Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 221 - 176: Winner (Part 2)

His power was so overwhelming that even though his body had weakened to the extreme, Zhang Yao desperately struggled but still couldn't break free immediately.

This slight delay left everything too late.

Under Yu Wen Tai's control, the Soul Thought Aura ignored the Spiritual Soul Protection and pierced into Zhang Yao's Sea of Consciousness like an invisible Qi Arrow.

"Ah!!"

Zhang Yao suddenly felt an indescribable pain in his head, as if a red-hot iron was stirring inside.

"Bang!"

He barely held on for less than a single breath before he could no longer sustain it, his vision blacked out, and he collapsed straight to the ground.

Yu Wen Tai released his grip, his body swaying as he looked at Zhang Yao, who lay face-up and unconscious on the ground, with a strange smile and murmured:

"My life will not end here..."

As soon as he spoke, his pupils began to dilate, his body fell weakly to the ground, his breath ceased, and he was already dead.

The dignified master of Celestial Treasure Tower, Yu Wen Tai, the invincible Foundation Establishment of Da Li, died here in an obscure corner of a small, remote kingdom, dying silently.

And opposite his corpse:

"No, no..."

Zhang Yao's expression changed, sometimes fearful, sometimes angry, sometimes joyful, sometimes greedy... he struggled arduously.

And inside his Sea of Consciousness:

Countless memory fragments, like a tidal flood, formed different thoughts, ideas, and personalities under the influence of Soul Thought Aura, engaging in a chaotic battle with Zhang Yao's own thoughts and memories.

The power carried by the Soul Thought Aura was limited, and Zhang Yao's Divine Soul was extremely strong, still holding the home field advantage, thus currently maintaining in a stalemate.

"So this was his final trump card!"

Zhang Yao finally understood the fate of Du Bu Daoist back then, and also understood the latter's advice before dying.

He struggled to maintain the last inch of clarity in his mind, repeatedly recalling his life, deepening his memory imprint, to resist such terrifying spiritual pollution.

Traversing to Qingping Palace, cultivating the Health Maintenance Stance, then meeting with unexpected events, fleeing down the mountain, joining a martial arts school to cultivate Martial Dao, rising silently;

Leaving his hometown to live in seclusion, spending three thousand days and nights, finally achieving Grandmaster, leisurely enjoying twenty years, then hearing legends of Immortals, traveling across vast lands and rivers, seeking opportunities for Immortal Techniques;

Secluding in deep mountains, ascending Celestial Capital, wasting eighty years of time, then heading to Wei Kingdom, changing cultivation techniques through many twists and turns, and then retreating for many years on Wuyin Island;

Opening a shop at Mang Mountain in Li Kingdom, traveling north across Lu Kingdom's borders, obtaining the Foundation Establishment Pill in Celestial Yin Mountain, joining Haihe Association through trials and tribulations, and finally leading with great power...

These ups and downs, three hundred years of time, slowly settled, becoming a vivid and clear sense of self.

"Rumble..."

Beside Zhang Yao, it seemed as if he heard the whistling of a storm, its sound grand then gradually weakening.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, Zhang Yao's self-awareness finally took the upper hand, starting to clear away the thoughts and personalities separated by Soul Thought Aura, reclaiming his territory.

During this process:

Accompanied by the eradication and expulsion of Soul Thought Aura, many memory fragments were also absorbed and digested by Zhang Yao, bringing a massive amount of knowledge and life experience.

If this knowledge and experience rushed into his mind all at once, it would undoubtedly turn his memories upside down, cause chaos in his thinking, possibly even creating alternative personalities and being usurped.

But at this moment, as Zhang Yao occupied the full advantage, he slowly absorbed and digested it, thus avoiding this risk.

"So that's how it is..."

As the numerous memories were digested and absorbed, Zhang Yao gradually pieced together the truth of the entire matter, understanding Yu Wen Tai's true origin.

Contrary to all his previous speculations:

Yu Wen Tai was neither the bloodline descendant of the Five Elements Wanderer nor his Divine Soul reincarnation; he was an extremely unique existence—

Like a wandering ghost in the world, an outcast not belonging to this era.

Two thousand years ago, before the Five Elements Wanderer Liu Cang died, he used a Secret Technique to copy a portion of his thoughts and memories, creating a legacy treasure, secretly handing it to his family's branches, allowing it to be passed down.

If a suitable person was encountered, the thoughts and memories in the legacy treasure would awaken, then seize the newborn's body, achieving indirect reincarnation.

But he hadn't anticipated that this wait would last two thousand years.

Over two thousand years, too many things happened, causing the Liu Family he passed down to no longer be his bloodline, and his actual descendants had even changed their surname to Li and dwindled to the last person.

Two thousand years later:

After many tribulations, the legacy treasure finally met a suitable candidate; Liu Cang's thoughts and consciousness awakened, occupying the unborn infant's body.

Emperor Yu Wenze was very pleased and personally named the newborn "Tai," receiving an even greater surprise in a few years.

At six, Yu Wen Tai's Divine Soul was already unimaginably powerful, easily concealing his true Spirit Root Attribute, allowing him to enter Wuyin Island for secluded cultivation.

Nine years later, he left Wuyin Island, never returning again in his lifetime.

In his view, whether the Yuwen Family or Liu Family, since they weren't his bloodline heritage, they had nothing to do with him.

He crossed various countries all the way, coming within the Da Li Territory, it didn't take him many years to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage, joining the Celestial Treasure Tower as a Loose Cultivator, then secretly opening the Five Elements Secret Realm, carrying out plans lasting more than a hundred years.

"Huff..."

Zhang Yao sat up from the ground, let out a long breath, and his expression gradually relaxed.

The residual Soul Thought Aura in his Sea of Consciousness had almost been cleared, allowing him to carefully sort through the memories from Yu Wen Tai.

Yes, it's Yu Wen Tai, not the Five Elements Wanderer Liu Cang from two thousand years ago.

"Memory is ultimately just memory, not self Divine Soul, much less True Spirit imprint."

"Liu Cang is dead, and dead he remains, his Divine Soul disintegrated completely clean; even if he left all his thoughts and memories, he is no longer the same person..."

In this regard, Zhang Yao had his own judgment, and Yu Wen Tai himself was well aware of it.

He had doubted his own existential identity more than once, secretly conducting many tests, including initially polluting Du Bu Daoist's Divine Soul, which was for this purpose, but it ultimately failed due to an accident.

He attempted to use Soul Thought Aura to copy another set of his thoughts and memories as a backup trump card, but it never succeeded.

"This time was too dangerous, but I also hit the jackpot!"

Zhang Yao stood up, gazing deep into the distance at Yu Wen Tai's corpse.

"Yu Wen Tai is dead, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!"

"I must hurry back to Da Li to plunder the Celestial Treasure Tower's Secret Vault, and the Five Elements Secret Realm cannot be missed either!"

Yu Wen Tai's memory is a huge and valuable asset. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The mere comprehension of various Cultivation Knowledge, Realm Enlightenment, cultivation techniques, Alchemy and Artifact Refining methods, encounters, and common knowledge from different places... etc., is already immeasurably valuable.

This equates to obtaining a Golden Core Invincible lord's lifetime of knowledge, which is almost impossible under normal circumstances, only in such extremes did it give Zhang Yao the chance to capitalize.

Moreover:

Yu Wen Tai's memory contained many secrets, secrets that made Zhang Yao feel thrilling and astounding.

And the most immediate and important secret right now is undoubtedly the soon-to-be-opened Five Elements Secret Realm!

In the Five Elements Secret Realm:

There is the Soul Thought Aura he needs, and its quality is extremely high, a necessary material to inscribe the 'Array of Ten Thousand Souls' Thoughts,' which can greatly enhance the array's power and pave the future path.

In the core repositories, there are several Core Formation Spiritual Objects and Spirit Pills that can increase the odds of forming a Golden Core; there are also several top-tier Heaven and Earth Treasures for cultivating Golden Core Divine Techniques, constructing a Golden Core Level Array, and several ready-made Golden Core Treasures!

All these treasures were prepared by the Five Elements Wanderer Liu Cang from two thousand years ago, ready for his future reincarnated self, and Zhang Yao is determined to obtain them!

And the most crucial point:

The protection of the Five Elements Secret Realm is very powerful, left by Liu Cang at his peak, and Da Li's few at the Golden Core Stage cannot enter or break through it.

What more reason does Zhang Yao have to hesitate?