Extracting Souls, Drawing Bones, Dismantling the Sha Formation; How Many Family and Offspring Remain

As the three servants severed their connection with the field, they instantly collapsed to the ground like human skin, as if their entire bodies had no bones to support them.

Chen Dengming's face immediately turned gloomy and ugly.

"Even their Essence, Qi, and Spirit have been drained?"

This was not the method of "lighting the soul lamp" recorded in the art of refining the spirit, but it was somewhat similar. The Essence Blood in the three people's bodies were also extracted, and they acted completely like puppets according to the instructions that had been set before.

This situation is completely inconsistent with what the Foundation Establishment Yin Spirit in the Soul Banner said.

Chen Dengming snorted coldly, patted the Storage Bag at his waist, and instantly a Soul Banner flew out.

With a swift grab, he pulled out a Foundation Establishment Yin Spirit by the neck.

"Ah--No! No! This is Curse land! Quick, quick, let me return to the Soul Banner! Help, please!"

The moment this Foundation Establishment Yin Soul appeared, a Yin Wind blew, accompanied by a shrill scream. The Soul Power within its Soul Body was slowly dissipating, and black smoke, perceptible only to the spirit, billowed from its body. Its face was contorted in agony, and it was in extreme pain.

Chen Dengming's eyes hardened with coldness, and he frowned, sending out a question through his Divine Sense.

"Tell me, what kind of field have you set up? Why have all the members of my Lineage been controlled and had their Essence, Qi, and Spirit drained? Didn't you say that no one was killed?"

"Ah! This is the Blood Qi Divine Fiend Returning to Origin Formation. The function of this formation is to extract the essence, Essence, Qi, and Spirit of most people within the Formation, using people to nourish the formation, while some of the power is concentrated on a few people."

We didn't say no one was killed; we only said your offspring were not killed.

The spirits of those who had reached the Foundation Establishment screamed in agony.

Chen Dengming's eyes turned cold. "What a clever scheme of using people to sustain the formation, without harming my offspring's lives."

He finally understood why the Formation had lasted so long—it was built entirely on the lives of the people in the mansion. He suppressed his murderous intent and continued to question them.

"How can we break this formation? Where are my two heirs whom I enshrined in the Blood Coffin?"

The Foundation Establishment Yin Spirit was almost crying with fear. He could feel his soul burning and his spirit crying out. If he continued to ask questions slowly, his soul would be scattered.

He immediately and swiftly explained all the details of the issues.

Chen Dengming gradually frowned.

According to him, this Blood Qi Divine Fiend Returning Origin Formation extracts the Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and spirit of most people and replenishes them in the bodies of his two offspring.

This method is mainly to maintain the Life Force offspring within the Blood Coffin, allowing the spirits of the little devils to possess power, so that they can be found.

As for ensuring the survival of his offspring, that was merely a side benefit.

"If the great formation is dismantled now, my offspring in the Blood Coffin will be affected. Without the supply of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, the little ghost's soul bone will not be nourished and will turn against me, devouring my offspring."

As Chen Dengming pondered, he made up his mind and immediately stepped into the depths of the mansion.

This former mansion has been rebuilt and expanded significantly in the past five years.

It features lakes, pavilions, towers, drum towers, and even a temple with a statue inside.

Chen Dengming was stunned when he saw it.

The statue was strikingly similar to his own appearance. On the altar, a memorial tablet had fallen over. Upon picking it up, he saw the words "True Immortal Chen" written on it.

This place was clearly once a place of constant incense offerings and numerous offerings.

Chen Dengming felt a bit amused and exasperated. He wasn't dead yet, nor had he truly become a god, but he had been turned into a statue and even had a memorial tablet.

This is too much!

He continued walking briskly inwards, heading straight for the backyard, searching for the Blood Coffin containing his offspring.

Along the way, I saw clumps of clothing and human skin on the ground, some of which were already shriveled. Some of them seemed to belong to outsiders, who had also become nourishment for Formation. Once inside, they would die and could not get out.

When he encountered servants or their sons, he would always avoid them by intimidating them.

If he manages to break through the formation in the end, then some of these people will survive.

However, if the formation cannot be broken, perhaps all but the two heirs will perish.

Upon arriving in the backyard, Chen Dengming's expression became even more complicated.

He had already seen his former wives and concubines, as well as the old steward, Chen Zhong.

Now they are all controlled by the Formation, reduced to puppets and servants within it. There are even many human skins on the ground, some of which are dressed in more luxurious clothes and appear to be the other wives and concubines.

"Old Dog Han of the Wonderful Sound Sect!"

Chen Dengming felt as if a fire was burning in his chest, and his heart felt as heavy as if a brick were stuck inside.

These wives and concubines, even if they were only superficially harmonious in the past, had still lived together for more than ten years. Now, when they meet again, they are in such a state, and several of them have died tragically. It is infuriating no matter what.

He walked quickly, approaching the center of the formation, which was surrounded by rows of black Formation Flag.

Upon seeing the two small Blood Coffin placed on the ground at the center of the formation, his entire body seemed to be enraged and burning with fierce fire, as if sparks were flashing from every hair on his body.

His Divine Sense had already faintly perceived the two faint childlike auras inside the Blood Coffin, and the feeling that blood is thicker than water was very clear.

Besides these, two other chilling auras filled the coffin. Black auras would often drift down from the dark clouds above, falling into the Blood Coffin and being swallowed by the chilling auras.

After observing for a moment, Chen Dengming seized another Foundation Establishment Late Stage Yin Spirit for questioning.

"If we eliminate the little devils and forcibly break this formation, could it bring misfortune to my descendants and family?"

The Foundation Establishment Late Stage Yin spirit sensed the rapid loss of its Soul Power and was filled with fear and trepidation. Without hesitation, it immediately informed the others of what it knew.

"Now that your offspring have been nourished by my Essence, Qi, and Spirit for so long, their life state should be stable."

At this point, it would be acceptable to eliminate the little devils and forcibly interrupt the formation, but this would cause the little devils to turn against your offspring, and if you are not careful, your offspring will lose their lives.

However, if we wait for forty-nine days, this formation will disintegrate on its own, and the little demons, deprived of their sustenance, will turn against us. Therefore, fellow Daoist, you may decide for yourself whether to interrupt this formation now. The key is to eliminate the little demons quickly."

"Is there no other safer way? If not, what use is there for me keeping you around?"

"No, no! There is another way. The little ghost harbors deep resentment, which we have created by taking advantage of your family's resentment towards you for leaving home and not returning."

If this resentment can be eliminated, the little ghost will lose its resentment and become much gentler, reducing the speed and intensity of its backlash.

"Good! Very good!" Chen Dengming sneered, his eyes gleaming with anger.

This group of people is truly vicious. They deliberately stirred up the deep resentment in the hearts of his mortal family members, using that resentment to raise ghosts, and then using that resentment to find people. Their scheme was intricate and extremely malicious.

I fear that if the resentment is not dispelled, even if these family members and descendants recover, they will inevitably harbor deep-seated grievances and cause endless harm.

He abruptly withdrew his Foundation Establishment Late Stage Yin Soul, and then took out the mass of offspring Essence Blood from a Storage Bag.

The moment this mass of offspring's Essence Blood appeared, it coalesced into two blood-red child faces filled with resentment.

His dark red eyes stared intently at Chen Dengming, filled with resentment and malice, as if he wished he could devour him alive.

Almost simultaneously, the two sinister auras inside the Blood Coffin seemed to stir, and the coffin lids throbbed.

Chen Dengming frowned deeply. "The resentment runs deep. If I cannot remove this resentment, even if I save you, it will still be a sinful debt!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he summoned his brother Zhu Xun from within the Soul Guiding Banner.

"Ugh--"

The moment Zhu Xun appeared, he let out a miserable scream, his fangs bared, his face contorted in a ferocious expression, and one could feel his Soul Power draining away.

"Gee!"

Chen Dengming pursed his lips and spoke in a dog-like voice, sending out his Divine Sense to signal his brother to devour the resentment within the Essence Blood in front of him.

The slight loss of Soul Power at this point is nothing.

Because the Spirit Subduing Bottle still contains pure Soul Power that can replenish this brother's energy.

Besides, once this matter is settled, he will kill the two Foundation Establishment Yin Souls to sacrifice to the flag.

A large portion of the Soul Power of the two Yin spirits will be fed to Zhu Xun, nurturing him to break through to become Foundation Establishment evil spirit.

It can be said that the souls under his command, whether it be Zhu Xun, the Little Array Spirit, or Xu Wei, all possess abundant Cultivation Resources.

The Yin spirits in the Foundation Establishment Realm were shattered and fed into his mouth. For someone like Zhu Xun, who was born with the perfect trait of Fierce Ghost spirits, how could his advancement not be rapid?

Zhu Xun barked a few times, then opened his mouth and began to devour the resentment within the Essence Blood.

"Bang bang bang--"

The commotion from the two Blood Coffin opposite them immediately intensified. A Dao God Yin Wind swept around them, and a series of numb and cold-faced figures, like walking corpses, walked over and surrounded Chen Dengming.

Chen Dengming remained unmoved; his Divine Sense, merely emanating from his surroundings, was enough to resist the invasion of the evil forces within the field.

After about half a cup of tea's time had passed.

The two faces formed by the Essence Blood in Chen Dengming's hands had completely returned to calm, no longer ferocious. The resentment within them had been completely Zhu Xun, and the little ghosts within the blood essence had lost their resentment and become cowardly and timid.

Just then, Chen Dengming's eyes suddenly shot out two beams of divine light like lightning, piercing directly into the blood mass. His Divine Sense, like an icy sword, pierced straight into the Soul Body of the two little ghosts within the blood mass.

"Ah!!!"

Two sharp screams immediately resounded in the mind.

The lid of the Blood Coffin in front also shook violently at the same time.

But in the next instant, the divine light in Chen Dengming's eyes seemed to transform into two vortexes, within which was an icy face, opening its sinister maw.

The Eye-Startling Technique, combined with the Membrane Technique, instantly formed Divine Ability form that seemed to emit an invisible suction force, drawing the two little demons out of the blood clot.

Two dark figures flashed by, and the instant they left the blood mass, they were swallowed up by Chen Dengming's Soul Guiding Banner.

He simultaneously sent Zhu Xun into the banner, gave the little ghosts a proper welcome, and then strode forward, flicking his sleeves to lift the two coffin lids with his energy.

Then they saw two Blood Coffin, each containing a boy and a girl, both with pale, bloodless faces, and two broken bones placed on their foreheads.

As he lifted the coffin lid, the two broken bones immediately tore through the skin on the children's foreheads, ready to retaliate.

"Presumptuous!"

Chen Dengming gave a low shout and used his Gold Touch Technique with both hands almost simultaneously.

In an instant, a golden light flashed, striking the two pieces of bone and quickly covering them with a metallic sheen.

With lightning speed, he grabbed two pieces of bone, one in each hand.

Before the soul bone could continue to cause trouble, the tendons and muscles of both hands suddenly exerted force, the veins bulging, and the two pieces of soul bone were instantly crushed and exploded.

After doing all this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to the two children inside the Blood Coffin.

Although the two children were breathing weakly, their breathing was still relatively steady, but their physical condition seemed extremely weak.

"Their Blood Qi are depleted. It seems I'll have to go out for a while and have Black Panther donate some blood, then bring it back in and use the Dragon Coiling Bone Forging Art to replenish their Blood Qi. Otherwise, let alone longevity, it will be difficult for them to even live past sixty."

Chen Dengming sighed inwardly and looked around.

Seeing that the Blood Qi Divine Fiend Returning to Origin Formation was still operating, he immediately set off to dismantle the Formation.

The two little devils have now been placed inside the Soul Guiding Banner, where they are being cared for by the brothers within.

This Formation will be easier and safer to dismantle, but how many people will ultimately survive remains to be seen.

Time flies.

Seven days later.

Inside the Chen Family Mansion, where the thick gloom had been swept away, warm sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, casting dappled golden spots on the ground.

The once withered and decaying plants in the mansion have been completely rejuvenated, the trees are lush and green, and the garden is full of colorful flowers, creating a peaceful and pleasant scene.

The clear laughter of children echoed through the courtyard of the mansion, bringing Life Force and joy to the large house that had been silent for more than a month.

Inside the courtyard, the sounds of music filled the air. Chen Dengming sat in the courtyard, holding a teacup, smiling as he watched his two children, who were almost four years old, run and play.

The wives and concubines beside him sat upright, creating an unusually solemn atmosphere.

At this moment, the nearly four-year-old boy ran excitedly towards Chen Dengming, beaming, "Daddy, look! Uncle Zhong gave me so many little fish!"

"I have it too, I have it too, and I have even more."

A girl of the same age also ran over, nearly stumbling and falling to the ground, but Chen Dengming caught her with a flick of his fingers, even restoring the goldfish and water that were about to spill from the small water tank to their original positions.

"Be careful, Ranran, hold onto your little goldfish."

Chen Dengming smiled and patted his daughter Chen Yiran's head, then picked up his teacup and clinked it against his son Chen Jing's fish tank to express his praise and encouragement.

The steward, Chen Zhong, stepped forward respectfully and led the two children aside to play.

Chen Dengming watched this scene with a smile. Although he experienced the happiness of having a child in the mortal world and enjoyed the comfort of being a father, he also felt a lot of sighs and emotions.

Since reviving his children and family members seven days ago, he used a Law Technique to give the mansion a fresh new look, and then used various elixirs to revitalize the family members, children, and even servants.

Therefore, the mansion has now regained its vitality, but compared to a little over a month ago, it is still severely damaged, with too many people dead.

Most of the servants and maids in the mansion died, and of the seven wives, four died, leaving only three.

Of the three main stewards, two have died.

Old steward Chen Zhong is still alive and kicking.

But Chen Dengming had also realized that even though Lao Zhong had been given a boost of his vital energy, he would probably only live for another ten years or so. When people get old, once their vital energy is damaged, even divine spirit medicine can hardly replenish it.

In addition, Chen Yiran and Chen Jing, his two sons, suffer from severe Qi and Blood deficiency and may have short lifespans in the future. Furthermore, neither of them has Spirit Root.

This is quite normal. After all, Chen Dengming may seem like a genius, but in reality, he only possessed low-grade, mutually restraining Dual Spirit Root. It's perfectly normal that his offspring didn't develop Spirit Root.

If he were to have another child with his current abilities, there's a high probability that the offspring would possess Spirit Root.

This made Chen Dengming feel that he had wronged his two sons. He hoped to use the blood of the Black Cloud Leopard to make up for the deficiency of their Qi and Blood and vital energy. He did not seek to compete on the path to immortality, but only wished that they would live a peaceful, wealthy, and carefree life in the future.

Thinking of this, Chen Dengming waved his hand and said, "Old Zhong, let Fengyi and the others take care of the children. You come with me."

Upon hearing this, the third, fourth, and seventh wives, who were sitting upright to the side, immediately stood up, bowed, and went to take the child.

Chen Zhong followed Chen Dengming into the hall to await orders.

Looking at his wives and concubines, who were becoming increasingly nervous and respectful towards him, Chen Dengming sighed inwardly. He didn't blame them; he could only say that this was probably the difference between immortals and mortals.

Before he became a cultivator, he was a very authoritative figure at home. His image Xiantian powerhouse in his eighties was deeply ingrained in people's minds, and his wives and concubines respected him more than they loved him.

Or rather, that affection and respect can't even be considered love; it's more of a complex emotion and respect between family members.

Now he has become what mortals call a high and mighty immortal. Even though he usually keeps his spiritual power hidden, his wives, concubines and even the old steward are even more in awe of him. They dare not make the slightest mistake in their every move, and they treat him like a statue in the temple in the mansion.

In fact, for the past five years, the Lineage members have indeed been worshipping his idol.

Now that the statue of the god has suddenly appeared alive before their eyes, apart from their two ignorant offspring, everyone else is indeed too afraid to even breathe.

Chen Dengming had neither an answer to this nor bothered to try.

He was ultimately heading to the Cultivation World. He would leave behind his Lineage, relatives, and children in the mortal realm, along with his life-saving trump cards such as the Golden Silkworm Gu, before departing once more.

Along the way, he might frequently return to check on things, not only to see the state of the Lineage, but also to learn about the secrets of Nanxun's lineage.

Inside the living room, Chen Dengming instructed Chen Zhong on the arrangements for the Lineage's future, then handed Chen Zhong two Beast Taming Bag containing the Golden Silkworm Gu and the Blood Centipede Gu, and left behind a spirit animal in a medicine bottle for feeding, instructing Chen Zhong on how to feed it.

Both of these types of Gu Worm are also affected by the Southern Search for Heaven and Earth.

However, the influence of the Blood Centipede Gu is much smaller.

Furthermore, the two types of Gu Worm can remain dormant in the Beast Taming Bag for a long time, sometimes for more than ten years, and only need to be fed some spiritual items periodically.

If the Chen Family were to encounter an ordinary low-level Qi Cultivation Cultivator or Innate Martial Artist, they could easily resolve the situation by opening their Beast Taming Bag and releasing the Blood Centipede Gu.

If a more difficult situation arises, releasing the Golden Silkworm Gu can also resolve it.

After settling matters with his Lineage, Chen Dengming spent some time with his two children before heading out.

At this moment, outside the mansion, forces from various factions in Nanxun, including the royal family, had already gathered.

However, six days ago, after Divine Sense Chen Dengming used some methods to prevent the various forces from disturbing him, these forces all waited obediently outside the Chen Family Mansion like quails, not daring to cause any trouble.

Now, seeing a tall, imposing figure emerge from the mansion, with a broad forehead, piercing eyes, and a profound, unfathomable intelligence, who else could that familiar face be but Chen Dengming?

However, the faint yet awe-inspiring spiritual power emanating from him completely surpassed all Xiantian, silently causing people from all directions to feel apprehensive.

Chen Dengming stood with his hands behind his back, and with a sweep of his Divine Sense, he knew how many people were hiding nearby, how many of them were Xiantian, and how many were acquaintances.

Even in this southern search, his Divine Sense would quickly dissipate when released into the air, but similarly, as long as he practiced mental martial arts in a state of Unity of Heaven and Man, his Divine Sense would quickly recover.

Therefore, in this Southern Journey, he could freely expend Spiritual Qi and Divine Sense, making him much stronger than ordinary cultivators.

At this moment, he transmitted his voice through Divine Sense, and the sound clearly entered the hearts of the many forces present.

"Chen's return this time was to handle Lineage matters. Now that the Lineage matters have been settled, Chen will soon return to the Cultivation World."

I only hope that since I am no longer in the Martial World, my former Martial World will give me some face and look after my Chen Family. Please don't kick me when I'm down!

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure suddenly soared into the air, a flash of light from his blade, and he vanished into the clear sky in an instant.

A commotion erupted as figures emerged from various inns and restaurants, looking around blankly, but Chen Dengming was nowhere to be seen.

Many people only saw a flash of light, like a bolt of lightning in a clear sky, and Chen Dengming's figure disappeared in that lightning.

Several Xiantian experts quickly appeared in the center of the street. Looking at the empty street and the gate of the Chen Family Mansion, they all had complicated expressions and sighed deeply.

They were being too cautious.

Because immortals have been committing many killings recently, and the Chen Family is facing calamity, they fear that Chen Dengming will take his anger out on others and start a massacre. They want to seek Immortal Destiny with immortals, but when they arrive, they dare not make direct contact and instead observe the situation.

But now it seems that Chen Dengming has no intention of going on a killing spree or taking his anger out on Martial World. In fact, he is quite polite and still considers himself a fellow martial artist, unlike those immortals who are high and mighty. This makes many old friends who have come but dare not recognize him feel ashamed and at the same time quite bewildered.

That move just now was truly a divine technique, but they couldn't understand it. Not only could they not understand it, they also knew that if True Immortal Chen had made a move, they probably wouldn't have even had time to react before their heads rolled.

Behind the city wall, several miles away.

Chen Dengming, panting, landed with the Divine Transformation Blade on his back, looking somewhat embarrassed.

He expended a lot of Spiritual Qi just to show off, and almost fell off the city wall.

Even for him, flying in this southern land was extremely difficult.

Ultimately, it's because there's no Spiritual Qi in the air, so you can't manipulate Spiritual Qi. Riding a flying knife through the air is like trying to lift a heavy iron hammer weighing thousands of pounds into the sky—it's exhausting and drains your spiritual energy.

"It seems that now that I've obtained the Black Panther's blood, if I want to pursue the Human Immortal Orthodox Lineage, I'll have to take the Black Panther with me. Otherwise, relying solely on my own speed on horseback and with my light-footed skills, it would take forever to find it."

We also need to make a trip to the Southern Imperial Palace to investigate information about the Sha Star from back then..."