Chapter 3:Split souls everywhere

In a hidden grotto heaven, secluded from the rest of the world, an old man who resembled a fossil sat in a lotus position on top of a formation, eyes closed in meditation. This formation, the fruit of over a century of hard work, was perceived as only 15 and a half years old in the outside world.

After a while, he opened his eyes, his expression a mix of joy and fatigue, despite the bloodshot eyes and trembling legs.

"I did it! I've found the final blood inheritance!" he exclaimed.

The formation could decipher even the smallest clues to receive information on what was sought with the hefty price of life span.

Once a young man, centuries of cultivation in this time path grotto had transformed him into a frail figure who seemed on the brink of death. Despite the numerous lifespan Gu he had acquired,almost worth a thousand years of life, most had been consumed sustaining this intricate formation. 

And because he was looking for blood path inheritances , it required his blood.

He had methods to heal himself from blood loss, replenishing it almost instantly, but lifespan was a different matter. He could only use the lifespan Gu he possessed.

But it was worth it.

"I've discovered multiple venerable inheritances, hahaha. Some were far more difficult to obtain than others,"he sighed.

Locating these venerable inheritances had come at a steep price, including burning his luck to acquire the Giant Sun inheritances, only for it to be in the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building. Nevertheless, he succeeded.

"The time for the main body's aperture to awaken is near. Once it does, it will be the perfect moment to restore his memories before he revived."

He took out of his immortal aperture a newly refined Gu, which might look  like  the famous Remember Gu, known for restoring lost memories and healing memory-targeted injuries. However, this Remember Gu had been enhanced to specifically awaken the memories of his main body.

"This should restore his memories, and this…" 

The old man retrieved a rank 1 information path Gu. Though rank 1, its contents were highly coveted. The Gu could store substantial information for its rank, but the value lay in what it contained.

"Let's verify if  everything is in order."

He used his will to review the accumulated information:

- Locations of three Thieving Heaven inheritances

- Locations of three Giant Sun inheritances

- Locations of two Reckless Savage inheritances

- Location of one Red Lotus inheritance

- Location of one Limitless inheritance

The Gu contained details on the exact location of ten venerable inheritances—prized treasures capable of rivaling the heavens themselves.

If word got out , seas of blood would be created in hope to get this information.

"It seems everything is set. Time to add the final piece."

He added information on where to find the Blood Path inheritances of the Blood Sea Ancestor, who, though not a venerable, was the creator of the Blood Path and a clone of the Giant Sun—a fact not widely known.

"I've pinpointed most of the normal inheritances and located six true inheritances, as well as the whereabouts of who took the remaining four."

The old man was the happiest he has ever been.This was after all  a task assigned to him by his main body, Ning Zu.

"Let me add a little gift for you."

He included details on a Gu Master's inheritance near his location, to help his master when he remembers who he really is.

"Hahaha… I finally did it… *cough* *cough*"

Blood began to seep from his mouth, a consequence of his dwindling lifespan.

He retrieved a five year lifespan Gu and used it immediately. 

"This was the last lifespan Gu I had, hahaha. It's of no matter. There's no chance I'll survive after leaving this place. Better to use it now."

He expended nearly all his remaining lifespan to teleport the two Gu to his main body's mind, ensuring they would activate once the main body awakened his aperture.

"Those Heavenly Court bastards will never uncover what I've done now, not even heaven's will can.This move sure was costly, but it's worth it."

"Well ,it's time to say goodbye to this shit hole."

He grabbed a crystal near the formation, a shining orb that had been with him since his arrival.

"Haaa, it's finally time."

With a determined grip, he crushed the crystal, releasing a blinding light that consumed everything in its path, erasing all traces of the grotto heaven.

As the light faded, only the old man remained, floating in the real word, having forgotten everything about what happened inside the now-vanished grotto heaven.

"It's over, huh? Damn, I'm an old man now."

He pulled out a bottle of wine and began drinking with abandon.

"*Sigh* Do I even have a name? That's not fair! The previous ones had names! I want a name too! Let it be… Zhu Chen! Yes, I like it! Hahahaha!"

He continued drinking, indifferent to the cracks forming on his body.

"It seems I became too powerful within that grotto heaven. I should have vanished with it. I guess I'm stronger than I was meant to be, hahaha—"

His laughter was abruptly cut short as metal chains pierced through him.

"What—"

Before he could react, the chains continued to pierce him, immobilizing him and preventing his body from disintegrating.

"Fairy, your method is highly effective for trapping this demon."

Zhu Chen looked up and saw five immortals descending from the sky.

"Heavenly Court!" 

He feigned hatred while trying to figure out a way to escape his restraints.

"All your efforts are futile, Ning Zu's split soul. Surrender now."

"Zi Wei, look at you! Hahaha! You haven't aged a day. Have you been waiting for me?"

Said Zhu Chen with a smile on his face 

"Demon! How dare you speak to Fairy in that manner!"

A man with fully black eyes, seething with anger, summoned a black vortex.

"Lord Chiang Le, please restrain yourself. Ning Zu's body contains no Gu worms. We only need to ensure he doesn't self-destruct."

"Don't worry, Fairy. With the chains you specifically designed, he has no chance of detonating!"

Zhu Chen looked at  Fairy Zi Wei and Chiang Le with eyes that reflected a life fulfilled without regret, his gaze calm.

"Friends, my name is not Old Man nor Ning Zu's split soul. My name is Zhu Chen. And for your information, I don't need to self-destruct."

As he spoke, his eyes grew increasingly blurred.

"My name is Zhu Chen. Remember that!"

Fairy Zi Wei, recognizing the gravity of the situation, attempted to use healing killer moves to sustain his life, but all efforts were in vain.

"He lifespan is  exhausted! Quick, capture his soul!"

"Not so fast!"

Zhu Chen activated a hidden killer move within his soul.

Immortal Killer Move - Split Soul for Every Continent

This rule path killer move, developed by Ning Zu, had profound soul path applications. It split the user's soul into several equal parts, with the number depending on the chosen elements. 

Because there exists five continents in this word, Zhu Chen's soul was divided into five parts, each targeting one of the Gu immortals to absorb their memories and experiences to possess there body's in the end. 

Fairy Zi Wei initially tried to suppress the split soul that attacked her but switched tactics when she realized it was already absorbing her soul. She choose to use a wisdom path killer move to contain it instead.

Chiang Le who had developed his dark path methods to counter soul path,effortlessly destroyed the split soul that targeted him.

However, two immortals were caught off guard and couldn't suppress the split soul, resulting in their possession by Zhu Chen.

The split souls then duplicated, splitting into five parts again and attacking Chiang Le without hesitation.

"These soul path cultivators who focus so much on their souls, forget to strengthen their minds as well."

Chiang Le raised his hand with a smug expression.

Immortal Killer Move - Black prison

He used his move to trap all the split souls in a black vortex, attempting to seal them, but they detonated before he could complete the process.

"Damn demon , it seems the split soul would detonate after some time naturally."

Chiang Le turned to Fairy Zi Wei, who had finished her fight with the split soul. Though she hadn't been able to seal it, she had gathered some information.

"Did you find anything, Fairy?"

"I discovered three things from my attempt at soul searching: One, Zhu Chen was indeed a split soul of Ning Zu. Two, he completed a mission assigned to him by Ning Zu, I have no idea what that mission is though. And three, he is the last split soul left by Ning Zu, as far as he knows."

"We can't be certain. He might not be aware of other split souls. This recent killer move shows he can create his own split souls," said one of the surviving immortals.

"I'm not sure if he is the last split soul, but he didn't make any other clones. This killer move is designed to make the soul naturally disappears after some time."

"Very well, Fairy. Let's at least seal the old man's body."

Fairy Zi Wei agreed and made the chains transport Zhu Chen's body to what appeared to be a star, sealing it there.

"Let's return and report to the Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord , and take the bodies with us to return them to their families."

They both agreed and carried out their tasks.

Yet, unbeknownst to Fairy Zi Wei and Chiang Le, one heavily court immortal had already obtained every memory Zhu Chen had left.

He waited for the split soul to enter his body, then used a refinement method to counter it. This killer move treated the split soul as a refinement material, trapping it and conducting a soul search unnoticed by the other immortals.

The split soul didn't even resist ,recognizing him as a friend, not an enemy.

The immortal destroyed the split soul without detection,then acted like he new nothing.

This immortal was Lian Jiu Sheng, a split soul of the legendary Spectral Soul, an old friend of Ning Zu.

He couldn't wait to report what he just found to Shadow sect.

Ning Zu has revived!