Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil in the Cultivation World Chapter 855 - 431: Return to the Yiling Secret Realm, Guided by Fate (Part 2)

"I will surely regain a fraction of my power once I devour this mortal."

In a heartbeat, the surrounding infinite white fog began to boil. Ghostly, terrifying voices resonated through the void like frantic whispers. These sounds bypassed the ears entirely, vibrating directly within the depths of the soul.

Even a few moments of listening would be enough to drive a person into utter madness.

It caused one's sanity to plummet, warping the very essence of the soul.

"Damn it."

Jiang Fan suddenly felt a mysterious force assaulting his soul. It felt as though a spike was being driven into his spirit, inflicting agonizing pain.

It was as if an occult power was distorting his five senses and tugging at his soul.

The force intended to drag him down into a realm of illusions.

Celestial Respect Crown Talisman!

With lightning speed, Jiang Fan triggered a Life Talisman on his person. Instantly, a golden crown manifested upon his head, etched with countless arcane runes.

The moment the Celestial Respect Crown appeared, it served as a shield, blocking out the eternal whispering.

It seemed as though the endless soul attacks were being walled off by the crown's presence.

An invisible aura saturated every inch of his frame, establishing a soul barrier.

This protection allowed him to maintain a clear mind within such a supernatural environment.

"The Celestial Respect Crown Talisman?"

"How can a mere human possess an Immortal Realm Spirit Talisman? How is this possible?"

From the deep reaches of the void, a voice filled with shock and fury erupted. It found it inconceivable that a mortal Cultivation practitioner could hold one of the Immortal Realm’s Thirty-Three Celestial Spirit Talismans; it was a scenario beyond all logic.

"The moment you attack me, karma is born."

"This triggers the creation of a karma line."

"Your true form has nowhere left to hide."

At that instant, a terrifying light flickered in Jiang Fan’s eyes.

Utilizing the power of the Celestial Respect Crown, he glimpsed a thick karma line stretching deep into the void.

This was the specific capability of the Celestial Respect Crown Talisman.

If a connection is established with him, karma is manifested.

Consequently, no matter where the enemy manifested, they could not remain hidden from his sight.

By following the path of the karma line, he could locate the enemy’s actual physical body.

He observed the karma line reaching toward the Yiling Secret Realm.

There was no room for doubt; the true body of this ancient demon was still anchored within the Yiling Secret Realm.

While the adversary had indeed initiated a breakout, the escape was not yet total.

This was undeniably the prime opportunity to strike down this ancient demon.

Had it been entirely liberated, venturing to this location would have been a suicidal act.

After all, attempting to face a fully restored ancient demon would be nothing short of seeking death.

However, while it remained at its most vulnerable, he still possessed a glimmer of hope to achieve victory.

Boom~~

Driven by this realization, Jiang Fan did not pause. He immediately produced the Yiling Token from his person.

This was the same token he had acquired during his previous journey into the Yiling Secret Realm.

By activating this token, he would be teleported into the Yiling Secret Realm in an instant.

Whoosh!

Once Jiang Fan triggered the token, a surge of void energy wrapped around his entire body.

A second later, he materialized on a massive island located inside the Yiling Secret Realm.

The entirety of the Yiling Secret Realm was composed of various floating islands.

During his last visit, he had only explored one of these floating landmasses.

The majority of the islands remained unexplored by him.

This time, he had arrived at the largest island at the very heart of the Yiling Secret Realm.

This was the prison for the sealed true form of the ancient demon: the Soul Devourer Dream Demon.

Upon his arrival, Jiang Fan laid eyes on a gargantuan demon. It was at least several hundred meters in length, looking like a jellyfish, completely pitch-black, and sprouting innumerable transparent tentacles.

Its skin was etched with dense, dark, and unsettling runes that leaked droplets of viscous black fluid.

The mere sight of it was enough to shatter one's mind.

The dark runes, in particular, seemed to pulse with life.

If one stared too long, these runes would aggressively burrow into the soul's depths to corrupt it.

Currently, however, the ancient demon's form was lashed by dark golden chains—the very power responsible for sealing the Soul Devourer Dream Demon.

Yet, these restrictive chains were already showing cracks and signs of failure.

If it continued its struggle, it would soon shatter these bonds and flee the seals of the Yiling Secret Realm entirely.

Once that occurred, it would embark on a genocidal rampage, wiping out all life in the vicinity.

"Jiang Fan? Is that truly you, Jiang Fan? Why have you returned to the Yiling Secret Realm at a time like this?"

"Wait... your Cultivation has already reached the Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul?"

"Is this real? How could you have achieved a breakthrough so rapidly?"

Suddenly, a voice spoke out; it was Burial, the Array Spirit of the Yiling Secret Realm.

As the guardian spirit of this secret world, it had detected Jiang Fan the moment he stepped inside.

It recognized him immediately.

He was the divinity transformation candidate it had chosen during the previous opening of the realm.

The spirit had assumed it would take a very long time for Jiang Fan to return to the Yiling Secret Realm.

To its surprise, he had come back in just a few decades.

Even more shocking was the fact that the youth had already become a Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul cultivator.

Such a pace of Cultivation was staggeringly fast.

In the ancient era, this might not have been remarkable, as the abundant Qi and endless resources allowed for ten-thousand-year spirit medicines to grow everywhere.

But in the current age of extreme resource scarcity, reaching the Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul so quickly was nearly impossible.

Seeing Jiang Fan again left the spirit stunned, unable to comprehend how he had managed such a feat.

"What a shame, your timing is terrible."

"To think you chose this specific moment to come back to the Yiling Secret Realm."

"Due to unforeseen changes, I no longer have the power to keep this ancient demon sealed."

The Array Spirit Burial spoke with a tone of helplessness.

If not for the demon's sudden rebellion, it would have been delighted by Jiang Fan’s progress, believing he could fulfill his mission.

If he could reach divinity transformation, he might have had the chance to slaughter the demon.

But now, entering the Yiling Secret Realm just as the ancient demon was breaking free was nothing but a death sentence.

It was proof that the plans of man are often thwarted by the whims of destiny.

Boom~~

At that moment, a message flashed within the depths of Jiang Fan’s mind.

"You have entered the Yiling Secret Realm, but the horror of the Soul Devourer Dream Demon is greater than you imagine. Even at its weakest, it is not an easy kill. If mismanaged, it could easily turn the tables and kill you. Fortunately, you possess destiny hints to identify the demon's flaw."

"Destiny Hint One: Do not be intimidated by the Soul Devourer Dream Demon's appearance. It suffered catastrophic wounds in the ancient era. It was once cleaved in two by the strike of a Peerless Sword Immortal, leaving a permanent internal scar. Even after eons, this sword mark persists, and the wound still aches.

This is your sole path to victory. By targeting this scar, you can trigger the remnant, terrifying sword intent to destroy the Soul Devourer Dream Demon, ending its life for good."

"Destiny Hint Two: You could, of course, stubbornly view this as a cheap tactic and attempt to fight the Soul Devourer Dream Demon fairly. Within a few exchanges, you will be slain and your soul devoured. The demon will even praise you, wishing for more 'heroic' fools to come its way."

A scar?!

Upon receiving this information, Jiang Fan’s eyes narrowed. He pushed his spiritual sense through the jellyfish-like body of the demon and indeed detected a hidden scar within.

Previously, he had mistaken it for a natural physical pattern.

Without the destiny hint, he would never have guessed it was a wound.

It was the demon’s most critical vulnerability.

If the Soul Devourer Dream Demon had fully healed, this weakness would have vanished.

But because it had only just escaped its bonds, such a recovery was impossible.

This was his one and only chance to slay the Soul Devourer Dream Demon.

Should he miss this window, killing it in the future would be nearly impossible.

Even if he succeeded later, the price he would have to pay would be devastating.