Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 404 The whole story
"Who?" The bearded man was concentrating on controlling the demon head in his abdomen to devour the enemy when he suddenly sensed something unusual behind him. He turned around abruptly and shouted.

As soon as he finished speaking, he froze, standing there as if his body had been frozen in place, and his gaze became somewhat unfocused.

Song Xian revealed himself, and the Xuanluo Yin Fire within his body emerged, condensing into the shape of a giant black snake, which headed towards the bearded man.

The man stood there, seemingly oblivious to everything.

Soon, the giant black snake was right in front of him. Only then did the bearded man seem to react, his eyes regaining focus from their scattered state. He screamed in terror, but before he could make any move, the Xuanluo Yin Fire had completely enveloped him.

A long black snake pierced through his abdomen, and the ghost let out a shrill scream before being devoured by the Xuanluo Yin Fire and melted away in the blink of an eye.

The bearded man was covered in black flames, let out a few painful roars, and plummeted straight down from mid-air.

Seeing that he had succeeded in his attack, Song Xian immediately manipulated the Xuanluo Yin Fire towards the gray-robed man who was wrapped in the Shadow Rope.

He couldn't let either of them go. Although he had no grudge against the gray-robed man, he couldn't let him leave alive just in case. If the news got out and the person behind it traced it back to him, it would be a disaster that wiped out his entire family.

Only the dead can put people at ease.

Song Xian concluded that the bearded man with the ghost head hidden in his belly was not the owner of the bead, but at most a trusted subordinate.

The reason is simple: this person is far too weak; with his abilities, he is simply not capable of controlling that ghost infant.

Moreover, based on the intelligence Huang Ye gathered, it wasn't just the Donghai District market that was auctioning ghost crystal cores; other places were also auctioning them. This indicated that the other party was a large organization with many people watching, and each person was probably responsible for a region.

Since the ghost head inside the bearded man's belly had been devoured and melted by the Xuanluo Yin Fire, and the Shadow Rope, which had lost its control, was also greatly weakened, the gray-robed man finally escaped from the Shadow Rope's entanglement. Before he could even catch his breath, he saw a giant black snake with billowing flames coming towards him.

The half-beast golden tiger condensed a golden sphere in its mouth and struck the black giant snake. The golden light was overwhelming, but it was melted by the black flames in just one exchange.

The giant black serpent coiled around its body, and black flames devoured it. Accompanied by a shrill roar, its flesh and blood rapidly melted away.

With almost no effort, Song Xian dealt with the two Foundation Establishment cultivators in one fell swoop. He withdrew the Xuanluo Yin Fire, and in a flash, he arrived in front of the gray-robed man. Without even glancing at him, he took the storage bag from the man's body and then went to the bearded man.

This person was already severely injured and barely breathing. His body was covered in blood and gore, and a huge bloody hole in his abdomen looked terrifying.

This person not only possesses the cultivation level of the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, but also has bizarre methods, being able to summon a ghost head from his abdomen to assist him.

In a one-on-one situation, Song Xian was confident he could beat him, but it wouldn't be that easy.

The reason they were able to succeed in one strike was mainly because their attention was completely focused on the gray-robed man, which gave them an opportunity to strike.

Song Xian seized the opportunity and first used the Soul-Shocking Technique to launch a mental attack on him.

This is a secret technique recorded in the "Wilderness Heaven Expands Knowledge Technique," belonging to the top-level supernatural power.

It is not only silent, colorless, and formless when used, but also incredibly powerful, and can launch attacks from a great distance.

Song Xian has only cultivated this supernatural power to the initial stage, yet he can launch an attack on the enemy from a distance of 100 zhang. It should be noted that many second-tier spells have an attack range of less than 100 zhang.

As a form of attack based on spiritual sense, it generally requires getting closer to the enemy than ordinary spells to launch an attack.

With such a long attack range, coupled with its silent, colorless, and formless characteristics, it is most suitable for assassination and attack, making it a killer's ultimate skill that is completely impossible to defend against.

Not to mention that the bearded man was concentrating on dealing with the gray-robed man at the time, and by the time he realized the attack on his spiritual senses, it was too late.

The spiritual energy shield around him was no match for the intensity of the divine sense attack. When he was attacked by the divine sense, his Niwan Palace was instantly in chaos, which led to his dazed behavior just now.

The only one to blame is this person for being too careless. If he had used defensive techniques, Song Xian wouldn't have been able to strike so easily. He thought he had victory in his grasp and never imagined that the mantis was stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

"Who...who...are you?" The bearded man stared intently at him. If looks could kill, Song Xian would already be riddled with holes.

"Who I am is not important. Answer my questions, and I might consider sparing your life." Song Xian said expressionlessly. He was deliberately keeping this person alive in order to extract information about the organization and power behind this person.

The bearded man's eyes were filled with hatred, like a wild beast ready to devour Song Xian whole. However, his will to survive prevailed. After hearing these words, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, as if a drowning person had seen a lifeline.

"What...do you...want...to...know?"

"Tell me your identity, your background, and why you attacked that person?"

“I…I’m a rogue cultivator, and I have a grudge against him.”

"I'm giving you one last chance. Don't force me to use the Soul Searching Technique." Song Xian threatened coldly. In reality, he didn't know the Soul Searching Technique; he was just intimidating him.

But the man looked terrified: "Okay, I... I'll talk. I am... I am a cultivator from Yinyuan Island, acting on the orders of the Ancestor. The Ancestor ordered us to auction ghost crystals at the eastern market of Muhe Grassland, and instructed us to secretly watch whoever buys them. Whoever buys them, we must kill them and take everything from their body and hand it over."

Song Xian had never heard of Yinyuan Island before, but he guessed it must be a considerable force. The owner of the bead must be the Yinyuan Island patriarch mentioned by this person, which was basically consistent with his previous speculation.

"Where is Yinyuan Island? Who is this ancestor you mentioned? What is his cultivation level?"

"Yinyuan Island... is located above Jinhai. The ancestor here calls himself Yinquan Shangren and is a renowned Nascent Soul cultivator. He left a mark on our bodies. If you kill me, the ancestor will find you through the mark in my body. We have no enmity. If you are after money, feel free to take my storage bag. Just let me go, and this matter will be considered as if it never happened."

A Nascent Soul cultivator! Song Xian was startled. He was indeed a big shot. He hadn't expected the owner of the bead to have such a powerful background.

He felt even more uneasy. If the other party found out that the bead had fallen into his hands, he would surely be reduced to ashes without a doubt.

Yin Quan—just hearing that name tells you he's definitely not an easy person to deal with.

In the eyes of a Nascent Soul cultivator, a Foundation Establishment cultivator is no different from an ant. How can a person tolerate something as insignificant as an ant stealing their belongings, especially since this bead contains such a great secret?

As for Jinhai, he knew what kind of place it was. It was located at the junction of the three kingdoms of Han, Zhao, and Wei, a no-man's-land. Jinhai was very vast, bordering Han, Zhao, and Wei, with numerous islands and deeply entrenched powers.

The neighboring states of Zhao and Wei, unlike Qin, were not dominated by the single state of Qianqingzong. They were severely divided and fought each other for many years, making them powerless to subdue the forces along the Jin coast.

Furthermore, although the neighboring Zhao state has a behemoth like the Xuanxian Sect that dominates the cultivation forces within its territory, it is powerless to unify the Jinhai forces.

This was because, although the states of Han and Wei were fighting amongst themselves, they were also wary of the state of Zhao and did not want them to unify the Jin and Hai regions, thus threatening their own interests.

Therefore, whenever the State of Zhao wanted to send troops to conquer the various forces in Jinhai, the States of Han and Wei would interfere. In addition, the various forces in Jinhai were not weak, and they would unite when faced with foreign invasion. Thus, an independent kingdom-like existence was formed in Jinhai.

Song Hai never expected that the owner of the bead was a powerful lord in Jin Hai. But why was the bead hidden on Xingmo Sea Island, so far away from Jin Hai? This is another mystery.

"How many people did that Yin Quan Shangren arrange for on the Muhe Grassland?"

"There are twenty people in total, divided into two teams. One team is responsible for auctioning ghost crystals at auctions in various markets. The patriarch instructed that anyone who buys a ghost crystal must be eliminated. I don't know the specific mission of the other team, I only know that they seem to be looking for something."

"Who are you two leading this pair? What is your cultivation level? Where are you now?"

"Our leader is a disciple of the Ancestor, a Golden Core cultivator surnamed Chu, who calls himself Mountain Eagle. I don't know where he is now, but he'll contact me if he needs anything. If it's urgent, you can find his contact in Tianxing City."

"Why did he make you auction off the ghost crystals, and then kill the buyers?"

"I do not know."

"You're not being honest?" Song Xian narrowed his eyes.

"No, no. I'll tell you everything." The man's will to survive prevailed over everything: "The ancestor is looking for the Ghost Spirit Pearl."

The Ghost Spirit Pearl, so that's what the pearl was called. Song Xian thought to himself, but pretended not to know: "What is the Ghost Spirit Pearl?"

"I don't know, I really don't know. I only know that it was a dark green bead, an ancestor's treasure, which was stolen by Yin Tianhua."

Song Xian did not doubt his words. The Ghost Spirit Pearl was such a big secret that the Yin Quan Ancestor would naturally not tell a mere Foundation Establishment disciple: "Who is Yin Tianhua?"

"He was originally the Ancestor's disciple. Taking advantage of the Ancestor's absence, he stole the Ghost Spirit Pearl. The Ancestor eventually found him, but he hid the Ghost Spirit Pearl on a small island in the Ink Star Sea. The Ancestor couldn't find the Ghost Spirit Pearl, so he sent us to search for clues."
So that's how it is. Song Xian was wondering why such an important thing would be placed on that small island, but he didn't expect it was due to infighting between master and disciple, and that there was a traitor in the family.

"Why did Yin Tianhua steal the Ghost Spirit Pearl?"

"I don't know. I only know that the Ghost Spirit Pearl was originally guarded by the Ghost Mother. Yin Tianhua took advantage of the Ancestor's absence to snatch it from the Ghost Mother."

What is the Demon Mother?

"It's a powerful ghost creature nurtured by the ancestor. Oh, and the Ghost Mother gave birth to a ghost infant before, which was also taken away by Yin Tianhua..."

Song Xian suddenly realized that the ghost infant was actually born from the ghost mother, but he had never heard of a ghost being able to give birth to a child. This ghost mother must also be a strange thing.

What the man didn't know was that the Ghost Mother was actually Feng Xuejuan, another disciple of the Yin Quan Patriarch. However, this was not something the man deliberately concealed; apart from Yin Tianhua, no one else knew about it.

It turns out that the Old Ancestor of Yinquan had taken in two disciples in his early years, one named Feng Xuejuan and the other named Yin Tianhua. At that time, they were not yet the Pearl of Yinyuan Island, nor did they have such high cultivation levels.

Once, Feng Xuejuan accidentally discovered a ruin and told Yin Quan Lao Zu about it. The two later found many treasures in the ruin, including the Ghost Spirit Pearl.

No one knew the origin of the Ghost Spirit Pearl. In fact, the two of them did not know the secret of the Ghost Spirit Pearl until a chance encounter revealed that the Ghost Spirit Pearl could absorb the crystal core of ghosts and expel the spiritual milk of a hundred years.

To keep this secret, the Old Ancestor of Yinquan imprisoned Feng Xuejuan and used a secret method obtained from the ruins to refine her into a special ghost, and then used this ghost to spawn a bunch of ghosts.

Feng Xuejuan always respected the Yin Quan Patriarch and obeyed his every command, and she never told anyone about this matter.

However, the Yin Quan Ancestor was unaware that Feng Xuejuan had a habit since childhood: she liked to record important events and put them in a secret box known only to herself.

This secret was known only to Yin Tianhua, his childhood sweetheart, but he never told him.

Therefore, even Feng Xuejuan herself did not know that Yin Tianhua knew her secret.

Although the Old Ancestor Yin Quan was ruthless, he couldn't bring himself to reveal that he had turned his disciple into a ghost in order to keep the secret. So he announced to the public that Feng Xuejuan had gone missing and been killed while on a mission.

Yin Tianhua secretly read the records in Feng Xuejuan's secret box. He not only learned about the two of them going to the secret realm ruins together to obtain treasures, but also about the function of the Ghost Spirit Pearl. Therefore, after Feng Xuejuan disappeared, he suspected the Yin Quan Ancestor and eventually found out that the Yin Quan Ancestor imprisoned her and used a secret method to refine her into a Ghost Mother.

Yin Tianhua was a cunning and calculating man. Although he discovered the truth, he did not make a fuss. Instead, he silently endured it and waited for an opportunity to take revenge.

While continuing to act as if nothing had happened and remaining respectful to the Old Ancestor Yin Quan, he also investigated the Old Ancestor Yin Quan's secrets and weaknesses.

It is unclear whether it was due to his unusual behavior over the years that leaked information and aroused the suspicion of the Yin Quan Ancestor, or for some other reason.

One day, the Old Ancestor Yinquan found him and claimed that he would teach him a secret technique.

That secret technique was something that Feng Xuejuan and the Yin Quan Ancestor had obtained in the secret realm ruins. When Feng Xuejuan was imprisoned and refined by the Yin Quan Ancestor into a Ghost Mother, she was also taught this secret technique to cultivate.

Yin Tianhua guessed that the Yin Quan Ancestor was about to make a move against him. Knowing that his time was running out, he pretended to practice the technique while looking for an opportunity.

Finally, during one of Yin Quan Lao Zu's absences, he found an opportunity to go to the place where Feng Xuejuan was cultivating. He originally intended to take Feng Xuejuan away and then find a way to restore her sanity.

However, he did not expect that he had been completely controlled by the Yin Quan Ancestor. After a battle, Yin Tianhua snatched the ghost infant that had been born from the Ghost Mother's body and the Ghost Spirit Pearl. He then fled Yin Yuan Island and arrived at Muhe Grassland.

Because the mark of the Yin Quan Ancestor was not completely removed from his body, he knew that the Yin Quan Ancestor would not let him go, and he also sensed that the Yin Quan Ancestor was about to find him, so he hid the ghost baby and the bead.

(End of this chapter)