Soul Shaking

"I'm so angry," Ning Bing said, looking at Little Frog Jin Guagua, who was still lying unconscious on the soft jade couch. Her anger was hard to quell. Jin Guagua had lost his mother the day he was born, and Granny Jin had to oversee the vast Money Falling Pavilion. The responsibility of caring for Jin Guagua fell to her.

Ten years flew by. Ning Bing treated Jin Guagua as her own child, worrying for days if he so much as got a scratch. Now, he had soul-merged with a useless human. How could she accept this?

Jin Guagua was a Star Devouring Toad! A bloodline no less than ancient demons like Taotie and Taowu!

How could his potential development be held back by a mere Human Race Count?

"Guagua, don't worry. If the Daoist sect has no solution, Aunt Bing will give her life to help you undo the soul merge!"

Ning Bing made up her mind.

Like breaking through bamboo!

Chen Luo suddenly opened his eyes, disbelief etched on his face.

Back when he was fleeing, he had to fight desperately all night just to open six meridians, and later, it took immense effort to unblock the Ren and Du Meridians. But just now, he felt like he was flying.

The Red Dust Qi entered the unopened meridians like a train with a ramming head on the tracks.

Mountains, smashed open!

Rivers, rushed through!

Whizzing all the way, unstoppable.

From waking up to now, only half a day had passed, and all six remaining main meridians were opened!

Of course, Chen Luo also noticed that this speed came from a change in the Red Dust Qi.

The original seven-colored Red Dust Qi, after Chen Luo guided it into his meridians, suddenly flickered with points of light, like stars in the sky. Empowered by the "stars," the Red Dust Qi's power increased significantly.

Chen Luo had an impression of this power; it was the power he had displayed after merging with that Little Frog before.

"Is this the new power generated by soul merging that Granny Jin mentioned?" Chen Luo understood. "This is practically a power-up buff..."

Chen Luo was even wavering. He had originally planned to cooperate if there was a suitable method to undo the soul merge. But now that he had tasted the benefits, he was truly reluctant to part with it...

"A live-in son-in-law looked down upon, forced to divorce, who knew that the world's financial magnate would bow down upon seeing the son-in-law..." Chen Luo quickly imagined a new media article in his mind.

"In real life, tragic beginnings are mostly similar, and happy endings are basically wishful thinking!"

"Cultivate, cultivate..."

Chen Luo shook off his chaotic thoughts and threw himself back into cultivation.

A white crane descended from the sky, landing in the courtyard of the Money Falling Pavilion. The white crane gently shook its body and transformed into a young Daoist boy, about ten years old.

"Good grandson, you're back..." The Steward Crane, who was guarding there, beamed with joy upon seeing the white crane boy and rushed forward. "How was it? Was your journey smooth?"

The white crane boy nodded. "It was smooth. True Person Yuanxia hadn't traveled far. He heard about Granny's message and immediately summoned me."

Just then, Granny Jin's voice suddenly appeared beside them. "What did True Person Yuanxia say? Is there a solution for the soul merging technique?"

The boy saluted Granny Jin and replied, "The True Person said that besides Soul Splitting, the Soul Shaking method can also be used. By using sorcery to make the opponent's soul vibrate, if it's the early stage of soul merging, the young master's portion of the divine soul can be peeled off."

After speaking, the boy flipped his palm and produced a delicate pagoda. "True Person Yuanxia asked me to bring this Soul Shaking Pagoda..."

"Soul Shaking Pagoda!" Granny Jin's expression turned grim. This was a Daoist sect's instrument of punishment.

Those who entered the pagoda were all fugitives from the Daoist sect, notorious for their great evil.

To put it plainly, Soul Splitting was like cutting off a piece of your divine soul, a single moment; Soul Shaking was like continuously poking you with needles. It wasn't fatal, nor did it cause physical disfigurement, but it could drive a person mad.

"Are there no other options?" Granny Jin asked with a sliver of hope.

The white crane boy shook his head. "The True Person said unless the Grand Celestial Master bestows the Grand Elixir of Profound Sensing, there is no other way!"

Granny Jin fell silent.

The Grand Elixir of Profound Sensing was a sacred item of the Daoist sect, a protective elixir for Dao Lords at the peak. If the three main branches of the Daoist sect – the Dragon and Tiger Altar, Jade Purity, and Lingbao – were combined, there were probably no more than a handful in existence. Even for a Daoist demon of Granny Jin's status, it was practically a mythical item.

Granny Jin reached out and took the Soul Shaking Pagoda from the white crane boy. In the end, Jin Guagua was her grandson. Since there was no other way out, she had to make a swift decision.

"Granny!" Ning Bing appeared beside Granny Jin and glanced at the Soul Shaking Pagoda. "I'll go. If the court investigates, I'll bear all the blame."

Granny Jin shook her head slightly. "It's fine. I, Jin Sanshun, can bear this sin."

After speaking, Granny Jin leaned on her cane and walked step by step towards the small courtyard where Chen Luo was located...

"You gave away the Soul Shaking Pagoda? Nonsense!" A furious roar came from a cave dwelling thousands of miles away. Then, a middle-aged Daoist priest flew out of the cave dwelling on clouds, heading directly towards Floating Cloud Market.

A female Daoist priest followed, stepping onto the clouds and trailing closely behind. This Daoist priest looked about thirty years old, her face flushed and somewhat wronged. She caught up to the middle-aged Daoist priest and said, "It was Senior Sister Sanshun who wanted to undo the soul merge and didn't want to harm the court's Count, so I told her about the Soul Shaking method."

"Besides, Master, didn't you mention that Senior Sister Sanshun's grandson has an extraordinary bloodline, and several Celestial Masters plan to select a Heavenly Chosen Dao Child and soul-merge with that Star Devouring Toad?"

"It won't harm his life or his sanity, just cause some suffering! Why are you so angry as soon as you arrive, Master!"

The middle-aged Daoist glared fiercely at True Person Yuanxia. "Some suffering? The suffering of Soul Shaking is unforgettable for a lifetime."

"It's just a Count..."

"If you talk nonsense again, don't follow me!" the middle-aged Daoist roared. "Do you think your master came to your cave dwelling suddenly for no reason? It was the Grand Celestial Master who ordered me to go see that Count! I thought you were familiar with Sanshun, so I detoured to find you to go together, but I didn't expect..."

"The Celestial Master wants Master to meet that Count?" True Person Yuanxia asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Why? The Xuan Tan Palace has ordered it. He's being appointed as our Daoist sect's Virtuous Teacher!"

Yuanxia was shocked. The Daoist sect sometimes bestowed honorary titles upon outsiders, like guest elders. Among these, the title of "Virtuous Teacher" was even more esteemed than that of a True Person. Typically, only Great Scholars or Great Sages of the demon race who were on good terms with the Daoist sect received this title.

"Moreover, it's not that he's seeking this title from our Daoist sect, but rather that our Daoist sect must bestow this title upon him!"

The middle-aged Daoist grabbed True Person Yuanxia and accelerated, flying towards Floating Cloud Market at an even greater speed...

The wind fills the tower, presaging the coming storm; book lovers' care is always in my heart.