Chapter 1674: Arrogant Fetal Poison

The congenital fetal toxin vanished from his soul. Zhang Xuan then used the Heavenly Flame to temper his soul for a while. After an unknown period, the dark clouds slowly dissipated.

The Heavenly Flame Tribulation was successfully overcome!

Having successfully navigated this dreaded Heavenly Tribulation, a milestone for Great Sage 2-dan, Zhang Xuan's soul had transformed completely into gold. When he tapped it, it emitted a metallic clang. Without prior knowledge that it was a Witch Soul, one might even mistake it for a physical body.

"The Witch Soul, tempered by the Heavenly Flame, now greatly resembles a physical body. No wonder Lu Chong, relying solely on his soul, could cut through a crowd of 9-star Master Teachers and emerge unscathed!" Zhang Xuan was filled with excitement.

A Witch Soul can transform at will. If its owner wishes to remain unseen, even when glowing golden, it is undetectable to the naked eye. But if its owner desires to be noticed, it can become as hard as a weapon, and even cultivators of the same level wouldn't perceive it as merely a soul. It was no wonder that Witch Soul Masters were so renowned and revered in ancient times; this method of soul tempering was indeed enviable.

"Most importantly, the lifespan of a Witch Soul far exceeds that of a regular cultivator!" Any physical body, even one nourished by True Qi and capable of cellular regeneration (like those in the Indestructible realm), still has a lifespan limit and will naturally perish upon reaching a certain age. Witch Souls are different; their lifespan vastly surpasses that of a physical body. While a Great Sage-level physical body living for 1,500 years is already impressive, a Witch Soul can easily endure for three thousand years or more!

"However, Witch Souls also possess their own weaknesses, namely the Five Decays of Soul Power..." While Witch Soul Masters possess numerous advantages, their drawbacks are even more significant, with the greatest challenge being the Five Decays of Soul Power. Fortunately, the Heaven's Path cultivation technique he practices sidesteps this problem, leaving him with no cause for concern.

As he marveled at his own progress, he turned to glance at his clone, only to see it radiating a golden glow. Its soul had also been tempered, and the aura within its body continuously surged, indicating a terrifying level of strength.

"Golden Body Grand Completion?" His mouth twitched. He had once burned Master Kong's blood and wielded the power of the Immortal Realm Grand Completion. As a result, even though he hadn't personally cultivated to the Great Sage realm, he possessed a clear understanding of each of its levels. The clone before him had golden pupils, clearly indicating it had cultivated its Golden Body to the Grand Completion realm. Not only had it overcome the Heavenly Flame Tribulation, but it had also cultivated at such an astonishing speed...

Covering his chest, Zhang Xuan felt a pang of heartache. Compared to his clone, his own progress truly felt demoralizing. He had always considered his own progress to be rapid, but this guy was even faster!

"You should return to the folded space first..."

With that instruction, he sent the clone back to the folded space to consolidate its newly advanced cultivation. He then swayed in the air and descended.

"You, you... passed the Supreme Heavenly Flame Tribulation?" The skeleton trembled uncontrollably, and the Dragonbone Divine Spear seemed choked, its mouth agape and unable to close. It had assumed that facing such a violent lightning tribulation, Zhang Xuan would surely be incinerated. It had never expected him to successfully overcome it so quickly. "Is he even human?"

"Mm..." Ignoring its shock, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. Just as he was about to return to his physical body, his pupils suddenly contracted. "What's going on?" he wondered.

He saw his physical body, sitting cross-legged on the ground, its face blackened, black smoke rising from its head, and trembling continuously, seemingly enduring immense pain.

"Something that emerged from the dark clouds earlier directly burrowed inside," the Dragonbone Divine Spear said. "I thought it was you, burned into this state, so I didn't stop it."

Zhang Xuan's face darkened with exasperation. "I'm not dead, so how could I be burned like this...?" As for the Dragonbone Divine Spear, "a mere skeleton," he thought, "I wonder if your flesh was roasted and eaten..."

Too lazy to argue with the skeleton, Zhang Xuan's Witch Soul flickered and entered his physical body. He immediately opened his eyes, his face twitching so violently he almost exploded with rage. He saw the congenital fetal toxin that had escaped from his soul body now lying lazily within his physical body. Upon sensing his spiritual scan, it even greeted him, looking utterly content.

He had thought it was completely eliminated, but unexpectedly, it had run back into his physical body from his Witch Soul! "Is it playing house? From the physical body to the Witch Soul, and then from the Witch Soul back again... Does it really think I, Zhang Xuan, don't exist?"

"Die!" His expression darkened, and the Heaven's Path True Qi within his body surged violently towards it. The fetal toxin had previously entered his Witch Soul from his physical body because it feared the Heaven's Path True Qi. If it dared to return, he would simply crush it!

The Heaven's Path True Qi, in a blink of an eye, reached the fetal toxin and surged towards it. The fetal toxin retreated a few steps, then collided with the Heaven's Path True Qi. Just like the clone, it swam freely within the True Qi, completely at ease.

"You..." Zhang Xuan was dumbfounded. This fetal toxin had previously been extremely afraid of the Heaven's Path True Qi, always hiding in fear whenever it surged. How could it now swim in it?

"Could it be... after experiencing the Supreme Heavenly Flame Tribulation, this thing also advanced and no longer fears the Heaven's Path True Qi?" His face turned ashen. Although this thing had fled in terror upon seeing the Heavenly Flame, it had also been scorched by the Heavenly Flame for a period. Could it be that it truly mutated and now doesn't even fear the Heaven's Path True Qi? As a poison master, he knew of many potent poisons that could indeed mutate and advance over time. If that were truly the case, it would be disastrous. Previously, with the True Qi suppressing it, it didn't dare to act recklessly. Without that suppression, if it were to run wild or completely erupt, wouldn't he die even faster?

"Witch Soul suppression!" After several more attempts, he confirmed that the True Qi was indeed useless. Zhang Xuan's spirit stirred, and his Witch Soul surged forth to crush the toxin. Upon sensing the Witch Soul's suppression, the fetal toxin retreated a few more steps and hid motionless in a corner.

"It must be the Witch Soul," he mused, "having been tempered by the Heavenly Flame and still containing its residual power, which makes this thing somewhat fearful." The Witch Soul had just been tempered by the Supreme Heavenly Flame, and just as it previously contained lightning, it now contained the power of the Heavenly Flame. This was why the toxin felt fear.

However... for the Witch Soul to be fully integrated with the physical body, it couldn't constantly suppress this thing! Otherwise, with his physical body and soul separated, anyone would easily discern that he was a Witch Soul Master.

"Let's see if I can expel it from my body..." Gritting his teeth, his Witch Soul began to pursue.

"Oh no, it's stuck..." A moment later, Zhang Xuan's face showed deep conflict. Having comprehended the Sealing Art, his Witch Soul could expand and contract, but its shrinking range was limited. Upon seeing the Witch Soul pursue it, the fetal toxin immediately hid in the tiniest meridians, where even a soul couldn't penetrate. If he tried to force his way in, his meridians might rupture, leading to an even worse death.

As soon as the Witch Soul retreated, the fetal toxin emerged from the tiny meridians. But as soon as it was pursued, it would hide again. This went on several times, the toxin seemingly endlessly amused, as if taunting, "I'm out, I'm in, I'm in, I'm out... come and catch me if you can!"

"You'd better not cause trouble. Otherwise, even if I have to sacrifice this physical body, I will kill you!" He let out a cold snort, then his Witch Soul reintegrated with his physical body. He then used the Heaven's Path True Qi to guard against the toxin, preventing it from acting recklessly. Only then did he feel a slight sense of relief, all while continuously rubbing his temples.

"Well... perhaps it's better for it to just pretend I, Zhang Xuan, don't exist," he thought. "At least that way, I'll have fewer worries..."