"Nine Hearts Lotus?"
This time, Zhang Xuan wasn't the only one who frowned in confusion. Even Luo Zhu had a bizarre look on his face, as if he had never heard of this name before.
"That's right! The Seven Hearts Lotus is known as a saint artifact, and it allows one to forge a physical body upon assimilation. However... the Nine Hearts Lotus is something that has never appeared on the Master Teacher Continent before. If we really have to classify it, it can definitely be considered as a God artifact! "the tomb owner said.
"Divine item?" Everyone was speechless and stunned.
Just like cultivation techniques, artifacts could be divided into five tiers, namely God, Saint, Spirit, Phantom, and Mortal. Saint artifacts were treasures that couldn't be found even if one searched through the entire League of Nations. As for God artifacts of higher tiers, they only existed in legends. It was hard to say whether one could even be found on the Master Teacher Continent.
Yet, this pitch-black object was actually an artifact of that tier?
That was way too fearsome!
God artifacts were treasures that even Kong Shi was unable to obtain back then.
"Naturally, I failed to assimilate a God artifact forcefully. Not only was all of my possessions devoured, my soul was also imprisoned within the God artifact, unable to leave. This imprisonment lasted for tens of thousands of years..."
Speaking up to this point, the tomb owner felt extremely stifled.
It was no wonder he wanted to assimilate the Nine Hearts Lotus to forge a physical body so that he could soar through the heavens. Yet, not only did he fail, he was even imprisoned to the point where he couldn't die even if he wanted to... It was already a blessing that he didn't go insane from frustration.
This was like being imprisoned for an unknown number of years without being able to leave. To be able to endure this torment until now, this fellow's willpower was already extremely strong.
"So, you want one of us to take your place so that you can regain your freedom?"
Zhang Xuan asked.
"That's right!" The tomb owner replied. "After being imprisoned for tens of thousands of years, I have been thinking about how I can escape from this fellow's clutches. After a long time, I finally thought of an idea!"
"Since the Nine Hearts Lotus didn't assimilate or devour me, it means that it doesn't have the ability to kill me. If I can find another fresh soul to take its place, I might be able to escape!"
It was as if someone had drowned in a river, and every few years, it would find a scapegoat to take its place.
What the Nine Hearts Lotus wanted was a soul. As long as it could find a replacement, it would be able to escape the abyss of suffering and not have to guard this pitch-black tomb every day.
"After figuring this out, I began to work hard to separate my soul. I don't know how long it took, but I finally managed to separate one. However... his cultivation was simply too weak. He was only at Transcendent Mortal 3-dan. Initially, I thought that with such a low cultivation realm, I wouldn't be able to live for long before my Lightflow Decline devoured me completely and I would die on my own. Who knew that … at this very moment, this tomb raider would come! "
Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at Luo Zhu.
The latter's face turned red.
His identity was exposed in front of everyone, and he felt a little embarrassed.
After all, this profession wasn't glorious at all. Instead, it was like a petty thief that couldn't be seen in public.
"So, I had a bold idea! I intentionally made the mechanism to enter relatively simple so that he would be able to enter smoothly. Then … he would rush over and possess me! "
The owner of the tomb continued, "In the end, it really succeeded. This fellow left this place in a hurry out of fear. Initially, my plan was simple. After successfully possessing him, I would use the Soulless Metal Humanoid to attract more people here. After which, I would choose the most suitable soul to replace me. However, that fellow's will was too strong, and on top of that, his cultivation was greatly reduced after the possession. Thus, I didn't succeed, and in the end, he was even killed by a weak fatty … "
At this point, the lotus flower trembled incessantly, carrying with it a thick resentment.
"Cough cough!" Being called a weak fatty, Sun Qiang scratched his head awkwardly.
Back then, that soul tried to possess him, but it was devoured by the Heaven's Path zhenqi that the young master had left in his body. Speaking of which, his strength was indeed nothing compared to the other party.
Hearing these words, everyone came to a realization.
It was no wonder why there was such a formidable fellow here. How could Luo Zhu possibly escape successfully when he was here for the first time? It turned out that he had intentionally allowed the other party to leave so as to attract more people here.
Even though the plan was good, he probably didn't expect that he would meet with a monster like Zhang Xuan. The soul that he had painstakingly created over many years was destroyed on the spot.
"Wait a moment …"
Zhang Xuan waved his hands. Frowning, he asked, "Since you are able to separate your soul from the lotus, why do you still want to possess others?"
Since this fellow's main goal was to leave the lotus, and he could even separate a part of his soul to leave, why would he want to lure others over and think of a way to possess them?
After all, the separated soul was still a part of him. It carried his thoughts and thoughts, which was equivalent to breaking free from the shackles.
"I … did separate my soul, but … when this soul left the lotus, it was severely injured, and it won't be able to live for long! Even if the possession were to succeed, it would only be treating the symptoms and not the root of the problem. In order to truly leave the lotus, I would need a new soul to replace me … "
The tomb owner said.
"Then … why didn't you beguile Luo Zhu and have him replace you? What if he doesn't want to return after leaving? "Zhang Xuan continued asking.
After being trapped in the tomb for tens of thousands of years, Luo Zhu had finally appeared. How could he be certain that the other party would bring someone over? Since that was the case, he might as well find a way to beguile Luo Zhu and have him replace him.
"Tomb robbers have a yin nature. It's impossible for such a person to cultivate the Soul Guiding Formula!"
The tomb owner said. "Besides, judging from his age, he's already nearing the end of his lifespan. Given his low cultivation, what's the point of possessing him? Is he going to face death once more? "
Luo Zhu's face reddened.
He didn't expect that right after Sun Qiang was looked down on, he would be looked down on as well …
Hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
Everything made sense now.
Every time a soul oracle possessed a body, their strength would weaken. Since that was the case, if they were to make a move, they would have to make do with a good one … Since that was the case, they might as well not waste this opportunity.
"Later on, the soul I separated from my body was destroyed. I thought that there was no hope for me anymore, but you all appeared … The rest became simple!" The tomb owner said.
"Then, you tempt us to cultivate the Soul Guiding Formula. Once you manage to draw your soul out of your body, you will bring it into contact with the lotus in the name of clearing the trial … This way, your soul will be drawn over and … become your scapegoat!"
Zhang Xuan.
"Yes!" The tomb owner didn't deny it.
At this moment, everyone finally understood what was going on, and cold sweat trickled down their backs.
Previously, this fellow had said that he would be testing them. But from the looks of it now, if they were to cultivate the Soul Guiding Formula and succeed, their souls would have already been devoured by the bizarre flower, and their physical bodies would have been possessed.
It was fortunate that Zhang Shi had noticed it early, or else the consequences would have been dire.
"That's not right!" Zhao Feiwu frowned. "Given your strength, you should be able to draw our souls out of our bodies and have them devoured by the lotus!"
Since this fellow was a 6-star soul oracle who could even set up the Mirage Deity's Illusory Sea, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to draw their souls out of their bodies!
Why did they have to go through so much trouble to cultivate the Soul Guiding Formula?
"Let me explain this to you!"
Zhang Xuan looked at them calmly. "It's not that he doesn't want to do it, but … he can't do it!"
"Can't do it?" Everyone was perplexed.
"There are two reasons. Firstly, soul oracles suffer from Battle Decline. Forcefully drawing out the souls of others will inflict great harm on him! Secondly, he's already using his full strength to control the mechanisms and assault me. It's impossible for him to fight or even kill so many of us! Otherwise, he would have made a move long ago. He wouldn't have to resort to using mechanisms to deal with us, going as far as to conceal himself! "
Zhang Xuan.
The book compiled by the Library of Heaven's Path allowed him to notice something amiss.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to charge forward and dig out the lotus so easily.
It was already incredible that he was able to extend his soul and aura to control the mechanisms while being trapped by a God artifact. If he could kill them easily, he wouldn't have gone through so much trouble.
Only then did everyone come to a realization.
It was no wonder why an expert like him had to act so cowardly before a bunch of weaklings like them. It turned out that... this fellow was just a facade. At the very most, he was only able to release his aura and use some mechanisms. In truth, he was unable to do anything to them.
The tomb owner didn't expect that the young man before him would be able to see through his inability to exert his strength. Fear and frustration filled his face.
He was still thinking that he could threaten the other party with his aura if the other party didn't know about it. However, from the looks of it now, his last hope was gone.
Furthermore, the other party's silver needle was planted in the area where the will of the lotus could be released, rendering him incapable of controlling the mechanisms. It was a fate worse than death. It was impossible for him to retaliate.
"Alright, let's talk about the Dragon Severing Lock!"
With everything resolved and the strongest 6-star soul oracle subdued, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Zhang Xuan turned to look at the tomb owner.
Now that the passageway was sealed, the only way to leave was to open the Dragon Severing Lock. Since this fellow had locked it up, he must have a way to leave.
"This... I'm indeed unable to open it!" The tomb owner replied awkwardly.
"Unable to open it? Then how are you going to leave after successfully possessing me? "
Zhang Xuan asked.
Since this fellow wanted to escape from the lotus, he must be thinking of a way to leave. After all, he couldn't possibly be trapped here due to the Dragon Severing Lock!
"I can use... the means of a soul oracle to leave!" The tomb owner said.
"Means of a soul oracle?" Everyone was perplexed.
"Look up. There's a mechanism at the top of the tomb. As long as you open it, you will be able to reach the lake above... Soul oracles have light souls, so they are able to fly freely. Even if I successfully possess you, as long as I'm willing to pay the price, I can still fly out from here... On the other hand, normal Transcendent Mortal cultivators are incapable of flight. Thus...
The tomb owner said.
"Fly?"
Everyone turned their gazes upward and saw a bizarre boulder at the very top of the hall. Putting aside Zhang Xuan and the others, even the Transcendent Mortal 4-dan Master Sai wouldn't be able to reach it.
Needless to say, escape.
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