Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 556 - 551: Soul-Extinction Demon Needle, Void Insects_1
The Insect External Incarnation controlled the Heaven and Earth Mountain and Sea Pearl, hoping to find Qing Yang’s flesh and blood after his self-destruction, but in the end, he found nothing.
To be precise, he was lost in the Void!
The Void was dark and deathly still, devoid of any sound or movement. In such a place, direction, space, and time all became distorted. With Jin Sheng’s past assistance, by using Void Wandering, he could roughly sense the relative positions of the Void and the Mysterious Realm. Now, gazing into the distance, there was only boundless darkness and the Void. It was impossible to tell where he was, let alone reach his desired destination.
Unable to use the Corpse-Eating Bizarre Pill to devour Qing Yang’s flesh and blood, and with no solution in sight, Jin Sheng’s awakening was out of the question.
The only good news was that Jin Sheng’s Divine Soul had not deteriorated. It was unclear whether this was due to the elixirs previously fed to him or the inherent power of a True Dragon.
Jin Sheng’s awakening remained uncertain. The only paths forward were to obtain Divine Skills from the Dark Bizarre or for Mo Lin to advance to the Sixth Rank.
"Eh, Master, is this for me to eat?"
For some reason, Mo Lin found that its diet had improved lately. An unlimited supply of delicious and fragrant Elixirs and food was provided.
Mo Lin held its belly, which nearly touched the ground. As if realizing something, its eyes brimmed with tears.
"I’m not pretty anymore!"
Jia Ren was not surprised. He had heard similar pronouncements many times, none of which had ever been followed through. This time, Mo Lin was surprisingly persistent, refusing food for three days—an unprecedented situation. Mo Lin’s advancement to the Sixth Rank slowed, prolonging their stay in the Void.
Should he try to persuade it? Unlike Jin Sheng, Mo Lin was still in its rebellious phase.
Jia Ren soon devised a solution. He found a spot near Mo Lin, took out the delicacies he had prepared earlier, and began to feast heartily. Watching someone eat, much like watching food shows, can easily stimulate one’s appetite.
In less than half a day, Mo Lin broke its fast and returned to its previous state.
"Bad Master, I’m not talking to you anymore!"
Jia Ren watched Mo Lin, who was gradually becoming as round as a ball, a satisfied expression on his face.
「A month flashed by. Estimating the time was about right, Jia Ren returned to the Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower.」
Qing Yang was an old monster of the Body Integration Realm and possessed considerable wisdom. Being too hasty could easily reveal flaws. A month of this deathly cycle of torment and erosion would surely make Qing Yang acutely aware of the threat of death. Seizing the initiative would make it easier to obtain what he wanted.
"Good, no signs of contamination. I was worried you might break the seal and escape."
Jia Ren arrived at the thirty-third floor, his gaze sweeping over the Malicious Bizarre, the Purple Ring Bizarre, and the Dark Bizarre. Although the Dark Bizarre was powerful, it was not entitled to monopolize an entire floor of the Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower. To be precise, no Bizarre Demon was entitled to a private room; at least three had to share. Space in the Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower was limited, so they had to squeeze in together.
After the inspection, Jia Ren turned and left.
The Dark Bizarre, its mind racing with unexecuted plans, saw Jia Ren leaving and hastily cried out, "Let me out! I can give you the Great Divine Skill: Universe in the Palm!"
"I can give you all my Divine Skills!"
The offer to help him transform into a Bizarre Person had failed to move Jia Ren. Qing Yang understood that Jia Ren had no intention of becoming one. His only remaining leverage was the Divine Skills from the Xuantiandao Sect.
Jia Ren’s blurry figure solidified, a smile playing on his lips. "You don’t actually believe I would let you leave, do you?"
"Or do you think a single Great Divine Power would make me risk letting a tiger return to the mountains?"
Qing Yang’s face twisted into a snarl. Although he had long known this, the slow approach of death still made him cling to a sliver of hope. Now, the facade was shattered, and the bloody truth lay bare before him.
Perhaps because his hopes were shattered, his hidden hatred surged forth, no longer restrained. He stared at Jia Ren and enunciated each word sharply, "I will definitely tear you to pieces..."
"If you genuinely offer me your Divine Skills, perhaps I could spare you the agony of being burned by the Purging Evil Fire."
Qing Yang’s furious retort died in his throat. His face became a terrifying mask, a twisted mix of resentment and hope. Although he could not leave the Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower, the absence of the accursed burning flame meant his soul would no longer weaken, delaying death. Staying alive... was more important than anything else.
"I was merely joking, Elder. Please don’t take offense," Qing Yang said, his face suddenly breaking into a sycophantic smile. He put on a brilliant performance, his attitude changing faster than one could flip through a book.
"First, let me see your sincerity, and then I will make a decision."
"If you try to fool me with trash, our next collaboration will be a year from now."
Even a month was unbearable; a year would be inconceivable.
With a mere thought from Jia Ren, the Wicked Flame surrounding Qing Yang was entirely withdrawn, affording him a moment’s respite. After enduring endless torment, the disappearance of the Wicked Flame felt like ascending to the Immortal Realm.
A blank Jade Slip was thrown over, landing in front of Qing Yang.
Qing Yang sighed. He understood Jia Ren’s intentions. This was a ploy to slowly drain him dry... until he had no value left. The outcome was self-evident.
He was merely a prisoner with no power to choose; instead, he had to firmly grasp this hard-won opportunity. Qing Yang picked up the Jade Slip and swiftly began to record on it. This was the time to show sincerity. He certainly wouldn’t hand over his signature technique, Palm Containing Universe. However, a Divine Skill only slightly inferior to it should be impressive enough. His most important bargaining chip could not be revealed so easily; it was his key to survival. He prayed that this captor would meet with some misfortune, or that he himself could secretly corrupt this tower, creating a chance to escape.
Before long, the recording on the Jade Slip was complete, and he placed it on the ground. Jia Ren used the Suppressing Demon Divine Light to retrieve it. He then passed it through the Wicked Flame once to incinerate any potential hidden traps. Only then did he take the Jade Slip into his hand and examine it closely.
A total of three Divine Skills were recorded within the Jade Slip. The first was named Candle Eyes. It was a special Pupil Class Divine Ability. The user’s eyes would possess the mystical power of fire, enabling them to incinerate enemies from a distance. When paired with different types of flames, it would produce varying effects. Candle Eyes combined with Wicked Flame, wouldn’t it be possible to burn Bizarre Demons from a distance simply by looking at them?
The second Divine Skill was Bone-Corroding Ghostly Wind, which Jia Ren had personally experienced. This wind could penetrate to the very marrow, destroying the physical body from within. Its companion technique, the Soul-Extinction Demon Needle, was the very thing that had caused him and Jin Sheng such intense suffering.
The third Divine Skill was none other than the Soul-Extinction Demon Needle. The Soul-Extinction Demon Needle was a special Divine Skill that specifically targeted the Divine Soul. It was invisible and intangible, making it exceedingly difficult to defend against. Once afflicted, the target’s Divine Soul would wither and die.
When Qing Yang saw Jia Ren was unharmed and didn’t inquire about a cure, he assumed Jia Ren possessed a countermeasure. He must have truly neutralized the Soul-Extinction Demon Poison, not just feigning composure.
Qing Yang hadn’t offered many Divine Skills to entice Jia Ren. The Great Divine Skill: Universe in the Palm was one. The two complementary Divine Skills, Qianyang and Kunyue, were another part of that set. Qianyang and Kunyue needed to be combined with Palm Containing Universe to truly display their might; otherwise, their synergistic effect wasn’t particularly potent. It was far inferior to the combination of Bone-Corroding Ghostly Wind and Soul-Extinction Demon Needle.
Since Jia Ren had witnessed the combined power of Bone-Corroding Ghostly Wind and Soul-Extinction Demon Needle, and Qing Yang believed Jia Ren had a counter, offering these three Divine Skills was the most suitable for Qing Yang as an initial token of goodwill. Qing Yang was unaware that his supposedly clever move played right into Jia Ren’s hands. The Great Divine Skill: Universe in the Palm was indeed important, but now, concerning Jin Sheng’s safety, its importance was truly outweighed by the Soul-Extinction Demon Needle.
Although Jin Sheng’s Divine Soul hadn’t worsened, his awakening remained uncertain. If this problem wasn’t resolved, how long would they remain adrift in the Void? This method had arrived a month late, but it was still timely enough.
"Not bad. Your sincerity is noted. You have seven days of respite!"
Puppets materialized near the Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower, monitoring Qing Yang’s every move and using the Suppressing Demon Divine Light to reinforce the seals in this area. This was to prevent the Dark Bizarre from breaking the seal and contaminating the Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower. If there was the slightest unusual movement, the Wicked Flame would descend once more.
Jia Ren utilized the Weaving Technique, a Divine Skill obtained from the Xuantiandao Sect, to scrutinize the offered techniques for any hidden flaws. The Weaving Technique was a special secret art of the Xuantiandao Sect, often used to analyze and deduce Divine Skills, making it a core component of the Xuantiandao Treasury. If Qing Yang had dared to embed a trap within the Divine Skills, the Weaving Technique would sense the anomaly and expose the problem.
As it turned out, Qing Yang was not foolish. He didn’t believe that setting a trap within the Divine Skills could actually cause Jia Ren to suffer cultivation deviation. His life and death were entirely in Jia Ren’s hands; such an act would only hasten his own demise. All three Divine Skills were genuine, with no traps hidden within.
After confirming the Divine Skills were safe, Jia Ren began to study the newly acquired Soul-Extinction Demon Needle. This technique required special poisonous herbs as an auxiliary material to condense unique toxic needles. When the Soul-Extinction Demon Needle struck a Cultivator, it not only withered their Divine Soul with its Soul-Extinction Demon Poison but also pierced their vital spiritual acupoints, causing the target to fall into a coma. A True Dragon’s powerful Divine Soul could resist the soul poison, but the needles piercing its spiritual acupoints were the true cause of the coma.
The Divine Skill included a specific method for retracting the needles. Regrettably, only the one who deployed them could do so. This presented another problem.
Jia Ren conceived a potential solution. By mastering the Soul-Extinction Demon Needle to the Technique-Nearing-Dao Level, he should be able to ignore this restriction and forcibly retract the needles Qing Yang had implanted. He needed to elevate the Proficiency Level of this Divine Skill as quickly as possible!
The Heaven and Earth Mountain and Sea Pearl lacked neither Spiritual Medicines nor poisons. Although the specific poisonous herbs required for the Soul-Extinction Demon Needle Divine Skill were rare, they were indeed part of his reserves. Jia Ren prepared the necessary poisonous concoction and began practicing the Divine Skill to raise its Proficiency Level.
His recent luck had been good. Mo Lin, nourished by many potent Spiritual Objects, was in a period of rapid growth and, on this very day, finally began its metamorphosis towards the Sixth Rank. Resolving the Soul-Extinction Demon Needle and Mo Lin’s advancement to the Sixth Rank truly meant double the blessings. His heart joyful, Jia Ren found his efficiency in practicing the Soul-Extinction Demon Needle also increased considerably.
「The seven days flew by, and the Wicked Flame re-emerged on the Dark Bizarre. After carefully ensuring there were no signs of contamination on the Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower and Suppressing Demon God Chain, he was able to relax.」
However, just as Jia Ren was about to settle down and cultivate, the Insect External Incarnation, responsible for controlling the Heaven and Earth Mountain and Sea Pearl, sent an urgent warning.
"Master, trouble! I’ve just detected something in the Void."
"It appears to be a living creature. I tried to move away, but it’s pursuing us!"
Anything in the Void demanded extreme caution. Creatures capable of surviving here were never simple. Avoiding unknown dangers was always the best course of action. But the issue was... some dangers were simply unavoidable.
Jia Ren’s consciousness surged into the Heaven and Earth Mountain and Sea Pearl, and he gazed out into the Void.
Swarms of insectoid creatures, each about a zhang long, were navigating the Void. These were unique life forms native to this environment, known as Void Insects.
