Chapter 82: The Soul-Seeking Technique

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(The book will be available next week and will feature a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake giveaway event. The specific rules can be found within the chapters...)

The army could not gather in one place within the mountains; they were dispersed by county and township.

Wang Zhenling’s forces were under attack, and the main force from Danling County on Brown Waist Peak, led by Chen Bushi, was also being assaulted. Although Wang Zhenling’s side had resolved their skirmishes, the sounds of battle from Brown Waist Peak had yet to cease.

Clearly, Chen Bushi’s position was the enemy’s primary target.

Yet, with so many experts surrounding Chen Bushi, why had the battle not been settled for such a long time?

Had the county troops in other regions been attacked?

Just as Wang Zhenling was about to reinforce Chen Bushi with his men, a faint cry was heard: “Spare me, I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die here. I am a transmigrator; I should become a Buddha or an ancestor!”

Wang Zhenling’s heart stirred. Looking up, he saw the brash Qi cultivator who had blocked crossbow bolts with his internal energy and had been shot in the shoulder, only to be whipped away by Wang Zhenling’s spear.

He was still alive but surrounded by local militia aftercare troops, over a dozen long spears pointed at him, ready to pierce him at the slightest move.

This self-proclaimed transmigrator had completely collapsed, coughing up blood and weeping.

Wang Zhenling’s heart stirred again as he shouted, “Hold!”

He stepped forward with a cold smile, a gleaming longsword suddenly pressed against the man’s neck as he demanded, “Tell me who you are, your name, and your background!”

At this moment, the man’s mind was shattered. The gap between his expectations and reality was immense; he had thought transmigration meant a life of ease and glory, becoming a Buddha or ancestor, but now he was in this dire situation!

Under Wang Zhenling’s interrogation, he surprisingly answered honestly.

It turned out he was also a Mist Valley cultivator and the leader of the group of Qi cultivators who had launched the assault.

The main force of Mist Valley cultivators had taken a large contingent of native cultivators to attack Chen Bushi.

Wang Zhenling could not afford to worry too much about Chen Bushi’s situation—after all, Chen had many experts around him and two thousand county soldiers; these attackers might not gain the upper hand.

What concerned Wang Zhenling most was the origin of these Mist Valley cultivators.

Were they all transmigrators?

How had they transmigrated?

Could they still return?

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At this moment, the transmigrator’s injuries worsened rapidly; he was on the verge of death, his consciousness growing faint, murmuring incessantly.

Wang Zhenling cursed his luck, gritted his teeth, and resolved to use the last drop of jade marrow, dropping it into the man’s mouth.

Though the jade marrow could not save his life, it could solidify his soul, at least allowing his spirit to linger a little longer so Wang Zhenling could extract the information he sought.

Saying “extract” was not entirely accurate—Wang Zhenling’s method was more like directly reading memories or soul searching.

This technique usually required cultivation to the Out-of-Body Divine Sovereign stage to perform.

Although Wang Zhenling had not yet reached the Divine Sprout stage, his cultivation in the Moon Wheel Heavenly Palace meant his primordial spirit’s condensation was already beyond the Divine Sprout stage!

Added to that was the power granted by the official seal, allowing him to attempt soul searching.

Still, Wang Zhenling took a deep breath, as soul searching was a perilous technique.

Human souls and memories were complex and turbulent; emotions churned like a tempestuous sea.

Entering another’s spirit was like navigating a raging ocean, even for those at the Divine Sovereign stage, it was fraught with risk.

Fortunately, this transmigrator was near death; his soul was dispersing, his consciousness weak and confused.

Wang Zhenling instructed his trusted men to ensure no one disturbed him while he tried to extract the enemy’s confession.

He then projected his primordial spirit out of his body, enhanced by the seal’s power, donning an invisible heavy armor, and plunged into the cultivator’s sea of consciousness.

Darkness and chaos engulfed him, as if he had instantly fallen into an utterly black ocean.

This was the transmigrator’s sea of consciousness, the ocean of his mind!

Luckily, supported by that drop of jade marrow, the sea was imbued with a faint jade glow, without great storms.

Still, in such a dark ocean, finding anything was not easy.

The sea of consciousness was ephemeral; locating precise memories was no small feat.

No matter—Wang Zhenling only needed to awaken the man’s memories about transmigration!

Clearly, this transmigrator’s greatest concern was the matter of transmigration itself.

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Coincidentally, this was exactly what Wang Zhenling wished to inquire about!

So, within the cultivator’s sea of consciousness, Wang Zhenling sent out the thought of transmigration, causing the once calm sea of awareness to suddenly surge with towering waves.

Instead of fear, Wang Zhenling felt elation and plunged into the crest of the wave.

Boom!

The towering wave crashed, transforming into countless memories.

Wang Zhenling steadied his mind and rapidly read through these recollections, images flashing before him in succession.

When Wang Zhenling’s primordial spirit returned, the transmigrator had already perished completely.

“So that’s it. The Mist Valley cultivators all come from the same sect... and it’s a heretical, demonic faction. No wonder their methods are ruthless, killing without hesitation!”

From the memories, it was confirmed that these Mist Valley cultivators were indeed all transmigrators—seven in total, all from a heretical sect called the Snake Fiend Sect.

Their path of transmigration did not follow the Jun Tian Sect’s route but rather the Ascension Gate!

The Ascension Gate was not a sect but a portal allowing passage into the Eastern Dawn world.

There were undoubtedly far more cultivators who had entered the Eastern Dawn world through this Ascension Gate than Wang Zhenling had imagined!

However, Wang Zhenling had no time to ponder this deeply. He briefly set it aside and led the local militia to reinforce Brown Waist Peak.

From the youngest of the Mist Valley cultivators, it was clear they had exhausted their strength to confront Chen Bushi!

They intended to capture Chen alive, using his special identity to force the army to withdraw from Wuj Mountain...

Yet, just as Wang Zhenling led his militia to aid the battle again, an unexpected event occurred.

The sky suddenly darkened as the sun passed behind surrounding peaks, instantly casting shadows and plunging the area into gloom.