Chapter 1290: Too Late

Yan Xuehen was almost choked by that remark. How could that guy's words be so venomous?

"If that demoness heard you, she'd show you what a Grandmaster truly is," Yan Xuehen said with a stern face. "Do you think Grandmasters are a dime a dozen? There are very few people at a higher cultivation level than us, and those who are either can't emerge for various reasons. With the demoness's and my cultivation, we are already formidable enough to walk freely anywhere. Even among those at the same level, the demoness and I are absolutely among the best."

"Alright, alright, you and Sister Yun are the most powerful. What about the levels beyond that?" Zu An chuckled inwardly. He usually saw her so calm and composed, so it was rare to see her so anxiously defending herself. Was this the competitive spirit of a strong practitioner?

"I don't want to talk about it with you anymore," Yan Xuehen turned her face away, clearly still a bit upset.

Zu An quickly moved closer. "My apologies, my apologies. Here, let me give you a back rub."

"Don't touch me," Yan Xuehen instantly moved away, her face flushing crimson. "You're not even wearing clothes. What sort of decorum is that?"

"There's no one else here anyway," Zu An said dismissively.

Yan Xuehen turned her face away, not daring to look again. Her heart pounded as she recalled how he had tormented her just moments ago.

She took a deep breath, calming herself. "I said it was just for healing. Afterward, we'll pretend nothing happened. Don't go back on your word."

"I never agreed," Zu An muttered under his breath. Seeing her eyebrows beginning to furrow, he didn't dare provoke her further and quickly changed the subject. "Master, please tell me about the later stages."

"Don't call me 'Master'," Yan Xuehen felt uneasy about the title at that moment, worried he would continue to pester her. She quickly said, "The next cultivation stage involves cultivating the Heaven-Rushing Po at the crown of the head, to condense the Yin Spirit."

"Yin Spirit?" Zu An paused, surprised.

"You can essentially see it as a soul body. Its appearance is identical to the person's own, but it's not a physical entity. It can leave the body, but it must return before sunrise, or it will vanish into dust once the sun rises. That's why it's called a Yin Spirit," Yan Xuehen explained.

"The stage after that involves cultivating the Life Soul among the three souls. At this stage, the Yin Spirit fears no scorching sun, its range of departure from the body significantly increases, and it can attach itself to objects. This allows one to achieve the legendary feat of taking an enemy's head from thousands of miles away."

Zu An listened, captivated. How magnificent it would be to take an enemy's head from thousands of miles away! He wondered when he might reach such a level.

Yan Xuehen continued, "Upon reaching this level, there are many other abilities, such as possessing others or even taking over their bodies."

Zu An was startled. "If that's the case, wouldn't one be able to live forever?"

He suddenly remembered how Emperor Zhao Hao had hidden a fragment of his soul within the Crown Prince. That must have been an ability from this stage.

"It's not that simple," Yan Xuehen shook her head. "The laws of the Heavenly Dao wouldn't leave such a glaring loophole. While one can take over a body, it's limited to three times. Each time a body is taken, the new host's lifespan is significantly shortened, their strength drastically declines, and their cultivation potential is sealed."

"After the third body-takeover, one's cultivation is only slightly stronger than that of an ordinary person, but their lifespan is much shorter. Those who reach this stage are influential figures who command respect; how could they endure being an ordinary person, subjected to humiliation by common officials? Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no one would choose this path."

Hearing her explanation, Zu An felt relieved. These were individuals who were once absolute authorities, yet later their cultivation would drastically decline. The world of cultivation was brutal, filled with murder, plunder, and public humiliation. How could they possibly endure such degradation?

Moreover, those who practiced body-takeover were often reviled and hunted, making their circumstances precarious.

*Wait, does what I did count as body-takeover...?*

For a moment, Zu An began to question his own existence.

At this point, Yan Xuehen continued, "Because this stage cultivates the three souls, and the practitioner's strength is significantly higher than that of an ordinary Grandmaster, some believe that reaching this stage means becoming an Earth Immortal. However, this stage is clearly weaker than a true Earth Immortal, so the mainstream cultivation world refers to it as 'Half-step Earth Immortal,' still generally categorized within the Grandmaster realm."

"What about a true Earth Immortal?" Zu An asked. Sooner or later, he would have a falling out with Zhao Hao, so it was crucial to know his enemy.

Yan Xuehen hesitated. "I'm not entirely clear about that stage either. I can only tell you what's recorded in our sect's ancient texts."

"The first stage of Earth Immortal cultivation involves cultivating the Earth Soul among the three souls, to produce a Yang Spirit. Unlike a Yin Spirit, a Yang Spirit fears no scorching sun, possesses a physical form, and is not significantly different from the main body. It can freely roam between heaven and earth, and it seems to be able to control the power of karma to some extent."

"Power of karma?" Zu An was startled. He wasn't surprised by the Yang Spirit roaming freely, as he had seen Zhao Hao appear thousands of miles away and instantly kill any enemy with just an imperial decree.

But the power of karma was troublesome; it was essentially the ultimate skill.

"I don't know the specifics; I only saw that phrase in a White Jade Capital ancient text," Yan Xuehen also shook her head.

"Is Zhao Hao at this level?" Zu An asked in a low voice.

"No, he's one level higher!" Yan Xuehen couldn't help but show a hint of admiration when she spoke of this. After all, Zhao Hao was the most astonishing and brilliant individual in several hundred years, and once even had the greatest potential to achieve True Immortal status.

"He cultivates the Heaven Soul among the three souls. It's said that this stage allows one to cultivate the Primordial Spirit."

Zu An waited for her to continue, but then realized she was simply staring back at him. He paused. "And then?"

"There's nothing after that," Yan Xuehen said, a little embarrassed. "After all, this stage is too high. Besides the Emperor himself, no one else truly understands it. The fact that White Jade Capital knows that this stage cultivates the Primordial Spirit already shows its profound heritage."

Zu An chuckled. "You sound quite proud of that."

Yan Xuehen snorted, clearly displeased.

Zu An's smile faded. This was troublesome. Not only himself, but even Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue were several major stages below Zhao Hao. How could he possibly fight him in the future?

In the Western Dog Mound secret realm, although he had managed a narrow victory through various means, he had only dealt with a wisp of Zhao Hao's fragmented soul. Compared to the Emperor's true strength, there was likely a significant gap.

Yan Xuehen, being perceptive, saw his worried expression and his continuous inquiries about Zhao Hao. She couldn't help but ask, "Did you perhaps offend Zhao Hao?"

"Yes," Zu An thought. *Offend? That's an understatement.* He had slept with the Emperor's Empress and his daughter-in-law, uncovered the truth about the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, and destroyed his fragmented soul in the Western Dog Mound... There was no way their conflict would end peacefully.

*I truly must have the guts of a bear and a leopard; I touched the two women in the world I absolutely shouldn't have.*

*But honestly, it's not entirely my fault. With the Empress, she was the one who initiated it; I barely had time to react.*

*And as for the Crown Princess, the situation in Western Dog Mound wasn't my doing either. Zhao Hao was the one who pushed things to that point, step by step, all for the sake of achieving immortality.*

"How exactly did you offend him? According to White Jade Capital's intelligence, weren't you highly favored in the Eastern Palace? And all of that was due to his support," Yan Xuehen asked, quite surprised and unable to comprehend.

"I was just a pawn he used against Prince Qi. Once Prince Qi was gone, it would have been my turn," Zu An naturally dared not explain his entanglement with the Empress and the Crown Princess to her.

Yan Xuehen nodded slightly. "Indeed, Zhao Hao is a heartless person; few of his subordinates meet a good end. However, you needn't worry too much. After all, his Five Heavenly Decays are approaching. Time is on your side."

Zu An gave a bitter smile. Given the animosity between them, the Emperor would surely eliminate him before his Five Heavenly Decays. Of course, there was no need to voice this, as it would only add to her worries.

Just then, Yan Xuehen glanced outside, a worried expression on her face. "Ah Zu, I'm afraid we won't make it back to Yunzhong Commandery in time. It's almost dawn."