Soul Snatching

Xiang Tian sat in his room, completely unaware that he had already been targeted.

It was only natural, after all. In recent times, Xiang Tian had annihilated the Ding Family, killed Black Abyss, and seized the Buddha's Sarira. Weren't all these earth-shattering events?

Even if others didn't know about the Jade Pool incident, these three events alone had already drawn significant attention to Xiang Tian.

It was simple for those with intentions to inquire about the participants from Changning Immortal Academy who had come for the Dao discussion. As they had expected, Xiang Tian was among them.

In a forgotten corner of the city, an old, abandoned courtyard was filled with straw and firewood. Inside a house that had been locked shut for years, several monks had gathered at some point.

They wore kasayas, some holding staffs, some carrying alms bowls, and others twirling prayer beads. All of them had their eyes closed, murmuring incantations.

Dust swirled within the room, yet it couldn't get close to them. The kasayas they wore remained as bright and dazzling as ever.

Finally, a younger monk with thick eyebrows and large eyes couldn't help himself. He opened his eyes and spoke, "Abbot, Xiang Tian has arrived. Why haven't we acted yet? Wu Wei's attendant was definitely killed by him!"

Just a month ago, Monk Wu Wei had received news that a Buddha bone sarira had appeared and was seized by Xiang Tian. He had pursued Xiang Tian's trail, after which all contact was lost.

They began searching along the route and eventually found only a headless corpse.

Their lineage had many enemies from the start. After ninety percent of their lineage members ascended, they could only barely survive here, fearing discovery by those who did not adhere to Buddhist teachings, which would lead to their condemnation.

As the long years passed, their lineage had no more than twenty people in total. And now, Xiang Tian had directly killed one True Immortal!

What kind of impact did this have on them? It was no less than a corner of the sky collapsing. The Abbot was only at the peak of the True Immortal realm, and their lineage, including him, had only three Golden Immortals!

They couldn't swallow this insult!

The monk holding the staff raised his hand to his chest and softly chanted, "Amitabha."

"When night falls, I will use a spell to draw out his Yin spirit. Acting rashly now would be disadvantageous for us."

The others fell silent. Indeed, Qiu Changfeng was at the peak of the True Immortal realm and was known for his formidable combat power. Even the Abbot had little chance of winning against him.

The Dragon Tiger Temple could be considered the only Buddhist lineage in the Nine Heavens today. The appearance of the Buddha bone sarira was an indescribable temptation for them.

They endured, and finally, night fell. The entire city was still brightly lit, the streets thronged with people enjoying the night market, a scene of prosperity.

Countless small vendors hawked their wares noisily, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere, with the occasional sound of shouting during price haggling.

Xiang Tian didn't join the festivities. Going out now wouldn't benefit him in any way, so he simply washed up and prepared to sleep.

As the sky grew darker, the bright moon hung high, and the night sky dotted with stars was exceptionally beautiful, with the sounds of birds and insects chirping all around.

Inside the thatched hut, the Abbot retrieved something from a spatial spirit stone carved into his staff. Covered with a red cloth, he placed it on the table, lit candles, and offered incense. Once everything was ready, he lifted the red cloth, revealing an unknown Buddha statue.

Its appearance was very strange, and it was impossible to name. It stood on one leg, with the other bent across its knee. It even had fangs and eight arms.

There were many Buddhas, and in that era, many evil beings impersonated them and passed down teachings in their name. It was likely that those who followed the orthodox lineage would understand immediately upon seeing it. This statue clearly wasn't something legitimate.

The Abbot shifted his hand seals, and the eyes of the Buddha statue began to glow with a faint red light.

The Abbot used his mind to sketch Xiang Tian's appearance. After a short while, a wisp of ethereal light flew out from the top of the statue, entered the city, and drifted towards the inn where Xiang Tian was staying.

In a state between waking and sleeping, Xiang Tian suddenly jolted. He then felt his soul leave his body, his steps light as if treading on cotton. Each stride covered several zhang.

Xiang Tian was bewildered, not understanding what was happening. He saw all sorts of people on the street, yet not a single one could detect him. Xiang Tian couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of this technique.

However, he wasn't particularly panicked. He was confident he could handle such minor tricks.

"They're here!"

Inside the thatched hut, the Abbot's eyes snapped open, and he flew out, his kasaya billowing.

Before long, a dark, shadowy mass wrapped in a fiery red kasaya entered the hut.

The monks immediately became alert, drawing their weapons and taking up their positions.

Xiang Tian finally understood. He had run into another group of monks!

The Abbot looked at Xiang Tian, his face darkening, and sternly questioned, "Speak quickly, did you kill Wu Wei!"

Xiang Tian shook his head, looking innocent. "You think too highly of me. What virtue or ability do I have to kill the Holy Monk Wu Wei?"

"However, if you wish to avenge him, you can try looking for Shi Mu of the Jade Pool. I heard he didn't participate in this Dao discussion, so you can go and meet him."

Upon hearing this, the monks' faces turned black. Go and meet him? Facing the Jade Pool, how could they do that? Would they bring their own heads to meet him?

One of them became angry and said to the Abbot beside him, "Abbot, this brat must be refusing to admit it. Why waste words with him! I will cast a spell now to make him obediently refine the Buddha's Sarira!"

Xiang Tian sneered. As expected, it was still about the Vajra Sarira. But that thing had already been swallowed by the Demon Ape Chieftain. Even if he told these people, they wouldn't dare to go and retrieve it.

"If you don't behave, I'll use my Karma Fire to burn you first!"

With that, he held up his alms bowl, and a golden light pulled Xiang Tian into it.

Inside the bowl, red flames surged, accompanied by crackling sounds.

The monk chuckled, utterly confident in the power of his Karma Fire.

"Ah, he's fine!"

But as the young monk exclaimed in surprise, the others were dumbfounded. They watched Xiang Tian, completely at ease amidst the flames in the bowl. This was utterly outrageous! Xiang Tian was even smiling at them!

This was simply beyond belief. The one holding the alms bowl began to doubt himself.

"What's going on?"

They looked at each other, completely baffled.

Xiang Tian's gaze within the alms bowl was filled with sarcasm, as if he were looking at a group of clowns.

"No, this is impossible. My Dharma artifact is perfectly fine, how can this guy's Yin God be unharmed?"

The monk started to panic. For Yin Gods, Karma Fire was basically their nemesis. Xiang Tian, being within it, absolutely shouldn't be this comfortable.

Seeing the few of them anxiously spinning in place without figuring things out, Xiang Tian felt a bit helpless and decided to offer a reminder.

"I say, esteemed masters, take a closer look. When did I ever say I was a Yin God?"

As soon as he said this, the few of them widened their eyes. Indeed, after Xiang Tian was lured over, they were so happy that they hadn't observed him closely at all.

Now, looking again, how could Xiang Tian be mistaken for a Yin God? This was clearly his entire soul!

Damn it, this was like seeing a ghost. The abbot also began to doubt himself. The spell he cast was clearly only meant to lure Yin Souls, so why did something like this get lured over?