Chapter 50: The Soul-Restraining Spell and the Chosen One

"Is that so?" Fang Wang smiled, making no grand claims. He understood Zhou Xue's implication—should he ever fall into dire straits, it would be up to her to come to his rescue.

Zhou Xue walked straight to the campfire and sat down, completely ignoring Xiao Zi at her side. Xiao Zi, frightened, scurried over to Fang Wang and whispered, "Master, she carries a powerful ghostly artifact. I sensed something like it once before, in a secret realm."

Unclear about Fang Wang and Zhou Xue's past, Xiao Zi nevertheless did not wish for Fang Wang to die here.

Zhou Xue glanced at her, half-smiling. "Perhaps it's exactly the artifact you're thinking of."

"You..." Xiao Zi trembled all over, instinctively inching closer to Fang Wang.

Zhou Xue looked at Fang Wang. "What, planning to keep a serpent spirit? Serpents are inherently lascivious; many cultivators love to keep such spirits. Just don't let it distract you from your cultivation."

"Watch your tongue!" Fang Wang glared at her. Why did this woman always speak so brazenly?

Xiao Zi blinked, but said no more.

Zhou Xue delighted in seeing Fang Wang flustered. Covering her mouth with a laugh, she said, "I can teach you a soul-controlling technique, ensuring this serpent never betrays you. Would you like that?"

Fang Wang's eyes lit up at once. "Yes, tell me!"

Xiao Zi panicked, but dared not protest, knowing full well she was no match for these two.

Without delay, Zhou Xue began to impart the spell's incantations, and Fang Wang listened intently.

Xiao Zi sank into a tormented dilemma, torn between fleeing or staying.

The technique Zhou Xue taught was called the Soul Binding Curse. Once inscribed upon another's soul, no matter the distance—across the ends of the earth—a mere thought would cause the victim's soul to scatter. There was no need to speak the incantation aloud; mental recitation sufficed.

As Fang Wang listened, astonishment welled up within him. Was this not beyond the realm of ordinary magic?

"Wait! Give me a moment!" Fang Wang suddenly interrupted Zhou Xue, then seized a brush and paper to quickly sketch a map.

Zhou Xue asked curiously, "What map are you drawing?"

Fang Wang replied, "The True Art of the Heavenly Gang Sacred Body. Want to learn it? I'll teach you once I find it!"

Zhou Xue gave him a strange look. "You really have your sights set on that technique. I have no need for any techniques or spells. In truth, neither do you. If you focus on cultivating the Profound Yang Divine Meridian, that's more than enough to reach the pinnacle of the mortal realm."

"It's enough, but if I can learn more, I can become even stronger," Fang Wang answered.

He was not like Zhou Xue; his mind brimmed with all sorts of supreme techniques. At the very least, he was determined to learn the True Art of the Heavenly Gang Sacred Body, suspecting it would yield even greater power when combined with the Nine Dragons Transformation Art.

Once he finished the map, Fang Wang tucked it away in his storage pouch and asked Zhou Xue to continue her explanation of the Soul Binding Curse.

Only after some time did Zhou Xue finish her teaching.

Xiao Zi, too, had listened to the method for cultivating the Soul Binding Curse, but had not understood a single bit of it—she only found it unfathomably profound, and was somewhat relieved. Such a complex spell must be difficult for Fang Wang to master.

Zhou Xue raised her eyes to Fang Wang. "Well? Did you understand?"

In the moonlight, Fang Wang lowered his head slightly, took a deep breath, and said, "I understood. I've mastered it."

"Hmm?"

"What?"

Zhou Xue and Xiao Zi spoke at the same time—the former perplexed, the latter terrified.

Fang Wang felt numb inside.

Damn it, good thing he sketched the map beforehand!

He had spent a hundred and eighty years mastering the Soul Binding Curse!

Back in reality, his spiritual awareness had grown dramatically, his senses sharpened—but he needed a moment to compose himself.

The practice of the Soul Binding Curse was far more monotonous than cultivating the Nine Dragons Transformation Art or the Soaring Swan Divine Sword Art; at least those allowed him to move, while this spell required complete stillness.

A hundred and eighty years of sitting still!

Fang Wang needed to steady his mind. He stretched out his arms, breathing in the night air, feeling at ease throughout his body.

"You've really learned it?" Zhou Xue asked, her gaze complicated—part hope, part apprehension.

Fang Wang rolled his neck and, with his left hand, gripped Xiao Zi's serpentine head.

"Ah! Master! Please don't! I swear I will never betray you!" wailed Xiao Zi, her cries pitiful and desperate.

Fang Wang brought her before him, fixing her with a steady look. "I'm sorry—you do pose a threat to me. But if you behave and once we leave the Great Sage's Grotto, I'll lift the curse and set you free."

With that, his right hand moved in an incantation, his eyes flashing with a ghostly light.

Xiao Zi sobbed but dared not resist.

Zhou Xue saw the signs of the spell and knew he had truly mastered it, a realization that made her gaze all the more inscrutable.

"To grasp it at a mere hearing... Such talent... Could he be a Child of Destiny as well? But in my previous life, the Child of Destiny was not him. Unless he died too soon and his fate passed to another? By the reckoning, he and that one were born the same year..."

Zhou Xue's eyes flickered, fixed on Fang Wang.

Fang Wang had already brought the Soul Binding Curse to its peak. He swiftly imprinted the mark upon Xiao Zi's soul.

All beings with intelligence possessed a soul. Even though Xiao Zi had not taken human form, she, too, had a soul.

Soon, Xiao Zi ceased to move, as if she had fallen into a swoon, her mouth agape, tongue lolling from her jaws.

The Soul Binding Curse was a domination of soul over soul. It consumed not only spiritual power, but also soul force. At most, it could bind five souls at once—any more, and the soul would suffer backlash, weakening the curse's hold.

After a while,

Fang Wang laid the unconscious Xiao Zi at his side. Even at the spell's perfect stage, his first use of the Soul Binding Curse left him a little dizzy.

"You've truly mastered it. But use it sparingly—your cultivation is still too low. I came to you today to help you break through to the Spirit Pill realm," Zhou Xue said, regaining her usual composure, her thoughts unreadable.

Fang Wang nodded, then asked, "After I reach the Spirit Pill realm, should we take on Lu Yuanjun here in the Great Sage's Grotto? With our combined strength, we should be able to deal with him—his cultivation is below the fifth stage of the Profound Heart Realm."

The fifth level of the Profound Heart Realm was the upper limit for entering the Great Sage's Grotto, so he could deduce Lu Yuanjun's strength.

The night the Fang clan was annihilated may have been Emperor Zhao Zhen's decision, but Zhao Zhen acted on Lu Yuanjun's behalf. Everything began because Lu Yuanjun sought to devour souls; Zhao Zhen merely used the opportunity to include the Fang clan in his purge. Lu Yuanjun appeared kind and passionate, but in secret had killed millions. To kill him, Fang Wang felt no guilt.

Zhou Xue raised her hand and pointed at Xiao Zi from afar before speaking.

"No, Lu Yuanjun's strength is not so simple. That ghostly artifact which consumed millions of souls—I have yet to identify it. In my previous life, he never used such an artifact, at least not where I saw it. Besides, killing Lu Yuanjun would bring too much trouble. Guang Qiuxian and Yang Yuanzi would become your mortal enemies."

Fang Wang frowned at her words.

He could understand Guang Qiuxian supporting Lu Yuanjun, but why would his own master side with him?

Zhou Xue continued, "Lu Yuanjun's birth parents came from the demonic path, but they died when he was three. Yang Yuanzi brought him to the Taiyuan Sect. Both Guang Qiuxian and Yang Yuanzi were close friends of Lu Yuanjun's mother—Yang Yuanzi even braved Green Cicada Valley alone for her. This is a secret tale of Taiyuan Sect. Many years later, Yang Yuanzi fell into madness and rampaged through the sect, and only then did the truth come out."

"Then why did you have me join the Third Branch?" Fang Wang asked helplessly.

Zhou Xue snorted. "Joining any other branch would be pointless; after all, it's the sect master who supports Lu Yuanjun. I had you join the Third Branch so you could meet Yang Yuanzi sooner. He's fiercely protective and doesn't actually get along with Lu Yuanjun. As long as you don't kill Lu Yuanjun, he might even help you seize the position of Lu Yuanjun's chief disciple—provided he never learns you two are mortal enemies."

Fang Wang's brow furrowed even tighter. Zhou Xue was clearly plotting against Yang Yuanzi.

"Lu Yuanjun cannot die—not yet. We need him to drive the transformation of Great Qi into an immortal cultivation dynasty. His unique background means his backers can reconcile the righteous and demonic paths. After Great Qi completes its transition, a tremendous opportunity will arise—one all nine great sects desire. Once we've claimed it, we can kill Lu Yuanjun, even if Guang Qiuxian and Yang Yuanzi stand in our way. We could slay them and leave without a trace."

"Most importantly, the Fang clan needs time to grow. If we kill Lu Yuanjun now, we could escape, but the Fang clan could not. Do you understand? Bear with it for now!"

Zhou Xue spoke earnestly, and Fang Wang realized he could not act recklessly.

He sighed. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Zhou Xue replied, "If you had known all this, how would you face Yang Yuanzi?"

Fang Wang fell silent.

Zhou Xue said nothing more, leaving him to ponder.

Fang Wang looked up and asked, "What about Emperor Zhao Zhen?"

Zhou Xue answered calmly, "Once he leaves Taiyuan Sect, I'll kill him. After his death, the sect will support his heirs as emperor—his usefulness will be finished. Until then, we need Zhao Zhen to orchestrate the transformation of Great Qi, since this involves both the immortal world and the great noble houses."

"Enough. Let's get ready to help you break through to the Spirit Pill realm. I've prepared all the rare materials you'll need—now we just have to find a suitable place for your breakthrough."