Chapter Fourteen: Soul Absorption

"Oh no, the tree demon is devouring their souls!"

While Shen Chang’an was still pondering, Wang Yue suddenly spoke, revealing what the tree demon was doing.

"Devouring souls?" Shen Chang’an asked with a frown.

Wang Yue nodded, lowering his voice, "This tree demon drives its roots deep into these people's souls, ensuring their bodies do not rot. It keeps them alive so they continuously provide it soul power for cultivating its demonic arts."

"This method, over time, erodes these people's souls until they cannot bear it and are utterly annihilated, doomed never to reincarnate. Look over there—those few withered bodies have already had their souls drained dry."

Shen Chang’an frowned further. "I've seen demons devour souls before, but it’s usually swift and crude—they just swallow them whole. Why does this creature keep these people alive, even nourishing them?"

Wang Yue considered for a moment before replying, "Soul power isn’t that simple. If one simply devours souls directly, all sorts of chaotic impurities remain. Unless someone possesses a powerful inheritance or profound cultivation, those who devour souls in such a way rarely ever reach the celestial state."

The celestial state—a grand stage in cultivation, the unity of man and heaven. When one devours another’s soul, fragments and lingering wills remain within their own. With such taint, achieving unity with the heavens and comprehending the Dao becomes nearly impossible.

"This tree demon lurks here, slowly refining these people’s souls. I suspect it’s not for ascending to the celestial state," Shen Chang’an said after surveying the scene.

Wang Yue scratched his head, puzzled. "If not for that, why would it go to such trouble, refining the souls so slowly?"

"This tree demon originally had no will of its own. It gained sentience by absorbing the souls of the dead. If it were to swallow too many souls at once, what do you think would happen?"

"Ah, I understand. If it devours too many souls, it can no longer maintain its own will. That’s why it slowly grinds down their souls, erasing their consciousness and only then absorbing the purest essence to strengthen itself," Wang Yue immediately realized.

Shen Chang’an nodded; this was the most reasonable explanation. As for the celestial state, that was far beyond the tree demon’s reach—something it couldn’t even aspire to.

Shen Chang’an was certain this demon wasn’t aiming for the celestial realm because the Azure Peak Palace had produced true celestial masters before—old Master Wuyou had boasted about them to Shen Chang’an. In those days, the ancestor could move Mount Tai across the North Sea. The tree demon before them couldn’t even defeat Shen Chang’an—how could it possibly be striving for such exalted heights?

"Daoist Lingxiao, what should we do now?" Wang Yue asked.

Shen Chang’an stroked his chin, thinking for a moment before replying, "We must slay this tree demon..."

The great tree had already lost five massive branches to Shen Chang’an’s attacks and looked rather bare, yet its core remained untouched. To kill the tree demon, the key was the core.

Vegetation that attains spirit always has this trait: their bodies alone cannot birth consciousness—they require a core as a vessel, making everything but the core irrelevant.

"If we want to kill this creature, we need to expose its core. If I just use brute force and smash away, it’s possible, but..."

He glanced at the people lying on the ground and sighed.

If he failed to kill it in one strike, these people would surely die at the tree demon’s hands.

"Sir Banner-Chief, do you have any other ideas?" Shen Chang’an asked.

Wang Yue’s face flushed with embarrassment. "I have no solution either."

Shen Chang’an sighed, his mind racing, but no perfect plan came to him.

"So be it. It seems there’s only one way left," Shen Chang’an said suddenly.

"What way?" Wang Yue asked, curiosity piqued.

Shen Chang’an let out a long breath. "What else can I do? Since this thing devours souls, I’ll stake my life and let it swallow me too. Then, I’ll destroy it from within. That way, even if the demon dies, those outside won’t be harmed."

"No, no, how could we let Daoist Shen take such a risk?" Wang Yue leapt to his feet. "If someone must go, let me do it."

Shen Chang’an shot Wang Yue a glance and snorted, "It’s not that a rustic priest looks down on you, Banner-Chief, but with your skills, going inside is nothing but courting death."

Wang Yue’s face tightened; he wanted to argue but, after opening his mouth, found himself at a loss for words.

His abilities weren’t bad, but compared to Shen Chang’an, there was simply no comparison. Besides, the tree demon had devoured countless souls. If Wang Yue went in, he’d meet a grim end.

"Enough talk. Stand aside. I’ll return once I’ve slain it."

Without further hesitation, Shen Chang’an strode forward, alloy staff whirling in his hands, and struck at the giant tree.

The tree demon immediately lashed out with its vines, blocking Shen Chang’an’s mighty blow.

Shen Chang’an, intending to lure the demon, didn’t use his full strength. As expected, this attack failed, and he was ensnared by the demon’s tendrils.

"Good, now let it try to devour my soul."

Shen Chang’an stood resolute, awaiting the tree demon’s next move.

But just then, a sudden scream came from behind. Shen Chang’an froze and looked back, only to see Wang Yue had somehow been captured as well.

"Huh? What’s going on?"

For a moment, Shen Chang’an was stunned, unable to react. Suddenly, a powerful force flung him aside, sending him flying.

"Damn!"

At that moment, the tree demon’s roots pierced into Wang Yue’s head, intent on consuming his soul.

"Wait, wasn’t it supposed to come for me?"

Shen Chang’an rushed back, but the tree demon lashed out fiercely, kicking up clouds of dust. In the confined cave, Shen Chang’an had nowhere to dodge and was thrown out again.

"This creature—has it seen through my plan?"

Though Shen Chang’an avoided injury, his expression darkened.

The tree demon had perceived his intentions, ignored him entirely, and simply drove him away without making a move to devour him.

Thus, Shen Chang’an was thrown back into his earlier predicament. He was too light—unable to approach before being repelled by the demon.