Cultivating the Immeasurable Heavenly Axis Soul Severing Technique resulted in a distinction between myriad fragmented souls and the primordial soul. Previously, within the Ring Mountain of Eastern Eternal Continent, Li Fan had only found memories within the myriad fragmented souls. The truly important primordial soul had remained elusive.
It wasn't until now, with Falling to the Mortal Realm, the white ring, completely obliterating Ring Mountain, that the hidden primordial soul finally revealed itself.
Unlike the countless spirit flowers scattered outside, the soul flowers hidden within Ring Mountain seemed to remain dormant. Even with direct contact, they offered no resistance.
As these soul flowers were exposed due to the destruction of their hiding place, they instinctively gathered, slowly coalescing into a single, enormous, luminous white flower. The countless spirit flowers scattered throughout the Ring Mountain area, as if finding their core, began to revolve around the glowing white flower.
Within the rising storm, the primordial soul flower gradually began to resemble the other spirit flowers, seemingly attempting to conceal itself in this manner.
Unfortunately, the moment Ring Mountain crumbled and the soul flowers scattered, Li Fan's immense divine consciousness had already locked onto them. Such a clumsy illusion could not deceive him.
But Li Fan soon realized he was mistaken. When his divine consciousness contacted one of the primordial soul flowers, the image transmitted felt familiar. It was the same image he had encountered within the ordinary spirit flowers!
"Indeed, quite ingenious. Even under my lock, it can silently swap and transfer…"
Looking at the trillions of flowers before him, Li Fan snorted. "However, now that I've discovered you, how can I let you escape?!"
"You hide within an endless sea of flowers? Then I'll boil the sea! Xuanhuang World-Ending Transformation: Heaven's Punishment, Earth's Destruction, Soul Convergence, Life Condensation!"
A monstrous baleful aura suddenly surged from Li Fan. His eyes turned pitch black, the aura solidifying into countless tiny tentacles swaying in the wind. Within this black baleful aura, faint streaks of lightning could be seen, as if heavenly punishment had descended to obliterate all life!
This was one of the transformations of Li Fan's Xuanhuang World-Ending Transformation. When the Xuanhuang World faced utter destruction, for its own survival, it would annihilate all life within, absorbing their flesh and souls to bolster its chances against the world-ending crisis. This transformation was even more extreme than the Heaven and Earth Silent Extinction, All Creation Frozen that Li Fan had used before. It was an all-or-nothing gamble, a transformation of survival where nothing but himself remained.
Boundless black clouds gathered in the sky above Eastern Eternal Continent. This was the Heavenly Dao's reaction to the extreme transformation taking place. Li Fan sensed that because of this world-altering transformation, the Xuanhuang World's attitude towards him was rapidly deteriorating. The goodwill he had painstakingly accumulated vanished almost instantly.
But Li Fan didn't care.
The baleful aura tentacles continued to branch out, wrapping around every spirit flower they could reach and piercing them. One by one, the spirit flowers withered.
Simultaneously, streams of pure yet strangely tinged energy, mixed with fragmented memories, were absorbed and concentrated. Some belonged to Ji Yuzhen, others to cultivators who had perished there.
Li Fan categorized and organized the memories belonging to Ji Yuzhen, gradually piecing together a complete picture. At the same time, he focused intently, waiting for the primordial soul to be revealed. The immortal techniques of the Profound Heaven Sect each held their own secrets. To be safe, Li Fan didn't greedily absorb the energy converted from the spirit flowers directly. Instead, he gathered it, sealing it with Source Power Essence.
The black tentacles danced wildly. The sea of flowers vanished at a visible rate.
Soon, the first primordial soul, unable to hide any longer, was found by Li Fan. He didn't drain or destroy the soul but peered into the memories hidden within.
Boom!
Images flashed like a whirlwind. A white light flickered, obscuring the scene like looking through fog.
"Zhen'er, have you memorized the method to activate the Golden Chains Across the Void Formation?" the Xuanhuang King's voice echoed, his face hidden within the white light.
"Brother Xuanyuan, do you think I'm that foolish?" Ji Yuzhen teased.
The Xuanhuang King quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, Zhen'er. I know your talent is no less than mine. However, this formation is modified from an immortal formation. The difference between immortals and mortals is difficult to grasp without personal experience."
"Since Brother Xuanyuan is so worried, then teach me again," Ji Yuzhen said softly.
"Uh… alright." The Xuanhuang King hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
He spoke in a serious tone, "Golden Chains Across the Void, spanning the heavens. Even if the target is at the distant end of the Star Sea, once locked on, the chains can instantly reach and capture it."
"As I've told you before, this is achievable because of the embedded Horizon at Hand Grand Formation. This formation was originally inscribed within the Ascension Platform in the Immortal Realm. When I escaped, I brought the entire immortal formation with me…"
Ji Yuzhen looked at Xuanyuan Hong, picturing him collecting immortal artifacts while fleeing, and chuckled again. "Even though it's not the first time I've heard this, it's still hard to imagine Brother Xuanyuan being this kind of person."
Xuanyuan Hong coughed awkwardly. "The Immortal Realm suffered a calamity that would clearly affect the lower realms. Naturally, I had to make preparations. Besides, they were already ownerless…"
The Xuanhuang King justified himself earnestly, then continued his explanation. "Due to the spatiotemporal distortions in the Dark Star Sea, the location of a cultivation world observed by the Eye of the Celestial Beast might deviate slightly from its actual position. Therefore, adjustments are necessary when using the Golden Chains to capture a target. Currently, there's no effective way to resolve this deviation, so it relies entirely on the operator's experience and intuition."
"The Horizon at Hand Grand Formation consumes a vast amount of energy. After each use, it requires repairs and replenishment. However, there's no need to worry about damage. I've replicated three copies of the core components. At most, the capture efficiency will decrease, but it won't affect the formation's functionality…"
The Xuanhuang King explained meticulously, and Ji Yuzhen listened attentively. However, her gaze remained fixed on Xuanyuan Hong's face, never wavering.
…
Returning to reality from the memory, Li Fan carefully sealed the primordial soul. He then turned his attention to the remaining sea of flowers.
As more and more incorrect options were eliminated, the collection of primordial souls accelerated. Ji Yuzhen's memories surfaced one after another.
…
A vague image of a secret chamber appeared. Ji Yuzhen and Xuanyuan Hong stood facing each other.
"Brother Xuanyuan, have you finally come to your senses, inviting me here alone?" Ji Yuzhen's beautiful eyes rippled as she gazed at the Xuanhuang King.
"Don't be silly, Zhen'er. There's serious business today," Xuanyuan Hong said sternly. "The other eleven brothers have all chosen their immortal techniques. Only you remain undecided…"
"I've said, I want you to choose for me," Ji Yuzhen interrupted.
Xuanyuan Hong sighed. "I've called you here precisely for this matter."
"Have you chosen for me, Brother Xuanyuan?"
"The Immeasurable Heavenly Axis Soul Severing Technique. Even among the many immortal techniques I've collected, this one is top-tier. It allows for the division of the soul into countless fragments, achieving virtual immortality. More importantly, it allows for the cultivation and division of the primordial soul, with each primordial soul capable of embarking on its own path to immortality…" the Xuanhuang King explained.
"I trust you, Brother. I'll cultivate this one," Ji Yuzhen decided before the Xuanhuang King could finish.
Xuanyuan Hong paused, then nodded slightly. He pointed at his forehead, and dark characters flew out. He closed his eyes, his expression calm, though his brows furrowed occasionally as if enduring great pain.
"The soul is the flower of life. As the soul travels through the void, its brilliance is like the fresh green of spring willows, abundant yet not chaotic, divisible yet capable of merging..."
The moment she saw the floating dark characters, a profoundly esoteric cultivation technique appeared in her mind. It wasn't just the content of the technique, but also countless memories and insights from cultivating it. Although she was just beginning, it felt as if she had reincarnated hundreds of times, cultivating this technique countless times.
After an unknown period, the dark characters slowly returned to the Xuanhuang King's mindscape.
"Brother Xuanyuan, are you alright?" Ji Yuzhen rushed forward with concern.
A myriad of grotesque faces flashed across the Xuanhuang King's face, attempting to take over, but ultimately reverted back to his original appearance.
"Brother Xuanyuan, you could have simply transcribed the technique. Why use this method of inheritance?" Ji Yuzhen's voice held a hint of blame.
The Xuanhuang King sighed. "Zhen'er, the complexities of immortal techniques far surpass those of the lower realms. Although you are talented, without guided inheritance, it would take you over a decade to grasp the basics of the Soul Severing Technique. We don't have that much time…"
Ji Yuzhen remained silent.
The Xuanhuang King continued, "Moreover, judging by the cultivation progress of the other brothers, the difference between those who received inheritance and those who didn't is significant. It must be a limitation of the techniques within the Azure Netherworld Pearl."
"This Azure Netherworld Pearl might not be a good thing," Ji Yuzhen snorted.
The Xuanhuang King disagreed. "There is no good or evil in techniques, only in the cultivators who use them. The same applies to the Azure Netherworld Pearl."
"Its ability to absorb the corpses of fallen cultivators and extract the cultivation techniques they practiced in life is a testament to its extraordinary nature."
"It's a pity I obtained it too late. I could only hastily scan the nearby corpses before fleeing," the Xuanhuang King said with regret.
…
Scenes flashed through Li Fan's mind, depicting the life of Ji Yuzhen, Law King of the Profound Heaven Sect. Compared to the fragments preserved within the spirit flowers, the memories within the primordial soul were more complete, and they involved many secrets of the Profound Heaven Sect and the Xuanhuang King.
For instance, the origin of the immortal techniques cultivated by the Law Kings, the mysterious Azure Netherworld Pearl, the method to activate and control the Golden Chains Across the Void, a sub-formation of the Floating Ferry Grand Formation, and the interactions between Ji Yuzhen and Xuanyuan Hong.
However, Li Fan was puzzled that even these memories within the primordial soul were incomplete. Certain crucial segments were missing.
Li Fan scanned his surroundings, ensuring no stray spirit flowers remained. "Did it escape while I wasn't paying attention, or… were those primordial souls simply not preserved?"
From Ji Yuzhen's memories, Li Fan obtained the complete Immeasurable Heavenly Axis Soul Severing Technique. Although he lacked the guided inheritance and couldn't begin cultivating it immediately, he now had a general understanding of the immortal technique.
Besides its ability to divide the soul into countless fragments, achieving virtual immortality, the primordial soul had another, even greater purpose. After achieving Dao Integration, it could be used as a catalyst. Whether consumed by oneself or others, it could seamlessly merge and fuse two distinct Dao paths.
True Immortals pursued a single Great Dao. The Great Dao was singular. It not only repelled other cultivators pursuing the same path but also made it difficult to cultivate two different Dao paths simultaneously. The Soul Severing Technique, however, could cleverly circumvent this limitation.
Compared to this incredible Dao Fusion ability, the healing properties of consuming a primordial soul were insignificant.
"In the memories I obtained earlier, when the Xuanhuang King was injured, Ji Yuzhen considered feeding him her primordial soul."
"Now, with her most important primordial souls missing, could it be that she found the Xuanhuang King in his final moments and sacrificed herself for him?"
Li Fan couldn't help but speculate. Ji Yuzhen was clearly deeply in love with the Xuanhuang King. However, for unknown reasons, Xuanyuan Hong never reciprocated her affections and even deliberately kept his distance. Sacrificing herself to save the Xuanhuang King was entirely within Ji Yuzhen's character.
"Xuanhuang King…" Li Fan murmured, looking up at the sky. The dark clouds gathering above the Xuanhuang World had reached their limit, as if they might collapse at any moment.
Having absorbed all of Ji Yuzhen's scattered soul fragments, Li Fan deactivated the Heaven's Punishment, Earth's Destruction transformation. He vanished in a flash. The celestial phenomenon dissipated along with him.
The cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, previously blocked by an invisible barrier, finally arrived. Upon discovering the vanished Ring Mountain and spirit flowers, they were shocked and immediately reported to Alliance Headquarters.
…
Li Fan didn't go after Mo Rubing immediately. Instead, he entered seclusion to process the memories from Ji Yuzhen's soul. The life of a Law King, even with crucial parts missing, was still incredibly vast. Especially within the primordial soul, not just memories, but also the thoughts and emotions of that time were contained. While peering into them, he was inevitably affected by these emotions.
To prevent being influenced and potentially possessed by Ji Yuzhen, Li Fan had to pause after each memory segment to erase the lingering emotions.
"The memories of Ji Yuzhen's first encounter with the Xuanhuang King are also missing. It seems that's the key reason why she fell in love with him, one of her most cherished memories."
"However, Ji Yuzhen's memories of the other eleven Law Kings remain."
(End of Chapter)