Vast memories surged forth, accompanied by chaotic, bloodthirsty, and brutal spiritual contamination. The female statue held a high status—despite having part of her spiritual essence severed, she could still cause a seventh-level early-stage Day-Wanderer deity to suffer mental breakdown. Yet Zhang Yuanqing was different. He specialized in the power of the Day God, possessing a more resilient spiritual body than his peers, and further strengthened by the power of the Phantom God's heart, enabling him to勉强 achieve spirit-consumption at a level above his own. While suppressing the invading chaotic spirits, he also absorbed and processed memory fragments. Soon, he identified the statue's identity: she was the Jade Light Master who led the Shu Mountain disciples in defending against the rebel army. After her death, the disciples built the Jade Light Hall in her honor, offering daily incense and prayers. Her residual spirit attached itself to the statue, nurtured and sustained by the devotional offerings, gradually reviving. For a long time, she served as the mountain's guardian deity, quietly residing within the statue, receiving daily reverence and worship from the disciples. Of course, ordinary disciples were unaware of her existence. Only the senior monks who had established her as a pillar of the temple knew that her fragmented soul had taken root within the divine statue, and that they had entrusted her with the sect's most precious treasure—the Cut-Immortal Flying Blade—to guard the southern garden. Until one day, the black smoke from the main hall spread to the southern garden, and as a shadow spirit, Yao Guang could no longer resist the pollution of the negative qi, gradually falling into a state of pure resentment, instinctively killing the living beings around her. Could the incense offerings and devotees' vows restore a spirit's strength and allow it to endure in the mortal world? Zhang Yuanqing, having acquired new insights, was deeply astonished, despite the pressure of a throbbing headache. If so, what could ancient cultivators fear in terms of depleting their lifespan? Ah, no—when cultivators passed away naturally, both their physical bodies and spiritual essences ceased simultaneously. Yao Guang, however, had suffered a fundamental injury, making her death a sudden one, not a natural one. Thus, as a high-ranking spirit who had perished unexpectedly, her fragmented spirit could linger in the world for a long time. After receiving the incense offerings and vows, she continued to exist Fragments of fragmented memories swept past Zhang Yuanqing's mind, and he caught a moment that stirred him to passionate excitement—the Consuming Immortal Technique! Since the fall of the Divine Officials, the tradition of scholars becoming kings and ministers had ended, and a large number of practitioners dispersed into the world, establishing sects. The order among practitioners became chaotic, no longer serving the nation or the people, but pursuing personal gain instead. Thus, evil techniques aimed at plundering others' spiritual essence emerged. By the Tang Dynasty, when the order of the martial world stabilized, such techniques were established as taboos, and only practitioners from the esoteric schools enthusiastically adopted them to absorb others' spiritual essence and strengthen themselves. It is said that this technique was originally invented by a pharmacist from the Daoist tradition. This pharmacist, limited by his natural talent, found his cultivation stagnating at the age when he was destined to reach his peak. In despair, he suddenly conceived a strange technique: if medicinal herbs rich in spirit could be transformed into potent elixirs, why could not human beings themselves be transformed in the same way? Thus, with white hair and devoted to classical texts, he diligently studied Daoist scriptures over several years, eventually formulating a method for crafting the "Three-Principles Elixir." The "Three Principles" refer to refining a person's "spirit essence, soul, and vital energy" into a divine elixir, which, when consumed, dramatically enhances one's capabilities. This master, wielding this method, became renowned throughout the realm, unmatched by any other. Yet, during his peak, he suffered from mental confusion due to consuming too many soul fragments, ultimately descending into madness. Without the guidance and control of his will, his complex and turbulent spiritual energy became unmanageable, turning against his physical body and causing it to shatter and perish. Zhang Yuanqing had long been troubled by the lack of a "soul-consuming secret technique"—whether hunting the pure-yang master or seeking the method from the old stick-figure—both prospects seemed unlikely. The former, a mouse in the gutter, was both a celestial official and a being of nothingness, proving exceedingly difficult to capture. The latter, fiercely principled and upright, would never permit his disciples to advance through such unconventional, even corrupt, means. Now, within the realm of the quest, he Fragments of memory flashed continuously. Soon, Zhang Yuanqing saw the Yau Guang Master still in the process of becoming a statue, her flowing robe swaying gently as she danced, an old yellow gourd floating before her. Her movements alternated—sometimes wild and vigorous, like a seizure; sometimes graceful, with subtle waist and hip turns; sometimes strong and dynamic, as though practicing martial arts. This was not a dance created for entertainment, but rather reminiscent of an ancient ritual dance. The performance lasted only thirty seconds, and then the Yau Guang Master, still in her flowing robe, bowed gracefully and said, "Please, turn around, little one!" A slender beam of white light shot out from the gourd, vividly endowed with eyes and features, rushing forward toward the enemy camp at the foot of the mountain. The scene faded. Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, pressing gently on his swollen temples. Though he had managed to suppress the negative effects of the spirit-consuming power through the abilities of the Day-Traveling God and the Void-Weavers, his mental state remained compromised—becoming irritable, easily angered, and mentally disoriented, unable to think clearly. Seeing him "awaken," Fu Qingyang and the others gathered around, their eyes fixed on the yellow gourd: "What's this treasure?" Zhang Yuanqing exhaled a long, steady breath, sighed, "A truly impressive artifact—the Blade of Cutting Immortals!" The Blade of Cutting Immortals? Everyone was visibly moved, clearly familiar with the fame of this divine artifact. Xia Hou Ao Tian's titanium-glass eyes suddenly flashed bright: "Quick, show it to me!" He reached out eagerly, eager to seize it. Zhang Yuanqing narrowed his eyes, crossing his short blade across the other's neck, his expression fierce: "You're going to die!" Xia Hou Ao Tian stood stunned. Zhang Yuanqing seemed just now realizing what had happened, his fierce expression fading as he quickly withdrew the blade, shaking his head with a pained voice: "I'm sorry, my mental state isn't quite stable." The ghost statue's rank is too high—his spirit-eating condition has worsened! Xia Hou Ao Tian seized the yellow gourd and suggested: "Act quickly to revive the Master of Zhishi Palace. The musician can calm your restless spirit. After all, "As he spoke, he bent down to read the item's information. 'A faint glow within—eyes and brows? Remarkable indeed! Can an artifact spirit even develop features like these? How exactly was the Divine Blade for Severing Immortals crafted? I must analyze this...' Xue Hou Ao Tian held the ancient yellow gourd in his hands, murmuring to himself. At the same time, he now understood the reason Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun had consumed the spiritual essence. Without mastery of the Ritual Dance, the Divine Blade for Severing Immortals would remain merely a decorative item, and the Master of the Stop-Killing Palace would surely perish. 'No need to analyze further—wasting time,' said the Celestial Sovereign of Morality and the King of the Magmatic Eye, seizing the item from him. After reviewing the information, he drew a deep breath, exclaiming, 'Though this item isn't a rule-based one, its damage power reaches at least the peak of Level Eight, or even Level Nine. How could such a high-tier item exist in the Southern Garden of the Shu Mountain, in this quest stage?' Both he and Fu Qingyang were at the initial or mid-Level Eight stage. A peak-Level-E Fu Qingyang took the props and examined the items' attributes, then answered the Magi King's questions: "Though strong, its attack frequency is moderate—it can at most reduce the team by two or three members, without causing total elimination. In A-tier dungeons, this level of strength is quite reasonable." He turned to Zhang Yuanqing and asked, "Let's save the Princess first." Also, let us get a chance to witness the ritual dance! Fu Qingyang added mentally. Zhang Yuanqing, whose spirits were not up, failed to notice the meaningful glances from his teammates. With his palms supporting the yellow gourd, he approached the body of the Princess, protected by vines. Since his promotion to Day-Wandering Spirit, his spiritual strength had grown so strong that he could recall everything he had seen—like data printed onto a memory device, never needing to re-access or re-experience it. He set down the gourd, opened his arms, palms facing upward, and suddenly began trembling, as if experiencing a seizure. Then, the scene shifted—his waist moved gracefully, his hips swaying, and his arms flowing like serpents. Suddenly, the swaying hips stiffened, the hips halted, and muscles throughout the limbs rippled, transforming the dance into a vigorous, powerful performance. With each arm movement and turn, the air seemed to surge with momentum. Thirty seconds passed swiftly, yet Zhang Yuanqing stopped without uttering the line: "Please, turn around, darling." A powerful vortex formed at the spout of the yellow gourd pot, and faintly, from where the Master of the Stop-Killing had been severed at the neck, a gleam of white light emerged and returned to the gourd. "Clap! Clap! Clap!" Lady Yin Yao led the applause. The Mage-Eyed King, with three heads and eight arms, responded with the most enthusiastic clapping, his expression the most playful. Fu Qingyang and Xia Hou Ao Tian silently withdrew the Immortal-Slaying Blades from their minds. Proud as ever, the money-merchant公子 refused to become a comic relief, while Xia Hou Ao Tian believed the ritual dance's tone was mismatched with the protagonist's stature. He had hesitated to use it, fearing that he might be relegated from leading role to a comic side character. He really wanted to kill them Lady Yin Yao observed carefully, gracefully pausing her clapping and gently lifting the head of the Master of Zhishai Palace to secure it at the severed junction. After the seal was broken, the neck, now bloodied and glistening, began to pulse with life—veins extended and rapidly reconnected. Within less than ten seconds, the Master of Zhishai Palace opened her eyes, her gaze still dazed, as though she had just woken from a deep sleep. “What happened?” she asked, looking toward Zhang Yuanqing. Her cold, composed nephew picked up the yellow gourd and walked toward the smoldering ruins. By the time Zhang Yuanqing completed his two ritual dances and retrieved the soul fragments sealed within the shadow corpses, the Master of Zhishai Palace had already learned, through Lady Yin Yao’s narration, what had transpired after her head was severed. Due to Zhang Yuanqing’s poor condition, the team retreated outside the mountain pass for rest and reorganization. Xia Hou Ao Tian eagerly examined the yellow gourd, donning single-lens spectacles, summoning the Three-Mahas True Fire, and deploying several technologically advanced machines to analyze the composition, materials, and types of spiritual Zhang Yuanqing lay on the main lady of Zhishake Palace’s leg, listening to her softly humming a lullaby, and drifted off to sleep. When he awoke, it was two hours later—sun high in the sky, the time now eleven in the morning. While his emotions remained a bit unpredictable and irritable, the state of mental fragmentation, the uncontrollable visions, and the inability to think clearly had completely vanished. The remaining issues, as a master of illusion magic, he could easily resolve. However, the deeper, lingering problems in his spirit would require time to gradually wear down—this was the price that Shilin had to pay. “I’m good!” Zhang Yuanqing yawned. “Let’s go on!” Fu Qingyang and the others had no objections. Only Xia Hou Aotian remained deeply absorbed in the gourd, indifferent to what was happening outside. Zhang Yuanqing kicked him. “What have you discovered?” Xia Hou Aotian frowned. “Through my study, I’ve confirmed it is indeed a gourd plant, belonging to the gourd family and genus—not merely shaped into the form of a gourd.” Strange though it may seem, this gourd is rich in metallic spiritual energy, making it impervious to blades and fire, as well as water and heat. "The metallic spiritual energy within the gourd is even more remarkable, giving me the impression that, well, as if the gourd vine had grown and blossomed, nurtured and fed by this metallic energy." "Yet, as a master artisan, one must first understand the properties of materials and spiritual energies—how they interact through mutual generation and control. According to the Five Elements theory, metal governs wood, and when wood comes into contact with metal, it withers and dies. Therefore, it is impossible for the gourd vine to have grown and flourished under the nourishment of metallic energy." With that, he pointed to the yellow gourd and gestured helplessly, "This is quite a revelation to my understanding." Zhang Yuanqing snatched the yellow gourd from him, saying, "If you can't figure it out, just stop thinking—keep progressing through the quest." The group entered the mountain gate, passed through the area housing the Yao Guang Hall, and paused at the ten-step staircase leading to the second level. Looking out, they saw on either side of the — The southern courtyard has a trapezoidal layout, spanning three levels. Compared to the Yao Guang Hall, the second level features a large expanse of buildings, likely serving as the living quarters for the disciples. Xue Hou Ao Tian, as usual, retrieved his drone, flew it over the steps, and entered the second level. Everyone followed the drone's movements, watching as, at the very moment it passed through the steps, it seemed to penetrate an invisible membrane and vanished entirely. The next second, Xue Hou Ao Tian removed his neural interface cable, furrowed his brow, and said, "The drone has lost connection. I can't see any feed." This... Zhang Yuanqing looked at the clear sky, the wild grasses, and the atmosphere of decay that filled the second level—the drone had clearly flown past, yet nothing appeared in his view. The scene before him seemed like a phantom, not the real second level at all. Fu Qingyang's eyes shimmered with a bright, clear light, his gaze sharp as a blade, fixed firmly on the space ahead. "It's a spell!" Fu Qingyang said, drawing his gaze back. "This area is enveloped in a spell. I cannot see through it." The King of Mystic Eyes furrowed his brows. Zhang Yuanqing said, "The illusion is secondary—the real issue is the black smoke. The black smoke possesses a concealment power, which prevents the leader from seeing through it. It's just like what happened in the Yao Guang Hall: although we touched the statue and the gourd, we were unable to retrieve the item information because it had been concealed. "He turned to his teammates and said, "Illusion is my specialty. I'll investigate." With nods from Fu Qingyang and the others, he summoned a shadow corpse, guided it up the steps, passed through the invisible membrane, and vanished from everyone's sight.