Chapter 78: The Soul Within the Lotus

Qi Yan’s eyes widened in shock.

He wanted to struggle, but felt all his strength ebbing away, his consciousness growing dim. In a haze, he thought the voice behind him sounded oddly familiar—as if he’d heard it somewhere before—but as he tried to recall, all his memories blurred. He knew then: he was dying.

No... He had only just embarked on the path of cultivation, hadn’t yet formed his foundation, hadn’t become an inner disciple, his future still bright before him! He should live for hundreds, thousands of years!

Who was it?

Who—

Who—

A sudden surge of flames rose, wrapping around Qi Yan’s body, consuming the last trace of his unwillingness and despair in the raging fire.

Jiang Min stepped from the shadows.

Three streaks of light fell into her hand.

The Starfrost Sword, untouched by blood, was swiftly tucked into the pouch at her waist. Qi Yan’s protective treasures were expected, but even his most formidable defenses were pierced in an instant by the blade infused with thunder-fire sword energy—like paper before a storm.

The other two items: Qi Yan’s spatial pouch and the Ancient Xuanqing Lotus.

Jiang Min examined the lotus closely. From afar, it appeared ordinary, but up close, with her spiritual sense probing carefully, she saw the subtle, intricate patterns hidden inside the petals, faintly rippling with Daoist resonance. Deeply concealed, its true essence could only be obtained by consuming and refining it.

She curved her lips in a gentle smile.

With the seeds of the Ancient Xuanqing Lotus, she could forge her Dao foundation without relying on Foundation Establishment Pills, achieving perfection and smoothing her future path.

As for Qi Yan—such a one, who harmed his fellow disciples, deserved death. Taking his life was no matter.

“This place is unsafe; I must find another spot to inventory Qi Yan’s belongings.”

Jiang Min produced a jade box, placed the lotus inside, sealed it with a talisman to mask its aura, and willed it into her spatial pouch—but it didn’t go in.

“Hm? It won’t fit?”

Her brows knit in puzzlement, a strange light flickering in her eyes. Realizing she couldn’t delay, she placed the jade box instead into the beast pouch she had prepared for Little Grass.

Then—

She immediately activated her Cloud-Chasing Boots, leaving the area and traversing through the pitch-black night. After crossing dozens of mountain ridges, far from the marsh, Jiang Min finally found a crevice shielded by trees, set up a few illusion array disks to mask her presence, and began to sort through Qi Yan’s spatial pouch.

“Wind Jade Essence?!”

Surprise colored her face as she held a palm-sized crystal bottle, half-filled with thick, golden-streaked essence. Wasn’t this the Wind Jade Essence Qi Yan once wagered?

“So he always carried it... He truly is reckless.”

Jiang Min didn’t understand the confidence of privileged disciples like Qi Yan. If she possessed such a treasure, she would hide it carefully, not flaunt it. Even after making it public, Qi Yan never transferred this hot potato elsewhere, but kept it with him.

Perhaps her perspective was limited, but in her view, even if Qi Yan was capable of protecting his valuables, his behavior was foolish.

Feigning poverty was the safest disguise.

“With this half bottle of Wind Jade Essence, and some Thunder Jade Essence, I can finally cultivate the Wind-Thunder Body I’ve left aside.”

Her brows lifted in a smile, joy brightening her face as she stowed the essence, then continued to inventory the pouch.

Qi Yan was indeed from a great clan.

Within the pouch were countless treasures: cultivation methods, martial arts, techniques, spirit stones, herbs, materials, rare items... Far richer than Lin Mingyue, who had already built her foundation. There were also belongings from several junior disciples, hastily stashed and not worth much compared to Qi Yan’s own wealth.

“My purse, just flattened, is full again...”

Her lips never fell from their upward curve. She quickly classified spirit stones, herbs, and valuables, packing them into her own pouch.

As for the jade slips recording techniques and spells, all were abridged versions, incomplete, mostly family secrets of the Qi clan—not for her to learn or keep.

Without hesitation, she summoned countless sharp sword threads in her palm, shredding all the jade slips to powder.

Once she’d finished sorting through her spoils, Jiang Min took out the jade box containing the Ancient Xuanqing Lotus once more, her gaze lingering thoughtfully.

After a brief silence—

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a streak of light shot out from the jade box like lightning, aiming straight for Jiang Min’s brow.

Its speed was astonishing; an ordinary Qi-refining cultivator would have no time to react. But Jiang Min, who cultivated the Divine Jade Cottage Sutra, possessed extraordinary spiritual sense. Her expression hardened as she invoked her Daoist arts, surging her spiritual mind like a tidal wave to construct a firm Jade Cottage, shielding her sea of consciousness.

Bang!

The streak of light, about to pierce her brow, slammed into an impenetrable barrier, unable to invade her mind. Realizing it had met a formidable defense, the light twisted, trying to flee.

“Trying to escape?”

Jiang Min’s laugh was cold. As she activated her spiritual sense, she produced a jade array disk engraved with complex Daoist patterns. At once, she triggered a trapping formation, locking the light within.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Countless chains of spiritual energy sprang from the formation, ensnaring the light tightly and revealing its true form.

It was the soul of a female cultivator, her aura weak, but her past beauty faintly visible—long hair to her waist, striking features. Now, however, she was terrified, struggling against the chains. The more she fought, the tighter they wound.

Seeing the soul unable to break the trap, Jiang Min relaxed, holding the jade box and calmly asked, “You are the soul that dwelled within the Ancient Xuanqing Lotus, aren’t you?”

The soul paused, ceasing her struggles, and asked in confusion, “How did you know?”

She believed she’d concealed her presence, but this girl seemed confident, always watching the lotus as if she knew someone was inside.

Jiang Min’s smile held an inscrutable meaning. How did she know?

Naturally, when she realized the lotus couldn’t be stored in her spatial pouch, she grew suspicious. Only living beings with spiritual consciousness are barred from such pouches—just like Little Grass and A-Ling, who required a special beast pouch. She assumed the lotus, like Little Grass, had naturally developed a spirit.

But she hadn’t expected—

Inside lived the soul of a cultivator...

“You sought to possess me. I cannot let you remain.”

To one who intended to steal her body, Jiang Min showed no mercy. Her voice was cold as she raised the jade array disk, ready to activate the killing function.

The female soul, seeing Jiang Min’s resolve, cried out, “Wait! I can hand over all my wealth—spare me!”

Her soul had long lost its physical body and former power; even a simple trap left her helpless. The harsh reality left her anxious and angry.

“Sorry, not interested.”

Jiang Min replied politely, but did not pause, injecting spiritual power into the array disk by a precise method, activating the killing formation.

At the brink of death, the female soul pleaded desperately, “Are you not interested in the entire fortune of a Foundation Establishment cultivator at peak perfection?”