Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 622 The Mother-Child Fiend Destroys the Physical Body and Nascent Soul, All Possessions Become Empty

————Half a day ago
On the frozen soil of the western foothills of the mountain road, the cold wind whipped up snowflakes that cut across people's faces like knives.

The Kui Xing Shuttle beneath Kang Dabao's feet had long lost its stability, caught between the pieces like a flickering candle in the wind, drifting towards Yuejian Mountain with its light dimming intermittently.

Just as he rounded a mountain ridge, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen.

That was the malfunctioning spiritual vein caused by the shock of True Man Yunfu's profound true qi. His spiritual power suddenly became chaotic, and his escape light dissipated with a "poof," causing him to fall straight into the snow.

"Cough," he lay on the snow, unable to get up for a long time, his hands supporting him on the frozen ground, the bloodstains on his palms melting into the snow water, spreading into a small dark red patch.

The wounds on his body were still bleeding, soaking through his Taoist robe. When the cold wind blew, the robe froze stiff, and the slightest movement caused a sharp pain, as if an ice spike was stuck in his flesh.

"It's been so many years since I've been this disheveled."

While lamenting the formidable power of a Nascent Soul cultivator, Master Kang was also grateful that he still possessed the Creation Smoke, which could still be used as a means of self-preservation.

"Cough," another gush of black blood surged up from his stomach, soaking the flower buds beneath him, which had already deepened in color by three-tenths.

Kang Dabao carefully selected several medicinal pills and took them one by one, then activated his Primordial Body.

This third-tier mid-grade body-refining method was the greatest contributor to his ability to keep his physical body intact. It is likely that if a Golden Core cultivator of the same tier were in a different situation, even with top-tier magic treasures to protect him, he would have already been in grave danger.

The sect leader was seriously injured, and at this moment, he was not sure if True Person Yunfu was not chasing after him, so he did not dare to send a message to Yuejian Mountain.

All along the way, they hoped that Fei Tianqin and Zen Master Huiming, having received the news, could capture and kill Master Yunfu as soon as possible and then come to rescue him.

However, after only a few breaths, and once the Xuan Yuan True Qi was slightly suppressed by the healing effect of the Primordial Body, Sect Leader Kang did not stay in the same place any longer.

He struggled to lift his head, his small eyes seeing black and white intermittently. He had never experienced anything like this since he attained the Golden Eye of Truth, which made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

Fortunately, his divine sense was not damaged, so even if he encountered one or two cultivators or demonic beasts who took advantage of him, he was still able to protect himself.

Kang Dabao maneuvered the Kui Xing Shuttle slowly through the valley. The pale blue spiritual energy seeping from beneath the frozen soil grew increasingly dense, but gradually revealed a hint of disharmony.

Normally, the spiritual energy of the earth's veins should be scattered and flowing, but here the spiritual energy is as if it is being pulled by invisible threads, converging towards the depths of the valley along a fixed trajectory. Even the ice crystals that have frozen in the snow have grown into fine spiritual patterns following the trajectory of the spiritual energy, which is definitely not a natural formation.

A sudden surge of curiosity stirred within him. He saw that Sect Leader Kang was forcefully suppressing the throbbing pain in his dantian and pushing his Golden Eyes of Truth to their limit.

In the golden eyes' vision, a faint spiritual aura was wrapped in the pale blue spiritual energy, extending eastward along the spiritual spring and finally disappearing beneath the roots of the old pine tree.

The snow on the pine branches also had a strange quality. Despite the biting wind, most of the snow around the pine roots had melted, and on the exposed frozen soil, there were faint traces of ancient spiritual patterns, covered by a thin layer of frost, which could be mistaken for natural cracks if not looked closely.

"It's a hidden array set up by someone." Kang Dabao murmured, a glimmer of spiritual light condensing at his fingertips as he probed the withered tree beside him.

The moment the light touched the tree trunk, it was repelled by a gentle spiritual force.

This withered tree had actually been reinforced with magical arts and deliberately left in the valley to conceal its presence.

He became increasingly vigilant, yet also somewhat hesitant: after all, for him now, returning to Yuejian Mountain to recover from his injuries was the most important thing.

Even if this place truly is an opportunity, there's no need to rush.

The moment this thought crossed his mind, the pain in his dantian returned, as if the remaining Xuan Yuan Qi was about to break through the suppression of the Primordial Body. Kang Dabao gritted his teeth, touched the Kui Xing Shuttle with his fingertip, and a pale golden spiritual light enveloped the artifact. Just as he was about to turn around and head towards Yuejian Mountain, the spiritual spring beneath his feet suddenly rippled.

It wasn't the wind that moved, but rather a gentle surge of profound true qi that welled up from the bottom of the spring, rising along the surface of the water and transforming into a wisp of fine, hair-like azure qi that silently wrapped around his sleeve.

This wisp of Qi was extremely light, yet it carried an irresistible pull, as if an invisible hand was gently drawing him toward the old pine tree.

Kang Dabao's heart tightened, and he hurriedly tried to break free by channeling his spiritual power. However, the pain in his dantian suddenly intensified, and the remaining Xuan Yuan Qi took the opportunity to cause trouble. Most of the spiritual power he had just gathered dissipated instantly, and the green Qi strands instead seeped into his meridians along his sleeve.

"Who's tampering with it?!" he shouted, his golden eyes gleaming again as he stared intently at the spirit spring.

The spiritual light at the bottom of the spring grew brighter, vaguely revealing a blurry figure bound to the stone wall by black iron chains. Although the Xuan Yuan True Qi around him was weak, it was pure and orthodox, and it was exactly the same as the aura of Master Yun Fu that Grand Master Kang had just experienced.

The azure energy seemed to sense his wariness, suddenly slowing its pull and instead condensing into two dim seal characters in his palm:
"Master Huquan?" Kang Dabao's pupils shrank slightly. Could this be the place where Master Yunfu imprisoned Master Huquan?

As Sect Leader Kang hesitated, the spiritual patterns under the pine roots suddenly lit up. The pale blue spiritual light spread along the patterns and condensed into a half-foot-wide channel on the frozen soil. A faint spiritual energy fluctuation came from the depths of the channel, which was of the same origin as the blue energy in his palm.

The pain in his dantian eased slightly, and the azure qi even took the initiative to send over a wisp of gentle Xuan Yuan True Qi to help suppress the restless qi, as if it were a gesture of goodwill.

"Could it be that Senior Huquan is here?!" Kang Dabao asked tentatively, his voice slightly hoarse due to his injuries.

The spiritual energy fluctuations deep within the passage paused for a moment, then a very slight vibration came through, as if in response to him.

After thinking for a while, the hesitation in Master Kang's eyes deepened. "There's no rush. After I return to Yuejian Mountain and wait for the Zen Master and the Ancestor to return, I will come to help again."

Just as Kang Dabao's fingertip light propelled the Kui Xing Shuttle half a foot off the ground, the frozen earth beneath his feet suddenly trembled violently.

The spiritual patterns beneath the pine roots suddenly surged, and pale blue spiritual light surged in like a tide, enveloping his entire body. The wisp of Qi wrapped around his sleeve instantly transformed into a tough rope of light, tightly binding his wrist and dragging him toward the passage.

"Not good!" He felt a chill and hurriedly activated his Primordial Body, causing a faint golden light to emanate from his skin as he tried to break free of the light rope. However, the residual Xuan Yuan Qi in his dantian suddenly exploded, causing excruciating pain as if cut by a knife, and most of the body-refining spiritual power he had just condensed instantly dissipated.

The light rope tightened in the process, causing his wrist to ache. Even the Kui Xing Shuttle was knocked out of his hand by the spiritual light, crashing into the frozen ground with a "clang" and rolling into the snowdrift.

The spiritual runes pulled him stronger and stronger, and Kang Dabao was pulled by the light rope, staggering and falling towards the entrance of the passage.

He reached out to grab the withered tree beside him, but as soon as his fingertips touched the trunk, he was repelled by an invisible spiritual force.

The reinforced dead tree was actually part of the traction array, offering him no leverage whatsoever. The ice crystal runes in the snow also lit up, and countless fine threads of light emerged from beneath the snow, wrapping around his ankles like countless icy hands, dragging him into the passage.

Kang Dabao tried to speak, but the light rope suddenly exerted force, pulling his feet off the ground and flying straight into the passage.

The spiritual light at the cave entrance was like a monstrous beast that devoured him in an instant.

The cave passage was dimly lit, with only the fluorite embedded in the stone walls emitting a faint bluish light. The light flickered, casting a mottled and variegated glow on the surrounding scenery.

As soon as he entered the passage, a damp, chilly air hit him, mixed with a faint smell of rust and decay, causing Kang Dabao to cough and black blood to spill from the corner of his mouth.

Even worse, the airflow inside the passage was extremely unstable, with sharp, malevolent winds occasionally blowing, carrying chaotic spiritual energy that scraped across his wounds like knives, causing him to tremble in pain.

He struggled to lift his head and saw faint traces of remaining spiritual herbs on the stone walls on both sides of the passage. However, they had long since withered and turned black, with the leaves curled up in a ball, as if they had been eroded by some evil power.

Occasionally, a few spiritual plants that still retained a hint of green were blown about by the fierce wind, their leaves riddled with tiny holes, their spiritual energy dissipating to nothing but remnants.

The light cable continued to pull forward, dragging Kang Dabao against the stone wall. The wound on his back scraped against the rough rock, and bloodstains instantly stained the stone wall black.

He gritted his teeth and looked into the depths of the passage, where the spiritual light grew brighter and brighter, but along with the light came a faint, sinister aura.

This aura was quite different from what the cultivators of Yuejian Mountain cultivated; it was more like the death energy accumulated deep within the earth's veins, mixed with spiritual energy, exuding an indescribable eeriness.

After being dragged for about several dozen steps, the passage suddenly opened up, and the entire cave scene was finally in full view.

The top was covered with dense stalagmites, and what dripped down was not spiritual liquid, but black water with a chilling aura. It fell into the stone trough on the ground and made a "drip-drip" sound. Although it had a somewhat eerie feel, it seemed to be quite valuable.

However, Master Kang knew the importance of things and would not take action to collect the items at this time.

Upon reaching the center of the cave, three thick black iron chains, each as thick as an arm, hung from the ceiling. The chains were rusty and entangled with dark, malevolent energy, their ends tightly binding the limbs of a middle-aged cultivator.

His gray robe was already soaked in blood, and even the orthodox Xuan Yuan around him was suppressed by the baleful aura, leaving only a thin layer of spiritual light.

From the cracks in the corner of the cave, a biting wind kept blowing out, carrying stone chips and withered leaves that struck the black iron chains, making a crisp "clanging" sound, adding to the desolation.

The spiritual pool, which should have been nourishing cultivators, was now covered with thick black ice. A faint blue spiritual aura could be seen beneath the ice, but it was frozen solid and could not flow, like a living thing trapped in a cage, only able to futilely emit a weak warmth.

The spirit crystals by the pool had lost their luster, their surfaces covered with cracks, as if they would shatter into powder at any moment.

Kang Dabao was dragged by the light rope all the way to the middle-aged cultivator to transfer the property before he could barely steady himself.

Just as he was about to speak, he saw the cultivator in front of him suddenly raise his head, his eyes filled with urgency, his lips trembling violently, yet he could hardly utter a sound.

Without much thought, Sect Leader Kang immediately recognized the cultivator before him as True Person Huquan, the Sect Leader of Yuejian Mountain. The fact that a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator had been reduced to such a pitiful state surprised Kang Dabao.

However, upon further reflection, he realized that even in his current state, Hu Quan Zhenren was still able to envelop him, which made him realize that the power of the Nascent Soul was truly incomparable.

Having lured Kang Dabao over through various means, Hu Quan Zhenren was clearly exhausted, as the black iron chains creaked as he struggled.

The evil energy emanating from the chain rushed into his meridians, surging and churning. In just a few breaths, his face paled even more.

"Senior Huquan."

At this moment, both morally and logically, Sect Leader Kang should feel some concern. However, it was only after Hu Quan Zhenren had been contemplating for a long time that he finally spoke:

"Marquis Wuning?"

It's not surprising that Master Huquan recognizes Headmaster Kang, after all, the latter was quite a prominent figure among the younger generation a few years ago.

Kang Dabao dared not be negligent and quickly bowed, saying, "This junior pays respects to the venerable one."

"Ahem. Inviting Marquis Wu Ning here in this way is rather abrupt, please forgive me!" Master Huquan clearly did not have the energy to say anything more. After a few simple pleasantries, he spoke much more directly.

But then Hu Quan Zhenren pointed to a slightly dim red talisman at the top of the cave and said in a deep voice, "The spiritual patterns on this blood-stained Xing Tian Treasure Seal have dissipated. I suppose my junior brother has already been defeated by the immortal dynasty's fellow Daoists. Otherwise, I, a turtle in a jar, wouldn't have been able to make any move."

His self-deprecating tone was undisguised, clearly indicating his sadness over the brothers' falling out. However, at this moment, he couldn't care less about anything else and simply pleaded:
"I would be grateful for Marquis Wuning's assistance."

As Master Huquan spoke, he coughed violently again.

With each cough, his chest heaved violently, and drops of blood from the corner of his mouth fell onto the black iron chain. The evil energy wrapped around the chain instantly enveloped the blood, turning it into a wisp of black smoke and dissipating.

Following Master Huquan's pointing finger towards the top of the cave, Kang Dabao looked in that direction and saw the blood-stained Xing Tian Treasure Seal hanging among the intersecting stalagmites, the talisman covered with twisted spiritual patterns like blood snakes.

At this moment, several fine cracks had appeared on the edge of the blood-stained Xing Tian Treasure Seal, yet black malevolent energy still rose from the patterns, intertwining with the earth vein yin energy surging from the depths of the cave, condensing at the top into a thick fog as dark as ink.

From time to time, a few drops of black water dripped from the thick fog, landing on the rough surface of the stalagmite with a "sizzle" sound, burning out tiny pits, the bottom of which gleamed with a faint, eerie light.

"This blood-stained Xing Tian Treasure Seal is a low-grade fourth-order talisman. My junior brother Yun Fu used his natal Xuan Yuan mixed with the Yin Sha of the earth veins to refine it, and it locked away ninety percent of my spiritual power."

Master Huquan was panting, his voice full of exhaustion, and even the movement of raising his hand was sluggish. "This black iron chain is no ordinary thing. The chain is wrapped with 'Corrosive Heart Evil', which will drill into my meridians every hour and erode my source."

These past few days, I've been using the remaining ten percent of my spiritual power to gradually wear away the malevolent energy on the outer layer of the talisman. Now, I've worn away seventy or eighty percent of it, leaving only the core 'malevolent heart pattern' unbroken.

Kang Dabao narrowed his eyes, and his Golden Eyes of Truth slowly lit up. The golden light pierced through the Yin energy permeating the cave and landed directly on the crimson talisman.

Sure enough, a very fine red line was hidden in the center of the talisman, like a bloodline embedded in the talisman paper, surrounded by a last layer of thin but unusually stubborn evil energy.

This is the "Evil Heart Pattern," which is also the core of the entire talisman array.

Ordinary spiritual energy, upon contact, would trigger a backlash from the surrounding Yin energy. However, the Xuan iron chains on Master Huquan's body would inject even more Corrosive Heart Qi into his body at this moment, making it impossible for him to gather spiritual energy.

"Since you were able to lead this junior here, why don't you break the seal yourself?"

Kang Dabao became more wary upon hearing this. After all, the power of Hu Quan Zhenren's attack as a Nascent Soul cultivator was no less than that of Hu Quan Zhenren. If Hu Quan Zhenren could so easily restrain him and prevent him from using his methods, there was no reason why he couldn't break through the last rune.

Master Huquan shook his head with a wry smile. With a slight exertion of force on his wrist, the black iron chain made a muffled "creaking" sound. The Corrupting Heart Evil on the chain instantly shone with a dark light, spreading from his wrist to his forearm. Visible faint black lines crawled across the cuffs of his gray robe.

“Look, this Corrupting Heart Demon has already seeped deep into my meridians. If I forcibly gather my primordial spiritual power to break the seal, the demonic energy will rush into my dantian along with my spiritual power, completely disrupting it. The spiritual power I used to bring you in was all the spiritual power I had accumulated these past few days, and once it's used up, it will be difficult to sustain. I can only use it for a hundred breaths before I can't continue any longer. If I want to break this Blood-Dipped Xing Tian Treasure Seal, it will take one or two hours, and I will need the help of Marquis Wu Ning.”

As he spoke, he coughed up another mouthful of blood. This time, the blood carried a trace of black mist, which fell into the cracks in the rocks on the ground, instantly causing the few sparsely growing spiritual herbs around it to turn completely black and wither.

Kang Dabao's gaze swept across the cave: stalagmites hung down densely, and the black water dripping from their tips accumulated in the stone troughs on the ground, forming small pools half a foot deep. The surface of the pools shimmered with a sinister light, and even the air seemed to become heavy.

"Then what should this junior do?" Kang Dabao asked, his tone carrying a hint of caution.

Seeing Kang Dabao take a half step back, his eyes filled with barely concealed wariness, Master Huquan felt a surge of anxiety, but he knew he couldn't force the issue at this moment.

With ninety percent of his spiritual power locked and his bones corroded by malevolent energy, it wouldn't matter whether Kang Dabao lived or died if he really made a move, but he himself would have a hard time escaping.

Originally, it would have been one way to ask the latter to find help, but compared to having the real people in the mansion or the old bird Fei Tianqin come in person, it really seems that a beginner cultivator with a deep foundation is easier to handle.

After all, his injuries were quite severe, so he needed to be careful.

Upon reading this, Master Huquan suppressed the surging murderous aura within him, his tone softening slightly, but the unyielding air of a Nascent Soul cultivator remained:
"Lord Wuning may not know, but I and Brother Tianqin were once comrades-in-arms. I need your help, and I will repay you tenfold."

He reached out and pulled out a bag, saying, "There is a cluster of Ganoderma lucidum in that bag. Marquis Wu Ning's spiritual veins were injured by my junior brother's Xuan Yuan True Qi. Ordinary elixirs would not be able to heal him for ten years."

However, after the Human-Horse Ganoderma Condensation Elixir is used, it can nourish the origin of your spiritual veins, allowing you to recover within a month, and even has the effect of strengthening your foundation and cultivating your vital energy.

Kang Dabao still didn't budge, and his words became even more cautious: "This junior is not very talented and dares not delay your important matters. I should go out and invite Ancestor Tianqin and Zen Master Huiming to come in person so that the True Man can be freed from his predicament as soon as possible."

"Huiming? When did another Zen master emerge from the Yuanfo Sect?" Master Huquan sighed inwardly, then turned his head and muttered, "Dare not? Or do you not believe?"

At this point, Master Huquan chuckled softly, his tone now carrying a hint of sternness:
"Lord Wuning, Master Huquan urgently needs someone to save me. He may not have time to wait for the perfect solution. I urge you, Lord Wuning, to take my advice and act quickly."

These words caused Kang Dabao's expression to change slightly, and his gaze toward Master Huquan became more solemn.

However, after a few breaths, he was able to understand. After all, the person in front of him was a high-ranking Nascent Soul cultivator. Even though he was in a predicament, he could hardly give up his habit of making his words law.

Seeing the change in Master Kang's expression, Master Huquan immediately pressed his advantage:
"Once Marquis Wuning helps me escape this predicament, Yuejian Mountain and the Fei family of Yingzhou will be sworn brothers, and I will also be able to freely enter and leave the entire Mingzong sect."

"After I return to the mountain, I will be able to see the treasures in the mountain treasury, which Marquis Wuning may choose from at will. I will certainly not be stingy with a single bit."

If Kang Dabao were in his prime, he might have been able to muster some courage to face Hu Quan Zhenren, who was also in a bad situation. But at this moment, he really had no chance of escaping from the latter's grasp.

Since that is the case, we shall proceed according to his words for the time being.

When Master Huquan saw Kang Dabao nod in agreement, he was immediately pleased and personally taught Master Kang how to break the talisman.

Because of Yunfu Zhenren's serious injuries, the blood-stained Xing Tian Bao Zhuan, which was closely related to him, had already had much of its power worn away by Huquan Zhenren using his most secret methods.

Indeed, what Master Huquan said was true. If his injuries had healed slightly and his spiritual power had not been depleted, he would not have needed a junior like Kang Dabao to intervene. He could have stopped the methods left behind by Master Yunfu with a flick of his finger.

Following Master Huquan's instructions, Kang Dabao focused his mind and concentrated the golden light of his Eyes of Truth into a single point, locking onto the murderous heart pattern in the center of the Bloodstained Heavenly Seal. A wisp of pale golden light condensed at his fingertip and slowly drifted away along the golden light's trajectory.

"This young man's pupil technique is indeed remarkable."

Just as Master Huquan had said, the outer layer of evil energy on the talisman had long been worn thin. When the spiritual light passed through the thick fog, it was not hindered in the slightest and landed steadily on the Xuan Yuan mark on the left side of the talisman.

"Now!" Master Huquan shouted urgently, and the remaining Xuan Yuan surged along the mark, intertwining with Kang Dabao's pale golden spiritual light, transforming into a thin beam of light that drilled into the Sha Xin pattern.

With a soft "crack," a thin crack appeared in the evil heart pattern, the spiritual patterns on the talisman instantly dimmed, and the black mist at the top began to dissipate.

Just as Kang Dabao breathed a sigh of relief, a sudden change occurred! The cracked evil heart pattern suddenly burst forth with dark evil energy, not ordinary yin evil, but "corrosive evil" with corrosive spiritual power. Like a venomous snake, it coiled around the Xuan Yuan that Hu Quan Zhenren was surging towards, and rushed into his body along the Xuan Yuan!
"Not good! As expected, that brat Yunfu had a backup plan!!" Master Huquan's expression changed drastically, and he tried to withdraw his Xuan Yuan, but it was too late.

The corrosive aura surged wildly through his meridians, instantly spreading to his limbs and bones. His gray robe was instantly stained black by the aura, and fine cracks appeared on his skin. He let out a painful roar.

"It's the 'Mother-Child Devouring Body Curse'! Where did he get such a technique? Is it from the Taiyi Temple?! He predicted I would break the seal."

Before he finished speaking, Master Huquan's body suddenly withered away at a visible speed. The profound energy in his meridians was completely devoured by the Corrosive Fiend, and even his bones began to glow with a dark light.

Kang Dabao was stunned. Just as he was about to back away, he saw a glimmer of light suddenly appear between the eyebrows of Master Huquan.

That was his nascent soul! The moment the nascent soul left his body, Master Huquan's physical body completely turned into a pool of black ash, which was then swept away by the baleful aura and vanished as a wisp of green smoke.

His nascent soul hovered in mid-air. Although it was an illusory form, it still carried the pressure of a nascent soul cultivator. His gaze was fixed on Kang Dabao. His previous sincerity and politeness had vanished, leaving only naked greed and ruthlessness.

Despite his efforts falling short and all his calculations coming to naught, the man showed no sign of discouragement; instead, he displayed remarkable perseverance.

"Lord Wuning, thank you for helping me break the talisman! It's a pity that my physical body is destroyed, so I can only borrow your body for now! My junior brother had expected that I would break the talisman, but perhaps he did not expect that I still had a backup plan."

Kang Dabao's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly activated his Primordial Body, and a faint golden spiritual light appeared on the surface of his skin. At the same time, he retreated rapidly, and his Golden Eyes of Truth-Seeking shone with golden light, piercing straight at Hu Quan Zhenren's Nascent Soul: "Senior Hu Quan! How can you go back on your word!"

"Going back on your word?" Master Huquan's Nascent Soul sneered, his figure flashing as he appeared before Kang Dabao. His Nascent Soul power transformed into an invisible hand, reaching for Kang Dabao's head.
"Cultivators defy the heavens and should stop at nothing to achieve their goals! If you know what's good for you and obediently let me possess your body, I might spare a wisp of your soul; if you dare to resist, I will make your soul vanish!"
"Very well, I underestimated you. Your physical body is truly exceptional; even within the ancient Xuan Dao, it's unlikely you could find a second one. It's a blessing that you can continue my path today."

The Tiger Spring Immortal's deliberate shouts and cold laughs failed to shake Kang Dabao's resolve as he had hoped.

When faced with a desperate situation, the latter remained unusually calm: "Alas, I couldn't even save this Creation Spirit Smoke after all."

However, if one can kill a Nascent Soul cultivator, it will not be a loss.

The moment Kang Dabao had this thought, he immediately realized something was wrong.

"Why isn't it responding?!"

The once composed Sect Leader Kang suddenly changed color. In the instant that he was filled with great fear, the jet-black light transformed from Tiger Spring Nascent Soul had already crashed into his dantian.

Kang Dabao immediately felt his dantian churning like boiling water. Ripples spread out from the center of the surging golden liquid in his dantian. Blood foam soaked into his teeth, and his mouthful of silver teeth were about to be crushed.

The Star-Patterned Golden Core was trembling violently in the center of the Qi Sea. Its body was covered with spider web patterns and was emitting a fine, crisp "click-clack" sound, as if it was about to collapse under the shock of the evil energy contained by the Nascent Soul.

"Oh no!! Why isn't Grandpa Gourd responding again?!"

"A mere Golden Core dares to block my Nascent Soul's possession!" Tiger Spring Nascent Soul's arrogant laughter exploded within his dantian, his baleful aura condensing into a ten-foot-long spiritual palm, grabbing at the pill in the center of his dantian.

He thought he could crush the golden pill with just one palm, but as soon as his palm touched the surface of the pill, the star patterns on the pill suddenly shone brightly. The star patterns moved like living things and actually froze the evil energy into ice crystals.

With a crisp "crack," the spirit palm shattered inch by inch.

Tiger Spring Nascent Soul's pupils suddenly contracted, and he realized something was wrong.

Ordinary golden pills have such resilience. He stared intently at it and saw that the golden liquid surrounding the pill was so pure that it contained no impurities. The barrier of his Qi Sea even shone with a glassy luster. The word "unbelievable" suddenly popped into his mind.

"You...you're actually a top-grade Golden Core cultivator?!"

The dark stream of light that Hu Quan's nascent soul had transformed into was thrown back by an overwhelming spiritual light. He hovered in the center of the churning sea of ​​qi, his pupils shrinking to needle size.

Only then did he see the complete picture of Kang Dabao's Golden Elixir.

The pill gleamed with an amber-colored, glassy luster. Golden liquid surrounded the thumb-sized pill like a tide. The pill was covered with star-like patterns resembling frost flowers, each star exuding a clear and cool spiritual light, forcing the baleful aura around him to retreat step by step, dissolving like ink meeting clear water.

"A top-grade Golden Elixir?!"

Tiger Spring Nascent Soul recited it again, his roar filled with disbelief.

He had lived for hundreds of years and had seen at least eighty or a hundred Golden Core cultivators, but he had never seen such a vibrant and dazzling high-grade Golden Core.

For ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, possessing a Golden Core cultivator is as easy as taking candy from a baby, but when faced with this Golden Core that exudes "Daoist charm," he felt an instinctive fear.

"The Immortal Dynasty of David actually produced a second high-grade Golden Core cultivator in this era (1080)?!"

"What a dog!" Master Kang had calmed down by this time. It turned out that it wasn't that the gourd had lost its effect, but that it knew that even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't take away Kang Dabao's top-grade Golden Core.

Even so, the impact of the Nascent Soul's intrusion still made him feel unwell.

His jaw was soaked in blood and foam, his teeth were almost crushed, his dantian was violently churning due to the evil energy, and his meridians were aching from the clash of the two forces.

At the same time, the star-patterned spiritual light of the superior-grade golden elixir flowed along the meridians, purifying the nascent soul light that had invaded the body.

These words aroused Hu Quan’s ferocity. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He suppressed his regret. Now, there was only one path to take. He could not back down!
He suddenly activated his nascent soul's origin, and the baleful energy surged like an ink tide towards the high-grade golden core, actually condensing into a ten-foot-long spiritual palm in the center of his dantian, the claw tip gleaming with a black, bone-corroding cold light, directly grabbing the core.

Kang Dabao was prepared. With a thought, the golden liquid in his sea of ​​qi instantly boiled and condensed into a glassy light shield along with the star-patterned spiritual light, blocking in front of the golden core.

As soon as the spirit palm touched the light shield, a crisp "sizzle" was heard, and the baleful aura rose up like boiling oil meeting water, and the cold light on the spirit palm dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Tiger Spring's Nascent Soul felt a surge of clear, cool spiritual energy backlashing from his spiritual palm, causing fine cracks to appear on his Nascent Soul's body, making him roar in pain.

"The spiritual light of a top-grade Golden Core can actually purify the spiritual light of my Nascent Soul?"

Hu Quan's Nascent Soul panicked completely. He knew that if he dragged it out any longer, his Nascent Soul essence would be exhausted by the spiritual light sooner or later.

"Senior Huquan, you are a true successor of Yuejian Mountain, why would you engage in such a destructive act as possession?"

"If you are willing to let me possess your body and return to life, I will repay you with the power of the entire Yuejian Mountain sect in the future!"

"Senior, your Xuan Yuan is orthodox; why let despair cloud your Dao heart?" Kang Dabao's voice rang out again, and the golden liquid in his Qi Sea gradually calmed down.

"I am willing to protect your remnant soul with the spiritual light of a high-grade golden elixir. Once a suitable object to nourish your soul is found, it may not be impossible to reunite your physical body."

Tiger Spring's Nascent Soul stood frozen in place, looking at the pale blue spiritual light wrapped around his body, feeling the unhurried yet inescapable force, and then looking at the superior golden core in the center of his Qi Sea that always exuded "balance and tranquility." The despair and anxiety in his heart gradually faded away.

He has lived for hundreds of years and cultivates the Dao of "Xuanyuan Shouzheng". If he were to actually attempt to seize another's body, even if he succeeded, his Dao heart would be left with an eternal crack, making it difficult for him to make any further progress.

"But..." What does it matter if he can't make any further progress? If he can't find a physical body, where can his nascent soul find a place to rest? Even his junior brother, whom he raised with his own hands, is going to harm him. Can he really place his hopes on the kindness of an outsider like Kang Dabao?!

As soon as Master Huquan understood, he activated the last bit of his original power, causing his nascent soul to swell to a height of over ten feet. The nascent soul light around him condensed into countless tiny spiritual needles, which shot towards Kang Dabao's Qi Sea barrier like a rainstorm.

He wanted to tear apart his Qi Sea, making it look like they were going to die together, so that Sect Leader Kang would make a mistake.

Just as the spiritual needles were about to touch the barrier of the Qi Sea, the superior-grade golden core suddenly bloomed with nine layers of lotus shadows. The star patterns on the core moved like living things, and the golden liquid condensed into a cage along the lotus shadows, trapping all the spiritual needles.

At the same time, a wisp of pale blue spiritual light escaped from the depths of the core—that was the residual protective power left after the Jade Leaf Dao Foundation merged into the Golden Core.

The spiritual light, like a ribbon, wrapped around Hu Quan's nascent soul, seeping into the cracks in his spiritual body. Wherever it passed, the nascent soul's spiritual light was completely stripped away, leaving only a faint remnant of the nascent soul.

"No, I'm not reconciled!" The last bit of Hu Quan's nascent soul struggled in the spiritual light, but could no longer stir up the slightest ripple. The superior-grade golden core slowly rotated, and a small crack opened in its body. A suction force came from the crack, forcibly pulling the wisp of remnant soul inside.

The crack closed instantly, and the star-patterned spiritual light once again covered the pill body, leaving only a very faint black shadow in the center of the core, like a sealed mark, without any further movement.

The turmoil in the Qi Sea gradually subsided, the golden liquid resumed its steady flow, and the amber-colored spiritual light spread through the meridians, slowly soothing the pain caused by the evil energy.

Kang Dabao slowly opened his eyes, raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and when he looked inward at his dantian, his eyes were filled with relief and shock at surviving the ordeal.

The top-grade golden pill floated quietly in the center of the Qi Sea, and the remnant soul of the nascent soul in the core was firmly locked, preventing even a trace of spiritual energy from leaking out.

This battle of wits, though seemingly long, actually happened in the blink of an eye.

However, Kang Dabao dared not be negligent. After picking up the real person's storage ring and the remaining inscription, he immediately concealed himself and fled to a secluded place to examine what he had gained.

(End of this chapter)