Translator: CinderTL
A zombie?
Xu Sanyan shook his head slightly. It couldn't be. Zombies were shrouded in corpse qi and death qi, making them easily identifiable.
A puppet?
That was it. It resembled a puppet, a puppet controlled by someone else.
Xu Sanyan's vigilance heightened. The Chang Family was far more complex than it appeared. He needed to proceed with caution.
If what the short, skinny youth had said was true—that the Chang Family didn't even rank among the top families in the Chaotic Cloud Mountains—yet they still possessed such bizarre practices, then what about the other families?
And what about the Three Great Sects? What manner of beings might they be?
His curiosity grew stronger.
Xu Sanyan retrieved another elixir from his storage pouch and swallowed it, carefully nurturing his internal injuries.
His spirit stones and elixirs were dwindling. He'd used a considerable amount recently. A quick count revealed only a few thousand spirit stones and two bottles of elixirs remaining.
He still had several unused soul crystals, though. He decided to save them until his injuries had healed.
The Soul Refining Realm differed significantly from the Dao Seeking Realm. In the Dao Seeking Realm, cultivation focused on the "heart," the pursuit of the Dao.
In the Soul Refining Realm, cultivation centered on the "soul," the refinement of the divine soul. This required continuously strengthening one's divine soul until it could perceive the heavenly dao, allowing one to enter the void harmony realm.
However, the spiritual power within his Qi Sea couldn't be neglected. The divine soul and spiritual power had to advance in tandem to achieve void harmony.
This stage was the most challenging. While many Soul Refining Realm cultivators existed, those who reached the void harmony realm were exceedingly rare. Each void harmony realm cultivator was renowned, such as Venerable He Yu and Hua Gu.
Although Soul Refinement Cultivators were relatively common, soul crystals, which sustained their souls, were exceedingly scarce. Xu Sanyan currently possessed only seven or eight, all used and with minimal soul power remaining.
"Soul refinement..." Xu Sanyan murmured. His panel could only enhance his spiritual power cultivation level, not provide soul power, so he needed to cultivate it himself.
Fortunately, his cultivation method led directly to the immortal dao and included a "Soul Refinement Chapter." By following its steps diligently, he might glimpse the gates of void harmony within five hundred years.
"Too slow," Xu Sanyan shook his head. Five hundred years was far too long. He needed to find a way to acquire more soul crystals as soon as possible. For now, he had no choice but to proceed one step at a time.
His gaze then shifted to the Secret Realm Fruit beside him. Physical strength was equally crucial. Soul crystals represented realm cultivation, while physical prowess determined combat power and served as a means of self-preservation. The two complemented each other, neither being dispensable.
Chang Yinu left the courtyard and followed the path to a corner of the village, where a two-story pavilion stood.
The pavilion had no windows, only a wooden door, making it resemble a massive wooden box from a distance.
Unidentified towering trees surrounded the pavilion, blocking sunlight and casting the area into an eerie gloom.
Clearly familiar with the place, Chang Yinu effortlessly pushed open the creaking wooden door. A beam of light pierced through the crack, briefly illuminating the dark hall inside.
In the dim light, a group of figures could be vaguely seen standing in the center of the hall. Men and women, all strikingly handsome, stood motionless like dolls, showing no reaction to their surroundings—utterly unlike living beings.
Yet upon closer inspection, they were still breathing, their chests rising and falling rhythmically.
Chang Yinu turned and closed the wooden door, cutting off the light and plunging the hall back into darkness.
Accustomed to the eerie atmosphere, she strode past the figures and ascended the staircase to the second floor.
Tap, tap, tap~
Upstairs, a faint candlelight illuminated the space. A lone figure was busily engaged in some task, seemingly oblivious to Chang Yinu's presence behind them.
Chang Yinu didn't dare disturb the figure and stood obediently to the side.
After a long moment, the figure turned around, revealing a young woman dressed in simple, unadorned clothes. Her eyes held a slightly murky quality.
"Speak. What is it?"
The moment the plainly dressed girl spoke, goosebumps erupted across Chang Yinu's skin. Her hoarse, piercing voice sounded nothing like a young woman's; it was more akin to that of a frail old man.
Chang Yinu lowered her head respectfully. "Greetings, Second Madam. Your granddaughter has come to request a stick of Soul-Summoning Incense."
The Second Madam nodded, fumbled for a stick on the table, and handed it to her. "Use it sparingly," she advised. "If the target's cultivation level is low, burning half the stick should suffice."
"Yes, Second Madam. Your granddaughter thanks you." Chang Yinu accepted the incense obediently, barely concealing her elation.
"Go now," the Second Madam waved her off, turning back to her work.
"Yes."
Chang Yinu turned and descended the stairs. As she passed through the first-floor hall, she stopped before a tall, handsome young man.
The man's features were strikingly handsome, but his expression remained stiff and unresponsive to Chang Yinu's presence.
Undeterred, Chang Yinu stared intently at his face, her gaze filled with infatuation. She deftly licked her red lips with the tip of her tongue.
Suddenly, she reached down and grabbed him roughly, "Brother Tang, I love you so much. Why do you keep pushing me away?"
As she spoke, she rose slightly on her toes, cupped his cheeks in her hands, and pressed a forceful kiss to his lips. "Now you can't push me away anymore..."
This man was her previous husband and human furnace. Unfortunately, the final step of his refinement had failed, preventing him from becoming a puppet to eternally accompany her.
All the men and women in this pavilion were failed refinement products, kept for the Second Madam upstairs as raw materials for making Soul-Summoning Incense.
Chang Yinu's expression softened with affection as she leaned against his chest, listening to his faint heartbeat. A satisfied smile slowly curved her lips.
"Do you know how much I love you? You were the man I loved most. I kept your robe all this time, unable to bear throwing it away. I had to hold it every night to fall asleep. But..."
Her thoughts seemed to shift abruptly. She looked up at him, her beautiful eyes sparkling with surprise. "But today, I gave that robe away. You'd never guess who I gave it to—another man as handsome as you."
Chang Yinu recalled how Xu Sanyan had looked wearing that garment, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "You two are so alike—both so handsome and upright. You clearly want me, yet you're too shy to say it..."
"Actually... I want you both. I want to be pinned down and ravaged by you, I want..."
Her face suddenly flushed crimson, and she playfully tapped his chest. "Aiya, Brother Tang, don't ask! I'm too embarrassed to say."
The handsome man remained silent, showing no reaction to Chang Yinu's rambling.
"You really want to know?"
Though she was the only one speaking, Chang Yinu seemed to hear his question. She shyly lifted her head and whispered in a barely audible voice, "I want to... eat..."
By the time she finished, her cheeks were burning as red as if they had been scorched by fire, almost dripping with blood. Her eyes gradually filled with desire, her gaze fixed on the man with an intense, almost viscous stare.
"In our next life... you must marry me. I can't stay with you tonight—I have important matters to attend to."
The mere thought of Xu Sanyan's face sent a wave of unbearable heat through Chang Yinu's body, her entire being trembling with excitement.
"Tonight... I'll let him take your place..."
(End of the Chapter)
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