Chapter 98: Shangguan Yu’s Remnant Soul, A Cup of Cola
Inside the small inn.
Nangong Mengxiang had gone to bed early. She was carefree, and today’s thrilling events didn’t affect her sleep at all. Luo Xue, in the next room, could even hear her soft snores.
The Sha sisters, however, were worried. They had never experienced anything like this. Luo Xue could hear them tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.
As for Luo Xue, her soul had experienced countless life-and-death situations, and today’s events weren’t as hopeless as when she faced Daoist Ziyang.
However, she still had many questions.
First, the Zither Witch’s intervention.
Luo Xue was certain that she had never met this protector of the Temple of the Nether Spirit before.
As for the Temple of the Nether Spirit, she had only crossed paths with a few disciples of the Blood Lord lineage. They were neither enemies nor allies.
Luo Xue wanted to ask, but she was afraid she wouldn’t survive after asking…
The tempers of these Nascent Soul old monsters were always unpredictable. Not to mention the Zither Witch, her convenient mother, Luo Huaxin, was a prime example.
Second, Master Wumu’s parting gift.
Luo Xue took out the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle. Under the dim candlelight, the arm-length pestle still emitted a faint, sacred glow.
But the only odd thing was the living beads at both ends.
“These two living beads should be the sealed Dao technique and divine ability.”
Luo Xue carefully sensed the two beads, which were currently closed, looking like ordinary black beads.
“Evil Ghost lineage of the Demonic Ghost City. I remember the prodigy from the Demon Abyss who wanted to capture me was also from there.” Luo Xue pondered. “And Shangguan… that woman had this surname. Wait!”
Luo Xue finally realized the most unusual, or rather, coincidental, thing.
These events weren’t entirely unrelated.
“According to Master Wumu, this thing contains a sealed technique of the Shangguan clan, so it should be what that Shangguan woman from the Demon Abyss wanted.”
“And she and that Sima guy were always wary of Master Wumu, as if they were afraid he would do something.”
“But now…”
Master Wumu had indeed done something. He stole the thing the Evil Ghost lineage prodigy wanted and gave it to Luo Xue.
And this artifact must be very important to the Evil Ghost lineage prodigy. They, like Luo Xue, had avoided all eyes and ears to sneak into Ghost Demon Pass, just to obtain the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle.
So, the troublesome part of this thing wasn’t just that it was stolen goods, but that it would also attract the attention of the Evil Ghost lineage prodigy.
Luo Xue’s grip on the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle tightened, and she hesitated.
Since this thing was so troublesome, should she just return it to them…
As Luo Xue was pondering, a drop of her blood was suddenly drawn from her hand, which was holding the pestle, and absorbed into it.
“Ah!”
Luo Xue immediately let go, but it was too late. The Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle activated on its own.
Instantly, the living beads opened, their blood-red pupils staring directly at Luo Xue, as if countless secrets were swirling within, carrying a terrifying aura.
“How… how did it activate? Did it recognize me as its master?”
Luo Xue panicked, trying to stop the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle.
But before she could do anything, the auras of the two living beads emanated, condensing into the illusory figure of a beautiful and seductive woman.
Her eyes were half-closed, and her slightly curved lips seemed to whisper countless secrets of the world.
The woman’s eyes opened slightly, filled with an irresistible charm, enough to captivate any man’s soul and make him offer her everything.
It was a pity that Luo Xue was a girl.
“…”
Luo Xue and the illusory woman stared at each other.
“Are you… Shangguan Yu?”
Luo Xue asked tentatively.
But the illusory woman clearly wasn’t sentient. It was just a trace of the sealed pupil technique’s aura, driven by instinct, trying to manipulate others into breaking the seal.
Unfortunately, this charm had little effect on Luo Xue. Firstly, because they were both girls, and secondly, Luo Xue’s soul strength was already maxed out.
More importantly…
Luo Xue’s pupils had a slight double image, as if two pupils were superimposed.
The divine ability talent—”Double Pupils”—had a natural suppressive effect on all pupil techniques. The effect of almost all pupil techniques on someone with Double Pupils would be greatly weakened.
Although these two “Mystic Dark Eyes” came from a Nascent Soul expert, their power had been greatly reduced after being sealed, and after being further weakened by the Double Pupils, they were almost ineffective, unable to even penetrate Luo Xue’s soul defenses.
Thus, this strange scene unfolded.
After staring for a while, seeing that nothing happened, Luo Xue mustered her courage and picked up the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle again.
Instantly, Luo Xue felt a soreness in her eyes, a thunderous roar echoed in her mind, followed by a bewitching melody.
When Luo Xue endured all of this and opened her eyes again, her vision had changed.
Everything around her was filled with a blood-red mist, faintly reflecting the surroundings.
And she could somehow see through this mist, “seeing” others from a different perspective.
Nangong Mengxiang sleeping soundly next door, and the Sha sisters tossing and turning downstairs.
Not only that, but Luo Xue saw even more, her mind filled with understanding, as if something had been poured into it.
“Nangong’s soul is incomplete, yet strangely harmonious… The Sha sisters actually share three souls and seven spirits!”
No wonder the Evil Ghost lineage prodigy couldn’t see through the man in the bamboo hat’s true identity. In their eyes, he was indeed just one person.
“So this is the Shangguan clan’s pupil technique…”
Luo Xue looked at the nearby bronze mirror. Her reflection was that of a ghostly girl—the appearance Li Guijiao had used during the sparring matches on Falling Flower Peak.
And at this moment, the ghostly girl’s eyes were filled with a sinister darkness, only her pupils were a shocking crimson, carrying a captivating charm.
—The secret inherited technique of the Shangguan clan of the Evil Ghost lineage, the “Mystic Dark Eyes.”
Luo Xue quickly let go of the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle, and everything dissipated, leaving only a pale, thin girl in the mirror.
At the same time, the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle also calmed down, but the two living beads didn’t close again. They floated within the hollow lanterns at both ends, their scarlet pupils twitching restlessly.
The evil ghost within the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle had been awakened by Luo Xue.
“That was scary.”
Luo Xue breathed a sigh of relief and quickly checked her condition.
There didn’t seem to be anything unusual, and she hadn’t learned the pupil technique.
Her Double Pupils still only had their original ability, “seeing fast as slow.”
“However, with the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle, I have more options.”
Luo Xue composed herself and carefully put the pestle into her storage ring.
Although there were no further unusual occurrences upon touching the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle this time, Luo Xue felt a faint pulse from it, as if it had come alive.
—This was absolutely impossible. The Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle was just a magical artifact, not a spiritual artifact. The only possibility was that the remnant soul of Shangguan Yu within the two living beads hadn’t given up struggling, which was very dangerous.
Finally, Luo Xue took out a gourd.
It was the “Immortal’s Kowtow” given to her by Luo Huaxin for increasing her cultivation.
Having heard the story of the previous Calamity Poison Body, Luo Xue had been wary of using poison to enhance her cultivation, fearing that something might go wrong and affect her mind.
But after learning the truth about the Calamity Poison Body from the Sha sisters, Luo Xue felt more at ease.
Thinking about it, her convenient mother wouldn’t harm her. She should have already understood this aspect but just hadn’t explained it clearly.
…Right?
For some reason, whenever she thought of her convenient mother, Luo Xue felt a sense of unreliability…
Luo Xue opened the gourd, picked up a cup, and poured out the poison.
As the toxic residue of the essence of the sun and moon absorbed by the immortal herb, Immortal’s Kowtow was a dark, inky black, and bubbles were constantly rising to the surface.
Luo Xue’s pouring was a bit too forceful, and the bubbles instantly accumulated, forming a grayish foam that rapidly expanded.
Startled, Luo Xue quickly stopped and waited for the foam to dissipate before pouring again.
“Pouring this thing gives me a strange sense of déjà vu…”
Luo Xue muttered to herself, then lifted the cup and slowly drank it, her brow slightly furrowed.
It felt like drinking carbonated water…
“Strange, I thought it would be bitter, but it’s actually sweet… Wait, this texture, this taste…”
Luo Xue put down the cup, a look of disbelief in her eyes. “Isn’t this just cola?”
Of course, there were still differences, just similarities.
The bubbles in Immortal’s Kowtow were highly concentrated spiritual energy from heaven and earth, and the sweetness came from the essence of the immortal herb itself.
But soon, Luo Xue felt the effects of Immortal’s Kowtow.
After entering her body, the poison quickly integrated into her circulation, corroding her spiritual power.
If it were an ordinary cultivator, allowing the poison to reach this stage would be fatal. Even Nascent Soul experts would have to abandon their physical bodies.
But Luo Xue’s Calamity Poison Body was even more domineering. The toxicity within her spiritual power and blood quickly counterattacked, devouring the Immortal’s Kowtow poison.
However, this process was quite intense.
Shortly after drinking it, Luo Xue felt her circulation surging, and an unbearable pain shot through her entire body.
“Ugh…”
A buzzing sound rang in her head, and her consciousness gradually faded as the intense pain numbed her senses.
She closed her eyes heavily, but the pain continued relentlessly.
However, Luo Xue was already used to enduring.
In the quiet night, all of this happened silently.
…
“…Master Wumu must have deliberately triggered the seal on the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle just now. The aura is very clear, and I have its exact location.”
Shangguan Lengyan opened her eyes, exhaustion in her expression.
She had been using her “Mystic Dark Eyes” continuously for several hours to search for the aura, and she was exhausted.
Because Luo Xue had kept the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle in her storage ring before, Shangguan Lengyan could only get a vague location, so she had to constantly change positions to pinpoint it.
When Luo Xue took it out and activated it, Shangguan Lengyan instantly got the exact location.
But they didn’t act rashly.
Because now, Sima Ye and Shangguan Lengyan only had one chance to strike.
If they failed, they would lose the chance to obtain the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle forever.
“He’s luring us into a trap,” Sima Ye’s expression was serious, his eyes flickering slightly. “With our injuries after using the secret techniques… even if we join forces, it will be difficult to defeat Master Wumu.”
The price of using secret techniques was unimaginable. Besides being unable to advance their cultivation for ten years, their combat power had also greatly decreased.
Previously, Shangguan Lengyan could use her “Mystic Dark Eyes” to investigate effortlessly for dozens of hours.
Master Wumu was a prodigy on the same level as Sima Ye and Shangguan Lengyan. His methods were mysterious and unpredictable, making him a difficult opponent.
“What should we do…”
Sima Ye pondered.
“Actually… there’s another way.”
“What way?”
“…Awaken my aunt’s remnant soul.” Shangguan Lengyan said in a low voice. “During the Immortal-Demon War, all of my aunt’s techniques and divine abilities were sealed by the Silent Temple using ten different artifacts. In the end, she died on the battlefield, filled with resentment.”
“All the artifacts that sealed her techniques contain a trace of her resentful remnant soul. If we awaken it, we can definitely defeat Master Wumu.”
Nascent Soul cultivators were extremely difficult to kill. To kill Shangguan Yu, the Silent Temple had used nine seventh-grade artifacts and one eighth-grade artifact, and even a Nascent Soul expert was severely injured. The price was unimaginable.
“So that’s how it is…” Sima Ye was hearing this secret of the Shangguan clan for the first time. He was shocked, but also puzzled. “But why didn’t you use this method directly?”
“Because…”
Shangguan Lengyan hesitated.
But after a moment, she sighed and said,
“Because compared to the Silent Temple, my aunt’s resentment is more directed towards the Shangguan clan…”
Sima Ye was shocked.
“Back then, after all of Aunt Shangguan Yu’s techniques and divine abilities were sealed, her younger sister… the current Clan Leader, Aunt Shangguan Ling, abandoned her and chose to retreat.”
“Even within the Shangguan clan, not many people know about this…”
Sima Ye was silent for a moment.
The Demon Abyss was such a cruel place. Once one showed weakness, they would be abandoned, their possessions plundered. Even between sisters, even between… Dao companions.
Shangguan Yu’s death wasn’t unavoidable, but the price of saving her was too high, and she would have been crippled even if she survived.
On the other hand, her younger sister, Shangguan Ling, finally having the chance to become the Clan Leader, abandoned her older sister, leaving Shangguan Yu to die on the battlefield.
“But this is our last resort, isn’t it?” Sima Ye said. “Let’s do it, don’t hesitate.”
“…Understood.” Shangguan Lengyan nodded. “I need to make some preparations. We’ll act after dawn.”
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