Chapter 609 - 416: Ghost Cultivator (Part 2)

This one, however, was a king among Dragon Worms. It was enormous and well-proportioned, perfectly suited for swimming through this black soil.

Memories of the past flashed through Fang Qingyuan’s mind and vanished. He then refocused his attention on the Dragon Worm before him.

This Dragon Worm was just the lowest grade of insect beast. It had a tiny brain and no capacity to carry Fang Qingyua’s consciousness, but that wasn’t a problem. As a member of the Beast Taming Sect, Fang Qingyuan was proficient in the Spirit Attachment Technique.

The Spirit Attachment Technique involved splitting off a part of one’s soul to inhabit a Spirit Beast; it was not a simple division of one’s consciousness.

The advantage of this technique was controlling the Spirit Beast with one’s own mind. In this way, not even the most telepathic Divine Techniques could compare to taking matters into one’s own hands.

The disadvantage, however, was that if the possessed Spirit Beast died, the separated piece of soul would be severely damaged, which in turn would affect the main body’s strength.

For Fang Qingyuan to dare use this method, knowing full well his opponent was a Ghost Cultivator, was not a sign of recklessness. Rather, it was because he had a special trick up his sleeve.

That trick was the Yindu Black Law Soul-Binding Spell, which Fang Qingyuan had been studying since the Qi Cultivation Stage!

Within this Spell was a scripture describing the Deceitful Substitution Technique, which could separate off a false soul—perfect for use with the Spirit Attachment Technique.

But the Deceitful Substitution Technique had its own hidden danger: a small chance the false soul could awaken a consciousness of its own and believe itself to be the true self. However, this probability was extremely low, and with Fang Qingyuan’s immense soul power, it was a virtual impossibility.

If the false soul were to be lost, Fang Qingyuan himself would suffer no fundamental damage, only a momentary loss of focus that he could recover from later through cultivation.

With all preparations complete, Fang Qingyuan no longer hesitated. He immediately performed the Deceitful Substitution Technique to fabricate a false consciousness from his spiritual soul, then performed the Spirit Attachment Technique, possessing the Dragon Worm.

Instantly, the Dragon Worm’s previously dull little eyes became clear and sharp. It first took a moment to acclimate to its new body, then plunged headfirst toward the transparent barrier in front of it.

Through his earlier investigation, Fang Qingyuan had discovered that while one couldn’t enter the transparent barrier, one could exit. Thus, with just a gentle nudge, the Dragon Worm merged into the black soil.

The views inside and outside the barrier were completely different. On one side, the black soil was as clear as stream water; on the other, it was a pitch-black vortex with an immense gravitational pull.

The dual perspectives were quite disorienting even for Fang Qingyuan. He hadn’t used the Spirit Attachment Technique many times over the years.

But thanks to his powerful spiritual soul, Fang Qingyuan quickly adapted to the dual perspectives. He integrated the two views and directed the Dragon Worm to swim toward the bone prison.

.....

Inside the Bone Prison, the Ghost Cultivator was muttering to himself. ’Strange, how very strange. A mutant rat beast, and now a second one... This can’t be a coincidence. Is someone outside trying to find a way to get in here?’

’A pity I killed that Xu Xuanqing too soon. Perhaps they’re here to rescue him. Heh heh, but if I hadn’t killed him, he would have killed me. I couldn’t afford to think about anything else at the time.’

’I’ll never admit that I was scheming against him from the very beginning. Such a delectable soul... his fate was sealed the moment he fell into this place.’

The Ghost Cultivator’s muttering echoed in the cramped Bone Prison. Sixty long years of solitude had inevitably caused some problems, even for someone with the temperament of a Ghost Cultivator.

As he spoke to himself, the Ghost Cultivator affectionately stroked Xu Xuanqing’s skull.

’After being nourished by Xu Xuanqing’s flesh, blood, and soul, plus this golden lotus, my body has returned to the state it was in thirty years ago. Although it’s not as good as when I first arrived, it’s enough to deal with a Cultivator at the Golden Core Perfection Realm. Could an Early-stage Golden Core Cultivator really attract a Nascent Soul Old Monster? Especially out here in the desolate Barbaric Wilderness?’

’Who knows, maybe these people outside will help me escape ahead of schedule. Freedom... is it really arriving just like that?’

In a corner of the Bone Prison, the two mutant rat beasts trembled in a small cage made of white bone. The aura of death emanating from the Ghost Cultivator was enough to terrify any creature whose cultivation level was lower than his.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Three rhythmic knocks echoed through the silent Bone Prison. If the Ghost Cultivator still possessed the rich emotions of a normal person, he would have been horrified.

Even so, a ghostly light glinted in the Ghost Cultivator’s withered eyes. He slowly stood up, uncrossing legs that had been folded for decades, and walked with difficulty toward the source of the knocking.

Then, the Bone Prison opened and closed in an instant, and a long, strange worm dropped inside.

"Is this another coincidence, just like before?"

The Ghost Cultivator stared intently at the mutant worm and spoke, his voice uncertain. But in the next instant, the worm raised its head, and a voice emanated from its body:

"I’ve finally found you, the Ghost Cultivator who fled the Frontier Battlefield all those years ago."

Faced with this bizarre scene, the Ghost Cultivator managed to remain composed. He asked in a hoarse voice:

"Who are you?"

"Heh heh heh... Who I am isn’t important. You only need to know that someone wants to see you, and I’m just the one responsible for getting you out. Of course, you can resist. I don’t mind taking a corpse out instead. After all, as a Ghost Cultivator, you know more about making corpses talk than I do."

It was clearly just a mutant worm at the Qi Cultivation Realm, but its words sent a chill down the Ghost Cultivator’s spine. He never thought that after so many years, someone would still be after him.

Moreover, judging from the speaker’s tone, they didn’t sound like they belonged to any righteous sect. On the contrary, they seemed to hail from the Demonic Dao even more so than he did.

Hearing this, the Ghost Cultivator’s mind raced. After only a few moments of thought, he nodded in agreement. No matter what, his first priority was to leave the cage that had imprisoned him for sixty years.

"I can go with you, but getting out of here isn’t so easy. You talk a big game; I’d like to see for myself what you’re capable of."

The Dragon Worm possessed by Fang Qingyuan let out a sinister laugh, full of the bravado of a great villain. It nodded and said:

"Very well. Watch what I can do. But you must cooperate. The Land of Heavy Earth has trapped you for many years; it’s not a seal that just anyone can break. When you sense a change in the Power of Heavy Earth, you must seize the opportunity to escape."

After saying this, Fang Qingyuan had the Dragon Worm coil up in a corner. Then, back in his distant observation room, Fang Qingyuan spoke.

"Qiqi, close your eyes!"

Qiqi obediently closed her eyes. In the next instant, Fang Qingyuan stretched out his hand and aimed forward. An endless torrent of black soil surged forth.