Cultivation: I Can Steal Lifespan from Spirit Beasts

The tide of battle on the island turned with terrifying abruptness.

High above the lake, the matriarch of Mirror Moon Manor rode a stream of red silk like a dragon, effortlessly suppressing Chief Steward Lu Yuansheng. Her face was twisted in a cold, triumphant sneer.

“Heh. You didn’t expect this, did you?”

“Ever since your Heavenly Gate Sect annihilated the Golden Rainbow Sect a century ago, the major sects of the Jiang Kingdom swore a Mutual Defense Pact. We have been waiting for this day!”

She raised her dragon-head staff, her voice booming like thunder. “It is a pity you only sent a few Foundation Establishment juniors to die. But no matter. Once we cleanse this filth, we will unite to eradicate every Heavenly Gate stronghold in the kingdom!”

Having dropped all pretense of civility, the matriarch did not hesitate.

The red silk tightened around Lu Yuansheng, binding him in place. Her staff expanded instantly, transforming into a massive heavenly pillar that smashed down with crushing force.

Lu Yuansheng was forced back, retreating step by desperate step.

Simultaneously, several terrifying auras erupted from the island below, flashing into the sky to flank the Heavenly Gate forces.

The Left Path cannon fodder, who had spent years scavenging in the Golden Rainbow Garrison, recognized them immediately. Screams of recognition tore through the ranks.

“That’s the Deputy City Lord of Welcoming Dragon City!”

“The Third Elder of the Great River Sword Sect!”

“And the Second Palace Master of Dao Fei Palace…”

Golden Core Perfected Beings. Legends who should have been thousands of miles away were here, standing shoulder to shoulder.

The trap had been set long ago. The Heavenly Gate Sect’s ambush had been leaked.

Those with sharp eyes and quick wits immediately began shifting their positions, looking for an escape route.

Wang Ba, however, stopped retreating.

Risk assessment: Critical.

He gripped the white bone fragment Bai Yu had given him. As long as he remained within the ‘White Bone Formation,’ he had a sliver of protection. It wasn’t much, but it was better than the alternative.

To flee the formation now was suicide. A lone Qi Refining cultivator running across the open lake would be swatted like a fly by the Golden Core masters hovering above.

Stay put. Trust the formation. Pray Lu Yuansheng has a card to play.

He recalled the scene from four years ago—Lu Yuansheng wielding the power of a Nascent Soul entity.

He must have a backup plan. A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn’t lead a suicide mission against a Golden Core sect without insurance.

Wang Ba wasn’t the only one thinking this. Many of the veteran Left Path cultivators, though pale with terror, held their ground.

“These little demonic brats are surprisingly calm…”

The Third Elder of the Great River Sword Sect swept his gaze over the formation, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. It quickly replaced by a cold sneer.

He raised two fingers, pointing into the void like a sword.

Thrum.

Countless streaks of invisible sword qi erupted from his fingertips, raining down like a deadly monsoon.

“Hold the formation!” someone screamed.

But against a Golden Core master, words were wind.

Many cultivators who were too slow to react were decapitated instantly, their heads tumbling into the lake. Only those securely linked into the White Bone Formation managed to survive, the spectral bones absorbing the lethal strikes.

Wang Ba felt a strand of sword qi slice past his ear, the wind of its passage stinging his skin. His heart hammered against his ribs.

Close. Too close.

Above, the Second Palace Master of Dao Fei Palace laughed softly. “Fellow Daoist Ge, your sword art has improved. It makes my hands itch. Allow me to demonstrate my ‘Ten Thousand Realms Burial’!”

He waved his water sleeves, and illusionary flowers bloomed in the void. They shattered into a storm of falling petals, each one concealing a lethal edge.

Having learned their lesson, the survivors huddled tighter into the formation, mitigating the damage.

The Deputy City Lord of Welcoming Dragon City frowned, impatient.

“Fellow Daoists, let us not delay. The longer the night, the more dreams may haunt us. Eliminate these demonic practitioners quickly, then we strike the Heavenly Gate garrisons and cleanse the Jiang Kingdom once and for all!”

The others nodded, preparing to unleash their full power.

But before they could strike, the battle between the Mirror Moon matriarch and Lu Yuansheng underwent a horrific transformation.

“Hmm?!”

BANG!

A figure was sent flying backward, smashing through the air with the force of a meteor.

The Allied Golden Cores froze.

It was the Mirror Moon matriarch.

Their gazes snapped to the source of the impact, drawn by a fluctuation of energy so vile, so overwhelming, it made their souls tremble.

RIIIP!

The red silk artifact—a Third-Grade treasure—was torn in half like wet paper.

A massive, crimson skeleton clawed its way out of the shredded fabric.

It stood in the sky, a giant of blood and bone, radiating a pressure that suffocated the world.

“Nascent Soul… True Lord?!”

The color drained from the faces of the Golden Core masters. The laughter died in their throats.

One Golden Core cultivator, seeing the tide turn, turned to flee immediately.

Thwip.

A slender, crimson hand-bone shot across the sky, faster than thought. It pierced his Dantian from behind, exiting through his stomach.

Clutched in the skeletal fingers was a small, golden orb, still pulsing with light.

His Golden Core.

Under the horrified gazes of his peers, the skeletal hand clenched.

CRACK.

The Golden Core shattered.

BOOM!

A blinding explosion lit up the night sky.

When the light faded, the hand-bone remained unscathed. It dissolved into fragments, reforming into a chain that slithered back to reattach to the crimson skeleton.

Silence descended.

Though alone against many, the Blood Bone Avatar stood like a demon god, unassailable.

Wang Ba stared up at the sky, his eyes wide with shock.

He’s stronger.

Compared to the destruction of the Eastern Sage Sect four years ago, Lu Yuansheng’s control over the Blood Bone Avatar had evolved. It was precise. Lethal.

This explains everything. The Sect sent him because he is a weapon of mass destruction.

“Do not panic!” The Deputy City Lord of Welcoming Dragon City shouted, his voice straining for calm. “A Foundation Establishment cultivator wielding Nascent Soul power is a heaven-defying act! The backlash will be severe, and the duration short! Stall him, and victory is ours!”

“Correct! City Lord Ling is right!”

“Seven against one! We just need to survive the burst!” The Great River Sword Sect Elder added.

These were experienced veterans. They instantly identified the weakness of Lu Yuansheng’s technique.

But the crimson skeleton did not attack. It hovered leisurely in the air, its jaw clacking as it spoke.

“Fellow Daoists… aren’t you curious?”

“Where are the Golden Core masters of my Heavenly Gate Sect?”

The question hung in the air like a poisonous fog.

The seven Allied Golden Cores exchanged glances, a seed of dread sprouting in their hearts.

Where are they?

Suddenly, a streak of light broke the sound barrier—a transmission talisman flying straight to the Deputy City Lord of Welcoming Dragon City.

The crimson skeleton made no move to intercept it.

City Lord Ling caught the talisman. As he read the message, his face turned the color of ash.

He fell silent for a heartbeat.

Then, without a word, he turned and fled.

“Fellow Daoist Ling! You… what are you doing?!”

The Mirror Moon matriarch, coughing blood, stepped through the air to stop him.

City Lord Ling paused, looking back with a grimace.

“Fellow Daoist Mi… Welcoming Dragon City is under siege by six Heavenly Gate Golden Core masters… Forgive me!”

With a flash of light, he dove back into the island, activating the teleportation array. A pillar of light erupted, and his aura vanished.

Moments later, two more Golden Core masters received talismans. With hurried apologies, they too abandoned the field.

Panic set in.

Three were gone. Only four allies remained.

Seven against the Blood Bone Avatar was a gamble. Four was a death sentence.

The remaining four exchanged looks, threw out defensive talismans, and unanimously chose to flee.

“Fellow Daoist Li! Fellow Daoist Zhu! You short-sighted fools!”

The matriarch screamed, her voice cracking with despair. “Do you not understand?! When the lips are gone, the teeth will freeze! If Mirror Moon Manor falls, you are next!”

The fleeing masters sighed, but they did not stop.

They weren’t stupid. They knew the consequences. But the war was already lost. They had thought they were the hunters, setting a trap for the Heavenly Gate Sect. Instead, the Heavenly Gate Sect had anticipated their trap and used it against them—feint in the east, strike in the west.

The intelligence leaked to the Left Path cultivators had been bait.

If they stayed, their own sects would fall.

Between saving a stranger’s sect and saving their own, there was no choice.

Within moments, the four disappeared into the teleportation array.

The crimson skeleton watched them go, motionless.

As the last light of the array faded, the blood-red armor plating on the skeleton clattered apart, falling away like dead leaves.

“You… you bluffed them!”

The matriarch stared, stunned, before her face twisted into a mask of pure hatred.

“It doesn’t matter! You are just a Foundation Establishment ant now! I will kill you, take my disciples, and leave the Jiang Kingdom forever!”

Lu Yuansheng, stripped of his armor, remained maddeningly calm.

“Kill me? Escape?”

He laughed, a dry, mocking sound. “Naive.”

“Junior Brother Jiang, are you done watching?”

Junior Brother Jiang?

The matriarch froze.

BOOM!

A violent explosion tore through the center of the island.

The matriarch whirled around. Through her Divine Sense, she saw the ruins of the teleportation array—her only escape route—engulfed in flames.

Standing amidst the fire was a familiar figure.

“Yunjing?!”

The matriarch’s eyes bulged.

At the same time, Dong Qiyu—the spy everyone had ignored—shook off his bindings and flashed to Lu Yuansheng’s side, bowing deeply.

“Senior Brother Lu.”

The matriarch ignored him. Her gaze was fixed on the woman slowly ascending from the smoke.

“Yunjing… no. You aren’t her. Where is my daughter?!”

The woman tilted her head, a tearful expression appearing on her face. “Mother, don’t you recognize me? I am your daughter… Yunjing!”

“Die!”

The matriarch struck out in a rage.

With her cultivation, she could see the truth clearly. Her daughter, the Manor Lord, was gone. Her body was a shell.

And this had happened right under her nose.

The Heavenly Gate Sect’s methods were insidious beyond measure.

‘Yunjing’ feigned panic. “Mother, how can you be so cruel? Though… I must admit, the sensation of slowly devouring your daughter’s soul and wearing her skin was… exquisite.”

The panic melted into a grotesque, twisted smile.

“SHUT UP!”

Grief and fury overwhelmed the old woman. She swung her dragon-head staff, expanding it into a mountain-crushing weapon aimed directly at the imposter.

‘Yunjing’ finally dropped the act. She raised a defensive artifact, shouting urgently:

“Senior Brother Lu! And you freaks from the Joyous Life Path! Stop watching and help me!”

Lu Yuansheng crossed his arms, remaining silent.

“Heh. If Junior Brother Jiang doesn’t ask, we wouldn’t dare overstep.”

A sultry, teasing voice echoed from the shadows.

From behind the ranks of the Left Path cultivators, several figures on flying swords glided forward. They were handsome, beautiful, and radiated a sickeningly sweet aura.

Disciples of the Joyous Life Path.

They formed a circle and began to play instruments—flutes, zithers, and chimes.

Countless invisible waves of sound—decadent, erotic, and corrupting—assaulted the matriarch from all directions.

“You have a death wish!”

The matriarch roared, swinging her staff.

To use such vulgar, obscene methods against her was the ultimate insult.

But she was wounded. The earlier battle and the shock of betrayal had weakened her spirit.

The decadent sounds burrowed into her mind like maggots in the bone, bypassing her spiritual defenses.

Instantly, illusions of a sea of desire and depravity flooded her consciousness. Her eyes glazed over, her movements slowing to a halt.

“Too easy,” ‘Yunjing’ sneered, lowering her defense. “Your Joyous Life Path is disgusting. Were you planning to turn this old hag into a Cultivation Cauldron?”

“A Golden Core is a Golden Core,” the leader of the Joyous Life Path—a handsome youth with snake-like eyes—licked his lips. “If she can be broken, why not? And Junior Brother Jiang… your new skin is quite lovely. I’m not picky. I’d be happy to join you in…”

Whoosh!

‘Yunjing’s’ eyes flashed with murderous intent.

“Kidding! Just a joke, Junior Brother,” the youth laughed, brushing his sleeves.

But in that moment of distraction, the matriarch’s eyes snapped open.

The glaze was gone. Replaced by the clarity of terminal resolve.

“Juniors! You have gone too far!”

She reached into her Storage Bag and pulled out a pitch-black skull.

With a scream of agony, she slammed her palm onto the skull’s crown. Her body withered instantly, her skin turning to parchment, her life force draining into the artifact like water down a drain.

‘Yunjing’ and the Joyous Life Path disciples screamed in terror.

“Run!”

They scattered.

But it was too late.

Two beams of Soul-Falling Divine Light shot from the skull’s empty sockets. They fractured in mid-air, splitting into dozens of seeking rays that strafed the area.

Lu Yuansheng watched from a distance, nodding as if confirming a hypothesis.

“Intelligence confirmed. It really is the Soul-Falling Divine Light.”

Down below.

Wang Ba looked up just in time to see the sky turn black.

A sense of impending doom, colder and sharper than anything he had ever felt, pierced his heart.

Out of the chaotic spray of lethal light, one beam was heading straight for him.