Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 235 Soul Break
"What? Uncle Mu, do you mean that some important figure in the Southern Domain sects is actually a spy?" Inside a luxurious cave in Tian Sui Palace, Ye Xiaofan asked incredulously, his face full of shock.

He could never have imagined that his revered master was not wounded in battle, but was murdered by treacherous people.

Mu Jingtian sighed heavily and said in a low voice, "On the surface, we are leading disciples from various sects to go on a trial, but in reality, we are searching for the Soul-Scattering Spring that can save Zhi Qiu."

Immediately afterward, he became serious and earnestly instructed, "This matter must not be known to anyone else. The Empress arranged for me to lead the team in the hope that the spy would give himself away."

Ye Xiaofan respectfully cupped his hands in a bow and said, "Uncle Mu, rest assured, I will pay close attention during the trial."

"Also, I've invited other sect members to lead the team this time. If necessary, you must be prepared to lure them out," Mu Jingtian reminded him.

"You mean..." Ye Xiaofan's pupils suddenly contracted, and he said with a hint of fear in his voice, "This spy might be among these sect leaders or elders?"

Mu Jingtian nodded and said with certainty, "Otherwise, how can we explain the Blood God Child's involvement in the Autumn Meeting? In the entire Southern Region, there are very few people capable of poisoning him without his knowledge. I hope my suspicions are correct."

the other side.

Ye Beixuan was rapidly forming hand seals in front of the alchemy furnace, and a torrent of powerful medicinal energy poured out.

As the final incantation was completed, the lid of the alchemy furnace slowly opened, and a batch of top-grade Void-Breaking Pills was freshly produced.

This elixir can not only dispel illusions but also restore spiritual power, making it an essential item for trials.

Ye Beixuan carefully placed the pills into the jade bottle, a satisfied smile on his face. This pill-refining furnace saved him at least half of his spiritual energy; if it were the Heavenly Evolution Sect's furnace, he probably could only refine half the number of pills.

The Empress, who was hiding nearby, nodded in satisfaction. She hadn't expected that even after ten thousand years, this guy was still so gifted.

Knowing full well that she couldn't reveal herself at this moment, she could only suppress the longing in her heart.

She quickly formed hand seals, and an imperial seal shot out, entering Ye Beixuan's body.

This imperial seal can summon her to possess Ye Beixuan at crucial moments, ensuring his safety in times of crisis.

After doing all this, she quietly slipped away.

It wasn't that they didn't want to spend more time with him, but rather that at this moment, they each had important missions to fulfill.

Seven days later.

The sun had just risen, and the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

The plaza was already filled with disciples from various sects, who were enthusiastically discussing the details of the trial.

Mu Jingtian and the three sect leaders from the Southern Region stood on the high platform, looking at these energetic disciples with gratified smiles on their faces. In their eyes, these young people were the hope for the future.

"clang……"

A clear bell rang out, and disciples from various sects quickly lined up neatly in their pre-arranged positions on the plaza.

From a distance, they were dressed in different clothes and arranged in a way that resembled some kind of mysterious formation.

"Everyone..." Mu Jingtian's voice was loud and clear as he scanned the densely packed disciples below the plaza with a serious gaze. He said, "This trial will last for ten days. If you encounter any danger during the trial, you can crush the jade token in your hand, and you will be teleported back here."

"There is a teleportation array here that I, along with the two sect leaders Taixu and Changkong, have set up together. You will be randomly teleported to the Valley of Broken Souls."

The moment the words were spoken, the atmosphere became instantly tense. Under normal circumstances, if such a large teleportation array were to be used, along with a crisis teleportation jade token, the trial would likely be fraught with danger.

"Start the formation!"

At Mu Jingtian's command, Taixu and Changkong immediately formed hand seals.

In an instant, the world spun around, and a huge golden halo suddenly appeared on the ground of the square.

The jade bricks beneath their feet began to tremble violently, and everyone's bodies swayed uncontrollably.

"Ah!" Someone subconsciously looked down at the ground and couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

What was originally a huge golden halo beneath their feet has now turned pitch black, like a bottomless abyss.

Exclamations of surprise came from behind Ye Beixuan. Those who had been eager to try their skills were now trembling with fear.

As the three sect leaders on the high platform unleashed their final hand seals, the ground suddenly became as sticky as a swamp.

This large teleportation array is different from the ordinary ones; it doesn't end the moment you open and close your eyes. Instead, it gives you the feeling of continuously sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Through the teleportation array, a chilling wind swept over him. Ye Beixuan saw the first batch of disciples who had sunk into the ground, with only their heads still sticking out of the ground.

Some disciples who had not yet sunk staggered and tried to fly away, but were firmly held in place by the powerful suction of the formation.

"Hold on!" Ye Yaoyao's body was also slowly sinking, but she still reminded Ye Beixuan.

The teleportation power slowly erupted along the spatial channel. Some people subconsciously struggled and resisted, but they still sank little by little.

Finally, the pitch-black teleportation array suddenly turned into a deep blue, and the disciples plummeted as if sinking into the sea until they disappeared.

Mu Jingtian remained calm and turned to the other two, saying, "Gentlemen, it's our turn now. The teleportation location is completely random. I hope we can take good care of each other's disciples during this trial."

"Sect Master Mu, rest assured."

As soon as he finished speaking, three rays of light instantly disappeared into the deep blue ground.

Shortly after they entered, the blue vortex gradually dissipated, and the ground returned to the appearance of the white jade bricks of the plaza.

the other side.

The Valley of Broken Souls is filled with extremely heavy Yin energy. Even though Ye Beixuan possesses a physique that is immune to all evil and has reached the level of a Celestial Immortal, he still felt a stinging pain between his eyebrows.

It seems that this invulnerability to all evils is not omnipotent. It really does prove the saying from my past life: there is no absolute insulator in the world. If there is, it's just that the voltage is not high enough.

It seems that my invulnerability to all evil has probably reached its limit.

He looked around and saw that the air was thick with mist, and in the mound of earth not far away, half a finger bone was faintly visible.

Suddenly, the ground shook, and the half-exposed finger bone moved slightly. Then, a skeletal hand burst from the ground and clenched into a skeletal fist.

A chill ran down Ye Beixuan's spine, and the jade pendant Ye Yaoyao had given him at his waist began to burn.

This is a tracking spell she planted; the direction it's showing right now seems to be southwest.

"Senior Sister..." Ye Beixuan touched his brow with his finger, instantly activating his Yin-Yang Eyes and looking towards the southwest.

Just then, a sharp shriek pierced the deathly silence.

The ground suddenly exploded three zhang away, and a complete skeleton emerged from the ground.

Several colorful poisonous insects still dangled from its empty eye sockets, while the rusty knife it held in its hand emitted an eerie, bloody glow.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Beixuan swung his axe backhand, instantly shattering the skeleton into pieces.

call……

Before I could even catch my breath, a hurried and urgent voice suddenly came from behind me.

"Formation!"

Ye Beixuan was startled and instantly realized that someone else had been teleported to this place just like him.

He flashed forward, following the direction of the sound. There he saw several cultivators from different sects forming a sword formation back to back.

Outside the sword formation, someone was being held firmly by the ankle by a skeletal arm that emerged from the ground, rendering him unable to move.

On the other side, a trial participant who had just fallen had blood-red eyes and moved slowly, as if he had lost his mind. He actually joined the army of bones in attacking the disciples who were in formation—these people had turned into zombies!
Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Beixuan drew his longsword and spat out a mouthful of blood essence onto the blade.

At this moment, we absolutely cannot allow them to be completely wiped out, otherwise we will be the next ones to suffer.

Besides, more people means more strength, and they can provide more assistance when escaping, as the saying goes, "better to die for your fellow Daoists than for your own."

Swish!
With a flash of sword light, the disciples whose ankles had just been grabbed by the skeleton were instantly freed.

However, before everyone could catch their breath, another urgent and panicked voice rang out.

"Watch out behind you!" a female cultivator from the Purple Cloud Sect screamed.

Ye Beixuan reacted extremely quickly, immediately turning around and slashing backward with his sword.

A crisp sword rang out, and the recoil made his hand go numb.

Upon closer inspection, a gigantic skeletal monster was wielding a bone hammer, with the bodies of monks still alive embedded in its chest and abdomen, their power being continuously drained away.

Unsurprisingly, these cultivators will soon turn into skeletons and become part of the monster.

boom!
The bone hammer, accompanied by a whistling sound, swept two disciples who couldn't dodge in time, knocking them down on the spot. Then, it grabbed them with its huge bone hand and threw them into its mouth.

It even symbolically chewed a few times before the two people were embedded back in. The previous people had already turned into bare bones, making it impossible to distinguish which bones belonged to them and which belonged to the monster itself.

"I can't take it anymore!" One of the disciples who had just been rescued by Ye Beixuan was already in tears, terrified by the scene.

He cried out loudly, then crushed the teleportation talisman. A flash of white light, and he vanished from his spot in an instant.

Following that, several more people succumbed to the pressure and crushed the jade talismans one after another.

With someone taking the lead, they felt there was nothing shameful about it, since being alive was always better than being dead.

"What should we do?" Several disciples who had formed an array not far away were also covered in wounds.

Fortunately, they are united, and the group of skeletons has not yet been able to break through their defenses, but it is only a matter of time.

"Why don't we retreat too? It's only a matter of time before the defenses are breached." One of them started to back down when he saw that some of his companions had already retreated.

“That makes sense. Let’s crush the jade talisman together later.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Beixuan cursed inwardly. Couldn't these cowards hold out a little longer so that he could run away first? No way! He couldn't just sit and wait to die, otherwise he would have to bear all the pressure himself once these people escaped.

"Better to die than to die, my fellow Daoists! Since you're all leaving anyway, let's make use of you!" With that thought, Ye Beixuan raised his longsword.

A sword aura shot into the sky, stirring up a large amount of dust on the ground, instantly engulfing the cobbled-together skeleton monster.

The sword energy storm relentlessly tore at the skeleton monster, and Ye Beixuan could even hear countless bones cracking, but he knew that this attack couldn't hurt it at all.

However, he had already come up with a solution.

Just as the storm of sword energy was gradually subsiding, he shouted, "Everyone, I'm here to help you!"

Upon hearing this, the disciples in the formation paled instantly. It wasn't because Ye Beixuan offered to help that they were being dismissive, but because they saw a gigantic, imposing skeleton monster rapidly approaching from behind him.

"Damn it, don't come any closer!"

"Damn it, now I can't avoid going back even if I want to!"

"Kid, I'll remember you!"

Ye Beixuan lured the giant skeleton over, and it instantly joined the battle.

It brandished its drumsticks and quickly shattered the group's sword formation.

The group gritted their teeth. Originally, they disagreed on whether to stay and continue fighting or go back, but now they had no choice.

"Kid, I'll remember you!" One of them stared in the direction Ye Beixuan had fled, uttered a vicious threat, then crushed the jade talisman and ran away.

Seeing this, the remaining people followed suit.

The skeletons suddenly lost their target and fell silent, a hint of confusion appearing in their empty eyes.

the other side.

After successfully luring the big "boss" away, Ye Beixuan headed southwest without looking back.

But before he could even enjoy his happiness for a minute, the ground suddenly collapsed, forming a vortex, and he was instantly engulfed by the bloody light.

When he opened his eyes again, clear water droplets were dripping from the stalactite tips hanging from the cave ceiling. After the water droplets fell to the ground, they gradually gathered into the spring beside him.

The clear, shallow pool shimmered with tiny, sparkling lights.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the peculiar stones at the bottom of the pool were glowing.

"Cough cough cough cough..." Ye Beixuan propped himself up and reached out to examine what these strange stones were.

The water's surface was shattered by this sudden hand, causing ripples to spread. Ye Beixuan's reflection in the water became distorted, and white mist rose from the surface.

Ye Beixuan suddenly stood up, and a blinding white light burst forth from the mist, which then transformed into a mirage-like scene.

A figure in a green robe was seen facing the vast sea of ​​blood, his long sword humming in his hand.

He gripped the hilt of his sword, poised to strike. The instant he drew his sword, lightning flashed and thunder roared, a beam of sword light slashed out, the arc of light spreading across the entire sea of ​​blood, splitting the sea surface in two from top to bottom, the sea of ​​blood like a piece of cloth, the seabed in the middle clearly visible.

"The Heaven-Slaying Sword Technique..." Ye Beixuan's pupils shrank suddenly, and even he himself did not know why he knew this name.

Although he could only see the back of the figure, Ye Beixuan knew that this person was the fallen Heavenly Lord Ye Suifeng.

Sure enough, the swordsman in the illusion turned slightly, and the blurry profile of his face was remarkably similar to his own.

Just then, the spring suddenly seemed to boil, and a large amount of steam rose up. Ye Beixuan's blood boiled instantly, and his hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Cut the sky and draw the sword!"

A sword light slashed straight through the clear spring, splitting the pool in two and clearly revealing the bottom of the pool, where two large characters appeared: "Scattered Soul".

"Soul-scattering? What a treasure! This spring water is probably extraordinary." Watching the spring water gradually fill the pool again, Ye Beixuan quickly took out a jade bottle and began to fill it with water.

After doing all this, he sat down to meditate and regulate his breathing.

However, before he could recover for long, a strange movement suddenly came from deep within the stone wall, and a bloody smell spread out.

Ye Beixuan was startled. Had someone come? Who could have found this secluded place? He quickly stopped meditating and hid to the side to observe secretly.

Sure enough, a man dressed in black, completely covered from head to toe, soon arrived in front of the pool.

He sneered, his tone full of disdain: "Once I destroy this Soul-Scattering Spring, let's see how you collect the spring water then?"

(End of this chapter)