Chapter 46

Ning Yue activated the Ten Directions Illusionary Destruction Technique, invading the mind of another wolf. In no time, he retreated, slightly helpless. It wasn't that he had suddenly become timid, but the life soul inside this wolf was exactly the same as the first one he had stolen. Both wolves had only one life soul, and it was the "Illusory Moon" life soul.

Unintentionally, Ning Yue had extracted the "Illusory Moon" life soul from the giant wolf captured by the people of Huo Family Village. He no longer participated in the village's welcoming ceremony for the hunting team and quietly left the group, returning to the steamed bun forest to find Bai Luoluo. He instructed her not to resist and directly implanted the "Illusory Moon" life soul into her body.

Ning Yue didn't mention his thoughts to Bai Luoluo. He only told her that this life soul would be useful in the future and that she should spend some time nurturing it. Then he left gracefully, leaving Bai Luoluo in the forest to continue her cultivation.

Although Bai Luoluo had received the true transmission of the Ten Thousand Treasures Spirit Appraisal, she was not very familiar with the life soul diagrams and couldn't guess Ning Yue's intentions. However, she had been with Ning Yue for a long time and trusted him deeply. Since Ning Yue had told her to nurture the life soul, she did so diligently without asking why or overthinking it.

Bai Luoluo was so engrossed in her cultivation that she didn't notice the moon had already risen high in the sky. Suddenly, she looked up and saw the crescent moon in the sky. A thought struck her, and she understood the last key. As the Great Pagoda Technique operated, the "Illusory Moon" life soul transformed into a full moon enveloping her body, resonating with the moon in the sky.

Bai Luoluo felt a sudden surge of clarity. The thoughts and reactions of all creatures within a hundred steps were reflected in her mind. With a casual gesture, more than ten flying insects gathered in her palm, dancing in a small circle.

"No wonder this life soul is called 'Illusory Moon'! Under the moonlight, it can influence the mind and conceal one's presence!"

Bai Luoluo muttered to herself. Her figure gradually faded and became almost invisible, blending with the moonlight. Only the insects she had summoned continued to fly in the moonlight, creating a somewhat desolate scene.

Suddenly, the insects dispersed, and dozens of weary night birds took flight, circling in the sky before forming a line. After a while, the insect sounds in the forest abruptly ceased, leaving only the rustling of the wind, making the place feel particularly lonely.

After a short while, the moonlight gently caressed the forest, and a figure gradually became more distinct. Bai Luoluo reappeared.

Having mastered the secrets of the "Illusory Moon" life soul, she no longer worried about it and continued to cultivate the second form of the Great Pagoda Technique, the Yin Transformation Form. She knew that although the past ten days had been peaceful, the people from Bingsi Temple could appear at any time. The more strength she had, the less pressure she would put on Ning Yue and the safer she would be.

This form of the Great Pagoda Technique required her to stand on her head, using the拙fire to burn away the yin energy in her body. At this point, Bai Luoluo's拙fire cultivation was insufficient, so she had to rely on the abundant elemental energy of the Nine Heavens to cleanse her body and refine her muscles. Fortunately, the elemental energy in the Nine Heavens was dense; otherwise, it would have required a much higher cultivation level to draw it in.

After a short while of cultivation, the "Illusory Moon" life soul began to pulse, communicating with the elemental energy. Bai Luoluo was startled, fearing that the elemental energy would burst her body. She was about to remove the life soul from her body when she realized that the elemental energy was not chaotic but was forming a dome-like aura under the influence of the "Illusory Moon" life soul.

Bai Luoluo quickly activated the life soul, and a full moon appeared outside her body. The elemental energy flowed around the moon, forming a vortex. After being transformed by the "Illusory Moon" life soul, the elemental energy became ten times more docile, and Bai Luoluo absorbed it with the Yin Transformation Form, refining her muscles at an unprecedented speed.

After three to five hours, Bai Luoluo suddenly felt her muscles roar like a pack of beasts. She broke out in a hot sweat, expelling much black filth. After this cultivation session, she felt much lighter. Although she hadn't yet completed the second level of the Great Pagoda Technique, she had made a significant breakthrough.

"I didn't expect the 'Illusory Moon' life soul to have such extraordinary abilities. No wonder Xiao Ge insisted I nurture this life soul. It would have taken me over a month to complete the Lion Pagoda, but with this life soul's help, I might break through within ten days."

While Bai Luoluo was diligently cultivating, Ning Yue had already returned to Huo Family Village.

The village had already celebrated the return of the hunting team, and most people had returned to their homes. Only the strongest hunters remained to guard the two giant wolves.

Old Master Huo was very concerned about Ning Yue and Bai Luoluo. Seeing Ning Yue return, he scolded him, saying, "You naughty child, I told you many times that it's dangerous outside, and I didn't want you to go out. But you insisted on helping the adults gather fruit. It's a good thing, but why did you suddenly get separated from everyone? Why didn't your sister come back?"

Although Old Master Huo scolded him, his concern was evident. Ning Yue, knowing better, didn't get angry and smiled, saying, "I was just a bit too playful. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten lost and ended up at Huo Family Village. Grandpa, please don't be angry, or you'll hurt yourself. It's not worth it for a naughty boy like me. My sister, Xiao Jiu, is out watching the commotion. Don't worry about her."

Ning Yue, of course, couldn't use his real name. Using Bai Xingyuan's name was also inappropriate, so he called himself Yan Qi and had Bai Luoluo call herself Yan Jiu. In fact, Yan Qi felt more familiar with this name, as it was his childhood nickname and had been used longer than Ning Yue.

Under Ning Yue's persuasion, Old Master Huo, who was not really angry but worried, asked many people if they had seen Yan Qi and Yan Jiu. Finding no one, he was quite concerned. Now that Ning Yue had returned, his anger had dissipated. He turned to bring a pot of fragrant braised meat and bones, saying, "This time, the village's hunting team encountered the Moonlight Demon Wolves. After a fierce battle, seven good hunters died, but they killed nine demon wolves and captured two alive. The meat of the Moonlight Demon Wolves isn't very tasty, but it has many benefits for martial artists. I got some meat and bones, which I've cooked for a day. They're quite tender. Eat quickly! Remember to save some for your sister, don't be too greedy and eat it all."

Ning Yue was indeed hungry and grabbed a piece of meat to eat. After a few bites, he still thought about the two demon wolves and asked Old Master Huo, "Why did they capture the two demon wolves alive? Wouldn't it be better to kill them and eat their meat?"

Old Master Huo chuckled and said, "Doesn't your Bear Ear Village have anyone who knows the technique of extracting life souls? These two demon wolves have life souls inside them. If they die, the life souls will dissipate and lose their value."

Ning Yue then confirmed that the people of Huo Family Village indeed knew how to extract life souls and couldn't help but ask, "When I was at home, they never wanted to tell me about these things. Can Grandpa tell me about life souls?"

Old Master Huo smiled and said, "This isn't a secret. Perhaps your parents didn't want you to be too ambitious, so they didn't tell you. In our Great Xia Dynasty, if a martial artist has the highest secret techniques, they can condense their martial arts intent and create a life soul. Life souls are also called innate soul symbols and possess various incredible abilities. Ordinary people like us don't have the chance to learn such high-level techniques and find it difficult to condense martial arts intent, but we still have a chance to obtain life souls. Some demons have innate abilities and can create life souls. The life souls of demons are called innate demon symbols. By killing these demons and extracting their innate demon symbols, there is a 20-30% chance of obtaining a life soul."

"For ordinary people, having one life soul is already a distant dream, but those great figures can condense dozens or even hundreds of life souls. By using secret techniques to unify these life souls, they can form a battle intent spirit, also called a phantom. They can shatter mountains and split the earth with a single move."

Old Master Huo's expression became distant, recalling his youthful dreams. He then smiled and said, "Our current emperor, Yan Chongguang, had already perfected the imperial martial arts of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Qilin Book, at the age of eighteen, and could condense the battle intent spirit of the Fire Qilin. For ordinary people like us, this is like a myth. In my youth, I had some wild dreams, which is why I learned to read and write and left Huo Family Village to explore the world. But in the end, I achieved nothing and had to return to my hometown to grow old."

Ning Yue was interested in various aspects of the Nine Heavens and took the opportunity to ask about some of his doubts, gaining more knowledge.

Ning Yue ate half of the pot of braised meat and bones, patted his stomach, and felt very satisfied. He was about to return to his room to cultivate when Old Master Huo smiled and said, "The Moonlight Demon Wolves can naturally communicate with the moon's power. Midnight is when their abilities are strongest, and it's also the best time to extract their life souls. In a little while, they will start extracting the life souls from the two demon wolves. Do you want to go and watch the spectacle?"