Chapter 138: Soul Trembling

"She won't reveal the entrance to the underground palace—what should I do?"

Lu Fang slightly furrowed his brows.

If he gave up learning the entrance from Zhao Qingzhu, his only option was to use the bloodline Bai Yu to sense it.

It might work, or it might not.

Lu Fang couldn't be sure, but he had to try—it had never occurred to him that finding the entrance might be as difficult as entering the palace itself.

He reserved time for entering the peculiar place, spending the rest of his days searching the thick fog for the special bloodline sensation.

One day passed without result; darkness fell again.

But Lu Fang hadn't anticipated that until dawn he still hadn't entered that peculiar place—he had a premonition he might never again dream of Zhao Qingzhu.

He no longer held out hope for Zhao Qingzhu, instead wandering aimlessly with the bloodline Bai Yu in hand.

In the Buddha Realm trial ground, a desert region.

Song Ce sat cross-legged beside a stream, gripping a monk's leg; within mere seconds, the monk turned into a pile of white bones.

When he entered the trial ground, his realm was Sixth Rank First Stage; in just a few days, he had advanced to Sixth Rank Third Stage.

Such rapid cultivation progress depended entirely on his ability to directly absorb others' strength to empower himself, then convert it into divine power.

This was his unique extraordinary power.

Song Ce suddenly opened his eyes and snarled, "You had this ability and never told me—you've been lying to me all along, just waiting to seize my body."

The spirit smiled sweetly, "You're not entirely stupid—too bad you realized too late. Your body is weak, but I have no other choice. I'll make do."

Song Ce suddenly threw his head back and laughed—a hollow, agonized sound. "I understand now. I understand it all. I was such a fool. Everything was your design—you manipulated me into killing her."

The spirit smirked, "You killed Zhang herself—how can you blame me for inciting you?"

Song Ce snorted, "Back in the capital, I always felt exhausted after waking up—you must have secretly taken control of my body and done something."

"Done what?" the spirit asked, smiling—effectively admitting it.

Tears streamed down Song Ce's face. "I don't know how you did it, but you caused her distress. The letter to Li the steward, telling him to come to the Western Regions—that was written by you."

"No wonder you seized my body the moment I left the tavern."

"You deliberately let me meet Li the steward, made me learn the so-called truth, stirred my emotions to extremes—all so you could seize my body."

The spirit nodded after listening, openly admitting, "You guessed right. You're not entirely foolish—but now shut up. You're too talkative. It's annoying."

Song Ce glared fiercely, "I won't shut up. What are you going to do about it?"

The spirit sneered, "If you don't shut up, I'll kill your father first when I return to the capital, then slaughter every last person in your Song family."

Song Ce fell silent at once.

The spirit nodded in satisfaction. "That's better. Don't be so despondent. When I find a better body, I'll return control to you—we're on the same rope, both of us. I thrive, you thrive."

He suddenly turned his head toward a monk and said coldly, "Have you heard enough?"

Unbeknownst to him, a monk had been standing farther away—Fifth Rank Third Stage—who had crept close intending to ambush the spirit.

But seeing the spirit alternate between weeping and laughing, he'd been bewildered; now that he'd been discovered, the burly monk clasped his hands and said, "You seem displeased with me?"

The spirit was Sixth Rank Third Stage; he was only Fifth Rank Third Stage. He couldn't fathom how this Zhou scholar could be so foolish.

Now that he'd been found, he didn't flee—yet he dared to glare.

But none of it mattered. He intended to kill and steal the spirit's fortune.

"Just one rank below."

The spirit grinned coldly, transforming into a streak of light as he lunged at the burly monk.

The moment they clashed, the monk suffered a hidden blow and was flung backward—he stared in disbelief, then without hesitation turned and fled.

"Trying to run?"

The spirit pursued like a gust of wind. His power surpassed the monk's; within a quarter-hour, he had slain him.

Yet after absorbing the unclaimed fortune, the spirit suddenly noticed thick fog forming around him—he sensed a faint call, as if something in this place was summoning him.

"A peculiar place?"

The spirit hesitated, then finally walked toward the source of the call. He was certain this was a peculiar place—perhaps the source could accelerate his realm advancement.

Unaware, he arrived at a remote stretch of mountains. When he came to his senses, he stood before a cave entrance, and his brow furrowed.

The calling grew stronger—he was certain it came from within the underground cave.

The spirit closed his eyes and sensed carefully. He felt no danger. Confident in his strength, he stepped into the cave. After walking a while, he saw a stone door carved with strange, twisted characters.

Upon closer inspection, the characters formed a series of images.

Nearly every image depicted executions—but the victims spanned all races and kinds of beings.

The spirit tried pushing the stone door. With a creak, it opened—easier than he'd expected.

But the instant the door opened, the spirit's pupils shrank violently, his body trembling uncontrollably—a primal, subconscious terror.

"So this is the place!"

Without hesitation, he stepped back several paces. He stared into the pitch-black space beyond the stone door, then turned to leave.

Yet after only two steps, he froze.

The spirit frowned sharply. "What are you trying to do? You think you can seize control of my body while I'm afraid?"

Song Ce, silent until now, snorted, "Apparently you can. No wonder you said we're on the same rope."

The spirit gritted his teeth, trying to move his feet—but he couldn't. Frustrated, he growled, "You fool, don't be stupid! This place is deadly—if we don't leave soon, we'll both die here."

Song Ce said nothing—but his actions revealed his resolve.

With stiff, mechanical movements, he turned toward the space beyond the stone door. Though he too felt soul-deep terror, he stepped forward without hesitation.

Not for any reason other than this: even if he died, he would never forgive the spirit for what he had done.

He entered the stone door with the resolve to die alongside the spirit.

All of this had been witnessed clearly by Lu Fang, who had followed the spirit into the cave.