Chapter 295: Charmed Even as a Soul
Li Fan's consciousness wandered within the blank soul.
As time passed, the soul gradually dissipated, and the size of this blank space continued to shrink.
But even when the space became extremely small, with everything seemingly within Li Fan's reach, he still couldn't perceive the existence of the Soul Contract.
"This is what they call seeing but not perceiving, hearing but not understanding!"
With a sigh, the soul completely disappeared.
However, Li Fan didn't feel discouraged. He immediately extracted another soul and tried again.
...
Days passed by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already halfway through the 26th year.
After five assessments, Li Fan's theoretical tests on the Tianxuan Spirit Lock Formation were always excellent.
But unfortunately, he consistently performed poorly in identifying the Soul Contract.
This made Ji Hongdao look at Li Fan with a hint of regret.
However, Li Fan remained as composed as ever.
On this day, Li Fan examined the Soul Gathering Pearl in his hand.
Only about one-third of the golden color remained.
"Three hundred and twelve souls..."
"It's not as many as I imagined. The substantial golden light on the outside should be an illusion caused by all of them clustering together."
Three hundred and twelve was the number of souls Li Fan had already consumed.
Although not particularly numerous, it was definitely not few.
Yet, Li Fan's progress remained slow.
In the tests, his accuracy in identifying the Soul Contract was only around one in ten thousand.
It was basically no different from guessing blindly.
Furthermore, it was said that some cultivators could achieve an astonishing accuracy rate of ninety-nine percent.
"The disparity between individuals is really too great."
Shaking his head silently, Li Fan skillfully extracted a soul and plunged into it.
"Hmm?"
Having observed the souls of over three hundred Five Elders Association cultivators, Li Fan immediately sensed a difference upon entering this particular soul.
Unlike other souls, which were completely blank and empty, this one still retained the memories of the cultivator's life.
These memories had resisted the cleansing process and turned into a cluster of red reefs, standing tall within the soul.
Approaching slowly, Li Fan observed the red cluster before him.
Within the red light, the scenes kept changing, making it difficult to discern specific content.
However, it could vaguely be seen that it was just a short segment of memory, repeating endlessly.
Li Fan recalled Ji Hongdao's explanation earlier.
"The emotions and memories of the cultivators' souls in this batch of Soul Gathering Pearls were cleansed simultaneously."
"Some cultivators have naturally tenacious souls. If there's something they find hard to forget even in death, it's normal for it not to be completely erased."
"If you occasionally encounter some fish slipping through the net, don't panic."
"Although the memories still remain, after being cleansed, their aggressiveness is already close to zero. You can boldly explore these memories."
"So for you, it's actually a rare opportunity."
"Obtaining some techniques, secrets, or even confidential information from the Five Elders Association through these memories is possible."
"You don't need to report these memory fragments you obtain. Consider them your own fortune, so don't feel any psychological pressure."
...
"The risk should be minimal, but precautions should still be taken to prevent accidents."
After some consideration, Li Fan severed the connection between this strand of spiritual consciousness and his main body.
This way, even if something unexpected happened, he would only lose this strand of spiritual consciousness at most.
On the other hand, if there was no danger, he could bring back the information from the memories to his main body.
Prepared, Li Fan's consciousness began to try to make contact with the red cocoon in front of him.
It felt like entering another person's body, unable to move or speak.
He could only observe the surrounding events from the other person's perspective.
Several fragmented images quickly flashed before him.
These were the result of incomplete memories due to the cleansing process.
"This fellow Daoist... are you looking to purchase forbidden books?"
A secretive cultivator pulled out a peculiar jade slip and handed it over.
"Get lost!" The possessed cultivator impatiently exclaimed.
...
"Fellow Daoist, interested in forbidden books? Absolutely thrilling, you won't regret it," another cultivator asked quietly.
After much thought, the possessed cultivator still refused.
...
"Fellow Daoist, interested in this forbidden book? You won't regret it if you take a look," another cultivator whispered.
"The collaboration of two renowned authors, an immersive and absolutely authentic experience..."
After much hesitation, the possessed cultivator asked quietly, "What's the price?"
...
The following memories began to become clear and coherent.
This seemed to be the most profound and unforgettable memory of this cultivator's life.
"What shocking content could be in this forbidden book that made it unforgettable even after death?"
Li Fan's spirit couldn't help but stir with anticipation.
...
In a dark cave, the campfire flickered incessantly.
He leaned against the wall to rest.
It seemed like he was seriously injured, with his blood and spiritual energy churning violently within.
Outside the cave, there seemed to be a corpse.
A graceful maiden's body pressed closely against him.
Their long thighs rubbed against each other, and the maiden's jade hands constantly groped her own body, trying to undress herself.
"Goodness, is it going to be so intense from the start?"
"This must be the content of the forbidden book? It seems the dealers weren't exaggerating; it's truly immersive and authentic."
"It's almost like an Eternal Remembrance, the only difference being that here, it seems impossible to move freely. I can only passively experience the information through this body."
Just as Li Fan's consciousness was pondering, a voice suddenly appeared.
"[Qin Shou pursued Senior Sister Zhao multiple times, only to be rejected each time. In a fit of anger and shame, he harbored malicious intentions.]"
"[Not long after, while Senior Sister Zhao was out on a mission, he secretly followed her. They ended up in a remote mountainous area, where he attacked her while she was unprepared.]"
"[Senior Sister Zhao was caught off guard and seriously injured. Furthermore, she was poisoned by Qin Shou's Yin Yang Harmony Powder, gradually losing her sanity...]"
"[Just at this critical moment, you happened to arrive.]"
"[You rebuked Qin Shou for his despicable actions and engaged him in battle.]"
"[Unfortunately, you were no match for Qin Shou, and instead, you were seriously injured. During the crisis, you successfully repelled Qin Shou with a talismanic sword you obtained from a previous adventure, and escaped to this cave with Senior Sister Zhao.]"
"[You thought you were safe, but you didn't expect Qin Shou to follow you using some method.]"
"[Qin Shou relentlessly pursued you, and you looked desperate.]"
"[Just then, Senior Sister Zhao suddenly woke up, and with her last bit of strength, she killed Qin Shou. Then she completely passed out.]"
...
The voiceover narrated the causes and consequences of the incident.
However, before Li Fan could contemplate further, he was stunned by the continuous echoing thoughts in the memory.
"Senior Sister Zhao?"
"Senior Sister Zhao!"
"Is it her?"
"How is this possible?!"
These were the thoughts of the owner of the soul, echoing continuously in the memory like thunder.
Unable to bear the torment, the body began to move slowly.
He lifted the maiden's hair beside him, revealing an unparalleled beauty.
With a slight frown on her face, her cheeks flushed.
"Senior Sister Zhao... it's her... how... dare..."
The cultivator's remaining consciousness kept echoing.
The memory space also trembled incessantly.
"The Master of the Great Dao Sect, one of the five Longevity Immortals of the Five Elders Association..."
"Who dares... no wonder it's a forbidden book..."
"It's worth dying..."
The protagonist in the book slowly removed Senior Sister Zhao's clothes.