Luo Qingyao looked at the storage space the other party had handed over, a hint of complexity in her eyes.
A storage pouch belonging to an Nascent Soul cultivator—not only had it survived an attack of that level, but it had also happened to land in Bai Qianqian’s hands.
“I tried earlier, but no matter what method I used, I couldn’t open it. So I have no choice but to ask Sister Luo for help…”
“Sigh, it seems that even though you’re blessed with good luck, you still can’t do without me~”
Faced with Bai Qianqian’s request, Luo Qingyao couldn’t refuse.
After taking the storage pouch, she began to examine it closely.
Bai Qianqian was only at the Foundation Establishment stage now.
A storage pouch belonging to a Nascent Soul cultivator was definitely a windfall.
Luo Qingyao could feel the lingering cold on the pouch—even she found it biting.
“Erasing a soul imprint is a delicate task. It’s been a while since I last did it. I wonder if my skills have rustled~”
Looking at the storage pouch in her hands, Luo Qingyao deftly tampered with the soul-imprinted pouch, even smoothly checking inside and out for any other formations.
Her proficiency was undoubtedly master-level.
The process was also very cautious, but fortunately there were no unique formations.
After erasing the soul imprint, Luo Qingyao confidently handed the storage pouch back to Bai Qianqian.
“I did inspect it, but my soul is still incomplete now. No matter what you take out, be careful~”
“Mm, I understand. But Sister Luo, you seem very familiar with erasing soul imprints…”
“Oh, it’s much slower than before. Back when I killed people and looted their bodies, erasing soul imprints was a common occurrence. Those guys in the Immortal Realm were so stingy, I always had to be careful.”
“Uh… killing and looting? A Celestial Venerable like you probably wouldn’t do that…”
“Well, don’t get hung up on the details. Hurry up and see what’s inside~”
Faced with Bai Qianqian’s doubts, Luo Qingyao brushed them off casually and stuffed the pouch into Bai Qianqian’s hands.
After all, even when she was a Celestial Venerable, these kinds of questions existed.
Sure, it might not befit a Celestial Venerable’s behavior, but as long as no one knew what she did, it was fine.
Bai Qianqian took the pouch and, under Luo Qingyao’s expectant gaze, reached in to feel around. But then her finger touched something metallic.
“I think I found something…”
Bai Qianqian’s expression showed a hint of doubt, but she pulled it out.
The moment it emerged, the entire Fangcun Dongtian was enveloped in an eerie, sinister energy.
One after another, wailing specters began to drift through the room.
“Looks like that old bastard really had some good stuff…”
Luo Qingyao was also startled by what Bai Qianqian had pulled out.
A long pole was taken from the pouch, followed by a gorgeous, intricately patterned sail held in Bai Qianqian’s hand.
The entire cloth was embroidered with exquisite runes, and the overall color was a sinister purple-black.
Wailing specters coiled around it.
[Thousand Soul Banner]
[Spirit Grade Artifact]
[Souls Held]
Nascent Soul (Early): 1
Total Souls: 2367
[An artifact that can grow continuously. If enough souls are gathered, it can command ten trillion wandering souls.]
As this artifact was gently held in her hand, Bai Qianqian’s expression didn’t change much.
She only felt it draining her spiritual power.
Though it wasn’t much, it happened without her permission, making her feel very uncomfortable.
The wandering souls around her, as if unbound, kept circling the room.
“A soul banner! And it even has a Nascent Soul main soul! What a treasure~”
Luo Qingyao looked at Bai Qianqian holding the banner.
The demonic energy on the Thousand Soul Banner hadn’t dissipated yet.
Just resting on the ground, it was over two meters tall.
The pole was carved with obscure patterns, all of which spoke of this object’s extraordinary nature.
If this were taken outside, it would undoubtedly be labeled a typical demonic cultivator’s artifact.
“This thing is powerful, but it doesn’t seem like something you can just use casually.”
Luo Qingyao examined the soul banner in her hands.
Though she was initially surprised, she now felt a bit helpless after considering Bai Qianqian’s cultivation level.
Taking this out would definitely mark her as a demonic cultivator.
Rather than a good artifact, it was a hot potato for Bai Qianqian—a shame to throw away, but using it meant she’d have to silence anyone who saw it.
Bai Qianqian didn’t think much of it.
She looked at the soul banner for a moment, then shook her head with disinterest.
“I still prefer the spiritual sword my master gave me.”
“Not being interested is fine. If you used it too often, you’d lose the meaning of cultivation~”
Bai Qianqian weighed the Thousand Soul Banner in her hand, then put it back into her storage space.
Luo Qingyao, now intrigued, wanted to see what other treasures were inside.
“That first one was already a pleasant surprise. Keep digging—that old geezer definitely had more than just this one treasure~”
Luo Qingyao floated over slowly, watching Bai Qianqian reach in to feel around.
As Bai Qianqian searched, her expression suddenly changed.
Luo Qingyao thought she had found something good and leaned in closer, but then a burst of demonic energy shot out from the storage pouch so fast that even Luo Qingyao couldn’t react.
Bai Qianqian, realizing what was happening, immediately threw the pouch away.
But even so, that demonic energy, like a small snake, shot straight into Bai Qianqian’s brow.
Bai Qianqian had no chance to dodge before the demonic energy pierced into her body.
“No good..!”
Faced with this sudden sneak attack, Bai Qianqian couldn’t block it despite her quick reflexes.
Seeing the pain on Bai Qianqian’s face, Luo Qingyao’s heart sank.
She quickly floated over, materialized her body, and gently caught the falling Bai Qianqian.
“Qianqian! Are you okay? What’s wrong?!”
“I… my head hurts so much, Sister Luo… What’s happening to me…”
Luo Qingyao looked at her weak state, and a wave of regret washed over her.
If she had checked more carefully, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
Now, despite her anxiety, she had no idea what that black energy was.
Just as she was at a loss, the storage pouch behind her began to emit thick black smoke again.
“Haha! The old man’s fate isn’t sealed yet~!”
As the aged voice echoed in the room, Luo Qingyao, holding Bai Qianqian, was jolted awake.
She immediately turned to look at the storage pouch.
It was trembling nonstop, and the black smoke began to slowly coalesce.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Luo Qingyao leaned the unconscious Bai Qianqian against the bed, then lunged forward and kicked, aiming to send the pouch out of the grotto-heaven.
“You undying old fossil! Still causing trouble even in death!!”
As Luo Qingyao kicked, a curse left her lips.
But no matter how fast she was, the pouch seemed to have a mind of its own, floating up into the air to dodge her kick.
“Damn! That old bastard isn’t dead…”
Luo Qingyao watched the black smoke gradually condense into a humanoid shape, and her eyes showed extreme vigilance as she tightly guarded Bai Qianqian behind her.
“I knew someone would pick up my storage pouch. I just didn’t expect a figure like you to be by this ant’s side…”
As the yin energy slowly gathered, a withered figure materialized before Luo Qingyao.
His eyes were like dry wells, black with no visible pupils, his entire body resembling a dried corpse.
“Heh! A mere late-stage Nascent Soul dares to act presumptuously before me!”
Luo Qingyao, without hiding her aura, unleashed her Celestial Venerable pressure.
Instantly, the soul of this demonic sect elder was blasted back several meters, disbelief in his eyes.
“It seems you also wish to seize this body. But could you be willing to part with it? I will surely find you a better one…”
“I am a Celestial Venerable. I would never stoop to randomly seizing someone’s body like a maggot like you.”
Though Luo Qingyao’s spiritual pressure made the demonic sect elder cautious, time was limited.
They stalemated for about ten minutes.
Neither dared to act first.
Without a physical body, a soul fight would lead to both being destroyed.
Luo Qingyao wasn’t afraid of this Nascent Soul, but she had no idea what that black energy that had snuck into Bai Qianqian was.
If it dragged on, who knew what would become of Bai Qianqian.
“A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator can’t withstand my soul. Since you have no intention of seizing the body, why not let me have it?”
Luo Qingyao didn’t speak, simply guarding in front.
But the demonic sect elder had no desire to keep stalling.
After all, he had suffered severe damage—Murong Xue’s Divine Transformation realm intent was terrifying, heavily damaging his soul.
He wasn’t sure how much longer he could last, so he had already sent a wisp of his remnant soul into Bai Qianqian’s sea of consciousness.
“Stalling with me is useless. That wisp of my soul has already invaded this little girl’s spirit. Soon, I will succeed in possessing her~”
Luo Qingyao, who had been shielding Bai Qianqian, panicked upon hearing this.
She turned and saw a mark of possession appearing between Bai Qianqian’s brows.
She realized that the black mist from the pouch was the elder’s remnant soul, and the possession had likely begun then.
“If I destroy your main soul, how can your remnant soul possess her?!”
Seeing Bai Qianqian lying weakly on the bed, Luo Qingyao felt both pain and sorrow.
She turned her head, glaring at the demonic sect elder, ready to annihilate his soul.
But the elder seemed to have been waiting for this moment.
In the brief second she turned, his newly formed body morphed into a massive black cloud, brushing past Luo Qingyao’s cheek.
“This body is mine!”
As the elder’s excited voice passed by her ear, Luo Qingyao’s eyes widened.
She tried to turn and block, but it was too late.
She could only watch as the black mist enveloped Bai Qianqian.
“No!!”
Luo Qingyao’s eyes went wide as she tried to intervene, but a portion of the black mist shoved her back.
She was pushed back a few steps, gritting her teeth.
If Bai Qianqian was truly possessed, she would never let the elder succeed.
“Haha! What a wonderful body! Absolutely wonderful! Wait… this body even has… a Supreme Bone!”
“Incredible! Incredible! Heaven helps me! Not only can I reach Divine Transformation, but I can even ascend to the Immortal Realm!!”
The demonic sect elder’s shocked voice came from within the body.
Luo Qingyao’s eyes showed despair.
After taking a slow, deep breath, she decided to self-detonate her remaining soul, making it as if none of this had ever happened.
“Supreme Bone! Supreme Bone!!! Haha! No, wait… Why do you have another soul inside you??”
“No, not one! So many souls! Who are you?! Who are you all?! Don’t come near me!!!”
Luo Qingyao had already steeled herself for mutual destruction, but just then, the elder’s triumphant voice suddenly changed.
His clear speech became slurred, turning into pleas for mercy.
The pleas then became miserable screams, each more agonizing than the last, as if he was being torn apart.
“Who are you?! Stop! Stop! Aaah?!!!”
Luo Qingyao was dumbfounded by the screams.
Even as Bai Qianqian lay on the bed, sounds like tearing fabric came from her body.
Then even the elder’s screams vanished.
The room fell silent.
Bai Qianqian slowly sat up, her joints cracking.
Luo Qingyao was too tense to speak, feeling that Bai Qianqian before her was somewhat unfamiliar.
“Good morning… Sister Luo…”
With those words from Bai Qianqian’s mouth, the surrounding black mist dissipated completely, as if it had never existed.
“You… You’re Bai Qianqian… right?”
Luo Qingyao looked at Bai Qianqian standing before her, asking uncertainly.
When she met those gray-white eyes, a wave of fear washed over her—fear that even she, a Celestial Venerable, felt.
“It’s over. I’ll wake up soon. No need to worry…”
Bai Qianqian opened her eyes and slowly surveyed her surroundings.
Luo Qingyao didn’t understand what she meant—why did she say she would wake up soon?
Wasn’t she awake now?
“You… are Bai Qianqian… right?”
Watching the other’s strange behavior, Luo Qingyao swallowed non-existent saliva and asked again.
But this time, Bai Qianqian didn’t answer.
She just turned slightly, brought a finger to her lips, and revealed a eerie smile.
“Shh~”