Chapter 3

"Indeed, it's you!" Liu Yansong pointed at the Daoist in surprise. He realized that this Daoist was the one he had encountered when he was ten years old. After twenty years, the Daoist's appearance had not changed at all, so he recognized him at first glance.

The Daoist laughed heartily, "Liu Yansong, very good, I finally waited for you! Hahaha..." The Daoist looked extremely pleased with himself as he sized up Liu Yansong, as if he were examining a fine piece of art.

"Daoist, what are you talking about? You were waiting for me?" Liu Yansong hesitated, sensing something strange about the Daoist. Even the way he looked at him was filled with a predatory intent.

The Daoist snorted coldly, quickly took out a jade bottle, and opened the cap, aiming it at Liu Yansong. At the same time, he rapidly made various hand seals and chanted incantations. Instantly, Liu Yansong felt a tremendous force emanating from the jade bottle. Before he could even scream, his body turned into a wisp of green smoke and was sucked into the bottle.

Once Liu Yansong's body was completely inside the bottle, the Daoist quickly sealed the opening and let out a sigh of relief. "What good fortune! Although there were some unforeseen events, the task is finally accomplished! Song'er, you are saved. As long as you devour Liu Yansong's soul, your fatal condition will be completely cured!"

The Daoist walked out of the ancestral hall and quickly headed towards a nearby house. Inside the room, there was not much furniture. On the left side, there was a large wooden bed, on which a man in his twenties lay. His face was very pale, and beads of sweat often appeared on his forehead. By the bedside, a girl around seventeen or eighteen years old sat, carefully watching the boy and wiping his sweat with a towel.

The girl was very beautiful, with eyes that were incredibly clear. She looked at the boy tenderly, as if he were her whole world. The Daoist cleared his throat, and the girl quickly stood up. "Grandpa, you're here. When will the young master get better?"

The Daoist smiled, "Huilan, you go down first. Grandpa has found a way to cure Song'er's fatal condition. Rest assured, I will definitely cure Song'er today. In the future, you must protect him well, do you understand?"

Huilan quickly agreed and left the room with hope. Once Huilan closed the door and left, the Daoist's expression turned grim. He took out the jade bottle and coldly stared at Liu Yansong's soul, which was almost merging into a single mass inside the bottle. "Liu Yansong, don't blame me. If it weren't for Song'er's congenital fatal condition, I wouldn't have schemed against you. If there is a next life, well, you probably won't have one. After your soul is absorbed by Song'er, it can be considered a kind of rebirth for you."

The Daoist sighed. The jade bottle was transparent, and Liu Yansong could clearly see the Daoist and hear every word he said. "I hate you so much! So, this was all your plot?" Liu Yansong was filled with resentment, finally realizing that his life had been guided by an invisible thread all along.

The Daoist was unmoved by Liu Yansong's curses and threats. He took out a ring from his body, and without any visible action, Liu Yansong saw a dark red pill appear in the Daoist's hand. The Daoist opened the cap of the jade bottle and placed the pill inside. Instantly, Liu Yansong felt a strange fragrance emanate from the pill, and a sense of transcendence rose in his mind.

The Daoist put the ring on the boy's finger and made a guiding hand seal. Liu Yansong felt himself being pulled out of the jade bottle against his will. With a fierce look in his eyes, the Daoist forced Liu Yansong's soul into the boy's body, then spat out a stream of essence blood and quickly made hand seals in the air.

A powerful force seemed to emerge, leaving no room for Liu Yansong to resist. This force directly pressed down on him, sending his soul into the boy's dantian. In this strange space, the immense force overwhelmed Liu Yansong, making him feel as if his soul were being restrained. The force continued to tear at his body, as if trying to rip him apart. At this point, Liu Yansong had no means of resistance, as the force was constantly suppressing him, and his soul had been severely damaged by the jade bottle. A weak soul emerged in the boy's dantian and swiftly pounced on Liu Yansong.

Liu Yansong was naturally unwilling to give up. Although he was constantly suppressed by the force, he knew that if he gave up, he would truly disappear from the world. "No, I can't give up!" Liu Yansong shouted, fiercely struggling against the approaching soul. The two souls bit and tore at each other.

Despite being an adult soul, Liu Yansong, though injured, was in better condition than the boy. As a result, Liu Yansong gained the upper hand in the struggle. This made the Daoist, who was standing by the bed, anxious. He quickly jumped onto the bed, lifted the boy, and spat out a round bead.

The Daoist forced his golden core into the boy's dantian to completely destroy Liu Yansong's soul. With the help of the golden core, the boy's attacks became much more powerful. He savagely bit and tore at Liu Yansong's soul, then devoured the torn pieces. Soon, most of Liu Yansong's soul had been absorbed by the boy. As the boy's soul grew, it began to show signs of development. Finally, the Daoist continuously spat out several streams of essence blood, which were sent directly into the boy's dantian, causing the boy's soul to rapidly transform.

Originally, the boy's soul was only about five or six years old, but it quickly grew to around ten years old. At this point, most of Liu Yansong's soul had been absorbed by the boy, and the growing boy's eyes were fixed on Liu Yansong's head with a fierce gaze.

Liu Yansong couldn't help but smile bitterly. Although he didn't want to give up, the situation was beyond his control, and he had no means of resistance. The boy pounced, and Liu Yansong closed his eyes in despair. At that moment, Liu Yansong suddenly felt a sensation of bleeding. "Strange, I am just a soul now, how can I feel a sensation of bleeding?"

Not only was Liu Yansong puzzled, but the growing boy's soul had already pounced and bit Liu Yansong's nose. Liu Yansong was filled with despair, and no matter how he struggled, he could not escape the suppression of the golden core. In the blink of an eye, the growing boy's soul had devoured Liu Yansong's head.

"Finished!" As soon as he entered the boy's soul, Liu Yansong knew he was doomed and closed his eyes in sorrow and hatred.

However, at that moment, a sudden change occurred. A drop of cold essence blood dripped from Liu Yansong's nose. This blood entered the boy's soul, and his body immediately stiffened, his face showing a look of terror.

"Oh no!" The Daoist's golden core, which was inside the boy's dantian, quickly detected the change. Without time to think, he spat out several streams of essence blood, which were sent directly into the boy's dantian to reinforce his golden core. The Daoist activated the golden core, which immediately drilled into the boy's soul.

At this point, the boy's soul was completely frozen. As soon as the Daoist's golden core entered, it sensed something was wrong. The golden core, a pure yang object and the essence of the Daoist's life, should not have been affected by such a minor change. However, due to his concern for the boy's safety and his overconfidence in his own power, the golden core was unexpectedly hindered and felt a sense of being frozen.

The Daoist was shocked, as he had never encountered such a situation. He had no time to think and quickly made various intricate hand seals, spitting out several streams of essence blood, which contained all his life's cultivation, and sent them into the boy's dantian.

Liu Yansong was stunned by the sudden change, feeling as if he were in a myth. However, when the Daoist's golden core entered the boy's soul, Liu Yansong shivered and quickly reacted.

Without hesitation, Liu Yansong's damaged head rushed towards the Daoist's golden core. He felt as if he were about to be restrained, and the boy's soul was extremely cold. Liu Yansong knew he didn't have much time. He rushed to the golden core, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed it.

Instantly, a powerful yang energy emanated from the golden core, and Liu Yansong felt much better. However, his face soon changed. The Daoist's golden core was too powerful. Although it was hindered by the cold energy, once it entered Liu Yansong's mouth, the hindrance was greatly reduced. At the same time, the essence blood the Daoist had sent into the boy's dantian began to affect the temperature around Liu Yansong, and the boy's soul, which had been frozen, began to move slightly.

Liu Yansong was terrified. If the boy regained consciousness, with the suppression of the Daoist's golden core, he would still be devoured. Although Liu Yansong didn't know what the blood from his nose was, he was not about to let this opportunity slip away.