「[Soul Armor]: Crafted by Workshop Master Zhu Han of the Jade Refining Workshop from the Heart of a Demon Ghost and the Essence of a Yin Soul. In its Juvenile Stage, it is a furnace for Nascent Soul Longing. In its Pupa Stage, it is an altar that feeds on souls. In its Mature Stage, it is an armor that revives the short-lived.

Cost of Use: The Soul Body will become impure, as if dead yet not alive. Though lifespan can be extended, true life cannot be retained. To live on is like being cooked alive, the soul like a shattered mirror.

Status: Purification possible!」

Yang An looked at the slowly beating Heart in his hand, then finished reading the information box. He quickly understood what this thing was.

This Magical Artifact, which looked exactly like a Heart, seemed capable of bringing the dead back to life. However, it wasn't a true resurrection, but rather the piecing together of countless impure Soul Bodies to create a temporary living being.

Moreover, even after gaining a brief new life, the user would suffer excruciating torment for their remaining time.

It was just like that old Daoist from before. Yang An hadn't sensed any life force or Cultivation Level aura from him, yet he acted just like a living person, with nothing seeming amiss.

This was the effect of this Magical Artifact!

"You little punk, this thing looks pretty tasty!"

The Bow Lady's voice chimed in Yang An's ear, and he could have sworn he heard the sound of drooling.

This startled Yang An so much that he immediately clenched the object tightly in his hand, terrified that the Bow Lady might actually eat it.

"You can't eat this. If you eat it, I'm done for."

"You little punk, can't you take a joke? You really think this lady is that greedy?"

'I wouldn't put it past her!'

The thought flashed through Yang An's mind. Delicious Soul Bodies were incredibly tempting for the Bow Lady; who knew if she could resist the temptation.

To be safe, he put the Magical Artifact into his storage bracelet. He was so wary he didn't even dare put his Meat Burial Talismans in there with it, afraid of some unforeseen loss.

With the item in his possession, Yang An scanned his surroundings. After confirming there was no one else's aura nearby, he finally left, relieved.

'Who would have thought when I came here that I wouldn't even have to lift a finger? That old Daoist took care of this whole group for me.'

He hadn't left any traces, and everyone at the scene was gone. This was undoubtedly the best possible outcome.

Yang An quickly left the area, heading back the way he came. He soon returned to where he'd been before.

Wen Yin and Zhou Quan were both there, obediently waiting without wandering off.

However, looking at them, something seemed off about both Wen Yin and Zhou Quan. One was suffering from the backlash of her cost again, while the other was trembling slightly.

But he didn't sense anyone else's aura, and Wen Yin wasn't injured, so he couldn't be bothered to ask for details.

"Let's go!"

With that one curt word, Yang An took the two with him, and the group immediately headed toward Sanchuan City.

The three figures quickly vanished from sight, speeding into the distance.

An hour later, a wind swept over the grassland. The sea of flowers bent over in large swathes as if bowing their heads. Beneath them, the corpses seemed to have discovered something terrifying, gently pawing at the soil to hide their rotting bodies within the earth.

A figure arrived swiftly from the distance, landing in the sea of flowers. His gaze fell upon Tianmu Mountain, half of which had now vanished.

He stared at the scene before him, twitched his nose and sniffed lightly, then frowned.

The clothes on his body flowed like blood, spreading out in all directions. The once-lush sea of flowers began to wither rapidly, falling to the ground and being devoured.

"Stop eating. Go and investigate."

The voice that came from the figure's mouth was surprisingly gentle.

The flowing clothes at his feet quickly retracted, peeling off the figure's body and taking his hands with them. Then, it transformed into a streak of red lightning and shot toward Tianmu Mountain.

Before long, all of Tianmu Mountain seemed to be shrouded in a layer of fresh blood, as if a red cloth had been draped over it, obscuring everything.

After a while longer, the clothing detached from Tianmu Mountain and brought the figure's hands back. At the same time, it also brought back half of an eyeball that wasn't completely shattered.

Looking at the half-eyeball in his hand, it resembled a shriveled grape skin.

The figure sighed, then tossed it into his mouth, making soft chewing sounds.

...

「Sanchuan City.」

Perhaps because this was a branch of the Golden Soul Sect—the number one power in the Fusheng Domain—no one dared to cause trouble here. Thus, Yang An's group of three entered Sanchuan City with ease.

The place Yang An needed to go was the renowned Wei Family of Sanchuan City. He could get their address just by asking anyone on the street.

Looking at the bustling scene within the city, even Yang An couldn't help but sigh in admiration. 'So this is the Outer Continent.'

Compared to the small, remote places where Demon Fiends ran rampant and the people suffered, where even the upper echelons couldn't protect the common folk, this place looked exceptionally prosperous and vibrant.

With the Golden Soul Sect providing protection, although this might just be a superficial illusion, seeing smiles on most people's faces meant that, at least on the surface, their lives were decent.

However, even the ordinary civilians seemed a little strange.

On the surface, they looked no different from normal people, but Yang An couldn't quite put his finger on what was odd about them.

"So fragrant..."

The Bow Lady couldn't help but exclaim.

"Is there something wrong with these people's souls?"

Yang An asked curiously.

Since the Bow Lady had made such a comment, it meant there was likely a problem.

"Let me think... Their Soul Bodies are full of bugs, yes! They look like beehives! Every single one of these guys is so fragrant, my mouth is watering!

The craving is making me drool, too!"

The Bow Lady trembled slightly, as if trying her best to suppress her craving, as though an endless feast was laid out before her.

"Just bear with it. Who knows what kind of shady business is going on here, and it's not like I can just grab them for you to taste."

Yang An could only pat the Bow Lady and say as much.

What the Bow Lady said also sent a chill down his spine. As expected, things weren't as simple as they looked.

'I'd find it hard to believe the Golden Soul Sect wasn't responsible. These Cultivators really aren't good people. It's the same for commoners everywhere; the weak are fated to be a meal for those at the top.'

However, these guys should understand the principle of not killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Besides, it was none of his business.

The Wei Family estate was at the end of Southeast Street, an exceptionally vast residence situated in the center of a district of gray-brick buildings with green-tiled roofs. It was surrounded by high brick walls covered in dark green vines.

The main entrance consisted of two massive, arched wooden doors studded with exquisite bronze nails. They were carved with patterns of auspicious clouds, symbolizing good fortune.

Bringing Wen Yin and Zhou Quan with him, Yang An couldn't be bothered to knock and announce himself, instead landing directly inside the Wei Family's courtyard. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The moment he appeared, many people were instantly alerted and surrounded him from all directions.

"Someone's broken into the estate! Quick, report it to the Church!" someone immediately shouted.

Although they were a family in the city, these were all just Low-tier Cultivators. High-tier Cultivators wouldn't deign to work as servants.

"Tell your person in charge that I've come on behalf of the Workshop Master to complete a transaction!"

Yang An shouted this loudly before anyone could run off to notify the Golden Soul Sect.

This was also what the Workshop Master had instructed. As long as he stated his purpose, the people of the Wei Family would know how to act.

Sure enough, an old man in magnificent robes came out with his men. He was also a Cultivator, but his Cultivation Level was only at the Early Stage of Visceral Stone.

He had already noticed when Yang An appeared with his companions, but he only dared to show himself after Yang An had made his intentions clear.

He dismissed his subordinates and welcomed Yang An's group of three into a study.

The study had a thick smell of medicine mixed with a rotten stench that was quite pungent.

The old Cultivator ordered someone to serve tea, but Yang An waved his hand to refuse. Unwilling to waste time on pleasantries, he got straight to the point and took the Soul Armor out of his Storage Magical Artifact.

The black Heart was secreting some dark, sticky mucus, like melted putty. Yang An placed it on the desk with a look of disgust.

As the Heart beat, the wooden desk immediately began to emit heavy, muffled thuds. Faint black shadows could be seen constantly moving across the Heart's surface.

"This is it! This is it!"

A greedy expression appeared on the old Cultivator's face. His eyes lit up, and his body even trembled slightly as he reached out to grab the Soul Armor.

SHIING! SHIING!

Several beams of Golden Radiance appeared, aimed directly at the old Cultivator. This made him freeze. He shuddered, regained his composure, and looked at Yang An with a chuckle.

"The deal you made with the Workshop Master is for you to fulfill yourself. I'm just the one delivering the item, so I'm collecting a delivery fee. Now, let's talk about that!"

"Of course! Of course!"

The old Cultivator said with a tremor in his voice. He couldn't see through Yang An's Cultivation Level, so his attitude was extremely deferential.

"Are you the head of the Wei Family? Can you make the decisions here?"

Yang An first wanted to confirm the old man's identity.

"I am not the family head, but everyone in this household is my child or grandchild. They all listen to me. Fellow Cultivator, please state what you desire."

Yang An nodded. As long as he was the one in charge, it was fine.

"I don't want anything else. What I want is to use the Golden Soul Sect's Teleportation Array once. The Workshop Master said you could arrange it."

Yang An's meaning was clear: the Workshop Master had already said they could do it, so they had better not lie about it.

The old man nodded tremulously and reached into his robes, pulling out a token.

It was a black, iron-like token. It seemed to be covered in a patina, coated with a layer of black grime.

The token was palm-sized and irregularly shaped. It was as if something alive was trapped inside—a bug or something—a small creature swimming back and forth within it.

"This is a Passage Token, the last one our Wei Family possesses. With this, you can use the Teleportation Array to go anywhere in the Fusheng Domain."

The old Cultivator likewise placed the token on the desk and retracted his withered, dull-skinned hand.

"I need to verify its authenticity!"

Yang An said bluntly. This concerned whether they could leave the Fusheng Domain, so he had to be cautious.

Without waiting for the old Cultivator's agreement, Yang An lightly touched the token with his finger, pretending to flip it over. An information box immediately appeared before his eyes.

「[Water Louse Live Bait]: From the Golden Soul Sect, refined from the remnant souls of mortals. When thrown into the Cyan Lotus Pool, it can make the Cyan Lotus bloom, allowing passage to the Land of Blessings.

Cost of Use: The live bait feeds on blood. A drop of blood is required for the bait to imprint your aura, only then can you enter the Cyan Lotus.

Status: Purification possible!」