Inside the lair of the Human Demon King.

Next to the Blood Pool, lay a headless corpse, lifeless and devoid of vitality.

Yuan Ming crouched beside it, spreading a piece of torn clothing on the ground where the Human Demon King's dark red head was neatly placed.

He carefully packed the head, then looked over to the silver cat squatting next to him.

It was intently examining a black Round Orb the size of a longan, lost in thought.

"Let's go," Yuan Ming broke the silence to remind it.

The silver cat came back to its senses, raised a front paw, and with a light sweep over the Soul Pearl, it disappeared from its spot.

Yuan Ming watched with surprise but didn't ask any further, picking up the package containing the Human Demon King's head. Led by the silver cat, they left through another cave exit.

…

Some time had passed when two figures hurriedly chased through the underground cave, finally arriving at this location.

"The aura of that person here is strong, it can't be wrong, it's inside…" Elder Chu Xiong said with gleaming eyes, pointing to a cave entrance beside him.

"Hurry and eliminate him, and find the Soul Pearl," Elder Saren urged.

Elder Chu Xiong swept his hand, and a black weapon resembling a bone claw appeared out of nowhere in his palm. With a flash, he dashed into the cave.

Elder Saren followed closely behind, also dashing in.

However, the moment they entered the cave, both were simultaneously stunned.

The cave was a mess, with scattered pieces of corpses strewn on the ground. Most were severely decayed or had withered to the bone, creating a scene of utter chaos.

And near the Blood Pool laid a headless corpse.

"This is…" Elder Chu Xiong was startled and hurried over.

Elder Saren quickly chased after him.

"How did he die? Could it be a fake?" Elder Saren said in disbelief.

"The wound on the chest, it's from my Bone Erosion Hand; there's no mistake, it is him," Elder Chu Xiong explained with furrowed brows, full of suspicion.

How did the Human Demon King suddenly die, and… where was his head?

"The Soul Pearl!"

Both elders tensed simultaneously, quickly searching the body.

But after a moment, a chill ran down their spines. Someone had beaten them to it, the Soul Pearl was gone.

"Elder Chu, does anyone else know about the Soul Pearl?" Elder Saren asked with uncertain suspicion.

"You know the matter of his true identity, how could I possibly tell others? You couldn't have…" Elder Chu Xiong looked at Elder Saren with doubt.

"Do I look like someone who would do such a foolish thing?" Elder Saren glanced at him and spoke.

"Then who did this?" Elder Chu Xiong frowned, lost in thought.

Elder Saren surveyed the area, then glanced at the scattered corpses on the ground, his brows twisting in a knot.

"Did you guess something?" Elder Chu Xiong couldn't help but ask upon seeing his troubled expression.

"Look at the state and distribution of the corpses on the ground, do you notice anything?" Elder Saren asked.

Upon hearing this, Elder Chu Xiong scrutinized the scene more carefully, and his expression suddenly changed.

"There are traces of these corpses having been moved; they were controlled by someone," Elder Chu Xiong looked at Elder Saren in disbelief.

"To control corpses, at the very least, it suggests that the one who took the Soul Pearl… is a Soul Cultivator, this…" Elder Saren trailed off.

"It's just you and me here, what can't you say? Do you also suspect the Great Elder?" Elder Chu Xiong asked bluntly.

"Apart from him, I can't think of anyone else in Biluo Cave," Elder Saren nodded.

"This old fellow, he might have discovered the existence of the Soul Pearl a long time ago and preempted us. We were even planning to present it to him after obtaining it," Elder Chu Xiong said with some indignation.

"But why would he take his head?" Elder Saren was puzzled.

"Could it be… he has already…" Elder Chu Xiong's face changed slightly. This chapter was uploaded by the team at *.

"Something is not right about this. If it really was the Great Elder, he only needed to give an order, who among us would dare disobey? Besides, why would he take the head?" Elder Saren pondered carefully before speaking.

"Soul Cultivators have always been secretive and sinister. Taking away the head might be for refining some kind of Soul Cultivation Magical Artifact, that could be one reason," Elder Chu Xiong speculated.

"That makes sense. If it was the Great Elder, from now on we must never mention the Soul Pearl… Let's pretend this incident never happened," Elder Saren said with a wry smile.

"Correct! Fortunately, he's already dead. After destroying the body and erasing the traces, this matter can be concluded, and the concern that's plagued us for years can be put to rest," Elder Chu Xiong sighed.

After their conversation, the two exchanged silent glances, their hearts not lightened much.

...

In another location, within a hidden valley.

Yuan Ming crouched below a green cliff face, placing the head of the Human Demon King into a well-dug large pit, filling it with sand and stones to bury it.

Afterwards, he found a uniquely shaped, long stone and placed it beside the grave as a wordless monument.

Having finished all of this, he glanced at the silver cat sitting on a nearby rock, furrowed his brow, and said,

"With this matter concluded, let us part ways here." He was quite dissatisfied with what had happened earlier in the cave and no longer wanted to have much to do with it.

"Stop."

The voice of the silver cat echoed in his mind, still unyielding in its tone.

Yuan Ming turned around to see a palm-thick, green book appear out of nowhere and fall at his feet.

"What is this?" Yuan Ming asked with a frown.

"Without your help... I wouldn't have gotten the Soul Pearl so easily... Consider this, a form of repayment," said the silver cat, and without waiting for Yuan Ming's reaction, turned away and left.

Yuan Ming, left alone, hesitated for a long while before finally picking up the green book from the ground.

At first glance, he saw three large characters on the cover of the book: "Moonlight Technique."

It wasn't written in the Southern Border script, but in the language Yuan Ming remembered from the Central Plains people.

A moment later, Yuan Ming chose a sunny hillside to sit down on a flat boulder and opened the green book.

"The Soul Cultivation Technique transcends physical form and mundane techniques, enigmatic and unpredictable, challenging to guard against. Those who wish to practice must examine themselves; only those with a powerful Divine Soul and a resolute will should dare to venture into it. Remember, remember."

The opening paragraph was not a summary of the key points of the technique, but a caution to the readers to reflect on whether they were qualified to practice the method.

Although Yuan Ming didn't know what the Soul Cultivation Technique was, he felt the opening words were somewhat intimidating.

He continued reading, and the content that followed became more conventional.

"The sun nourishes the spirit, the moon nourishes the soul. The Moon Cultivation Technique nourishes the soul with moon essence, enriching the soul and strengthening the Divine Soul..."

After reading through the "Moonlight Technique," Yuan Ming understood that so-called soul cultivators seemed to be a type of practicioner who refined the power of the Divine Soul, and soul cultivation methods were generally aimed at tempering the Divine Soul.

Their methods of attack during battle tended to target the enemy's Divine Sense and consciousness, employing more covert and unpredictable techniques that were difficult to defend against.

Yuan Ming couldn't help but think of the battle in the cave with the Human Demon King, where the corpses had attacked in a group—perhaps that was one of the soul cultivation techniques used by the silver cat?

However, such techniques seemed extremely difficult to practice, and the earlier warnings weren't just an exaggeration; indeed, there were risks involved in cultivating, and those with weak willpower were likely to harm their own souls.

Once the soul was damaged, a person could potentially suffer memory loss, reduced intelligence, soul damage, or even become foolish.

Originally, Yuan Ming wasn't very interested in the "Moonlight Technique," but after reading about the successes that could be achieved with the technique described in the first layer of the method, the idea of practicing it took root in his heart.

Although he was unsure if his Divine Soul Power was sufficient, he had some confidence in his own willpower.

He continued to review the subsequent contents and discovered that the method was surprisingly short, comprising only three layers.

Nevertheless, the content of these three layers was quite detailed, with occasional tiny comments in the margins, apparently annotations left by someone.

The book meticulously recorded the methods of cultivation and later stages of attack, although the content was quite profound and complex, presenting a certain difficulty level for Yuan Ming to fully comprehend.

For the moment, he had no immediate plans to practice, so he put the book away and, after resting and controlling his breathing for half an hour, he left.

...

In the following half-month, Yuan Ming did not go out hunting beasts; instead, he stayed in his cave to both heal and cultivate.

Firstly, he was uncertain whether Kun Tu and Ba Da would come looking for trouble, and secondly, he was unsure how the sect would handle the Human Demon incident and whether it would involve him. Although, being merely a lowly Fur Beast Slave, the chances of these events affecting him were not high, he still had to be cautious.

During the day, he continued to practice the Nine Elements Technique, while at night, when the bright moon hung in the sky, he would come out to attempt the "Moonlight Technique."

What troubled him was that he once again faced the same difficulties he had when he practiced the Blood Qi Skill.

There was a very clear threshold for starting the "Moonlight Technique," which was the ability to "perform Divine Sense Inner Observation, sitting and contemplating oneself."

Divine Sense is a special perception power beyond the Six Senses that cultivators developed after entering the Qi Refinement Realm, also mentioned in the Nine Elements Technique. It's a sort of heightened awareness that extends beyond the ordinary senses.

Unfortunately, at that point, his Divine Sense was extremely weak, barely extending a few inches from him, and using it for even a brief period left him feeling drained, requiring a long rest to recover.

Moreover, each time his cultivation improved, his Divine Sense would also strengthen slightly, but for Yuan Ming, the change was not significant.

According to the book, the so-called "Divine Sense Inner Observation, sitting and contemplating oneself" required guiding the Divine Sense to observe the Dantian, meridians, and Sea of Consciousness—these three critical Inner Sceneries—as if a ruler were surveying his domain to assert control.

Despite half a month's effort, Yuan Ming could barely inspect his own Sea of Consciousness and saw only a small, chaotic area, not yet able to truly observe his entire Sea of Consciousness.

Moreover, the concept of wandering the meridians and exploring the Dantian with Divine Sense seemed even more distant.

The circulation of Divine Sense, much like the silver cat instructed him to concentrate his Divine Soul Power in his eyes, demanded much more precision and strict control of the Divine Soul Power—something Yuan Ming struggled to master.