Shen Xian never expected a remnant soul to be hiding inside a mere low-rank spirit treasure.

It struck without warning, diving straight into his Sea of Consciousness.

In that split second between life and death, Shen Xian barely managed to activate the Mystic Origin Heart Shield.

A layer of pale golden light flickered into existence at the core of his mind. It wavered like a candle in the wind, barely holding back the fatal strike threatening to tear his soul apart.

“A Heart Shield?”

The remnant soul let out a piercing shriek, sounding like ten thousand vengeful ghosts weeping in unison. “A mere Golden Core cultivator dares to stop me?!”

It had plotted for countless years for this chance at rebirth. It wasn’t about to let go.

A crimson spear spun violently, its tip erupting with blinding bloody light. Countless resentful spirits seemed to roar within it, frantically eroding the light of the Heart Shield.

Crack—Crack, crack.

The barrier trembled violently. Spiderweb-like fractures spread across its surface instantly.

It was about to shatter.

Shen Xian let out a muffled groan. Blood seeped from his seven orifices. His Sea of Consciousness felt like it was being pierced by ten thousand needles. The violent force threatened to shred his very soul.

Although the Mystic Origin True Art was a sixth-tier mental cultivation method, his Golden Core cultivation was limited. He couldn’t unleash its full power.

This remnant soul, on the other hand, had clearly prepared for this. Its methods were treacherous and vicious, targeting the weak points of his soul with every strike.

It gave him no room to breathe.

“Break!”

The soul roared. The bloody light on the spear tip surged like a monstrous wave, crashing down with crushing weight.

The Heart Shield groaned. The cracks widened. Collapse was imminent.

Shen Xian’s consciousness shook violently. If the shield broke, his Sea of Consciousness would be laid bare.

It would be over.

Cold sweat soaked his back. The shadow of death had never been this distinct.

Calm down… I must stay calm.

He forced himself to steady his mind. The Heart Shield was still holding, buying him a precious sliver of time to think.

Mental attacks… what do I have?

Shen Xian’s thoughts raced, frantically searching his arsenal.

The Taixu Reflection Mirror was strong, but it focused on external enemies. It couldn’t protect his internal world. The Nine-Revolutions Exquisite Needle broke restrictions, but had little effect on soul combat.

Was he really going to die here?

Just as despair loomed—

Hum!

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Eight Trigrams Primordial Dao Scripture, which had remained silent as an abyss, suddenly trembled.

This supreme scripture, a blessing from the first clan patriarch, had been hidden in his mind since he started his cultivation journey. Although it occasionally showed signs of life, his lack of comprehension had prevented him from ever wielding its true power.

But now, it was responding on its own!

“I have to rely on it!”

Shen Xian made his choice instantly.

Better to gamble than to wait for death.

He didn’t hesitate. He mobilized his entire divine sense, pouring it into the Dao Scripture like a raging river.

Boom!

His Sea of Consciousness churned. Four ancient, mysterious Dao runes lit up like stars. Each character seemed to contain the absolute truths of heaven and earth, radiating a supreme pressure capable of suppressing all things.

Qian!

Kun!

Zhen!

Xun!

In the next second, golden light bloomed. A sharp, cutting aura erupted, transforming into countless blades that surged toward the remnant soul.

The terrifying aura descended like a god, shaking the very foundation of his mind.

“What is this thing?!”

The remnant soul screamed in terror. The crimson spear disintegrated inch by inch in the golden light.

This Dao Scripture seemed to possess a natural, suppressing dominance over it.

The soul struggled frantically, trying to reform, but every fragment was pinned down by the golden light.

Shen Xian gave it no chance. He drove his divine sense to the limit.

The “Qian” rune flared again. The golden light intensified, coalescing into a sky-splitting blade that slashed down.

The crimson spear was like thin paper before this strike. It was sliced in two and shattered completely.

As the last wisp of red light vanished, Shen Xian let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.

The Burning Heaven Cauldron lay quietly in his palm, motionless.

The crisis had passed, but Shen Xian’s heart still pounded with lingering fear.

If not for the Dao Scripture and its suppressive power, he really would have been possessed.

“I can’t be arrogant,” he muttered. “Just because I have strength doesn’t mean I can be careless.”

Suddenly, he felt a faint fluctuation of divine sense.

The cauldron trembled slightly, transmitting a vague emotion of gratitude.

“So that’s how it is…” Shen Xian nodded thoughtfully.

Although the Burning Heaven Cauldron was a low-rank true spirit treasure, years of existence had birthed a primitive spirit within it. That remnant soul had likely been the culprit suppressing the artifact spirit all this time.

As his divine sense probed the cauldron, two streams of information flooded his mind.

The first was the complete Burning Heaven True Explanation.

The characters were like gold, flowing with Dao rhythms. A cursory glance made the true essence in his body boil, and even his Golden Core trembled in resonance.

The information transfer was primitive, stuttering like a babbling infant, but Shen Xian understood the meaning.

“This must be one of the Li Fire Sect’s three great secret techniques,” he noted, raising an eyebrow.

He had learned about this treasure during his previous soul search. Su Mei had chased him relentlessly because she refused to give up on this secret technique.

A pity…

It was now in Shen Xian’s pocket.

“One item, double harvest,” Shen Xian mused, his mood improving instantly. “This means I can give gifts twice.”

The second stream of information was a fragmented map image.

Although incomplete, one marker stood out with absolute clarity.

God Burial Valley.

The three words seemed to hold a magical power, making Shen Xian’s heart skip a beat.

He had heard this name before, back in the ancient ruins, from the transmissions of Li Fire Sect disciples. The information about God Burial Valley had been obtained through a trade between the Li Fire Sect and the Sword Pavilion.

The Li Fire Sect’s Holy Son hadn’t appeared earlier. He had likely gone to God Burial Valley.

Shen Xian looked at the annotation beside the map.

According to the records, the so-called Godfiend Battlefield was merely a small spatial fragment shattered during the Great War of Immortals and Demons.

And within God Burial Valley lay the corpse of a Mahayana Deity.

Mahayana!

That was the absolute peak of the cultivation world. Even a corpse would contain unimaginable opportunities.

This fragment showed part of the route. If he could find the other parts, he might be able to locate the divine corpse and obtain treasures beyond imagination.

Shen Xian memorized the route instantly.

Since he was already in the Godfiend Battlefield and held part of the map, it would be a waste not to investigate.

“But not now,” he decided. “I need to be fully prepared.”

Withdrawing his thoughts, Shen Xian meditated for a long time. Only when he had returned to peak condition did he leave the area.

Stepping out of the stone forest, he surveyed his surroundings.

He was far to the east of the Molten Ruins. Looking north, wind and sand filled the sky, and a suffocating ominous aura permeated the air.

With his cultivation, he could faintly make out a mountain range in the distance.

And within that mountain range, a golden light seemed to be flickering.