Chapter 103: Resurrected Resentment, We Will Meet Again
Shangguan Lengyan finally understood why Luo Xue had approached her while using her pupil technique.
She had assumed Luo Xue was from the Shangguan clan, specializing in pupil techniques, controlling ghosts with her eyes, and casting spells with her gaze.
After all, being able to use a pupil technique that separated the three souls and seven spirits, she wouldn’t believe that Luo Xue was just a novice in this field.
Therefore, Shangguan Lengyan focused all her attention on defending against Luo Xue’s pupil technique, failing to realize that it was just a feint.
Or rather, a means of control.
After successfully resisting “Soul Snatch,” Shangguan Lengyan didn’t have time to dodge Luo Xue’s attack.
In her vision, the petite, ghostly girl grew larger, the pestle in her hand drawing closer.
“Don’t tell me… she’s planning to hit me with the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle…”
This absurd thought flashed through Shangguan Lengyan’s mind, and the next moment, it became reality. Luo Xue raised the pestle and slammed it down on her.
This was a magical artifact! Used for casting techniques!
Shangguan Lengyan screamed inwardly, but she could only grit her teeth and forcibly release her ghosts to slow down Luo Xue’s attack.
However, after Luo Xue broke through to the Spirit Condensation Realm, her 100 strength points received a massive boost.
The ghosts Shangguan Lengyan hastily summoned couldn’t stop the blow, and coupled with the pestle’s soul-shattering effect, sharp, miserable ghostly wails filled the air.
Finally, after sacrificing several Spirit Condensation ghosts and one Foundation Establishment ghost, Shangguan Lengyan barely dodged the attack.
“Boom—”
With a loud bang, the solid ground cracked slightly.
Shangguan Lengyan looked at the cracks on the ground, her heart pounding, her chest heaving.
The ground of Ghost Demon Pass was soaked with the blood and flesh of countless cultivators, and reinforced by earth vein power, making it difficult for ordinary techniques to damage.
And yet, this cousin…
Had cracked the ground with her physical strength.
Judging by her strength alone, she was already close to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
“A body cultivator? No, I’ve never heard of anyone in the Shangguan clan cultivating body refinement techniques…”
After all, their innate talent for pupil techniques was their greatest advantage. There was no need to abandon it and cultivate body refinement, which took so much time and effort.
Moreover, her cousin’s pupil technique was terrifying; she couldn’t possibly be a body cultivator.
The bizarre illusion around them gradually dissipated. Shangguan Lengyan had only cast the illusion technique to prevent Luo Xue from escaping.
And now…
The illusion was no longer necessary.
“Tsk, what a pity.”
Luo Xue was a bit annoyed that her attack missed. Such an opportunity was rare and could only be used once.
Next time, Shangguan Lengyan wouldn’t let her get close so easily.
In a duel of pupil techniques, even with the “will” and her Double Pupils, Luo Xue was still at a disadvantage compared to Shangguan Lengyan.
After all, the Shangguan clan’s pupil techniques focused on controlling ghosts, and Luo Xue didn’t have any ghosts. Even if she copied the technique, she couldn’t use it…
Although most ghosts only retained a fraction of their former power, most Foundation Establishment ghosts could at most exert the strength of a Spirit Condensation cultivator, and they lacked intelligence and most of their former techniques and abilities.
But there was strength in numbers!
Shangguan Lengyan had hundreds of Foundation Establishment ghosts and thousands of Spirit Condensation ghosts.
Many ants could kill an elephant, and these ghosts weren’t weak to Luo Xue.
If not for yesterday’s incident at the Youxiang Restaurant, where she lost two-thirds of her ghosts, she would have even more. A clan prodigy wasn’t just a title.
“Next, I will hold nothing back.”
Shangguan Lengyan said faintly.
Having come this far, she knew she had to gamble everything.
Moreover, she had already sensed something strange about the pestle in Luo Xue’s hand.
She hadn’t expected Aunt Shangguan Yu to leave a trace of Nascent Soul “will” within the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle, which could be merged with…
If she obtained it, besides evolving her “Mystic Dark Eyes,” she would also gain a powerful trump card.
Even just for this sliver of Nascent Soul will, it was worth betting all her ghosts!
“Pupil technique—Gate of Hell!”
Shangguan Lengyan’s eyes lit up slightly, and gates of hell slowly appeared around her.
The screams of evil ghosts echoed again, and countless evil spirits crawled out from the gates of hell.
They looked different, some in armor, some in ordinary clothes, but all with gruesome appearances.
Luo Xue’s expression turned serious as she looked at the surging ghosts.
She recognized them. Most of these ghosts were once people of the Immortal Domain, and there were even Senior Sisters from Falling Flower Peak among them.
Under Shangguan Lengyan’s pupil technique, they had returned to life in another form, their eyes burning with a cold fire, their resentment almost forming dark clouds.
From their appearance, most were souls from the Immortal-Demon War.
They roared and charged towards Luo Xue.
“Heh, let me see how your ghosts compare to the thousand-year foundation of my Shangguan clan…”
Shangguan Lengyan narrowed her eyes slightly, her face turning pale.
She had truly reached her limit.
“This pupil technique…”
Luo Xue did want to copy it. Her Double Pupils had already analyzed it.
But the problem was, she didn’t have any ghosts…
“Forget it, should I try?”
Luo Xue focused her mind and used the same pupil technique as Shangguan Lengyan.
“Pupil technique—Reincarnation of the Impure World!”
The surging ghost army charged towards Luo Xue, but her pupil technique, without any ghosts, seemed to have no effect.
“…”
No, it wasn’t completely ineffective.
The “will,” which had been fading, actually solidified slightly after Luo Xue used Reincarnation of the Impure World.
The next moment, Luo Xue’s Nascent Soul will instantly withered, but the illusory woman behind her slowly opened her eyes.
A galaxy seemed to swirl within her eyes, and an oppressive Nascent Soul aura slowly emanated.
The seductive figure moved slightly, glancing at the ghost army with amusement and mockery.
In an instant, the entire ghost army was annihilated.
“This… this is…” Shangguan Lengyan’s eyes widened. “Just a wisp of resentment, how could it be revived through Gate of Hell…”
Gate of Hell was indeed a pupil technique for summoning ghosts, but ghosts and resentful spirits were two different concepts!
Resentment was just… will, while ghosts had three souls and seven spirits.
Even incomplete ghosts were fundamentally different from resentment. Gate of Hell couldn’t be used on resentment.
This scene shattered Shangguan Lengyan’s decades-old worldview.
Inside the Treasure Pavilion, Shangguan Yu’s expression was also filled with shock.
It wasn’t because she, a living person, had been inexplicably summoned as a ghost by a junior, but because a wisp of resentment had been awakened like a ghost through a pupil technique. This also shattered her understanding.
“Double Pupils… so this is Double Pupils… the number one pupil technique talent in the world, bar none.”
There were very few records of Double Pupils. Shangguan Yu had initially thought that Double Pupils only enhanced the effects of pupil techniques, but she hadn’t expected it to qualitatively change their effects. The two were worlds apart.
Luo Xue, who had shattered the worldviews of two people, didn’t feel anything. She just felt that this divine ability was indeed powerful.
If she had to use the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle to smash those ghosts one by one, she didn’t know how long it would take.
But now, a single divine ability had solved everything.
At this point, Luo Xue’s Nascent Soul will had completely withered. It would take at least half a month to replenish it.
But… the exhausted Shangguan Lengyan wasn’t necessarily Luo Xue’s match now.
Her pupil technique was unusable, and her ghosts were gone.
With only her peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, she couldn’t compete with Luo Xue in close combat.
Even without considering spiritual power, Luo Xue’s physical strength was at the peak of Spirit Condensation, and she could also use spiritual power.
“Phew…”
Luo Xue approached Shangguan Lengyan step by step, pestle in hand.
Shangguan Lengyan struggled to stay standing, her body visibly weak, leaning against the rubble for support.
“Sigh…”
Just then, Shangguan Yu’s sigh echoed in Luo Xue’s ear.
“Spare her life, consider it returning a favor… After all, she’s also a junior of the Shangguan clan.”
Luo Xue stopped, looking at Shangguan Lengyan indifferently.
“Since Senior has spoken, I… have no objections.”
Luo Xue put away the pestle, her terrifying eyes returning to normal. She couldn’t maintain this state any longer.
Using pupil techniques required “will,” similar to soul power, not spiritual power. Luo Xue hadn’t specifically cultivated her will and was relying on the pestle to maintain the “Mystic Dark Eyes.”
Meanwhile, the other battle was also nearing its end.
Nangong Mengxiang was stronger, and Sima Ye was retreating, his possessing ghosts dissipating.
Sima Ye’s ghosts were different from Shangguan Lengyan’s.
He used ghost possession, and his ghosts were all top-notch, prodigies from various eras, collected by the Sima clan. Losing even one was a great loss.
Two of the three ghosts possessing Sima Ye had been dispelled by Nangong Mengxiang, and his soul attack was ineffective against her.
Sima Ye was starting to doubt himself. Two monsters immune to his soul attacks in two days? Was he still a prodigy?
He didn’t connect Nangong Mengxiang with the woman in the childish dress he met yesterday. Their auras and companions were different.
After Luo Xue’s victory, Sima Ye knew there was no hope of winning.
He immediately abandoned the fight and went to Shangguan Lengyan’s side.
“Let’s go!”
Sima Ye whispered, taking out a pile of talismans—all Foundation Establishment level, even more than what Luo Xue had.
Luo Xue thought he was planning a big move, but the talismans formed a small formation, just big enough for two people.
“Is this… a teleportation formation?”
Luo Xue sensed spatial fluctuations. Due to the restrictions in Ghost Demon Pass, Sima Ye needed a lot of talismans.
“Hey, don’t run!”
Nangong Mengxiang, still eager to fight, charged forward with her mace.
Sima Ye looked at Nangong Mengxiang with some fear. Body cultivators were all crazy.
He hoped never to meet another one…
As the formation activated, Shangguan Lengyan opened her eyes, looked at Luo Xue, and said faintly,
“Cousin, we will… meet again.”
“We’ll see.”
Luo Xue smiled faintly, thinking that next time, she might not even look the same.
The teleportation formation’s light enveloped them, and they vanished before Nangong Mengxiang’s mace could reach them.
“Boom—”
The mace struck the ground, causing an even greater tremor, collapsing the nearby rubble.
“I missed…”
Nangong Mengxiang looked disappointed, but she still put away her mace.
She looked at Luo Xue with concern.
“Little Martial Aunt, are you injured?”
“I’m fine.”
Luo Xue shook her head.
She had the Nascent Soul will’s help, and Shangguan Lengyan wasn’t at her best, which was how Luo Xue, at the Spirit Condensation Realm, could defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Without the Nascent Soul will, or if Shangguan Lengyan had been at her peak, Luo Xue wouldn’t have been able to win.
The Double Pupils were powerful, but they required sufficient cultivation to support them.
This battle was Luo Xue’s first experience with the true power of divine abilities. There was a reason why body cultivation wasn’t mainstream.
Not only was it difficult to cultivate, but the methods were also too limited.
“By the way, should we go back and find…”
Luo Xue wanted to talk to Shangguan Yu, but the Treasure Pavilion was gone.
“Eh, Sister Shangguan is gone again.”
Nangong Mengxiang wasn’t surprised.
“Uh… what’s going on?” Luo Xue asked.
“I don’t know much. The ‘Treasure Pavilion’ seems to be a powerful hidden force, and Sister Shangguan just works there—that’s what she said.”
Nangong Mengxiang told Luo Xue everything she knew.
“Every once in a while, she moves the entire building to a different location. It just happened to be in Ghost Demon Pass this time.”
“There’s even such a thing…”
Luo Xue twitched her lips.
But thinking about it, Shangguan Yu was a Nascent Soul old monster. How could she be content staying in a barren place like Ghost Demon Pass?
“Fortunately, we robbed quite a bit, it should be enough to find a place to stay.” Nangong Mengxiang rummaged through her bag, took out a Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Pill, and handed it to Luo Xue. “Here, this is for you.”
“…No need to return it, I still have some.” Luo Xue shook her head, not taking the pill. “Keep it for yourself, just in case.”
“I don’t need it.” Nangong Mengxiang ignored her and stuffed the pill into Luo Xue’s hand. “I’m a body cultivator! Little Martial Aunt, you underestimate body cultivators too much!”
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