The Secret Art of the Soul

Chapter 20: The Secret Art of the Soul

In his previous life, Chen Ye had chosen a terribly obscure major—archaeology—just to make it easier to get into college.

At a university that wasn't particularly prestigious, archaeology had lower admission requirements. Besides, after graduation he planned to return to his hometown and take the civil service exam, so it hardly mattered what he studied.

Who could have guessed that Chen Ye would actually get into it? He found ancient texts, which most people couldn't make heads or tails of, utterly fascinating. He'd planned to coast through school, but ended up ranking first in his major. Even his advisor wanted to help him get into a graduate program.

It was just that none of this knowledge had been useful at work. Instead, he'd had to rely on reading people and sucking up just to get by.

But life was full of twists and turns. Who could have imagined that after crossing worlds, all those useless things would become the foundation of his success?

The knowledge once dismissed as useless let him grasp cultivation methods with astonishing speed. To others, he seemed born to cultivate. Perhaps this was what they meant by "losing at sunrise, gaining at sunset."

But, while the two worlds shared a few similarities, they were ultimately very different.

Take the Eight Trigrams, for instance, which every cultivator knew about. In this world, the Book of Changes had never been handed down in its entirety. Only a few scattered passages survived, mixed with later generations' interpretations and revisions, and every version had its strengths and weaknesses.

Buddhist scriptures were even rarer. In this world, even the Buddhists didn't know the Buddha's name, let alone that of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. The few Buddhist scriptures that occasionally circulated were only vaguely similar, and differed greatly from the classics of his previous life.

Yet now, the few lines of shimmering golden text before him were identical to the original Ksitigarbha Vow Sutra—and the name of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva appeared in them, too.

This was no ordinary matter.

Who had left behind the words of the Ksitigarbha Vow Sutra? And who had read it?

A wave of excitement surged through Chen Ye. He hurriedly pored over the contents.

The golden characters shifted and changed, continually rearranging themselves into new passages. But after reading a few pages, Chen Ye couldn't help frowning.

Aside from those opening lines, the rest was no longer the original Ksitigarbha Vow Sutra, but a profound and unfathomable spell.

On closer inspection, it seemed the author had read the Ksitigarbha Vow Sutra and taken its opening passage as a preface. What followed were the author's own insights.

Chen Ye couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. If the entire book had been the Ksitigarbha Vow Sutra, he could have confirmed that the scripture he'd read in his previous life was somehow connected to this world.

If he could find the author, perhaps he could even figure out why he'd crossed worlds.

But now, there were only a few scant lines at the beginning. It was like the Book of Changes being taken apart and compiled anew. Those who wrote it might not even know where the original came from.

Still, Chen Ye's disappointment lasted only a moment. Soon, he was utterly absorbed in what came next.

The book described an extremely profound spell, divided into four scrolls: Detention, Locking, Interrogation, and Punishment. Every one of them acted upon the soul.

Previously, Chen Ye had delved deeply into the ways of the soul in order to preserve Mo Ci's soul. Now, as he studied the text and compared it with what he already knew, he gained a great deal.

Yet the deeper he studied, the more unfathomable the technique seemed. It was a pity that these secret arts were all meant to damage the mind and shatter the soul. If only there were a profound art for nurturing and protecting the soul—perhaps his master could still be saved.

"Alas, where in this world would I find such a stroke of luck? I'll just have to work it out myself."

As he pondered, Chen Ye felt someone give his shoulder a hard slap.

He turned and saw Mo Ci's face appear on the white banner, urgently saying something.

To save himself just now, he'd ruptured his eardrums, and now he couldn't hear a single word.

With no other choice, Chen Ye handed the banner a twig.

Mo Ci irritably coiled the twig and quickly wrote on the ground: "Before the Qinghe Sword Sect person comes back, hurry and hide this Cursed Spirit Child."

Chen Ye asked in confusion, "Master, the bloodline sealed inside it isn't mine. What's the point of hiding it?"

Mo Ci hurriedly wrote again: "Even without a blood relation, the Cursed Spirit Child is an excellent body. It's far better than taking over some random person! I taught you how to break curses. Hurry and undo the seal on it, then connect the Cursed Spirit Child to your soul. That way, you'll have another life!"

Chen Ye smiled. "Your disciple's cultivation is too weak. It's still uncertain whether I can break the connection between the Cursed Spirit Child and its soul. Even if I can, it won't be done in three or five days. Given Miss Su's abilities, she'll have slain that demon by then. Possession takes the Cursed Spirit Child only a moment. We wouldn't have time."

Mo Ci continued writing: "How do you know there won't be time if you don't try? The Cursed Spirit Child is a rare treasure!"

Chen Ye firmly shook his head.

"Master, I'll ascend to immortality in three years. Why would I prepare to possess someone?"

Mo Ci glared at Chen Ye, but in the end, he only sighed and stopped trying to persuade him.

Three years to ascend? That was just a flimsy excuse this unfilial disciple had cooked up out of misplaced compassion. But Mo Ci knew that once Chen Ye made up his mind, nothing could sway him. He could only remind him: "In that case, you'd better destroy the Cursed Spirit Child quickly. Once that demon takes possession, he'll probably reach out and refine you away in one grab."

Chen Ye nodded. It couldn't hurt to prepare early.

Still, Chen Ye had no intention of destroying the Cursed Spirit Child just like that.

After a moment's thought, Chen Ye said to Mo Ci, "Master, we cultivators of the demonic path can't be the ones who always lose out. I won't touch the Cursed Spirit Child, but I can lay a trap for that demon's soul."

Mo Ci didn't agree.

"That demon's cultivation is at least at the Tongxuan Realm. Even if all that remains is his Primordial Spirit, killing you would still be as easy as lifting a finger."

Chen Ye knew how formidable the other party was. The Evil Buddha alone had nearly killed him.

But he still had one sword talisman left. With careful planning and the element of surprise, he should have a chance against the soul of someone in the Tongxuan Realm.

Besides, he had just obtained this manual, which was specifically meant to target souls.

It was risky, but if he could obtain the soul of someone in the Tongxuan Realm, the benefits would be extraordinary. After weighing it carefully, Chen Ye decided the risk was worth taking. He just had to move quickly and make absolutely sure he was prepared.

Chen Ye thought for a moment, then asked Mo Ci, "Master, you have plenty of experience with possession. If we set up a formation outside the Cursed Spirit Child to block that demon's soul from taking over, how long could it hold?"

Hearing that, Mo Ci felt there was something off about the question. What did he mean, he had plenty of experience with possession? This brat was plotting to betray his master again!

But now wasn't the time to argue. Mo Ci considered it, then wrote: "With your level of cultivation, even with a formation to help, you'll have a hard time resisting a casual spell from someone in the Tongxuan Realm. But if you can block one attack, there may be a chance. After all, once a soul leaves the body, it's a tree without roots. The more spells it casts, the faster it dissipates. Even someone in the Tongxuan Realm won't be able to manage more than a few.

"On the condition that you can sever the connection between the Cursed Spirit Child and its master, then find a way to trap that demon's soul and buy time. The longer you can hold out, the better your odds."

Chen Ye read the words, nodded, and said, "That's about what I thought, too. But setting up a formation takes time. If that demon tries to take possession early... Forget it. What kind of immortal cultivation comes without risk?"

With that, Chen Ye picked up the pitch-black banner. This was a genuine demonic-sect Ten Thousand Soul Banner, a hundred times better than the cheap knockoff he'd refined himself. This magical treasure would be key to whether he succeeded or failed.

Both Chen Ye and Mo Ci were focused only on how to deal with the demon who would try to possess the Cursed Spirit Child. It seemed they had already taken for granted that Su Chunyi would slay him—and hadn't even considered the possibility that she might fail.

After all, the Qinghe Sword Sect was the best in the world.