Chapter 1071: Continue to Dupe

This scene was not convenient for him to witness. Otherwise, explaining how I disguised myself as a Spirit race member, and why I made Stoneleaf King and Jadeleaf King fight each other, would have been too much. Revealing the truth earlier would have caused even more trouble!

Therefore, the quickest solution was to knock him out.

It required no explanation, was quick, simple, effective, and foolproof. As for a brick, they were readily available.

Looking down, he saw Feng Xun lying on the ground, his legs twitching. It seemed that even before losing consciousness, he could scarcely believe that he, a dignified Centurion of the Combat Master Hall, had been knocked out repeatedly, each time more simply and more humiliatingly than the last.

Ignoring him, Zhang Xuan looked up at the two individuals fighting in the air, his eyebrows twitching involuntarily.

Jadeleaf King’s soul had left his body, greatly increasing his power. Stoneleaf King, who had initially held the advantage, was now beaten beyond recognition. Even his physically invulnerable body had sustained several wounds, an arm was severed, and the Thunder Elemental Pearl lay on the ground, with blood gushing from his pale face.

It seemed Jadeleaf King had realized that Stoneleaf King, without the grand Thunder Ocean array, was no match for him. By manifesting his soul and severing the Thunder Elemental Pearl, the array’s control hub, he had eliminated the Thunder Sea’s enhancement, leaving Stoneleaf King vulnerable.

“Let’s all die together...”

Gravely wounded and knowing he could no longer resist, Stoneleaf King roared and used a secret technique to release his soul.

However, his strength was far inferior to Jadeleaf King. While Jadeleaf King's soul could still survive if he found a suitable body within a short period, Stoneleaf King was likely facing certain death.

Boom!

The battle between the two souls intensified, their power escalating. The surrounding space was sealed off. Zhang Xuan looked around, shaking his head helplessly.

In this situation, there was no escaping. Hiding in the Thousand Ant Hive would be futile, as it couldn't be concealed and would certainly be discovered. At that point, he would be trapped like a turtle in a jar, leading to even greater trouble.

“If Stoneleaf King wins, it will be simple. He drank my fine wine, so if he attacks me, I can just poison him to death. If Jadeleaf King wins, then I'll be in trouble...”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

At this level of battle, even if he wanted to intervene, he would be powerless. If he truly stepped in, he would certainly be killed on the spot, without even knowing how he died.

If Stoneleaf King won, it would be fine; according to his prior plan, he could maintain control. But if Jadeleaf King won, having endured such a miserable defeat, he might genuinely kill Zhang Xuan.

Looking up again, he saw that Stoneleaf King, now a soul, was even more on the defensive, steadily retreating. It seemed his defeat was only a matter of time.

“A miscalculation...”

As expected of the third-ranked expert, even with Stoneleaf King controlling the formidable Thunder Grand Array, Jadeleaf King still emerged victorious in the end.

“What should I do?”

Seeing that Stoneleaf King was losing ground, Zhang Xuan was at a loss for what to do. Then, his gaze shifted, and he spotted a figure.

Jadeleaf King’s soul had left his body, which lay motionless nearby, much like a shaman’s detached soul.

“Ah, right! He likes his soul leaving his body, doesn't he? Heh heh, I know just what to do...”

With a slight chuckle, he took a few steps towards Jadeleaf King's physical body.

It had to be admitted, Jadeleaf King’s Remnant Jade Art was truly formidable. His body was as translucent as jade and exceptionally sturdy. While not quite on par with Stoneleaf King’s, it was still incredibly tough.

He drew his Ice Rain Sword and swung it with all his might, but found it could not pierce the body. Then, Zhang Xuan touched it with his finger.

Immediately, he shook his head.

This man’s body was like jade; with Zhang Xuan’s current strength, he couldn’t infuse true qi into it, thus making it impossible to inject poison.

After a moment of hesitation, he flicked his wrist, and a pile of scorching lava materialized above.

When he had passed through the lava earlier, not only had it tempered his soul, but he had also secretly stored some in his storage ring. This extremely hot substance, originally intended for future artifact refining, now proved incredibly useful.

With a flick of his palm, he hurled the lava directly at the figure before him.

Sizzzzzzzzle!

The moment the lava touched the body, it immediately produced a powerful corrosive sizzle. The flesh, which even the Ice Rain Sword could not sever, began to melt like molten iron.

“Excellent...”

Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

To be honest, this lava would cool down even in the storage ring within a short time, so using it now was ideal.

Although Jadeleaf King's physical body was formidable, it paled in comparison to the power of one hundred meters of molten lava.

“You...”

As his physical body was being incinerated, Jadeleaf King, still in the air, sensed it. Upon witnessing the scene, he nearly vomited blood and collapsed.

As a half-step Soul Emergence realm expert, forcefully extracting his soul with a secret technique caused immense damage. However, as long as his physical body remained intact, he could have preserved his life, even with a severe drop in strength. But now… his body was being burned away…

This was akin to having his home utterly destroyed; there was no going back!

“Damn it...”

His teeth ground almost to dust. In his daze, Stoneleaf King seized the opportunity to launch several sneak attacks, nearly causing his soul to dissipate.

“I'll deal with you first, then kill that guy...”

Furious to the point of madness, Jadeleaf King knew that if he didn't eliminate his immediate opponent, he wouldn't be able to confront Purpleleaf King. With another roar, he lunged forward.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The heavens and earth thundered, and the spiritual energy within dozens of miles was churned into chaos. Before long, Stoneleaf King’s soul was forcefully dispersed, and his physical body collapsed heavily to the ground, his breathing ceased entirely.

While a soul can survive after leaving the body, the physical body is certain to die.

Once the soul dissipates, it is akin to complete annihilation, beyond salvation even by immortals.

Stoneleaf King’s fourth-place ranking among the Five Kings was due to his robust physical body and invincible defense; his soul, however, was comparatively weaker. In a direct confrontation with Jadeleaf King, he was ultimately slain on the spot.

However, in that situation, a soul confrontation was inevitable. His arm had been severed by Jadeleaf King’s soul, and his injuries were too severe. Had he not used the secret technique to release his soul, he would have been killed regardless.

It was merely a matter of time.

“Your turn now...”

After slaying Stoneleaf King, Jadeleaf King recalled his physical body being incinerated just moments before. Enraged to the brink of explosion, he roared and lunged at Zhang Xuan.

“If you kill me, I'll kill… this Heaven-Recognized Master! As long as he lives, the countless rewards from our clan can help you reclaim a new body and recover your strength; it won't be difficult…”

Zhang Xuan swiftly grabbed Feng Xun and held him in front of himself as a shield.

Now, he could only hope that his opponent would be reluctant to act, akin to fearing to smash the vase while trying to hit the rat.

His teeth ground audibly. Jadeleaf King longed to flay the man alive on the spot, but what he said was true: if this Heaven-Recognized Master truly died, their half-day struggle would have been entirely in vain, yielding no benefits whatsoever.

“Do you think I'll still believe you?”

After finally quelling his rage, Jadeleaf King glared at him coldly, as if at a dead man.

If not for this guy, how would he have ended up fighting Stoneleaf King and suffering such a miserable fate? In any case… from this moment on, he would not believe a single word this guy said, not even… a punctuation mark!

“Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant, but the fact remains that if this man dies, you will gain nothing,” Zhang Xuan stated calmly, gripping Feng Xun’s neck.

“If he dies, I'll get nothing, but without my physical body, I won't live much longer anyway. Since I'm going to die regardless, I might as well take you with me!”

Jadeleaf King roared.

If he had reached the Saint 5-dan Soul Emergence realm, his soul might have automatically left his body and he could have survived. However, he had used a secret technique to force his soul out, which caused immense damage. Without quickly finding a new body to inhabit, he would soon perish.

It was similar to a fetus: a full ten-month pregnancy and natural delivery were the healthiest. Forcibly performing a C-section before the due date caused significant harm to both mother and child.

The soul was just like that.

In the half-step Soul Emergence realm, even with the soul aperture open, the soul cannot leave the body. This isn't because it's impossible, but because the soul isn't yet strong enough.

If a soul is forcibly extracted and its physical body destroyed, even if it is not inherently weak, it will gradually dissipate and perish without a new body to nourish it. This bears some resemblance to a shaman’s soul.

The only difference is that a shaman’s soul exists for a much shorter duration.

“Don't worry, who said you can't live without your physical body? Isn't Stoneleaf King's body right there? You can enter his!”

Zhang Xuan chuckled.

“You...”

Jadeleaf King’s eyes were as cold as ice. "Stoneleaf King cultivates a different technique than mine. Even if I were to forcefully enter his body and cling to life, I would endure constant torture and unspeakable agony…"

“Hmm...”

Zhang Xuan blinked, stroking his chin. "That does present a bit of a dilemma…"

Though he didn't know much about souls, he had inherited knowledge of shaman souls, so he understood that Jadeleaf King was right.

Entering Stoneleaf King's body could indeed offer temporary survival, but due to differing physiques and cultivation techniques, his strength would inevitably be greatly diminished, making survival a torment.

“Ah, I know!”

The pause was brief before Zhang Xuan suddenly slapped his forehead, as if a thought had struck him. "I remember now! The puppet I specially refined has a cultivation technique that definitely won't clash with yours. Why don't you… enter it to recuperate first? Once we bring this Heaven-Recognized Master back to the clan and receive the rewards to strengthen your soul… having a physical body will be inconsequential!"

"A puppet?" Jadeleaf King frowned.

"Exactly," Zhang Xuan nodded. With a flick of his wrist, a tall Spirit race puppet appeared before them.

It was one of the puppets he had retrieved from the underground palace, its structure adjusted to grant it the strength of a Saint 3-dan cultivator.

"This was refined from the body of an ordinary clansman, and indeed, it has no specific attributes, so it could be compatible with me…"

Jadeleaf King glanced at it and hesitated.

The puppet before him had been forged from the physical body of a clansman, designed to absorb spiritual energy for activation, and possessed no inherent attributes. Though its current strength was low, it would be a much better fit than Stoneleaf King’s body.

He could unleash greater combat power with it.

"To be honest, hating me is pointless. It was Stoneleaf King who wanted to kill you, not me. With my current strength, I couldn't have even acted against you if I wanted to!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "This puppet was refined with countless hours of my effort; I had intended to use it as my future clone. But now, I’m giving it to you. Just make do with it for now; once we're back in the clan, everything will be much simpler…"

As he spoke, he patted the puppet, as if with a hint of reluctance, yet also as if brushing dust from its surface.