Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 352 Black-Robed Soul Cultivator
Now, having ascended to the ninth heaven, with the speed boost, Li Ji'an's journey from the Biyun Sect to the Strange Stone Forest took only a few days.

Meanwhile, inside the Strange Stone Forest.

Liu Qiao, who was 190 years old, sat cross-legged at the core of the Taoist formation, his expression solemn.

After the destruction of Wanfa Palace, she returned to her ancestral home and changed her surname back to Liu.

With Wu Weixiong's covert protection, the Qishilin Dojo was not purged by major sects such as the Corpse Puppet Sect, but the harassment from demonic cultivators has never stopped since then.

With the help of a third-tier earth spirit master's perception and control of the earth's veins, and the protection of a third-tier linked array, they have managed to get through these years smoothly.

However, this time, a mysterious soul cultivator sensed an extremely strong attraction for some reason, believing that there were soul treasures in the Strange Stone Forest that would be of great benefit to soul cultivators.

His soul cultivation strength has almost reached the mid-stage of the Core Formation realm, and because he has practiced some unknown soul cultivation secret technique, his soul power is extremely strong, and he can already condense it into a tangible attack, his primordial spirit is like a knife.

The two fake alchemists in the strange stone forest were killed in less than ten breaths when they went into battle. Their souls were destroyed, their consciousness collapsed, and they died and their souls vanished.

However, his Dharma Body cultivation was only at the Qi Refining stage, posing little threat to the array formed by the forces of heaven and earth. Although his divine soul was a realm higher than the array and could quickly discern its weaknesses, he still could not break the array despite repeated attempts.

Liu Qiao and the others were sheltered inside the array with its soul-binding restrictions, so they were temporarily safe.

However, in the past month or so, the people of Qishilin discovered another extraordinary phenomenon about that mysterious soul cultivator.

Its divine soul techniques can even control the minds of other people.

Over the past month, hundreds of passing cultivators have been controlled by its soul-binding techniques, launching unreserved attacks on the Qishilin Daoist temple's formation.

Although the cultivators it controls are at most at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and the maximum number of people it can control at one time is no more than ten, each controlled cultivator attacks the formation with all their might until their mana is exhausted, and they will even use their physical bodies to forcefully crash into the weak points of the formation.

This suicidal attack continued for a month, making Xiao Qiao feel a sense of crisis. If other powerful demonic cultivators arrived at this time, it would be dangerous.

"Chief Qiao, shall we ask the Qin family for help?" The deputy chief asked, somewhat anxiously.

"Even the Qin family patriarch is probably no match for this villain. With his spiritual power, it would probably take at least a True Core cultivator to barely handle him. And to kill him, only a True Core cultivator in the mid-stage would have any hope!" Someone immediately shook their head in disapproval.

"Alas, it's a pity that the Biyun Sect is now struggling to survive... They're truly helpless now."

"This demon... the cultivation order in the Boundless Domain is completely like raising poisonous insects. Without rules or constraints, it just allows cultivators within the domain to kill each other." Someone said indignantly.

In the past, they could rely on their background and connections for protection, or at worst, they could seek help from the sect to uphold justice. Now, they can only rely entirely on their own methods.

In this kind of order, you have to fight to avoid being bullied.

Moreover, under the leadership of the Golden Puppet Saint King, the faction will not seek revenge for the lives of its members, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of joining the faction in finding a backer and reliance.

Aside from the need for inheritance and resources, joining a faction is becoming less and less meaningful these days.

For most people who want to survive, the only option is to risk their lives in secret realms and death zones.

"Everyone, the cultivation environment is already like this. Since we are powerless to change it, we can only adapt to it. The Strange Stone Forest has no one to rely on anymore, so we can only rely on ourselves." Liu Qiao spoke calmly, showing the insight and decisiveness that a leader of a force should have.

"Yes, Chief." The crowd immediately fell silent.

Liu Qiao looked up again at the ten Foundation Establishment cultivators whose minds were still being controlled and who were still desperately attacking the array's core. She shook her head secretly and finally turned her gaze to the soul cultivator beside her.

The soul cultivator was shrouded in a black robe, leaving only a pale, gaunt face visible. He appeared lifeless, but his pair of gloomy eyes were as deep as an abyss, radiating a chilling and sinister aura.

"Cough~ Little brat, I only ask for a treasure to nourish your soul, nothing else. Open the formation willingly, and I guarantee no one will be harmed. If you still resist... hehe, the day the formation breaks will be the day everyone is buried with you." Sensing Liu Qiao's gaze, the sinister soul cultivator's hoarse voice came.

"Senior didn't say what kind of treasure it is, so even if I wanted to give it away, I couldn't. This really puts me in a difficult position." Liu Qiao connected with the earth's veins, her aura was vigorous, and she stared directly at the other party.

"Cough cough cough~" The black-robed soul cultivator coughed violently.

Liu Qiao remained unfazed. Over the years, almost every demonic cultivator she had encountered seemed to be in poor health, clearly suffering some kind of backlash, which was consistent with the rumors.

Legend has it that the soul cultivators in the Boundless Domain and the Yellow Heaven Domain did not use the ancient methods of soul cultivation. Instead of tempering their souls while visualizing the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth through visualization diagrams, they forcibly strengthened their souls using some kind of quick-fix method, which has many hidden dangers.

"Open the magic circle, and I will take it myself."

Liu Qiao smiled faintly and shook her head: "Senior's soul technique is too powerful and strange, this junior dares not gamble."

"Ahem~ It seems I was too merciful. Oh well, all people are like this, they won't shed tears until they see the coffin." The black-robed soul cultivator shook his head and slowly rose up.

At the same time, a black mist emanated from within his body.

"Ah~" The next moment, the black-robed soul cultivator let out a painful roar, his mouth involuntarily opening.

The moment its mouth opened, a stream of ink-like substance slowly emerged from within.

Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be countless struggling and twisting souls of the dead.

After the soul was squeezed out of its mouth, it transformed into the shape of a sharp cone.

As more and more souls gathered in its mouth, the ink-tipped cone grew longer and larger.

It was eventually shaped into a sharp cone as thick as a thigh.

The sharp cone was filled with soul energy, and countless hideous ghost faces could be seen vying to break free of its restraints.

So many dead souls?

"The demonic cultivator truly deserves to die!"

"Since these demonic cultivators came here, there has never been a day of peace in the world, not even the dead can rest in peace!"

Upon witnessing this scene, everyone in the formation was filled with indignation.

During the reign of the Palace of Ten Thousand Laws, regardless of the other party's purpose, there were almost no people who tormented the spirits of the dead. When a cultivator died, his soul dissipated and he had another chance to be reincarnated.

These demonic cultivators from the Boundless Domain and the Yellow Heaven Domain often possess such methods.

"Boom!" The next moment, the ink-black spikes formed from the condensed souls of the dead fiercely attacked the weak point of the protective array of the strange stone forest.

The immense impact shook the entire chain of defenses, and the secondary formations developed numerous cracks, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Liu Qiao, who was in charge of the formation, immediately spat out a mouthful of bright red blood.

Fortunately, after the first strike, accompanied by the desperate howls of countless ghosts, the Soul Cone immediately perished.

"Cough cough cough~" The black-robed soul cultivator's face turned even paler.

"Little brat, do you really want this old man to break through the formation?" The sinister voice carried immense pressure.

Liu Qiao quickly connected with the earth's veins to heal her injuries, but her expression darkened.

That attack just now, if not for the earth veins sharing the burden, might have cracked the main formation. After all, it was a full-force attack comparable to a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, and it struck a weak point in the formation.

At this moment, she was also unsure whether the other party could launch another attack.

Subconsciously, her gaze drifted to Ning Yutan, who had always been rather unnoticed.

Since establishing his foundation, he has been cultivating in seclusion in the Peach Blossom Forest Dojo, and has never been affected by the outside world in the slightest. Even the spiritual resources and pills for cultivation have been supplied steadily. In addition, he was naturally more talented than her. Now, 130 years later, he has already achieved the perfection of establishing his foundation.

Although it has never demonstrated any combat power or special abilities.

However, Xiao Qiao had unexpectedly sensed the unique phenomenon of having two souls in one body during Li Ji'an's previous life.

Before Li Ji'an "rejuvenated" in his previous life, he specifically instructed her to take good care of Ning Yutan. He also said that if she encountered a life-or-death crisis, she could rely on Ning Yutan.

Ning Yutan sat cross-legged at the core of another secondary formation, feeling Liu Qiao's gaze, and a hint of struggle appeared on her face.

More than ten years ago, when Li Ji'an left Tiancang Domain, he sent her a message, predicting the future situation for her and telling her to keep a low profile and not to be reckless in the face of trouble.

However, what she didn't know was that Li Ji'an had already told Ning Sujin that with the power of her primordial spirit and that ancient fifth-order invisibility puppet, she would have the qualifications to negotiate with the Golden Puppet Saint King in a critical moment.

After a moment of hesitation, Ning Yutan gritted her teeth and began to secretly awaken Ning Sujin.

Her personality was inherently public-spirited and righteous, not to mention that Xiao Qiao was her only friend in the cultivation world besides Li Ji'an.

Moreover, she knew about Ning Sujin's spiritual strength.

The only worry is that this exposure of Ning Sujin's words might attract the covetousness of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

"Whoosh!" The moment Ning Sujin's primordial spirit was awakened by Ning Yutan, the black-robed soul cultivator outside the formation looked over instantly.

An excited expression appeared on his pale face.

"He's coming for me!" Ning Sujin also sensed the other party's presence immediately.

"What happened? You've been resting and cultivating your spirit, trying to break through your bottleneck, yet he was able to sense you?" Ning Yutan was quite surprised.

“It’s a soul cultivation technique!” Ning Sujin said with certainty after a moment of silence.

"what?"

“He must be practicing the same soul cultivation technique as me. Not only does he covet me, but my primordial spirit also has a strong desire to devour his soul,” Ning Sujin explained in a deep voice.

"He wants to devour your primordial spirit? And you want to devour his too?" Ning Yutan asked incredulously.

"It's my idea based on the spiritual cultivation technique I practice, not my own!" Ning Sujin emphasized.

"Then what should we do? Should I go out and fight them? Are you confident you can take them down?" Ning Yutan asked.

“Nothing but chickens and dogs!” Ning Sujin said disdainfully, but then added, “However, the Golden Puppet Saint King has occasionally scanned this place with his primordial spirit in recent years, and we are unsure of his intentions. If we expose ourselves now, we may have to confront him.”

"Golden Puppet Saint Monarch!" Ning Yutan's heart tightened.

"What should I do?"

Ning Sujin pondered for a moment: "Let's wait and see for now. I will keep a close eye on the situation."

"This is the only way." Ning Yutan felt a little guilty.

After that, he didn't dare to look at Liu Qiao.

Liu Qiao waited for a moment, and seeing that Ning Yutan did not make any response, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Everyone, if that soul cultivator launches another attack, the main formation may crack. At that time, we will have no choice but to go all out."

"Chief Qiao, rest assured, I wish I could tear this beast who imprisons the souls of the dead to pieces."

“Soul cultivators are bound to suffer damage to their souls, and their physical bodies are only at the Qi Refining stage. When the time comes, all two hundred of us from the Strange Stone Forest will attack at the same time. I don’t believe he can kill us all with his soul-refining secret techniques.”

"I have a Divine Soul Headband, I'll go first!"

……

Those remaining in each faction are undoubtedly loyal followers who have stood by each other through thick and thin. Upon hearing of the potential annihilation, they are all determined to sacrifice themselves for their faith.

Since several years ago, the number of people in Qishilin has been decreasing, and its sphere of influence has been shrinking. Now it only has 30% of the number of people it had at its peak, and the number of people is only about 200.

"Hmph! Why don't you open the protective array on your own?" The black-robed soul cultivator's originally pale face was now flushed, his eyes fixed intently on the array within the Strange Stone Forest.

He sensed the increasingly intense attraction that made his soul extremely greedy.

However, he still couldn't fully understand what it was.

Therefore, he became even more excited, wishing he could rush in immediately to find the treasure that could elevate his soul to a higher level.

However, even after he roared again, the people inside remained unmoved.

This made him even angrier.

"Ah~" The next moment, black energy once again emanated from his body, and his mouth opened.

Originally, this forbidden technique would not only deplete his accumulated strength over decades with each strike, but also aggravate the backlash, making it even more impossible for his physical body to advance further.

Therefore, he will not use it unless absolutely necessary.

However, his mind was already not normal, and at this moment he was attracted by the aura in the formation that was like a ginseng fruit. How could he retain his rationality?

"He can actually launch another attack!" Liu Qiao's expression immediately changed, and her heart turned completely gloomy.

The followers of Qishilin were also despondent and their faces showed fear.

"Who dares to imprison living souls and wreak havoc on the common people?"

Just then, a solemn shout rang out from the heavens.

Immediately, a tall figure dressed in white descended from the sky.

"True Dan Immortal!"

The group of people in the strange stone forest suddenly looked at the person in white, their eyes filled with surprise.

Besides his identity as a True Core Master, everyone was even more shocked by his rebuke.

Since Wuyayu and Huangtianyu took control of Tiancangyu, who else dares to so righteously express justice?
That righteous statement brought tears to many eyes.

“Li Lang…” Ning Sujin’s primordial spirit recognized the person immediately. Her heart trembled with a mixture of joy and surprise.

Sensing Li Ji'an's powerful aura of true essence, she was extremely gratified.

"Hmm?" The black-robed soul cultivator looked up and frowned slightly.

However, when his divine sense swept over Li Ji'an, he couldn't help but sneer: "Hmph, a mere early-stage Core Formation cultivator dares to oppose me?"

“Peaceful?” Ning Yutan and Xiao Qiao also recognized Li Ji’an.

"Ping An has actually formed his core, and a true core at that?" The two were both overjoyed.

"Ping An, don't be careless. This person is a soul cultivator. His soul techniques are unpredictable. Two fake Core Formation cultivators were killed by his soul techniques in a single encounter!" However, the next moment, Xiao Qiao hurriedly transmitted her voice to Li Ji'an.

Ning Yutan was also worried that Li Ji'an was no match for the opponent and wanted to send a telepathic reminder, but Ning Sujin stopped her: "Don't worry, Ping An will completely defeat that villain."

"But Ping An is only at the early stage of Core Formation, while that villain's soul is comparable to the mid-stage of Core Formation..."

However, before she could finish speaking, she saw leaves falling all over the sky, and Li Ping'an's figure had already disappeared.

(End of this chapter)