Today was the 29th, with only one day left until New Year's Eve.
While Lin Xiao was waiting for the city to be synthesized, the dark Yin energy over Changming Mountain had become as thick as ink, filling the entire interior of the mountain with blackness.
However, thanks to the control of the tomb guardian, Changming, everything appeared normal from the outside.
The only hint of the changes happening within was the stone tablet at the entrance, which used to display the characters "Changming Mountain." It had long since been swallowed by the inky Yin energy, signaling that the transformation inside was still underway.
Liao Pantu had lost track of how long he had been there.
Initially, he only thought this place was ideal for cultivating his Soul Refining Art.
During his stay in Changming Mountain, he didn't just focus on his cultivation but also occasionally tended to the forest of Soul-Nurturing Trees.
Since they were just saplings, although they had been planted, it would take quite some time for them to fully root into the soil.
While cultivating in this forest of Soul-Nurturing Trees, he found himself benefiting from their presence, and the trees, in turn, were nurtured by him.
Surrounded by so many Soul-Nurturing Trees, the pure Yin energy they generated provided the perfect environment for cultivating the Soul Refining Art.
Moreover, the soul energy he produced during cultivation helped nourish the trees.
Combined with the countless buried souls in Changming Mountain and the array that gathered the Yin energy of the heavens and earth, the more time Liao Pantu spent cultivating here, the more this place developed a self-sustaining cycle.
He felt as though he was thriving here, completely immersed in his cultivation.
During this time, his cultivation level had skyrocketed.
Especially recently, he felt a strange sensation within his soul.
It was as if something was about to emerge but hadn't fully formed yet—a mysterious feeling that drew him deeper into exploration.
Both the Soul Refining Art and the Benyuan Heart Sutra, which he had long since mastered, were circulating within his soul. However, Liao Pantu was currently unaware of this dual operation.
It was as though he had entered a long, narrow passage filled with black mist, with no end in sight.
Though only darkness lay ahead, something seemed to be calling him, pulling him forward.
It felt like he was floating, yet at the same time walking step by step, both confused and determined as he moved onward.
He had no idea how long he had been walking when, finally, a vague outline appeared in the distance.
It was no longer just endless darkness; something had taken shape.
As he approached the shadow, he saw it clearly.
It was a stone coffin.
A stone coffin he knew all too well.
His soul had been sealed within this very coffin for nearly a hundred years.
Though he couldn't see inside, he knew that his other soul fragment was staring back at him from within the coffin.
Liao Pantu reached out to touch the coffin, and the seal on its surface glowed brightly, reminding him that without breaking the seal, the coffin could never be opened.
He sighed softly.
From within the coffin, his other soul fragment sighed in unison.
The faint sound was swallowed by the surrounding Yin wind, as if it had dispersed into the air.
Suddenly, a streak of blackened golden energy shot out from Liao Pantu's body, heading straight for the coffin!
With a sharp "ding," the once impenetrable seal on the coffin shattered into countless fragments, dissolving into starlight and scattering into the boundless darkness.
Liao Pantu watched the scene unfold in surprise.
The lid of the coffin, which had been firmly shut, slowly opened from the inside.
His other soul fragment floated out. Liao Pantu extended his hand, and the other fragment reached out as well. As soon as the two fragments touched, they rapidly began to fuse!
In the blink of an eye, the two fragments had merged into one.
Standing in the darkness, Liao Pantu felt his soul return to its peak state—no, it was even stronger than before!
This was the accumulation of all the years each fragment had spent apart and the years he had spent cultivating within the Lingxian Sect!
As he relished the long-lost feeling of wholeness, Liao Pantu suddenly recalled the black-and-gold energy that had so easily shattered the coffin's seal.
He raised his eyes and saw the black-and-gold energy coalescing into a glowing orb, black in the center and gold on the outside, silently floating in mid-air.
It seemed to be waiting for him.
He reached out to touch the orb.
The moment he made contact, the glow dispersed.
In his hand, a black book lay quietly.
On its cover were four large golden characters—"Benyuan Soul Sutra".
"Benyuan… Soul Sutra?"
Liao Pantu was puzzled.
Seeing the scene before him, he quickly recalled what Lin Xiao and the others had told him about Jiang Youfu creating the "Benyuan Heart Sutra: Immortal Food Chapter".
But this Benyuan Soul Sutra seemed different.
It didn't appear to be a branch of the Benyuan Heart Sutra.
In order to resolve his doubts, he wasted no time thinking about his current whereabouts and immediately sat down to examine the Benyuan Soul Sutra.
...
After reading just the first chapter, he was sure of one thing—this was not a branch of the Benyuan Heart Sutra.
The Benyuan Soul Sutra seemed to be a fusion of the Benyuan Heart Sutra and the Soul Refining Art, giving birth to an entirely new cultivation technique!
Moreover, this technique, which he could immediately tell was of a higher grade than any Earth-level technique, was a Heaven-level technique uniquely suited to him!
Liao Pantu was filled with unprecedented joy.
Suddenly, the endless blackness around him stirred as the omnipresent Yin energy howled, surging into his soul from all directions!
He felt his soul expand larger and larger, swelling with the seemingly inexhaustible supply of Yin energy.
Until, at last, he seemed to be the only thing left in this world.
At some point, the endless black Yin energy had vanished, replaced by a vast emptiness. Other than himself, there was nothing.
The Benyuan Soul Sutra transformed into a golden light and flew back into his body.
Liao Pantu felt his soul begin to tremble.
A nameless sound reverberated, as though from the heavens, or perhaps from his sea of consciousness, spreading outward in a constant hum and then tightening inward.
He felt as though he were both fainting and incredibly clear-headed at the same time.
It was as if he were walking between two realms—one step leading to towering mountains, the other to boundless seas.
Here, there was no passage of time, no rising and setting of the sun or moon.
Everything was happening, shifting, yet time seemed frozen.
The stillness was eventually shattered by the distant rumble of thunder.
Liao Pantu raised his head to see a thundering dragon, coiled in the sky, wrapped in brilliant clouds.
Without a sound, a command was issued, and thick bolts of lightning twisted together, roaring as they descended upon him!
As the lightning struck him, he felt like iron being forged by a blacksmith, hammered with force.
Strike after strike.