A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 391 Shattered Soul True Man

"Whoosh!"

A slightly hurried and flustered cyan light flew rapidly from the outer perimeter of the Yuling Sect and landed on the bluestone platform in the blink of an eye. When the light dissipated, a middle-aged cultivator wearing the robes of a Core Formation elder of the Yuling Sect, with a refined appearance, but whose face was pale and whose aura was unstable, was revealed.

Upon seeing this man, Master Lieyang frowned immediately and shouted unhappily, "Zhou Yuan? Didn't I order you to lead the disciples to guard against foreign enemies sneaking in during the chaos? How dare you abandon your post and run back here? Has there been a breach in the eastern defense line?"

This Zhou Yuan was his highly valued eldest disciple, whose cultivation had reached the late stage of Core Formation, and who was always calm and capable. Seeing him return in such a flustered state, Lieyang Shangren's heart sank.

Zhou Yuan's face showed even more panic, even a hint of fear. He quickly approached Master Lieyang, his voice urgent: "Master! A number of Hehuan Sect disciples have been discovered in the east and have already engaged in combat with our sect's disciples. I have come to ask Master for your decision! How should we deal with this matter?"

"The Joyous Union Sect?" Upon hearing this, Venerable Lieyang's expression changed drastically, his pupils contracting sharply! "How could they be here? Could it be... the Joyous Union Old Demon's doing?"

The Hehuan Sect is the head of the six sects of the demonic path! Its sect leader, the "Hehuan Old Demon," is the only late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in the demonic path, and all the sects of the demonic path nominally respect him! Without the Hehuan Old Demon's presence, the demonic alliance would never have been able to contend with the righteous alliance to this day.

If the Hehuan Sect were to intervene at this moment, their intention would be self-evident—they would certainly want to take this opportunity to suppress the Yuling Sect and prevent its strength from expanding excessively due to the transformation of the Lieyang Bird, thus threatening its position as the leader of the demonic path!

This is an unspoken rule that has persisted within the demonic path for thousands of years: any sect that shows signs of producing a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator or experiencing a surge in strength will be secretly suppressed or even attacked by the leading sect!

"Even the Old Demon of Hehuan can't sit still anymore..." The thoughts of the Blazing Sun Venerable were racing, and a chilling feeling welled up in his heart.

If it were only the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Demon Flame Sect, the Spirit Control Sect could still manage, and even use the power of the Blazing Sun Bird to counterattack. But if the Joyful Union Sect really intervenes, or even if the Old Demon of Joyful Union personally arrives... then today's events will likely be extremely dangerous!

Just as his mind was momentarily shaken by this sudden and devastating news—

A sudden change has occurred!

The eldest disciple, Zhou Yuan, who had been looking panicked and was approaching him, suddenly had a strange, cold, and sinister glint in his eyes that was completely out of Zhou Yuan's own mind!

"puff!"

Zhou Yuan suddenly opened his mouth, and a strange, sharp spike, only the length of a finger, pitch black as ink, without any luster or aura, and seemingly capable of swallowing light, shot out from his mouth as if it had appeared out of thin air, piercing straight into the brow and sea of ​​consciousness of the nearby Lieyang Shangren!

"Soul-Shattering Thorn?" The moment the dark, sharp thorn appeared, Master Lieyang was horrified and cried out!

How could he not recognize it? This was the Soul Shattering Thorn, the infamous and vicious sneak attack technique used by the Soul Shattering True Man of the Ghost Spirit Sect to break through the soul defenses of cultivators!

If the victim does not have a special soul-protecting treasure or timely countermeasures, their primordial spirit will be quickly eroded, polluted, and withered by the insidious soul power contained within, making it extremely vicious!

"Traitor! How dare you—!" Master Lieyang was shocked and furious. He never expected that his trusted and nurtured disciple, who had been cultivated for many years, had already been controlled by the enemy and launched a fatal sneak attack at this critical moment!

At the critical moment of life and death, Master Lieyang was, after all, a peak early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with extremely rich combat experience. His protective divine power was instinctively activated almost the instant he sensed the killing intent!

"Buzz!"

A solid, condensed flame barrier, crimson with a hint of gold, instantly appeared before him, firmly protecting his entire body! This flame barrier was formed from his divine power and had an extremely strong restraining effect on evil spirits and attacks on the soul.

"laugh!"

When the jet-black "Soul-Shattering Thorn" made contact with the flame barrier, it only produced a faint sound, like a needle piercing leather. The flame barrier fluctuated violently, its light flickering, and it only managed to block the black thorn for less than a tenth of a breath before being easily pierced and torn apart like a bubble with a "pop"!

The black thorn continued its momentum, carrying a chilling and destructive aura that chilled the soul. In the horrified gaze of the Fiery Sun Venerable, it flashed and disappeared, shooting straight into his brow and disappearing into his sea of ​​consciousness!

"Ugh—!!!"

Master Lieyang let out a shrill and painful scream. His whole body trembled violently as if struck by lightning, and the crimson-gold flames around him instantly became chaotic and dim!

He could clearly feel a cold and eerie soul force, like a maggot clinging to his bone, frantically eroding and spreading towards the core of his primordial spirit through the wound pierced by the Soul-Shattering Thorn!

"Damn it! It's the Soul Shattering Old Ghost's 'Spirit Possession'! When did you take control of Zhou Yuan?" The Blazing Sun Venerable endured the excruciating pain and dizziness from the erosion of his consciousness, and his body suddenly retreated backward. At the same time, his hands moved as fast as phantoms, forming a strange hand seal.

"The blazing sun is distracted, cut off!"

He let out a low roar, and a faint yet incredibly condensed crimson-gold flame blade of light flashed between his brows, slashing fiercely at the part of his sea of ​​consciousness that had already been partially eroded by black energy and was rapidly turning black and withering!

It was as if something invisible had been severed.

"ah--!!!"

An even more piercing scream, as if the soul were being torn apart, erupted from the mouth of the blazing sun! Dark golden blood seeped from his seven orifices at the same time, his aura plummeted instantly, and his body swayed precariously, clearly suffering unimaginable injuries!

Severing a portion of one's corrupted divine consciousness is a life-saving method that damages one's very foundation and comes at an extremely high price! Ordinary cultivators would rarely possess such courage and decisiveness. But it's still better than having one's sea of ​​consciousness completely corrupted and withered, resulting in the annihilation of one's soul!

"Hehehe... Old Ghost Lieyang, your reaction is not slow, and you are ruthless to yourself."

A hoarse, cold voice, filled with mockery and cruelty, came from "Zhou Yuan's" mouth, completely different from his original voice.

At this moment, Zhou Yuan's face no longer showed the panic and elegance he had shown before. Instead, it displayed a strange expression that was a mixture of gloom, cruelty, and a hint of smugness.

The aura originally belonging to the Yuling Sect's cultivation method quickly faded away from his body, replaced by an eerie ghostly aura belonging to the Ghost Spirit Sect's cultivation method, so dense it was almost impenetrable! In his eyes, two eerie green flames flickered, captivating the soul.

"Shattered Soul! It's you!" Venerable Lieyang struggled to steady himself, raising his hand to wipe away the golden blood overflowing from his seven orifices. His face was ashen, but his eyes were fixed on "Zhou Yuan" in front of him like those of a wounded beast. His voice was hoarse, filled with deep-seated hatred and shock.

"You...you actually used the 'Spirit Possession and Body Seizure' technique to control my disciple all along?" His heart turned ice-cold.

Shattered Soul True Man, an elder of the Ghost Spirit Sect in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, is most skilled in soul attack and manipulation techniques. His "Soul Possession" secret technique is impossible to defend against, and can silently erode and control the souls of others, turning them into his own, like a clone.

Zhou Yuan had probably already fallen into their trap without even realizing it, becoming a deadly pawn planted by the Soul Shattering Master beside him! And he himself was completely unaware of it!

Zhou Yuan's lips curled into a cruel smile, his eyes blazing with green fire: "When? Heh, naturally... when you sent him to Yin Sha Valley on a mission last time, and he 'accidentally' met me. Old Ghost Lieyang, blame yourself for trusting your precious disciple too much and underestimating the methods of my Ghost Spirit Sect."

The four Core Formation cultivators standing nearby, witnessing this astonishing turn of events in the blink of an eye, immediately understood what had happened. Their "Senior Brother Zhou Yuan," whom they were familiar with and had even fought alongside, had already been secretly controlled by the Soul Shattering True Person of the Ghost Spirit Sect using a bizarre secret technique.

"Form ranks!"

Among them, the middle-aged man in the yellow robe, who was the most skilled and the oldest, roared fiercely, his voice hoarse and exhausted! He was the first to throw the small black banner in his hand into the air, and his hands moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, instantly casting several complex spells that disappeared into the banner!

The other three reacted quickly as well. Suppressing their fear, they followed suit, unleashing their Thousand Demon Banners and frantically casting spells into them.

"Buzz—buzz—buzz—buzz!"

The four small, jet-black banners flashed with spiritual light in mid-air, emitting a deep, resonant vibration. They seemed to be drawn by invisible threads, instantly moving to four specific locations, their energy interconnected. In the blink of an eye, as if teleporting, they formed the initial form of an array covering an area of ​​several dozen feet above Zhou Yuan's head, composed of dense black energy and strange runes!

"Ten Thousand Demons Devour Souls, Rise!"

The four of them roared in unison, pouring all their magical power into the demon banners they controlled!

"Waaaaahh ...

In an instant, it was as if the gates to the Netherworld had been opened within the four Thousand Demon Banners! Endless, pitch-black black mist, exuding a strong demonic aura, resentment, and ferocity, surged out of the banners like a mountain torrent bursting its banks, instantly engulfing and shrouding the space where "Zhou Yuan" was located!

"Hmph! The Myriad Demon Soul Devouring Formation? Interesting!" Surrounded by billowing black mist and countless demon souls in an instant, "Zhou Yuan" was not panicked at all. Instead, he let out a slightly surprised cold snort, followed by a strange, cackling laugh.

"I never expected that your Spirit Control Sect, having lost that main banner for a century, would actually be willing to go to such lengths to gather the materials and recreate it! Perfect, let's use this fairly decent body to test the power of your grand formation and see which is stronger, the Ghost Spirit Sect's 'Ten Thousand Ghosts Grand Formation'!"

Before he finished speaking, the already dense Yin energy around him surged once more! A faint green light emanated from his seven orifices and pores, and his aura instantly rose even higher!

Clearly, it was the Soul Shattering True Person who, at the cost of damaging and overdrawing the potential and lifespan of this "possessed" body, used some kind of secret technique to stimulate potential and forcibly enhance its strength in a short period of time!

Anyway, this body wasn't originally his. Now that he'd achieved his goal, he wouldn't care if he ruined it!

Zhou Yuan let out a low growl that sounded inhuman. He rubbed his hands together, and two pale green fireballs that seemed capable of burning the soul appeared in his palms. He then slammed them down on the demonic souls and fierce spirits that were rushing towards him from all around!