Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

The suction force in Xia Jin's palm grew stronger and stronger, like an invisible vortex, frantically tearing apart the dozens of sword energies surrounding the woman.

The sword energy, which had been slowly rotating, suddenly turned into enraged venomous snakes and aimed directly at Xia Jin.

A sharp sword cry echoed through the valley as dozens of sword energies, all above the fifth level of the Immortal Ascension Realm, shot straight toward Xia Jin's face.

Even before the sword energy arrived, its sharp and fierce aura already sent chills down one's spine.

"Junior Brother Xia, watch out!"

Shen Jinghan, standing to the side, looked at the sword energy shooting out and his expression changed. He subconsciously shouted.

"Don't worry, senior brother, these mere sword energies can't do anything to me!!" Xia Jin's face showed no panic, and the corners of her mouth even turned up slightly.

Just as those dozens of sword energies were about to strike, a white flame suddenly ignited in front of Xia Jin.

Like a wall of fire, it collided head-on with the dozens of sword energies.

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

The sword energy passed through the wall of fire, as if it had been forged.

Under the scorching white flames, the originally sharp and incomparable sword energy visibly dimmed, as if the power attached to the sword had been stripped away by the flames.

However, those sword energies were, after all, beings at the fifth level of the Immortal Ascension Realm or higher. Even though they were weakened by the flames, they still pierced through the wall of fire with unstoppable force and struck Xia Jin hard.

Xia Jin's performance, however, caused a glint of light to flash in Shen Jinghan's eyes.

He saw Xia Jin cross her arms in front of her, and a faint golden light emanated from her body, enveloping her entire body.

"Jingle bells!"

The continuous, crisp sounds of metal clashing were as dense as rain. Dozens of sword energies struck Xia Jin's body like a storm, but only sparks flew.

A moment later, the sword energy seemed to have exhausted all its power, turning into specks of light and dissipating into the air.

Xia Jin slowly lowered her crossed arms, and the golden light disappeared.

He glanced down at the several cuts on his sleeve caused by sword energy, revealing his forearm underneath. But there wasn't even a white mark left on his skin, let alone any wounds.

"Fortunately, my physical body seems to have become even stronger."

Shen Jinghan stepped forward, circled around Xia Jin, looked her up and down, his eyes full of surprise.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Junior Brother Xia, your physical strength is quite impressive." He reached out and poked Xia Jin's arm. "Those dozens of sword energies coming together just now, even an ordinary ninth-level Immortal Realm cultivator wouldn't dare to take them head-on with their bare body. But you, you withstood a round of them and don't seem to be injured at all?"

Xia Jin smiled, but there was no hint of smugness in her expression.

His gaze passed over Shen Jinghan and landed again on the woman on the blue stone.

"Senior Brother Shen, take a look at this person, don't you think something's still off?"

"What's wrong?" Shen Jinghan followed his gaze.

Xia Jin walked up to the woman and looked down at her.

The surrounding sword energy had completely dissipated, but the woman remained motionless on the blue stone, her empty eyes wide open.

That numbness, that emptiness, didn't feel like the relief of someone who had survived a disaster; it felt more like the life of a walking corpse.

Xia Jin squatted down to be at eye level with the woman and waved her hand in front of her eyes.

No response.

Shen Jinghan also walked over, his expression gradually becoming serious. He stared into the woman's eyes for a long time, then suddenly gasped.

"Junior Brother Xia, it seems that those sword energies surrounding her just now weren't a real problem at all."

"The real trouble is that this woman's soul has been completely trapped by her inner demons."

Xia Jin's pupils contracted slightly as her gaze fell on the woman's blank and lifeless eyes.

"Senior Brother Shen, do you mean... her consciousness is still trapped in the illusion of inner demons?"

"Not only that," Shen Jinghan said solemnly, "those sword energies just now were probably not meant to trap her physical body, but to protect it. The sword energy has dissipated, but the inner demon remains."

Xia Jin was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Shen, do you have any ideas?"

After hesitating for a moment, Shen Jinghan slowly spoke: "If we had the strength of our master, we could naturally forcibly pull this woman's soul out of her inner demons and suppress them directly with great power, shattering them."

"But..." he gave a wry smile, "with our current cultivation levels, it's clear we can't do that."

"Then there's only one way."

Shen Jinghan looked at Xia Jin, his expression becoming extremely serious: "Use our divine souls to enter her sea of ​​consciousness, find her divine soul that is trapped by the inner demon, and then guide that inner demon into our own bodies so that we can break free from it."

Upon hearing this, Xia Jin's brows twitched slightly.

This method sounds feasible, but if one's spiritual strength is insufficient, forcibly using this method will not only fail to save the person, but will also endanger oneself.

Xia Jin looked up, raised an eyebrow at Shen Jinghan, and smiled slightly: "Then, senior brother, why don't you give it a try?"

Shen Jinghan was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and waved his hands and shook his head repeatedly.

"Junior Brother Xia, it's not that I don't want to help, but... I can't do it."

Xia Jin's smile froze, and a look of confusion appeared on her face: "Can't do it? What do you mean?"

Shen Jinghan did not answer immediately, but instead extended a finger and gently tapped his brow.

"Junior brother, use your divine sense to probe my sea of ​​consciousness, and you will know. I will open my sea of ​​consciousness for you to see."

Although Xia Jin hesitated for a moment, he nodded after seeing Shen Jinghan's serious expression. He closed his eyes, separated a wisp of his divine sense, and carefully probed Shen Jinghan's brow.

As expected, Shen Jinghan was unprepared, and the divine sense entered his sea of ​​consciousness without any hindrance.

The next moment, Xia Jin was stunned.

Shen Jinghan's sea of ​​consciousness was completely different from that of anyone else he had ever seen.

The sea of ​​consciousness of an ordinary cultivator is a vast spiritual space, and the soul floats in the very center of this space like a ball of light, which can move and change freely.

But Shen Jinghan's soul...

What Xia Jin's divine sense "saw" was a large tree.

A towering tree rooted deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, its roots penetrating every corner of the sea of ​​consciousness, becoming one with this world.

That's not "rooted" in the sea of ​​consciousness! That's actually grown in the sea of ​​consciousness!

Xia Jin's consciousness withdrew from Shen Jinghan's sea of ​​consciousness, and she opened her eyes, looking at her senior brother in front of her with a shocked gaze.

Shen Jinghan shrugged, his tone tinged with helplessness: "The cultivation method that Master specially chose for me turned out like this after I started practicing it. My soul and sea of ​​consciousness are now fused together, unbreakable. Unless there's a crushing difference in cultivation level, it's difficult to destroy no matter how much external attack I face. But the price... as you've seen, my soul can't leave my body."

"So, I really want to help, but my soul can't get out at all." Shen Jinghan spread his hands, looking helpless.

Xia Jin remained silent for a moment, recalling the towering tree she had just seen with her divine sense, and suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Shen, if you cultivate this technique to the end, won't your entire soul completely merge into your sea of ​​consciousness?"

Shen Jinghan nodded, a subtle expression on his face.

"According to Master's prediction, that is indeed the case. One day, my soul will completely transform into the sea of ​​consciousness itself. At that time, the sea of ​​consciousness will not perish, and the soul will not die. In a sense, it can be considered a different kind of immortality."

"The price is... never being able to leave one's own body?"

"Yes." Shen Jinghan smiled wryly, "That's why I said it wasn't that I didn't want to help."

Xia Jin took a deep breath, her expression becoming somewhat uncertain.

"Alright. Let me do this hard work."

He turned around and faced the woman sitting on the bluestone again.

Xia Jin crouched down, bringing her gaze level with the woman's, and said in a low voice, "In a moment, I will let my divine soul enter your sea of ​​consciousness. If you want to escape, open your sea of ​​consciousness with all your might and do not resist."

Something seemed to stir slightly in the woman's empty eyes.

Then, with what seemed like all her might, she blinked.

Xia Jin smiled slightly and nodded gently.

He stood up and glanced at Shen Jinghan.

Shen Jinghan understood, took a few steps back, and warily looked around.

"Junior brother, be careful," Shen Jinghan warned one last time.

Xia Jin nodded.

He raised his right hand, gently placed his palm on the woman's forehead, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

Soul, leave body!!