"Ding! Talisman Summon successful. Obtained: Mid-grade Soul Erase Talisman!"
As the System's mechanical voice rang out, Lan An hurriedly checked the effects of this so-called Soul Erase Talisman.
It had taken him a full twenty seconds to summon the thing—he hoped it wouldn't disappoint.
Soul Erase Talisman: Completely erases a segment of a cultivator's soul along with the corresponding memories—for anyone at or below Immortal King realm.
"Perfect!" Lan An's eyes lit up. It was like someone handing him a pillow just as he was dozing off.
He had been racking his brain over how to deal with You Mo—killing him was too risky, yet letting him live was equally dangerous. This Soul Erase Talisman was the ideal solution. He was just about to take it out and use it on the unconscious man—
"Where the hell is this place? Where's this Young Master's heavenly fortune?!"
A wildly arrogant voice boomed through the air.
Lan An's gaze snapped toward the source.
From one of the spatial rifts stepped a young man…
He had long, blazing-red hair, wore blood-colored robes, skin pale to the point of sickly whiteness, fangs protruding from his lips, and eyes crimson like fresh blood…
His entire demeanor screamed overbearing arrogance, as though no one in the world mattered. The moment he stepped out of the rift, his gaze locked onto Lan An. Sensing that Lan An's aura was only at the Fusion Realm level, disdain flashed in his eyes. With supreme haughtiness, he declared:
"Brat, where is this place? Hand over all your blood essence and possessions—this Young Master will spare your worthless life!"
A thoughtful glint appeared in Lan An's eyes. He sensed a familiar aura emanating from the youth… the Blood Spirit Sect.
The young man reeked of thick, nauseating blood. His skin was deathly pale, yet his lips were a deep, glossy crimson… exactly like the members of the Blood Spirit Sect back on Yuelong Star.
But Lan An didn't dwell on it too long. He simply reached out and grabbed You Mo.
"How dare you ignore this Young Master? Who gave a dog like you the guts?" The blood-robed youth instantly flew into a rage. Endless Blood Power surged forth. A Blood Pearl materialized, spinning with overwhelming might. The full aura of a Tribulation Realm cultivator erupted without restraint…
"Regret it yet?" Seeing Lan An staring blankly, the youth assumed he was utterly terrified by his presence. He sneered viciously.
Lan An was indeed somewhat surprised—but not by the youth's cultivation. Rather, it was that Blood Pearl.
Wasn't that exactly the kind of treasure the Blood Spirit Sect commonly used?
His instincts screamed danger. Lan An immediately changed his plan—from crushing this idiot to capturing him alive for interrogation.
Seeing Lan An's expression shift, the youth assumed it was despair. He laughed triumphantly:
"I'll give you one last chance. Tell this Young Master where we are, and I'll grant you a painless death!"
Lan An shook his head. He had no intention of wasting words with this fool—better to end it quickly before complications arose. A massive True Dragon Claw formed, covered in azure scales, and lunged toward the youth.
"What the—?!" The youth was startled by the enormous dragon claw. His Blood Pearl shot forward to block…
Unfortunately, even Immortal Power would bow before True Dragon Power—let alone this youth's impure, contaminated Blood Power.
Crack…
Before the youth's bulging eyes, the Blood Pearl he had always prided himself on—comparable to a peak True Grade treasure—emitted a shattering sound. Then—BOOM!—it exploded into fragments under the crushing dragon claw.
Puff…
His natal treasure destroyed, the youth's face paled even further. He sprayed mouthfuls of blood, his body trembling violently. One thought flashed through his mind:
"Run!"
Acting on instinct, he executed Blood Extraction Substitute Technique. His body vanished, leaving only a single drop of blood behind. His true form was already frantically fleeing back toward the spatial rift.
He had originally come out to roam and gain experience, accidentally discovering this rift filled with strange, dense energy. Curiosity drove him inside—only to encounter a monster like this.
A Fusion Realm cultivator had shattered his Blood Pearl with one claw…
His reaction was lightning-fast. Unfortunately, his opponent was far too monstrous. With Opening Gate and Piercing Insight active, the youth's little escape trick was completely exposed.
Instant Shift and Speed Gate activated simultaneously. Lan An's figure appeared instantly in front of the rift, blocking the red-haired youth's path of retreat.
"I've encountered a ghost!" The red-haired youth was terrified beyond measure. A Fusion Realm cultivator—faster than him even while he used Blood Extraction Substitute? What kind of freak was this?
Lan An naturally had no interest in what the fool was thinking. Thunder-flame erupted from his body as Star Explosion Fist smashed forward with brutal force.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Sensing mortal danger, the red-haired youth frantically summoned a coffin to block in front of him…
CRASH…
Star Explosion Fist pulverized the coffin into dust. From within flew a Corpse Puppet with strength equivalent to Eighth Revolution Body Cultivation. It viciously slammed toward Lan An's face.
"Bloodfiend Corpse Puppet?" Disgust flashed in Lan An's eyes. He held nothing back—Twin Dragon Palm roared forth. Two Reverse Dragons coiled and surged, charging straight at the Bloodfiend Corpse Puppet.
Under the red-haired youth's despairing gaze, Twin Dragon Palm tore the seemingly powerful Bloodfiend Corpse Puppet into four pieces. The shockwave blasted outward, sending the youth flying backward, foam frothing from his mouth.
The initial arrogance in his eyes was gone. Now, he wished he could drop to his knees, lick boots, and beg for mercy…
Lan An had no patience for more nonsense. With a burst of speed, he closed in and delivered a Meteor Kick straight downward…
"NO!" The youth resisted in vain, raising a Blood Claw to counter the descending foot.
Unfortunately, that foot suddenly turned pitch-black and metallic—Iron Skin Copper Bone had activated.
"Ugh…"
The Blood Claw shattered like tofu against the terrifying kick. Meteor Kick continued unabated, slamming into the red-haired youth's abdomen. His internal organs were obliterated.
Even as he lay dying, the red-haired youth couldn't believe it. How could a Fusion Realm cultivator be this powerful?
At this point, barely clinging to life, Lan An's cold face showed no mercy. One hand pressed onto the youth's head—Soul Search began.
Though he currently couldn't use advanced soul techniques, Soul Search was relatively simple. When the gap in strength was this vast, even non-soul cultivators could perform it.
"AAAAAAAAA!"
The youth's memories were forcibly extracted. He tried to self-destruct and drag Lan An down with him—but it was futile. Lan An had complete control. Endless memories flooded into Lan An's mind like a torrent.
From the Blood Realm? A Blood Child? Invading low-grade planets? Establishing the Transcending Spirit Blood Formation… Yuelong Star Realm…
As the Soul Search continued, Lan An's expression grew darker and darker.
According to the youth's memories, his name was Xue Fan—a Blood Child from the Blood Realm. That world was populated by evil beings who survived and grew strong by plundering blood essence. Yuelong Star was currently one of their fattest targets. The Blood Spirit Sect was merely a small branch the Blood Realm had secretly established long ago, preparing for today's plan.
Lan An sighed inwardly. The prediction from the Heavenly Secrets Hall had been correct—the great calamity on Yuelong Star was caused by outsiders. Rage and relief warred in his heart. Rage because Yuelong Star—where his wives and family still lived—was now under threat from the Blood Realm's claws. Relief because he had left behind plenty of life-saving measures for them before departing for training. They should have enough power to protect themselves.
Even so, worry gnawed at him. Had Wu San Niang and the others safely returned to the planet? And now this new disaster from the Blood Realm… his mood had never been worse.
"You can die now!"
Realizing Xue Fan had been reduced to an empty shell after the Soul Search, Lan An sneered. Thunder-flame erupted, incinerating him completely—not even ashes remained.
After this training journey, even a mere early Tribulation Realm like Xue Fan was now utterly helpless against him.
Progress was progress, gains were gains… but Lan An felt no joy. He was filled with worry and longing for his women…
"I have to get back quickly!"
Lan An steeled his resolve. He hoisted the still-unconscious You Mo over his shoulder once more. A talisman appeared in his hand.
It was an extremely transparent talisman. Floating above it was the faint phantom of a pair of exquisite scissors, condensed entirely from soul essence, gleaming with an ethereal sheen.
Having already read its description, Lan An was familiar with its function. He placed it on You Mo's forehead and tore it apart.
The Soul Erase Talisman shattered into countless motes of light that coalesced into the shape of scissors. They plunged into the center of You Mo's brow, then extended their blades—neatly snipping away the segment of his soul containing all memories from the past seven days.
Mission complete, the talisman dissipated into nothingness, leaving no trace behind. Even if someone performed a second Soul Search on You Mo later, they would find his memories abruptly stopped seven days ago—the recent week completely blank, like untouched paper.
"Should be fine for now. I wonder if the Soul Erase Talisman can fool an Immortal Venerable… but since it's System-produced, the quality shouldn't be bad!" Lan An comforted himself.
He tossed You Mo into a corner. The man's memories no longer contained any trace of "Lan An" from the past seven days—and he remained deeply unconscious.
Lan An had no idea when You Mo would wake. He quickly erased every trace of his own presence in the space, then shot toward the spatial rift the red-haired youth had emerged from…
"Blood Realm… Transcending Spirit Blood Formation… I'm coming!"
...
Yuelong Star Realm…
Wu San Niang stood in the rear courtyard of the Liu Clan estate, the enormous form of Ju Mei Ying towering behind her. The usually bold and beautiful face was now flushed with embarrassment and shame as she looked toward the gathered women—especially Liu Yuqing, whose brows were tightly furrowed, her glossy black lips gently bitten.
Wu San Niang had returned. A Ninth Revolution Body Cultivator like her triggered no tribulation lightning and suffered no rejection from the world. Simply put: she posed no threat to the Heavenly Dao and did not plunder massive amounts of spiritual energy that would damage the planet's foundation. Thus, she remained undisturbed.
To put it simply: unlike spiritual cultivators, Body Cultivators did not rely on spiritual energy absorption. When spiritual cultivators reached Half-Immortal after Tribulation Realm, they required terrifying quantities of spiritual energy to continue progressing. Yuelong Star could not supply enough for a Half-Immortal to cultivate without ascending. If they refused to ascend, the planet's spiritual energy would soon be drained dry, turning it into a dead world… Hence, the world's rules forcibly rejected and expelled them, forcing ascension via tribulation.
Body Cultivators were the complete opposite. They did not absorb spiritual energy, so they triggered no Heavenly Dao detection and faced no mandatory ascension or tribulation upon reaching Ninth Revolution. Only when a Ninth Revolution Body Cultivator unleashed their full power—causing damage to or even collapse of the planet due to their strength exceeding what Yuelong Star's space could endure—would tribulation descend, forcing them to ascend.
In short: as long as Wu San Niang restrained her power and did not unleash Ninth Revolution might, she could live normally on Yuelong Star. Just like the severely injured Ju Po Tian years ago, who had fallen here as a late Tenth Revolution Body Cultivator—yet drew no tribulation's gaze.
Setting that aside, the current atmosphere was extremely heavy. Clearly, after Wu San Niang and Ju Mei Ying successfully returned with Ju Aman's help, they had recounted everything about Lan An to the women—including Man Qiao's situation. Ju Mei Ying had hidden nothing.
Even Liu Yuqing, who had been preparing to enter secluded cultivation to break through to Tribulation Realm, had been shaken. Every flower-like, jade-carved face was now filled with worry. Even the usually lively Yan Die Qing, Li Zhuluan, and Ya Lian Na had tightly furrowed brows.
They all understood one thing: that man was the root of their lives, the heart of the entire harem. Each of them was a peerless beauty, each with an extremely strong personality and pride. They could set aside jealousy, unite as one, love each other like sisters, and live together… all because of him. They accepted everything for the sake of loving him. But if something happened to him—no one dared imagine what the harem would become.
The newer members like Bing Feifei and Ya Lian Na, who had only recently joined the harem, had already silently accepted becoming his women. If anything happened to him, they would lose all direction. Su Yan, who had already prepared to give herself to him, felt her budding feelings threatened with separation—she didn't dare think how mad she would become if he met misfortune.
Most of the women would likely turn into emotionless cultivation maniacs—becoming machines of destruction, heartless and ruthless… all to one day wipe out the entire Manhuang Star Realm in vengeance, then follow him to the grave.
"We should trust him. After all, my life, Sister Ji Ya's, and Xiao Shi's are bound to his through our contracts!" Bai Sumei gently stroked her snow-white hair, her red lips parting as she spoke softly.
"Sumei is right. I can sense his current condition very clearly—the Life-Death Shared Contract cannot lie!" Ji Ya nodded, knowing that calming everyone's emotions was the most important task right now.
"Husband still has Master Jin'er secretly protecting him. Sisters, don't overthink it!" Hua Qingzhu clasped Bai Lian Hua's slightly trembling hand, her eyes shining with confidence.
Indeed, with these words, the harem's expressions eased considerably. Though separated from their man, they could still roughly sense his situation through Ji Ya and the others' contract connections.
Liu Yuqing's soft lips curved upward. She gazed calmly into the sky and spoke:
"Since you've arrived—come in."
The women looked up. Hu Qingyu appeared, her seductive, bewitching figure graceful, her snow-white bare feet like lotus blossoms. Her cold eyes flickered with hidden killing intent:
"The Giant Demon Clan? This concubine would also like to meet them once!"