Severing Ties: The Sect Regrets My Departure

Chapter 223: Demon Ancestor Nascent Soul; The Army of Resentful Spirits Attacks!

“Almost… almost!”

“Just a little more! Just a tiny bit more!”

At the heart of the Blood Refining Grand Formation atop Spirit Beast Peak, Lu Qingyao’s eyes burned with crimson light. Her face was twisted in a rictus of ecstatic anticipation as she peered into her own Dantian.

There, atop her Foundation Establishment Dao Platform, a Nascent Soul was taking shape—a monstrosity forged from the bloodlines of ten thousand tortured beasts.

Qi Condensation. Foundation Establishment. Golden Core. Nascent Soul.

These were the four pillars of early cultivation.

The first two stages were about laying the foundation—opening the Dantian, forging the Dao Platform, and determining the limits of one’s potential.

The second phase, Golden Core and Nascent Soul, was about pushing that potential to its absolute peak.

A Golden Core was the crystallization of a cultivator’s power, a symbol of perfection. At this stage, the difference between a genius and a mediocrity became a chasm.

But the Nascent Soul… that was a metamorphosis.

If the Golden Core was a seed, the Nascent Soul was the tree that sprouted from it. It was a leap across dimensions.

The Nascent Soul does not die; the cultivator does not perish. Even if the physical body was destroyed, as long as the Nascent Soul survived, a cultivator could rebuild their flesh. It was often called the Body of Essence—a convergence of spirit, life force, and soul.

Naturally, not all Nascent Souls were created equal. Some were as frail as infants; others possessed earth-shattering power.

However, most Nascent Souls at least looked like the cultivator.

Lu Qingyao’s was different.

Radically different.

Currently, only the legs of her Nascent Soul had formed. Yet, those legs alone were enough to induce nightmares.

There were eight of them.

And no two were alike.

One was a hairy beast paw. Another was a razor-sharp eagle talon. A third was a smooth, pale human leg. A fourth was the segmented, barbed limb of an insect…

This was the reason Lu Qingyao had remained at the Golden Core Grand Perfection for so many years. This was her ambition.

She was not content with a normal breakthrough. She wanted to forge a Demon Ancestor Nascent Soul.

By fusing the bloodlines of tens of thousands of different species, she aimed to create an entity that transcended humanity.

Once completed, she would gain the Power of the Demon Ancestor. She would possess the innate talents of countless races. More importantly, her very presence would suppress all Demon Beasts. She could dominate Demon Lords with a thought and stand toe-to-toe with Demon Emperors.

With the right techniques, she could even force a Demon Emperor into a slave contract.

That was the ultimate goal. To become the supreme Beast Tamer, invincible under the heavens.

Of course, the price for such power was steep.

Her own bloodline would be permanently altered, becoming a hybrid of man and monster. Her Nascent Soul would forever be a chimera. Even her future Sea of Consciousness would take the form of a beast.

Furthermore, the ritual required the sacrifice of tens of thousands of specific beasts, each meeting strict criteria for age, strength, and bloodline. Collecting them had taken centuries.

But the hardest requirement was the Sacrifice.

The beasts had to offer their bloodlines willingly.

This seemed impossible. Why would a beast willingly die for its captor?

But Lu Qingyao had found a solution. A simple, brutal solution.

Torture.

Endless, soul-breaking torture.

She would flay them, crush them, and torment their souls until their only desire was for the pain to end. They would “willingly” give anything—their blood, their lives, their souls—just for the sweet release of death.

Like now.

Inside the formation, tens of thousands of beasts were screaming.

Their bodies were paralyzed, but their nerves were on fire. Red tendrils of energy pierced their flesh, draining them dry. They couldn’t resist. Their wills had long been broken. They could only scream and die, their essence flowing into Lu Qingyao like a river of blood.

Lu Qingyao closed her eyes, listening to the cacophony of agony.

“Ah… this sound.”

A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine.

“No matter how many times I hear it, it is music to my ears.”

“Faster. Faster!”

“Once I ascend, I will march into the Myriad Demon Kingdom. I will enslave a few Demon Emperors as mounts. Let’s see who dares to block my Little Junior Brother’s path then!”

“I, Lu Qingyao, shall be invincible!”

“Those who submit will prosper! Those who resist will die!”

She felt like a god, standing at the summit of the world. She could already see the future—a future where she trampled gods and buddhas alike beneath her feet.

But then…

Lu Qingyao frowned.

She sensed something.

She opened her eyes and looked around.

Her breath hitched.

Surrounding her, inside the formation, was a sea of shadows.

Densely packed, crimson-eyed phantoms were floating in the air. Thousands of them. Tens of thousands.

An army of Resentful Spirits.

“What is this?”

“Where did they come from?”

Lu Qingyao’s heart skipped a beat. This army was massive—dozens of times larger than the number of beasts currently on the peak.

And they looked familiar.

She stared at the leading spirits. A chill of recognition pierced her arrogance.

That Silver-Clawed Iron Wolf… That Void Python… That Crimson Hawk…

These were the beasts she had used to refine the Myriad Beasts Heavenly Pearl. The souls she had trapped in eternal torment inside the Mountain River Remnant World.

How are they here?

Did… did the Heavenly Pearl break?

Before she could process the impossible, the Silver-Clawed Iron Wolf threw back its spectral head.

AWOOOOOO!

It was a howl of pure, undiluted hatred. A war cry.

Instantly, the sea of spirits erupted.

ROAAAAR!

Countless phantoms surged forward, a tidal wave of vengeance crashing toward the woman sitting at the center of the formation.

They were Resentful Spirits. They existed for one purpose.

Revenge.

…

Spirit Beast Peak. The Foot of the Mountain.

While the peak turned into a living hell, the disciples guarding the perimeter felt a sudden drop in temperature.

“What’s going on? Did you feel that chill?”

“Yeah. It felt like… like an army of ghosts just walked through me.”

“Look at the formation!”

The disciples pointed up. The blood-red barrier covering the peak was rippling violently, as if something inside was thrashing against the walls. The spiritual energy in the air was churning like a boiling ocean.

“Is Master okay? Something feels wrong.”

“Don’t be stupid,” a senior manager scoffed, though his voice wavered slightly. “Master prepared for centuries for this. Do you think she has no defenses?”

“Exactly! Even if some Yin spirits showed up, so what? Master’s formation is terrifying. Anything that goes in there will be ground to dust!”

“Remember Master’s orders! No matter what happens, we do not interfere! Just do your job!”

“Stay alert! No one enters!”

The managers barked orders, trying to project confidence. They knew how powerful Lu Qingyao was. They couldn’t imagine anything threatening her on her own turf.

The disciples nodded, suppressing their unease.

However…

They expected the turbulence to settle quickly.

It didn’t.

One hour passed. Then two.

The thrashing inside the formation only grew more violent.

And slowly, the unease began to turn into dread.