Soul Seizing Curse, Person of Destiny

"Is that so?"

Fang Wang smiled, not boasting. Zhou Xue meant that if he ever fell into dire straits, she would be the one to save him.

Zhou Xue walked over to the bonfire and sat down, ignoring Little Purple beside her. Little Purple, startled, scurried to Fang Wang's side and whispered, "Young Master, she has a powerful ghost artifact. I felt this sensation before in a secret realm."

It didn't know about Fang Wang and Zhou Xue's past, but it didn't want Fang Wang to die here.

Zhou Xue looked at Little Purple, a half-smile on her face, "Perhaps it's the very ghost artifact you're thinking of."

"You..."

Little Purple shivered all over and instinctively moved closer to Fang Wang.

Zhou Xue looked at Fang Wang and said, "What? You want to keep a snake demon? Snakes are inherently lustful. Many cultivators like to keep snake demons. Don't let this ruin your cultivation."

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Fang Wang glared at Zhou Xue, annoyed by her unrestrained speech.

Little Purple blinked and fell silent.

Zhou Xue enjoyed seeing Fang Wang flustered. She covered her mouth and chuckled, "I've taught you a method to control souls, ensuring this snake demon will never betray you. Do you want it?"

Fang Wang's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Good, tell me!"

Little Purple panicked but dared not retort, knowing it couldn't defeat either of them.

Zhou Xue immediately began to teach the incantation, and Fang Wang listened intently.

Little Purple was in agonizing indecision, wondering if it should flee.

The incantation Zhou Xue taught was called the Soul Seizing Curse. Once cast upon a person's soul, no matter the distance, reciting the curse would cause their soul to be annihilated. It didn't even require verbal recitation; a mental one would suffice.

Fang Wang was astonished as he listened. This seemed to go beyond the scope of a mere spell.

"Wait! Give me a moment!"

Fang Wang suddenly stopped Zhou Xue. He picked up a pen and paper and quickly began to draw.

Zhou Xue asked curiously, "What map are you drawing?"

Fang Wang replied, "The Heavenly Dipper Sacred Body True Scripture. Want to learn it? I'll teach you once I find it!"

Zhou Xue's expression turned strange. "You're still set on that cultivation method? I don't need any cultivation methods or spells. In fact, you don't need them either. Just cultivating the Mysterious Sun Scripture is enough for you to reach the pinnacle of the human world."

"It's enough to rely on, but if I can learn more, won't I become stronger?" Fang Wang replied.

He wasn't like Zhou Xue, who had countless supreme techniques in her mind. At least the Heavenly Dipper Sacred Body True Scripture was something he wanted to learn. He even suspected that combining it with the Nine Dragon Divine Transformation Art would unleash even greater power.

After quickly finishing the map, Fang Wang put it into his Storage Bag and then asked Zhou Xue to continue explaining the Soul Seizing Curse.

A long while later, Zhou Xue finally finished.

Little Purple had also heard the cultivation method for the Soul Seizing Curse. It didn't understand any of it, only finding it incredibly profound. It breathed a sigh of relief.

With such a complex curse, Fang Wang would surely have a hard time learning it.

Zhou Xue looked up at Fang Wang and asked, "So, did you understand?"

Under the moonlight, Fang Wang lowered his head slightly and took a deep breath. "I understood, and I've learned it."

"Hmm?"

"What?"

Zhou Xue and Little Purple spoke simultaneously. The former was confused, the latter terrified.

Fang Wang was numb.

Damn it, it was a good thing he drew the map beforehand!

It had taken him a hundred and eighty years to master this Soul Seizing Curse!

Upon returning to reality, his divine sense surged, and his senses began to improve, but he needed some quiet time.

The process of cultivating the Soul Seizing Curse was far more tedious than cultivating the Nine Dragon Divine Transformation Art or the Startling Swan Divine Sword Art. At least those allowed Fang Wang to move; the Soul Seizing Curse was pure, unadulterated sitting meditation.

One hundred and eighty years of sitting meditation!

Fang Wang needed to calm his mind. He spread his arms, feeling the air around him, and felt an overwhelming sense of comfort.

"You really learned it?" Zhou Xue asked, her eyes complex, filled with both anticipation and a hint of apprehension.

Fang Wang twisted his neck and, with his left hand, grabbed Little Purple's head.

"Ah! Young Master! No! Little Purple will never betray you!"

Little Purple let out a mournful scream, begging desperately.

Fang Wang brought it closer, gazing at it. "I'm sorry, you do pose a certain threat to me. If you behave, I will lift the Soul Seizing Curse and grant you freedom once we leave the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven."

With that, his right hand began to form hand seals, and a faint glow emanated from his eyes.

Little Purple wept but dared not resist.

Seeing him form the hand seals, Zhou Xue knew he had truly learned it. Her gaze became subtle.

"He learned it just by listening... such talent... could he also be the Person of Destiny? The Person of Destiny in his past life wasn't him. Could it be that because he died too early, his fate was transferred to someone else? Thinking about it, he was born in the same year as that person..."

Zhou Xue's eyes flickered, her gaze fixed on Fang Wang.

Fang Wang had already mastered the Soul Seizing Curse to Grand Perfection. He quickly imprinted the curse onto Little Purple's soul.

All living beings that develop sentience also develop a soul. Little Purple, even without taking human form, possessed a soul.

Little Purple soon stopped moving, appearing to have fainted. Its snake mouth hung open, its forked tongue dangling.

The Soul Seizing Curse was a suppression of soul by soul. It consumed not only Spiritual Energy but also soul power. Furthermore, the curse could only bind up to five souls simultaneously. Exceeding this limit would cause a backlash to the soul and weaken its suppressive power.

After a while.

Fang Wang placed the unconscious Little Purple beside him. It was the first time he had cast the Soul Seizing Curse, and even at Grand Perfection, it made him feel a bit dizzy.

"You've indeed learned it, but try not to use it often in the future. Your cultivation is still too low. I came to find you because I want to help you break through to the Spirit Pill Realm," Zhou Xue said. She had regained her composure, her thoughts unreadable.

Fang Wang nodded, then asked, "After I break through to the Spirit Pill Realm, should we deal with Lu Yuanjun in the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven? If we join forces, we should be able to take him down, right? His cultivation is below the fifth level of the Mysterious Heart Realm."

The fifth level of the Mysterious Heart Realm was the upper limit for entering the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven, so Lu Yuanjun's cultivation could be inferred.

The Night of the Fang Manor's Annihilation might have been chosen by the Son of Heaven, Zhao Zhen, but Zhao Zhen was working for Lu Yuanjun. It all began because Lu Yuanjun wanted to absorb souls. Zhao Zhen merely incorporated the Fang Manor into his plans. And although Lu Yuanjun appeared kind and enthusiastic, he had secretly caused the deaths of millions of civilians. Fang Wang felt no pressure in killing him.

Zhou Xue raised her hand and pointed at Little Purple from a distance before answering.

"No, Lu Yuanjun's strength is not that simple. I haven't figured out what that ghost artifact that absorbed millions of souls is. In my past life, he never used a ghost artifact, or at least I never saw him use one. Furthermore, killing Lu Yuanjun would bring too much trouble. Guang Qiuxian and Yang Yuanzi would both become your mortal enemies."

Zhou Xue's words made Fang Wang frown.

He could understand Guang Qiuxian supporting Lu Yuanjun, but why did his own master also support him?

Zhou Xue continued, "Lu Yuanjun's biological parents were from the Demonic Path, but they died when he was three years old. Yang Yuanzi brought him back to the Taiyuan Sect. Guang Qiuxian and Yang Yuanzi were both close friends of Lu Yuanjun's mother. Yang Yuanzi even ventured alone into Green Cicada Valley for Lu Yuanjun's mother. This is a forgotten past of the Taiyuan Sect. Many years later, Yang Yuanzi went mad with qi deviation and caused chaos in the Taiyuan Sect, and only then was this matter revealed."

"Then why did you still have me join the Third Vein?" Fang Wang felt speechless.

Zhou Xue snorted, "It wouldn't matter which vein you joined. After all, the Sect Master supports Lu Yuanjun. The reason I had you join the Third Vein is so you could get close to Yang Yuanzi sooner. Yang Yuanzi is very protective of his own. His relationship with Lu Yuanjun is not good. As long as you don't kill Lu Yuanjun, he might even help you seize Lu Yuanjun's position as Senior Disciple, provided he doesn't know you two are sworn enemies."

Fang Wang's brow furrowed even tighter. Zhou Xue was scheming against Yang Yuanzi.

"Lu Yuanjun cannot die, at least not now. We need him to help the Great Qi transition into an immortal cultivation dynasty. Lu Yuanjun has a special background, and the people behind him can help him bridge the gap between the righteous and demonic paths. When the Great Qi successfully transforms into an immortal cultivation dynasty, a great opportunity will arise, one that the Nine Great Sects are all pursuing. After obtaining that opportunity, we can kill Lu Yuanjun. Even if Guang Qiuxian and Yang Yuanzi try to stop us, we can kill him and escape."

"Most importantly, the Fang Family needs time to grow. You and I can escape if we kill Lu Yuanjun now, but the Fang Family cannot. Do you understand? Just endure it for now!"

Zhou Xue said earnestly. Hearing this, Fang Wang realized he couldn't act rashly.

He sighed and said, "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

Zhou Xue replied, "If you had known all this, how would you have faced Yang Yuanzi?"

Fang Wang fell silent.

Zhou Xue stopped talking, letting him ponder.

Fang Wang looked up and asked, "What about that Son of Heaven, Zhao Zhen?"

Zhou Xue calmly stated, "Once he leaves the Taiyuan Sect, I will kill him. After he dies, the Taiyuan Sect will support his heir as emperor. His usefulness is gone. I didn't kill him before because I needed Zhao Zhen's help to facilitate the Great Qi's transition into an immortal cultivation dynasty. This matter involves various powerful families from both the immortal cultivation world and the mortal realm."

"Alright, next, we need to prepare to help you break through to the Spirit Pill Realm. I've already gathered the necessary heavenly treasures for you. Now, we just need to find a suitable place for your breakthrough."