“The Dragon Severing Lock is usually the final line of defense used for a fortress. It’s designed such that one would be unable to break it unless one’s cultivation reaches the required level… Even the celestial designer who set up the trap himself would find it hard to open it!”
Hall Master Sai’s complexion darkened.
This was the final resort of celestial designers, similar to how a cultivator self-destructs when forced into a corner. Unless the circumstances were dire, no one would go to such an extent. Usually, it was only to block out one’s enemies or to die along with one’s nemesis that such a trap would be activated.
The moment it fell, there was no way to undo it. Even dragons would be unable to enter, thus the name ‘Dragon Severing’.
Unless one’s strength surpassed the tolerance limit of the wall, one wouldn’t be able to break it. In this case, it was Transcendent Mortal 9-dan.
Otherwise, it was futile.
“Then… Doesn’t that mean that we can’t leave?”
Even the strongest of them was only a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan. Under such circumstances, wouldn’t they be locked down forever?
If they couldn’t even break the wall, how could they leave the area?
“Let me take a look!”
Frowning, Zhang Xuan walked up to the stone door, touched it with his finger, and a book appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path.
“Grade-6 Dragon Severing Lock, designed and crafted by 6-star Celestial Designer Hu Yangzi. It is crafted from a unique material, making it extremely resilient. Flaws No. 1: The crafting method…”
After reading through the book, Zhang Xuan’s face turned extremely awful.
Even though Dragon Severing Lock had its flaws, it wasn’t something that someone of his level of strength could exploit.
In other words… what the other party said was true. No one of strength below Transcendent Mortal 9-dan could break this wall.
What should he do?
Were they really going to be trapped here until their death?
Just as Zhang Xuan was ransacking his mind for a solution, Zhao Feiwu’s voice echoed, “There’s no need to worry. Since he intends to possess one of us, there must be another escape route. Otherwise, how does he intend to get out?”
“This…”
“That’s right!”
Everyone was stunned for a moment before their eyes lit up.
Since this fellow was going to possess one of them, he must have an escape route ready for himself. After all, how could he plunge himself into this kind of desperate situation?
“We can find a way to leave after we deal with this fellow. Our most imminent danger isn’t regarding our confinement!” Zhang Xuan said.
Even if they couldn’t get out, the rations in their storage rings were sufficient to sustain everyone here for several years. Factoring in the spirit stones they had on top of that, it should be impossible for them to die out of natural causes within the short term.
Currently, the greatest threat they were facing was the owner of the tomb. If they didn’t find and eradicate the hidden soul oracle, they would surely be unable to get out of here alive.
Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, the voice harrumphed coldly.
“Deal with me? Are you sure you have the capability to do so?”
“Regardless of whether we do or not, we still have to give it a try!” Stepping forward, Jin Conghai flicked his wrist and took out a jade bottle. Then, he carefully surveyed the surroundings, as though trying to find the other party’s location.
“Give it a try? Let me show you how laughable that idea is then!”
Wu!
After that, a ray of light suddenly shot across the hall. Before Jin Conghai could react, he was struck squarely on his chest.
Pu!
He flew all the way back and crashed heavily against the wall. Huge mouthfuls of blood gushed from him.
“Elder Jin!”
Not expecting that the strongest member, Jin Conghai, would be defeated in a single move, everyone clenched their fists tightly.
To be capable of subduing a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan in an instant, even if the other party wasn’t a 6-star soul oracle, he still wasn’t someone that they could deal with.
Even though Jin Conghai was injured, Zhang Xuan didn’t panic. Rather, he made use of this opportunity to quickly glance at the direction where the light appeared from.
Weng!
A book appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path. Zhang Xuan hurriedly flipped it open and read through it.
“It’s an attack from a mechanical trap?”
Zhang Xuan frowned.
The previous attack didn’t come from the soul oracle but a mechanical trap.
In other words… It was impossible for him to locate the other party from the previous attack.
“It’s impossible for the soul oracle to show any opening that would betray his location. Otherwise, we would be able to guard against him and hinder his possession!”
Upon seeing Zhang Xuan’s action, Luo Zhu immediately sent a telepathic message over.
“That’s true!” Zhang Xuan nodded his agreement.
When a soul oracle possessed the body of another, they would enter via one’s acupoints. If one were to seal the acupoint in advance and repel the soul oracle, it would become extremely difficult for the soul oracle to succeed.
After all, what the soul oracle was doing was expelling the original soul of the body and forcefully fusing their soul with the body. If the original owner were to struggle violently, it might cause irreparable damage to the body. If so, it would be meaningless even if the soul oracle successfully possessed the body.
This was the reason why that fellow would not allow himself to be noticed until he struck.
Besides, it was also possible that a member of the group might have some specialized equipment to deal with souls. This would put him at risk.
“Don’t even think of finding me. It’s impossible for you all to kill me; you’re all still too weak!”
Hearing the telepathic conversation between the duo, the voice continued haughtily, “Since you have entered my tomb, you should have been prepared to be possessed. However… I can only possess one of you so… the rest will be safe.”
“Safe? Hah, like it would be that simple!” Hall Master Sai harrumphed.
Given how the other party locked all of them in this chamber, how could it be so simple?
He didn’t believe that the other fellow would allow any of them to leave after successfully possessing one body.
After all, soul oracles were a forbidden existence. If news that one had possessed the body of another were to get out, that person would surely be pursued to the ends of the world.
“By safe, I meant that you won’t have to die for the time being. As for how long you can live for, it’ll depend on your choice!”
The voice chuckled.
“Choice?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
The voice said, “Indeed. I’ll give you all two choices now. I have a total of three trials here. If you can clear the trials, I will consider sparing you. However, you still won’t be allowed to leave. I will leave you here to do whatever you need to survive!”
“Trial?” Everyone was taken aback.
Wasn’t this fellow going to possess them? What in the world were the trials for then?
Zhang Xuan was also perplexed.
Usually, trials would only be prepared for the various examinations for master teachers and the other unique occupations. Given how powerful the other party was, killing them should be a walk in the park. What was the point of going through so much trouble?
However, given that they were stuck now and that the other party had control over the mechanical traps, their life and death were in the hands of the other party. No matter how bewildered they were, they weren’t in the position to reject the other party’s conditions.
“What about the alternative option?” Zhang Xuan asked.
“The other option is that I’ll kill you all one by one until someone is willing to challenge the trial!” The voice harrumphed.
Not expecting the second condition to be about the trial as well, the crowd felt even more baffled.
What was this fellow’s motive for insisting for them to challenge the trial?
“Could this be… selection of the reception lamb?” Luo Zhu suddenly asked.
“Selection of the reception lamb?” Zhang Xuan’s mouth twitched.
Selection of the reception lamb was a term commonly used by herders.
Usually, when a guest visited, a herder would slaughter a lamb to welcome him. However, how to choose the most suitable lamb to welcome the guest warmly was a problem.
Thus, they would allow the lamb to run on the fields. The one that ran the fastest and most happily would surely have the best meat texture.
Could the soul oracle be intending to do the same as well? Through the trials, he would choose the one possessing the most suitable physical constitution to possess. This way, his soul could better fuse with the body and the decline of his cultivation would be minimized.
“That’s very possible!”
Contemplating over the issue for a moment, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in agreement.
There was a high possibility that this was the case.
Which body to possess was also an important choice for a soul oracle as well. Taking that soul which possessed Luo Zhu previously, not only did his cultivation plummet, it would also be very difficult for him to successfully fuse with the body.
Even if he were to succeed, due to the incompatible constitution, his future achievements would have been limited as well.
Making an analogy, it was just like forcing a person adept in swordsmanship to use a hammer instead.
No matter how good a physical body was, as long as it was incompatible, one would be unable to bring out its full strength.
It was highly possible that that fellow was harboring such thoughts when asking them to challenge the trials. Through the selection, he would find the most suitable constitution for him to possess.
Otherwise, how could an ancient soul be so bored as to seal the chamber using the Dragon Severing Lock just to fool around with them?
Most probably, he had already decided on this from the moment the group entered the tomb. The main reason why he didn’t make any move earlier was to wait until they entered this passageway so as to seal their escape route. Only then did he finally reveal his existence.
“That’s right, I’m indeed choosing the finest lamb among you lot… Why, are you afraid?” Hearing their conversation, the voice sounded once more.
“Afraid? Why would we be?”
Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan said. “Where is your trial? Bring it out so that we can take a look!”
“That’s more like it!”
Seeing Zhang Xuan agree to the matter, the voice sounded a little pleased. “Don’t think that I won’t lay my eyes on you just because you failed the trial! My selection criterion is your constitution, not the speed and means you use to clear the trial! Remember this, only those who pass the trial will not be killed. Those who fail… regretfully, you’ll have to bid everyone else farewell!”
Hong long!
The ground tremored and a massive stone tablet appeared in the center of the hall.
“This is the most basic ‘Soul Guiding Formula’ of the soul oracles. Study it, and within ten days, you must be able to draw your soul out of your body to clear the trial. Otherwise, the traps will eliminate you immediately!”
The voice instructed impassively.
“Soul Guiding Formula?”
Looking at the stone tablet, Zhang Xuan saw a dense congregation of words on it. The three large words inscribed at the very top seemed to pierce straight into one’s soul, jolting one’s consciousness.
Soul Guiding Formula!
The cultivation technique of soul oracles!
To think that the first trial would be learning a cultivation technique.
“It seems like this fellow is trying to find one with a constitution compatible with the arts of soul oracles!” Zhang Xuan came to a realization. “Indeed, being capable of executing the Soul Guiding Formula would mean that one is compatible with the arts of soul oracle. Possessing a body with such constitution, the other party would be able to resume his cultivation and return to his pinnacle state!”
One who was adept at swordsmanship would naturally wish to possess a swordmaster. With a constitution suited for sword arts, it would be easier for him to relearn his techniques.
As a soul oracle, the other party definitely wished to find someone capable of learning soul oracle cultivation techniques. It would be much easier for him to cultivate this way.
“Don’t bother trying your luck and waiting until the last day before drawing your soul out. It is completely pointless. Whether one has talent in soul oracle arts doesn’t depend on how fast one grasps the Soul Guiding Method. Besides… once you start learning the Soul Guiding Method, you won’t have a choice in the matter…”
Afraid that the group wouldn’t put their effort into learning the Soul Guiding Method, the voice added.
However, before he could finish his words, the impassive voice of a young man voice said, “This Soul Guiding Method seems not bad… Do you have any other similar cultivation techniques to this? The more there are, the better… Why don’t you bring out a thousand books for me to browse through first?”
The voice was taken aback. “A thousand books?”
