Kao Dao Ji almost choked on his words.
Whereas Spectral Soul merely observed him silently.
"Are you satisfied?"
"…"
Kao Dao Ji stared at Spectral Soul for a while.
Whilst the wariness in his heart increased, his curiosity did too.
"There is still a couple of things I need to know…For starters. Why do I feel as if I had lost my Attainment? I did not notice at first, but my attainment is no longer what it was."
"Your 'attainment', you say. Since when was the attainment you took from the original owner of the body yours?" Spectral Soul replied coarsely.
The pupils of Kao Dao Ji widened.
Realization dawned upon his head.
"That's right! When I woke up in this world, I was a Master in Cloud and Lighting Path, and a Quasi Master in Water Path.
But how did I gain this attainment? Even Spectral Soul never succeeded at that, devouring the souls of others only gave him their memories; he had to get the attainment all on his own…"
"It seems you are beginning to catch on." Spectral Soul replied.
"But how? How was this attainment transferred? How could I borrow the attainment of somebody else?"
"Does every neuron in your brain contain all your memories? I assume not.
Yet. When you add them together, those memories crystallize into something greater.
Whilst not always, there is a way to create such a connection between multiple souls.
And the key lies in the connection between the brain and the soul.
The difference between puppeteering a corpse and having a body to call your own is that your soul and brain act as one, sharing instructions with one another instead of forcefully moving the body using the power of the soul and Will.
The brain also nourishes the soul, preventing it from going extinct.
Usually, there is only one soul per body, and yet if you do everything perfectly, there is a way to establish a connection between the brain and multiple souls.
That, however, puts a certain burden on the brain, as it has to 'feed' more souls.
Leading to symptoms of fatigue, headaches, migraines, hallucinations, and more.
You, however, have a very peculiar physique, so it's no wonder you never noticed something amiss.
Your 'body' was more than capable of inhabiting two souls.
And as those souls shared a source, they were able to share information with one another.
When you were in control, you borrowed the attainment of your lesser.
And it was not just that.
Perhaps you have noticed, or perhaps you have not.
But you also borrowed their…Perspective of the world, or at least a fraction of it.
You were able to see things like a human would, but also like a Featherman would.
You gained the advantages of both sides, learning Wind, Cloud, and flight as effortlessly as a Featherman could, yet without losing the edge of the human mind."
Spectral Soul explained patiently to the surprise of Kao Dao Ji.
"I performed countless experiments on this subject, and I found that it was possible to not only stack two or three, but even eight or nine souls in the same body.
Unfortunately, there is a flaw I could never solve.
In the same way you can borrow attainment from them, they can borrow attainment from you.
Furthermore, to enable the sharing of attainment, you must give them a 'share' of the control of the body, so to speak.
Which, if the situation goes awry, can easily lead to your current situation.
Such a flaw…If it only did not exist. How much more I could have accomplished!" Spectral Soul sighed bitterly to himself before shaking one of his heads.
"I see…" Kao Dao Ji muttered.
Then he stared at Spectral Soul once more.
"…" Annoyance appeared in Spectral Soul's face as he said.
"Again? Do you want to ask something more of me?" He asked, and a genuine tone of confusion appeared as he muttered those words.
Kao Dao Ji nodded slowly.
"This will be your last question, so think it thoroughly before you speak." He replied coarsely.
Whereas Kao Dao Ji merely closed his eyes as he recalled.
And yet — the Human Tribulations know no end.The skies will be overturned;ashes will rise, clouds will descend.A crimson and a black soul will emerge.
"It's a bit of an odd question, but…Do you know what a Black Soul could be?
"A Black Soul? Why would you ask something so trivial?" Spectral Soul muttered in mild surprise.
"Black Soul is just a Rank 7 Immortal Gu I used in my youth…"
"But later on, I abandoned it because I could not create its Rank 8 Recipe."
…
Crimson Soul stood before Blue Lead with an eerie smile; no matter how badly he was hurt, he never showed the slightest trace of nervousness.
Through his palms.
A red orb rapidly took shape.
Crimson Soul Immortal Gu shone with intense might a magnetic effect began to spread through.
Whilst his army of Blood Phantoms raised their hands, trying to take control over Blue Lead's Gu.
Of course, that would fail, but their actions distracted him slightly.
Whilst this happened.
Spring Autumn Cicada began to shine once more.
The might of the Gu resonated across the heavens dying the skies green.
"Hmph! Once again relying in that damn Cicada, you one trick pony." Blue Lead cursed under his breath as he retreated.
"Hahaha! You are right, this is getting boring. Why don't I show you something new?"
Crimson Soul grinned.
At that moment.
The army of Blood Phantoms suddenly began to tremble.
A celeste blue energy began to surge and then.
The army increased in magnitude by a hundredfold!
"Myriad Self: Blood Phantom Swarm!" Crimson Soul smirked widely.
Pale cold sweat poured out of his forehead. Creating such a large army took a huge toll on his Soul Foundation.
Yet.
"This is just the beginning! With this move of mine, I will change Fate! With this move of mine, I declare my victory!"
Blue Lead raised his eyebrows.
"Is he serious? Or is that a bluff?"
But then. At the next moment.
The massive army of Blood Phantoms began to fly.
As if carried by a massive hurricane.
A red hurricane.
Crimson Soul's Gu aura shone like a massive star.
Several Immortal Gu were activated in sequence.
The might of the pull was such that even Crimson Soul felt the strain; his skin was stretched uncannily.
But he laughed even more loudly.
The space-time continuum around him twisted.
Fear and despair appeared on Blue Lead's face.
"No! No! This is not possible…How could a move this powerful exist?" He shouted.
But at the next moment.
Hundreds of little gaps appeared in the formation, and dozens of Immortals from Heavenly Court attacked at once.
Whilst this seemed crazy, as Crimson Soul could use the chance to flee, a Killer Move as powerful as whatever he was conjuring could not be completed so easily.
If he dared to cancel it, he would undoubtedly die or at least be heavily wounded.
"Let me see if what you have in store is stronger than all of us together!" Blue Lead smirked.
But at the next moment.
The distortions in the space-time continuum grew even larger.
…
At the other side.
Kao Zha Ji coughed blood.
Yet despite the agony, he kept pressing on.
He kept attacking violently, even against hopeless odds.
But then.
From behind him.
King Crimson appeared.
"AAAHH!" Kao Zha Ji shouted; two Rank 8 Immortal Gu were activated in sequence.
But they were like thin air, somehow; despite being prepared against both Soul and Phantom defenses, the attacks could not connect.
The crimson aura of King Crimson expanded.
[Return to the origin]
A green aura appeared in King Crimson; Time Anchor activated its effect.
By combining Several Immortal Gu, he changed the effect of Time Anchor, instead of returning the body to a previous state.
It instead enabled a piece of a certain thing to return to the whole.
Inside the body of King Crimson, there was a single drop of Crimson's Soul blood.
Yet because the effect was overwhelmingly powerful, not only was the drop of blood pulled, but so was King Crimson.
As well as the other Immortals in the zone.
…
Kao Zha Ji widened his eyes.
His surroundings changed out of nowhere.
All of a sudden, he saw that his sight was overwhelmed by dozens of Rank 8 attacks that appeared from all directions.
He gritted his teeth.
Using the strongest defensive move, he could manage.
Yet he was like a ferryman in the middle of a storm; his body was torn apart almost instantaneously by the combination of forces.
Even then, his defenses could not hold for long; soon, he was reduced to a blood mist.
Whereas Crimson Soul's sphere finally manifested fully, instead of being an overwhelming attack, it was a barrier protecting him from all directions.
Inside that barrier, there were also the immortals who were previously facing Kao Zha Ji.
They all stretched their hands onto the barrier.
…
Kao Zha Ji blinked several times.
"Where am I?" Suddenly, his gaze was locked.
He stared at the man who took everything from him.
Crimson Soul.
He raised his palm and shouted.
Yet…
There was no force released.
Crimson Soul laughed heartily.
"Were you trying to use a Killer Move? Unfortunately, you are already dead.
There are no Gu you can use, nor is there anything you can do to save yourself."
Kao Zha Ji stared at his state.
He looked incorporeal.
His expression was aghast.
Before being set ablaze by hatred.
"You! Why did you go to such lengths to torment me? Not only did you strike my home, but you also killed my people. And now…Even my soul…." He gritted his teeth.
But then.
Realization dawned upon his face.
"Oh? Did you finally figure out the truth?
I guess it's easier now that nothing is affecting your tiny bird-sized brain."
A cruel smile appeared in Crimson Soul's gaze as he added.
"You probably figured it out already, but when you entered into your Grotto Heaven, you activated my arrangements, well, those of Red Lotus to be precise.
What did those arrangements do?
They did nothing but amplify the emotions that already existed within your heart.
The rage, the regret, the hatred you felt after losing everything.
Was amplified even further, and they were also given a direction to pursue."
Then he grinned.
"Of course, the influence was not as steep as you may imagine. I could not, for example, make use of those arrangements to make you forgive me.
They merely nudged your emotions in a more desirable manner.
They made you act recklessly; they made you act foolishly.
And for what purpose, you may wonder?
Ultimately, to lead to this, to your death.
So I could use your deceased soul as a Gu Material."
Crimson Soul smirked.
"Black Soul, Black Soul is an Immortal Gu that was invented by Spectral Soul during his youth.
This Gu can be refined by extracting the emotions and resentment of the target. The greater the soul foundation of the target, the greater their cultivation, and the greater their emotions, the better material they make."
In that moment.
Kao Zha Ji finally grasped everything.
"CRIMSON SOUL!" He shouted in despair.
"Ah…I almost forgot. Did you know? Kao Dao Ji is still alive, or rather. The thief who stole his body. By the way. That is also the reason why he never told you the truth about his state as a Land Spirit, because he was not the precious child you thought but a wolf in sheep's clothing."
Kao Zha Ji's eyes widened.
At that moment.
He recalled the arrangements he had left some time ago.
Whilst he considered the possibility unlikely, there was an scenario in which he died prematurately without reason.
Thus he had long since ordered a Will from Treasure Yellow Heaven that in case of his early death, to contact the trusted Kao Yun Yun, as well as the hope of the Clan Kao Dao Ji.
He would entrust the diary of Sky Lord to those two.
And yet.
As he realized he may have given that diary to a potential human his expression grew even more hideous.
"Heh." A red flame sprouted.
Ashes began to rise as pieces of Kao Zha Ji's soul began to melt.
Whereas the other Immortals pressed their palms together in the barrier.
The people of Heavenly Court had noticed that something was wrong, and they were still attacking the barrier.
Tiny cracks had appeared.
But Crimson Soul did not care much; his focus was completely on the refinement.
But it proved utterly trivial.
The refinement materials were truly exceptional.
In a matter of seconds, 'Black Soul' Rank 7 Gu was refined successfully.
At the next moment, the barrier shattered.
But Crimson Soul and the other Immortals had teleported safely.
Whilst they had moved a couple of kilometers away, they were still inside the barrier.
Even so.
Blue Lead did not look reassured in the slightest. He had a very bad feeling.