing Ice Lotus, which is what the Blood Kui requires."

Lingyin Old Ancestor seemed to be trying to win Yunhe over, appearing quite patient.

I happen to have a Nascent Soul Elixir in my hand right now, little friend; you should know what it does, right?

Nascent Soul Elixir!

Yunhe's heart jolted.

It is said that the Nascent Soul Elixir brings enormous benefit to the step of shattering the golden core and forming the Nascent Soul, making it one of the greatest treasures aiding cultivators in breaking through to the Yuan Ying stage.

Many Nascent Soul Supreme Treasures cannot compare to it.

Of course, even if one has a Nascent Soul Elixir, it actually only increases the chance of forming a Nascent Soul by one or two tenths; this elixir cannot play a decisive role.

For a Golden Core cultivator to break through to Yuan Ying, it still depends more on the cultivator's own accumulation.

If the accumulation is insufficient, eating more Nascent Soul Elixirs or relying on more Nascent Soul Supreme Treasures will be useless.

The Lingyin Ancestor chuckled softly and continued:

"As long as you cooperate with me, little friend, this Nascent Soul Elixir will be your reward. To show sincerity, I can give it to you first."

Hmm?

Aren't you afraid I'll take the elixir and run?

"What do you think, little friend?"

"Senior, aren't you going to give it to Daoist Mu for use?"

Yunhe still did not give an immediate reply, but asked again.

"You don't need to worry about this, little friend; regarding Haitang's Nascent Soul matter, I have my own plans. But if you miss this opportunity, do you really think another Yuan Ying cultivator will look after you?"

Hearing the other's words, Yunhe fell into deep thought.

Yuan Ying cultivators are extremely dangerous, no doubt about it.

But he also truly wanted the Nascent Soul Elixir.

Moreover, the point is, he indeed has a grudge against the Blood Kui Ancestor.

Although this grudge might not seem big in his view, and the Blood Kui Ancestor may not take it to heart, after all he is merely a Golden Core cultivator; yet precisely because of that, perhaps in the ancestor's eyes, if he has leisure, he could pinch Yunhe to death at any time.

The reason he hasn't sought trouble with him is simply that there are more important matters at hand.

In other words, the initiative over life and death lies in the other's hands.

This made Yunhe somewhat unable to accept it.

After pondering for a while, Yunhe finally spoke slowly:

"Fine! If senior truly has a way to handle the Blood Kui Ancestor, I, the junior, am willing to help. But I will do my best to stay hidden; before senior and the Blood Kui Ancestor clash, I will absolutely not stick my neck out."

"That's good then." The Lingyin Ancestor smiled and said.

Afterwards.

Then he saw the expressionless Mu Haitang pat his storage bag, take out a small jade bottle, and toss it toward Yunhe.

Han Yongzhuo, seeing this, was somewhat surprised.

He didn't understand why Mu Haitang would suddenly throw something to Yunhe.

Yet Yunhe and Mu Haitang both ignored him.

Yunhe rose, but instead of reaching for it with his hand, he cautiously summoned two Crimson Shadow Golden Winged Bees to catch the jade bottle; after his divine sense scanned up and down repeatedly and confirmed no danger, he then reached out to take it.

Suppressing his excitement, he opened the stopper.

Immediately, an extremely rich medicinal fragrance assailed his nostrils.

Yet Yunhe's expression turned extremely grim, as if a layer of frost had coated the fruit.

Because the elixir in the bottle was not a whole pill; there was an extremely fine crack running through it, splitting the pill into two halves.

"Hehe, little friend, don't rush; I also worried that you might take it and flee, which would be troublesome. So I have separated this elixir using the 'Fragmenting Pill Technique.' Once I subdue the Blood Kui Ancestor, I will pass the 'Reuniting Pill Technique' to you. Then, by employing this technique, the Nascent Soul Elixir will be restored to perfect condition, its potency unaffected."

The Lingyin Ancestor's voice came again.

Hearing those words, although Yunhe felt anger, he also understood why the other party was so straightforward in offering the elixir first.

As it turned out, there was still this trick hidden.

But just then.

Yunhe understood the other's intent; in the moment his heart slightly relaxed, a gloomy hue flickered in one of Mu Haitang's eyes.

"Huh?"

Yunhe's divine sense twitched suddenly, detecting the elixir's abnormality, but it was already too late.

Treachery arose from within!

Suddenly—

Only then did a dark thread, several times finer than a hair, shoot out from the jade bottle; before Yunhe could have anticipated it, it pierced straight into his palm.

At this moment, Yunhe was both startled and angry.

He had clearly examined it so meticulously, yet the other side still hid a trump card?!

That 'Fen Dan Technique' is merely a layer of deception; what is hidden inside is likely the key to restricting him!

'Using the power of an elixir as a cover!'

'What do you mean by this?!'

This time Yunhe did not use divine sense to transmit sound, but instead opened his mouth and shouted in a low voice.

His divine sense swept back and forth inside his body; without the elixir's power to conceal it, that thing, no matter how tiny, could not escape his divine sense.

That thing, at this moment, was curled up beside the Corpse Soul Gu mother worm on his body.

Like a bone‑attached stand, one end clung firmly to the mother worm, while the other end burrowed into Yunhe's flesh and even his soul; no matter what method he used, or how the mother worm struggled, it could not break free.

Moreover, each sweep of his divine sense was accompanied by a faint stabbing pain.

This made him panic and feel extremely tense, almost instinctively wanting to 'transmit' it to the Yao Shou Shijie.

Although he finally restrained himself from doing so, he also successfully confirmed that he could not free himself from the Corpse Soul Gu, yet this did not hinder the 'transmission'.

That is to say, he could at any time free himself from the so‑called 'Soul‑devouring Worm'.

This finally let Yunhe let out a long sigh of relief in his heart.

But on his face, he appeared increasingly unable to contain his anger.

'What do you mean? Nothing else, just adding another layer of insurance for this seat.'

At this moment, Lingyin Old Ancestor's voice lost all emotion, and his words seemed to carry a hint of mockery.

'This is the Soul‑devouring Worm, refined from this seat's divine soul; it is extremely difficult to make, specifically counters divine sense, and once attached for more than seven days it begins to devour divine sense. Not to mention that you wouldn't notice it—even a Yuan Ying Cultivator might not detect it. However, if you wholeheartedly help this seat deal with the Blood Fiend, after success I will not only give you the Union Elixir Technique, but also help you remove this worm.'

'Little friend, you need not try; your soul‑capturing Gu worm cannot undo this worm.'

Dealing with a Yuan Ying Cultivator, Lingyin cannot tolerate the slightest mistake.

If Yunhe finds the task impossible, or lacking confidence and wants to give up or even flee, he will be in a difficult position.

Furthermore, he is not unaware of where Yunhe's soul‑capturing technique comes from; he was merely pretending before.

Yunhe laughed in anger.

'Good, good, good!'

He had originally planned to cooperate well with Lingyin Old Ancestor, but the other side gave him this.

'If you start the first, don't blame me for the fifteenth.'

He actually also wanted to see what would happen if Lingyin Old Ancestor and Blood Fiend Old Ancestor truly clashed and discovered they had lost their helper.

At the same time, another thought arose in his mind.

'If the Corpse Soul Gu cannot be undone, what about heavenly thunder power?'

Meanwhile, some of Yunhe and Mu Haitang's actions were observed by Han Yongzhuo standing nearby.

If he doesn't understand the flirtation between them at this point, he might as well not be a Golden Core Cultivator.

'Attack!'

Mu Haitang suddenly gave a low shout; her heavy sword hummed, she stepped with her foot and leapt forward.

Her gaze inwardly retracted; Lingyin Old Ancestor seemed to fall into silence.

But Yunhe did not immediately act.

His gaze swept over the place where Mu Haitang had previously stood.

Did she drop something?

Afterward, his expression became slightly strange.

Looking at this, it seems there may also be some clue between Mu Haitang and that Lingyin Old Ancestor.

He spread his divine sense outward, sweeping over the ground where Mu Haitang had stood, while channeling his mana to stir up dust and leaves, thoroughly erasing any trace there without a sound.

————

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(End of chapter)