Wind Rising Beyond the Seas, Mystical Soul Refining

Han Li quickly pulled a blue talisman from his storage pouch and gently pressed it against the wound.

White light flickered, and the bleeding immediately stopped.

Han Li glanced at the wound, saw that the bleeding was temporarily under control, and relaxed slightly.

But when he turned his head back and fixed his gaze on “Qu Hun,” his eyes turned icy cold. He said nothing, but azure light suddenly erupted from his body several zhang high, with nine streaks of emerald light swirling and undulating within it, an eye-catching sight.

Han Li had made up his mind. He would not retract the several “Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords” until he had either walked out of this place alive or died trying, to prevent this old monster who had lived who knew how many years from ambushing him again.

To tell the truth, since he had begun his cultivation, this encounter was truly the most harrowing of his life.

If his reaction had been just a fraction slower, there would have been an extra hole right where his heart was.

If his spiritual sense and agility had not far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators, he would have surely died from that sneak attack from “Qu Hun” just now.

That Blood Essence Drill was truly insidious and treacherous, impossible to defend against!

However, Han Li no longer needed to worry about the insidiousness of the Blood Essence Drill. That one just now had been the last one Qu Hun had cultivated before this.

But thinking about it still left Han Li feeling extremely frustrated!

According to the cultivation method of the “External Incarnation,” he had clearly refined his separated spiritual sense and Qu Hun’s physical body to the point where man and puppet were one. How could the old ghost across from him have taken control without him even noticing?

It hadn’t even had time to send him a single warning mental message.

If he hadn’t reacted quickly and withdrawn that part of his spiritual sense, he might have even let the other party devour it.

Then his troubles would have been truly great.

But the fact that the other party could possess someone also meant that the green shadow was indeed not human, but a demonic spirit resembling a ghost or a primordial soul.

Possessing Qu Hun might not be a bad thing; it might give him a chance to destroy this thing.

With this thought, Han Li flipped his palm over, and an exquisite little bell made of brass appeared in his hand. It was the Soul Summoning Bell he had set aside for so long.

This bell contained the essence blood of Qu Hun’s physical body. Although he didn’t expect it alone to be enough to take down the other party, it should at least give him an opening!

At this moment, the “Qu Hun” across from him was leisurely moving his own limbs, as if he were getting used to this body.

Seeing Han Li’s actions, he let out a cold, sneering laugh, looking as if he had nothing to fear.

Seeing this, Han Li’s expression hardened, and without further hesitation, he struck the little bell in his hand.

With a series of clear dong dong sounds, crimson light flickered a few times in the eyes of the Qu Hun opposite him, but his body did not move at all, showing no sign of any ill effects.

Han Li’s heart sank.

“No matter what little restrictions you placed on this Baleful Core incarnation, now that I am the master of this body, do you think those petty restrictions can still work?” Qu Hun’s hoarse voice came slowly, his face full of mockery.

“You know about Baleful Core incarnations?” Han Li was startled, feeling a bit surprised.

“Heh heh! This Baleful Core and incarnation technique was originally something I taught to those two unfilial disciples. Do you think I wouldn’t recognize it? Using an incarnation right in front of me, you have quite the nerve! Don’t you know that as long as someone uses this secret technique to refine an incarnation, I can effortlessly take control of it? Didn’t your master warn you about that?” Qu Hun twisted his neck left and right, then said calmly, his arms crossed over his chest.

Han Li was shocked and suspicious, but his expression turned somewhat strange.

“What master are you talking about? I obtained this incarnation method from a jade slip. I don’t know what connection it has with you.” Han Li was unwilling to take the blame for that Extreme Yin Patriarch. Whether the other party was telling the truth or not, he explained calmly.

“Jade slip? Boy, do you think that by denying you are a disciple of those two unfilial ones, I will let you go? After I capture you, I will extract your soul and refine your spirit, and I will get what I want to know anyway.” Qu Hun didn’t seem to believe a word Han Li said, his face expressionless.

After saying this, he raised a hand without hesitation toward the pile of bones not far away. The scattered bones floated up on their own and instantly reassembled into a complete skeleton. Then, with a flash of white light, it shot toward Qu Hun.

Although Han Li didn’t know what the other party intended to do, he certainly wouldn’t let him complete it without interference.

Without a second thought, he flicked his fingers lightly, and three azure sword beams shot from his hand, straight at the skeleton.

It was the Azure Origin Sword Light!

“A mere spark daring to act so arrogantly?” Seeing this, Qu Hun said darkly.

Then, opening his mouth, he spat out a column of blood.

With a rumbling series of explosions, the blood column and the azure light collided, sending light scattering in all directions.

Han Li frowned slightly, a look of caution on his face.

The possessed Qu Hun’s cultivation seemed to be not limited to the early Core Formation stage.

That was a bit strange!

But what happened next to “Qu Hun” left Han Li even more horrified!

The skeleton flew in front of Qu Hun and, without any obstruction, merged directly into his body.

Then Qu Hun threw his head back and let out a great roar. His body erupted with several different kinds of light: there was a dark green ghostly flame, a pitch-black demonic mist, and the Blood Refining Divine Light that Qu Hun himself had cultivated.

Three different colors of light tangled together, flowing and circulating endlessly over Qu Hun’s body, completely enveloping him.

Amidst the roar, a series of bone-cracking sounds like popping beans came from within Qu Hun’s body. Then, he bent over in pain, his body and limbs beginning to slowly contract.

When the sounds finally stopped and he straightened up again, Qu Hun’s originally tall and large body had shrunk by a full head, becoming no different from an average person’s.

What shocked Han Li the most was that Qu Hun’s face had transformed into the appearance of a handsome and refined youth. Even the color of his eyes had faded significantly, turning into a light red.

In that short instant, Qu Hun had completely changed into another person.

Han Li was stunned for a moment, then finally a bitter smile appeared on his face.

He had originally planned to take advantage of the other party’s blatant casting of a spell right in front of him to launch a sneak attack. But he hadn’t expected the other party’s casting speed to be so fast, leaving him no opening at all.

“Possession, or a soul seizure?” Han Li was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked the youth a dry, inexplicable question.

The handsome youth listened, then revealed a knowing smile.

“You think too little of my Mystical Soul Refining Great Skill. This is a secret art that only Nascent Soul stage cultivators are qualified to cultivate. By training in it, I am no longer bound by the restrictions of soul seizure. I can freely use my Mystical Soul form to possess anyone. Now that my Mystical Soul Bone Condensation Art is complete, I will first use you as a blood sacrifice to celebrate this Holy Ancestor’s return to the world!” The youth looked at Han Li, squinting his eyes, and said calmly.

Then he raised a hand, and his ten fingers suddenly became incredibly sharp, growing several inches of emerald-green nails.

Han Li’s expression darkened. He stopped wasting his breath on useless words.

He lightly tossed the spirit beast pouch he had been holding in his hand. Thousands of Gold Devourer Beetles swarmed out, and in moments, they formed a magnificent, silvery-golden cloud hovering above his head.

Then, waving his hands, white light flashed all around him, and thirty or forty giant ape puppets appeared around Han Li, each staring at the youth with ice-cold eyes.

But Han Li wasn’t done. He formed a hand seal, and nine small swords flew out from the azure light, shooting together and coalescing into a single, zhang-long emerald-green giant sword. The sword light flickered unsteadily, and from time to time, pale golden arcs of lightning jumped and crackled across its surface.

Seeing all this, the handsome youth’s expression changed drastically, a look of surprise and gravity appearing on his face.

“Flying swords refined from Divine Thunder Bamboo, the Insect Driving Art, puppets! It seems you really aren’t a disciple of Extreme Yin and Extreme Xuan. If that’s the case, then we can talk things out!” The youth’s gaze flickered a few times, and then he suddenly spoke these words.

Han Li, who was just about to launch an attack, was momentarily stunned by this. But after a moment of silence, he said coldly:

“But I would rather like to test whether you can withstand my flying sword!”

As soon as he said this, Han Li pointed without hesitation at the giant sword. Immediately, a green rainbow as thick as a giant python shot toward the youth, accompanied by a rumbling sound like thunder.

Seeing this, the youth’s expression darkened slightly. Just as the flying sword was about to reach him, he extended a clawed hand and gently waved it in front of him.

Five crescent-shaped black arcs appeared out of nowhere, rapidly expanding in size. Then, after flashing a few times, they slashed fiercely at the green rainbow.

But with just a single, light strike, the crescent-shaped black arcs were shattered to pieces by the pale golden electric arcs springing from the green rainbow, utterly useless against it.

Seeing this, although the youth’s expression remained unchanged, he was shocked inside. The power of this Golden Lightning Bamboo was far beyond what he had anticipated!

In a flash, the green rainbow was right in front of the youth.

But he still remained calm, looking coldly at the flying sword’s approach, as if he had everything under control.