PD -Chapter 24 Soul Refinement Technique

I discovered that this guy’s spiritual power was unfathomably deep—at the very least, far stronger than mine. Moreover, his spiritual energy was extremely unusual. Besides the golden spiritual power that I recognized as belonging to Taoist cultivation, there was also an indescribable blue force hidden within him.

Looking at his appearance, he seemed to be mixed-race. That made me wonder whether the unfamiliar energy I sensed came from some foreign cultivation system.

In other words, this sissy wasn’t just a blend of East and West in terms of bloodline—his abilities and techniques were as well. He definitely looked like an exceptionally troublesome opponent.

But it was precisely because of his strength that I believed he might actually be able to save Tang Shanshan. If I didn’t agree to his terms first, then Tang Shanshan would truly have only one path left—death.

At the time, I had no opportunity to think about the consequences.

Although the Record of Heaven’s Mysteries was precious, I had already made multiple copies of it and even digitized it. Giving him a copy wasn’t really a big issue.

As for the Ancient Extreme Yin Jade, I felt that trading it for Tang Shanshan’s life was worth it.

What worried me afterward was that this guy didn’t seem like a good person at all.

If he later used the Record of Heaven’s Mysteries and the Ancient Extreme Yin Jade to commit evil deeds and harm others, then I would become a sinner for all time, too ashamed to face the ancestors of the Qiu family.

What I needed to do now was keep him placated, preferably use him to find a way to save Tang Shanshan, and then somehow prevent him from using those two items for anything immoral.

Of course, I knew this was practically dancing with a wolf, with the constant danger of being devoured at any moment.

But for now, it was the only option worth trying.

Although I couldn’t find a method in the Record of Heaven’s Mysteries that could directly expel the Yin creature without harming Tang Shanshan’s primordial spirit, I did discover something useful.

As an ordinary person, Tang Shanshan’s innate primordial spiritual power couldn’t compare to that of cultivators like us who had spent years refining spiritual energy. Nor could she resist the Yin energy inside her.

That was why she remained unconscious.

The Yin energy had gained the upper hand, and if this continued for too long, she might never wake up again.

However, the primordial spiritual power contained within the soul wasn’t ordinary spiritual energy. Even if I were willing to act as a human power bank and endlessly supply Tang Shanshan with spiritual energy, it would accomplish nothing.

Within the Record of Heaven’s Mysteries, I found a technique known as the Soul Refinement Technique.

After reading it, I realized that it bore a surprising resemblance to the Soul-Nurturing Art that had ultimately backfired on Zhu Shengxing.

The Soul-Nurturing Art worked by taming and binding Yin creatures, using them as servants to achieve certain goals.

The Soul Refinement Technique, on the other hand, involved subduing Yin creatures, refining them through spells and formations, dispersing their Yin energy, extracting the remnants of their primordial spiritual power, and then preserving that refined essence for one’s own use.

Yet the more I thought about it, the more I realized that despite their superficial similarities, the two were fundamentally different.

Raising and controlling Yin creatures violated the natural order and moral principles. Sooner or later, those creatures would retaliate against their master.

The Soul Refinement Technique, although it contained an element of self-interest, fundamentally encouraged capable practitioners to eliminate demons and evil spirits and remove harmful Yin creatures from the world.

The tiny amount of primordial spiritual power obtained in the process could be regarded as a reward for vanquishing evil.

Therefore, I now had only one option:

I had to find Yin creatures, subdue and refine them, and use the primordial spiritual power I obtained to replenish Tang Shanshan’s soul. Only then would she possess enough strength to resist the Yin creature inside her and prevent her soul from being devoured in the short term.

I stayed awake the entire night.

After sorting out the priorities of the situation, I immediately headed back to the hospital.

At that moment, both Zhu Zhu and Liu Xiaopeng were in Tang Shanshan’s hospital room.

Looking at Tang Shanshan lying in bed without the slightest sign of improvement, I felt a pang of discomfort. I knew we couldn’t keep delaying things.

Sighing, I shared everything I had discovered with Zhu Zhu and Liu Xiaopeng.

“I picked up a job from one of the feng shui and supernatural forums I frequent,” I said, opening my phone and showing them an address from a private message.

“This person bought a villa worth over two million yuan for only two hundred thousand. It’s located in the outskirts of a neighboring city and is known to be a haunted house. The previous three owners and their families all died inside it. He bought it, but he’s too afraid to live there. He’s already had the original interior torn out, and now he wants someone knowledgeable in both feng shui and renovations to take a look.”

I pulled up the forum post and handed my phone to Liu Xiaopeng.

“Right now, our top priority is finding supernatural incidents that might involve Yin creatures suitable for refinement, so we can obtain primordial spiritual power for Tang Shanshan. The story behind this villa sounds suspicious enough. I want to go there and try my luck.”

“You two go,” Zhu Zhu said after glancing at Tang Shanshan in the hospital bed. “I’ll stay here and watch over her. If anything happens, I’ll notify you immediately.”

Liu Xiaopeng didn’t hesitate. He readily agreed to accompany me to the haunted villa and test our luck.

That genuinely moved me.

The truth was, he had every reason to stay out of these dangerous matters. He was only my employee. These situations were far beyond the scope of his responsibilities, and it wasn’t like I paid him enough to justify risking his life.

But this wasn’t the time for emotional speeches or sentimental displays.

I simply patted Liu Xiaopeng on the shoulder.

The two of us hurried back to the office, gathered our equipment, tools, and a change of clothes, then set off in my battered old van toward the neighboring city.

Taking turns behind the wheel, we drove for roughly four hours before leaving the highway and entering the rural roads on the outskirts.

The national highway here was obviously old and poorly maintained. The road surface was full of potholes, making the ride incredibly bumpy.

Still, that wasn’t the worst part.

To my surprise, less than ten minutes later, we ran into a traffic jam.

The delay lasted half an hour.

Eventually, we became too restless to remain in the vehicle and got out, joining many of the other drivers heading forward to see what had happened.

About 150 meters ahead stood a small bridge.

Years of neglect had reduced it to a dangerously deteriorated structure.

Beneath it flowed a narrow but seemingly deep river.

Several police cars crowded the bridge.

Apparently, there had been an accident—and a serious one at that.

A police cordon had already been set up. Through the gaps, I could vaguely make out a family sedan whose front end had slammed into the guardrail. The entire vehicle had been crushed and twisted out of shape.

What caught my attention even more was the absence of any ambulance.

That meant there had likely been fatalities.

Several people wearing white coats over police uniforms were present. They were clearly forensic examiners responsible for handling the bodies.

Looking at the mangled wreckage, I couldn’t help feeling puzzled.

The road was already in terrible condition.

How fast must the driver have been going to crash with enough force to leave the car in that state?