Xuantian Immortal Cultivation Record

As Luo Yujing's remnant soul self-combusted and vanished, Zhang Yuanjing swiftly retreated, summoning the Refined Yang Umbrella to protect him. His gaze was fixed solemnly upon the stone pit.

A robust statue with rugged features slowly ascended, hovering above the stone pit.

It was entirely intact. Not only were there no missing limbs, but even the most minute details, such as ears, fingers, and the folds of its robes, were perfectly preserved.

“Where did I go wrong?”

It was a deep, resonant voice, forceful and filled with a powerful aura.

“Who are you?” Zhang Yuanjing inquired, his voice low, while communicating with the Refined Yang Umbrella, urging it to remain vigilant.

“Me? An old fellow who should have died long ago, whose name would be unknown to anyone. You may call me Luo Yuanhao!”

Zhang Yuanjing's eyes narrowed, and he slowly said, “If the jade pendant contained a wisp of Luo Yujing's soul, then the moment we entered this place, he would have known that the Refined Yang Umbrella held none of his soul. A remnant soul of his, enduring for over twenty thousand years within a statue, speaks to the strength of his spirit. With such a powerful spirit, how could he not sense his own soul!”

“Alas, such a flaw, and you discovered it!” Luo Yuanhao sighed, remaining silent for a long while.

Zhang Yuanjing dared not act rashly. The aura emanating from the statue was immensely powerful, indicative of a Nascent Soul realm existence.

Although he possessed the Refined Yang Umbrella, his own strength was insufficient to control it. He could only rely on the umbrella to defend itself, unable to unleash its full potential.

The statue floated forward a few steps, landing on the edge of the stone pit.

Zhang Yuanjing retreated two steps, preparing for battle.

Luo Yuanhao chuckled twice, his voice dry, as if he hadn't laughed in a very long time, and said, “No need to be nervous, I won't attack. Two attempts at setting things up, both unsuccessful, indicate that this path is not viable. In that case, let us discuss a transaction.”

Zhang Yuanjing nodded respectfully and said, “Senior, please speak.”

“What do you desire?” Luo Yuanhao asked casually, as if everything were within his grasp.

“To leave this mausoleum,” Zhang Yuanjing replied.

“Hmm, I overheard you asking about Luo Yujing's remnant soul earlier. That's easy enough. On this point, what he told you is true.”

“Will the Intercepting Sky Stele agree?” Zhang Yuanjing remained skeptical.

“Of course. It is Xue Manzi's most important supernatural treasure, possessing unfathomable power. However, it is here solely to guard Xue Manzi's mausoleum, not to kill. If you wish to leave, as long as you don't take the Refined Yang Umbrella, there will be no problems,” Luo Yuanhao stated.

Upon hearing that he couldn't take the Refined Yang Umbrella with him, Zhang Yuanjing felt a pang of disappointment. He asked, “Why can't I take the Refined Yang Umbrella? Doesn't the Intercepting Sky Stele say that these spiritual treasures can be taken?”

Luo Yuanhao laughed heartily. “Let's not even discuss the fact that your method of refining the Evil-Exorcising Umbrella didn't come from the stele, but from the jade scroll I left behind. Even if you had refined it according to the method recorded on the stele, it would still be impossible to take the Refined Yang Umbrella. Your ability to command this umbrella is merely due to imprinting a spiritual mark on it. How could the Intercepting Sky Stele not detect that?”

Zhang Yuanjing was still somewhat unwilling and said, “Didn't Luo Yujing say he would transform into an umbrella spirit, then cultivate into a supernatural treasure, and travel the Five Domains and Three Seas!”

Luo Yuanhao said, “That wasn't a lie either. However, that can only happen once it reaches the level of a supernatural treasure. At that point, as a fellow supernatural treasure, even if the Intercepting Sky Stele wanted to stop it, it couldn't. You won't live to see that day!”

“Isn't there another supernatural treasure here? Why hasn't it left?”

“There is no second supernatural treasure here besides the Intercepting Sky Stele.”

“Impossible, more than twenty thousand years have passed, why hasn't one been nurtured!”

“That, perhaps there is another reason. However, given my sensitivity to spiritual weapons, there is only one supernatural treasure here. Hmm, there might be another spiritual treasure, just a little short of the supernatural treasure level. However, that little bit is a chasm, taking countless years to cross.”

“If a certain spiritual treasure willingly leaves with me, will the Intercepting Sky Stele allow it?”

“Haha, little friend, you're quite the joker. Why don't you release your spiritual mark and see if this Refined Yang Umbrella will go with you?”

“Why did Xue Manzi leave behind methods for refining magical artifacts on the Intercepting Sky Stele, and even say that one could use them to lure out spiritual treasures? Surely it wasn't for that pointless reason?”

“Of course not. Xue Manzi, even in his madness, wouldn't do something so useless. The seven magical artifacts listed on the Intercepting Sky Stele, except for the one targeting the Intercepting Sky Stele itself, which is indeed useless, the remaining six are all prototypes of spiritual treasures. They were created by the weapon-refining masters Xue Manzi kidnapped, and they can indeed counterbalance, even suppress, the six spiritual treasures besides the Intercepting Sky Stele. Xue Manzi left behind their refining methods simply to allow those who enter the mausoleum to refine these magical artifacts, and then use them to test those six spiritual treasures, helping them to enhance their spiritual awareness and become stronger.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuanjing knew that what the man said was true, so he remained silent.

Seeing this, Luo Yuanhao said, “In the storage artifacts I refined, the jade pendant contained the remnant soul of Zhao Shilou; he volunteered. The silver seal contained a wisp of my soul. The soul-splitting technique, I have it here; if you want it, I can give it to you, but you need to agree to an additional condition. As for the Jade Bone Liquid, it is in a jade pendant.”

“Ahem, which jade pendant?”

“The round one.”

“That's good. If Senior had said the square, hard one, it would have been for nothing.”

“It's broken?”

“Yes.”

“Anything that breaks upon touching magical power is a fake, merely used to deceive Xue Manzi,” Luo Yuanhao said. “My condition for the deal is that I give you the incantation to open the jade pendant, you take my soul fragment out of the mausoleum, and then capture a Core Formation cultivator for me to possess. Is that acceptable?”

Zhang Yuanjing remained noncommittal and asked, “If I want the soul-splitting technique, what is required?”

Luo Yuanhao chuckled. “The Nine Cold Valley in the Northern Domain. You come with me to do something; after it's done, I can give you the soul-splitting technique.”

Zhang Yuanjing pondered for a moment, then asked again, “Senior only wants me to send out your soul fragment? Surely, you don't need this remnant soul in the statue?”

Luo Yuanhao said, “This soul has already merged with the statue; otherwise, as a mere remnant soul, how could it have survived for tens of thousands of years without decaying?”

He waited several breaths and asked, “Little friend, have you made a decision?”

Zhang Yuanjing said, “I will take Senior's soul fragment out and find a Core Formation cultivator for Senior's soul fragment to possess. As for going to Nine Cold Valley, forget it.”

Luo Yuanhao seemed to have expected this and didn't say much. He immediately agreed, “Then it's settled. However, little friend, my soul fragment will be entirely in your hands. You must make a Dao oath.”

Previously, Zhang Yuanjing had also made an oath with Luo Yujing, but the latter had lied first, and the oath dissolved itself.

But the deal with Luo Yuanhao was mutually beneficial. If he could get out, he would naturally take Luo Yuanhao's soul fragment out; if he couldn't get out, both would be trapped here. Making this oath would not impose any additional burden on him, so he immediately made the oath as requested.

Luo Yuanhao was also very straightforward and immediately told Zhang Yuanjing the incantation to open the jade pendant and the spell to unlock the silver seal, repeatedly confirming that there were no mistakes before he felt relieved.

Before leaving, Zhang Yuanjing asked, “Senior, in the right hall, there are ferocious beasts roaring behind those doors. What are they?”

“Avatars of the Primordial Beast.”

“With such ferocious beasts blocking the way, how can one see the Intercepting Sky Stele?”

“It's just a trick, you don't need to pay attention to it at all. After breaking the restriction, directly speak the content of the transaction to the door. If the Intercepting Sky Stele agrees, it will naturally appear. If it doesn't agree, what's the use of being able to defeat the avatars of the Primordial Beast?”

“I don't know which of the seven doors the Intercepting Sky Stele is located behind?”

“The Intercepting Sky Stele isn't there, but as long as you randomly choose a door and destroy the restriction in front of it, you can talk to the Intercepting Sky Stele.”

Zhang Yuanjing clarified several doubts, and his mind was clear. Finally, he asked, “Senior, do you know if there are any arrangements made by the Profound Heaven Sect in this mausoleum?”

Luo Yuanhao said very bluntly, “I have been here for over twenty thousand years and have not seen any other cultivators enter to make arrangements. If there were such cultivators, they would have to be much stronger than the Intercepting Sky Stele.”