NOVEL WEB chapter 519
With those incomprehensible words from the young man, the lingering soul lost all consciousness, absorbed by the faux Qiongqi.
To grow stronger, an energy entity must absorb energy. Souls are a form of energy, typically inaccessible to ordinary beings, but malevolent spirits, as negative byproducts, welcome all and “consume” everything.
The two Nascent Souls that sat in meditation here were quite cunning. They planted trash spirit plants at the entrance to lure the shortsighted. In the central area, they began to raise spirit beasts, achieving their trial objectives, ensuring that the cultivators who reached the cave would not be too weak.
Inside the cave, treasures lay scattered, imbued with mental arrays that activated upon sight, deepening their influence, inciting mutual slaughter among the seekers, filtering out the worthy. The ultimate victor would claim the treasure, and even if they emerged battered, they would be exhausted. At that moment, touching the treasure would awaken the lingering soul, which would approach the target for possession under the pretense of imparting techniques. Even if the target realized the danger and attempted to flee, the overwhelming exhaustion would render escape impossible.
This secret realm only allowed crystallization stage cultivators to enter. Even if they had suffered wear and tear, they still possessed the strength of a Golden Core-level soul, making it easy to seize a crystallization stage body. The world of cultivation abhors possession; at least on the surface, the righteous factions oppose it, for acknowledging possession would unravel the order. After taking possession, one could reside here for a time, hiding away until the soul and body fully merged, allowing them to walk freely in the world without detection. As for how long complete merging would take, it was no concern for one who had died once; they possessed absolute patience.
In the novel, although Long Tian was merely at the peak of the fifth level of crystallization, neither his soul nor body could withstand a Golden Core-level lingering soul. Yet, with the help of the fallen immortal grandpa, the other party could not seize him; instead, they were absorbed, strengthening Long Tian’s soul and imparting the essence of their techniques.
In the early stages, Nascent Soul cultivators were immensely powerful, and the knowledge of techniques greatly benefited Long Tian. In truth, Ye Yong could have purchased items to absorb them, but as a transmigrator, his vision was high; he looked down upon Nascent Souls. If it were a great Mahayana saint, he might have considered it.
The faux Qiongqi, having absorbed the soul at the fifth level of the Golden Core, suddenly surged in power, its realm skyrocketing to the eighth level of the Golden Core. Its eyes glinted with cold light as it gazed at Ye Yong, restless and eager.
“You don’t think you’re capable now, do you?” Ye Yong raised his hand, mimicking a slapping gesture, and the cold light in the faux Qiongqi’s eyes dimmed significantly. Having suffered so much at Ye Yong’s hands, especially from that terrifying heavenly sword technique, it trembled at the mere thought.
But alas, being a malevolent spirit, an energy entity that grows stronger with energy replenishment would inevitably swell with power.
“I’ll give you a chance; go in yourself, and don’t force me to act.” Ye Yong
In the common understanding, malevolent spirits are devoid of wisdom, mere negative byproducts that know only slaughter and disaster. Yet Ye Yong knew that these spirits could indeed grow; the unfortunate truth was that most could not suppress their violent natures and were slain before they had the chance to mature.
Fortunately, the intelligence of these spirits developed at a painfully slow pace. After all, even a mindless creature was already sufficiently repulsive. But a spirit with cunning, capable of employing schemes, would elevate its repulsiveness to new heights, becoming a troublesome presence by the midpoint of the tale.
Not wishing to dwell on distant troubles, Ye Yong waved his sleeve, gathering everything in this place, leaving behind only a few meager elixirs. Just as he prepared to depart, a thought struck him, and he decided to risk wasting a bit of time.
—
“Look! There are two caves over there!” Climbing over the peak, Qiu Li Gao panted heavily, but upon spotting the caves, his spirit revived, excitement bubbling within him. “There must be treasures inside!”
“Remember my words: always remain calm.” Long Tian’s brow furrowed, his senses heightened. The absence of powerful spirit beasts along the way felt unnatural, and various signs compelled him to suspect that the caves were teeming with formidable creatures.
Qiu Li Gao reined in his emotions, trailing obediently behind Long Tian like a loyal shadow.
“A third-tier formation; the arrangement mirrors those traps we encountered before. I believe they were crafted by the same formation master… Yet it hasn’t been activated, which suggests no spirit beasts have approached…” the old man, Xun Xian, mused.
“Then where have the spirit beasts gone? They can’t have all killed each other, can they?”
“I’m not sure. Let’s go in and take a look.”
The formation unfolded in intricate loops, and Long Tian spent considerable time navigating it before finally entering the cave, its entrance adorned with the carving of a fierce eagle.
As for why he chose this place first, it was merely a whim.
Inside the cave, traps and formations lay scattered about, yet no treasures were immediately visible. Progressing while disarming traps consumed much effort, until at last, they reached a spacious chamber. The room was vast, and directly opposite them stood a prominent altar, upon which rested several vials and a box that appeared ancient…
—
117 Unexplainable Fatigue
“Surely the vials don’t contain elixirs of immortality? And the box… could it hold the legacy of an immortal?” Qiu Li Gao, unaccustomed to such scenes, had just been awestruck by Long Tian’s skill in disarming formations, and now his attention was wholly captured by the altar.
“Don’t harbor too many expectations; it will only deepen your disappointment.” For reasons unknown, a sense of foreboding surged within Long Tian the moment he laid eyes on the box.
Qiu Li Gao refrained from rushing forward to open the vials and the box, patiently awaiting Long Tian’s guidance.
Long Tian first observed his surroundings with meticulous care, ensuring no traps lay in wait before he approached the altar.
Taking a deep breath, he picked up the box, his hands trembling slightly as he pried it open.
As soon as a sliver of the lid was lifted, golden light spilled forth, perhaps he had worried for naught? Was there truly treasure within?
When the box was fully opened, the golden glow faded. It was hard to say whether it was surprising or expected; inside lay a book, its cover embossed with large characters that shimmered with golden light: “The Continent of Horse Combat,” “Volume Two.”
“The Continent of Horse Combat!? Could it be a technique for taming steeds!?” Qiu Li Gao exclaimed, a note of excitement in his voice.
Many could ride, but taming a steed was another matter entirely. Some spirit horses were notoriously difficult to master. Though the art of horse taming was obscure, it was precisely this obscurity that made it rare and sought after. Few understood it, and those who could grasp its essence would undoubtedly hold an edge over other cultivators.
“You’ll know once you read it; I have the first volume as well,” Long Tian initially thought it might be some horse-taming technique, only to find it was merely a storybook with slightly more engaging content.
Shaking his head, he tossed the first volume, obtained from the century-old secret realm, to Qiu Li Gao and began to rummage through the bottles, inspecting their contents, only to find they were all second-grade elixirs he could concoct himself.
Disappointment compounded.
“Is there anything hidden here?” Long Tian asked the old man, the Fallen Immortal.
The old man released his celestial sense, allowing Long Tian to circle the cave dwelling, then declared he found nothing. Unwilling to accept this, Long Tian urged the old man to try harder.
The old man, sensing Long Tian’s reluctance, also believed that such a secret realm could not contain only these meager trinkets. Thus, he summoned a fraction of his sparse celestial power, expanding the range of his celestial sense by a few meters.
Do not underestimate those few meters; with the increased range, the old man indeed made a new discovery. He sensed a hidden chamber behind the wall, containing treasures of heaven and earth that were immensely beneficial for the soul.
Upon learning the location, Long Tian immediately took out a shovel and began to dig, while Qiu Li Gao sat nearby, engrossed in reading “The Continent of Horse Combat,” utterly oblivious to the unfolding events.
After some time, Long Tian successfully broke through to the hidden chamber. He carefully examined the treasures within and voiced a question: “Fortifying the soul, nourishing the soul, strengthening the soul—all related to the soul. Could it be that the owner of this place is a master of soul power?”
“There is another possibility,” the old man offered another perspective. “The owner might have intended to seize a body, using these later for adjustments.”