Heavenly Demon Summoning

Soul-Lost Bay is a treacherous stretch of the Qingyuan River. The water surface is shrouded in white mist year-round, making it incredibly easy for those who enter to lose their way and never find the path home. Aside from a handful of death-defying fishermen, no one dares approach; it is a place of the highest danger.

Deep within Soul-Lost Bay lies a peninsula. Backed by a great mountain and extending into the water, it resembles a massive fish with half its body leaping from the surface. The island is covered in dense forest, possessing a certain sense of secluded tranquility.

Yet, deep within this thicket, a mountain stronghold stands silently. Like a cold-eyed wolf, it watches the outside world—observing, enduring, and waiting for an opportunity. This is Wooden Fish Island, the lair of the notorious River-Sweeping Bandits.

Though Soul-Lost Bay is perilous, its outer perimeter is calm and peaceful. It serves as a vital trade route connecting Qinghe County to the prefecture city, and the profits to be made there are quite substantial.

The River-Sweeping Bandits released a carp here, claiming it was an offering to the River Dragon King to pray for the safety of passing merchants. They then established a checkpoint; any caravan passing through must pay a sufficient toll, or neither the people nor the goods would ever leave the bay.

For this reason, the Qinghe County government has sent troops to suppress the River-Sweeping Bandits many times. However, every time they arrive, the bandits retreat into the depths of Soul-Lost Bay, using the natural hazards to fend off the encirclement.

After several rounds of this, the government exhausted its troops and wealth, while the influence of the River-Sweeping Bandits only grew. Eventually, the government tacitly accepted their existence.

Of course, the River-Sweeping Bandits are quite sensible. They never target government fleets, and they only seek wealth, rarely taking lives, strictly avoiding any shocking bloodbaths.

If they truly must act, they ensure the roots are pulled and the leaves removed, leaving no word to spread. In this way, the River-Sweeping Bandits have firmly established themselves within this hundred-mile stretch of Soul-Lost Bay.

At night, the bright moon hangs high. The massive water stronghold has fallen quiet. Life in the camp is austere; aside from procreation, there is little entertainment at night. With the exception of the sentries, most have already fallen into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, in a residence on the outskirts of Wooden Fish Island, a young man of about twenty, dressed in green robes with sallow skin, sits cross-legged in a basement. He holds a hand seal, his eyes half-closed and his expression solemn, appearing extremely grave.

He is Jiang Wang, a cultivator and one of the high-ranking leaders of the River-Sweeping Bandits, his status second only to the three masters.

"Wandering souls of heaven and earth, come!"

Biting the tip of his tongue, Jiang Wang pushes his hand seal to the limit. At this moment, the three oil lamps placed in the corners of the secret room flare with intense brilliance, coating the entire chamber in a waxy, yellow glow.

But in the very next instant, an invisible, chilling wind emerges from the void.

Buffeted by this wind, the three candle flames immediately begin to flicker precariously. Two of them are extinguished one after another, and as the ritual is broken, Jiang Wang, who was sitting upright, suddenly coughs up a mouthful of blood.

"F-failed... why? I had made every possible preparation. Is heaven truly determined to end me?"

Bleeding from his seven orifices and with his breath fading, Jiang Wang collapses to the ground, his face filled with unwillingness.

At the same time, a soul-light from an unknown origin emerges from the void and merges completely with Jiang Wang's physical body.

A moment later, the Jiang Wang who should have died, bleeding from his seven orifices, slowly climbs up from the floor, though his eyes are filled with bewilderment.

"Secret Technique: Soul Summoning Guide..."

The blood-tears streaming from his eyes have yet to dry. "Jiang Wang" surveys his surroundings with a dazed gaze, as if he were still in a dream, his soul yet to return.

The secret room is small, resembling an earthen cellar used for storing food. The furnishings are extremely simple; aside from a meditation cushion, there is only an incense burner. At this very moment, wisps of smoke still rise from the burner, filling the room with a faint, delicate fragrance.

Beyond this, three oil lamps were placed in the corners of the room, but now two of them have been completely extinguished, leaving only one burning with a ghastly white flame, appearing quite eerie.

"I am Jiang Chen, and he is Jiang Wang."

"I am a survivor of the apocalypse, and he is a cultivator of this realm."

"I have transmigrated, or rather, I have borrowed a corpse to return to life."

As the memories in his mind slowly dissolve, the bewilderment on "Jiang Wang's" face fades, and his hollow eyes regain their color.

"Death is fine. There was nothing to miss in that apocalyptic world, and being able to live another life in this strange world is a tremendous stroke of luck. After all, according to the memories left by Jiang Wang, the overall environment of this world is quite good; at the very least, one won't go hungry."

"Most importantly, this world seems to possess a complete system of cultivation, with beings known as immortals."

After digesting the memories left by Jiang Wang, Jiang Chen quickly accepts the fact that he has borrowed a corpse to return to life and has transmigrated to an entirely new world.

He was originally a person from the Xuan Star. Although he was merely a diligent laborer there, society was stable, food and drink were plentiful, and he lived a peaceful life. But an inexplicable crisis swept in and changed everything; the apocalypse had arrived.

Outside the apocalypse, humanity, once the masters of the Xuan Star, was knocked off its throne and cast into the mud, forced to struggle desperately for survival. During this process, Jiang Chen suffered greatly; he had fought with vicious dogs for scraps and had been betrayed by others.

If he hadn't awakened his ability later and gained a certain amount of power, he likely would have died long ago. Yet, even after awakening his ability, he never truly changed anything. He kept losing until he became numb. Compared to the apocalypse that overturned everything, his meager power was too insignificant.

"My ability is still here."

His eyes are deep, as if hiding a dark sea within. After carefully sensing his own state, the last trace of unease in Jiang Chen's heart quietly dissipates. Having been baptized by the apocalypse, he knows clearly that everything else is hollow; only power is truly real and reliable. With his ability, he has a foundation upon which to stand.

"Soul Illumination!"

A faint, ghostly light blooms in his pupils. Jiang Chen activates his ability, further excavating the fragmented memories in his mind, not letting a single detail slip by.

To gain a foothold in this strange world, information is crucial, and now the only thing that can provide this is the remnant soul of the local, Jiang Wang. Fortunately, his soul ability is best at this; making the dead speak is no miracle in his eyes.

A moment later, the ghostly light in his eyes fades, and Jiang Chen stops his actions. By now, the pieces have been assembled, and a relatively complete story has taken shape in his mind.

The story is simple enough: it is merely an anecdote about a cultivator who, nearly obsessed with immortality, forcibly used a forbidden secret technique to rewrite his own predicament, ultimately inviting disaster and meeting his end.

"This is Qinghe County in the Nanjing Kingdom. According to the common knowledge of cultivation left by Jiang Wang, I suppose I could be considered an extraterrestrial heavenly demon."

As his thoughts arise, Jiang Chen reflects thoughtfully.

Cultivation in this realm includes the stages of Spirit Sensing, Qi Refining, and Dao Foundation, among which Spirit Sensing is the beginning of cultivation.

Cultivators at this stage calm their minds and focus their spirits, sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. They continuously draw this energy to wash over their bodies, rewriting their physical constitution and allowing their original mortal flesh to gradually become imbued with spiritual charm, enabling them to better draw near to spiritual energy.

When their cultivation is complete and the spiritual charm has permeated their entire body, the cultivator transforms from a mortal vessel into a spirit vessel.

Of course, this stage is primarily about laying the foundation. The cultivator does not yet generate true energy, nor do magical powers appear; they are unable to display true transcendent means. They rely more on their own continuously strengthening bodies. From an external perspective, they do not differ much from ordinary martial artists. The previous owner of the body Jiang Chen now inhabits, Jiang Wang, was stuck at this very step.

He began cultivating at fourteen, using the Qi Induction Technique to draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to wash his body. After six years of hard work, he finally completed the washing of his limbs, but he became stuck at the torso, unable to make any progress for two years.

It was precisely because of this that he took a desperate risk, setting up the Soul Summoning Guide ritual in an attempt to capture some wandering souls of heaven and earth to strengthen his own soul's foundation, thereby using the strength of his soul to forcibly draw in spiritual energy and break through this barrier.

After all, beyond the torso lay the even harder-to-wash skull. If he continued to drag it out, he would likely never have a chance at Qi Refining in this lifetime.

"Is cultivation in this world truly so difficult?"

Recalling Jiang Wang's life, under the pale candlelight, Jiang Chen furrows his brows slightly.