BZZZZ!
Xu Luo suddenly felt the Jade Balance Star Soul in his Dantian tremble, letting out a strange buzz. He froze, his defensive posture faltering for a moment.
A suction force suddenly erupted from the Jade Balance Star Soul. It shot through Xu Luo's meridians and out of his body, instantly drawing in the cloud of powder Huo Feng had thrown.
Huo Feng's face twisted into a vicious sneer. "Kid, you've been hit by my Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder. You're dead for sure! Just some nobody from a barren, backward land, and you dare to act so arrogantly before me… Huh?"
As he spoke, Huo Feng let out a soft sound of confusion and muttered, "Why does it look like he just sucked in all the Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder? Shit… did he get a whiff and… just couldn't help himself?"
As the Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder was absorbed into Xu Luo's meridians, a tearing pain wracked his body. Even though he had endured endless suffering and torment in that mysterious, starry expanse, this current agony was still almost unbearable.
Thankfully, however, the powder only passed swiftly through his meridians before being completely absorbed by his Jade Balance Star Soul.
Afterward, the Jade Balance Star Soul, whose light had been almost entirely extinguished, began to emit a faint, weak glow…
This change thrilled Xu Luo. He had no idea what this Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder was, but since it was beneficial to his Jade Balance Star Soul, he could endure any amount of pain. He would bear it even if it were ten, or even a hundred times more intense.
"This is a rare poison, used for balancing and controlling souls," a cold female voice—Jade Balance's—suddenly echoed in Xu Luo's mind.
"Ah… but I thought you said there was no counter to soul control?" Xu Luo replied instinctively.
"That applies to humans," the voice replied. It was ice-cold, yet not out of apathy—it seemed to be its natural state.
"Uh…" Xu Luo scratched his head, the corner of his mouth twitching. 'Right,' he thought. 'They're Star Souls, completely different from humans…'
"This is only enough to begin my awakening. It would be best… if there were more," the cold female voice said.
Xu Luo's mouth twitched. He looked up at Huo Feng's vicious expression. "Ahem… This stuff is delicious. Excuse me… do you have any more?"
"You… You were hit with Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder! How are you okay? This… This is impossible!" Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Huo Feng nearly jumped out of his skin. He stared at Xu Luo in disbelief, muttering, "Impossible."
Then, with another flick of his wrist, he tossed a second, larger cloud of Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder at Xu Luo. "I don't believe it! There's absolutely no one in this world who can survive the Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder!"
"You've only sealed your meridians temporarily, but it's useless! Accept your fate! Once hit with the Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder, your soul will be utterly obliterated from this world! HAHAHAHA! You won't even get the chance to reincarnate! HAHAHA!" Huo Feng's manic laughter was a thin veil for his rising panic.
He only had two packets of Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder on him, which he'd only managed to get by begging his grandfather, an Elder, before leaving home this time.
Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder, as the name implied, caused its victims to first hear a melody like celestial music. An ecstatic smile would spread uncontrollably across their faces as their souls then dissipated, little by little.
This poison was one of the world's few legendary toxins, passed down from the Ancient Era. The Spirit Grass that produced it had long since vanished from the world.
Even the Huo Family possessed very little of it, and a single speck was enough to kill a peerless master.
Huo Feng was a true spoiled brat, a super-prodigal son who had no idea how precious this substance was. He'd tossed out an entire packet with a single wave. If his grandfather found out, the old man would probably die of fury.
A moment ago, he had finally managed to get upwind. The immense sense of danger radiating from Xu Luo made him act without thinking. His only thought was to kill his opponent and get out of this godforsaken place as quickly as possible.
He had come to the Central Plains Star Continent purely to gain some life experience. He'd grown bored on the Ancient Race Continent and wanted to see the world. This way, he would have something to brag about when he returned. It would also count as having done something for the family, so he wouldn't have to endure the constant disdain of his peers, who said he was a useless direct heir with nothing but his title.
Danger? What danger could a place like the Central Plains Star Continent possibly hold? Besides, he had four powerful experts with him. Even if they couldn't win, escape was never an issue.
Especially with a few Elders arriving soon. For Huo Feng, survival was all that mattered right now!
"So delicious… Do you… have any… more?" Xu Luo smiled, but his face was a mask of pure agony.
The pain caused by the Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder as it traveled through one's meridians was enough to kill a man from shock alone.
The fact that Xu Luo could still smile meant his willpower was already monstrously strong!
Huo Feng sneered at Xu Luo, his expression haughty. "Why keep up the act? I'm not blind; I can see your pain. Just give up. And don't you worry, I'll be sure to take good care of those women of yours. Each one is a peerless beauty. Using them as Furnace Cauldrons… I almost feel like it'd be a waste!"
A bizarre smile also played on Xu Luo's lips. He gritted his teeth. "Heh… I was about to… say the same thing to you. Don't worry. I'll take… good care… of everything that's yours!"
"You've completely lost it! Does the Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder also cause hallucinations?" Huo Feng looked at Xu Luo, puzzled. "It's my first time using it. If I'm doing a poor job, please bear with me!"
Xu Luo chuckled darkly. "You're right. The Transformation Skill… it's my first time using this, too. And I only get one shot at it. A gift, from me to you. If the transformation isn't perfect, well… I hope you'll bear with me!"
As he spoke, Xu Luo's body… suddenly moved!
Executing the Shaking Light Step, an unparalleled Body Technique, he appeared beside Huo Feng in an instant. With a sharp cry, "GO!"
A flash of light shot into Huo Feng's body.
Huo Feng's body shuddered. He felt as if something inside him had been instantly siphoned away. A mixture of shock and rage flooded him. He no longer had time to wonder why Xu Luo hadn't died from the Celestial Sound Soul-Scattering Powder; his only thought was to flee.
But in the next moment, his eyes went wide, as if he had just witnessed the most terrifying and unbelievable thing in the world. His jaw hung open, his gaze filled with utter shock and horror.
"What… What is this?"
Huo Feng watched, paralyzed, as Xu Luo's figure first grew faint, then rapidly solidified. Standing before him now was… a perfect copy of himself!
Xu Luo sensed the strange changes within his own body and was stunned. 'I never thought the complete Transformation Skill would be this Heaven-defying,' he mused.
He couldn't see his current appearance, but he knew from Huo Feng's expression that it had been a success!
Most importantly, in the instant he had used the Transformation Skill, he had extracted the majority of Huo Feng's memories!
They included all the Cultivation Techniques he practiced, most of his life experiences, his family members…
"This Cultivation Technique… it's terrifying. I can't imagine who could have created something so Heaven-defying," Xu Luo muttered to himself.
With a flicker of thought, Xu Luo summoned a Dharma Aspect. The image of an Ancient Deity rose behind him, looking blurry, like a phantom.
Xu Luo pursed his lips. "How pathetic."
"Th-th-this… This is impossible! What happened? I… I can't remember anything! Who… Who am I? I'm… I'm… AHHH!" Huo Feng suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed across the land.
His entire body then shattered, dissolving into a fine mist of blood that drifted slowly downward.
Xu Luo stood there in a daze. He truly hadn't expected the Transformation Skill to be so domineering. It didn't just steal the target's opportunities and memories; it utterly annihilated both body and soul…
Although Xu Luo had never intended to let the man live, the scene still sent a chill down his spine.
Struck by a wave of emotion, Xu Luo activated the Transformation Skill again. A familiar sensation washed over him, and he knew he had returned to his original form.
Over the next few moments, Xu Luo transformed back and forth several times, each change completing in an instant. He discovered that whenever he took on Huo Feng's appearance, not even his own Seven Star Souls in his Dantian were detectable.
In other words, when he used the Transformation Skill, he completely and utterly *became* someone else.
"Was this Cultivation Technique… really created by a human?" Xu Luo murmured, feeling that the Transformation Skill had transcended the scope of a mere Cultivation Technique and reached the level of a Divine Technique.
"That's right. It is a technique, a Heaven-defying Technique. And not just anyone can use it." At some unknown point, Ling Fengxian had appeared before Xu Luo. She smiled at him. "I, for one, would not be able to successfully learn the Transformation Skill… at least, not to the extent you've achieved, where you completely become another person."
Xu Luo fell silent, his gaze toward Ling Fengxian somewhat complex.
"Heh, no need to look at me like that. Stare all you want, I won't fall for you. I'm your aunt, you know!" Ling Fengxian said, smiling as she met his eyes.
"In the Ancient Era, the Transformation Skill was a forbidden art, rejected by the world. It was later split into two parts, both of which were lost to time. Today, almost no one who even knows of the Transformation Skill is still among the living." Ling Fengxian looked at Xu Luo. "So, rest assured. Besides me, no one will know you've mastered this Heaven-defying Technique. And I, for my part, will never harbor any ill intentions toward you."
"Can you really not tell me?" Xu Luo asked softly, looking at Ling Fengxian.
"I cannot," Ling Fengxian answered decisively, then added in a gentler tone, "I've told you before, one day you will find the answers yourself. But for now… I cannot be the one to tell you."
"Alright, I understand." Xu Luo nodded. "Let's head back."