Yan Xuehen almost stopped breathing right there and then. Why is this guy’s mouth always so vicious?

“If that witch heard you say that, she would properly teach you what it means to be a grandmaster,” she said unhappily. “Do you think grandmasters grow like cabbages? There aren’t many who are stronger than us, and those are people who can’t act freely for various reasons. With our cultivation, it’s already enough to go and do whatever we please. Even among those at the same level, that witch and I are definitely among the best.”

“Okay, okay, okay, you and Big Sis Yun are awesome. Then, what about the step after that?” Zu An asked, snickering inwardly. Yan Xuehen was normally so calm and indifferent; it was rare to see her defend herself so nervously. Was this the so-called pride of the strong?

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore,” Yan Xuehen snapped. She looked away, clearly still annoyed.

Zu An quickly moved over and said, “I’m sorry. I was wrong, okay? Here, I’ll help you massage your back.”

“Don’t touch me,” Yan Xuehen said, quickly moving aside. Her face was completely red as she added, “You don’t even have any clothes on. What are you trying to do?”

“It’s not as if there’s anyone else here, anyway,” Zu An protested.

Yan Xuehen looked away and didn’t dare to look at him again. Her heart began to race when she remembered how she had been tossed around earlier because of him. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, then said, “I already said that it was only treatment earlier. After that matter, we have to pretend that nothing happened. Don’t go back on your word.”

“I never agreed though…” Zu An mumbled. When he saw her brows shoot upward, however, he didn’t dare to provoke her too much and quickly changed the topic. “Master, hurry and tell me the rest.”

“Don’t call me master!” Yan Xuehen snapped. She felt that that method of address really left her worked up for some reason. She was worried that he might continue to annoy her about the subject and quickly said, “The next cultivation step is to cultivate the ascension soul by the head and condense a yin spirit.”

“A yin spirit?” Zu An asked in surprise.

“You can view it as a soul body as well. Its appearance is completely identical to the real person, but it isn’t the same. It can even leave the body, but it must return to the body before dawn. Otherwise, once the sun rises, it will be burned and extinguished. That’s why it’s called the yin spirit,” Yan Xuehen explained.

“The next realm is to cultivate the three immortal souls’ life soul. The yin spirit of that level won’t fear the blistering sun anymore, and the distance it can travel outside of the body will also increase greatly. By using it with a weapon, you can even achieve the legendary ‘beheading from ten thousand li away’.”

Zu An began to feel a bit of longing when he heard that. Just how incredible would it be to be able to behead someone that far away? He wondered when he could reach such a level.

Yan Xuehen continued, “At that level, you can gain many other abilities. For example, you can attach your soul to another’s body, or even possess them and take over their body.”

Zu An exclaimed in shock, “Then wouldn’t that mean that you’ve essentially achieved immortality?” He suddenly remembered how the emperor Zhao Han had hidden his soul in the crown prince’s body. It was probably through that ability.

“As if it could be that simple,” Yan Xuehen said, shaking her head. “There are no easy loopholes to exploit in the natural laws. Even though you can possess another, you can only do it three times. Furthermore, whenever you do that, the lifespan of the new host substantially decreases, and so does their strength. Furthermore, the upper bounds of cultivation also become restricted.

“After three possessions, your cultivation will only be a bit stronger than that of an ordinary person, but your lifespan will be far inferior. Furthermore, those who have reached such a level are all extraordinary individuals. Which one of them would be willing to live like an ordinary person, powerless against the whims of others? That’s why, unless it’s absolutely necessary, no one makes such a choice.”

Zu An felt relieved when he heard her say that. The difference before and after possession was too great. The world of cultivation was a merciless one, after all. People always fought over treasures, trampling on each other to reach a higher stage. How could they stand being humiliated that way? Furthermore, possession was something the entire world looked down on, making that kind of deed even more undesirable.

Wait, does what I did count as possession… Zu An thought, suddenly beginning to question life.

Yan Xuehen said frankly, “Because that level cultivates the three immortal souls, and cultivators at that point are stronger than ordinary grandmasters, some people already refer to it as the earth immortal rank. However, that rank is clearly weaker than a true earth immortal. So, the cultivation world usually calls such cultivators half earth immortals. Overall, they’re still close to the level of a grandmaster.”

“Then, what about a real earth immortal?” Zu An asked. His relationship with Zhao Han would end sooner or later, so he needed to learn more, knowing both himself and his enemy.

After some hesitation, Yan Xuehen said, “I don’t understand that level too well. I can only describe it based on the sect’s records.

“The first level of the earth immortal rank cultivates the earth soul of the three immortal souls, producing a yang spirit. The yang spirit is different from the yin spirit. It doesn’t fear scorching heat, and has a tangible form. It isn’t too different from the original body, and it can roam through the world. Furthermore, to a certain degree, earth immortals can control the laws of causality.”

“Laws of causality?” Zu An repeated in shock.

He wasn’t surprised that the yang spirit could roam the world, because he had seen Zhao Han use the imperial decree to appear far away and easily kill any enemy. However, the laws of causality were troublesome. Those were pretty much all ultimate skills!

“I don’t know the exact details either. I’ve only read about it in the White Jade Sect’s records,” Yan Xuehen said, shaking her head.

“Is that the level Zhao Han is at?” Zu An asked gravely.

“No, he’s a level higher!” Yan Xuehen replied. She couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration when she said that. After all, Zhao Han was the most stunning being in the last few centuries. He was someone who even had hope of becoming a true immortal! She continued, “He cultivates the heaven soul of the three immortal souls. It’s rumored that a primordial spirit can be cultivated at that level.”

Zu An waited for Yan Xuehen to continue, but she instead stared right back at him. He was stunned, asking, “And then?”

“I don’t know anything else,” Yan Xuehen admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed. “After all, that level is too high. Apart from the emperor, no one else has been able to reach it. The fact that the White Jade Sect only knows that you can cultivate a primordial spirit at that level already proves its power.”

Zu An couldn't help but laugh, remarking, “You sound pretty proud while saying that.”

Yan Xuehen harrumphed, clearly a bit unsatisfied.

Zu An’s smile faded. That made things much trickier. Forget about him, even Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue were several cultivation realms beneath Zhao Han. How was he even supposed to fight someone like that in the future? Even though he had won by a fluke, relying on all sorts of methods in the Westhound Tomb secret dungeon, that had just been a soul fragment. Compared to Zhao Han’s real strength, the difference was too great.

Yan Xuehen was both beautiful and intelligent. When she saw how worried Zu An looked, and thought about how he had kept asking about Zhao Han, she couldn't help but ask, “Don’t tell me you’ve offended Zhao Han?”

“Yeah,” Zu An replied. He thought to himself, It’s not just offending him…. I’ve slept with his empress and his daughter-in-law, and there’s the truth of the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, and then the destruction of his split soul in Westhound Tomb… There’s no way the two of us could still reconcile with each other.

I really am crazy… I ended up sleeping with the two women who shouldn’t have been touched the most.

But it’s not really my fault, right? The empress initiated it herself, and I couldn't avoid her even when I wanted to.

As for the crown princess, you can’t blame me for what happened in Westhound Tomb either. It was clearly because Zhao Han, for the sake of immortality, continued to pressure us again and again.

“Just how did you offend him? According to the White Jade Sect’s intelligence, you’re quite welcome in the Eastern Palace. All of this couldn't have happened without his assistance either,” Yan Xuehen said in surprise. She really couldn't understand.

“I’m nothing more than a chess piece he’s using to deal with King Qi. Once King Qi dies, I’ll be next,” Zu An said. He naturally couldn’t tell her about the empress and crown princess.

Yan Xuehen nodded and said, “Indeed, Zhao Han is a ruthless person. Not many of his subordinates have met good ends. However, you don’t need to feel too worried either. He’s already experiencing heaven and man deterioration. Time is on your side.”

Zu An had a bitter smile. With their grudge, the emperor would definitely eliminate him before he went down himself. Of course, there was no need to talk about any of that, because it would only add to Yan Xuehen’s worries.

Yan Xuehen glanced outside and said worriedly “Ah Zu, we might not be able to reach Cloudcenter Commandery in time. It’s already almost daybreak.”