Chapter 146: Capturing Xu Shengping

Ruan Xing could not be bothered to waste more breath on him; she landed in a spot within the pit, then turned her wrist and activated her Sword Formula, sending her Flying Sword whistling toward the direction her fingertip pointed.

Xu Shengping was indeed not as weak as he had appeared; he suddenly leaped up to dodge the Flying Sword, which embedded itself deep into the soil where he had been lying, emitting waves of shock.

It was just that the scattered fragments of Dharma Artifacts around him were likely real; when the Puppet self-destructed, he had no time to dodge and could only sacrifice every Dharma Artifact around him to withstand the power of the explosion.

After all, the power of a Golden Core self-destruction was not to be underestimated.

There was hardly a patch of intact skin on his body, making his protruding eyeballs look particularly terrifying; at this moment, he leaned against another wall of the earthen pit and flicked his hand, causing the blood on his body to spray out and form a blood mist.

Yet within this blood mist, several silver needles hidden inside shot out; Ruan Xing hurriedly retracted her Flying Sword, spinning it to strike down the silver needles around her, while the few that slipped through could not advance even an inch against her billowing Dharma robes.

The move he had been holding back for so long had not even broken her defense; it seemed his Spiritual Power was about to be exhausted, and he was merely putting up a strong front.

Wary of any further tricks from Xu Shengping, Ruan Xing did not rashly approach him and continued to attack with her Flying Sword, yet this time Xu Shengping flew forward himself, attempting to close the distance.

Ruan Xing hurriedly retreated, but Xu Shengping pursued relentlessly; the entire pit was less than a thousand square meters in size, and at their speed, they could have circled it several times in an instant, but suddenly, Xu Shengping's expression froze, and a pale hand appeared abruptly from his chest.

The Sword grasped his heart and pulled it out violently.

Xu Shengping laughed with a hoarse voice, and suddenly his entire body exploded!

Oh no! Could it be that he wanted to self-destruct?

The power of a Golden Core self-destruction was already this great; wouldn't a Nascent Soul Stage explosion destroy even the nearby towns? Ruan Xing hurriedly retreated, setting up a Spiritual Power shield in front of her without much hope.

Who would have thought, after being on guard for so long, that only dripping, shattered flesh would land on her Spiritual Power shield, hanging on it in a disgusting, sticky mess; Ruan Xing shook it off lightly, dispelling the shield, and those things all fell to the bottom of the pit at once.

Immediately, Ruan Xing saw a cluster of white light points fleeing toward the distance.

What kind of technique was this? Ruan Xing had read the memories left by Guangyou Xianjun and studied the Record of Nourishing the Spirit, roughly understanding that in this world, arts similar to Possession and parasitism could only be achieved by the Divine Soul, but Xu Shengping was only at the Nascent Soul Stage; could he also escape relying on his Nascent Soul? With no time to think, Ruan Xing subconsciously reached out and grabbed, and that cluster of white light points was captured in her hand.

She was shocked herself.

"Since when did I become so powerful?"

Ruan Xing began to doubt reality; she had just been thinking that she absolutely could not let the opponent escape.

And then, with a casual grab like that, she had captured the light cluster that had already run a hundred yards away into her palm.

"It does look a bit like the space-time Magic Arts left by Guangyou Xianjun," Ruan Xing pondered, though she could not yet comprehend the things left behind by Guangyou Xianjun, nor did she know if the technique she had just used was a legacy left by him.

Inside the light cluster, a palm-sized miniature person looked terrified, his appearance ninety percent similar to Xu Shengping.

Most of his Divine Sense and soul had already merged into his Nascent Soul; if he could only pass the Transformation Stage heavenly tribulation, he could have completely transformed into a Divine Soul, but unfortunately, he had fallen into Ruan Xing's hands.

The miniature person struggled incessantly in her hand, but could not break free from Ruan Xing's restraint.

She was only at the Golden Core Mid-stage... could she really have the strength to bully a Nascent Soul like this? Was it not a bit too absurd?

Could it be a new function from the Simulator's upgrade? That shouldn't be it; the Simulator cost thousands or tens of thousands just to upgrade a Magic Art she had mastered, so how could a mere 30,000 points make her this powerful?

Ruan Xing could not fathom it and had to set this puzzle aside for now.

She said to the miniature person in her hand: "Xu Shengping, can we still communicate?"

She actually did not know whether a Nascent Soul that had not yet become a Divine Soul inside a Cultivator could communicate like a normal person.

The miniature person said in a fit of rage: "I have already fallen into your hands; if you won't give me a quick death, what else do you want?"

He had just been harboring a lucky hope of shedding his shell like a cicada, missing the chance to self-destruct, and now that his entire Nascent Soul was held in the opponent's hand, he could not self-destruct even if he wanted to.

He could only desperately beg for a quick death, fearing even more that the opponent was a Demon Cultivator specializing in the Ghost Path, which would make his life worse than death.

"Why be in such a hurry to seek death? Since we can communicate, you can also persuade me to let you go," Ruan Xing smiled.

The miniature person stopped struggling, looked up at Ruan Xing, and asked suspiciously: "You will let me go? Aren't you afraid I'll seek revenge after I go back?"

Ruan Xing raised an eyebrow and said: "You don't even know who I am, and this face of mine is fake, so what do I have to fear?"

The miniature person thought for a moment, seemingly feeling that at this point, Ruan Xing had no need to lie to him, and even if he did not agree to Ruan Xing's conditions, he had no other options.

He had to nod helplessly: "What exactly do you want? As long as you can let me go, I will tell you everything I know without reservation."

Rubbing her chin, Ruan Xing asked: "Why did you want to escape just now? A Nascent Soul body without a shell is hard to survive in the mortal world; you must have some special method of Possession or parasitism, right?"

The miniature person said with some grievance: "My Nascent Soul is already nearing perfection, lacking only the final fusion; my family has a secret technique that allows me to parasitize my descendants. After returning, I would have my daughter marry and bear children, and I could be reborn in her womb to regain a physical body. However, this method has two drawbacks: first, the Nascent Soul body can only be used once; second, no matter the quality of the Spirit Bone of the host body, the level of cultivation can never exceed the level of the Nascent Soul body."

That is to say, even if he could regain a physical body, he would have no chance at the Transformation Stage in this lifetime.

No wonder they fought for power and influence to vigorously develop their own families; presumably, every long-standing great family in the world of Cultivation had reasons that could not be told to outsiders.

And like the Sect Leader of Nanzhou, a Cultivator from a grassroots background... not only was his character not polluted, but even when he was about to die, he never thought of shedding his Nascent Soul.

Because he had no method, and no backing.

"What if your daughter dies or the child she gives birth to has no Spirit Bone?" Ruan Xing continued to ask.

After having conflicts with Xu Sirui, she had inquired about the Xu Family; centuries ago, the Xu Family was also a pillar of the Xuanbing Sect, but in recent generations, more and more children were born without Spirit Bones. Now, only Xu Shengping and Xu Shengwen were left to hold up the facade, and Xu Shengping was unwilling to spend resources on Luoqi Pill for the children of the collateral branches.

His expression was somewhat pained: "That is a matter that cannot be helped. The side effect of my family's secret technique is that the fetus I am reborn into, even if it grows up and has its own offspring, will not have Spirit Bones... perhaps this is the root cause of my Xu Family's decline... Using this secret technique is equivalent to cutting off a bloodline. This is the most important secret in my family, and I have told it all to you." The miniature person paused, then said with some excitement and flattery: "I have one last method. This method is not restricted by bloodline or descendants, nor does it limit any cultivation level. As long as your soul is complete and you have enough obsession and will, you can endure the tempering of spirit fire when an Artifact Refiner is crafting a Spirit Tool, and become an Artifact Spirit. Although you lose your physical body and freedom, and must recognize another Cultivator as your master, you gain a longer lifespan. As long as the Spirit Tool is not destroyed, you can retain your memories and consciousness for a long time!"

"That sounds nice," Ruan Xing curled her lips, "Where would I find an Artifact Refiner capable of crafting a Spirit Tool?"

Even the Peak Master of the Artifact Refining Peak within the Xuanbing Sect, who had the highest attainments in artifact refining, had not reached the level of being able to craft a Spirit Tool.

"I have a secret manual here; it does not require extremely high artifact refining attainments. As long as the grade of the materials is high enough and there is a soul that can withstand the spirit fire, one can craft a Spirit Tool! As long as you let me go, I will offer this secret manual to you," the miniature person said ingratiatingly.

Ruan Xing was unmoved: "Give it to me first, then we'll talk."

The miniature person hesitated for a moment, but still obeyed Ruan Xing, separating a star-like light point from the light cluster and floating it in front of Ruan Xing.

She reached out and grasped it, and the light point turned into a segment of memory that transmitted into her mind.

She closed her eyes to digest it carefully, but her hand grasping the light cluster did not loosen in the slightest.

Seeing this, the miniature person was somewhat disappointed; his original intention was to escape again while Ruan Xing was busy accepting the memory, but he did not expect that Ruan Xing would show no abnormality at all while accepting this memory, so he could only wait honestly for Ruan Xing to finish digesting it.

After a while, Ruan Xing opened her eyes; this secret manual seemed feasible, but the conditions were too harsh. Presumably, after Xu Shengping obtained this secret manual, he had never tested it; otherwise, when he encountered the self-destruction impact just now, he would not have wasted so many Dharma Artifacts without taking out a Spirit Tool.

A Spirit Tool was something that even a Cultivator at the Transformation Stage might not necessarily possess.

The miniature person said hopefully: "Can you let me go?"

"Of course," Ruan Xing smiled slightly and loosened her hand.

As soon as the light cluster gained freedom, it flashed away in a hurry, darting toward the direction of the Central Province.

Ruan Xing recalled the feeling she had when she caught the light cluster earlier, stretched out her hand, closed her five fingers, and grabbed lightly.

The ball of light from a hundred paces away returned to her hand.

"Shameless wretch! You don't keep your word!" the little man jumped up and down, cursing loudly.

"Don't make noise, I still have one last question to ask; once I'm done, I will definitely let you go," Ruan Xing said, frowning.

The little man said furiously, "Ask quickly then!"

"I heard you let Xu Shengwen's Personal Disciple, Mu Shi, return to the Xuanbing Sect in Nanzhou to serve as an Elder, and the Sect Master has already agreed to this. I am quite curious: two Secret Realms in Nanzhou have already met with trouble in succession, leaving only one Mine that still yields some profit each year. Why must you send Mu Shi there?" Ruan Xing asked slowly.

This was also something that had puzzled her all along.

After she killed Elder Xu, she did not find the tens of thousands of Spirit Stones he had embezzled, and there were not even any luxurious items in his own living quarters.

"It was merely for some private gain. In the past, Shengwen managed the Sect in Nanzhou and brought in many extra earnings, which I used to support the family," the little man's gaze flickered; he seemed very confused as to why Ruan Xing had suddenly asked about this.

"Lying," Ruan Xing sneered, "You won't even give Luoqi Pill to the descendants of your branch, and there are fewer than ten people from the Xu Family left in the Sect. With your temperament, would you specifically embezzle Spirit Stones from Nanzhou to subsidize your family's younger generation?"

"You even know these things? Did you specifically investigate me?" the little man said with some terror.

He understood even less now; who exactly was this person who had suddenly appeared before him, this person outside of his plans, and what exactly did they want to do! "Are you still refusing to speak? Actually, you should be able to tell, I am a Ghost Cultivator," Ruan Xing rotated the ball of light in her hand, letting him see Sword Lai to the side.

The pure white youth's black and white pupils hung down eerily, and he stood there as quiet as a statue.

Ruan Xing threatened, "If you still refuse to tell the truth, I will use your soul to peel away the layers, burn it with fire and refine it with lightning, then keep your consciousness intact to turn you into a Puppet, driving you to serve me every day and torturing you without end."

Looking at Sword Lai, who had no breath or heartbeat, the fear of having his heart gouged out from behind by the youth just moments ago surged back into his heart, and the little man easily believed Ruan Xing's words.

What he feared most was encountering a Ghost Demon Cultivator, as they specifically countered his family's secret techniques. If he encountered other Cultivators and couldn't win, he could at least have his Nascent Soul escape, but if he encountered a Ghost Demon Cultivator, once he was defeated, he would never be reincarnated!

"I'll talk... I'll talk..." the little man trembled, nearly weeping, "Eighty years ago, I had already foreseen that the decline of the family had reached an irreversible end. The three children my brother and I had in succession were all mortals without Spirit Bone aptitude. If I didn't find a way to intervene, I feared that Shengwen and I would be the last generation of Cultivators in the Xu Family. So, I made a deal with another Sect. I left one child in Nanzhou. Aside from what my brother embezzled in Nanzhou... and some shops my family operates in Xianyuan City, every year I would take thirty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones and give them to that Sect, because they promised me that they could make my son possess a normal Spirit Bone, allowing his cultivation to advance a thousand miles a day and restore the glory of the Xu Family."

"The Xuanbing Sect is already one of the three great Sects of the Xianyuan Continent. If you couldn't find a way to save your family within the Xuanbing Sect, you still expected other small Sects to be able to?" Ruan Xing scoffed.

"I didn't believe it at first either, but I saw several of their Cultivators with my own eyes. I watched them just draw Qi into their bodies, yet in only three to five years, they had already achieved Golden Core. From drawing Qi to Golden Core, it took less than ten years! In which Sect would this not be a legend worth boasting about? Yet it happened right before my eyes, and not just one person! It was several! How could I not believe it?"

"So you reached a deal... How long have you been sending your son there?" Ruan Xing asked.

"It has been exactly eighteen years to this day," the little man said.

Eighteen years of sending Spirit Stones... hiss, five hundred and forty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.

"I have never told anyone about this, including my brother. Although he is responsible for embezzling the Spirit Stones and transporting the trade, I never told him it was for my other son," the little man said, looking up at Ruan Xing, "This matter was merely out of my own selfishness... it should have no impact on you, why must you pursue it to the end?"

No impact? The impact is huge!

If he hadn't sent these Spirit Stones away, then after Ruan Xing killed Elder Xu, wouldn't all the Spirit Stones he embezzled have ended up in her pocket? She had lost so many Spirit Stones for nothing.

Feeling that she had lost money, Ruan Xing asked angrily, "What is the name of that Sect?"

The little man hesitated for a moment; to save his life, he had already said so much, so one or two more sentences wouldn't matter.

Moreover, if Ruan Xing could really let him go, he could continue to provide the thirty thousand Spirit Stones annually after he returned, but if he died here completely, no one would send those thirty thousand Spirit Stones, and that Sect would likely no longer care about his son.

So he said, "That Sect is called the Six Suns Study."

Thanks to Zao Mizi for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to ek0113 for the monthly ticket~(End of chapter)