Translator: CinderTL
"Though their corpses lack blood essence and divine souls, the spiritual power within their bodies remains potent. This is excellent material for refining cultivation-enhancing pills—we can't afford to waste it. We must absorb their spiritual power as quickly as possible."
Chi Pei muttered to himself, his hands forming seals. Spiritual light flickered at his fingertips as he conjured runes, which he then cast toward the two corpses.
He was sealing the bodies to slow the dissipation of their spiritual power.
However, no matter how strong the seal, the spiritual power within the corpses would eventually leak away.
The best approach was to absorb their spiritual power swiftly to prevent waste.
Suddenly, Chi Pei heard the sound of air being torn behind him—someone was approaching through the sky.
Turning, he discovered the newcomer was none other than Ye Hua.
"Young master, you're really here! I heard the sounds of battle and thought it might be you, so I came to investigate. I never expected to actually find you!"
Ye Hua's face lit up with joy, as if he had found a lifeline.
After all, this area bordered the core region of the Rotting Miasma Ridge, still fraught with peril for a nascent soul cultivator like himself.
Chi Pei merely glanced at Song Wen before dismissing him, continuing to seal the corpses of Tang Gui and Sang Bu.
As Song Wen approached, Chi Pei had just finished sealing the two corpses into his storage ring.
Song Wen's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight.
"Tang Gui, Sang Bu... have both Seniors fallen?"
Chi Pei replied, "The Blood-Eyed Divine Ape and Azure Profound Dove relentlessly pursued the three of us. To protect me, these two Seniors tragically lost their lives. I intend to bring their bodies back to Veiled Moon Hall for a proper burial, to honor their spirits in the afterlife."
Song Wen said, "Young Master, your benevolence is truly admirable. Though the Seniors met an unfortunate end, knowing they are treated with such respect, they would surely rest in peace."
"Have you seen Shi Man and Qi Luo?" Chi Pei asked.
Since Ye Hua had tracked them down based on the sounds of battle, Shi Man and Qi Luo might have followed suit.
Song Wen replied, "After we parted ways, I haven't seen either Senior Shi Man or Senior Qi Luo."
Chi Pei had no reason to doubt Song Wen's words.
"Your timing is perfect. I've exhausted a great deal of spiritual power and urgently need to enter seclusion to recover. I just happen to need someone to guard me."
Song Wen's expression lit up with excitement, a hint of flattered surprise in his eyes.
"It would be my honor to serve you, Young Master."
Chi Pei nodded slightly. "Follow me."
Under Chi Pei's guidance, the two sped away, quickly covering tens of thousands of miles.
At the foot of a towering mountain, Chi Pei discovered a cave roughly half a mile wide. After thoroughly inspecting the cave and its surroundings to ensure there were no dangers, he spoke.
"Go outside the cave and find a hidden spot to conceal yourself. I cannot be disturbed during my seclusion. Monitor the area constantly, and if you detect any anomalies, notify me immediately."
"As you command, young master!" Song Wen replied.
He turned to leave, but abruptly stopped.
"Young master, I have a question that troubles me. Since you've escaped danger, why not recover your spiritual power after leaving Rotting Miasma Ridge? Why choose to seclude yourself in this perilous place?"
Chi Pei's face darkened instantly.
"How dare you pry into my affairs..." Chi Pei snapped, his voice sharp and furious.
Before he could finish his reprimand, Ye Hua's figure blurred as he lunged forward.
Simultaneously, a pale yellow mist surged from Ye Hua's left sleeve, hurtling directly toward Chi Pei's face.
In Ye Hua's right hand, a long, slender dagger suddenly appeared, aimed directly at Chi Pei's lower abdomen, targeting his dantian.
The distance between them was barely three meters—practically within arm's reach. At such close range, Song Wen's sudden, violent attack left Chi Pei with no time to react or defend himself.
First, a cloud of pale yellow smoke engulfed Chi Pei's face, seeping into his body through his nostrils, mouth, and skin.
Before Chi Pei could even identify the strange smoke, a searing pain erupted in his abdomen as the dagger pierced his flesh.
Song Wen channeled every ounce of his strength into driving the Soul Cleaving Blade deep into Chi Pei's dantian.
Though he couldn't fully activate the blade's power, the inherent Golden Sharp Qi within the weapon was more than enough to shred Chi Pei's dantian and nascent soul, ensuring a fatal strike.
The Soul Cleaving Blade pierced straight through Chi Pei's body, burying Song Wen's hand up to the wrist within the cultivator's flesh.
Yet, Song Wen suddenly realized that the corpse hanging from his hand had transformed into a mummified husk.
This sight was all too familiar to him.
The mummified corpse before him was a Substitute Puppet, crafted from a Corpse Puppet!
Suddenly, Song Wen sensed a violent surge of Spiritual Qi erupting behind him.
His mind raced, and a black umbrella materialized behind him.
Bang!
A deafening roar echoed through the cavern.
Song Wen felt an immense force slam into the Spirit Guard Umbrella.
The umbrella momentarily lost control, colliding with his back. He and the umbrella were sent flying backward, crashing into the rocky wall of the cave. The impact shattered a large section of rock before he finally came to a stop.
"I never expected you to be a mid-stage Divine Transformation cultivator, possessing even a low-grade defensive spirit treasure. No wonder you dared to attack this young master. You disguised yourself as a Nascent Soul cultivator to approach me. What exactly do you intend?" Chi Pei hovered in mid-air, his voice dripping with resentment.
"To take your life, of course."
Song Wen emerged from the rubble, the Soul Cleaving Blade vanished from his hand, replaced by the sun-chasing spear.
The spear's radiant aura pulsed like a miniature sun, illuminating the dark cavern with blinding light.
The cave was already cramped, and the moment Song Wen activated the spear, Chi Pei felt the searing heat of its aura burn his face.
"A mere ant dares to defy this young master!"
As a core disciple of the Divine Blood Gate, Chi Pei held cultivators from minor sects and rogue cultivators in utter contempt.
Of course, he had every reason to be arrogant.
He was confident that few Divine Transformation Stage cultivators in the Qicang Domain could match him.
Suddenly, a Blood-colored Tentacle as thick as a human waist erupted from beneath his feet, striking toward Song Wen with lightning speed.
But halfway there, the tentacle abruptly halted, dissolving into a Blood Sea that splattered across the ground.
Chi Pei clutched his head, his face contorted in agony, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Agh—"
Low, guttural roars escaped Chi Pei's throat. He was clearly enduring unbearable torment, desperately trying to suppress it, yet utterly helpless.
Song Wen seized this golden opportunity. With a swift movement, he closed the distance to Chi Pei, his spear pointed directly at the man's chest.
The pale yellow mist that had poured from his sleeve earlier was Soul-Scattering Smoke.
When combined with Red Dust Fragrance, Soul-Scattering Smoke could damage a cultivator's divine soul, proving nearly impossible to resist even for Divine Transformation Stage cultivators.
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (RDC) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1336. [+2]
🔑Read upto Ch1152 for FREE visit 🄲🄸🄽🄳🄴🅁🅃🄻.🄲🄾🄼!
💥Translated (8) Series, (5.9K+) Chapters, (8.6M+) Words.
📚Read [6] ongoing series and [360+] NEW chapters/mo for $9.
🎉 Two New Books Launched [I Made a Slight Move and Reached the System's Limit] & [Hijacking the Timeline].