Chapter 21

In Hua Xiajiu's mind, a cluster of white light suddenly appeared.

In the next moment, the white light flickered, and some chaotic images shot out from it, categorically entering various folders floating at one end of his mind. The remaining pure soul energy was absorbed by Hua Xiajiu's soul form.

Instantly, the soul form grew a bit, and its aura became noticeably stronger.

That cluster of white light was naturally the weak soul of the chameleon iron lizard. As previously mentioned, the soul is a form of electromagnetic energy containing the memories of the living. Hua Xiajiu detected the frequency of the chameleon iron lizard's soul electromagnetic waves, adjusted his own emitted electromagnetic waves to resonate with it, and absorbed and integrated the chameleon iron lizard's soul electromagnetic waves, thereby strengthening his own soul.

What Hua Xiajiu didn't know was that if the cultivators of this world knew he could absorb the soul energy of other creatures without any backlash or discomfort, it would certainly cause a huge uproar in the entire cultivation world.

For cultivators, the strength of the soul directly determines the speed of cultivation and the potential for cultivation. Although physical potential is also very important for cultivation, the strength and solidity of the soul are the fundamental basis for advancing in cultivation, especially in the later stages of cultivation, which becomes even more crucial.

Therefore, over countless years of research and exploration by humans and demons in cultivation methods, some people naturally thought about and even tried absorbing the soul energy of other creatures to strengthen their own souls. However, this often led to conflicts in soul energy, causing the soul to burst and die. Even if someone used special methods and rare treasures to forcibly merge the soul energy, they couldn't separate the memories like Hua Xiajiu did. As a result, they were influenced by the vast and chaotic memories, eventually becoming patients with mental disorders, losing their nature, and even turning into complete lunatics.

The chameleon iron lizard had low intelligence and was not a sapient being, so its soul contained few and very chaotic memories. Only someone like Hua Xiajiu, an anomaly, could easily sort and categorize them, and even obtain some useful information from them.

For example, the habitats of some powerful beasts in this forest, the living areas of demons, and their general activity ranges.

With this information, although Hua Xiajiu's journey was safer, he still encountered four creatures like the chameleon iron lizard that could evade the detection of electronic eyes and radar ears.

It took Hua Xiajiu four to five hours to cover a distance of over two hundred miles.

It was now early morning, and the sky was bright. The overcast sky from last night had cleared, and the warmth of the sun could be felt above the dense forest. However, due to the towering ancient trees and dense forest, very little sunlight could penetrate.

Hua Xiajiu was quite disappointed. After a night of travel, the electrical energy he had painstakingly accumulated was significantly depleted.

Hua Xiajiu's figure passed through a forest and stopped at the edge of a valley several hundred meters deep in the mountains, looking around.

The valley was even more densely forested than other places, with ancient trees reaching to the sky, blocking out the sun. Some birds were hopping between the branches, chirping and searching for fruits and insects. No light could penetrate here.

Without hesitation, Hua Xiajiu took out a rope he had prepared in advance from his backpack, tied it firmly to a giant tree beside the valley, and slowly descended along the valley wall.

After Hua Xiajiu had been in the valley for dozens of breaths, a figure appeared beside the valley. It was Ma Zhikuo, the third-generation senior disciple of the Ice Blood Sect.

Ma Zhikuo frowned at the miasma and toxic fog in the valley, took a fragrant pill, swallowed it, and then slowly floated into the valley.

Not long after Ma Zhikuo descended into the valley, another figure appeared where Ma Zhikuo had been. This person was also dressed in black and was a middle-aged man with a handsome face. He was Yu Mingfu, the third-generation senior disciple of the Tianyi Sect.

Yu Mingfu looked at the rope tied to the edge of the valley and fell into deep thought.

In his view, there were two possibilities for Hua Xiajiu entering this valley.

The first possibility was that there was another world beneath the valley, the entrance to the hidden sect where Hua Xiajiu had previously been. Hua Xiajiu might want to see someone or take something from someone, or perhaps he was unwilling to leave the sect and wanted to beg someone to let him stay. The reason he judged that the valley might be the entrance to a hidden sect was that from Hua Xiajiu's actions of not needing to find a path or prepare a rope, it was clear he was familiar with the place and had been there before.

The second possibility was that after being expelled from the sect, Hua Xiajiu had lived and cultivated here, leaving something valuable behind. He might be coming to retrieve it because he was about to join another sect for further cultivation.

If the first possibility were true, rashly following him could lead to being discovered by the hidden sect and killed to protect the sect's location.

For the second possibility, if there were truly valuable treasures, he could let Ma Zhikuo and Hua Xiajiu fight to a stalemate and then ambush the winner when they emerged from the valley.

This way, he would save effort and avoid the risk of being killed by the hidden sect.

With this thought, Yu Mingfu sneered, leaped up, and flew into the dense canopy of a nearby tree, disappearing from sight.

If Hua Xiajiu were truly an outcast from a hidden sect, Yu Mingfu's analysis would indeed be logical based on normal human behavior. Unfortunately, the real situation was something he would never have imagined.

As Hua Xiajiu had predicted, the valley was not very deep, only about twenty meters.

Hua Xiajiu descended into the valley without incident.

The valley was extremely dark, gloomy, and silent, emitting a musty dampness. No light could penetrate. Apart from the sound of Hua Xiajiu's footsteps, there was no other sound, and no sign of life.

Hua Xiajiu stood still, not making any rash moves. The place exuded a mysterious and eerie atmosphere. The lack of any life made him feel uneasy and oppressed. This unease and oppression came from his newly formed soul.

Although the environment was harsh and unsuitable for large animals like wolves, tigers, and leopards, it should have been a place where venomous insects and demonic snakes frequently appeared. However, there were none here.

Hua Xiajiu did not want to fight anyone or anything at this moment because fighting meant consuming electrical energy, and he did not have much.

The absence of venomous insects and demonic snakes relieved him of the need to use energy, but the growing unease and oppression made him even more vigilant.

His electronic eyes and radar ears were fully activated, scanning the surroundings.

Hua Xiajiu let out a low growl and leaped backward.

"Who—?" Hua Xiajiu suddenly saw a figure sitting cross-legged on a boulder about four or five meters away in the miasma. The figure's flesh was fresh, its eyes open and staring forward, deep like the sea.

Through his electronic eyes, Hua Xiajiu felt a sense of insignificance, like an ant. The figure was much taller than an average human, about two meters tall even when sitting, exuding an indescribable aura of authority that directly affected the soul form. Therefore, Hua Xiajiu, who already had a soul, could feel it.

"Something's not right! No heartbeat, and the body temperature is off. This person is already dead. Yes! No left hand. Exactly as the demon tiger king's memory described. This must be the target I'm looking for." After the initial shock, Hua Xiajiu quickly regained his calm and rational state.

At that moment, Hua Xiajiu's radar ear twitched, and a set of information appeared in his mind: "Seventy-five degrees above, eleven meters away, a faint breathing sound was detected, suspected to be human-like."

Hua Xiajiu was startled and thought, "Someone is tracking me. Is it Yu Mingfu or Ma Zhikuo, or both?"

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