Chapter 620: Soul Essence

“Oh?”

A woman’s voice emerged from the eerie, crimson light within Zi Qing’s body.

But Zi Qing didn’t react; she hadn’t heard a thing.

She stared intently at the third eye on Luo Tian’s forehead, feeling as if all her secrets were being laid bare before it!

‘This teacher is far more mysterious and powerful than I ever imagined!’

‘Maybe I still have a chance to return to the path of Martial Arts and stun everyone who once mocked and insulted me!’

Suddenly, Zi Qing felt some of the True Essence in her body vanish again for no apparent reason.

She felt mentally drained, overcome with a desire to sleep.

‘What’s happening?’

Zi Qing couldn’t hear the cold, arrogant voice that emanated from the ball of red light coiled within her Martial Vein: “Interesting. I never thought a little whelp like you would actually discover me!”

“What are you?”

Luo Tian asked.

Zi Qing froze. ‘Why is Teacher asking me that question? Has he gone mad?’

‘I’m not a thing… no, wait, I am a thing… that’s not right either…’ Zi Qing’s thoughts grew muddled as she felt weaker and even more drowsy.

“Hahaha, you’ve got quite a mouth on you, little whelp. How dare you speak so brazenly to this King!”

A majestic sneer echoed from within the red light.

“Look who’s talking,” Luo Tian scoffed, a smirk playing on his lips. “You’re nothing but a wisp of a Residual Soul, a parasite in her body, eking out a pathetic existence by siphoning her power!”

BUZZ!

An incredibly terrifying spiritual fluctuation erupted from the red orb of light, plunging the entire pavilion into an eerie, oppressive, blood-red glow.

“Insolence! Killing you would be child’s play for this King. It would merely cost me some of my origin energy!”

“I’ll give you one chance. Serve this King well. When I return to this world, I shall bestow a great fortune upon you.”

The voice from the red light was incomparably domineering!

“I can help you,” Luo Tian said.

“A wise choice!”

The voice from the red light laughed.

“But first, I have a question for you,” Luo Tian continued.

“Are you willing to become my student?”

The red light fell silent for a few moments. Then, its surface began to seethe, shooting out heart-stopping, eerie red rays. It radiated an astonishing spiritual pressure, creating the illusion of being trapped in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

“You bastard, what nonsense are you spouting?”

A roar erupted from within the red light!

‘I am a magnificent Martial King! How could I possibly become the student of a mere Low Tier Celestial Pool Realm cultivator!’

‘For Luo Tian to even have such a thought… is he an idiot?’

“In that case, I’ll just help Zi Qing. At least she’s my student,” Luo Tian replied coolly.

Besides, he was hoping Zi Qing would achieve a high ranking in the Chuyang Grand Competition.

“Heh, help her? What could you possibly do for her?”

The voice from the red light dripped with disdain.

“What I can do is beyond your imagination!”

Luo Tian replied coolly.

Just a moment ago, when his Celestial Eye had spotted the mysterious red orb, he had immediately used the power of the Celestial Book to inquire about the specifics of the situation.

Then, Luo Tian had asked for a solution.

HUMMMMM!

A sound like the chanting of a Buddhist Scripture issued from Luo Tian’s lips.

“Is that… the Soul-Suppressing Curse? You actually know this?”

the voice from the red light cried in alarm.

The Soul-Suppressing Curse was something the Celestial Book had come up with via Inference. It was a simple and effective way to deal with the red light.

HUMMMMM!

The ball of red light hidden on Zi Qing’s back contracted and expanded violently, as if in extreme agony.

“You damn brat, shut your mouth, or this King will destroy you!”

the voice from within the red light roared furiously.

Luo Tian didn’t stop, paying it no mind.

BUZZ!

Suddenly, an eerie red light burst forth from Zi Qing’s back, coalescing into a magnificent and imposing red figure!

The imposing figure’s face was a mask of furious dignity. With a sharp wave of its sleeve, a tidal wave of soul energy came crashing down!

Luo Tian was instantly engulfed!

But a moment before, Luo Tian had already fortified his mind, defending with all his might!

“Hm?”

The magnificent figure’s brow furrowed!

‘In my current weakened state, annihilating the soul of a Low Tier Celestial Pool Realm cultivator should be child’s play.’

‘Even if I can’t annihilate him, severely injuring him should be guaranteed!’

But to her surprise, she found that the strength of Luo Tian’s Spiritual Power was on par with a Top Tier Celestial Pool Realm cultivator!

‘That’s beyond what I can destroy!’

‘But if this keeps up, I’ll only get weaker. I might actually be defeated by him.’

‘At the very least, my plans for possessing a body and being reborn will become a distant dream!’

‘I have to severely injure this brat first, then take control of this body and get far away from him…’

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!

The imposing red figure attacked repeatedly, unleashing a barrage of Spiritual Attacks on Luo Tian!

Luo Tian’s soul felt as if it were trapped in a hurricane, battered relentlessly.

A mysterious blue treasure pearl appeared in Luo Tian’s hand—it was the Sea Blue Holy Pearl.

A deep blue, tranquil radiance burst from it, enveloping Luo Tian’s spiritual consciousness and forming a layer of Spiritual Defense!

The lethality of the red figure’s Spiritual Attacks was drastically reduced.

Her expression instantly grew grave, a hint of awkwardness on her face.

‘I can’t believe this brat even has a Soul Dao Treasure of this caliber!’

‘I’ve really messed up this time!’

WHOOSH!

The red figure suddenly dissipated, turning into a cloud of eerie red mist that shot into Zi Qing’s body.

Zi Qing, who had been feeling mentally drained and thought she was hallucinating, slumped to the side and lost consciousness.

「Two breaths later.」

Zi Qing awoke again. Her eyes flickered with an eerie red light, and her once-innocent face now exuded a mature, cold, and arrogant aura.

The powerful Residual Soul was now in control of the body.

“Zi Qing” stood up and walked toward Luo Tian. In a bewitching voice, she said, “Young man, it’s always wise to leave yourself an out. If I live, the benefits you could receive are absolutely beyond your imagination!”

“Don’t you desire the guidance of a great expert? Don’t you want High Grade Techniques and Martial Skills? Don’t you want powerful Profound Artifacts?”

When threats failed, she resorted to temptation.

Luo Tian’s expression remained cold, and he was unmoved.

He suddenly thrust a palm toward Zi Qing.

A mysterious, ancient white Rune appeared on his palm, radiating a solemn and sacred aura!

“The Soul-Subduing Seal?”

“Zi Qing’s” face was a mask of astonishment.

The Soul-Suppressing Curse and the Soul-Subduing Seal were both Secret Skills from a powerful and clandestine school of the Ancient Times!

A school that had been lost to history long ago!

‘Could Luo Tian be a successor from that school?’

BAM!

Luo Tian’s palm struck Zi Qing’s abdomen, fully unleashing the power of the Soul-Subduing Seal.

An expression of pained struggle twisted Zi Qing’s face.

She hadn’t expected Luo Tian’s willpower to be so resolute. Hit once more, she no longer had the strength to fight back.

“Stop! We can renegotiate! You can ask for anything you want!”

“Zi Qing” said hastily.

Luo Tian’s resolve was firm.

From their earlier conversation, he had already gotten a clear picture of the Residual Soul’s temperament. If he allowed her to successfully possess the body, there was no telling how she might retaliate against him in the future.

The original Zi Qing was kind-hearted, which Luo Tian appreciated.

Moreover, Zi Qing was the only person who had spoken up for Mu Qingqing!

Luo Tian had already decided to save this fallen Martial Arts prodigy.

“Could it be… you have feelings for this little girl?”

“Zi Qing” hadn’t given up yet.

“If you stop and agree to help me… I can take control of this girl’s body right now and use it to serve you…”

“This body is still untouched… Besides, a mature woman on the inside and a young girl on the outside… isn’t that what you men desire most?”

“Zi Qing” continued, striking an alluring, seductive pose. Her clothes even began to slip from her shoulders.

She was naturally very beautiful, just not one to dress up.

Under the control of the mysterious Residual Soul, her fair, delicate body now radiated an unimaginable allure.

Even Luo Tian couldn’t help but stare for a few extra moments, a flicker of an idea crossing his mind.

Seeing that it still wasn’t working, “Zi Qing’s” face twisted into a snarl. “You damn brat, I’ll take you down with me!”

WHOOSH!

The imposing red figure materialized once more, spreading its blood-red claws as if to tear Luo Tian to shreds!

“You are no match for me!”

Luo Tian’s expression was perfectly calm, his voice filled with immense confidence.

The next moment, BUZZ! The Celestial Eye on his forehead unleashed a thick pillar of blue light, crackling with wisps of lightning!

This was a Spiritual Attack, formed by condensing all his remaining Spiritual Power and unleashing it through his Celestial Eye!

It wasn’t some advanced spiritual attack technique, but simply the raw compression and release of his Spiritual Power.

BOOM!

The crackling blue pillar of light struck the red figure.

“No… This King…”

A massive hole was blasted through the red figure’s chest.

Her form gradually dissipated, her face a mask of frenzied unwillingness.

‘Finally… it’s over!’

The Celestial Eye on Luo Tian’s forehead closed, and he slumped wearily.

In the confrontation with the mysterious Residual Soul, he had appeared to hold the upper hand, but it had in fact been extremely dangerous.

He had just learned the Soul-Suppressing Curse and the Soul-Subduing Seal on the fly; he was not proficient, and their power was only average.

After unleashing that final Spiritual Attack, his Spiritual Power was completely depleted!

If the mysterious Residual Soul had been able to hold on for just a little longer, Luo Tian’s plan might have failed.

“Oh, right!”

Luo Tian immediately rose and moved behind Zi Qing.

Zi Qing’s clothes had slipped down, and on her fair, smooth back, a dense network of red lines forming a circle was faintly glowing!

The mysterious Residual Soul wasn’t dead, merely severely wounded by Luo Tian’s concentrated attack. It could still recover.

“Celestial Book, absorb!”

Luo Tian pressed his hand down. His palm erupted with an ancient, cyan glow, and the faint outline of the Celestial Book appeared!

A few moments later.

Luo Tian withdrew his hand.

When he looked at Zi Qing’s back again, the circular red markings were gradually fading, until they vanished completely.

Luo Tian’s consciousness entered the Celestial Book World.

He opened the Celestial Book.

On one of its pages, a shimmering red orb of light was inscribed.

“The mysterious Residual Soul’s Soul Essence… it’s really been sealed inside the Celestial Book!”

Luo Tian’s face lit up with delight.

When he had asked the Celestial Book for a solution earlier, it had presented him with several options.

One of them was to severely wound the mysterious Residual Soul, absorb its soul power, and seal it within the Celestial Book.

Without its soul power, the mysterious Residual Soul would die instantly.

And Luo Tian could withdraw the Soul Essence sealed in the Celestial Book for his Cultivation whenever he wished.

‘This mysterious Residual Soul was at least a Martial King in life. Even as just a Residual Soul, it absorbed so many years of Zi Qing’s True Essence and Spiritual Power and recovered quite a bit… The Soul Essence it left behind must be extraordinary!’

Just then, Zi Qing began to stir again. She awoke to find her clothes had mostly fallen off, leaving the full curves of her chest completely exposed.