Chapter 350

You San jolted awake from unconsciousness, instinctively touching his body, only to find that apart from his spiritual soul still throbbing with pain, he suffered no serious injury.

This stirred a sudden thought in his heart: "Could all that happened these past days have been a dream? Didn't those True Persons recklessly challenge the Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang?"

After the Yin Shen Great Masters Wuse of the Golden Bone Temple and Tiancong, the Lord of the Tongming Sect, were slain by the Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang, this cruel and cunning beast—whose every action was unimaginably vile, devoid of any moral bottom line—became a nightmare for humanity.

It became humanity's nightmare.

To die at the hands of the Kong Que King was at least to be slain honorably by his boundless magical power.

But facing this beast, utterly base to the extreme, one often found even the most cherished things—those they held dearer than life—easily unearthed by the fiend, then cruelly tortured, shattered, and destroyed.

You San could not forget the legends that circulated among the spies who had infiltrated the demon realm—

In those days, Tiancong, Lord of the Tongming Sect, resolved to die in order to eradicate the Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang, this dire threat to humanity's heart.

On the day of their final duel, his only daughter was snatched from the most heavily guarded human stronghold and dragged before the battlefield, where the beasts tortured her while using the cruelest methods to probe Tiancong's Dao heart.

That day, Tiancong's mad, wailing screams chilled every soul present.

Worse still, during the human investigation, it was revealed that the incident was tied to the only son of the Third Elder of Wan Bamboo Mountain.

To prove his innocence, the Third Elder was forced to charge into the wolf horde like a man committing suicide, determined to drag the Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang down with him.

But the Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang, disguised as the son, deceived him for an instant and killed him effortlessly.

Just thinking of the Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang's methods made You San shudder—falling into this demon's hands was more than mere "life worse than death."

He silently let the white bone knife slide from his sleeve into his hand, eyeing his surroundings with hesitation.

It was a ruined house, common throughout the demon realm.

Those scaled and horned beasts had little habit of dwelling in houses; for many small demons unable to assume human form, human dwellings were less comfortable than simply digging a hole in the ground.

Three hundred years ago, after the splendor of Great Ming was shattered, countless such abandoned homes and courtyards remained.

You San sat up on the bed and found a layer of unknown animal fur draped over him—warm enough. He noticed Hu Wu Liu still unconscious on the other side, clearly still asleep.

He rose from the bed, gripping the white bone knife tightly in his sleeve, tiptoeing to the door. His room was a side chamber; dawn was just breaking, and the main hall nearby glowed with lamplight, all else silent.

You San crept to the main hall's entrance, gently pushed the door open, and saw a figure turn to look at him.

He instantly tightened his grip on the white bone knife, but upon recognizing the face, he exhaled slightly—though he did not loosen his hold. With three parts hesitation, three parts doubt, he asked: "True Person Yan, did you escape from the Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang?"

Yan Shu raised the gourd in his hand and took a hearty sip.

You San's gaze flickered and saw Brother Qian Chen seated below the main hall, diligently tending to a dantian furnace, within which a moonlike spiritual light pulsed. Yan Shu turned to Brother Qian Chen and said: "Younger brother, your pills are quite effective—they've all woken up!"

"Of course! Without my pills, they'd have been reduced to idiots after being pierced by the Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang's penetrating spiritual sense. Lucky for them they're still sane."

Brother Qian Chen smiled: "I was careless—I never expected the Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang would take an unconventional path and be a spiritual cultivator. I nearly lost everything! But thanks to my thorough preparations, I didn't let it slip away!"

You San, his head still throbbing, watched Yan Shu pick up the gourd beside him and approach. "Looks like you're not fully recovered yet! Here, here—this wine has infused the essence of his divine pills, specifically for healing spiritual damage."

He instinctively tried to refuse, but Yan Shu showed no room for refusal, forcing two swallows down his throat.

You San choked on the fiery burn surging from his chest, yet felt the throbbing in his head ease considerably.

Yan Shu watched You San choke and burst into loud laughter.

He turned back to Brother Qian Chen: "Younger brother, who's next?"

Brother Qian Chen, calm and unhurried, kept his eyes on the furnace: "The White Bone King would be the most suitable target. But will the Kong Que King give us that much time? If he strikes Gu Zhu Kingdom immediately… we must make preparations within Gu Zhu Kingdom first!"

You San's spiritual sense still reeled; he staggered two steps, forcing himself upright: "True Persons, the Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang is cunning, heartless, and cruel. Even if we escaped him, we cannot return to Gu Zhu Kingdom—lest we bring disaster there!"

Brother Qian Chen turned, startled. Yan Shu laughed heartily, then kicked something over from the side—about the size of a bed. You San stared: it was a wolf's head, as large as a cart.

This beast, with ancient bloodline and an attained Yin Shen, was excellent material. Yan Shu had used magic to reattach the severed wolf head and now stood on it as a cushion, sipping wine from the enemy's skull.

You San's vision swam; he stared blankly at the pair of green, glimmering eyes—still filled with terror and venomous hatred at death. The residual Yin Shen aura forced him to retreat several steps, as if trapped in a nightmare.

One moment… two moments…

Even Brother Qian Chen, carefully warming the furnace to preserve the demonic pill's potency, turned in confusion, wondering if the man was suffering aftereffects—or if his pills were ineffective, leaving him addled.

Suddenly, You San covered his face and burst into sobs.

He slumped against the wall, shoulders shaking, a man forged of iron weeping like a young girl.

…………

"The Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang's inner core contains pure Taiyin True Calamity, suitable for Ning's sister to forge an external elixir or to condense her core and calibrate calamity. But because its spiritual sense is immensely strong, even possessing the ability to split its soul, this demonic core is also an excellent vessel for cultivating a Second Spiritual Soul and a Body Outside the Body!"

Brother Qian Chen pointed to the moonlight within the furnace: "I plan to separate them—first refine the Taiyin True Calamity, then forge the demonic wolf's core into a Xiao Xie Xuan Pi Pearl. This pearl, also known as the Second Spiritual Soul Elixir or Body Outside the Body Elixir, can sever a Yin Shen avatar steeped in spiritual focus."

Yan Shu widened his eyes in astonishment: "If so, this surpasses any technique or spell!"

Si Princess Qingcheng nodded vigorously beside him; she was a true second-generation scion, with a father who stood among the pinnacle of the Earth Immortal Realm and would one day claim a seat in the Heavenly Realm.

Yet even with such lineage, she had never heard rumors of any heavenly treasure capable of forging a Second Spiritual Soul. She had only heard legends of primordial spiritual treasures—the Five Elements Primordial Pearls—or other objects imbued with primordial spiritual awareness—that could allow Nascent Soul True Persons to sever a Body Outside the Body.

Ning Ning Qingchen barely understood the very concept of a Second Spiritual Soul or Body Outside the Body.

Brother Qian Chen explained: "This is not a true Second Spiritual Soul or Body Outside the Body. That requires the Nascent Soul realm; the severed avatar is indistinguishable from the original body, even stronger through innate abilities."

"This elixir produces a Second Spiritual Soul of only Yin Shen level, and it can never advance further. For those beyond the Nascent Soul realm, it holds no meaning."

Yan Shu and Si Princess Qingcheng finally understood—of course. If any demon king's core could be turned into something so miraculous, it would be too fantastical.

Brother Qian Chen, seeing their expressions of comprehension, laughed bitterly: "Don't assume this Body Outside the Body Elixir is easy to forge!"

"This elixir is a secret passed down only in the Supreme Scripture of Alchemy. Its difficulty rivals that of a Triple-Transmutation Golden Core."

"I only now have a slight chance of succeeding!"

"Don't think anyone can casually forge this! This wolf demon cultivated the ancient Soul Transformation path, but something went awry—it veered onto the path of Yang Shen through Nine Yin Unification."

"To break through, it slaughtered millions, refining living souls. Before the hidden hatred and impure thoughts within those souls drove it mad, it severed them, subjugating them through demonic methods, thus accumulating such immense spiritual essence!"

"Today, cultivators who practice Soul Transformation are nearly nonexistent; those who reach its level are rarer than stars. This Body Outside the Body Elixir may become extinct after me!"

Yan Shu exhaled in relief: "That's more like it!"

"If killing any demon king could yield such a thing, I'd have slaughtered every dragon prince and princess in the Dragon Palace by now!"

Brother Qian Chen opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated—he couldn't tell Yan Shu that dragon pearls were among the rarest substances in the world capable of being forged into a Body Outside the Body Elixir—true dragons were rarer even than spiritual cultivators.

For the Earth Immortal Realm to harbor so many true dragons—

That could only mean the Heavenly Realm's elites had set up a protected reserve!

To prevent the Shaoying Sword Sect from attacking the dragon clan and sparking a great oceanic calamity that would ruin the fragile peace in the Central Lands, Brother Qian Chen decided it was better not to mention this.

"This item was obtained collectively… what do you say?" Brother Qian Chen asked his companions.

Si Princess Qingcheng suddenly smiled: "Brother, have you forgotten your current situation? Our Ancestor is still hunting you!"

"If word leaks that you possess relics of the Supreme Louguan Sect, countless others will target you. Who else, besides you, needs a Body Outside the Body and Second Spiritual Soul more?"

Yan Shu also laughed: "Moreover, you contributed the most in slaying the Wise Zhi Zhi Lang Wang. Only you can forge this elixir… so don't be modest!"

Ning Ning Qingchen nodded slightly. Only Feng Shi's eyes showed reluctance, but she dared not argue with her master.

Brother Qian Chen smiled faintly and accepted without further refusal.

With their bond, no further words were needed. If anything suited Yan Shu and the two sisters, Brother Qian Chen would naturally keep it in mind.

Moreover, this item truly suited Brother Qian Chen better than any of them.

It was true that this Body Outside the Body Elixir contained only Yin Shen essence and could never advance further—because the spiritual core of the avatar lacked that spark of primordial spiritual light.

Yet among all primordial spiritual treasures capable of forging a Body Outside the Body…

The Supreme Dao Dust Pearl was the supreme, unrivaled, peerless one.

For the Supreme Dao Dust Pearl was severed from the Supreme Dao Ancestor himself—it was originally a fragment of spiritual light the Supreme Dao Ancestor had severed as a Body Outside the Body.

Thus, Brother Qian Chen's original body possessed nearly infinite primordial spiritual light. Giving a fraction to the avatar was but a drop in the ocean.

After fully mastering his original body, Brother Qian Chen could even rely on this treasure to manifest countless avatars, reviving a trace of the Supreme Dao Ancestor's power. Not to mention, after reaching the Nascent Soul realm, he could at least sever three avatars equal to his original body.

He had already named this technique.

He called it: "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones."