Chapter 35: The Mysterious Stone Jar

The Wu Clan’s magical sword technique immersed Mu Yuan for a while. He casually condensed a Flying Sword, which rang out sharply when struck, like metal or stone. It transformed from illusory to solid, as if creating an object.

“The Wu Clan’s flesh and blood contains Soul and Spirit, so they use heart’s blood for refinement, spread their aura, and contain Flying Swords as Transformation Bodies. However, the Daoist Sect is different. The Primordial Spirit is primary, and the flesh body is secondary. To transform into countless swords, one still needs to use the spirit for sacrifice.” Mu Yuan carefully compared and pondered, playing with the Flying Sword in his hand, comprehending its mysteries.

Just then, from the depths of the clouds below, a sharp, long cry suddenly sounded, like a mountain ghost screaming, a snake hissing, or a beast roaring. It shook his mind and woke Mu Yuan from his trance. He retracted the Flying Sword in his hand, covered his whole body with Dragon King’s Dynamic Force, and swiftly flew down!

On both stone walls, there were still many carvings, but they had turned into various strange wild beasts and birds, along with many oddly dressed people twisting and dancing. Mu Yuan only glanced at them hastily while running, not very interested. He guessed these were probably dances during the Wu Clan’s rituals. In the hearts of the Wu Clan, these things were likely more important than those mysterious sword techniques!

After another thousand stone steps, he finally reached the end, arriving at a spacious stone chamber. Several huge stone pillars supported the cave ceiling, and in the center was a square altar, shrouded in mist, about five feet square. In the center of the altar was a medium-sized Stone Jar. The sharp, piercing cry came from inside the Stone Jar.

In the dense mist, the tall Golden Corpse stood, its whole body golden and quite conspicuous, its bright light flowing like water. However, Yuan Longtai stared obsessively at the Stone Jar.

Seeing that Yuan Longtai was unharmed, Mu Yuan felt slightly relieved. He looked around and found a pure white skeleton in one corner of the cave, resembling jade. Even in the mist, it was still dazzling, shimmering with a faint glow. Curious, Mu Yuan couldn’t help but walk over and bend down to inspect it!

This skeleton was about nine feet tall. As Mu Yuan approached, it suddenly burst with a blinding, dazzling light, white and brilliant like the blazing sun. Before Mu Yuan could even think, he was struck by this light. The Dragon King’s Dynamic Force protecting his body automatically surged, instantly flashing like lightning. Mu Yuan felt as if he were burning, grunted, and was thrown heavily backward!

This thunderous blow made Mu Yuan feel as if his whole body had fallen apart. Fortunately, he had the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force protecting him, or it would have been worse. His limbs were numb and sore, his head dizzy, and his Daoist robe was scorched and torn in many places, leaving it in a shabby state. This shocked Mu Yuan and made him sigh even more that those who cultivate the Dao should have a finely tempered robe!

Struggling to stand up, he used Longevity Qi to heal his injuries. Mu Yuan no longer dared to approach the skeleton. Who would have thought that someone who was already dead—a mere skeleton—would not allow others to get close for inspection!

Yuan Longtai was also affected by the shockwave from the confrontation between Mu Yuan and the skeleton. He staggered and was thrown back. Luckily, the Golden Corpse was nearby, so he was unharmed, but he woke from his madness. Gazing at the Stone Jar on the altar, his eyes filled with obsession, and he strode forward, muttering to himself, “The ancestors’ technique, now in my hands, will surely shine brightly again!”

In a few steps, Yuan Longtai reached the altar. He stretched out both hands as if welcoming a sacred gift or receiving a child. The Stone Jar, touched by the breath of a living person, trembled on its own, emitting waves that were invisible to the eye but perceptible to the Spiritual Sense. Mu Yuan instantly felt a pang of fear!

“Chief Yuan, stop!” Feeling the terrifying, hair-raising waves, Mu Yuan shouted urgently and moved like lightning to stop Yuan Longtai from touching the Stone Jar!

Unfortunately, the two were too far apart, and the Stone Jar only emitted those subtle waves when Yuan Longtai’s hands were infinitely close. Mu Yuan had only rushed halfway when Yuan Longtai’s hands already touched the Stone Jar!

Suddenly, the Stone Jar erupted with a dazzling, blinding light, bright as lightning. The waves that had made Mu Yuan fearful and uneasy became countless times stronger and more vast in that instant. Yuan Longtai, wrapped in the light, let out a shrill, miserable scream!

The light only illuminated about a foot around, and scattered points of light splashed out, falling on Mu Yuan as he rushed forward. Instantly, like a spark landing in an oil pan, it expanded abruptly. Mu Yuan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. A sinister, bone-chillingly cold, violent, and vicious aura filled his entire body. In his Sea of Consciousness, within the Mud Pellet Palace, his Soul and Spirit were like seawater swallowed by a whale, flowing out with an unstoppable force!

At this time, although Mu Yuan had not yet entered the Spirit Refining realm, he had refined his Qi for many years. His essence Qi was stable, his Primordial Qi abundant, and his Soul and Spirit Qi as steady as a rock—far stronger than an ordinary person. Now, being pulled out of his Mud Pellet Palace, it was like a meteor streaking across the night sky, stretched into a long band. One end remained connected to the Mud Pellet Palace, while the other end hung in mid-air, curved into a half-arc, faintly pointing toward the Stone Jar on the altar. It shimmered with purple, black, cyan, and emerald lights, flickering uncertainly, strangely beautiful and magnificent.

In contrast, Yuan Longtai’s clothes bulged as if he were an inflated ball. The blood vessels on his exposed skin protruded like coiling dragons and crawling snakes, densely winding. Blood flowed like a river along his blood vessels, converging into his hands, and finally injecting into the Stone Jar! The Stone Jar also took on a layer of eerie, blood-red radiance, startling to the eye—gorgeous yet with a hint of strangeness!

As Yuan Longtai’s blood and Qi were devoured by the Stone Jar, a flickering, unsteady ball of light also shot out from the top of his head—this was his Soul and Spirit. Compared to Mu Yuan’s soul light, it was much smaller, dimmer, and simpler in color!

As soon as this soul light emerged, unlike Mu Yuan’s, which still had one end rooted in the Mud Pellet Palace, it was directly dragged into the Stone Jar. Then, a series of faint chewing sounds came from inside the jar, like a person swallowing food or a dog tearing at bones. Hearing it sent chills all over one’s body!

Mu Yuan, of course, had no time to worry about Yuan Longtai’s changes. His Soul and Spirit were being sucked out, so he vigorously circulated his Zhenqi. The three great techniques—Longevity True Qi, Tide True Qi, and Dragon King’s Dynamic Force—roared into operation. Zhenqi surged through his meridians, producing a sound as vast as a great river. He fortified his Spiritual Sense, held fast to his core, and resisted the pulling force!

However, the pulling force was elusive and unpredictable. Not only his Soul and Spirit but even the Zhenqi he sent against it was devoured entirely. The soul light in mid-air drew closer and closer to the Stone Jar. Mu Yuan trembled all over, using every method but unable to stop it in the slightest. A mix of despair, fear, and shock… complex emotions tangled in his heart. In an instant, countless chaotic figures flashed through his mind: his cheap master, the Ragged Taoist, Mo Xue, Chu Yunfei…

His Zhenqi ran wild, from top to bottom. The Primordial Qi gathered in every acupoint was swallowed and absorbed, merging into his soul light, making it even more dazzling and bright. As if sensing the strength of Mu Yuan’s Soul and Spirit, the Stone Jar let out a joyful shriek, accompanied by a disgusting sound like swallowing saliva!