110: Kishou Gen

The City Lord's Mansion was not luxurious; it looked just like a slightly better Mortal residence.

After entering, the maids and guards who were busy working immediately stopped their actions and showed great respect to Fang Huai.

As they walked further in, Fang Huai's brow furrowed deeper. These maids and guards were not right; many of them had the [Blood Jade Body] tag.

Was this the work of the Tianji Sect, or had the Profound Sword Sect already tacitly allowed ordinary people to use Blood Jade Worms for cultivation?

He also didn't know where the blood jade tree was planted here.

Finally, they arrived at Li Xuanbing's residence. After a maid announced them, a sickly voice came from inside the room:

"This Li's Lifespan is not much, and it is not suitable for me to leave this room. I have failed to welcome you from afar. Fellow Daoists, please come in."

Fang Huai's gaze swept over the residence and discovered a Formation:

[Lifespan Stabilizing Array]

[Stabilizing Lifespan and Soul]

[Stabilizing Lifespan and Soul: A Magic Array specifically designed to counter Lifespan-stealing techniques. In addition, it has the effect of stabilizing the soul.]

Everyone entered the room and saw a female Cultivator in white wearing a veil, sitting on a carved jade chair.

"Li Xuanbing greets all Fellow Daoists."

[Li Xuanbing (Jin Xiaoxiao)]

[Early Foundation Establishment Stage]

[Unstable Soul (Red)] [Blood Jade Body (Black)]

[Unstable Soul: Just completed Possession, the Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Spirits have not yet been fixed.]

[Blood Jade Body: The Blood Jade Worm has integrated with the physical body to the extreme and cannot be reversed.]

Fang Huai's pupils shrank suddenly. It was actually his old acquaintance Jin Xiaoxiao; this person was still alive.

But how did she manage to perform Possession on a Foundation Establishment Cultivator?

"This Fellow Daoist, why do you have such an expression upon seeing me?" Li Xuanbing noticed Fang Huai's abnormality.

Fang Huai quickly lowered his head and said, "Fellow Daoist has transcended the mundane and entered the subtle, possessing quite an Immortal Qi. This Fang couldn't help but look a few more times."

Li Xuanbing smiled and said, "This Fang? It reminds me of an old acquaintance. Unfortunately, he might already be dead."

These few words from Li Xuanbing were clearly testing Fang Huai.

But now was not the time for old acquaintances to recognize each other, so he could only pretend to be completely unaware.

Cultivator Deng Ai interrupted Li Xuanbing's words: "Fellow Daoist Li, we are not here to listen to you reminisce about old times, but to take the ghoul pill.

I wonder where the Longevity Ghoul is now?"

Li Xuanbing said, "Everyone, do not worry. Let us make some preparations, and we will go to capture the Longevity Ghoul right away."

...Around the square paved with white jade stood six pieces of Lightning-Struck Wood. In the middle of the square, five Mortals whose Lifespan was nearing its end were tied up.

The numbers on the chests of these five Mortals were all a blood-red '1'. Clearly, today was the day of their death.

After Li Xianzhen's explanation, Fang Huai understood that black numbers represented years, while red numbers represented days.

If the remaining life was less than a year, the number on the chest would change from black to red, displaying the number of days the living being could live.

The entire square was covered by a Formation called the [Soul Locking Array]. The purpose of the Formation was to trap any souls that entered it.

The Longevity Ghoul usually has no physical form. Only when the life of a living being within its range of influence returns to zero will it materialize its form and strike to devour the soul.

And the function of the Soul Locking Array was to trap the Longevity Ghoul while simultaneously stabilizing its materialized form.

The Cultivators performed concealment Cultivation Techniques and hid at the corners of the [Soul Locking Array], their eyes fixed on the Mortals in the Formation.

"I was wondering why there would be such a thing as a Longevity Ghoul. It turns out it was raised by the Profound Sword Sect Cultivators themselves."

"I thought we were protected by the Profound Sword Sect, but I didn't expect that we were actually livestock raised by the Profound Sword Sect."

"Orthodox Sects, hahahaha!"

"..."

The tied-up Mortals were almost frantic. They only understood at the moment of death that the Righteous Cultivators who guarded them day and night were actually more cruel than Demonic Cultivators.

"Shut up! How long you live is fate. What are you babbling about!"

Cultivator Deng Ai grew tired of listening. Spiritual light flickered at his fingertips, and several streaks of Spiritual Qi shot toward the Mortals in the Formation.

The Mortals in the Formation were suddenly unable to make any sound and could only stare at the Cultivators with venomous eyes.

Fang Huai's gaze flickered toward Li Xuanbing. Her eyes were wandering, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

She had said before that her family died at the hands of Profound Sword Sect Cultivators. At that time, Fang Huai thought there might be another hidden story, but thinking about it now, perhaps the truth really was so.

When the number on a Mortal's chest turned to 0, the temperature around the square plummeted, and the eyes of the Mortals in the Formation were filled with extreme terror.

That Mortal's face distorted, and he fell to the ground, twitching constantly.

His chest gradually swelled, and finally, with a bang, his chest exploded, and a Resentful Souls wrapped in black smoke crawled out.

This Resentful Souls was exactly the Longevity Ghoul.

[Longevity Ghoul]

[Qi Refining Perfection]

[Stronger Against the Strong] [Absorbing Lifespan to Form Pills]

[Stronger Against the Strong: The Longevity Ghoul will advance to the same cultivation Realm as the living beings that die under its influence.]

[Absorbing Lifespan to Form Pills: Within the range of the Longevity Ghoul's influence, the Lifespan of all things accelerates in its passage. The lost Lifespan will generate a ghoul pill within the Longevity Ghoul's body.]

The Longevity Ghoul hunched its body and brought its head close to the Mortal who had not yet completely died. Its huge mouth, full of fangs, opened and sucked the Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Spirits into it.

Seeing this, Li Xianzhen shouted, "Fellow Daoists, take this opportunity to quickly absorb Lifespan!"

Except for Cultivator Deng Ping and Fang Huai, the Cultivators from the Profound Sword Sect and Sanxian City all injected their spiritual power into the formation eyes.

Black patterns lit up on their bodies, and their expressions were pleasant, as if they had gained huge benefits.

Fang Huai looked at Cultivator Deng Ping, who also glanced at him. Their eyes met, and Cultivator Deng Ping sent a voice transmission:

"I knew Brother Fang was not a short-sighted person.

Although absorbing the prion longevity stored by the Longevity Ghoul can allow one to live a few more years, it will affect future cultivation. Unless one is about to die, they definitely would not engage in such behavior."

Fang Huai nodded silently.

Li Xuanbing had already told everyone the method of absorbing prion longevity just now, but he would never easily try this method unless it was absolutely necessary.

After its Lifespan was absorbed, the Longevity Ghoul wanted to flee, but found itself trapped in the [Soul Locking Array]. It suddenly became violent, turned around, and pounced on the remaining Mortals in the Formation.

In a short while, it had sucked those four people dry.

Li Xianzhen reminded, "Fellow Daoists, although prion longevity is good, do not be greedy. At most, absorb ten years at a time, otherwise it will endanger your life."

Seeing that the black number on his chest had increased by 10, he withdrew from the corner of the Formation.

Subsequently, Cultivator Deng Ai, Li Xuanbing, and Li Xianyu also absorbed enough Lifespan and withdrew from the corners of the Formation one after another.

Just then, a sudden change occurred. Deng Yu said in terror, "What's going on? Why can't I leave the Soul Locking Array?"

At this moment, the black number on his body rapidly decreased, and in less than ten breaths, it had actually turned red.

His aura changed abruptly, surrounded by Death Qi, his hair turned white, and wrinkles piled up. He instantly aged into the appearance of a hundred-year-old Mortal.

"Li Xuanbing, what is going on?" Cultivator Deng Ai said angrily.

"The corner of the Formation where Deng Yu is located has been contaminated by Death Qi!" Li Xuanbing said in a heavy voice. "This Longevity Ghoul has absorbed too much Mortal Lifespan, its strength has greatly increased, and it has secretly contaminated the Soul Locking Array, wanting to use the death of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to advance again!"

"If Deng Yu dies, Sanxian City will definitely demand an explanation from the Profound Sword Sect!" Cultivator Deng Ai Gritting his teeth, he said.

Deng Yu's blood relationship with Deng Qingyang was very close. Before leaving, Deng Qingyang had specifically instructed Cultivator Deng Ping to try his best to protect Deng Yu's safety while ensuring the ghoul pill was retrieved.

If something happened to Deng Yu, he would definitely be punished by Deng Qingyang.

Cultivator Deng Ai said anxiously, "Cultivator Deng Ping, Fang Three, quickly use your spiritual power to help Deng Yu escape from the Soul Locking Array!"