Chapter 298: Capture and Soul-Interrogation (Request Subscription)

Swish!

From between the corpses on either side of Wanxiang the Old Devil, a flash of black light suddenly appeared.

In the center of the black light was a tiny, palm-sized black Nascent Soul.

Its face was nearly identical to Wanxiang the Old Devil's, entirely black, clad in a dark demonic armor, and clutching a pearl in its hand.

It glared at Fang Xing with utter hatred and let out a piercing shriek.

The four-armed, golden divine form instantly vanished, absorbed into the pearl held in the Nascent Soul's tiny hand.

The Nascent Soul teleported instantly, moving at incredible speed, already dozens of li away.

"Hurry!"

Fang Xing formed a hand seal with one hand; the Du Qiankun Ring he had previously released suddenly blazed with light.

Green and red light entwined, forming a vast domain that continuously weakened the Nascent Soul's teleportation.

But it was useless!

Wanxiang the Old Devil's Nascent Soul reached the edge of the domain, formed two hand seals, and in a flash of silver light, it pierced straight into the Tai Xu.

When it reappeared, it was already outside!

The Tai Xu was perilous even for a Nascent Soul; though a Nascent Soul could breach the void, not even a Nascent Soul True Immortal dared linger within it for long—usually they merely used the Tai Xu to pass through arrays and prohibitions, then immediately exited to avoid unforeseen dangers like void fissures or void storms.

"Fang! Today's grudge—I'll repay it in due time!"

Wanxiang the Old Devil's Nascent Soul spat a threat and prepared to flee ten thousand li away.

"Heh… I have no children, no relatives or close friends… go ahead and seek revenge. But once you're gone, you'll have to worry whether the Wanxiang Sect still exists."

Fang Xing chuckled, causing Wanxiang the Old Devil's face to darken instantly.

At that moment, he formed two hand seals—a golden net suddenly appeared, sweeping down to snatch at Wanxiang the Old Devil!

"What? The Nascent Soul Binding Net?!"

Wanxiang the Old Devil realized he had just revealed a momentary mental lapse—he'd fallen for this brat's trick.

Seeing the Nascent Soul Binding Net unfold, his soul nearly fled his body—he knew he was at the brink of life and death.

This net was far more targeted against his Nascent Soul teleportation, sealing off the void entirely.

He gritted his teeth and hurled the pearl from his bosom.

Boom!

Inside the pearl, the demonic golden body roared and exploded violently.

The terrifying energy struck the Nascent Soul Binding Net, causing it to momentarily stall!

Seizing the opportunity, Wanxiang the Old Devil's Nascent Soul slapped its demonic armor—countless ancient demonic runes surfaced, forming a black light barrier that wrapped around the Nascent Soul's body, preparing to force its way out of the net.

"Damn… this crap quality, and you still claim a 70% success rate?"

Fang Xing, seeing this, was too lazy to even comment.

Boom!

At that moment, the ground outside cracked open, and a yellow-furred treasure-hunting rat leapt out.

Standing atop the yellow-furred treasure-hunting rat was a man—Fang Xing's true body!

"Hmph!"

He let out a cold snort; his martial will surged heavenward, coalescing into a hazy monstrous beast that plunged into Wanxiang the Old Devil's mind sea.

Wanxiang the Old Devil's Nascent Soul staggered, its form freezing midair.

Rustle-rustle-rustle!

Then—the Nascent Soul Binding Net finally descended, tightly wrapping the black Nascent Soul inside.

"In the end, I still had to step in…"

Fang Xing's true body shook his head, rode the treasure-hunting rat, and plunged back into the earth, vanishing.

This battle today might not be over—keep as many trump cards hidden as possible.

Fang Xing's cultivation avatar, calm and unhurried, first flicked his ten fingers in rapid succession, sending waves of sword qi through the air to layer-seal the Green Ghost Staff, then picked up the Tianyi Four-Phase Robe, now torn by a massive hole, and Wanxiang the Old Devil's corpse.

The old devil's physical body was only third-rank, but it carried a storage ring—likely holding many valuable items.

"Two spiritual treasures, one storage ring… and Wanxiang the Old Devil's Nascent Soul."

"According to cultivation world rules, since I did the fighting, all of this is mine."

"Of course, Brother Chu lent me the Du Qiankun Ring and the Nascent Soul Binding Net, and took on the duty of blocking enemies—so giving him the Tianyi Four-Phase Robe is more than enough compensation."

Fang Xing picked up the Green Ghost Staff, examined it briefly, and chuckled: "Of course… this spiritual treasure's strongest ability is the Ghost Wailing and Wolf Howling technique, designed to attack the soul and stir up heart demons… but it's useless to me—no wonder I felt this spiritual treasure was weak."

He put away the calmed Wu Hun Demon, cleaned up the battlefield, and shot off as a streak of sword light.

…

A thousand li from the battlefield, in a certain stretch of void.

Daylight was as dark as night; stars glittered across the heavens, and at the center, the Ziwei Star radiated intense purple energy, faintly forming a Zhou Tian Star Sword Array.

"Chu the Old Devil! You're going too far!"

"Chu the Old Devil, still denying it? We clearly received Wanxiang the Old Devil's distress talisman!"

Two slightly agitated voices echoed from within the Zhou Tian Star Sword Array.

"Heh… I think it's you two who plan to break the pact. I signed the contract and swore a great oath—if you move now, you're the ones breaking your vow. Come on then!"

Chu Chu Kuangtu slashed his sword across the void, standing with the posture of facing a million enemies with cold, unyielding eyes.

The two demonic Nascent Souls across from him hesitated: "Chu the Old Devil… did you bring in reinforcements? No… our original pact had restrictions on this exact point."

Chu Chu Kuangtu smiled but said nothing.

Would he admit that the one who acted was his newly promoted Nascent Soul? That was exploiting a loophole in the pact.

At that moment, the two demonic Nascent Souls across from him exchanged a glance and immediately retreated backward.

Their escape aura carried the unmistakable air of panicked flight. "Huh?"

Chu Chu Kuangtu sheathed his sword, a hint of anticipation on his face: "Looks like… Wanxiang the Old Devil has already been defeated? Even severely wounded?"

"Surely he didn't lose his physical body entirely?"

As for the complete annihilation of his Nascent Soul, Chu Chu Kuangtu found that hard to believe.

Even when he himself had been mid-Nascent Soul, he'd struggled to overcome Wanxiang the Old Devil!

For Fang Xing to even severely wound Wanxiang the Old Devil was already extraordinary.

He transformed into a streak of sword light and rushed to the battlefield, where he met Fang Xing, who had come to meet him.

"Younger Brother Fang…"

Chu Chu Kuangtu's face showed a trace of regret: "Alas… my plan went awry. I thought I'd not only block enemy reinforcements for you but also lend a hand near the battlefield… but it turns out a traitor emerged in our righteous camp. That old devil from Du Qiankun Dao lent the spiritual treasures but refused to fight himself. I originally planned to hold off one demonic Nascent Soul—ended up facing two. But judging by your expression, your side must have had a good outcome."

"Indeed. The result is acceptable."

Fang Xing nodded.

Chu Chu Kuangtu's eyes lit up: "Did you… destroy his physical body? Ha! Wanxiang the Old Devil is already ancient—this blow has severely damaged his origin. Even if he spends decades to rebuild his Nascent Soul, he won't have many years left to live."

"Cough… it's not just the physical body…"

Fang Xing raised his hand, returning the Du Qiankun Ring and the Tianyi Four-Phase Robe.

"Huh? You left behind another spiritual treasure?"

Chu Chu Kuangtu's hand trembled slightly as he fondled the Tianyi Four-Phase Robe, reluctant to let go.

Then he saw Fang Xing's next item—the Nascent Soul of Wanxiang the Old Devil—and his face turned awkwardly pale…

…

Deep night.

Within the Heaven's Sword Sect, chaos reigned.

Fang Xing extended his spiritual sense and saw many familiar faces: Blood Sword Zi Fu Fu Hongyi, even Meng Meng Zijin, Han Han Qingyun, and Green Ripple True Immortal…

Though Chu Chu Kuangtu had performed poorly during the day, once he learned Wanxiang the Old Devil was dead and his Nascent Soul captured—with no chance of recovery—he immediately prepared to strike the Wanxiang Sect.

Though there was a non-aggression pact, circumventing it wasn't difficult.

For example… let the Zheng Kingdom's cultivation forces act!

As long as the Heaven's Sword Sect kept pulling strings from behind, the Wanxiang Sect—now without a Nascent Soul True Immortal—would inevitably collapse like a tree fallen, scattering its monkeys.

In this process, how many low-level cultivators and cultivators died meant nothing to Chu Chu Kuangtu.

"But Han Han Qingyun is useless… last time he reached Foundation Establishment, I hadn't even formed a Golden Core. Now I'm a Nascent Soul, and he hasn't even reached Foundation Establishment's late stage… terrible review!"

"At least Meng Meng Zijin… has he barely reached Foundation Establishment?"

"In this next brutal war, these minor sect cultivators have their chance—if they shine, the Heaven's Sword Sect won't hesitate to reward them with Golden Core opportunities…"

"Wait—damn it, the biggest grunt is still me."

Fang Xing rolled his eyes, recalling Chu Chu Kuangtu's request.

Don't trouble a man twice—since Wanxiang the Old Devil was dead, he might as well shatter the Wanxiang Sect's protective mountain array and wipe out all its outstanding Golden Core cultivators at once!

The annihilation of sects among cultivators was always this brutal!

Otherwise, with a rabble like this, they'd never even reach the Wanxiang Sect's mountain gate—and even if they did, they couldn't break through.

Of course, Fang Xing planned to rest one night.

Publicly, to recover his injuries and spiritual energy; actually, to first interrogate Wanxiang the Old Devil's Nascent Soul—know thy enemy.

And…

Since he'd done the work, he deserved compensation—after breaking the Wanxiang Sect's mountain gate, its treasure vault would be his, and he could take whatever he wanted.

"Not only that…"

"While the Du Qiankun Ring is still in my possession, after breaking the Wanxiang Sect's gate, I might as well kill that Azure Cold Water Serpent…"

That emerald-water cold serpent not only excelled in water concealment techniques but was also said to have cultivated an extremely terrifying cold flame divine art, one even the Ten Thousand Forms Old Devil might not defeat.

Unfortunately… it was precisely countered by Fang Xing.

Moreover, the emerald-water dragon was not protected by any pact, so Chu Chu Kuangtu could strike without restraint.

With two Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators attending to that little serpent, they should be able to slay it without harm and seize maximum benefit.

With a thought, a flash of black light appeared in Fang Xing's hand, and the Nascent Soul of the Ten Thousand Forms Old Devil materialized.

"The Nascent Soul spirit is extremely condensed; most soul-searching spells are ineffective…"

A flash of silver light appeared, and Fang Xing's true body materialized, studying together the small black figure bound by golden ropes and unconscious.

"Therefore… the first step of soul-searching should be to weaken its spirit as much as possible!"

"My cultivation is now profound, and I've seized many high-grade demonic cultivation techniques, including soul-searching ones—I can try them one by one until I extract some information…"

"If all else fails, just throw it into the Great Sun Smelter…"

Generally speaking, even when captured, a Nascent Soul spirit is extremely difficult to soul-search.

But after a casual calculation, Fang Xing found he actually possessed quite a few methods to deal with Nascent Soul spirits…

(End of Chapter)