Translator: CinderTL
"Insolent wretch! How dare you speak to this immortal with such arrogance?" the remnant soul glared fiercely.
"Ha! This immortal?" Song Wen sneered, his face twisted with disdain. "I called you 'senior' only because you might be useful. Did you actually think you were superior?"
"Audacious! This immortal's status is beyond your comprehension. Release me at once!" the remnant soul roared, its tone dripping with imperious arrogance.
Song Wen was taken aback.
This person's cultivation in life must have far surpassed mine. How can he not grasp the situation?
Could it be that his consciousness has only recently awakened, and his mind hasn't fully recovered? Is his thinking still clouded?
Though puzzled, Song Wen acted without hesitation.
Three streams of molten golden essence materialized before him.
As the golden essence gradually coalesced into solid form, the remnant soul's furious expression froze into rigid terror.
"Li-little friend... let's talk this over. No need for violence."
A flicker of profound astonishment crossed Song Wen's eyes as he gazed at the remnant soul.
In truth, the remnant soul wasn't oblivious to the situation; it had been feigning madness all along!
Yet Song Wen didn't dispel the Golden Soup Curse.
Since he had already conjured it, he might as well let the soul taste its torment.
Seeing the three orbs of golden essence showing no signs of dissipating, but rather growing denser, the remnant soul hastily spoke again.
"Little friend, wait! Please... hear me out. Your ability to cast the Golden Soup Curse suggests a deep connection to the Divine Blood Gate. I was once its Grand Elder. Would you spare this old man from further torment, considering our shared history? Ask whatever you wish; I will answer truthfully and completely."
Seeing the soul's newfound cooperation, Song Wen decided against further torment and dispelled the three orbs of golden essence.
"What is your name?"
"Gu Que."
"What was your cultivation level in life?"
"Late-stage Tribulation Crossing."
"How did you die?"
"Failed Tribulation Crossing. I perished beneath the thunder tribulation."
"Thunder tribulation?" Song Wen's eyes filled with confusion.
He genuinely hadn't known that the Tribulation Crossing Stage involved enduring a thunder tribulation.
He had never encountered such a trial during his breakthroughs to previous realms.
Clearly sensing Song Wen's confusion, Master Gu Que took the initiative to explain.
"To ascend to immortality, a cultivator must endure three thunder tribulations, each occurring when breaking through the bottlenecks between the early, mid, and late stages of the Tribulation Crossing Stage. Success brings a surge in cultivation, transformation of one's innate constitution, and an extension of lifespan. Failure, however, results in severe depletion of vital energy at best, and at worst, death, the dissipation of one's Dao, and the scattering of soul and spirit. Though my divine soul was gravely wounded by the thunder tribulation, the fact that any fragment remains is a stroke of fortune."
A hint of melancholy tinged Gu Que's tone.
Having fallen at the final hurdle of the three tribulations, his heart naturally harbored resentment.
Had he succeeded, he would have ascended to the immortal realm, gaining eternal life and true immortality.
This was the ultimate pursuit and envy of all cultivators, regardless of their cultivation level.
Upon hearing this, Song Wen immediately recalled the charred, grotesque wounds on Gu Que's corpse in the immortal's tomb—undeniably inflicted by lightning.
Wait...
Song Wen's eyes narrowed.
He had seen similar wounds on another person: Venerable Bi Wu of the Willow Serpent Clan.
Looking back now, Venerable Bi Wu must have also failed her Tribulation Crossing.
However, she didn't perish; instead, she suffered severe injuries.
Yuanrong had mentioned that Venerable Bi Wu hadn't appeared in thousands of years.
Presumably, she was hiding away to heal from the devastating effects of the thunder tribulation.
Still, Song Wen wondered which Tribulation Crossing attempt this had been for her.
"So, the immortal's tomb wasn't built by you personally?" Song Wen asked.
Gu Que had failed his Tribulation Crossing, his physical body destroyed and his divine soul critically wounded. It would have been impossible for him to expend the effort to construct the immortal's tomb.
Especially considering the divine beast guarding the tomb—the Xun Heaven Divine Ox.
In his weakened state, Gu Que likely couldn't have subdued the Xun Heaven Divine Ox to serve as its guardian.
"Indeed, I didn't build it myself. After failing my Tribulation Crossing, my divine soul was severely damaged, and a lingering trace of heavenly punishment power plunged my consciousness into chaos. The immortal's tomb was constructed by my friend, Jingchen. The tomb itself, along with the entire small world surrounding it, is actually a massive formation designed to slowly draw life force from beings outside the small world. This energy was used to repair my injured divine soul and expel the remaining heavenly punishment power."
Gu Que paused briefly before continuing.
"However, even with the aid of the great formation laid by Jingchen, the heavenly punishment power was not easily dispelled. After my divine soul had been partially restored, I regained consciousness. But my mind remained unstable, fluctuating between lucidity and madness."
Song Wen's eyes narrowed.
Gu Que's words reminded him of his initial impression of the immortal's tomb. The entire chamber had felt strange, as if it were both imprisoning and protecting Gu Que.
Now everything made sense.
The immortal's tomb had indeed been guarding Gu Que's remnant soul from dissipating. But due to the heavenly punishment power, Gu Que's consciousness would periodically descend into madness. Thus, he had been confined within the tomb to prevent him from escaping during these episodes and causing his incompletely restored remnant soul to collapse.
However, Jingchen, the one who had constructed this lesser great formation, must have possessed extraordinary cultivation and profound mastery of formations.
Moreover, Gu Que had likely omitted a crucial detail.
The great formation wasn't drawing life force from ordinary living beings, but specifically from the human race.
Years ago, after leaving the Turbid Spirit Realm, Song Wen clashed with Fan Kang and was forced to flee deep underground, over ten thousand miles away, to hide.
Above his hiding place lay the ruins of a once-grand human city.
The city's demise was likely caused by its inhabitants' life force being drained over centuries, leading to widespread premature deaths and drastically shortened lifespans. Eventually, the city's population either perished entirely or was forced to abandon their homes.
"Even after tens of thousands of years, that trace of heavenly punishment power remained undiminished. Yet, after being absorbed into your sea of consciousness, it vanished within mere years. I myself am baffled—when exactly did it disappear? Was it immediately upon entering, or did it fade gradually over time? I am truly fascinated by your sea of consciousness, little friend. Would you enlighten me?"
As Gu Que spoke, his gaze, deep and probing, swept across Song Wen's face before shifting to the shadow void nearby. Without lingering, his gaze finally settled on the enigmatic black hole looming overhead.
He could clearly discern that all the extraordinary phenomena within this sea of consciousness originated from that boundless black hole above.
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------
📖 You are reading [322] Chapters behind.
🔥 Read up to Chapter [1790] now, only on 𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝕞.
📚 Read upto [13,000+] Chapters on Site with [10,400+] Free Chapters!
🚫 Also get FREE lifetime ad-free and join the giveaway by joining our Discord!
---------------------------