Chapter 72 - Soul-Locking Formation

If my life was a game, the situation I was experiencing could be explained in a straightforward way.***Current mind status: Stunned.Current Qi reserves: 0%Current Soul status: Staring at the colossal monster's Soul in fear.Current height: High. Above cloud layer.Current speed: High. Climbing rapidly.Current direction: Down.***In short, my life was going downward, fast. I didn't have a single point of Qi to slow my descent, not that it would matter. I was unable to do anything concerning magic while the beast stared at me. I had to do everything in my power just to stop my Soul from escaping my body. Which it tried to do. The beast was that scary."HEY! What are you doing?! Wake up! We are going to crash!"[Oh, look whose here… Had a nice nap? You came just in time to see my demise.] I smiled a bit. For some reason, I felt no emotion. The fear was gone, replaced by acceptance.I even felt like singing as the ground rapidly grew in my vision.♫[Sing with me now, sing for a year…Sing for the laughter, and sing for the tear…Sing with me now, if it's just for today…]♫For some reason though, the old ghost didn't like it. Oh, well…"Stop fooling around and do som-!"I crashed through the canopy like a meteorite and smashed into the soft earth. I quietly groaned. My head felt bloated, and it hurt.And no, I didn't die despite falling for thousands of meters, it wasn't even close. I don't know why some novels made it seem like falling from a great height was dangerous even to Cultivators. Those people could break massive boulders with their hands and were getting smacked all over the place in their battles. Crashing into the ground at 200km/h was nothing in comparison.I slowly climbed out of the hole I made. It took me quite an effort without Qi, not to mention arms and legs felt like jelly. I suddenly collapsed. Each movement was agony, and that was before the monster inside did anything. Just being in its presence robbed me of the will to live.It would be best if I just let things go, and take a short nap..."Don't you dare! If you give up now then it's over!"[But I'm so… What am I? I feel nothing…]I suddenly roared in pain and curled into a ball, clutching my head. It had begun. My Soul was struck directly, cracking all over. The pain was way worse than anything I ever felt before."Calm down! Listen to me! I can help you contain the Black Troll's Soul. Just listen to my instructions and draw a Formation." I heard Long Dong speak in my head. He appeared in my Sea of Consciousness and struck the beast. He appeared so small in comparison, yet his action helped releases some pressure on me. I could think and move again. But it didn't really have the time to think. I needed to do something, fast![I'll do it! Tell me, quickly!]"Okay! First, get some ink…"[I don't have any ink!]"Use your blood!"[Right!] I cut my forearm, with difficulty, obviously, and got it running down my finger I would be using like a brush.I could see Long Dong trying to contain the Black Troll inside my Sea of Consciousness. Golden chains shot out of his hands and coiled around the beast's Soul, but they weren't strong enough and were breaking just as fast as he was making them. He wouldn't be able to hold it like that for long, I could already tell he was tired."Okay, now, listen to my precise instructions..."I zoned out as my finger drew lines and Runes with my own blood over the forest floor. The formation was massive, and I began feeling lightheaded on top of the headache. But eventually, I was done. I sat down in the middle of the Soul-Locking Formation, as the old ghost called it, and waited for further instructions."Okay, now draw this symbol in the middle of your chest…"A symbol flashed in my mind and I quickly drew it, feeling some sort of connection with the formation beneath."Fucking finally! I was barely holding on here." The old ghost laughed. His laugh sounded odd, it was different than usual.[Is it done?]He didn't answer and instead abandoned the fight with the monster and began making weird symbols with his hands, while burning his Soul, I think. I wasn't exactly sure. What I knew though, was that the formation outside suddenly came to life.It first glowed crimson, but then quickly turned purple, then blue, and lastly, white. A dozen chains grew out of it and coiled around me, but they weren't real chains, more like an illusion. Ethereal chains. They sank into my body, and at the same time, I saw them enter my Sea of Consciousness. They came from all directions and went straight for Long Dong and coiled around him.[Hey, what's happening? I thought it was supposed to contain the monster?]"It is!" He grinned, and then the chains turned golden and rushed at the remnant of the Black Troll. The beast roared, the sound giving me a headache, but the chains effortlessly bound it in place and anchored it into the space around it. Nine golden chains were used for that, and the beast was already completely immobilized. At the same time, all the pressure on my mind disappeared, and I felt as if the creature wasn't even there.[Hey! We did it! Nice job!] I celebrated.Long Dong just smiled, three chains still in his hands. "No, I did it. Not everything went to plan, of course, but what can you do? Life is tricky like that."I frowned. [What do you mean?]"Don't make this harder than it needs to be, alright?" The old ghost grinned. "Don't resist, it will be less painful that way."My eyes opened wide. His plan? What was he…? I didn't have time to think. The remaining golden chains rushed at me, coiled around me, and then my consciousness ceased to be.***A man sat in a lotus position on the forest floor, black markings of a formation around already crumbling to dust. The body had no pulse, no breath, no Aura, no Qi. Until it did. The body of the man suddenly took a breath and violently opened its eyes.He looked around, appearing confused. He looked at his hands and then at the place around him."YES! Finally! Ahahaha!" He jumped on his feet and burst out laughing. He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Qi moved towards him like a flood and his body became energized with it."Aaaah~! It's been too long!" He opened his eyes and Golden Qi poured out of his hands, coating them entirely."It's so easy! What a marvelous body! It's even better than I had hoped for!" He walked to one of the massive Ironbarks towering above him, and lifted his hand. The golden glow intensified, and his palm turned into a blade."Hah!" He struck. The blade went through the hardwood as if it wasn't even there. The entirety of the trunk was sliced through, yet due to the nature of the cut, the tree didn't even move.The man's body then began to glow and he jumped up, 20 meters in the air, and spun like a hurricane, landing a kick on the side of the trunk. An explosion shook the forest as the 5-meter trunk was blasted to pieces and the tree itself was pushed over, collapsing with a thunderous boom.The man smiled and clenched his fists, satisfied. He landed on the ground and noticed movement from the corner of his eye."Oh, it's you…" He turned to face the creature. "What did the boy call you again? A Wendigo? Hehehe, and a Golden Core beast no less…" He grinned. "Perfect."The three-meter tall skinny creature huffed and its body began to glow a similar golden color. I lowered its head and brought its claws and antlers forward, seemingly ready to attack."Dare challenge me?!" The man roared and his body exploded forward, leaving behind a cloud of dust. "Perish, foolish creature!"His hand pierced the Wendigo with a loud boom, disregarding the barrier, completely breaking it like it wasn't even there. Then another hand found its way into the creature's chest and subsequently tore its ribcage open, revealing the organs and blood.The Wendigo howled in pain, but the man just grinned. His hand shot forward as his eyes found their mark. His fingers clenched around a small spherical thing and yanked it out."That's a nice Golden Core you have there, buddy! You don't mind if I take it, right?" The man laughed as he wiped the creature's core into his gray robe and stored it in his pocket. "Now, let's not waste the rest, shall we?"He extended his hands and the beating heart of the Wendigo suddenly froze. The creature's eyes went wide and then stilled. Its body was suddenly compressed into a ball with a sickening crunch and then began to decay. Gray dust formed as hair, skin, flesh, and bones fell apart, leaving tiny golden specks behind. Those golden specks then assembled and formed a sphere of golden color, the size of a chicken egg."Hmm… Good stuff, however…" The sphere was suddenly engulfed in golden flames and began to burn. Black smoke came out of it and flashed crimson before disappearing into nothing. That lasted a few minutes, and in the end, the golden sphere shrunk down to the size of a cherry."Golden Essence. It's been so long since I tasted it…" The man threw it into his mouth and closed his eyes for a bit. After opening them again, he released a satisfied sigh. "Ah~! Delicious. But…" He turned and looked around the jungle, his eyes turning sky-blue with specks of gold. "I need more! Come to me, my beauties!"He then dashed in a random direction, his mad laugh, desperate screams, and sounds of slaughter filling the air.