Chapter 1295: Too Late

Yan Xuehen was almost choked by his words. How could he be so sharp-tongued?

"If that demoness heard you, she'd show you what a Grandmaster truly is," Yan Xuehen said with a straight face. "Do you think Grandmasters are common? Very few individuals exist above our realm, and most of them are unable to emerge from seclusion for various reasons. With the cultivation levels of both me and that demoness, we are already capable of dominating the world. Even among those at the same cultivation level, we are undoubtedly among the best."

"Alright, alright, you and Sister Yun are indeed the strongest. So, what are the realms beyond that?" Zu'an chuckled to himself. He usually saw her as calm and composed, so it was rare to see her so earnestly defending herself. Was this the competitive spirit of a powerful cultivator?

"I don't want to talk to you anymore," Yan Xuehen turned her face away, still clearly holding a grudge.

Zu'an quickly leaned in. "My apologies, my apologies. Here, let me give you a back rub."

"Don't touch me," Yan Xuehen instantly moved away, her face flushing crimson. "You're not even wearing clothes. What sort of decorum is that?"

"There are no outsiders anyway," Zu'an remarked dismissively.

Yan Xuehen turned her face away, not daring to look. Her heart pounded as she recalled how he had just teased her.

She took a deep breath, composing herself. "I told you, that was purely for healing. Afterward, we'll pretend nothing happened. Don't go back on your word."

"I never agreed," Zu'an muttered under his breath. Seeing her eyebrows furrow, he didn't dare provoke her further and quickly changed the subject. "Master, please tell me about the realms that come next."

"Don't call me Master," Yan Xuehen said quickly, feeling uneasy about the title and worried he would continue to pester her. "The next realm involves cultivating the Celestial Soul above your head and condensing the Yin God."

"Yin God?" Zu'an was taken aback.

"You can think of it as a soul form," Yan Xuehen explained. "Its appearance is identical to the person, but it's not a physical entity. It can leave the body, but it must return before dawn. Otherwise, it will turn to ash and vanish when the sun rises. That's why it's called a Yin God."

"The subsequent realm involves cultivating the 'Life Soul,' one of the three souls. At this stage, the Yin God is no longer affected by direct sunlight, and its ability to separate from the body is greatly enhanced. It can attach itself to objects, allowing for the legendary feat of taking a person's head from thousands of miles away."

Zu'an listened with a sense of longing. He wondered when he could reach such a realm, imagining how effortless it would be to take someone's head from thousands of miles away.

Yan Xuehen continued, "At this realm, there are many other abilities, such as possessing others or even directly taking over another's body."

Zu'an was startled. "If that's the case, wouldn't one be able to achieve eternal life?"

He suddenly recalled how Emperor Zhao Hao had once hidden a fragment of his soul within the Crown Prince's body, realizing that this must have been an ability of this realm.

"It's not that simple," Yan Xuehen shook her head. "The laws of the Heavenly Dao would never allow such an obvious loophole. While you can seize a new body, it can only be done three times. Each time you do so, the new host's life will be significantly shortened, your strength will plummet, and your cultivation potential will be permanently capped."

"After seizing a body for the third time, your cultivation will only be slightly stronger than an ordinary person, but your lifespan will be much shorter. Those who reach this realm are typically influential figures who have commanded great power. They could never endure being an ordinary person, vulnerable to humiliation by common officials. Therefore, no one would choose this path unless it was absolutely unavoidable."

Hearing this, Zu'an felt a sense of relief. Such individuals, who were absolute in their prime, would find their cultivation severely diminished in subsequent lives. The world of cultivation is brutal, filled with murder, treasure hunting, and public humiliation. How could they possibly endure such a drastic loss of status and power?

Furthermore, those who seize bodies are often shunned by everyone, and their existence is even more precarious.

Wait, does my situation count as seizing a body?

For a moment, Zu'an found himself questioning his own existence.

At this point, Yan Xuehen continued, "Because this realm involves cultivating the three souls, and the practitioner's strength is significantly higher than that of an ordinary Grandmaster, some believe that reaching this stage means becoming an Earth Immortal. However, this realm is clearly inferior to a true Earth Immortal, so the mainstream cultivation world refers to it as a Half-Step Earth Immortal, still broadly classified within the Grandmaster realm."

"What about a true Earth Immortal?" Zu'an asked. He knew he would eventually break with Zhao Hao, so it was crucial to understand his opponent.

Yan Xuehen hesitated. "I'm not entirely clear about that realm myself. I can only relay what's recorded in our sect's ancient texts."

"The first realm of an Earth Immortal involves cultivating the 'Earth Soul,' one of the three souls, and manifesting a Yang God. Unlike a Yin God, a Yang God is not afraid of the scorching sun, possesses a physical form, and is largely indistinguishable from the main body. It can freely traverse the heavens and earth and, to some extent, seems capable of manipulating the power of karma."

"The power of karma?" Zu'an was astonished. He wasn't surprised by the concept of a Yang God freely roaming the world, given he had previously witnessed Zhao Hao appearing thousands of miles away simply by using an imperial decree, capable of instantly slaying any enemy.

But this power of karma is problematic; it's essentially an ultimate ability.

"I'm not sure of the specifics either; I merely read that line in a White Jade Capital ancient text." Yan Xuehen shook her head as well.

"Is Zhao Hao at this realm?" Zu'an asked gravely.

"No, he's one realm higher!" Yan Xuehen couldn't help but show a hint of admiration as she spoke. After all, Zhao Hao was the most astonishing and brilliant being in the past few hundred years, once even considered the most promising candidate to achieve true immortality.

"He cultivates the 'Heaven Soul,' one of the three souls. It is said that at this realm, one can cultivate a 'Primordial Spirit'."

Zu'an kept waiting for her to continue, but she merely stared back at him. He was momentarily confused. "What comes after that?"

"There's nothing after that," Yan Xuehen said, a little embarrassed. "After all, this realm is simply too high. Aside from the Emperor himself, no one else truly comprehends it. The fact that White Jade Capital even knows that this realm cultivates a Primordial Spirit speaks volumes about its profound heritage."

Zu'an chuckled. "You sound quite proud when you say that."

Yan Xuehen snorted, clearly displeased.

Zu'an's smile faded. This was problematic. Not only himself, but even Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue were several major realms below Zhao Hao. How was he supposed to fight him in the future?

Although he had managed to win once in the Xi Quanqiu Secret Realm using various methods, he had only been fighting a wisp of Zhao Hao's separated soul. Compared to the emperor's true strength, the difference was likely substantial.

Yan Xuehen, being perceptive and astute, noticed his worried expression and his constant inquiries about Zhao Hao. She couldn't help but ask, "Did you offend Zhao Hao?"

"Yes." Zu'an thought to himself, 'It's far more than just offending him. I've slept with his Empress and his daughter-in-law, and there's the truth about the *Phoenix Nirvana Sutra*, not to mention the destruction of his soul fragment in Xi Quanqiu. There's no way things can end well between us.'

He truly had the audacity of a bear and a leopard; he had gotten involved with the two women he absolutely should not have.

But truthfully, it wasn't entirely my fault. The Empress initiated that, and I didn't even have time to avoid it.

And concerning the Crown Princess, the circumstances in Xi Quanqiu weren't his fault either. Zhao Hao had systematically forced that situation in his relentless pursuit of immortality.

Speaking of which, does my situation count as seizing a body?

For a moment, Zu'an was plagued by self-doubt.

At that moment, Yan Xuehen glanced outside, a worried expression on her face. "A'Zu, I'm afraid we won't make it back to Yunzhong Commandery in time. It's almost dawn."