Chapter 194: Remnant Soul Within the Sword

Although this human face was merely a phantom, the question was filled with no small amount of might, causing Zhang Nuo to involuntarily straighten up and look at it squarely; he nodded slightly without speaking, still watching the Remnant Soul released from the body of the Flying Sword.

"I didn't expect that a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage could also enter this valley!"

The phantom's gaze swept over Zhang Nuo, instantly discerning his true cultivation level; a slightly bewildered expression appeared on its face as it muttered to itself.

"What does Senior mean by this?"

After confirming that the other party was merely a wisp of a Remnant Soul, Zhang Nuo's courage grew; he swept his Divine Sense around and, seeing there was no danger, asked this.

"When you entered this valley, did you break the Obstruction Array within the valley?"

"Obstruction Array? There is no such thing as an Obstruction Array at all!"

Recalling everything about entering the valley earlier, Zhang Nuo had not encountered any obstruction whatsoever; the valley entrance had been wide open right before him!

"That is impossible! This valley has always had an Illusion Array and Restriction; how could a mere Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator like you enter so easily?"

The expression on the phantom's face changed drastically, its eyes filled with disbelief.

"That is how it is! I have no need to lie!"

No matter how great the supernatural powers this cultivator had possessed while alive, he was now just a wisp of a Remnant Soul parasitic within a Flying Sword, so Zhang Nuo would not be too polite to him! His tone was also much firmer as he spoke.

"Could it be that too much time has passed, and the Illusion Array and Restriction in the valley have dissolved on their own?"

The phantom's gaze became somewhat dim as it muttered to itself, and for a moment, it was actually lost in thought; Zhang Nuo did not know what the other party was thinking, so he stood quietly to the side, watching the phantom calmly.

After a long while, the phantom finally awoke from its trance, a subtle, indiscernible glint flashing through its eyes.

"Did you enter the valley alone?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nuo shook his head slightly.

"There were two others, but they were chasing me to kill me!"

"So that is how it is!"

The phantom seemed to be thinking about something, speaking vaguely; at this moment, more and more spiritual light emerged from the body of the Flying Sword, gradually forming a complete human-shaped phantom.

Only then did Zhang Nuo see clearly that the Remnant Soul of the cultivator before him was an old man in white robes, looking at least eighty years old; however, the phantom seemed unable to fully control its body, as there were times when certain parts of its body would suddenly disappear.

"In my lifetime, I was a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, and I came here only to search for one thing!"

Having said this, the white-robed phantom old man kept his gaze steady, carefully observing Zhang Nuo's reaction, only to see the youth's brows lift slightly before everything returned to calm.

"Are you not interested in what I am looking for?"

Seeing Zhang Nuo's attitude, the phantom was somewhat surprised; as a cultivator, how could one not have feelings for treasure? With his cultivation at the Nascent Soul Stage back then, the thing he was looking for was naturally no ordinary object.

"I am interested! But one must also see if one has the life to enjoy it! I have walked all the way here and seen countless corpses; I presume they all had the same goal as Senior!"

Zhang Nuo's words were plain and calm, yet they surprised the phantom; the youth before him seemed very difficult to deal with, not like the average young cultivator who would rush forward without regard for his life the moment he heard there was treasure.

"Hehe! That is natural; if this item were so easy to obtain, how could it be a good thing? Back then, there were as many as three Nascent Soul Stage cultivators who entered this deep valley with me, but like me, they all perished here; not a single one walked out!"

Zhang Nuo was not surprised at all; the layout of the valley looked extremely strange to his eyes, and there were many things he did not know about, which was even more headache-inducing!

"After such a long time, I think the Restriction here may have weakened quite a bit; if you are willing to listen to me, I will certainly not let you down!"

A sharp glint flashed in the phantom's eyes; the highly tempting words caused Zhang Nuo's heart to stir, but he thought again that there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and the Remnant Soul before him must have some ulterior motive!

Thinking of a Remnant Soul, Zhang Nuo involuntarily thought of Chunyangzi inside the Sword Box; he was also a wisp of a Remnant Soul, but his power could not be underestimated! The phantom before him claimed to have been a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator in his lifetime, so by that logic, this wisp of a Remnant Soul should not be simple either.

"Senior, to tell you the truth, I only arrived here by accident because I got lost in the valley; now I only wish to get out!"

With a slight shift in his thoughts, Zhang Nuo feigned an appearance of having no other desires.

"Could it be that endless Magic Treasures and Pills that can improve one's cultivation cannot move you?"

Very rarely, a faint smile appeared on the phantom's aged face, but behind that smile, there was hidden a surging anger!

Zhang Nuo chuckled lightly and then sighed helplessly; he had seen through the expression on the old man's face completely, and he cursed inwardly: Old fox!

"I have already said it; no matter how good the Magic Treasure or how wonderful the Pill, one must see if one has the life to enjoy it! I am currently trapped in the valley, and even getting out is difficult; what use is having more things?"

Feigning an appearance of extreme despair, Zhang Nuo looked up toward the sky.

"You do not need to worry about that; as long as you do this old man a favor, I will naturally take you out!"

As if he had suddenly discovered Zhang Nuo's breaking point, the phantom old man's face lit up with joy, and he said with full confidence.

"Oh! If that is truly the case, I am willing to serve you!"

Upon hearing this, a look of wild joy appeared on Zhang Nuo's face, and he hurriedly bowed deeply to the phantom!

"However, before that, there is one more thing this junior does not understand."

"Speak!"

Seeing that Zhang Nuo had finally agreed, the white-robed phantom also became much more forthcoming.

"What kind of place is this valley exactly? Why is it so strange?"

"This was the residence of a cultivator from an ancient continent. It is rumored that this cultivator possessed endless Magic Treasures and many Pills that could improve one's cultivation. We who entered the valley were all nearby cultivators; we originally intended to spend some Spirit Stones to trade for some of the things the other party had, but I didn't expect... Hmph!"

At this point, the phantom old man's voice stopped abruptly, a cold snort issued from his nostrils, and the expression on his face became unusually angry.

After hearing only a few sentences, Zhang Nuo roughly understood in his heart; it turned out that this group of cultivators, led by the white-robed old man, had come to plunder the Magic Treasures of the cultivator in the valley, but they had been completely wiped out, with not a single survivor.

After a long while, the white-robed phantom continued:

"Who would have thought that the cultivator in the valley would not only refuse to trade, but also activate the Restriction in the valley, trapping us alive inside! In the end, he actually took action and killed us one by one! But when only I was left, I did not let him have an easy time either; after a round of fighting, although I perished, that cultivator in the valley was also severely injured, and I believe he must have perished long ago!"

It seemed that the two of them had ended up in a mutual destruction, but the white-robed phantom old man had died a step earlier.

"According to what Senior says, is this an empty valley?"

"Yes! There should be no mistake about that!"

The phantom nodded with great certainty.

"We have chatted for so long, but I have not yet asked for Senior's name?"

Upon hearing that this was an empty valley, Zhang Nuo's tense heart finally relaxed.

"This old man is named Zhong Yan; I presume that after such a long time, you may not have heard of it!"

Zhang Nuo kept recalling this name in his heart; a moment later, he gave a bitter smile. Just as the phantom had said, he had never heard of this name at all. Perhaps if he had the chance to leave the valley, he could ask Nanxuan Laozu and the others, and he might still be able to obtain some clues about Zhong Yan.

"Kid, which sect are you from?"

"This junior is Zhang Nuo of the Nanxuan Sect!"

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Nuo still told the truth.

"Nanxuan Sect? You are a cultivator from the Tianjiang Plain!"

Seeming to struggle to recall the past, Zhong Yan finally remembered this name from the deepest part of his memory.

"I had some connections with the Nanxuan Sect back in the day; seeing you today can be considered fate! Hehe!"

Amidst Zhong Yan's laughter, Zhang Nuo felt a sense of unease, an unease that made his heart race, as he felt that the Remnant Soul before him was brewing some kind of conspiracy.

He did not reveal his thoughts, nor did he show any expression of fear; instead, he wore a look of excitement.

"Who are the two opponents chasing you?"

As if suddenly thinking of this matter, Zhong Yan asked in a deep voice.

"They are people from the Five Great Demon Mountains! They are existences of the same rank as me!"

"People of the Demon Sect; for you, kid, to be able to escape from the pincer attack of those two, your divine abilities must be quite significant! But rest assured, as long as I am here, they will never be able to hurt you again!"

With a light flick of his robe sleeve, Zhong Yan assumed the appearance of a senior, and a flash of killing intent burst forth from his eyes.

Zhang Nuo did not take his words seriously at all; relying on just a wisp of a Remnant Soul now, what else could Zhong Yan do? Chunyangzi's cultivation was heaven-defying back then, but after being reduced to a mere wisp of a Remnant Soul, his power was greatly diminished, and he could only hide in the Nine Dragon Sword Case to survive!

"Follow me!"

Without waiting for Zhang Nuo's agreement, the phantom of Zhong Yan's Remnant Soul lightly beckoned toward the Flying Sword on the ground, and the Flying Sword immediately submerged into the phantom's body. Turning around, the white-robed phantom walked toward the mist.

Zhang Nuo blinked a few times, but in the end, he did not ask any questions and quietly followed behind the phantom, though his Divine Sense remained alert to everything around him, fearing that this fellow named Zhong Yan might suddenly launch an attack.

The phantom's feet did not touch the ground, floating ahead like a ghost, and Zhang Nuo carefully followed behind; Zhong Yan seemed to be very familiar with this Stone Array, constantly bypassing one strange rock after another.

Sometimes Zhang Nuo even felt that the other party was walking in circles in the same spot; after walking for about three hours, Zhang Nuo's eyes suddenly brightened, and they had actually walked out of the Stone Array, with bright sunlight and fresh air ahead, making him feel as if he had been reborn.

It truly felt like a lifetime had passed! Just a moment ago he was in a bizarre Array, and in the blink of an eye, he had arrived in a space just like the outside world! When Zhang Nuo's gaze looked ahead, his expression changed several times.

He saw that on the cliff not far ahead, a cave entrance three zhang wide appeared there! There was no sign of life inside the cave, as if it had been dilapidated for a long time!