Protect Our Patriarch

……

"Zuoqiu brat, relax your body!"

Old Jiang's heart rang with alarm bells. Despite his already heavily depleted soul power, he immediately took control of Zuoqiu Qingyun's body, recklessly urging his minor divine power in a desperate attempt to evade the sword intent with speed.

However, Old Jiang was now just a remnant soul. Even if he could use minor divine power through soul force, limited by Zuoqiu Qingyun's own strength, the power exerted was less than a tenth of true minor divine power. How could he possibly dodge?

Before the rosy light could escape a few more feet, the fierce sword intent had already caught up, striking directly at the strange peach-colored light.

The dazzling light exploded instantly, its blinding brilliance illuminating half the sky.

Half a breath later, a deafening roar came from deep within the peach forest, like thunder exploding or a river breaking its banks, echoing through the night sky.

Following closely was a wave of energy crashing in like a raging tide.

The entire peach forest swayed wildly. The peach trees closest to the blast were uprooted, while those further away had countless branches snapped off, petals torn and swirling madly in the air.

After the shockwave passed, a huge crater appeared in the peach forest.

At the center of the crater lay Zuoqiu Qingyun's body, severed in two. Blood gushed from the cut, staining the surrounding ground in moments.

In the night sky, after slashing with her sword, Ancestor Long Yan had already retracted her sword stance.

In the howling night wind, she hovered in the air, her robes fluttering, resembling an untouchable celestial maiden descended from an immortal palace.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

At the bottom of the crater, Zuoqiu Qingyun, a late-stage Lingtai Realm expert with vigorous life force, had not yet completely died.

Blood still gushed from his throat, and his bloodshot eyes stared at Ancestor Long Yan in disbelief: "A... great prodigy, you are actually a great pro..."

Only a great prodigy could kill him with such a single strike.

But alas.

No one would answer his question.

Before he could finish speaking, his eyes rolled back, and he lost all signs of life.

"Damn it~~! I finally revived my soul, ready to cultivate a new body, and now this disaster strikes!"

Old Jiang's remnant soul, hidden in Zuoqiu Qingyun's Lingtai, was both terrified and furious.

But he wouldn't die with Zuoqiu Qingyun.

Taking advantage of the fact that Zuoqiu Qingyun's Lingtai hadn't collapsed and his consciousness hadn't completely dissipated, he hurriedly forced himself out, attaching to a jade pendant at Zuoqiu's waist.

The previous battle had consumed too much of his soul power, leaving his remnant soul extremely weak. Yet, even so, he once again activated his soul power, enveloping the jade pendant and flying close to the ground in a wobbly escape.

The peach forest was lush with vegetation and weeds everywhere. The jade pendant was small, making it inconspicuous among the weeds.

"Hehehe~ No matter how cunning Wang Shouzhe is, he would never expect my existence." Inside the jade pendant, Old Jiang sneered, filled with dark hatred, "A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years. Once I escape here and find a suitable body to cultivate, I'll seek revenge on Wang Shouzhe."

However.

He had barely flown ten feet when a vine suddenly appeared out of nowhere, snapping him back with a "pop" and then being stomped into the flower mud by a foot.

"As expected." Wang Shouzhe's voice came from above, "I always felt Zuoqiu Qingyun was strange. There was indeed something odd on him."

Impossible?!

Old Jiang was so shocked he was stunned.

It took him two or three breaths to react, both shocked and angry, struggling violently: "How could you possibly discover me?! With your age and experience, how could you know about the high-level secret of 'soul parasitism'?"

The soul's power vibrated the air, making a sound like a human voice. But the voice, lacking focus, was somewhat muffled and unclear.

Wang Shouzhe sneered.

Indeed, in this Basalt world, he had never heard of "soul parasitism."

But in his previous life, he had read countless fantasy novels, from grandpa stories to system novels and various sign-in genres... at least hundreds or thousands of them.

With so many mysteries and such obvious changes on Zuoqiu Qingyun, a mere mid-to-late-stage Lingtai Realm cultivator, yet he could suddenly burst out with the ability to fight across realms against Celestial Realm experts.

If he were a great prodigy, it might make sense with his bloodline advantage, but since he clearly wasn't using bloodline power, there had to be some other special force at play.

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With Wang Shouzhe's knowledge and caution, how could he not be extra vigilant?

But...

"Turns out it's an outdated grandpa flow. I thought it was a system~" Wang Shouzhe glanced at the jade pendant, shaking his head regretfully.

A system would have been more useful.

Look at the Wang Clan; ever since they had the system "Xiaoxue," their internal management efficiency had greatly improved. Storing, organizing, and retrieving information had become much easier.

Just the intelligence network of the Wang Clan, with its vast amount of information from various commanderies, was overwhelming. Without the system's assistance in filtering and sorting, handling such a massive amount of information would be daunting.

Moreover, manual information processing was prone to errors, far less reliable than a system.

And this was just a basic system. If Zuoqiu Qingyun really had a portable system, the additional benefits would be immense~

As Wang Shouzhe was lost in thought.

Suddenly.

The jade pendant flashed, and a wisp of dark gray smoke-like shadow emerged, clawing towards Wang Shouzhe's head.

"Hahaha~~ Boy, let Old Jiang into your Lingtai~ Hahaha~~~ I promise to help you become an unparalleled expert, ruling the world and enjoying beauties, even becoming an emperor and ruling a nation."

Accompanied by a series of sinister laughs, the dim shadow flashed in the air.

Before Wang Shouzhe could react, the dark gray "smoke" had already entered his forehead.

In Old Jiang's view, though his soul power was almost exhausted, dealing with a mere late-stage Lingtai Realm brat like Wang Shouzhe was more than enough.

However, as soon as his soul entered Wang Shouzhe's sea of consciousness, before he could probe into the Lingtai, it was as if he had hit a copper wall, unable to advance an inch.

At the same time.

Behind Wang Shouzhe, faint cyan light suddenly appeared.

In the light, a vague and indistinct figure sat cross-legged, surrounded by vigorous life force, with totem-like mysteries faintly visible in the light, exuding supreme majesty and sanctity. It looked like an ancient god, making one's heart tremble.

This shadow was Wang Shouzhe's Dharma Aspect.

As soon as the Dharma Aspect appeared, Old Jiang's remnant soul was directly ejected from the sea of consciousness, and the terrifying pressure instantly suppressed him.

"How is this possible?! How can your Lingtai consciousness be so strong?" Old Jiang's remnant soul was incredulous, "You... your bloodline has reached the spirit body level! How is this possible? You... you are also a great prodigy?!"

Are great prodigies so common these days, bumping into two in one go? And both from the same family?

Wait!

His attention was suddenly drawn to the Dharma Aspect behind Wang Shouzhe, his voice turning sharp: "Dharma Aspect... why is your Dharma Aspect so... terrifying... Boy, no, young master, young master, spare me~~~ It's my fault, no, it's this old servant's fault!"

The series of changes left Wang Shouzhe slightly stunned.

He had merely resisted the old ghost's soul from entering his Lingtai, instinctively using his soul power to repel it, but unexpectedly, he had inadvertently condensed his Dharma Aspect.

Moreover, he hadn't expected the Dharma Aspect's aura to suppress the old ghost's remnant soul so thoroughly, rendering it immobile.

"Shouzhe, are you alright?" Ancestor Long Yan descended gracefully, asking with concern.

"Rest assured, Ancestor." Wang Shouzhe felt slightly embarrassed, "This time, I was too reckless and almost fell for the old ghost's remnant soul."

Though this remnant soul was once a powerful entity, without a physical body, it was actually very fragile.

The sea of consciousness was the cultivator's domain, with inherent advantages. Facing someone with a strong bloodline or specialized in soul refinement, the remnant soul would struggle to possess successfully.

Even if it did, it couldn't immediately control the new body, requiring a long period of adaptation or special secret methods to succeed.

If not for these limitations, the remnant soul would have erased Zuoqiu Qingyun's consciousness long ago, fully taking over his body, avoiding such trouble.

Of course, this didn't mean the situation wasn't dangerous.

A soul, once powerful enough, could exhibit many mysteries beyond Wang Shouzhe's current understanding and perception, potentially leading to unexpected outcomes.

If the remnant soul had succeeded, Wang Shouzhe wouldn't lose control of his body immediately, but his actions would be hindered, and any severe injury or mental lapse could give the remnant soul a chance to temporarily seize control.

Thinking of these potential troubles, Wang Shouzhe felt a lingering fear, realizing he had been too careless, not having prepared tools to restrain or seal remnant souls in his storage ring.

What if his soul and Dharma Aspect weren't strong enough, or the old ghost had other tricks?

"This isn't entirely your fault." Ancestor Long Yan comforted, "Remnant souls of Divine Realm experts are extremely rare, scarcely mentioned even in records. Without relevant experience and complete information, it's naturally hard to be fully prepared."

With that, her eyes flashed with cold light, and endless killing intent enveloped the old ghost's remnant soul, as if a sword intent would shred it in the next moment.

Shouzhe was Ancestor Long Yan's most cherished junior and the most important person in the Changning Wang Clan. If anything happened to him, how could Wang Long Yan bear it?

"Spare me, Celestial Maiden, spare me~~" The old ghost's remnant soul, sensing imminent doom, emitted a pitiful plea through soul vibrations, shaking the air.

"Ancestor, please hold your hand." Wang Shouzhe interjected, "This old ghost's origin is suspicious. Let's interrogate him first before deciding."

"Hmph!"

Ancestor Long Yan snorted coldly, retracting her oppressive aura, but still locking the remnant soul with a wisp of divine sense, ready to annihilate it at any sign of resistance.

"Tell me, who are you, and how did you collude with Zuoqiu Qingyun?" Wang Shouzhe's cold gaze bore into the remnant soul, his voice laced with killing intent, "Don't think of lying to me. If I catch even a hint of falsehood, you'll be annihilated."

"Yes, yes." The old ghost's remnant soul, having narrowly escaped death, hurriedly confessed, "I am Jiang Yuchen, once a prodigy of the Jiang Clan, a fourth-rank family of the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty. In my youth, I was a prodigy with a bright future."

"Then disaster struck. The Jiang Clan was betrayed and besieged by enemies, with thousands of clan members killed or injured. Only I escaped to the outer realms. Fortunately, I stumbled upon the relic of a Shenwu Royal Dynasty predecessor. Not only did my bloodline transform, making me a great prodigy, but I also obtained a fragment of a forbidden Shenwu cultivation manual."

"This fragment, called the 'Golden Toad Manual,' is a rare manual that can break through to the Divine Realm. Even in the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty, such manuals are extremely scarce. Thus, I diligently cultivated the 'Golden Toad Manual,' and after some success, I returned to the Immortal Dynasty incognito, spending over a thousand years as a rogue cultivator to establish and develop the 'Golden Toad Sect,' eventually annihilating my enemies."

"But my success was short-lived. The Golden Toad Sect was deemed a 'cult' by the Immortal Dynasty and was suppressed. I barely escaped with my soul, fleeing to the outer realms to avoid pursuit. Then, I entered soul hibernation. Until Zuoqiu discovered my resting place... we made a pact, and I used my soul power to help him transform his bloodline, making him a prodigy. The rest, young master, you already know."

Wang Shouzhe listened quietly, sensing some concealment but no outright lies. Besides, such lies would be meaningless.

"Where is the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty? How far is it from Daqian?" Wang Shouzhe asked.

"I don't know. I was only focused on escaping, just remembering it was very far." Jiang Yuchen replied honestly, "When I fled here, there was no Daqian, and Qing'an Commandery was still a wilderness..."

"Uh..."

Wang Shouzhe was speechless.

Qing'an Commandery was one of the earliest developed commanderies, with thousands of years of history. So, this old ghost might indeed be from before Daqian's founding.

"What type of Divine Manual is the 'Golden Toad Manual'? Why was the Golden Toad Sect deemed a cult?" Wang Shouzhe asked a crucial question.

Speaking of the 'Golden Toad Manual,' Jiang Yuchen became spirited, explaining in a seductive tone: "It's an extraordinary dual cultivation method, allowing one to cultivate cauldrons and absorb their essence to accelerate cultivation. Additionally, higher-level cauldrons can gradually awaken one's bloodline power..."

"......"

Wang Shouzhe was speechless.

No wonder the 'Golden Toad Sect' was deemed a cult.

Such a method, relying on exploiting others to rapidly enhance one's power, would cause significant harm even if spread on a small scale. If it became widespread, it would lead to chaos, destabilizing the carefully balanced structure among families.

If he were the ruler of the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty, he would also send troops to eradicate it.

"Shouzhe, don't be tempted by such a method." Ancestor Long Yan glared at Jiang Yuchen, then reminded Wang Shouzhe, "From Zuoqiu Qingyun's behavior, this method likely has unknown dangers."

"Rest assured, Ancestor." Wang Shouzhe replied seriously, "Our Wang Clan can develop honorably. Why risk cultivating such an evil method? Steady progress is the way for family growth."

Initially, he was interested in the "Divine Manual."

But now, it seemed like a waste.

If he dared to cultivate such a method, the Wang Clan would likely be exterminated by Daqian's government. Moreover, seeing the old ghost and Zuoqiu Qingyun's reckless behavior, the manual probably had severe side effects.

"Good to hear..." Ancestor Long Yan sighed in relief.

Shouzhe's cautious approach, avoiding unnecessary risks, was what she appreciated most.

Jiang Yuchen, sensing his urgency, quickly added: "Young master, as a great prodigy, the 'Golden Toad Manual' is perfect for you. It not only accelerates cultivation but also makes you invincible in matters of love... all the celestial maidens and saints will bow before you..."

"Shut up." Ancestor Long Yan's face reddened slightly, her killing intent rising, "Shouzhe, this old ghost is no good. Let's just kill him."

"Well... let's keep him for now." Wang Shouzhe said, storing the jade pendant and the old ghost's soul in his storage ring, explaining, "Divine Manuals are rare. Even the academies and holy places have few. At worst, we can trade it for something else. Even exchanging it for a high-grade method would be worthwhile."

Despite its flaws and evil nature, a Divine Manual of this level must have unique aspects. Even if it couldn't be directly cultivated, it might inspire experts to create new methods.

Tianhe Daoist would likely be interested.

Poor Jiang Yuchen, never imagining he'd become a mere commodity...

……

Almost simultaneously.

At Pingyun Pavilion.

Wang Shihai and the others, initially eager to offer themselves to Celestial Maiden Tianyan to detoxify her, were driven out after her outburst. She had said in her rage that if she had to detoxify that way, she'd rather find a dog than let them benefit.

Those five, unlike the deranged Zuoqiu Qingyun, had to leave dejectedly after her outburst.

Celestial Maiden Tianyan staggered back to her usual resting chamber, sitting cross-legged, trying to use her powerful soul to expel the "Golden Cicada Numbing Powder."

However, as time passed.

After two incense sticks' worth of effort, the poison not only wasn't expelled but intensified, causing unprecedented distractions.

"Damn Zuoqiu Qingyun." Celestial Maiden Tianyan felt unbearably hot, her mind filled with fantasies, almost losing control, cursing angrily, "Don't fall into my hands, or you'll wish you were dead."

"And that Wang Shouzhe, such a scoundrel. I helped him eliminate his enemy, yet he doesn't even show up... those silly boys are more reliable!"

"What's so great about being handsome? Damn it... huh? Young Master Shouzhe..."

As she cursed, she suddenly saw Wang Shouzhe breaking through the window, looking at her with a half-smile.

She quickly swallowed her half-spoken curse, coughing lightly to cover up, and said softly: "Young Master Shouzhe, I am unfortunately poisoned and delirious. Your presence is..."

"Stop pretending, it's nauseating." Wang Shouzhe smiled lightly, "You sounded more genuine when cursing."

After dealing with Zuoqiu Qingyun, collecting the spoils, and cleaning up, he had rushed back to help Tianyan detoxify, only to see her cursing...

Celestial Maiden Tianyan glared at him: "Are you here to mock me, Young Master Shouzhe?"

As she spoke, a realization dawned on her: "So that's it, Young Master Shouzhe, you are truly cunning, manipulating everyone. Is it so difficult to join forces with me?"

Wang Shouzhe sighed: "Alas~ it was a helpless move. The Imperial Heir Struggle is too vast and deep, beyond my capacity."

"If so, why did you return?" Celestial Maiden Tianyan asked indignantly, "To mock my plight? Are you satisfied now? You can leave, the further the better. Just because you're handsome doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

"If the Celestial Maiden wishes me to leave, I shall." Wang Shouzhe smiled, bowing slightly, "I originally came to help detoxify, but since you don't need it, I was being presumptuous."

"Help detoxify?" Celestial Maiden Tianyan's eyes brightened, her body softening, "Please, don't leave. Without your help, I fear I can't detoxify."

She felt both shy and expectant, secretly pleased that if Young Master Shouzhe helped her detoxify, she would legitimately become his.

In that moment, Celestial Maiden Tianyan's hatred for Zuoqiu Qingyun vanished, replaced by a strange sense of gratitude.

"If that's the case, then I shall help you detoxify." Wang Shouzhe returned, bowing respectfully, "Given the urgency, I apologize for any offense."

Offense?

Hmph~~ Even now, he still calls me "Celestial Maiden." Once we've crossed this line, the first thing I'll do is make him change this annoying title.

But at this critical juncture, she couldn't afford to be picky. She closed her eyes, blushing, and said shyly, "It's my first time, please be gentle~"

"Forgive me. Please relax, Celestial Maiden. This is my first time detoxifying this way too..."

Wang Shouzhe said as he approached the bed.

Half an hour later.

Wang Shouzhe finished detoxifying and left gracefully.

However, Celestial Maiden Tianyan sat cross-legged on the bed, her clothes intact, not a hair out of place.

She stared at the door with a strange expression, her eyes gradually filling with fiery anger: "Damn you, Wang Shouzhe! You actually used such a proper method to detoxify me... you're humiliating me~"

"Zuoqiu Qingyun, you idiot! You said the poison could only be detoxified that way, and it was so easily neutralized... useless fool~~ No wonder you were outsmarted by Wang Shouzhe!"

A series of curses echoed in the room, penetrating the gauze windows, soon fading into the scattered Desolate Swamp Stones, disappearing without a trace.

……

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest.

Wang Shihai and the others, having been driven out by Celestial Maiden Tianyan, were wandering aimlessly, feeling dejected.

"Brother Shihai, what should we do now?" one of them asked, looking around nervously.

Wang Shihai sighed, "We can only wait for Young Master Shouzhe to return. He always has a plan."

As they waited, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Wang Shouzhe, looking as composed as ever.

"Young Master Shouzhe!" they exclaimed, rushing to him.

"Calm down," Wang Shouzhe said, raising a hand. "The situation is under control. Celestial Maiden Tianyan is safe."

"Thank heavens," Wang Shihai said, relief washing over him. "What now, Young Master?"

"We regroup and prepare for the next phase," Wang Shouzhe replied, his eyes gleaming with determination. "The Imperial Heir Struggle is far from over, and we must be ready for whatever comes next."

As they moved to follow his lead, Wang Shihai couldn't help but marvel at Wang Shouzhe's unwavering resolve. In this world of cultivation and intrigue, he was truly a force to be reckoned with.

And so, under the moonlit sky, the group moved forward, their path illuminated by the light of their shared purpose and the unyielding spirit of their leader, Wang Shouzhe.