C5 Withered Well

Chapter Five

Violet Mountain.

One of the three Great Saint mountains of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect, Violet Mountain was renowned for its abundant spiritual herbs.

Annually, it provided a vast array of cultivation resources to the sect.

However!

Ever since that individual emerged from the sect a millennium ago, the mountain had been deemed off-limits.

At night!

Two figures stealthily made their way up Violet Mountain.

"Senior Brother Guo, look, it's June Snow. This stem has to be over five hundred years old."

"Ah! Senior Brother Guo, look over there, so much Sky Bamboo."

One of them couldn't contain his excitement.

"Idiot, keep it down."

The other hissed in irritation.

"Yes, Senior Brother." The first man rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Senior Brother Guo, there's an abundance of spiritual herbs here. We couldn't possibly use them all. We've struck it rich."

"Heh! You've obviously never seen the world. There are even greater treasures ahead."

Wai Jiang was silently trailing them.

Using his Divine Sense and Dao Eye, he could see a layer of purple mist enshrouding Violet Mountain, invisible to the naked eye.

Furthermore, this mist was infiltrating his body.

Luckily, he found that the Profound Heaven Record was actively purifying the invasive mist as it circulated; otherwise, he would not have dared to ascend the mountain so casually.

Wai Jiang observed the two in front of him.

Both were Outer Sect Disciples.

One was named Li Yang, who, like Wai Jiang, had joined the sect a year prior.

The other was Guo Lun, a veteran of the Outer Sect who had been unable to advance due to limited talent.

If they failed to make a breakthrough by next year, they would lose the opportunity to serve even the most menial roles within the Outer Sect and would be relegated to mundane tasks in the secular operations of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect, effectively ending their chances of cultivation for life.

This was precisely why...

Guo Lun had taken a desperate gamble, persuading Li Yang to accompany him to the forbidden zone.

Wai Jiang had no intention of alerting them.

This was, after all, the forbidden territory of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect. Trespassers, once caught, would be irrevocably expelled from the sect, and he had no desire to be implicated by their recklessness.

"Senior Brother Guo, what treasure lies ahead?"

Li Yang inquired, puzzled.

"A millennium ago, our Profound Heaven Taoism Sect faced a demon who, within a single year, advanced from the Nascent Soul Stage to the Void Refining Stage, surpassing two major realms. On the brink of his breakthrough to the Void Returning Stage, three great Sect Masters sacrificed their lives to slay him atop Violet Myrtle Mountain. His corpse plummeted into a dried-up well on the mountain, now known as the Death Well," Guo Lun explained, his eyes ablaze with fervor.

Li Yang, on the other hand, listened with a mix of awe and terror. What was a demon? They were among the most formidable beings in the West, and without the Empire and the Sacred Grounds keeping them at bay, they would have already launched their assaults.

"Senior Brother Guo, perhaps we should head back?"

Li Yang's voice trembled slightly, betraying his fear.

"What's there to fear? That demon has been dead for over a thousand years," Guo Lun reassured him nonchalantly.

"I've heard that the demon possessed a magical item that could rapidly enhance one's cultivation. Don't blame me for not sharing this with you, Senior Brother. Miss this opportunity, and there won't be another," Guo Lun added, enticingly.

Li Yang's eyes sparkled at the prospect. Rapidly enhancing one's cultivation was the dream of many cultivators.

Ultimately, Li Yang couldn't resist the enormous lure.

Together, they ventured into the mountain's depths, guided by the faint purple mist.

They came upon a ramshackle house, encircled by a fence, amidst a variety of herbs.

Bioluminescent blooms danced around the desolate well.

"This is the place," Guo Lun declared, hastening his pace and heedlessly trampling the valuable herbs beneath his feet.

Li Yang winced at the sight, carefully sidestepping the plants as he followed.

Wai Jiang kept himself concealed at a distance.

He realized that the well before him was the origin of the purple mist.

The mist grew denser as they approached the well's edge.

The mountain's herbs had become somewhat eerie, altered by the mist's presence.

Wai Jiang was certain that consuming these herbs would harm one's vital essence, if not lead to possession.

Otherwise, the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect wouldn't be foolish enough to overlook such an immense treasure trove.

The two arrived at the well's edge, their eyes already bloodshot and crimson.

"Hahaha, it's right inside, it's right inside," Guo Lun's speech became increasingly manic.

"Quick, let's go down. I can feel the treasure calling to me," the usually timid Li Yang said, his breathing growing more agitated.

Unable to wait, they leapt into the well, and then there was silence.

Wai Jiang had waited a long time but saw no sign of them emerging from the well, which left him puzzled.

After all, it was known as the Absolute Life Well, suggesting that those who enter rarely return.

Feeling resigned, Wai Jiang, despite being protected by the Profound Heaven Record, decided to abandon the idea of checking in at the Absolute Life Well.

He wasn't one to rashly attempt such perilous endeavors.

He was confident that his daily check-ins would eventually lead him to the legendary realm, so there was no need for unnecessary risks.

As dawn broke, Wai Jiang prepared to leave and continue his usual cultivation routine.

That's when he noticed the purple mist on the mountain starting to dissipate under the morning sun.

By midday, the purple fog around the well's mouth had vanished completely.

Driven by curiosity, Wai Jiang cautiously approached the well.

Reaching the edge, he found himself drenched in sweat.

Peering nervously into the well's depths, he saw no sign of Guo Lun or Li Yang.

Only a lone skeleton lay quietly at the bottom.

Using his Divine Sense and Dao Eye, he observed a red liquid continuously flowing over the skeleton.

The intricate pattern of the liquid mirrored the pathways of human meridians.

Eventually, the red substance trickled into a bone flute clutched in the skeleton's hand.

One end of the flute was fashioned into a small skull.

As Wai Jiang studied the skull, suddenly, a burst of red light emanated from the hollow eyes of the skull.

Wai Jiang was momentarily dazed.

He swayed, nearly toppling over.

It was as though his sudden change had been detected.

The clear qi, already fused into a sphere within his dantian, burst forth from his body and shot directly toward the skull on the bone flute.

Sensing danger, copious amounts of purple mist billowed from the flute's holes.

It swiftly consumed the clear qi.

Simultaneously, Wai Jiang snapped back to reality.

"System, check in."

He mentally called out, and immediately, his feet were enveloped in lightning, vanishing from the spot.

Ding! Check-in successful. Reward: the cultivation method "Devil Soul."

This place held numerous Great Dao Truths, allowing for repeated check-ins!

Having fled Zi Wei Mountain, Wai Jiang was still shaken and dared not attempt another check-in.

He resolved never to repeat such folly.

As the details of Devil Soul flooded his mind, his regret deepened.

He had gambled with his life, only to gain a devil art he couldn't practice.

Devil Soul required the cultivator to cripple their own cultivation, abandon all previous learning, and face death to be reborn.

Activating the devil art would transform the spirit into a devil soul.

Then, all demonic arts could be mastered with half the effort, their power unstoppable.

Moreover.

In the Demon Soul state, one could conceal their presence, undetectable by any technique or divine sense unless seen with the naked eye.

Once the Demon Soul was perfected, it could manifest the Demon God Illusion, an unbreakable and immensely powerful entity capable of commanding legions of demons.

Wai Jiang shook his head.

He couldn't possibly sacrifice a year's worth of cultivation to switch to the Demonic Dao.

He had to put it out of his mind and inspect the clear qi within him.

He had seen it clearly before.

The entire mass of clear qi had been eroded by the emerging purple mist.

This was the very foundation of his cultivation of the Three Pure Ones. If it were lost, he would be devastated.

Upon introspection, Wai Jiang made an astonishing discovery above his sea of pills. There floated another figure, identical to himself, though the clear Qi beside it had noticeably diminished. He had inadvertently refined his first clone.

Wai Jiang's prior frustration vanished. The journey, it seemed, had not been for naught. With a mere thought, the clone, which had been sitting cross-legged, opened its eyes and rose to its feet. In the blink of an eye, the clone materialized from within him. Simultaneously, a substantial portion of Wai Jiang's Spiritual Force was depleted.

Manifesting the three Pure Ones and giving physical form to a clone required an immense amount of Spiritual Force. Without the support of his sea of pills, Wai Jiang would need to reach the late Nascent Soul Stage before he could even consider summoning a clone.

Observing the clone, brimming with Spiritual Force yet devoid of any cultivation techniques or martial skills, Wai Jiang was struck by a wild idea.

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