"Kid! Don't stare at that stone monument! The inscriptions are dangerous—"
Before the Despicable Donkey could finish speaking, he saw Ling Feng's gaze had already locked onto the monument's surface. In a panic, he dashed in front of Ling Feng to block his view.
Ling Feng's body suddenly went limp and collapsed to the ground. The donkey's eyelids twitched violently as he shouted: "Shit! Soul separation! It's actually a soul-snatching curse! You idiot, I told you not to look!"
What Ling Feng had seen as a "vortex" had directly sucked his soul inside—what people commonly call soul separation.
"Finished! We're finished!"
Despicable Donkey anxiously paced in circles. Just then, a purple flash appeared as Zifeng emerged from Ling Feng's body. He looked at Ling Feng's collapsed form in confusion, exclaiming: "What happened? Why do I feel my connection with Master weakening?"
"This kid didn't listen to this divine beast's warning and got his soul sucked into this Four Spirits Divine-Sealing Tablet. He's probably done for. Hey Zifeng, since we're pals, how about we split Ling Feng's inheritance fifty-fifty?"
"You shameless ass!" Zifeng immediately transformed into a giant snake, coiling protectively around Ling Feng. "Master isn't dead yet! Instead of saving him, you're already talking about dividing his belongings? You've got no loyalty at all!"
"Ridiculous! This divine beast is the most loyal of all!"
Despicable Donkey frowned and curled his lips. "Don't you share vitality with Ling Feng? Just possess his body to keep him alive temporarily, while this divine beast tries to summon his soul back. If his soul still doesn't return... well, there's nothing more this divine beast can do."
"Fine! As long as there's a way! Master is someone blessed by great fortune—he won't die so easily!"
Zifeng quickly merged with Ling Feng's body, temporarily protecting his physical form. As long as Ling Feng's soul returned to his sea of consciousness, he would naturally revive.
Meanwhile, the Despicable Donkey immediately drew several strange symbols around Ling Feng before taking out a soul-summoning banner. As he began chanting, he muttered: "Heh, kid. Whether you survive this disaster depends on how tough your fate is!"
Only martial artists who reach the Spiritual Sea Realm can consciously control soul separation from their bodies, allowing them to roam freely between heaven and earth with a single thought.
But even at Spiritual Sea Realm, soul separation can't be maintained for long—no more than three days.
Ling Feng is only at Pulse Formation Realm. Even with Zifeng sharing vitality to protect his body, if his soul doesn't return within three days, death is certain.
"What's going on? What just happened?"
Ling Feng only remembered staring at the Four Spirits Divine-Sealing Tablet for a few extra moments before seeing a black vortex with terrifying suction force. With a "whoosh," he lost his footing and was sucked inside.
What he didn't realize was that it was his soul that had been taken—not his physical body.
After what felt like half an hour, Ling Feng's vision cleared as he tumbled out of the black vortex. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick—with a movement technique, he landed steadily on the ground.
But his body felt unnaturally light, as if the slightest jump could send him soaring into the sky.
Ling Feng's eyelids twitched as he tried mentally contacting the Despicable Donkey—no response. Attempting to reach Zifeng yielded the same result.
To his growing alarm, he then discovered that none of his treasures were accessible—the Five Elements Heavenly Palace, the Eradicator of Realms, the Five Element Ring—all his valuable items were unusable.
"What is this place?"
Ling Feng swallowed hard, a sense of unease growing in his heart. Without the Eradicator of Realms in hand, he felt completely defenseless.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he surveyed his surroundings:
The air was filled with a thin mist. Through it, he could see he was standing by the shore of a large lake. Strangely, the lakeside was completely barren—not a single blade of grass grew, creating an atmosphere of deathly stillness. The silence was so profound it felt oppressive.
In the distance, bare mountain ranges stretched endlessly, with columns of black smoke rising into the sky, creating an eerie and sinister feeling.
Ling Feng stroked his chin, his gaze firming as he thought: Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it.
Suddenly without warning, a chill of danger shot through him.
A streak of black light flashed past. Turning, Ling Feng saw a monstrous creature covered entirely in red fur appear on the ground, its bloody maw gaping wide as it lunged at him.
Frowning, Ling Feng swiftly dodged. Fortunately, his soul-form was incredibly light—with just a casual leap backward, he retreated over ten zhang, avoiding the monster's attack.
The creature fixed its glowing green eyes on Ling Feng and immediately pounced again.
Ling Feng tried channeling true qi, but in his current state, how could he possibly have any? No matter how he tried to access his meridian gates, he couldn't summon even a wisp of power—he couldn't even sense his meridian gates anymore.
"Am I... no longer in my body?!"
Ling Feng's eyelids twitched violently as the gravity of his situation struck him. Right then, he was just a soul—and worse, he'd been sucked into that damned monument.
According to the Despicable Donkey, this was a prison for an absolutely terrifying demon!
A shiver ran down his spine. In a place , stripped of all his abilities, mere survival would be challenging enough—let alone finding a way out.
As the red-furred monster came at him again, Ling Feng could only keep retreating. Fortunately, his soul-form moved swiftly, and for now, the creature couldn't catch up.
But no matter how Ling Feng tried to escape, the monster pursued relentlessly, seemingly determined to devour him.
Ling Feng ran desperately. Though his soul-form didn't feel fatigue, the thought of dying to such a lowly creature was unbearable. As a Weiyuan General and sect leader, this was beneath his dignity.
At least let me be killed by something more formidable!
Fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke. From a nearby blood-red river came a thunderous splash as a monster over ten zhang tall burst forth. In one gulp, it swallowed the red-furred beast whole—then turned its attention to Ling Feng.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Ling Feng nearly coughed up blood in frustration. The colossal monster leaped dozens of zhang in a single bound, cutting off his escape. Thick, ink-green drool dripped from its gaping maw as its sinister green eyes locked onto Ling Feng, glowing with terrifying dark radiance.
"What now? What do I do...?"
Ling Feng's mind raced through countless possibilities. Here he was—just a lone soul, without the Despicable Donkey, without any trump cards. Was he really going to die here?
As the massive demonic claw reached for him, Ling Feng cursed inwardly: If only I had a sword right now, at least I wouldn't be completely helpless!
A jet-black sword materialized in his palm.
Without hesitation, he swung with all his might.
To his astonishment, the massive monster's arm was cleanly severed. With a thunderous crash, the thick limb slammed onto the ground.
A torrent of pitch-black blood gushed forth like a waterfall, staining everything crimson.