Chapter 2003 - Soul Sword

Barely a few moments passed before Liu Wuxie felt profound changes sweep through both the Ghost Pupil and the Divine Tribulation Pupil. As his cultivation progressed, the Ghost Eye had gradually evolved into the Ghost Pupil, which had long since become one with him.

His union with the Divine Tribulation Pupil, however, had been forced, leaving traces of resistance behind. Now, nourished by the Soul Stone, it had merged completely with his upper dantian. It had become an inseparable part of him.

Deep within the Ghost Pupil, a faint ink-green light flickered and spilled outward. The world before his eyes grew stranger yet, its immortal runes twisting like earthworms.

The Divine Tribulation Pupil’s enhanced mental energy could now pass through houses and trees to penetrate the soul seas of others.

Words scarcely captured what Liu Wuxie felt. For all the changes in the two divine pupils, the greatest transformation had occurred within his soul sea. The Soul Stone had fortified it and suffused it with ancient power. If a soul sea could be weighed, an ordinary person's would amount to no more than a few hundred grams. By comparison, Liu Wuxie's soul energy would weigh tens of kilograms.

That added weight bore down on his soul sea like a lump of lead. Adjusting would take time, but once he grew accustomed to it, his soul sea would surpass those of ordinary cultivators and even Golden Immortals.

The more powerful his soul sea became, the greater the achievements awaited him. His physique, having attained unity with heaven and earth, also began drawing energy from his soul sea. No one would have expected a physique to possess memories of its own, much less devour soul energy. Such mysteries revealed the profundity of unity with heaven and earth. With a sufficiently high level of mastery, he would be able to alter his body however he wished.

He could then assume the form of a stone, a piece of wood, or even an immortal beast. That degree of mastery, however, remained far beyond his reach.

Darkness descended upon the Chai Clan estate, where countless lamps burned against the night. The clan had summoned large numbers of experts back, and everyone was on edge.

Beyond the city stood a small patch of woods. Zheng Ruhai's investigation had revealed that, over the past six months, the Yan, Liang, and Wen Clans had designated it a forbidden zone and barred outsiders from entering. Powerful restrictions surrounded the area, making escape nearly impossible for any ordinary person who ventured inside.

.

"Elder Sister, why don't you get some rest? I'll keep a lookout," Long Yuanxiong said. They had already been waiting for nearly four hours.

"There's no need," Long Ying replied, seated cross-legged on a thick branch. She held a Primal Chaos Crystal, drawing its primal chaos energy into her body.

As time passed, Long Ying began showing signs of a breakthrough to the fifth-level Great Golden Immortal Realm. However, she had to suppress it tonight, as she still had a task to complete.

An uncharacteristic silence had settled over the southern region of the city. Many ordinary residents had closed their doors and gone to bed early. Sensing the tension, some smaller shops had also shut for the day.

"That's odd. In previous years, the Chai Clan's immortal rice would already have begun turning black by now. Tomorrow's the harvest, but their rice seems fine," remarked one of two cultivators in a small tavern beside the road.

Year after year, the Chai Clan's immortal rice had mysteriously blackened the day before the harvest, leaving them with not a single grain to collect.

"Word is, the Yan, Liang, and Wen Clans have been sabotaging their immortal rice all these years. I doubt they'll let the Chai Clan bring in the harvest that easily," the cultivator across from him replied, keeping his voice low so others would not overhear.

"Ah, the Chai Clan's failed harvests keep pushing the price of immortal rice higher each year. What will happen to ordinary cultivators like us if this keeps up?"

As their conversation continued, a few dark figures swept past. An icy gust trailed behind them, sending a fearful shiver through both cultivators.

"I'd better head home. It's getting late," the younger cultivator said as he got to his feet. Tossing an immortal stone in payment, he hurried away.

Beyond the walls of Mulberry Sea City, lay an even harsher world where ordinary cultivators struggled to survive. Yet even inside the city, they still had to meet their daily needs, and the cost of immortal rice was unavoidable.

Despite all the experts living in the Celestial Realm, many of its people remained as insignificant as ants. Their survival still depended on immortal rice.

As its reserves dwindled, the Soul Stone shrank further, and the soul energy flowing from it weakened considerably.

Liu Wuxie's cultivation had settled firmly at the pinnacle of the eighth-level Profound Immortal Realm. He was only a step away from the ninth level. When his divine sense entered his soul sea, he felt as though he had crossed into a boundless mountain range. The ancient soul sea had withdrawn deeper within, its mysteries only deepening.

Liu Wuxie stared, scarcely able to believe what he saw. "T-This is really my soul sea?!"

Under the Soul Stone's nourishment, the Heavenly Dao Book had developed book runes. Runes of this kind were extraordinarily rare. Rumor said the first character born in heaven and earth had taken shape from a character rune, with book runes appearing afterward.

The passage of time and every change through the universe now seemed recorded within the Heavenly Dao Book, as though it encompassed everything in heaven and earth.

Even Liu Wuxie had lost track of how many Heavenly Dao sequences the book contained. Each rested in neat order within its depths. He gently turned the pages, and countless runes drifted before his eyes. The final page held the ancient soul rune he had drawn from the Soul Stone.

After closing the Heavenly Dao Book, Liu Wuxie beckoned. His soul sea roiled in response, lifting a thick layer of soul energy from the ground. It rushed outward in every direction like a tide.

"Soul Sword!" At Liu Wuxie's command, an enormous longsword took shape. Though formed from the soul, the weapon was almost tangible.

He reckoned that, with the element of surprise, the Soul Sword could easily take the life of an ordinary third-level Golden Immortal. Above all, the golden sword's soul energy radiated an overwhelming pressure.

As Liu Wuxie withdrew his divine sense from his soul sea and returned his awareness to the outside world, the Soul Sword shot forth and hung before him. It sliced through the air and circled overhead, its piercing whistles enough to fill any listener with dread.

"Such powerful soul energy! With the right soul technique, I can make this sword stronger still," Liu Wuxie murmured before recalling the Soul Sword. After glancing out of the window, he rose from the bed.

"It's nearly time. They should be making their move soon," Liu Wuxie said, smiling before stepping out of the door.

He walked openly through the Chai Clan's gates, headed toward a restaurant in the southern district. Strangely, no one attempted to stop him.

At the same time, Chai Qian had assembled all of their experts in the main hall to stand guard.

"Where's Elder Chai Hu?" Chai Qian asked the elders and deacons after surveying the few hundred people gathered in the hall.

"Patriarch, Elder Chai Hu said he was feeling unwell. He'll be here a little later," Chai Shan answered as he stepped forward. For years, he and Chai Hu had managed the spiritual fields together, and the two were on good terms.

"Keep your guard up, all of you. Tomorrow is the immortal rice harvest, and I'm afraid someone may attack us tonight. The Chai Clan must remain on its highest alert," Chai Qian announced after nodding and turning to address the gathering.

Their voices rang out together. "We understand!" Failure had struck the Chai Clan too many times already. They could not afford another one.

......

Beyond the Chai Clan's gates, Liu Wuxie strolled down the street leisurely.

Before long, two figures slipped out of the shadows and trailed him like ghosts. Had he not refined the Soul Stone, he wouldn't have detected them.

Empowered by his strengthened soul energy, the Ghost Pupil could now perceive everything within a ten-kilometer radius. His mental energy had grown so potent that he could detect even an insect following him, let alone two people. Anyone capable of evading his notice by merging with the void would need cultivation far beyond his own. Only someone at or above the Immortal Lord Realm could accomplish such a feat.

......

A black-clad figure landed in the woods outside the city, his face hidden behind a dark cloth. Unease flickered in his eyes as he repeatedly glanced toward the city gates.

Long Yuanxiong and Long Ying had hidden themselves well before he arrived and went unnoticed.

"Elder Sister, is that the man we're after?" Long Yuanxiong asked through a voice transmission. With Long Ying present, neither sibling doubted they could capture the man alive, even though he was a Golden Immortal.

"Most likely. Let's give it a little more time," Long Ying replied.

Liu Wuxie had instructed them to wait for the man to meet his contact before capturing both at once. The time to act had not yet come.

At that moment, a second dark figure slipped into the woods and halted before the waiting man.

"What took you so long?" the first man demanded, hurrying to meet him.

"I got held up. This is the medicine. Pour it in when you enter the spiritual fields tomorrow. The harvest won't be affected, but a day later, the immortal rice will slowly blacken and rot," the second man said, producing a porcelain bottle and handing it over.

"I'm doing this for the last time. When it's finished, don't forget what you promised," the first man said, accepting the bottle as a flicker of anguish crossed his eyes.

"You have nothing to worry about. Once we pull this off, you'll have the whole Chai Clan under your control, and we'll all get rich together," the second man replied. His chuckle carried a sinister rasp through the darkness, like nails scraping across slate.

"All right. But after this, I'm done. The Chai Clan's spiritual fields can't endure much more," the first man agreed, the promise kindling a flicker of excitement in his eyes.

"Chai Qian has no suspicions about you, does he?" the second man asked coldly as his laughter died.

"He doesn't. He's busy assembling the clan's experts. I need to return. It's getting late," the first man replied. He readied himself to leave the woods for Mulberry Sea City, but the instant he sprang into the air, a net dropped from overhead.

The net's abrupt appearance startled the second man as well. Neither had imagined that an ambush lay waiting in the woods.

"We've fallen into a trap!" the second man cried as realisation dawned. Summoning his sword, he poured all his strength into a fierce slash at the net.

Long Ying had crafted the net from special materials so tough that even Great Golden Immortals would struggle to tear through it. Sparks flew as the sword scraped against it, yet the net held intact.