"Sssss..."
Half an incense stick's time passed, and the Soul Search concluded.
Xie Xuanyi opened his eyes.
He looked down at the wispy soul he clenched in his palm.
The ghostly soul dissipated, turning into ash, gradually scattering with the wind.
In the end, all Xie Xuanyi held was a strand of soul, as frail as leftover fluff.
Only a shred of remaining soul meant that Xu You had indeed died completely, his path extinguished. Even if a powerful Ghost Cultivator capable of "refining corpses to revive souls" were to act, they could not use this mere wisp to bring him back to life.
"Bai Ze the Great Sage..."
Xie Xuanyi lowered his head, gazing at the withered phalanx bone as he sank into contemplation.
He had indeed heard of this Demon Saint's renown. A paramount figure who commandeered the heavenly winds a millennium ago, the conflict between the Human Race and the Demon Race back then seemed not as severe as today. The Da Sui Sword Palace's archives mentioned that Bai Ze the Great Sage roamed the world, forging good relationships broadly, and was friends with many Great Practitioners.
As such, Bai Ze's Grotto Heavens were scattered across four territories, numbering more than one.
However, after his life came to an end, these Grotto Heavens seemingly vanished... Over the past thousand years, not a single one had appeared in the world.
Was this phalanx bone a relic left behind by Bai Ze the Great Sage?
The information contained within Xu You's Divine Soul was extensive. Xie Xuanyi briefly organized it.
The Primordial Energy in Lichao City was abnormal, suggesting a Saint Secret Realm might soon emerge.
This news should have been tightly sealed, yet the Demon Country knew of it—
There must be a traitor within the high ranks of Qing State.
The truth behind the "Eight Hundred Miles Ban" now surfaced: The Imperial City Office was responsible for monitoring the four territories, and the Primordial Instrument captured the will of Heaven. Although the Demon Country had received the intel, the Imperial City had also detected Qing State's anomalies. Hence, a strict inspection command was issued to completely seal off the Qing State border.
Xie Xuanyi let out a quiet laugh, tucking the phalanx bone into his bosom.
"Interesting."
He murmured softly, "Ten years have gone by, those old fellows in the Imperial City should have stepped down by now... Is it that guy who now manages the 'Primordial Instrument'?"
The phalanx bone of Bai Ze the Great Sage was a fine treasure.
The Demon Cultivators had received the intel from Qing State but dared not trust it easily.
Before taking action, they wanted to ascertain whether the Secret Realm was indeed left by Bai Ze the Demon Saint... Hence the urgent and secretive mission of delivering the bone.
But now.
The most crucial token was in his own hands.
And what was most amusing was that, due to the pressure exerted by Da Chu, the Demon Race spies seemed to require an "identity proof" to make contact.
This meant that.
As long as Xie Xuanyi could prove he was "Yi San," then he truly would be.
Xie Xuanyi crouched in front of Xu You's body, looking at the empty shell without a soul, and spoke lightly, "Xu You, oh Xu You... Dying at my hand, you have indeed died with value."
If it had been someone else, the first thing they would do would be to hand over the token.
The rules of the Imperial City Office are strict, with clear rewards and punishments.
Surrendering the token, one would surely receive a grand reward!
But... Xie Xuanyi was not like others; he has always disliked following the rules.
"What exactly is 'Yi San's' identity proof?"
Xie Xuanyi narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on Xu You for a moment.
He recalled the fragments of memory from the Soul Search earlier: the sovereign in black summoning Xu You in the spiritual world. Xu You knelt in reverence, and to have such a soul communication across thousands of miles was not easy—there must be something special that could serve as the "bridge" for their spirits to connect.
Xie Xuanyi snapped his fingers.
The Primordial Energy of the Green Yuan Pill, scattered in the atmosphere, ignited with a hiss, streaking towards Xu You's remains.
In an instant, the body was ablaze!
And after dozens of breaths later.
Xu You was thoroughly turned to ash. Not just the soul this time, but the flesh as well.
Robes became powder.
Corpse ashes to dust.
Yet faintly visible, a small object glistened with a dim light.
"This ring is also a treasure... but it isn't his life-bound item."
Xie Xuanyi found what he had been looking for.
He slipped on the ring and tried to activate it.
But with just the slightest intrusion of a thread of Divine Thought, the ring instantly lit up with a crimson glow!
Inside it were set a full ten array patterns!
When the Demon Country had handed over the "treasure," they had anticipated the current situation; if Yi San were to encounter an accident and unfortunately died, this ring would absolutely not reveal any secrets!
Because once an "unfamiliar Divine Thought" invaded in an attempt to open the spiritual space inside the treasure, the ring would immediately destroy itself!
But unfortunately.
Years ago, Xie Xuanyi had seen exactly the same trick.
"Indeed, this is the proof of 'Yi San.' The Demon Country has marked Xu You's Divine Soul."
Xie Xuanyi raised an eyebrow.
Previously, when he had crushed Xu You's Divine Soul, he had intentionally held back... Now the thread of the remaining soul wrapped around Xie Xuanyi's palm was injected into the ring!
The ring's flickering strange light gradually subsided to calm.
"Now, who is Yi San, Yi San is who?"
Having done all this, Xie Xuanyi laughed mockingly.
The unease weighing on his heart finally dissipated.
The Primordial Instrument of Great Chu Imperial City could capture fate and detect cause and effect.
On the Demon Country's side, they also possessed the same methods.
The black-robed venerable who had designated the plan to deliver the bone had found the "safest" route into the border relying on fate calculations... but he could never have imagined that choosing this way to cross the border would bring about a complete turnaround to the mission. Bai Ze's saintly bone was successfully delivered into Yi San's hands, but Yi San was now a different person!
To kill Xu You and obtain the token.
From this moment on, Xie Xuanyi had gone from prey to hunter.
The Broken Origin Array, with a corner torn open by the finger bone, was continuously leaking Primordial Energy... To kill Xu You, Xie Xuanyi had crushed two Green Yuan Pills, and there was some residual Primordial Energy from this pill.
Each thread, each wisp, should not be taken for granted.
This energy must not be wasted.
Xie Xuanyi sat cross-legged, absorbed the remaining energy of the two Green Yuan Pills, and due to the energy loss in the course of the battle, the pills only ignited nine acupuncture points.
Now a total of forty-three acupuncture points had been ignited.
There were sixty-five acupuncture points that remained unlit.
During the process of meditative breathing, Xie Xuanyi faintly sensed an "abnormality" in his body... Forty-five acupuncture points being ignited, with golden Primordial Energy entrenched within, burning brightly like torches. This energy followed the meridians congregating toward his Dantian.
This was the most important place for a cultivator!
When the Primordial Energy accumulated here reaches a certain quantity, it would undergo a qualitative change.
Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Qi Control... and then Grotto Heaven.
The seemingly weak human body, upon incorporating Primordial Energy, becomes an infinite treasure trove.
Igniting acupuncture points, sublimating sinew and bone, harnessing Primordial Energy.
Afterward, the cultivator would open a "Grotto Heaven" within their body.
Upon achieving this step, the cultivator would have already left the mortal world behind and, if they wished, could entirely subsist on fasting, feeding solely on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, storing Primordial Energy within the Dantian's Grotto Heaven.
If not engaging in worldly strife, their lifespan could be extended to three cycles of sixty years.
Under normal circumstances.
For a Qi Refining Master, cultivation merely involves igniting acupuncture points, with no transformations occurring at the location of the Dantian...
However, Xie Xuanyi felt the golden Primordial Energy splitting off part of its power and heading toward the Dantian location!
The "Grotto Heaven" he had once condensed was no longer to be seen.
Yet the empty Dantian was now gathering strands of golden energy!
These energies appeared like wisps of silk, extremely thin, but there was a vague feeling that they were conglomerating into the shape of a "droplet."
"There is still too little Primordial Energy."
Xie Xuanyi shook his head, dismissing stray thoughts.
He did not concern himself with what these golden energies could possibly condense into...
There were still some "cleanup" tasks to be completed.
Xie Xuanyi looked up at the sky.
With a dark moon and a strong breeze, the night was deep, an excellent time for silencing.
Xu You was dead...
But Shen Yan was still alive.