Soul Possession (continued)

Half a day later, Si Ming found Yuezheng Yao and her group.

Did you encounter any danger on your journey?

Yuezheng Yao said, "Three groups of people came, but their strength was average, not even as good as the red-clad man we met at the beginning. I easily dealt with them. What about you?"

"We've destroyed their stronghold, but we haven't encountered any formidable figures. Only one vice sect leader played a few rounds with me; the rest were just insignificant nobodys. Is this all the Blood Abyss Sect is capable of?"

Duan Jinsu shook his head and said, "No, that Blood Abyss Sect Master, Li Ban, is a figure on par with the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect Master. His Blood Fiend Evil Technique is among the top ten in the world, and his Three Evil Generals are also Grandmaster- level figures. They are renowned throughout the martial world and possess extraordinary strength. It seems that the information I inquired about before was correct. They are indeed carrying out an important plan, and for this, they are willing to mobilize all their forces..."

"Now that you mention it, the Blood Abyss Sect has a profound foundation. In terms of overall strength, it's probably only slightly inferior to the Glazed Temple."

Si Ming suddenly realized that his actions had been far too reckless. He had rushed in without even gathering information about his opponents. If the sect leader and the Three Evil Generals were in their lair, he could come and go as he pleased with his strength. However, Liu Qingqing and Si Huaruo would be in danger. If even one of the Spirit Transformation level evil generals was guarding their lair and hadn't been lured out by Si Ming, the two of them might be trapped inside.

Thinking of this, Si Ming couldn't help but feel resentful. "Why didn't you tell me such important information sooner?" he thought. He then retorted sarcastically, "Your Six Paths Temple claims to be Three Great Holy Lands, but you're just a bunch of weaklings. Your strength is far inferior to theirs. Speaking of which, how dare you, master and disciple, provoke such a powerful sect? Should we praise you for sacrificing yourselves for righteousness and having a fearless spirit, or should we say you're like someone lighting a lantern in a latrine—courting death?"

Duan Jinsu, thick-skinned as ever, didn't care. Feng Liancheng, however, was young and impetuous, easily provoked. Blushing, he explained, "The Blood Abyss Sect originally split from our Six Paths Temple. Decades ago, we were all fellow disciples. It wasn't until something happened that we parted ways. My master thought that out of 'fellow descendants,' even if they were strangers, they would at most make things difficult verbally. He never expected them to turn on us so ruthlessly and try to kill us."

Actually, it was a misunderstanding on both sides. Duan Jinsu and Feng Liancheng thought that the dignified leader of the Heavenly Martial Alliance, with his mysterious origins, unfathomable knowledge, and extensive experience, could not possibly be unaware of information about the experts of the Blood Abyss Sect. This was information that could be easily obtained by asking around in the black market. Since the leader of the alliance dared to come and challenge them, he must know himself and his enemy and be confident in his plans. After all, Si Ming had created an image of an omnipotent and majestic figure in their minds.

Si Ming mistakenly believed that the Blood Abyss Sect was just a first- or second-rate Daoist Gate, with at most only one Spirit Transformation cultivator in charge. After all, even Duan Jinsu and his disciple dared to provoke them and were able to leave alive. He subconsciously underestimated the strength of the Blood Abyss Sect. Coupled with his extreme confidence in his own strength, he did not ask any further questions.

If a cautious person had been present, such as Murong Qing or Si Jingyu, this blunder would never have happened. Unfortunately, the four people present were Liu Qingqing, Si Huaruo, Yuezheng Yao, and Chen Shimi, none of whom were people with strong opinions. Even if they felt something was wrong, they wouldn't have said anything.

"Fine, let's go and see what this Sect Master Li and those Three Evil Generals are capable of later. I don't believe they can let go of the hatred for the destruction of our homes and nests."

Feng Liancheng said, "At most, there are only two evil generals left. That vice sect leader is one of the Three Evil Generals, nicknamed Blood River Old Man. He is treacherous and ruthless. Any opponent he defeats is drained of their Essence Blood and turns into a dried corpse. He also has a strange life-saving technique. He may not be the most powerful of the Three Evil Generals, but he is definitely the most difficult to kill. In the past, the elders of the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect led several righteous experts to besiege him, but he still managed to escape."

Si Ming recalled the old man's method of turning him into a pool of blood and had to admit that this man was indeed good at preserving his life. Even if an ordinary expert could defeat him, killing him would not be so easy, unless they were prepared in advance or had the same strength as him, several levels higher.

"These are minor matters, don't worry about them now. Daoist Master, come and take a look. Something very troublesome has happened to my companion." Si Ming quickly brought Duan Jinsu to Liu Qingqing.

Liu Qingqing had already woken up, but she didn't know what had happened to her. She had no memory of what happened after she fell into a coma, and her cultivation level had returned to its original level. Si Ming used his True Qi to examine her body and found nothing unusual.

"A drop of blood fell between her brows, and she transformed into another person. Not only did her cultivation increase dramatically, but she could also use Technique Method never seen before... Hmm..." Duan Jinsu stroked her goatee, feigning understanding. "This humble Daoist understands. It seems you have obtained the incomplete Myriad Filth Tainted Blood."

Si Ming hurriedly asked, "What exactly is this 'Myriad Filth Tainted Blood'? The name sounds extremely evil, but judging from Qingqing's behavior, she doesn't seem to have completely gone mad; at least she hasn't attacked her own people."

"This matter is a long story, so let me begin with the origin of the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood. The Myriad Filth Tainted Blood originated from a supreme scripture called the 'Scripture of Myriad Blood Returning to the Abyss,' which was originally created by an unparalleled demon king—from whom the Blood Abyss Sect got its name. Unfortunately, he died unexpectedly before he could fully perfect the scripture. After several twists and turns, the scripture eventually fell into the hands of a male and a female successor. Both successors were extraordinary talents, and after exchanging their knowledge, they finally completed the scripture."

The male successor, seeing that the scripture was deviant and deviated from the righteous path, intentionally deleted those overly cruel evil techniques, leaving only the orthodox methods that pointed directly to the Great Dao. However, the female successor, who came from the demonic path, acted without restraint. She didn't care about deleting those unorthodox methods that she looked down upon, but she insisted on keeping some powerful Divine Ability that lay between good and evil, including the Blood River Dharma Body cultivated by the deputy Blood Abyss Sect, as well as the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood.

The original method of refining the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood was extremely insidious. It required gathering 9,999 virgins under the age of sixteen, then summoning a lewd beast to humiliate them. Only by using their virgin blood, as well as the resentment and pain generated when they were humiliated to death, could a single drop of Myriad Filth Tainted Blood be condensed.

This was a method recorded before the "Scripture of Myriad Blood Returning to the Abyss" was perfected. The male successor originally wanted to delete it, but the female successor insisted on keeping it. The two sides argued and finally compromised, keeping the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood, but improving the refining method, because the two successors surpassed their master and their achievements were even greater than that peerless demon.

The improved Myriad Filth Tainted Blood) has no requirements regarding the gender or age of the sacrificial offerings, nor does it require humiliation. It can be refined simply by extracting the Essence Blood. However, the number of sacrificial offerings has increased tenfold, and a woman with a Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, and Yin hour, whose birth chart is entirely Yin, is required as the key sacrificial offering to guide the process. This method was proposed by the female successor.

The male successor further improved upon this, replacing the human offerings with animals, but requiring them to be large animals such as lions, tigers, and elephants, and the quantity increased to one million. If small animals such as rabbits, cats, and dogs were used, one hundred million would be required. However, the power of the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood Theory refined in this way was not as great as the former, possessing only the most core function and lacking other Divine Ability characteristics, so it can be said that it was not worthy of its name.

Clearly, the Blood Abyss Sect adopted the method of having a female successor. After all, capturing a million large animals is not easy, and there are no herds of a million beasts gathered together in the world, but there are cities with a million inhabitants.

Si Ming frowned and said, "After all you've said, I haven't found any connection to Qingqing's symptoms."

"Don't rush, I haven't finished yet. The key part is coming up... But after saying so much, I'm a little thirsty." Duan Jinsu pretended to rub his throat and coughed.

Si Ming knew that this guy wanted to retaliate against his earlier sarcasm. As long as he softened his stance and gave him some face, the other party would take the opportunity to back down. This was a common tactic.

"Just bear with it."

"Huh?"

"Stop keeping me in suspense, get to the point in one minute, or I'll smash this fist the size of a clay pot down on you."

Si Ming had no intention of accommodating the other party. He immediately put on the face of a villain who bullies the kind-hearted, his eyes flashing with ferocity. He spread his five fingers and squeezed hard, but instead of making a clattering sound, he squeezed out a sonic boom.

Duan Jinsu readily agreed, saying, "As I just mentioned, the female successor's method requires a woman with all Yin elements in her birth chart as a key sacrifice. Only in this way can the refined Myriad Filth Tainted Blood possess spirituality. However, to prevent the sacrifice from becoming the master, the woman's consciousness needs to be erased in the final refining stage, leaving only pure spirituality. Judging from Qingqing's memories, the Blood Abyss Sect has not yet completed the final step. In other words, Qingqing still has that woman's soul residing in her body. Her subsequent actions were actually due to that woman controlling her body."

"Solution?"

"There are two types. One is to forcibly remove it. The woman's soul is similar to a ghost, neither good nor evil, and belongs to a type of spirit. The Taiyi Scripture of Deliverance from Sin, which I cultivate, has a method to deal with it."

Another method is to fulfill the other person's wish. The reason why people linger in the world after death is because they have attachments. Once those attachments are gone and there are no more worries, they will naturally enter the cycle of reincarnation.

"I recommend the latter method. Although the former is straightforward, it might harm Qingqing's soul during the exorcism process. Furthermore, the other party has the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood as its foundation, making it difficult to forcibly purify. The Alliance Leader has already witnessed the other party's strength. Conversely, if we fulfill the other party's wish, we will not only obtain the remaining soul power but also the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood as a bonus. It's truly a highly profitable deal."

Si Ming thought for a moment and asked Liu Qingqing, "You should decide this yourself. This old Daoist priest might be trying to shirk his responsibilities by deliberately making the first method sound particularly dangerous."

Duan Jinsu was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared. "How could I possibly speak carelessly about such a matter of life and death? Even when I deceive people... I have principles and limits!"

Liu Qingqing asked, "What if there were three souls?"

Three?

Liu Qingqing nodded and said, "Although it's a very vague feeling, I can sense that there are three more guests in my sea of consciousness. One of them has a similar temperament to Si Huaruo's description, and is also the strongest one."

Duan Jinsu stroked his beard and said, "If the Blood Abyss Sect intended to refine three drops of Myriad Filth Tainted Blood from the beginning, it would be normal to have three souls. Anyway, the method is the same as before, only the difficulty and the benefits have tripled. One drop of Myriad Filth Tainted Blood is equivalent to the cultivation of a Grandmaster, so three drops would be three, enough to refine a very powerful external avatar."

Si Ming suggested, "Why don't we ask first? If their wish is easy to fulfill, then we can use the latter method. If it's more complicated, like world peace, then we should consider the former."

Liu Qingqing nodded, then closed her eyes, circulated her internal energy to regulate her breathing, and sank her consciousness into her sea of consciousness.

A moment later, a dense Blood Sha Qi emanated from her, and her presence continued to grow stronger.

Normally, the concept of presence is too "conceptual" and difficult to perceive accurately, but at this moment, Liu Qingqing's presence has risen from the bottom to the top, as if a bit player in a movie has become the leading lady. The huge difference has a strong impact on people.

When she opened her eyes, everyone realized that the person in front of them was not Liu Qingqing.

Si Ming cut to the chase. "What unfulfilled wishes do you have?"