Chapter 353: Search the Soul

Li Yuanjiao listened to Xiao Guilaun's explanation, his heart chilling as countless thoughts flashed through his mind:

"Where is Bu Zi now? Has she heard any news about us? Xiao Guitu just got afflicted with that spell, and Luan'er immediately went to pay respects. Won't Bu Zi misunderstand?""Should I use the Azure Ruler Sword to replace the Immortal Artifact?"

Li Yuanjiao believed that if he quietly placed this bronze Immortal Artifact in the mountains, forests, or any ditch, even a Purple Mansion Master wouldn't be able to find it. Then, if he put the Azure Ruler Sword on top, no one would be able to tell the difference.

As he pondered, his legs stiffened, and another possibility flashed through his mind:

"The speed of a Purple Mansion Master is incomparable to that of a Qi Cultivator. What if Bu Zi arrived at Moon-Gazing Lake long ago and is now watching from within the Void?"If Bu Zi had already reached Moon-Gazing Lake, passing through the Sun Altar Profound Light Array via the Void, then his every action would be under her direct observation. Trying to remove the artifact now would be suicidal.

"But I can't just wait to die! A Purple Mansion cultivator would never be bored enough to waste time just watching in the Void! A quick scan with their divine ability would reveal everything. Bu Zi shouldn't be at the lake!"Li Yuanjiao understood that a Purple Mansion Master could tear through space in an instant, arriving much faster than Xiao Guilaun. His mind raced with countless thoughts, but his actions never stopped. He said in a deep voice:"Luan'er, return to Wutu Mountain!"After speaking, he headed towards the backyard. Xiao Guilaun understood the urgency and left like the wind. Li Xuanxuan's face also changed drastically; he wanted to speak but held back.

Li Yuanjiao then stepped out, feeling a sudden surge of alarm in his mind. The mysterious pearl talisman seed in his Qi Sea acupoint pulsed violently, sending a chill through his body, giving him the illusion of being watched by something sinister."Oh no!"He suddenly stopped, only to see the air before him darken, and a cultivator in a green robe slowly materialize, standing with his hands behind his back.

The green-robed cultivator had a smile on his face and appeared to be no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight. His sleeves fluttered, and his long hair hung loosely as he quietly stared at Li Yuanjiao."Revered Master Bu Zi..."

Li Yuanjiao felt a bitter taste in his mouth. Chi Bu Zi raised his head with a somewhat amused expression. His green robes hung down, and in his pristine white right hand, he held a small, exquisite white jade vial."What is this?"Bu Zi asked as if casually, yet it made cold sweat pour down Li Yuanjiao's face.

The jade vial in Revered Master Bu Zi's hand was precisely the Talisman Pill stored in the Li family's treasury!The Talisman Pill condensed by the Immortal Artifact!

"Bu Zi has been to my family's treasury..."Li Yuanjiao hurriedly bowed, feigning fear, and said in a trembling voice:"Li family, under the rule of Green Pond Sect, your junior Li Yuanjiao greets Revered Master Bu Zi!"His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Li Xuanxuan, who was waiting outside, to hear clearly. Li Xuanxuan was instantly terrified and stood up to retrieve the artifact.

He had barely taken a step when Li Xuanxuan immediately realized that a Purple Mansion cultivator's spiritual sense was more than enough to cover the entire Liujing Mountain. Going to the backyard now would likely be right in front of Bu Zi.

Li Xuanxuan outside was like an ant on a hot pan, while Li Yuanjiao inside was stalling for time, having almost instantly made a judgment:"Chi Bu Zi broke through the Void and landed directly in my family's treasury... His attention was drawn by the Talisman Pill, and he came straight here to ask..."Although a Purple Mansion Master could easily use the Void to pass through most arrays and enter them, their spiritual sense could not penetrate arrays. They had to physically enter to discern what was inside.The Li family, however, owned five mountains, with over twenty large and small arrays, plus hundreds of smaller arrays guarding spiritual fields. Chi Bu Zi naturally couldn't examine each one.Even Liujing Mountain alone had five separate arrays: three spiritual fields, one ancestral hall, and one clan treasury."He only went to the treasury at the mountaintop; he hasn't been to the ancestral hall yet!"

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but Chi Bu Zi stared at him and asked softly:"You actually recognize me?"

Li Yuanjiao bowed again and respectfully said:"I have seen the portraits of the four Revered Masters of the Upper Sect. Revered Master Yuanwu and Revered Master Yuanxiu are both white-haired enlightened cultivators. Only you and Revered Master Yuansu are young men in green robes. Since Revered Master Yuansu has been guarding the Southern Border for years, it could only be you...""Indeed."

Chi Bu Zi looked at him with a smiling expression. Among the remaining four Purple Mansion cultivators of the Green Pond Sect, Tang Yuanwu, Si Boxiu, and Ning Tiaoxiao were all cultivators of the same generation, the right-hand men of Chi Wei, and thus used 'Yuan' as part of their Daoist names.He was a generation later, and by the time he achieved Purple Mansion, the Green Pond Sect no longer favored Daoist names, so he was simply called Bu Zi. Seeing that Li Yuanjiao could name so many Purple Mansion cultivators of Green Pond Sect at once, his smile widened, and he repeated:"What is this item?"

He was, of course, referring to the Talisman Pill. Li Yuanjiao immediately replied, saying respectfully:"This item was obtained by our humble clan from a grotto-heaven, acquired along with that profound Lunar Essence back then. Our clan didn't recognize this pill or know its quality, and fearing the guilt of possessing a treasure, we dared not let anyone see it..."Chi Bu Zi waved his hand, interrupting him, and said with a smile:"This medicine has excellent realm-breaking effects, quite rare. It seems to be refined by ancient methods. Your family's fortune is considerable!"

Just as Li Yuanjiao was about to answer, a sudden panic seized his heart. The world before him instantly turned gray and black, dark and misty, as if veiled in a dark gauze, becoming dim."Divine ability!"His stomach began to ache with spasms, and his face became damp. Li Yuanjiao's consciousness fragmented into several pieces, and large chunks of incoherent words vaguely appeared in his mind.With his remaining consciousness, he closed his mouth, his lips trembling. The talisman seed in his Qi Sea acupoint stirred slightly, releasing a trickle of cool airflow that sustained Li Yuanjiao's consciousness without fully awakening him, to avoid revealing any abnormalities.

Li Xuanxuan outside was also affected by the divine ability. Fortunately, Chi Bu Zi was focused solely on Li Yuanjiao, so Li Xuanxuan only felt a slight dizziness before immediately understanding it was a divine ability.Seeing his mind becoming increasingly muddled, Li Xuanxuan, feeling his will weaken, directly slammed a palm onto his Ascending Yang Palace, collapsing with a thud.

Chi Bu Zi paid no attention to Li Yuanjiao's reactions. He just waited for Li Yuanjiao to collapse to the ground, his consciousness blurred, then gently reached out and pressed his hand onto Li Yuanjiao's Ascending Yang Palace, between his defiant eyebrows, while forming a hand seal with his other hand:"Nine Mounds of Fangyin Heart-Seeking Method!"This method was a pure spiritual cultivator's soul-searching technique, far superior to the half-baked methods of demonic cultivators. It was once a forbidden art that hindered one's Dao, but in this era, it had become an immortal method with only benefits and no drawbacks.Li Yuanjiao's performance was flawless. Chi Bu Zi was too lazy to guess how the pill was obtained. Whether Li Yuanjiao spoke the truth or feigned deceit, he couldn't be bothered to listen to the details. A single soul-searching inquiry would reveal everything.

Chi Bu Zi's expression was focused. He closed his eyes slightly. He had used this spell many times, always successfully. His spiritual sense skillfully entered Li Yuanjiao's sea of consciousness, guiding all memories to surface."The origin of this pill!"He activated the spell, and streams of colorful light appeared in his hand, entering through Li Yuanjiao's Ascending Yang Palace, transforming into one pale gray rune after another, pulsating within his sea of consciousness.

Chi Bu Zi's vision darkened for several breaths. Vaguely, a secret chamber appeared, dimly lit, cold all around, with one or two white lights from spells constantly flickering."This is... that grotto-heaven?"Chi Bu Zi's gaze shifted. On the patterned floor, osmanthus trees actually appeared, with ethereal white osmanthus flowers hanging from them, their fragrance strong yet chillingly cold."What is this... it bears some resemblance to the Moonlit Glazed Tree, a Purple Mansion spiritual root within the sect."After all, it was the place where the profound Lunar Essence was obtained, so some strange phenomena were normal. Chi Bu Zi moved his gaze. Before him was a tall bluestone platform, enveloped in white mist, appearing quite mystical."This is..."

Chi Bu Zi's heart stirred, but then a clanging sound echoed beside his ears. Golden-white osmanthus flowers fell, their stamens like gold, their fragrance delightful, appearing exceptionally dazzling amidst the misty moonlight."Rustle, rustle, rustle..."Rustling sounds of movement arose, and several agile and adorable toad-rabbits hopped out from a dark corner, scattering the osmanthus flowers all over the ground. "Li Yuanjiao" finally straightened up, allowing Bu Zi to clearly see the object on the platform.A grayish-green artifact.The intricate patterns and ancient script on it were profound and mysterious. Before he could even clearly see them, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared on the shattered surface of the mirror.Gentle, indifferent, majestic.

On the peak of Liujing Mountain, Chi Bu Zi, his hand forming a spell hidden within his sleeve, began to tremble violently. From his tightly closed eyes, a line of bloody tears fell, winding down his cheeks, appearing exceptionally terrifying."Drip."The two drops of blood tears fell onto the bluestone ground, shattering two bricks upon impact, then rolled across the ground like two beads, emitting crisp sounds.

Bu Zi's arrival was too sudden, a consequence of the rash decision to give Li Chijing the profound Lunar Essence for cultivating his Dao foundation years ago.Although Si Yuanbai, fearing harm to the Li family, had claimed it was something he acquired during his travels, deceiving the various Purple Mansion cultivators, no one expected it to suddenly erupt years later. Ultimately, greedy individuals, hoping for a windfall, personally came to the Li family.

"Ultimately, it has to be faced..."Although the Immortal Artifact had not recovered its full power, its status was extremely high. Once calculations were performed on it, it was equivalent to divining figures above the Dao Embryo stage. Lu Jiangxian had borrowed its power back then and already had experience with it.Whether it was Master Minghui or Jinlian Mohe, they simply traced Li Qinghong's origins upwards and, guided by Lu Jiangxian towards the artifact, immediately suffered a great loss.Furthermore, the artifact's talisman seed was even more overbearing. For anyone in the Li family who received the mysterious pearl talisman seed, their soul, fate, and cultivation were all bound by the talisman seed. As long as Lu Jiangxian was unwilling, no one could harm them.Now, Bu Zi was performing a soul search on Li Yuanjiao, which should have yielded nothing. Lu Jiangxian, seeing his persistence, secretly felt dread, for if Li Yuanjiao's soul search failed, he would become even more suspicious.It was a tangled mess that would ultimately expose them. The Profound Lunar Light was only at the Foundation Establishment realm. Although its power could instantly kill a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator and threaten a Purple Mansion Master, Chi Bu Zi was not a stationary target. If he escaped into the Void, how could he be stopped?

Seeing Bu Zi activate the soul search and touch the artifact, Lu Jiangxian gritted his teeth and thought to himself:"I might as well use the talisman seed as a springboard and immediately connect with Chi Bu Zi's spell."Although Lu Jiangxian was not skilled in soul-searching techniques, after all these years, his prowess in the path of witch-talismans was quite astonishing. Immediately, lunar essence surged, fate was intertwined, and the Immortal Artifact lit up, violently crashing into Chi Bu Zi's sea of consciousness."Although I haven't recovered, my divine sense far surpasses ordinary spiritual sense. Only by using this technique to retaliate can I seize a glimmer of hope!"

Li Yuanjiao's consciousness had drifted in a daze for a long time. Suddenly, everything became clear, and a cool sensation rose from his Qi Sea acupoint. He abruptly opened his eyes to see Chi Bu Zi's palm pressed firmly against his glabella.All around was pitch black and dim, the corners murky, the atmosphere stagnant—it was precisely the time when negative energy was strongest in a day.The sky had darkened, and nearly an hour seemed to have passed. A bloody, dim lingering sunset, with dark red clouds, flowed across the horizon, appearing to be an inauspicious sign.He looked around and saw the ground covered with shimmering red jade beads, lying quietly, reflecting dazzling light, twinkling beautifully in the dim landscape."Revered Master?"Li Yuanjiao cautiously called out, unsure what Chi Bu Zi had done to him with his divine ability, and silently lowered his head.

"I'm not dead... Chi Bu Zi probably didn't discover anything."But Chi Bu Zi gave no response.A trace of unease rose in Li Yuanjiao's heart. After a long moment, he slowly backed away. Chi Bu Zi remained silent, his sleeve dangling loosely. Li Yuanjiao looked up to see the Master's face grim, his eyes tightly shut.The dim twilight glow shone on Chi Bu Zi's face, revealing two shocking lines of bloody tears streaming down. Li Yuanjiao's mind went blank as if struck by thunder."Chi Bu Zi! He's..."

"Drip-drip..."Blood flowed down Chi Bu Zi's cheeks, and two drops of blood fell from his chin, instantly transforming into crystal-clear red jade beads upon hitting the ground. They collided with the jade beads already there, creating a series of crisp clinking sounds.Li Yuanjiao now understood how the ground came to be covered with jade beads. While feeling a sense of vindication, he was also horrified. He stepped back. Chi Bu Zi remained motionless, standing like a statue in the dim twilight.

Li Yuanjiao activated his spiritual sense and cautiously scanned Chi Bu Zi. He felt as if there was nothing there; the previous oppressive aura was completely gone.The jade vial containing the Talisman Pill, which had been in his sleeve, fell to the ground and shattered. The Talisman Pill rolled out and came to rest in a crack between the bricks.

He silently moved out of the courtyard. His father, Li Xuanxuan, was lying stiffly on the ground. Li Yuanjiao checked his breath; it was steady and long. There was blood on his head, indicating he must have been knocked unconscious.

Li Yuanjiao immediately conjured the wind to fly. His spiritual sense swept past, revealing that the two clan guards outside the courtyard were likely affected by the spell, sleeping soundly and snoring loudly.Seeing that someone was already stirring and about to wake up, Li Yuanjiao quickly returned to the courtyard, closed the gate, helped Li Xuanxuan up, and cast a spell to awaken his consciousness.

Li Xuanxuan slowly regained consciousness, looking at Li Yuanjiao dazedly, then startled and asked:"Where's that Revered Master?!"Li Yuanjiao gave a bitter laugh, shook his head, helped Li Xuanxuan stand firmly, and opened the courtyard gate. The two clan guards were already standing rigidly, showing no sign of their previous slumber."Go fetch Qinghong and Yuanping!"The two clan guards left. Only then did Li Yuanjiao pull Li Xuanxuan to the back courtyard.

The sky grew darker. Chi Bu Zi still stood in the courtyard, two streams of bloody tears continuously flowing. Li Xuanxuan felt dizzy looking at him, with crystal-clear red jade beads rolling on the ground before him."Jia'er..."Li Xuanxuan tremblingly scanned the figure with his spiritual sense, from head to toe. The man stood silently like a jade pillar. He was in disbelief and repeatedly confirmed it.The divine ability's colorful light behind Chi Bu Zi's head, his vigorous aura, and the oppressive presence of one who traversed the Void had all vanished. All that remained was the thin green robe covering his jade-like physical body.Chi Bu Zi's face showed slight pain, and his bloody tears continued to flow."...Has he fallen? Has he fallen?"Li Xuanxuan's face was pale. He stumbled back a few steps, feeling no relief or triumph, only fear that made his hands tremble."Green Pond Sect... How many years has it been since a Purple Mansion cultivator was killed?"

The barbecue downstairs smells so good. I'll add more updates tomorrow, definitely more tomorrow.(End of chapter)