324: Forbidden Techniques

He emptied the remaining two Storage Pouches and organized their contents, obtaining a total of over 43,000 Spirit Stones and four Soul Crystals. He also found two more Soul Crystals in another Storage Pouch.

There were also various sundries, Magic Treasures, and Medicinal Pills.

After finishing the organization, Xu Sanyan leaned against a tree trunk to rest for a moment, looking up and deep in thought. As his cultivation grew higher, the things he encountered became more secretive. Now, thinking back carefully, it even sent a shiver down his spine.

The portrait in Wang Zixuan's room, the flash of flesh-tendrils in the Wang family ancestral hall, and the terrifying appearance of the Taoist Nun—each one of these things assaulted his mind.

And there was the "Forbidden Spell" the Grand Elder spoke of, which he had never heard of before.

And then there were the Saints of this world; even as the Demon Sect Saint, he had never seen his own Sect Master.

Were they truly unwilling to show themselves?

Xu Sanyan was unsure, but he was more inclined to believe that those Saints were likely 'inconvenienced' and unable to show themselves.

Because he possessed a treasure in his hands, a treasure sufficient to incite the covetousness of a Saint—the Jade Slip that recorded the Heavenly Dao!

Putting himself in their shoes, if it were him, he would certainly spare no effort to seize the Jade Slip.

"Sigh..." Xu Sanyan let out a long sigh. Since he began his cultivation, his troubles had not decreased with his Realm; instead, they had only grown more numerous.

And then there was the Yaotian Holy Sect, which had existed for over thirty thousand years. Yet the Tianyi Fumo Temple, the oldest of the Central Continent Five Great Sects, was not even ten thousand years old. Where did those missing twenty thousand years in the middle go?

He had never heard anyone mention it. It seemed that only after he achieved his Breakthrough in the Soul Refinement Realm did this world truly reveal a corner of its mystery to him.

While he was deep in thought, a streak of golden light suddenly streaked across the sky, crashing heavily not far in front of him, snapping many trees before coming to a stop.

He was very familiar with this golden light; it was none other than the Wang family's Grand Elder.

This old thing hadn't died?

Qianqiu City was in this direction, and the Grand Elder was likely returning to the Wang family as well; it was reasonable that the two of them would meet here.

But looking at the situation... his injuries seemed quite severe?

Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes. Experts in the He Dao Realm were indeed not so easy to kill; he had survived even after facing that terrifying thing.

After a moment's thought, he rushed over quickly. The Grand Elder was lying on the ground, struggling to take something out of his Storage Pouch, but he could barely move his fingers.

"How are you?" Xu Sanyan asked, standing a short distance away. He did not approach any further, giving the Grand Elder a sense of security.

The Grand Elder's face was deathly pale. Upon hearing this, he glanced at him, seemingly wanting to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he immediately coughed up a large mouthful of blood with a "waa" sound.

"Medicinal Pill..." The Grand Elder looked towards the Storage Pouch at his waist, barely managing to squeeze out these two words.

Xu Sanyan stepped forward and untied the Storage Pouch, pulling out a pile of porcelain bottles. Not knowing which one contained healing Medicinal Pills, he simply took them all out.

"Two." The Grand Elder's gaze landed on a pale green porcelain bottle, signaling him to feed it to him.

Xu Sanyan nodded and pulled out the stopper. A rich medicinal fragrance wafted out; just by the scent, he knew it was a top-quality Medicinal Pill.

Without any extra movements, he poured out two brown Medicinal Pills and fed them to him.

After consuming the Medicinal Pills, the Grand Elder closed his eyes to recuperate and said nothing more.

Xu Sanyan stood to the side and waited quietly. The Grand Elder not dying was a good thing for him. If the Grand Elder had died, it would be difficult for him to explain things upon returning to the Wang family. A dozen people had set out together, and he had the lowest cultivation, yet he was the only one to return; anyone would suspect something fishy.

But if he didn't return to the Wang family, all his previous efforts would be in vain, and he would have to find another place to stay.

When he was taking the Medicinal Pills earlier, he had roughly glanced at the Grand Elder's Storage Pouch. There were very few things inside, only some porcelain bottles, Medicinal Pills, books, and other sundries; there were not even many Spirit Stones.

As a dignified He Dao Realm expert, it was impossible for him to have only these things; he must have other ways of storing his belongings.

Xu Sanyan had no intention of killing him to seize his treasures; these items were truly not worth taking such a risk, and besides, no one knew if this old thing had any trump cards left.

After a long while, the Grand Elder's pale complexion recovered slightly. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Xu Sanyan, "Cough, cough... Many thanks, little friend."

"Grand Elder is too polite." Xu Sanyan waved his hand gently and then asked, "May I ask, Grand Elder, why did that Taoist Nun become like that?"

The Grand Elder calmed the restless Qi within his body. Perhaps because he had helped him retrieve the Medicinal Pills, he explained in a weak voice, "That is a Forbidden Spell. There are many temptations on the path of seeking immortality and the Dao; if one cannot resist them, one will go astray."

Xu Sanyan secretly frowned. What was the difference between saying this and saying nothing at all? It was just a load of hot air.

The Grand Elder saw his confusion and shook his head, explaining, "It is not that I do not wish to tell you, but I do not know how to begin. Forbidden Spells are different from ordinary Spells; even if many people Cultivate the same one, the results obtained are not entirely the same."

"It is like a great road with countless forks; different people will always choose different paths at certain nodes." "Cough, cough..."

The Grand Elder clutched his chest and slowly stood up, "And there are many reasons for cultivating Forbidden Spells. It might be to extend one's Lifespan, to achieve a Breakthrough in one's Realm, or to accomplish a certain goal. But once one begins to Cultivate a Forbidden Spell, it is difficult to stop."

Xu Sanyan still did not quite understand, "According to what you mean, this Forbidden Spell does not seem to have any harm?"

"Not so. The disadvantages of Forbidden Spells outweigh the advantages. Look at that Taoist Nun; although she was strong for a moment, only she knows the evil consequences. She will be in that state for the rest of her life, and it is likely she will never recover her sanity, becoming a calamity wandering between heaven and earth, sooner or later to be eradicated by others."

Never recover her sanity...? Xu Sanyan clicked his tongue secretly. If that was the case, how was it any different from death? She had become someone who was no longer herself.

The Grand Elder felt he had said enough, so he changed the subject, "Let's go..." "Mm."

The two of them took to the air. Although the Grand Elder was seriously injured, he was barely able to fly, though his speed was much slower.

The Wang family had suffered heavy losses on this trip. Not only was the Grand Elder seriously injured, but a dozen Soul Refinement Realm Cultivators had also died, which could be considered a severe blow to their vitality.

Fortunately, the outcome was acceptable. The Gan Country had suffered even greater losses. Even if that Taoist Nun recovered her sanity, it would be difficult for her to return to the Gan Country, and the Gan Country would definitely not tolerate her.

At the very least, they would not tolerate her openly; after all, the Gan Country was a Righteous Path power.

Because once that Forbidden Spell was cast, it was irreversible. She would have to spend the rest of her life in that 'mountain of flesh' form; that appearance alone was enough to make one feel nauseous just by looking at it.

Xu Sanyan followed behind the Grand Elder, silently recalling what he had just said and trying to understand the meaning behind it.

According to the Grand Elder's words, cultivating a Forbidden Spell seemed to be divided into two stages: cultivation and casting.

Cultivation was to achieve a certain goal, such as extending Lifespan, assisting in a Breakthrough in Realm, etc.

And casting was like that Taoist Nun, turning into that terrifying form; although her strength increased greatly, there were endless future troubles.

And listening to the Grand Elder, it seemed that the disadvantages were not limited to this; I fear that there were also risks involved during the cultivation process.