Chapter 205: Nurturing Immortality with Spirit

Yun Jiao frowned slightly but didn’t have time to think deeply. She turned and took out several Rejuvenation Pills, handing them to the three injured men before her. Then she began checking their conditions one by one.

“Girl, hurry and see if these old bones of mine can still be saved. I feel like I’m dying of pain!” the old man groaned even louder.

Yun Jiao nearly rolled her eyes but restrained herself. “You’re not dying,” she said flatly. “Just broke a few bones. Rest and you’ll recover.”

Perhaps because the flood dragon had been too confident in the Soul-Devouring Formation above, the three men’s bodies, apart from the injuries from their fall, were otherwise intact. Since all three were cultivators, their bodies were much hardier than those of ordinary people. Though the wounds looked severe, a bit of spiritual regulation and a few months of recovery would see them fine again.

“Oh.” The old man finally sighed in relief, swallowing the pill. A gentle warmth spread through his body, soothing his pain until much of it ebbed away.

“So, what now? Do we go back?” The flood dragon was dead, their bodies found—it seemed logical to return.

Yun Jiao remained silent for a while, then turned her gaze toward the stone wall where the spiritual veins were sealed. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the spiritual energy here seemed even denser than before—and mixed within it was an even stronger aura of violence.

“Wait here,” she said. “I’ll go release these spiritual veins first. Having so many trapped together will only lead to trouble sooner or later.” Another flood dragon might appear if she left them be.

Without hesitation, she applied a Light Body Talisman and leapt toward the stone wall that sealed the veins. As she approached, the surrounding air grew thicker and heavier with spiritual energy—so dense it almost felt tangible, pressing against her chest until she could hardly breathe.

She didn’t hesitate. Carefully inspecting the vast Spirit-Confining Formation on the wall, she was about to search for its weak point when the veins above suddenly began to convulse violently.

Crackling sounds filled the air as the long, glowing strands twisted and writhed in fury, straining to break free of the formation—but the barrier held them fast. Five-colored light illuminated the cavern—no, six!

Yun Jiao froze. Upon closer look, there were five colors: gold, blue, green, and red—each represented by one vein—but the brown-colored ones numbered two. Had she counted wrong earlier, or had a new one appeared?

She stepped closer, reaching out instinctively to examine the brown vein more carefully—

A hand suddenly caught her wrist. Night Abyss had silently appeared beside her. “Don’t touch it,” he warned in a low voice.

With a flick of his fingers, he sent a spell toward the stone wall.

In the next instant, white light flashed—and a new formation appeared, glowing above the spiritual veins. It connected directly with the Spirit-Confining Array, its runes spinning rapidly. A surge of chilling yin energy burst out, and the once-vibrant cavern grew several degrees colder in an instant.

“A Gathering Yin Array!“ Yun Jiao recognized it immediately, her heart sinking.

Now she understood why this cliff valley had existed for so many years, claiming countless lives, yet had never been discovered. Normally, even if the sects hadn’t noticed, the underworld surely would have been alerted by the lingering resentful souls of the dead—but there had been none.

Not because there were no deaths—

But because every spirit that entered here had been completely annihilated.

The Spirit-Confining Array trapped the spiritual veins, the Soul-Devouring Formation shredded any souls that fell here, and the Gathering Yin Array absorbed the scattered remnants into itself.

Confinement, devouring, and absorption—no soul could ever escape. Not even a trace of a remnant was left behind—only this mountain of white bones.

Rage surged within Yun Jiao. To set up such a vile combination of arrays—trapping spiritual veins, harvesting souls—what in the heavens was the person behind this trying to achieve?

“To cultivate an immortal vein,” Night Abyss said solemnly.

Yun Jiao turned sharply to him. “An immortal vein? What do you mean?”

Night Abyss’s brow furrowed deeply. His face darkened as he raised a hand and unleashed a powerful strike toward the stone wall.

With a thunderous boom, the formation that had blanketed the cliffside shattered instantly, its light extinguishing with a hiss.

The six spiritual veins, freed from their restraints, writhed like slippery eels and shot off in all directions, vanishing in moments.

The stone wall cracked with a sharp crunch, revealing a palm-wide fissure. Inside, nestled within the rock, glowed a smooth, milky-white orb that radiated a faint trace of—immortal energy.

“What is that?” Yun Jiao stared, stunned.

“A Soul Origin Pearl,” Night Abyss said as he reached out, pulling the orb free. His voice was grave. “It converts spiritual energy into immortal energy.”

“Converts spiritual energy into immortal energy…” Yun Jiao examined the orb closely. Sure enough, a soft glow of spiritual energy surrounded it—but within, faint shadows flitted about.

“Residual souls!” she gasped. Looking carefully, she realized there were many of them—these were the remnants of the people who had died in this chasm! The Gathering Yin Array had drawn them all into the orb. “But why? If this orb can already convert spiritual energy, why absorb these souls as well? Just to keep the place hidden?”

Night Abyss gave her a long look and sighed. “The energy from spiritual veins is immense. It requires assistance to be fully converted.”

“Soul power…” Yun Jiao whispered. Only soul power could serve that function.

He nodded. “Yes. Soul power is the driving force that fuels a Soul Origin Pearl.”

Yun Jiao clenched her fists. “Then what about that flood dragon? If this was to cultivate an immortal vein, it must have been orchestrated by someone from the upper realms. But why was the guardian just a flood dragon? It’s strong, yes, but hardly unbeatable—someone like Tang Chen nearly slew it.”

Those people had gone to such great lengths—seizing spiritual veins, hiding this place so deeply, killing countless souls—clearly the immortal vein was of immense importance. Yet they’d left behind such a seemingly weak creature to watch over it?

Night Abyss glanced at the dragon’s corpse on the ground, his expression turning colder. “The five elements define the spiritual veins. But there are no immortal veins—they must be tempered to form one.”

“Tempered…” Yun Jiao murmured, realization dawning. “Through ascension tribulation lightning?”

“Mm.”

“…” So that was it. The Soul Origin Pearl had already gathered enough soul power. Once the flood dragon successfully transformed into a true dragon, it would draw the Nine Heavens’ lightning to temper the veins—thus creating an immortal vein!

The flood dragon hadn’t been a guardian at all—it was part of the process itself. No wonder that when she arrived, it had been completely unscathed, its power near the peak of transformation.

It must have realized its secret had been discovered—and had tried to forcefully complete its ascension, summoning heavenly lightning to finish the process and elevate the vein to the immortal realm!

(End of chapter)