Chapter 771: The Foolish Deeds of the Body
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Saint realm experts possessed the ability to seal s.p.a.ce, leaving those who were within the area of its effect feeling as if they had fallen into an ocean of mud. Limited by the spatial lockdown, they would only be able to utilize a tenth of their original movement speed and strength.
This ability was known as Zhenqi Spatial Lock, and only Saint realm experts were able to overcome it.
With an awful look on his face, Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth and continued trudging forth.
However, with his speed being reduced to a tenth under the effects of the Zhenqi Spatial Lock, his speed was barely any different from that of a snail.
"Trying to escape me? Dream on!" With a light harrumph, the lady flicked her fingers thrice toward Zhang Xuan.
Peng peng peng!
A powerful shockwave engulfed the area around Zhang Xuan, and he immediately felt a stifling sensation in his chest. His ma.s.sive soul trembled uncontrollably as a splitting headache a.s.saulted his consciousness. It felt as if he was going to lose control of his body at any moment.
A soul attack… Zhang Xuan thought with a grave expression.
With three simple flicks, the lady was able to inflict grievous injuries upon Zhang Xuan"s soul. Considering her skillful use of the soul attack, she must be one of the upper echelons governing the Terpsich.o.r.e School, perhaps an elder or even higher.
I must return to my body this very instant or else I might really end up being killed by her… A chilling sensation swept over Zhang Xuan as he realized the dire situation he was in.
If it had been any other Saint realm expert he was dealing with, and this was inclusive of the Ten Great Master Teachers such as School Head Mo and School Head Zhao, it would have been difficult for the other party to wound his soul.
Due to the soul"s intangibility, it couldn"t be hurt by physical means. Only those who wielded soul offense techniques could possibly inflict damage upon a soul.
To Zhang Xuan"s misfortune, the person he was facing was an upper echelon of the Terpsich.o.r.e School, which meant that she had a thorough understanding of souls. To such a person, erasing his soul from existence was no difficult feat.
If his soul were to dissipate, that would be complete and utter death. There would be zero possibility that he could come back to life.
There was no way he could survive the attacks of a Saint realm terpsich.o.r.e as a soul, so the only chance he had at surviving this ordeal was to return back to his physical body.
This would reveal the location of his body, but he had no other option at the moment.
After all, this was a much better alternative than having his soul dissipated on the spot.
Bearing the excruciating pain his soul was in, he rushed right for the tree at the courtyard, where his body was located. However, before he could get far, he heard yet another harrumph beneath him. "You still wish to continue on?"
Huala!
The lady raised her palm and thrusted it at the air several times.
An overwhelming force tore through s.p.a.ce and struck Zhang Xuan. For an instant, Zhang Xuan felt as if he had been struck by a comet, and his soul flipped several times in the air, nearly ripped apart by the sheer force of the attack.
It was fortunate that his large soul had allowed him to distribute the immense force across his soul body, thus reducing the severity of the damage he sustained. At the same time, as a cultivator of the Heaven"s Path Soul Art, his soul energy was particularly pure, granting exceptional resilience to his soul. Otherwise, he would surely have been killed under the blow.
But even though he had managed to survive the attack, he still felt as if someone had attempted to tear his soul into two, and the wounds on his soul had worsened as well.
Knowing that he would surely die without fail if the other party were to continue attacking, Zhang Xuan intended to make another charge for his body behind the tree when an idea popped into his mind, and he held himself still.
The might of the other party"s attack was more than sufficient to kill any ordinary soul oracle. It was only due to the immense size and exceptional resilience of his soul that he was able to remain intact.
If he were to attempt another charge for his body, the other party would surely sense his presence and be astounded by the durability of his soul. In response to that, she would execute an even stronger attack against him. If this were to happen, regardless of how big or resilient his soul was, the only fate awaiting him was death.
But… if he could make the other party think that she had managed to kill him, he just might be able to escape with his life…
As expected, when he paused in the air and manipulated his soul to emulate a dissipated soul, the lady looked visibly relieved.
Sensing the lack of movement in the air, the lady suddenly recalled something, and her face darkened.
"Soul oracles betrayed humanity back then, opting to become a weapon for the Otherworldly Demons. For one of them to appear here at this moment… could it be related to that incident? If that"s the case, I shouldn"t have killed it immediately…"
Countless years ago, the soul oracles and their heritage were wiped clean from the face of the earth by the Master Teacher Pavilion. If anything related to them was still existent in the world, the chances were that the Otherworldly Demons were involved in the matter as well.
For a soul oracle to appear right after the incident at Leiyuan Peak, no matter how she looked at the matter, it was impossible for the two incidents to be unrelated!
Realizing that she had allowed a potential clue leading her to Byzantium Helios Beast slip through her fingers, she couldn"t help but regret her impulsive actions.
At this instant, the lady suddenly recalled something.
"Wait… if that person is a soul oracle, why would he try to escape from the Terpsich.o.r.e Compendium Pavilion at this time? But if he isn"t a soul oracle, what else can he be?"
Soul oracles were of the yin attribute, which made them highly vulnerable to yang energy. As a result, they dared not appear in broad daylight, or else they would be putting themselves at risk of being seared by the sun rays.
Even if they managed to survive the exposure to the sun rays, they would be in for a round of excruciating pain and a sharp decline in their cultivation afterwards due to the Searing Yang Decline.
Considering how that the other party had rushed out as soon as he found an opportunity to do so, he clearly did not fear the sun… Could that mean that he wasn"t a soul oracle?
But if that was the case, what else could he be?
As a Saint realm expert, she knew that the world was far larger than she could ever imagine. There were many unique occupations with mystical means that ordinary cultivators could hardly fathom. Even with her broad knowledge base, she dared not outright refute the possibility of anything.
For example, she had heard of a species of saint beast known as the Weakscaled Beast. It was a ma.s.sive beast with an exterior as dark as ink, making it a conspicuous existence no matter where it went. However, as soon as it stepped into water, its body would immediately turn completely transparent, as if it was invisible.
Could the fellow she had just encountered be such a lifeform as well?
This was a plausible hypothesis as well.
Otherwise, no matter how powerful a soul oracle was, a human"s soul couldn"t possibly expand to be beyond ten meters large, right?
That would be sheer insanity!
Upon that realization, the lady"s eyes suddenly widened in astonishment. "d.a.m.n it, that would mean that fellow is feigning death!"
If her enemy was truly a soul oracle, there was little doubt that her soul attack would have ripped the other party apart. However, if her enemy was a saint beast instead, it would be likely that it would possess thick and tough skin that granted it superior defenses. If so, it was unlikely that her soul attack would have been able to kill the other party.
In other words… there was a good chance that the other party was feigning death!
"Trying to fool me? Don"t even think about it!"
With a livid expression, the lady raised her leg and stomped forcefully on the ground.
Hong long!
The earth immediately shook intensely as waves of zhenqi surged into the surroundings as if searing heat waves.
She noticed it?
For a moment, Zhang Xuan had thought that he"d managed to fool the other party. However, upon hearing those words, he realized that his deception had failed. Left with no choice, he was just about to attempt another dash for his physical body when one of the branches of a certain tree abruptly shook…
Putong!
A corpse-like figure suddenly fell face-down from the tree, creating a huge depression on the ground.
Upon seeing the sight, Zhang Xuan nearly fainted from utter horror.
Who else could that figure be if not his body!
He"d thought it would be safe to hide his body amidst the trees, but that lady"s attack had caused the trees to sway, resulting in his body falling from its hiding spot.
It was just a few moments ago that he was still thinking that even though his soul had been discovered, as long as his body remained hidden, he would still be safe. After all, considering the fact that souls were intangible, it was impossible to see their true form without the Eye of Insight. Thus, as long as his soul could flee for the time being, returning only after the storm had cleared to fetch his body, he would be able to get away scot-free.
However, with his body faceplanted in the ground right before the other party, his ident.i.ty was already compromised. There was no way he would be able to remain in the Master Teacher Academy anymore!
"Who are you?"
While Zhang Xuan was feeling so frustrated that he could spew blood, the lady howled in astonishment and immediately raised her palm to strike the fallen body.
Hong long!
A violent torrent of zhenqi that harnessing destructive might fell upon Zhang Xuan.
Now that her attention is away from me, I should make use of this opportunity to return back to my body…
Knowing that this was the only chance he was going to get, Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth and immediately rushed for his body. But at that moment, his faceplanted body abruptly placed its palms against the ground to push itself up before flitting away swiftly.
Its speed was so fast that its movements were a blur.
Heaven"s Path Movement Art!
This is… Mind of Void…
Upon seeing the sight before him, Zhang Xuan"s soul swayed weakly. If souls could faint, he would probably have fainted there and then.
Having comprehended Mind of Void, his body could move instinctively in times of danger even if its soul was not in it.
Realizing the immense might behind the other party"s palm, his body gauged that it wasn"t the other party"s match, so it immediately fled so as to avert the danger.
Looking at the distant back of his body, Zhang Xuan nearly burst into tears.
The heck!
If you had just waited a split second longer, I would have already freaking returned back to my body! Think of what an awkward situation you have left me in…
Furthermore, with the speed you are fleeing at via the Heaven"s Path Movement Art, how am I to catch up with you?
Zhang Xuan"s soul was only at Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle whereas his body possessed the cultivation of Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle. Pair that with the Heaven"s Path Movement Art and Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps… If his body were to flee with all its might, the distance between them would only grow further and further!
Screw this!
"You scoundrel, where do you think you are running off to?"
Seeing the young man who had fallen from the tree running away, the lady nearly exploded from fury. Pus.h.i.+ng against the ground, she soared into the sky and pursued the fleeing figure.
With the incredible speed Zhang Xuan"s body was traveling at via the Heaven"s Path Movement Art, even the lady had to dash with all her might in order to keep up with him.
Hurry up and catch him!
Seeing the lady rus.h.i.+ng for his body, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. The next moment, however, a bizarre expression appeared on its face as what he had just asked for dawned on him.
The h.e.l.l!
To be cheering when another was attempting to capture his body… There was just some kind of inexplicable peculiarity to the situation.
This was all that foolish body"s fault! If not for it, why would he be in such a dilemma now?
Wait a moment… If my body is caught, it will be even more difficult for me to slip back into it…
After a moment of depression, Zhang Xuan suddenly realized that even if his body were to be caught, the lady would never allow his soul to slip into his body. Thus, he immediately rushed off to chase his body as well.
However, the next sight he saw left him dumbfounded. His body was cras.h.i.+ng through wall after wall as it fled with all its might.
Calm down, stop doing that! Zhang Xuan bellowed within as he watched the sight before him with an aching heart.
All actions conducted under the effects of Mind of Void was instinctive, so it was impossible for it to conduct precise movements like a living human. Even so, to be cras.h.i.+ng straight through walls, that was a little over the top!
You are supposed to save me from danger, not to leave my body bruised all over!
Even if you get out of this situation alive, if you leave my body mortally wounded in exchange, what good will you have done?
"You better stop right there!" Just as Zhang Xuan was wallowing in self-pity at his unfortunate plight, the lady ahead of him caught up to his body. With a flick of her hand, several surges of zhenqi gathered and sealed the s.p.a.ce around his body, forming an invisible cage around it.
Peng! Peng! Peng!
Sensing the immense threat looming over it, his body executed the Heaven"s Path Fist Art in an attempt to break open the cage. However, with just a total might of 16,000,000 ding from his zhenqi cultivation and physical body, it was impossible for him to break the zhenqi cage constructed by a Saint realm expert.
Knowing that the other party wouldn"t be able to break free of her Zhenqi Spatial Lock, the lady turned to the figure before her and asked with a sharp glint in her eyes, "Who are you? Why were you snooping around the Terpsich.o.r.e Compendium Pavilion?"
Peng peng peng peng!
Naturally, Zhang Xuan"s body, driven only by its instincts, was unable to answer the question. It continued striking the cage frenziedly, creating loud sonic booms.
"You are courting death!"
Seeing that the other party actually dared to snub her, the lady"s face flushed crimson in rage. She raised her hand, and a destructive force swiftly gathered on her palm.
From the looks of it, if the figure before her continued to remain silent, she would simply kill him.
Mind of Void was an ability that only the most powerful soul oracles possessed. However, with the disappearance of the soul oracles and their heritage, the knowledge regarding Mind of Void had vanished as well. This was the reason—despite being a Saint and a 6-star pinnacle master teacher—the lady was unable to tell that the figure standing before her was just a soulless body incapable of speech.
If my body is smashed into minced meat, it will be of no use even if I do get it back…
At this moment, Zhang Xuan finally arrived at the scene. Seeing that the lady preparing her hand to smash his body into pieces, his soul nearly dissipated from fright. Not daring to waste a single second, he immediately dived straight through the cage and into the glabella of his body.
Unlike the Zhenqi Spatial Lock, the zhenqi cage didn"t harness the spatial laws of the world and could only block physical beings. It couldn"t interfere in the pa.s.sageway of a soul at all.
As soon as his soul entered his body, he immediately saw immense energy gathered on the lady"s palm that was on the verge of landing on him, so he hurriedly had his body stop whatever he was doing. Clasping his fist, he spoke resoundingly, "Elder, thank you for helping me suppress my inner demons, sparing me from the fate of going berserk…"