Cultivating To Immortality

Beside the crystal coffin, there were also some other items: a pile of stones emitting a white-gold luster, a pile of spiritual artifacts of various shapes, and some ancient books, among other things.

Fang Hong did not pay attention to those scattered treasures; he focused all his attention on the Gray-robed Old Man inside the crystal coffin.

Under his Divine Sense, the Gray-robed Old Man did not seem truly dead; there was still a faint, almost imperceptible qi fluctuating weakly within his physical body.

Just as Fang Hong was cautiously observing the Old Man in the crystal coffin, a sudden, unannounced change occurred.

The Gray-robed Old Man's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open, and two sharp golden lights shot out from the crystal coffin with extreme speed, instantly hitting Fang Hong's forehead and then entering his sea ​​of ​​consciousness.

Fang Hong's eyes widened abruptly, his whole body shook, and he fell straight to the ground, unable to control himself.

A few breaths later, Fang Hong climbed back up from the ground, then suddenly opened his mouth and let out a loud, wild laugh.

"Hahaha. I've waited so long, and finally, I've found a good physical body."

Fang Hong's laughter at this moment was full of strangeness, completely unlike his usual voice.

Evidently, Fang Hong had been ambushed and taken through possession by the Gray-robed Old Man from the crystal coffin.

"Excellent, truly excellent. The strength of this physical body far exceeds my expectations; it's practically tailor-made for me."

"Urghhh."

Just as the soul of the old man was smugly experiencing his new physical body, an unexpected change occurred.

His face suddenly twisted violently, as if two forces were tearing wildly within his physical body, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

Rolling demonic qi suddenly surged out from around Fang Hong, followed by the demon soul banner appearing out of thin air behind him.

As soon as the demon soul banner appeared, its three-headed, six-armed skeleton artifact spirit emerged, letting out a roar, and began to frantically devour Fang Hong's physical body.

"Ahhhh. It's a Soul Banner. It's actually a Soul Banner spiritual treasure that specifically counters Divine Soul."

The possessed Fang Hong let out a shrill scream.

The Gray-robed Old Man's soul struggled frantically in the sea ​​of ​​consciousness, but it was firmly locked by the power of the demon soul banner and continuously pulled out by force.

"How dare a mere spiritual treasure be so presumptuous. Watch as I completely shatter you."

The Gray-robed Old Man was both shocked and enraged, controlling Fang Hong's physical body, he was about to raise his hand to destroy the demon soul banner.

But just then, two more rays of light illuminated within Fang Hong's physical body, and a purple orb and a black longsword simultaneously floated out—precisely the Soul Nurturing Pearl and the soul severing sword that Fang Hong had nurtured for many years!

The Soul Nurturing Pearl hung above Fang Hong's head, emitting a soft purple glow, protecting Fang Hong's Nascent Soul.

The soul severing sword floated to the side, with a cold killing intent flowing on its blade.

"Nooo. How could this be?" The Gray-robed Old Man's remnant soul let out a terrified shriek.

Under the protection of the Soul Nurturing Pearl, the devouring power of the demon soul banner grew even more violent.

The Gray-robed Old Man's soul finally could not hold on and was forcibly pulled out from Fang Hong's physical body.

Before the Gray-robed Old Man's remnant soul could stabilize itself, the soul severing sword transformed into a black lightning bolt, piercing his soul body with pinpoint accuracy.

"Ahhhh. How is this possible? This boy actually possesses three treasures that counter Divine Soul at the same time."

"I really am unwilling."

The Gray-robed Old Man's soul twitched uncontrollably in the air, eventually being completely annihilated by the soul severing sword and the demon soul banner, disappearing without a trace.

As the Gray-robed Old Man's remnant soul dissipated, the demon soul banner, Soul Nurturing Pearl, and soul severing sword flew back into Fang Hong's physical body, becoming hidden.

After a long while, Fang Hong slowly got up from the ground, looking shaken, with a faint ache still in the depths of his sea ​​of ​​consciousness.

He dared not delay, immediately sat down cross-legged, and fully circulated his spirit-recovery secret art, healing the injuries left by the soul confrontation just now.

Another stick of incense later, as the last trace of stinging pain disappeared, Fang Hong slowly opened his eyes, letting out a long sigh of relief, the discomfort throughout his body finally receded, and he returned to his peak state.

"That was really close just now; I almost got successfully possessed by that old ghost and would have been utterly doomed," Fang Hong muttered to himself, breaking out in a cold sweat, still feeling lingering fear.

If it weren't for the demon soul banner, Soul Nurturing Pearl, and soul severing sword—these three soul-restraining treasures within his physical body, which he had diligently nurtured for many years—he would have likely perished here today, without even a chance at reincarnation.

Fang Hong stood up, looking at the corpse in the coffin with displeasure.

Regarding the identity of this Gray-robed Old Man, Fang Hong now had a general idea.

Because the Gray-robed Old Man had briefly controlled his physical body, he had left some residual memories in his sea ​​of ​​consciousness.

The Gray-robed Old Man's name was Du Jin and he came from a realm called the Profound Fallen Realm and was once a Void Refining Middle Stage expert, possessing great strength.

Unfortunately, he accidentally obtained a mysterious treasure map, which attracted the covetousness of powerful enemies. In a tragic siege, he was severely wounded and barely escaped from the Profound Fallen Realm to this Heavenly Profound Realm.

Due to his severe injuries and being at the end of his rope, the Gray-robed Old Man could only seal his remnant soul and physical body together in this crystal coffin.

Relying on the special formation within the coffin to barely prolong his life, he waited day after day for a fated person to arrive, attempting to achieve rebirth through possession.

And Fang Hong was the fated person he had been waiting for.

Upon learning the Gray-robed Old Man's origin, Fang Hong frowned slightly, feeling greatly surprised.

He hadn't expected this old ghost to not only be a Void Refining Middle Stage expert but also to come from the Profound Fallen Realm beyond the heavens.

It was a pity that the Gray-robed Old Man's remaining memories were too fragmented, and Fang Hong's understanding of the Profound Fallen Realm remained limited; he could only generally infer that it was a vaster and more prosperous large realm than the Heavenly Profound Realm.

"Old fellow, since your possession failed, I'll gladly accept this corpse."

Fang Hong raised his hand and conjured a ball of magical power, moving the Gray-robed Old Man's corpse out of the crystal coffin.

This was the physical body of a Void Refining Middle Stage expert; if he fed it to his demon gourd, it would surely refine a spirit pill of astonishing quality.

Fang Hong scanned the Gray-robed Old Man's corpse with his Divine Sense and did not find a storage bag, but he did discover a mysterious beast-skin map at his waist.

Fang Hong's heart stirred, and he immediately recalled fragments from the Gray-robed Old Man's memory: it was precisely because of this mysterious map that the Gray-robed Old Man was pursued by powerful enemies, ultimately meeting a fate of complete annihilation.

Fang Hong looked at the map, lost in thought.

Something that could make a Void Refining Middle Stage expert risk his life to protect must have a great opportunity hidden behind this map.

Fang Hong temporarily did not know the secret hidden behind the map, so he carefully put it away, intending to investigate it thoroughly when he eventually went to the Profound Fallen Realm.

After dealing with the map, Fang Hong no longer hesitated, summoning his demon gourd and sucking the Gray-robed Old Man's corpse into it.

The demon gourd reacted violently for a moment, then with a puff, an orange-red spirit pill shot out from its mouth, and a powerful Origin Qi fluctuation spread out with it.