Seventh-Rank Magic Core

After pondering for a long while, Xiao Yan still could not make sense of it, so he could only set the matter aside for now. There was still some time before he broke through to Da Dou Shi and officially set off for the Chu Yun Empire, after all. He had plenty of time to think these things over. His most pressing task was to reach Da Dou Shi as soon as possible.

Besides, he still needed to go out and obtain a third-rank magic core so Yao Lao could refine the Blood Lotus Pill first. Although Yao Lao had said the things they had prepared before would not be needed to subdue the Netherworld Poison Flame, nothing was absolute. Having an extra precaution was always a good thing.

"Right, the magic core..." Xiao Yan suddenly remembered the black stone he had previously obtained from Xiao Yi Xian. With a turn of his palm, a fist-sized black stone appeared in his hand. Judging by his experience, this thing should also have been a magic core, and a fairly high-ranked one at that. That was why it had attracted so many magical beasts.

"This thing... seems to be a Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle's magic core?" When Xiao Yan took out the magic core, Yao Lao floated out of the ring as well. He examined the black stone in Xiao Yan's hand and finally said after a moment, "Judging by the energy fluctuations contained within it, it should be a seventh-rank magic core."

"A Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle?" Xiao Yan raised his eyebrows slightly. His Purple Cloud Wings had been made from a fifth-rank Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle. He had never expected this magic core to come from a Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle as well, and an even higher-ranked one at that. A seventh-rank magic core belonged to an existence equivalent to a Dou Zong. No wonder it had driven those magical beasts outside into such a frenzy.

"Keep it for now. It'll come in useful someday." Just as Xiao Yan was about to put the magic core into his Storage Ring, an eerie light suddenly shone from it. Then a streak of black light shot out and plunged into his mind.

It happened so suddenly that even Yao Lao failed to stop the streak of black light in time. He reacted swiftly, however, and his gaze turned chillingly cold and frightening as he stared at the magic core. "Body Possession?!"

According to legend, there had been a secret art in ancient times that allowed a soul left behind after death to invade another person's body, devour their soul, and replace the body's owner. This eerie secret art was known as Body Possession.

But this secret art was exceedingly rare. Even Yao Lao had never encountered it and had only learned about it from a few ancient texts. He had never imagined that the owner of this magic core would possess such an art! Moreover, judging by the fluctuations it had just emitted, the Soul Body hidden inside the magic core was actually completely intact!

"Little fellow, you have to pull through..." Yao Lao murmured as he watched Xiao Yan, whose eyes were tightly shut. Xiao Yan could only endure this struggle within his body on his own. Even Yao Lao could offer no help. After all, Xiao Yan was still the owner of this body. Even if Yao Lao could temporarily grant him the combat strength of a Dou Emperor, he could not instantly increase his soul force.

What Yao Lao did not know, however, was that Xiao Yan's situation was nowhere near as serious as he imagined.

The Soul Body inside the magic core was indeed intact. Although magical beasts were not adept at using soul force, it was still a seventh-rank magical beast, no matter what. By all rights, invading a Dou Shi's body should have been effortless. What it had not expected was that this insignificant Dou Shi actually possessed soul force comparable to that of a Fifth-Rank Alchemist.

Not only that, Xiao Yan also had the experience of his previous life. He had once faced a Body Possession crisis back then, and compared to that encounter, the soul attack from this seventh-rank Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle was like a minor shaman facing a great one. The savage Soul Body let out a piercing screech, intent on destroying Xiao Yan's own soul outright. But before it could act, Xiao Yan had already erected a soul defense and blocked it.

"What feathered brute dares run wild in my domain!" Xiao Yan sneered at the eagle-shaped Soul Body rampaging within him. Although his current soul force could hardly be called powerful, when it came to the ways of wielding it, even Yao Lao at his peak could not compare to him. After all, in his previous life, his soul had genuinely reached the Emperor Realm!

Under Xiao Yan's control, that invisible soul force condensed into a dragon-shaped creature. Just as he prepared to clash head-on with the Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle's Soul Body, a wisp of black flame suddenly appeared before the soul dragon. At the sight of that black flame, the Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle, which had been brimming with savagery a moment earlier, immediately showed terror and began desperately retreating outward.

Could it be... that this thing can restrain Soul Bodies? Xiao Yan was delighted by the sight. The origins of this black flame were extremely mysterious. Even in his previous life, he had not known where it came from. From the looks of it, however, the Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle seemed utterly terrified of it. As long as he controlled it, he should be able to deal with this feathered brute easily.

But before Xiao Yan could take control, the black flame darted out on its own and engulfed the Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle as it tried to retreat. Once trapped by the black flame, the eagle, which had been so overbearing moments before, immediately let out a series of terrified screeches. Yet no matter how fiercely it struggled, it could not escape that eerie black flame.

Within just a few breaths, the Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle stopped struggling. When the black flame dispersed, the eagle-shaped Soul Body that had been brimming with ferocity had vanished completely, replaced by an immensely powerful mass of soul energy. With a thought, Xiao Yan immediately formed a hand seal and directly refined this pure soul energy.

Increasing one's soul force was exceedingly difficult. Generally, it only grew slowly with age or advances in strength. To increase it quickly, one had to cultivate a soul cultivation method or consume some extraordinary natural treasure. Now, after being refined by the black flame, this seventh-rank magical beast that might have caused him considerable trouble had become a potent tonic instead. For Xiao Yan, this was an unexpected windfall.

Although Xiao Yan could also have obtained this soul energy by shattering the Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle's Soul Body himself, some of the energy would inevitably have dissipated during their clashes. Nor would its quality necessarily have been as pure as it was after being refined directly like this.

Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagles were naturally cunning. Thus, although it had perished, it had devised a way to hide its soul within its magic core to facilitate Body Possession. Had it encountered someone else, this method might truly have succeeded. Unfortunately, it had encountered the Demon Fury Sage, who possessed the experience of his previous life, and within his body was a Black Flame that specifically countered it. As a result, all its energy had ended up sewing a wedding gown for someone else.