nashuaworldcup Chapter 286 Container! Jiang Yi
Chapter 286 Container! Jiang Yi
Chapter 286 Container! Jiang Yi
Chen Jinshu said no more, and with a flash, he left the spirit plant space and returned to the cave outside.
The cave remained cold and silent, and the spirit-concealing array was functioning well.
She sat down cross-legged, took out a blank jade slip, and entered the information about Quicksand City, Corruption Swamp, and Netherworld Workshop that Youxi had just mentioned.
Combining the jade slip from the old man Songhe with the sea map of Nutao City, he initially sketched out the route ahead in his mind.
"The most urgent task is to recover our condition and refine the 'substitute puppet'."
"The jade in the left shoulder is 30% damaged and needs to be repaired with 'Sinking Jade Marrow'. The ebony skeleton is corroded and can be reinforced with 'Ironwood Essence'."
Qingheng squatted to the side, her small hand supporting her chin, her blue eyes fixed on the shrinking hole, and she muttered softly:
"Master, this wood is so hard. Repairing it is more difficult than growing spirit herbs."
“The nature of yin wood is cold and yin, and it is inherently incompatible with the spiritual power of green wood. It is already not easy to repair it to this extent.” Chen Jinshu said calmly, the green lotus birthmark on his forehead shimmering with a faint and warm luster in the dim light.
"Fortunately, the core of the Yin Marrow Jade is undamaged, so there is no problem."
As she spoke, she raised her right hand and took out a small pinch of "five-colored soil" from her storage bag.
The soil particles, no bigger than grains of rice, are divided into five colors: blue, red, yellow, white, and black, exuding a spiritual aura.
With a flick of the fingertip, the five-colored soil was evenly sprinkled onto the surface of the puppet's wound, instantly catalyzed by the spiritual power of the green wood and integrated into the wood texture.
A flash of dark light appeared on the puppet's left shoulder, and the last crack disappeared completely, restoring it to its original state.
"Finally, the repairs are complete." Chen Jinshu finished his work and gently exhaled a breath of stale air.
The puppet slowly stood up, its movements still slightly stiff, but the spark of light in its eyes had returned.
"Go, continue scouting, and keep a close eye on news from the direction of Liusha City," Chen Jinshu instructed, sending out a wisp of his divine sense.
"Report immediately if you have any information about 'Jiang Yi' or any related clues."
The puppet nodded, its figure transforming into a gray shadow, silently disappearing into the underground passage and vanishing into the thick poisonous miasma.
Qingheng jumped onto Chen Jinshu's lap, tilting her little face up: "Master, are we really going to Liusha City? What Youxi said... is it reliable?"
"It's half true and half false, but the direction is correct."
As she spoke, she took out the jade slip again, tapped it lightly with her fingertip, and the jade slip floated in mid-air, projecting a faint, interwoven landscape silhouette.
“West of the Blackwater Marsh, passing through the ‘Corrosive Poison Swamp’ and ‘Yellow Wind Valley’, lies the edge of the Western Regions.”
The City of Flowing Sands is located at the confluence of the Dead Sands and the ancient riverbed, a melting pot of all sorts of people, and its intelligence network is exceptionally strong.
“But what if that Jiang Yi isn’t him?” Qingheng wrinkled her little nose.
"Whether it is or not, you'll know once you see it."
“Xuan Yinzi’s main soul was injured, and he will be eager to recover after possessing another body. The container is 50% eroded, and after possessing another body, his cultivation will at most remain at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and he will need time to stabilize his soul. This is when he is at his weakest.”
She walked to the entrance of the cave, looking out at the surging dark green poisonous miasma, her eyes gradually turning cold.
"This scourge is like a carbuncle clinging to the bone; if it is not eradicated, the consequences will be endless."
……
Three days later, the puppet returned.
It brought back three new jade slips, as well as several fragmented but crucial memory images. The puppet extracted these fragments of consciousness from the sea of consciousness using a secret technique after "interrogating" several low-level rogue cultivators active on the outskirts of the Blackwater Marsh.
Chen Jinshu placed the jade slip between his eyebrows and immersed his consciousness into it.
The first item was a recent collection of rumors and miscellaneous information from Flowing Sand City. The handwriting was messy and the information was disorganized, but one item was marked with cinnabar:
Jiang Yi of the Jiang family appeared at the 'Scorpion Tavern' a month ago, purchasing a large quantity of 'Soul-Stabilizing Pills' and 'Spirit-Nourishing Grass'. He looked flustered and seemed to be seriously injured.
Later, he rented a secluded stone house in Luowei Lane in the south of the city, living a very quiet life there. Three days ago, the stone house was deserted; neighbors said they heard fighting sounds and black smoke emanating from it at night.
The second one is a rubbing of a bounty poster circulating within the Sand Bandit Alliance:
[Bounty: Escaped slave from the Western Regions, named 'Jiang Yi', possesses dual wood and fire spiritual roots, and is at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. He carries the 'Crimson Flame Sword Technique' and has an old scar on his left cheek. The capturer will be rewarded with 5,000 mid-grade spirit stones and 3 jin of Sand Jade Marrow. A reward of 1,000 will be given for providing definitive clues. Posted by: Bloodhand Old Demon.]
The third item is a rudimentary route map, marking possible safe routes from Blackwater Marsh to Flowing Sand City, as well as several dangerous areas: Corruption Swamp (the nest of the third-tier Corruption Toad King), Yellow Wind Valley (often frequented by sand bandits), and Illusion Sand Valley (a natural maze).
Chen Jinshu put down the jade slip and couldn't help but ponder the pros and cons of this trip.
"The Blood-Handed Demon... a notorious rogue cultivator in the Western Regions, at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, bloodthirsty and murderous, often abducting low-level cultivators to practice his skills. His bounty on Jiang Yi is probably not just for a runaway slave."
Qingheng leaned on her shoulder, looking at the rough sketch of a person on the wanted poster:
“Master, this scar… it looks like a centipede, it’s really ugly.”
"The scar isn't the point." Chen Jinshu pointed to a line of small print below the bounty poster.
"'Possessing the Crimson Flame Sword Technique,' and having dual wood and fire spiritual roots to cultivate fire-based sword techniques, perfectly matches the description of 'a container with dual wood and fire spiritual roots' in Xuan Yinzi's jade slip. Moreover, the bounty was placed a month ago, which connects with the timeline of Jiang Yi purchasing medicine and disappearing."
She stood up, flicked her sleeve, and put the jade slip into her storage bag.
"It's time to get going."
……
Seven days later, at the edge of the Corrosive Swamp.
The air was filled with a sweet, rotten stench, and the dark green mud bubbled and bubbled, with the occasional pale animal bone floating on the surface.
Chen Jinshu rode the Azure Phoenix Chasing the Moon Shuttle, hovering three feet off the ground, his body enveloped in a layer of pale blue spiritual light, keeping the poisonous miasma that was trying to invade him at bay.
Qingheng transformed into a jade hairpin and shrank into her hair bun, transmitting her voice:
"Master, there are signs of a fight three miles ahead, and... the smell of blood."
Chen Jinshu's eyes narrowed slightly as he maneuvered the shuttle to approach quietly.
After passing a grove of withered trees covered with vines, three corpses lay on a trampled, muddy patch of ground ahead.
The two men were dressed in tan outfits with sand scorpion patterns embroidered on their chests, which were the uniforms of the Sand Bandit Alliance.
The other person was a ragged rogue cultivator with a sharp weapon piercing his chest, the blood already congealed and blackened.
Chen Jinshu landed lightly, his divine sense sweeping over the area.
Both members of the Sand Bandit Alliance had their heart meridians burned by fire magic, killing them instantly.
The rogue cultivator had his internal organs shattered by some kind of chilling power. Before he died, his expression was ferocious, and he was still tightly gripping a broken crimson flying sword in his hand.
She crouched down and picked up a broken jade pendant from the waist of the rogue cultivator with her fingertips.
The jade plaque has a small "Jiang" character engraved on its edge, and flame patterns on its back.
"A token of the Jiang family." Chen Jinshu stood up, his gaze fixed on the depths of the swamp.
"It seems that Jiang Yi did indeed pass through this place and was pursued."
Qingheng asked softly, "Then... should we still chase after them?"
"Chase." Chen Jinshu's Azure Phoenix Chasing the Moon Shuttle shone brightly, and his tone became more resolute.
"The bloodstains haven't completely dried; he couldn't have gone far."
Her figure transformed into a streak of light, speeding away along the faintly discernible footprints and scattered bloodstains on the muddy ground.
Half an hour later, deep within the toxic swamp, in front of a natural stone cave concealed by dense poisonous mushrooms, Chen Jinshu stopped his flying shuttle, concealed his presence, and hid behind a huge rotting bone tree.
At the entrance of the cave, two Sand Bandit Alliance cultivators stood guard with knives drawn, talking in hushed tones.
The tall man spat out, "Damn it, this godforsaken place, inhaling too much poisonous miasma will shorten your lifespan! That kid really knows how to hide."
The short man chuckled, "What's the use of hiding? Bloodhand Old Demon personally put the bounty on him, and the alliance is keeping a close eye on him. I heard that kid has some treasure on him, otherwise would the old demon have offered five thousand spirit stones?"
"A treasure? With his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation level, what good stuff could he possibly have..."
"Shh—! Keep your voice down! What do you know! I heard that kid might be related to the 'Yin Sha Sect'!"
"Didn't they say a while ago in the Eastern Region that an elder of the Yin Sha Sect was murdered? Maybe it was that kid who did it; he's carrying stolen goods!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jinshu frowned.
The Yin Sha Sect... news of Xuan Yinzi's death has indeed spread, and some people are even connecting it to Jiang Yi's involvement.
Is it a coincidence, or is someone deliberately orchestrating this?
Without further hesitation, she flicked her fingertips, and two thin, hair-like green vines silently emerged from the ground, wrapping around the ankles of the two bandits like venomous snakes.
"What?" The tall man had just exclaimed when the vines suddenly tightened and lightning burst forth!
Crack!
The two convulsed, collapsed to the ground, and fell unconscious.
Chen Jinshu slipped into the cave.
Deep inside the cave, a figure huddled against the rock wall, struggling to stuff a pill into his mouth.
He was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, with a face as pale as paper. A dark red old scar ran diagonally from the corner of his eye to his chin on his left cheek, like a centipede crawling on his chin.
He was wearing a tattered gray robe, the cuffs of which were soaked with blood, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness as he warily stared toward the cave entrance.
Upon seeing Chen Jinshu enter, his pupils contracted sharply, and his right hand slammed down on the crimson scabbard at his waist.
"Who are you?" The voice was hoarse and weak, yet still sharp.
Chen Jinshu stopped and calmly glanced at him: "Jiang Yi?"
The young man stiffened, his eyes filled with even greater wariness:
"I don't know any Jiang Yi. Fellow Daoist, you've come to the wrong person."
"The Jiang family's keepsake was on your companion's corpse," Chen Jinshu said calmly.
"The Sand Bandit Alliance has offered a reward of five thousand spirit stones for your capture. The Blood Hand Old Demon doesn't want a runaway slave; he wants the 'thing' on you."
Jiang Yi's expression changed, and the veins on his hand gripping the sword bulged: "You're here to steal the treasure too?"
“I have no interest in your ‘treasure’.” Chen Jinshu took a step forward, slowly releasing the spiritual pressure of a Golden Core cultivator.
"I only have one question for you: Do you know 'Xuan Yinzi'?"
Upon hearing this name, Jiang Yi trembled violently, his eyes instantly filled with unprecedented fear, and he cried out in a trembling voice, "You...you're from the Yin Sha Sect?!"
"Looks like we know each other." Chen Jinshu's gaze turned cold, and she narrowed her eyes as she looked at him.
"He planted a soul imprint on you, intending to refine you into a vessel for possession, isn't that right?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi was struck dumb, his lips trembling. After a long while, he finally managed to stammer, "You... how did you know..."
"Because he is already dead." Chen Jinshu's tone was calm, but it struck Jiang Yi like a thunderclap.
"Dead?" Jiang Yi was stunned, then shook his head frantically.
"Impossible! How could that old devil die! You're lying to me!"
"I killed him."
"Outside the Medicine King Valley in the Eastern Region, Xuan Yinzi, who was at the sixth level of the Golden Core stage, was annihilated, both his soul and spirit."
However, he possesses the "Three Elements Body-Seizing and Reincarnation Secret Record," allowing him to enter a vessel and be reborn as long as his main soul remains intact. And you are one of the vessels he has chosen.
Jiang Yi stared blankly at her, his doubt and fear eventually turning into a near-collapse of bewilderment.
"So that's how it is..." he murmured, then suddenly burst into a bitter laugh.
"No wonder... no wonder my cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds after I reached the Foundation Establishment stage, but I always felt that something was spying on me from the depths of my soul... no wonder I would feel inexplicably palpitate every time I reached a critical point in my cultivation... it turns out that I am no longer myself, I am just a shell that he keeps!"
He suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot: "You said he's dead... So where is he now? Is he already... already inside my body?"
"Not yet." Chen Jinshu shook his head.
"Possession requires the fusion of the main soul and the vessel's soul. Since you are currently conscious, it means that either he did not have time to activate it, or his main soul was injured and he is temporarily unable to completely possess you. However, the soul imprint has been planted, and with the passage of time, he may awaken at any time."
"Have you been feeling disoriented lately, having strange memories in your dreams, or experiencing unexplained fluctuations in your cultivation level?"
Jiang Yi's face paled even more, and he said in a trembling voice, "It started a month ago. Every night I keep dreaming of an old Taoist priest in a dark green robe, standing in a sea of blood and smiling at me... When I cultivate, my spiritual power fluctuates, sometimes even getting out of control and damaging my meridians. That's why I went to buy the Soul-Stabilizing Pill..."
“That’s a sign that the soul imprint is being eroded more deeply,” Chen Jinshu said solemnly.
"Although Xuan Yinzi's main soul is injured, his soul imprint is deeply entangled with your soul, and he is slowly recovering by using the soul imprint. If you wait until he fully recovers, your consciousness will be completely devoured."
Jiang Yi trembled all over, then suddenly struggled to his feet and knelt down with a thud before Chen Jinshu:
"Senior! Please save me! I don't want to die! I don't want to become that old demon!"
Chen Jinshu looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then said:
"I can save you, but I must sever the soul imprint. This imprint is connected to your soul. If I forcibly separate it, at best your soul will be severely damaged and your cultivation will be ruined, and at worst your soul will be scattered."
Jiang Yi gritted his teeth: "Rather than become a walking corpse, I'd rather fight for a chance to live! Senior, I'm willing to pay any price to get rid of this monster!"
Even if it means losing all cultivation and becoming a mortal?
"Even if I become a mortal!" Jiang Yi said resolutely, his eyes burning with determination.
Chen Jinshu nodded slightly: "Alright. But this place is not suitable for performing magic; we need to find a safe place. Do you know of any secluded spots nearby?"
Jiang Yi pondered for a moment and said:
"Thirty miles west of here, there is an abandoned ancient cave dwelling that I discovered when I was hiding from pursuers. The entrance is concealed by a natural illusion array, so it should be safe."
"lead the way."
……
After an incense stick has burned, inside the ancient cultivation cave.
This place is located in a secluded mountainside, with an entrance that allows only one person to pass at a time, but inside lies a completely different world.
The stone chamber was spacious and dry, with protective runes carved on the four walls that had long since faded. In the center was a spiritual spring, which, although nearly dried up, still emitted a faint spiritual energy.
Chen Jinshu set up several isolation barriers and had Qingheng use the Green Vine Domain to help conceal himself at the cave entrance before looking at Jiang Yi, who was sitting cross-legged beside the spiritual spring.
"Close your eyes, concentrate, relax your mind and soul, and do not resist."
She gave the order, then formed a hand seal. The blue lotus birthmark between her eyebrows shone with light, and a wisp of pure divine consciousness slowly emerged and entered Jiang Yi's brow.
Jiang Yi's body trembled, his face turned deathly pale, and veins bulged on his forehead, clearly indicating that he was in great pain.
Chen Jinshu's divine sense, as fine as silk, cautiously wandered through his sea of consciousness, and soon "saw" the soul imprint.
It was a cloud of dark gray mist, rooted in the core of Jiang Yi's soul, spreading out countless fine threads like a spider web, intertwining with his memories, emotions, and even the foundation of his cultivation.
In the center of the fog, a blurry old man's face could be vaguely seen, his eyes closed, as if he were asleep.