Chapter 108: Devouring Secret Technique

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Devouring Secret Technique

Less than three months had passed since his transmigration. Yet, to Shen Yun, it felt as long as three years.

So much had happened. Weren’t immortal cultivators supposed to spend over a decade in seclusion at the drop of a hat? Regardless, he felt a pressing need to improve his strength.

"Let’s go. We’ll return to Violet first." Shen Yun put the Jade away. He planned to inform Alicia first before taking Erin, the little catgirl, away with him.

However, as soon as he turned his head, he saw Erin standing prettily not far away. She was struggling under the weight of a massive leather sack over two meters in diameter. It was a miracle she could even stand.

"What is this?" Shen Yun couldn’t help but ask.

"Fresh fish, dried fish, grilled fish, and a little bit of jerky, meow," Erin said in a completely serious tone as she counted on her fingers. "Once we leave, I won’t be able to eat the fish from here anymore, meow."

Shen Yun was speechless.

"Yun," Vierlia said, looking at him with a hint of hesitation. "Are you really going to take her to Earth? Why don’t you let her stay by my side to learn for a while before bringing her over?"

"She’s actually not stupid." Shen Yun’s mouth twitched.

"Alright, is this what the internet calls ’adorkable’ or just naturally airheaded?" Vierlia hugged Annie and rubbed against her feathers. "I still prefer smart and clever ones like Annie."

Shen Yun fell silent again.

He suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu, like pet owners debating whose pet was cuter. The kicker was that Annie kept nodding in agreement, looking incredibly proud.

This wicked feudal society.

"Let’s go. Don’t resist." Shen Yun took out the Tripod Cauldron.

"Please wait a moment," Erin said, suddenly remembering something. "I almost forgot the most important thing. I haven’t said goodbye to the fish yet."

Carrying the massive leather sack, she trotted unsteadily to the edge of the lake and let out a few meows. Her face was filled with extreme reluctance to part.

Shen Yun wondered if she was saying something cliché like, "I’ll be back."

"What an innocent girl," Vierlia chuckled softly, feeling slightly relieved.

In their world, wives and maids represented entirely different relationships. A wife was allowed to have her own career, time, and even territory, whereas everything a maid had belonged to her master. Last night, she had only said those words—willingly lowering her status—because she was afraid Shen Yun would leave after resolving all the crises. But Shen Yun had essentially rejected that offer, so she was still his fiancée.

Looking at it now, this little catgirl posed no threat to her at all.

Shen Yun took Erin into the Tripod Cauldron again, followed by Xiao Jiu, who transformed back into her phone form and hid securely on his person.

"Let’s go," he called out.

"Alright." Vierlia held Annie and followed closely by his side.

They first transferred the Bronze Hall, returning to the Royal Palace of Violet. Shen Yun made a quick trip back home to brief everyone on what had happened, handed over the Jade containing basic Information about the Bronze Hall, and then returned to Violet.

There were still a few unresolved matters. In this world right now, the three Great Saints of the North were all missing—most likely having traveled to another world through the other Bronze Hall. The Great Saint of the Ibi Empire was dead. As for the three Great Saints of the Holy Hall, one was dead, one was captured, and the whereabouts of the last one remained unknown.

Shen Yun first went to the location Gabriel had finally confessed to—a dark underground room within the Holy Temple Headquarters—and found the Information left behind by the Ancestor of Holy Light. It was a small chest filled with handwritten manuals.

This Void God Stage expert who founded the Holy Hall was originally a member of a faction called the Soul-devouring Hall in a greater world. After stealing the Cultivation Methods for the Holy Light and Dark Laws, he accidentally entered a space-time rift while defecting and fell into this world.

A space-time rift.

This was yet another piece of new Information that spelled instability. Shen Yun sighed. Judging from the brief explanations in the manuals, a space-time rift seemed to be a temporary, highly unstable passage between worlds.

Aside from that, the manuals didn’t provide much detail about that greater world or the Soul-devouring Hall. They mostly recorded what had happened after his arrival in this world: establishing the Holy Hall, building a glorious public image, raising disciples, secretly corrupting them, and then devouring their souls.

This cycle continued until the appearance of a highly talented disciple named Ward, who broke through to the Void God Stage in one fell swoop. The old fox had finally capsized his own boat.

In addition, there was the Secret Technique for the Soul-Devouring Technique. Shen Yun took a glance, found he couldn’t quite understand it, and tossed it to Xiao Jiu.

"Master..." After finishing her reading, Xiao Jiu revealed a surprised expression. "Master, this thing... is super suitable for us."

"Oh?" Shen Yun was taken aback.

"Simply put, what’s recorded here is actually a method to extract Heavenly Dao Insights from other people’s souls," Xiao Jiu explained. "As for the Holy Light and corruption, those are just methods used to eliminate the influence of willpower within the soul. However, since my soul is different from biological creatures, I can completely and precisely delete the unwanted parts, extracting only the pure Heavenly Dao Insights."

"Is that so..." Shen Yun understood.

Xiao Jiu’s true form was a mobile phone. Even though she had taken human form, her soul was entirely different from humans, animals, or plants. After a brief moment of hesitation, he nodded.

"If you can guarantee there are no side effects, we can give it a try when the opportunity arises. However, you cannot let anyone else know."

"I understand," Xiao Jiu smiled.

The secret manual in her hands instantly turned to ash and dissipated. She had already completely memorized its contents.

"Speaking of which, I’ve never asked you this." Something suddenly occurred to Shen Yun. "Logically speaking, the quality of Xiao Jie’s chips should be higher than yours, but his computing power doesn’t seem to be as strong."

Xiao Jiu’s true form was far from being the most outstanding mobile phone on the market, whereas Xiao Jie was the country’s most advanced tank. Military-grade chips were undoubtedly superior to civilian ones. Yet, Xiao Jie didn’t seem to exhibit the same formidable processing capabilities as Xiao Jiu.

"That mainly depends on our attribute laws." A spark of electricity flashed across Xiao Jiu’s bangs. "Only the Thunder Attribute is helpful for computation. What Xiao Jie comprehended was the Explosive Attribute, which gives him higher attack power."

"I see," Shen Yun realized. So it just meant they had different specializations.

Once he granted Enlightenment to the fighter jet in three months’ time, there was no doubt it would specialize in speed. Even before receiving Enlightenment, it could already achieve double the speed of a Golden Core cultivator. After Enlightenment... Shen Yun was looking forward to it more and more.

"Master." Xiao Jiu scanned the room and suddenly pointed to a skeleton in the corner, smiling. "The Holy Hall’s last Great Saint is over here."

He hadn’t noticed it before, but upon closer inspection, it was indeed the remains of a Great Saint. It seemed he had unfortunately become the Saint Hall Master’s first target for Soul Devouring. With this, there wasn’t a single Great Saint left in the world.

"Let’s go. We’re heading back."

Shen Yun exhaled softly, finally feeling truly at ease. Leaving a hostile Great Saint alive would have always been a lingering source of anxiety. He directly soared into the sky, took out the fighter jet in midair, and flew towards Violet.

By the time he arrived at the Royal Palace of Violet, it was already dusk. Vierlia and the others were gathered at the central pavilion in the garden. Even Erin had been changed into a pair of jeans and a tight white T-shirt, exposing a sliver of her slender waist. At this moment, she was staring intently at the roasted fish on the table, drooling.

Vierlia’s culinary skills were unmatched even by Xiao Jiu, let alone by Erin, who had never even eaten properly grilled fish before.

Seeing that everyone else’s attention had been drawn to Shen Yun, Erin stuck out a single finger. Her nail stealthily reached out, wanting to scoop up just a tiny bit of the sauce for a taste.

Then—

SLAP!

Another small hand smacked the back of hers.

"Even Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Prince haven’t started eating yet. How can you sneak a bite first!" Annie glared at her with righteous indignation.

"Meow—" Erin retracted her hand, feeling utterly wronged. She just wanted to taste the sauce; how could that be considered sneaking food?

Suddenly, she twitched her nose. She could clearly smell the faint scent of grease on Annie’s lips.

"You sneaked a bite, meow!" Erin’s eyes instantly widened. She pointed at Annie and shouted with a hint of indignation.

Annie’s little face immediately flushed bright red.

Having witnessed this entire scene, Shen Yun couldn’t help but burst into laughter. This little Angel was quite amusing too.

"Annie, don’t bully Erin." Vierlia naturally knew what her close confidante was like. She reached out and pinched Annie’s ear. "Otherwise, your punishment will be going without dinner tonight."

"Mmm..." Annie tilted her head up, putting on an adorable expression as if saying she was perfectly well-behaved.

"Alright, let’s eat." Shen Yun called out to Xiao Jie, who was standing motionless a short distance away. "Xiao Jie, you come too. Don’t just stand there like a wooden post."

"Yes, My Lord."

Only then did Xiao Jie walk over and find a seat, his back still ramrod straight. This was just how he was in his daily life—as meticulous and disciplined as a soldier.

"Are all the matters resolved?" Vierlia sat beside Shen Yun, cut a piece of his favorite Firebird Meat, and placed it into his bowl.

"Yeah, completely resolved," Shen Yun mumbled, his mouth stuffed full. "The other Vice Hall Master of the Holy Hall has been taken care of too. Speaking of which, thinking about how I won’t be able to eat your cooking after I go back really makes me reluctant to leave."

"I can cook and store it in the Sky-Splitting Crystal," Vierlia said, her eyes lighting up. "I can send it over every day..."

"Ahem." On the other side, Xiao Jiu coughed twice with obvious intent. She hugged Shen Yun’s arm tightly and looked warily at Vierlia. "Her Majesty the Queen, I will keep Master well-fed. You don’t need to worry about that."

"Is that so..." Vierlia merely gave a confident smile. Even though Xiao Jiu was improving rapidly, she still stood at the absolute pinnacle of culinary arts, looking down upon all who tried to catch up.

"There’s no need to go through so much trouble." Shen Yun swallowed his food and smiled. "Being away for a while will only make me miss it more. I’ll come over every month. Didn’t we agree on twice a month?"

"Alright," Vierlia nodded gently.

Last night, she had already learned that Shen Yun harbored feelings for her as well. Although the lingering fear of drifting apart still remained, it was no longer enough to make her panic. She placed some more food into Shen Yun’s bowl, her gaze locked softly onto him.

Sitting nearby, Annie looked thoroughly dejected.

Her Queen now belonged to someone else.