Soul-Devouring Soul-Refining Scripture

"All right, you stinky monster. I've finished telling you everything, so shouldn't you let me have a look at the immortal art in your hands?"

Yang Qianqian's sly eyes darted about. Suddenly, she held out a fair, jade-like wrist, her slender palm open to remind Chen Lin to make good on his promise.

Chen Lin smiled faintly and slipped the jade slip into the girl's palm without hesitation.

A hint of delight appeared on Yang Qianqian's face. She eagerly pressed the jade slip to her forehead, closed her eyes, and sank into it.

At first, Yang Qianqian looked thoughtful. Gradually, her little face grew solemn.

"How is this possible..."

Two incense sticks later, Yang Qianqian suddenly opened her eyes and murmured to herself, a trace of shock in them. She clutched the jade slip tightly, seeming unable to believe what she'd seen, then pressed it to her forehead again.

"Where did you get this immortal art?"

After a long while, Yang Qianqian finally exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly lowered the jade slip, handing it to Chen Lin. Her expression was strange as she fixed her gaze on him and asked.

Chen Lin's heart stirred. "I came across it by chance. What's the matter? Is there something wrong with this immortal art?"

A strange look appeared in the girl's eyes. She spoke slowly. "I don't know how much this immortal art strengthens the soul, but I've sensed that even the Autumn Water Forget-Emotion Scripture of our Forget-Emotion Valley is nowhere near its equal. You should know that the Autumn Water Forget-Emotion Scripture is a King-tier immortal art."

"Oh?"

Chen Lin's eyes flickered. "Then how much does the Autumn Water Forget-Emotion Scripture cultivated by the disciples of your valley strengthen the soul?"

"Actually, the ordinary disciples in our valley cultivate only a simplified version of the Autumn Water Forget-Emotion Scripture."

Yang Qianqian shook her head and continued, "The true Autumn Water Forget-Emotion Scripture is taught only to personal disciples. And although this immortal art does strengthen the soul a little, its greater purpose is to temper it, making one's soul more attuned to heaven and earth. That naturally makes it faster to cultivate divine abilities later on."

"Temper the soul? Make it more attuned to heaven and earth?" At her words, an idea suddenly flashed through Chen Lin's mind like a spark. He carefully turned over what the girl had said, and his eyes gradually lit up.

Suddenly, Chen Lin raised his head and stared intently at the girl. "You said earlier that human souls are attuned to heaven and earth, which is why they can open their seas of consciousness without any bottlenecks or obstructions. Is that right?"

The heat in Chen Lin's gaze startled the girl, but she still nodded. "That's right."

After receiving her confirmation, Chen Lin's idea grew clearer and clearer. He hurriedly communicated with the Main God Coffin.

"Guide, tell me: can a Demon Race immortal art be modified into one that humans can cultivate?"

"Yes. The Death Energy cost depends on the immortal art's rank."

The Guide's reply was cold.

Wonderful!

Reassured by the answer, Chen Lin eagerly said to Yang Qianqian, "Little girl, I want to make a trade with you. This immortal art I have actually has another version suitable for humans to cultivate. I can give you the immortal art, but you must trade me the Autumn Water Forget-Emotion Scripture. How about it?"

"A version suitable for humans to cultivate?" Yang Qianqian's eyes lit up. She hesitated for a long while, then finally gritted her teeth and said, "All right!"

Yang Qianqian naturally couldn't understand what use Chen Lin could have for an immortal art humans couldn't cultivate, but she really was tempted by the one in his hands. Still, she stared intently at Chen Lin and said solemnly, "But you must swear by your soul that you won't pass on our sect's immortal art to anyone besides yourself!"

A soul oath was a special way of swearing in the cultivation world. One swore upon one's own soul, with a clear conscience and absolute sincerity, to uphold the promise. Otherwise, when one later encountered a cultivation bottleneck, inner demons would often arise, creating great danger and making further progress nearly impossible.

"All right!" After a quick turn of thought, Chen Lin's expression grew solemn as he swore, "I, Chen Lin, swear upon my soul that I will not pass the Autumn Water Forget-Emotion Scripture on to anyone else. Should I violate this oath, may heavenly thunder strike me down, scatter my body and spirit, and leave me dead in body and soul, never to be reborn!"

"Buzz~!"

In the unseen depths, Chen Lin felt something enter his mind. The oath seemed to blend tightly with his soul and become one with it. If he broke it, every part of the oath would come to pass.

Although the feeling vanished in an instant, Chen Lin's heart still tightened with alarm. He hadn't expected that soul oaths in the cultivation world were actually real.

Only after Chen Lin completed the oath did Yang Qianqian nod in satisfaction. She asked Chen Lin for a blank jade slip, closed her eyes, and copied the immortal art's incantations of the Autumn Water Forget-Emotion Scripture onto it.

Taking the jade slip the girl handed him, Chen Lin felt a hint of delight. Without hesitation, he communicated with the Main God Coffin and first had the Nine-Nine Extreme Transformation modified.

"Modifying the Nine-Nine Extreme Transformation requires 1,500 Death Energy points. Begin modification now? Yes/No"

Perhaps because no one in the world had ever cultivated the Nine-Nine Extreme Transformation, the Main God Coffin couldn't determine its rank. As a result, modifying it cost very few Death Energy points.

"Yes."

Chen Lin naturally chose yes without hesitation.

"Modifying cultivation method... Modification complete."

Chen Lin took out a jade slip, copied the new immortal art onto it, and handed it to Yang Qianqian. She beamed and snatched it from him, then eagerly pressed it to her forehead and began studying it carefully.

Chen Lin smiled faintly and communicated with the Main God Coffin again.

"The Contractor's compatibility with the Autumn Water Forget-Emotion Scripture is too low to cultivate it. The Contractor may pay Death Energy points to modify and enhance the cultivation method, ensuring it can be cultivated normally. Modification requires 2,500 Death Energy points. Begin modification now? Yes/No."

"Yes!"

Though he was a little pained by the cost, Chen Lin gritted his teeth and chose to proceed.

"Modifying cultivation method... Modification complete."

"'Soul-Devouring Soul-Refining Scripture,' Rank: Emperor-tier. Modified from the Autumn Water Forget-Emotion Scripture. Cultivators absorb the remnant souls of dead spirits and ghosts to refine their three hun and seven po, purifying the soul and making it more attuned to heaven and earth."

"Absorb the soul power of dead spirits and ghosts? In that case, the Demon Prison is a perfect place to cultivate this immortal art. Wonderful, wonderful!"

Chen Lin was delighted. He glanced at Yang Qianqian, who was so absorbed in the immortal art that she couldn't tear herself away, then found a spot for himself, sat cross-legged, and quietly studied the new immortal art he'd obtained.

Three days later, around noon.

In a courtyard halfway up the mountain, Chen Lin and Yang Qianqian sat cross-legged with their eyes closed in cultivation. Five Dharma Artifacts stood quietly around them.

The five Dharma Artifacts—one large and four small—were naturally the Void Spirit Mother-Son Sword. The five were arranged in a mysterious formation, drawing in surging waves of dense spiritual energy. Its concentration was likely no less than that at the summit of Nether Spring Peak.

Over the three days, Chen Lin had cultivated the Mysterious Ancient Scripture, Dao Heaven, during the day and the Nine-Nine Extreme Transformation at night.

Perhaps because Yang Qianqian was exceptionally clever and gifted, with a strong ability to comprehend the soul, she often exchanged insights with Chen Lin as they cultivated the same immortal art. This proved quite beneficial to him, and he gradually got on track with the first layer of the Nine-Nine Extreme Transformation.

"Whoosh!"

Just then, a jade slip suddenly shot through the air.

Chen Lin's tightly shut eyes snapped open. He reached out, caught the jade slip, and held it between his fingers.

It was a jade slip used to deliver messages.

"Brother Chen, I await your esteemed arrival at the outskirts of the Demon Prison, Yin Sand Ridge, in half an hour." As soon as Chen Lin caught the jade slip, a soft, feminine voice came from within it.

"Is it time to go to the Demon Prison?"

Chen Lin's eyes flickered. Recognizing Situ Kong's voice, he rose to his feet and beckoned to the Void Spirit Mother-Son Sword. The Dharma Artifacts immediately flew into his Storage Bag.

Disturbed by the interruption, the girl who had been cultivating nearby opened her eyes too.

Chen Lin glanced at her and said gravely, "I have something to take care of. It'll take one day at the shortest, three at the most. Afterward, I'll personally escort you down the mountain, so you'd better stay here and not go anywhere during that time."

"Oh." Yang Qianqian nodded, her face showing a relieved, liberated smile. Her big eyes curved into crescents. Clearly, the dull, monotonous cultivation of the past few days had left her stir-crazy, and she could finally leave the Myriad Demon Sect.

Chen Lin gave the girl a few more instructions, then left the courtyard. He moved in a flash, his feet swift as thunder, and vanished from sight.