Chapter 508: Celestial-Human Alignment! Slaying! The True Use of Soulbind Command!

The aura was like the wrath of heaven and earth itself; the wind and clouds darkened in response.

“What’s wrong with the Old Ancestor?”

“Could it be a tribulation from a heart demon?”

“How is that possible? The Old Ancestor already slew the heart demon and blocked heavenly secrets within the great formation. How could there be a problem in cultivation?”

They sensed the unwilling, furious energy within that immense will and exchanged glances, puzzled.

One elder with phoenix-like eyes suddenly realized something. “Could it be that the Old Ancestor is about to breakthrough?!”

Another solemn-looking elder frowned. “If the breakthrough fails, all previous efforts would be wasted. The years of planning in Seasons Grove would be for nothing.”

The three elders anxiously looked toward the thatched hut on the back mountain.

Fortunately, at the edge of the outbreak, the aura’s owner had reined in their fury. The cost of a breakthrough was far too heavy.

At the last moment, the owner of the aura suppressed their anger, and finally, everything returned to calm. Sensing this, the three elders let out a sigh of relief.

“What could have provoked the Old Ancestor to such wrath?”

They exchanged puzzled glances. At the Old Ancestor’s realm, there should be nothing in the current world capable of causing such agitation.

They then offered a respectful, fearful bow. Once everything settled, the phoenix-eyed elder spoke with concern, “Could it be that Xiao’e encountered trouble while capturing the temple and illegitimate gods?”

Within Seasons Grove, these three held the highest positions, but even they could not easily meet with the Old Ancestor.

“Xiao’e possesses the Celestial-Human Alignment and commands countless profound immortal techniques. The Old Ancestor also gave her protective artifacts, so there shouldn’t be any problem on her side.”

The elder who had remained silent nodded. “Exactly. The Autumntide Sword is a rare divine weapon, and Goldie carries the bloodline of a primordial beast. I’ve heard the Old Ancestor also gifted Xiao’e a jade pendant, allowing him to intervene in emergencies. Such unmatched glory is beyond our reach. How could anything go wrong with Xiao’e?”

The other two elders considered this reasonable, yet still puzzled; if it wasn’t Xiao’e’s fault, then what could have happened?

***

In the mountains near Wei City, the girl in green was petrified as she watched the scholar be shattered and then completely refined into nothingness by the divine fire.

This scene was equivalent to the collapse of her faith.

I must escape!

Once she recovered her senses, that was her first thought.

Clang! Clang!

Two red sword lights shot from the horizon, instantly pinning the unguarded girl in green to the ground.

Pfftt!

They pierced straight through her body.

“No!” the girl in green cried out. The next moment, the torrent of flames engulfed her, refining her entirely into void.

Meanwhile, Li Yanchu’s expression remained calm, his face icy cold.

***

Earlier, when returning to Wei City, Li Yanchu had sensed two powerful auras erupting in the mountains. He had the Eight Trigrams Mirror lock onto their locations and hurried over alone. He arrived just in time to witness the scene.

Someone was trying to kill the innkeeper! Naturally, he didn’t hold back.

“What exactly happened?” Li Yanchu asked afterward.

“The

jianghu

guest who came to deliver news earlier was controlled using Corpse-Herding Technique and caused a commotion at the inn. I wanted to see who was behind all of this,” the innkeeper explained.

“Were you able to find out?” Li Yanchu asked.

She shook her head. “I didn’t have time to ask before you killed him.”

Li Yanchu fell silent at her response.

However, they didn’t dwell on it, and soon, the innkeeper leaned affectionately against Li Yanchu’s chest.

“Thank you for today. If it weren’t for your help, that scholar’s high realm would have put me at a disadvantage.” Her voice was soft and melodic, a trace of charm gracing her delicate features.

“Let’s go back first.” Li Yanchu didn’t ask further.

The two of them soon returned to Wei City. To outsiders, it appeared as if nothing had happened.

The citizens of Wei City had long grown accustomed to the earth-shattering explosions in the mountains; after witnessing so many bizarre events, nothing seemed unusual anymore.

Meanwhile, the cultivators in Wei City were on edge. Their first reaction was, “Again?”

Only a few cultivators had glimpsed the battle from afar. Yet when others asked them about it, they all remained silent, saying nothing.

Even observing from a distance, the aura alone sent shivers down the spine, especially when they saw a Dharma manifestation with three heads and six arms, like an ancient deity descending to the mortal world. The battle had reached such a high level that it left everyone intimidated, plunging them into silence.

Lady Yun had been given some time off by the innkeeper; since she had been out on duties, there was less work to do in the kitchen. When Liu Jun saw Li Yanchu return, she was visibly excited.

However, when Li Yanchu saw her, he asked with a frown, “What happened to your head?”

White bandages were wrapped around Liu Jun’s head.

“I don’t even know... today’s been especially unlucky. A horse got spooked on the street, there were so many people around, and somehow only I got hurt,” Liu Jun said, frustrated.

Li Yanchu twitched at the corner of his mouth and nodded without making a fuss.

Xiao Ran, acting mysteriously, leaned closer. “Daoist Master Li, just now I sensed another astonishing aura outside the city. Was that you?”

Li Yanchu shook his head. “Not me. I don’t know what happened.”

Xiao Ran didn’t believe him. “You’re lying! That was clearly the divine aura of the Fire Virtue True Lord.”

Li Yanchu didn’t explain, as he wasn’t the type to show off. He certainly couldn’t say,

I went outside and slaughtered a high-realm scholar’s projection.

Suddenly, Li Yanchu’s mind stirred. “Have you heard of Seasons Grove?”

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Xiao Ran paused. “I’ve heard of them. Did you get into a fight with people from Seasons Grove just now?”

Li Yanchu nodded. “What kind of place is it? Sounds... very scholarly.”

“In this world, aside from some Buddhist and Daoist sects, there are also hidden sects. Seasons Grove is one such ancient power. I’ve only seen them mentioned in classical texts. They claim to follow the Confucian lineage of the Literary Saint, but in practice, their methods are quite... diverse,” Xiao Ran explained.

“A demonic sect?” Li Yanchu asked.

“Yes. The cultivators of Seasons Grove act without restraint. They like to stir up trouble in the world and treat human life lightly,” Xiao Ran said.

Li Yanchu asked her more about Seasons Grove. Xiao Ran was delighted; finally, she had the chance to get close to Daoist Master Li. She recounted everything she knew, either from classical texts or from her senior sect members, all at once.

Li Yanchu also learned of a unique technique used by Seasons Grove.

“Soulbind Command[1] isn’t a Daoist method?” Li Yanchu asked.

“I read in the classical texts that the Soulbind Command of Seasons Grove is a bit different from the Daoist technique of commanding ghosts. They can bind gods, though I don’t know the details, I’ve never dealt with them directly,” Xiao Ran explained.

“Bind gods, huh?” Li Yanchu’s eyes flickered with thought.

1. “Soulbind Command” is a core technique in the manhua The Outcast (Yi Ren Zhi Xia) and its derivative works. It is ranked among the “Eight Extraordinary Skills” and belongs to the shamanic magic system, created by Feng Tianyang during the Jiashen Rebellion.

This technique consists of two main mechanisms: “Spirit Binding” and “Spirit Command.” The former allows the practitioner to forcibly control multiple spirits, ranging from animal or demon spirits to the residual souls of human cultivators, breaking the traditional limitation where a shaman could only contract a single spirit. The latter enables the user to devour spirits to permanently enhance their own power, though this carries the risk of inheriting fragments of the spirits’ consciousness, which can lead to personality distortion. ☜