Chapter 162 Nie Zhengchu's Final Fate, Lou Shuhe Emerges from Seclusion
After Nie Zhengchu died, the cultivators on the ancient battlefield searched for his soul, but no one could find it after a long time.
The high-ranking cultivators of the Immortal Cloud Sect sat together, discussing the matter of Nie Zhengchu's soul.
"As long as Nie Zhengchu's soul cannot be found, the cultivation world will never have peace. Tsk, is that guy a mudfish? We've searched the entire ancient battlefield and still can't find his soul after he died."
"You're wrong. It's not that we searched the entire ancient battlefield, but rather that we searched half of it."
"Exaggeration, do you understand exaggeration?"
"We can't get out of here, and we can't find Nie Zhengchu's spirit. Ancestor Lian, what do you suggest we do?"
Old Master Lian sat on a mound of earth, seemingly unbothered by the dirt. He appeared to be an elderly man, yet his sword remained drawn. He said, "We can't find Nie Zhengchu's soul. It's highly likely he was devoured or torn apart by other souls from the ancient battlefield. These souls were filled with murderous intent; their consciousness was in a chaotic state, unable to distinguish friend from foe."
"The fact that there are no lingering souls in the area we are in now does not mean that no spirits will wander here in the future. Since we cannot get out, we might as well try to help these spirits pass on and let them get rid of their obsessions."
Someone stepped forward and offered their opinion: "Ancestor, what you say makes sense, but there are countless divine souls on the ancient battlefield, each one difficult to deal with. How can we resolve their obsessions and help them pass on? Most of their obsessions are related to the Xuan Tian Tribulation, but the Xuan Tian Tribulation has been over for tens of thousands of years. Even if we want to help, we can't."
Although Elder Lian had been cultivating in seclusion in the forbidden area for a long time, he still possessed the sharpness of a sword cultivator: "If we can help them pass on, we will. If we can't, we'll either scatter their souls or drive them away. We can't get out for a while, but this place is also an excellent training ground. If we go through a round in here, our cultivation will only increase."
Everyone except the sword cultivator was speechless. No wonder the sword cultivator was so strong that he could kill enemies of higher levels. At a time like this, the sword cultivator was still thinking about fighting to improve his strength.
Seeing their hesitation, Elder Lian calmly said, "There are other high-level cultivators from other sects on the ancient battlefield. You don't want to be outdone by them and beaten to the ground, do you?"
The rest of the people: ...
"The ancestor is right! We must never give up cultivation. I'll go find a lone soul to challenge now! I can also continue searching for Nie Zhengchu's soul while I'm at it!"
Count me in!
"Me too!"
Old Master Lian chuckled, "You little brats, you think you can't be dealt with?"
Fighting once would not only improve our strength but also allow us to find Nie Zhengchu—a win-win situation that would be a shame to pass up. Since we can't leave now, the most important thing is not to lose morale. Having a firm belief and something to do is always better than losing hope and waiting to die.
However, before coming here, I heard that Lou Shuhe's apprentices Qi Zibo and Wen Zhiling had already entered the ancient battlefield. They only met once after entering before getting separated. I don't know how the two are doing now.
Previously, Qi Zibo was only at the Nascent Soul stage, but unexpectedly, upon meeting him again on the ancient battlefield, he had already reached the Integration stage. And Wen Zhiling, his killing intent was growing increasingly chilling; if he continued to stay on the ancient battlefield, he would likely soon reach the threshold of the Mahayana stage…
It wasn't just the cultivators from the Immortal Firmament Sect who were searching for Nie Zhengchu's soul; cultivators from other sects were also searching in every corner of the ancient battlefield.
No one knew that the divine soul they were searching for had now fallen into the hands of the Heavenly Dao.
When Nie Zhengchu regained consciousness, he found himself trapped in an empty space, unable to move despite his attempts.
"What's going on? Why can't I move?! Who? Who brought me here?!" Nie Zhengchu panicked. Hadn't he preserved his soul? He should be on the ancient battlefield, not in this strange place! If his soul was gone, how could he possess another body and return to his own world?
"It's really not easy to find your soul." A voice suddenly rang out in the unfamiliar space, but no one could be found.
"Where is everyone? Who's talking? Come out here!" Nie Zhengchu lost his usual composure and shouted hysterically.
The Heavenly Dao of the Xuantian Realm said, "Breaking through the protection on you is really troublesome. Now only the protection at the soul level remains. Once it's broken, you should say goodbye to the Xuantian Realm forever."
Nie Zhengchu seemed to have his lifeline seized, remaining as quiet as a chicken.
If Nie Zhengchu had a physical form, he would be drenched in cold sweat right now.
"Let me guess, you're wondering how I know your biggest secret?"
Nie Zhengchu was in a state of utter panic. Just as the voice had said, his biggest secret was his most deeply hidden trump card.
"The protective measures He takes on you are present in every world's Heavenly Dao."
If this voice spoke of the Heavenly Dao, then isn't He/She the Heavenly Dao of the Xuan Tian Realm?
Nie Zhengchu: "Impossible, this is impossible! He clearly said I wouldn't be caught by the Heavenly Dao of other worlds!"
The Heavenly Dao of the Xuan Tian Realm said, "The premise was that you were alive, wasn't it? But now that you've been killed by the children, that rule naturally fails. Your world... seems quite fragile?"
Nie Zhengchu trembled, "I was wrong! Please forgive me! I deeply realize my mistake, we were all wrong, please forgive us!"
“You don’t realize you’re wrong; you’re afraid you’re going to die, afraid that the Xuan Tian Realm will take away the life force of your world.”
When a world loses its vitality, it naturally perishes, and eventually no life remains in the world.
The old spiritual veins of the Xuan Tian Realm are drying up, but new spiritual veins are also forming, just waiting for the right time to appear in the world.
Nie Zhengchu's appearance was precisely for the sake of the Xuan Tian Realm's vitality, which is why the new spiritual vein could not appear for so long. If this rat hadn't fallen into the Xuan Tian Realm, it wouldn't have needed to fear the intentions of the Heavenly Dao of the Nine Spirit Realms.
The people sent from the Nine Spirit Realms eventually led the people from the Xuan Tian Realm back to the Nine Spirit Realms, thus completely severing the Nine Spirit Realms' hopes for the Heavenly Dao. Those two children were the key to breaking the deadlock. Now that the threat from the Nine Spirit Realms' Heavenly Dao is gone, and this rat has been caught, new spiritual veins can finally begin to appear in the world.
"I was wrong, please forgive me! I was really wrong!" Nie Zhengchu kept begging for mercy, beginning to regret agreeing to let the Heavenly Dao of this world go to other worlds to seize life.
The Heavenly Dao of the Xuan Tian Realm said, "I will determine your world coordinates based on your soul and memories."
Nie Zhengchu's mind went blank, and he completely collapsed.
Once the Heavenly Dao of the Xuan Tian Realm achieved its goal, Nie Zhengchu's soul was completely erased.
...
The forbidden area of the Immortal Cloud Sect.
An elder asked Sect Master Yan, "Where do the spiritual veins appear, and how many are there in total?"
Sect Master Yan replied, "The new spiritual vein is a large-scale spiritual vein, and it has now appeared at the border between the Central Continent and the Eastern Continent. This is the only message we have received."
“There’s more than one new spiritual vein; the other seven just haven’t appeared yet,” a new voice announced.
Sect Master Yan raised his eyes and looked at the newcomer, "Ancestor Lou? You've emerged from seclusion! This junior congratulates you on your successful seclusion!"
Lou Shuhe came out and heard them discussing the new spiritual vein. It seemed that her calculations before her seclusion were correct. She just wondered if Qi Zibo had gone to the ancient battlefield. Back then, he risked his life to calculate that a spiritual vein would appear in the ancient battlefield during the Great Ascension Tribulation. He couldn't let it go to waste.
"Qi Zibo—" Lou Shuhe was interrupted by Sect Master Yan's apologetic voice before she could finish speaking.
“Ancestor, I’m sorry. Elder Qi, like Ancestor Lian, is trapped in the ancient battlefield and cannot leave for the time being. Song Yin has checked the soul lamp, and Elder Qi’s soul lamp has not been extinguished. I can guarantee that it’s only a matter of time before Elder Qi and the others leave the ancient battlefield.”
Sect Master Yan observed Elder Lou's expression, but the other party remained silent. She was uneasy, wondering if the elder was angry. These Mahayana cultivators were all unfathomable, and it was difficult to see through their thoughts!
Lou Shuhe: So that kid left a long time ago? He hasn't forgotten what I once told him.
"There shouldn't be many people on the Ancient Battlefield now. If you want a spiritual vein, you can go to the Ancient Battlefield." Instead of getting entangled with multiple forces over a spiritual vein, it's better to go somewhere else and easily take over another spiritual vein.
Sect Master Yan: "Ancient battlefield? This..."
No one present was a fool, and they quickly understood Lou Shuhe's meaning. It was precisely because they understood that Sect Master Yan's expression turned ugly. "To be honest, there are high-level cultivators from all the sects on the ancient battlefield now."
Lou Shuhe's gaze sharpened, and she asked, "Explain clearly."
Sect Master Yan summarized the events surrounding the ancient battlefield and the joint pursuit of Nie Zhengchu by various sects.
Lou Shuhe fell silent after listening, as the white clouds reflected in the water drifted slowly across the sky. Truly, no amount of planning could compare to fate. She had initially thought that the spiritual veins appearing on the ancient battlefield wouldn't attract many competitors, but because of Nie Zhengchu's affair, numerous high-level cultivators had gathered at the ancient battlefield.
In any case, it's unavoidable that they'll fight tooth and nail for the spiritual vein.
"How did Fellow Daoist Lou know that a new spiritual vein would appear in the ancient battlefield?" Tao Youqing, a Mahayana stage talisman cultivator who had been chatting with Sect Master Yan earlier, asked, his eyes, which seemed to see through everything, fixed on Lou Shuhe.
Lou Shuhe met his gaze, then quickly looked away, calmly replying, "Naturally, I learned it from my master."
Lou Shuhe's master had already ascended to heaven, and there was no one to be found to verify it.
Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Sect Master Yan said, "Now that we know the location of the two spiritual veins, the most important thing is to bring them back to the Immortal Cloud Sect. We would like to ask the two elders to lend a hand."
Tao Youqing withdrew his probing gaze. "You are the sect leader. Proceed according to your plan. We old folks will just take care of the fallback."
That's exactly what I wanted to say. Sect Master Yan is afraid that these elders might go into seclusion at the slightest disagreement, making them impossible to find later. The main purpose of saying all this is to remind these elders that the current situation is special and they shouldn't go into seclusion lightly.
Having achieved his goal, the Yan Sect Leader quickly departed.
Lou Shuhe also wanted to go to Danque Peak to see Song Yin. With Qi Zibo away, all the matters at Danque Peak fell on Song Yin's shoulders, and she was a little worried.
Tao Youqing leaned closer and asked tentatively, "The fact that there are spiritual veins on the ancient battlefield, you really didn't figure that out yourself?"
Lou Shuhe: "I am a Dan cultivator, and my divination skills are even inferior to those of a Nascent Soul stage divination cultivator. Fellow Daoist Tao, you are overestimating me." This Tao Youqing had doubted his identity as a divination cultivator since the Nascent Soul stage, and he still had doubts even now that he had reached the Mahayana stage. "My disciple is not in the sect. I need to go visit my grand-disciple. Farewell."
Even after Lou Shuhe's figure had completely disappeared, Tao Youqing remained standing in the same spot, stroking his chin and pondering, "Lou Shuhe is definitely a divination cultivator, but unfortunately she refuses to admit it. Tsk, how can I get her to admit her identity as a divination cultivator?"
Lou Shuhe flew to Danque Peak and was first attracted by the lively scene at the foot of the mountain.
There was actually a group of sword cultivators practicing their swordsmanship on Danque Peak? Right next to them was a group of pill refiners refining pills. The healing pills they produced were sold directly to the sword cultivators. After taking the pills, the sword cultivators' pain and fatigue disappeared, and they turned around and began to practice their swordsmanship intensely again.
There were many people, but it wasn't chaotic.
Upon reaching the mountaintop, Lou Shuhe used her divine sense but found no trace of Song Yin. She entered the alchemy room, where shelves were still stocked with the spiritual herbs needed for alchemy.
Lou Shuhe took the spiritual herbs to examine them. "Many of these spiritual herbs are used in eighth-grade pills..." Could it be that another Mahayana cultivator has emerged from Danque Peak? No, that's impossible.
What exactly did I miss during these years of seclusion?
After sharing the information with Shen Yuzhu, Song Yin learned about the Shen family's affairs from Shen Yuzhu, and began to suspect that Yan Jin'an was related to the Shen family...
After flying down Danque Peak, she keenly sensed that there was another person on the mountaintop, in her usual alchemy room.
Song Yin appeared in the alchemy room in a flash, "Who!"
Upon recognizing the person inside the alchemy room, Song Yin was taken aback. "Grandmaster?"
Lou Shuhe: "It's me." She held up the spiritual herbs in her hand. "These are the spiritual herbs needed for an eighth-grade pill. Who is refining an eighth-grade pill?"
She looked Song Yin up and down and found that Song Yin's cultivation had reached the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage. She was first surprised by her cultivation level, but then she thought that even if Song Yin's cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul stage, she still couldn't refine an eighth-grade pill.
Song Yin: "These are the spiritual herbs I used when refining pills. I thought that no outsiders would enter the alchemy room on the mountaintop, so I put the herbs I used into my spatial storage." Changing the subject, Song Yin happily took her grandmaster's arm, "Congratulations on finally emerging from seclusion, Grandmaster! I've missed you so much!"
Lou Shuhe: "Wait, wait, don't rush to act cute. Explain the matter of the eighth-grade pill to me. Are you refining an eighth-grade pill?"
“That’s right.” Song Yin nodded, puffing out her chest, waiting for her grandmaster to praise her. “Not only can I refine eighth-grade pills, but I’ve also taken a liking to a disciple I want to take as my personal disciple.”
Song Yin blinked and said sweetly, "Grandmaster, why don't you help me calculate whether she is a gifted disciple?"
Lou Shuhe's brow twitched. She genuinely felt that she had been in seclusion for a while. How come her grand-disciple was also taking on personal disciples?
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Author's Note: Song Yin: Grandmaster, Grandmaster, Grandmaster, Grandmaster! [Pleading][Sprinkling flowers]
Lou Shuhe: Stop acting cute (coldly enjoying the moment)
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[Empty bowl]
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