Patriarch Luo felt as though he had encountered a sudden disaster. Not only had the spirit-devouring rat miraculously broken through, but it had also darted over to attack Ning.

"Everyone, quickly go help Brother Ning," Patriarch Luo shouted as he rushed over frantically.

"Father, will Brother Ning be okay?" Luo Ran couldn't help but worry.

"I can only hope so. Brother Ning lured the beast to himself to prevent it from focusing on us. We can only hope that Brother Ning can hold on," Patriarch Luo said, worry evident in his tone.

According to him, Ning had lured the beast toward himself to save them; otherwise, there was no reason to expose himself like that.

In the end, Ning had to suffer to prevent them from dying.

Of course, whether that was true or not, only Ning was aware.

...

"Father…" Luo Ran tugged at his father's sleeve, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Before them lay a monstrous rat, its size comparable to that of a teenager. It was the very spirit-devouring rat that had terrorized them. However, contrary to their expectations, the seemingly invincible creature lay lifeless, defeated.

It was dead.

What's more, a dozen arrows protruded from its massive body, with more arrows still finding their mark.

"Um, Brother Ning, what are you doing?" Patriarch Luo coughed, unable to conceal his amazement as he beheld the astonishing scene.

"This?" Ning replied casually as he nocked another arrow and took aim. "I'm just being cautious. I wouldn't want this beast to suddenly spring back to life, you know."

Ning spoke as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Even his eyes seemed to question if these people do not even take these small measures.

Was it not standard practice to continue attacking a fallen foe for a good five minutes to ensure its demise?

"...I see." Patriarch Luo's lips couldn't help but twitch seeing how proficient Ning was at this.

"But still, in the end, we have finally gotten rid of this disaster," Patriarch Luo sighed in relief. "If Brother Ning weren't here, the loss would have been unimaginable."

"I just did what I had to do," Ning said, his thoughts focused on the scripture in his mind.

"Brother Ning is really humble."

As everyone basked in joy, in a view only Ning could see, a small golden light quickly escaped from the dead rat.

"Got you."

An arc formed on Ning's face.

"Patriarch Luo, since the beast was so abnormal, I will check the surroundings once more, in case there are any other abnormalities," Ning said, disappearing from the scene at an astonishing speed.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Eh?" The Luo family duo was stunned by Ning's sudden departure.

Father-son duo looked at each other with total surprise. In the end, they could only sigh.

"Not only did Brother Ning kill the beast, but he is also still concerned about our safety. Brother Ning is truly too virtuous."

...

The golden light flew straight to the nearby forest and quickly arrived at an empty cave.

"Damn! What kind of perverted bastard did I encounter? Who the hell continues to attack a dead animal for a full five minutes, firing arrows at it without any emotion? That guy is simply not human."

The golden blob appeared dim and a bit deformed, but it was undoubtedly the soul of a cultivator.

As a revered foundation-building cultivator, Li Tianhe had never suffered such horrendous treatment.

He had entered what seemed like a normal ruin, but it turned out to be full of bizarre occurrences. Even he, a foundation-building cultivator, had barely managed to escape, severely injured.

Not only was his body injured, but it also had several restrictions imposed on it. In the end, Li Tianhe had to sever his own body to escape.

But this action created another problem. A soul without a physical body couldn't stay alive for long. Even his prized peak tier-three medicinal pill, which he had been lucky to obtain, could only strengthen his soul enough to exist for some time.

He could only possess the body of a rat in haste. And, due to his soul's weakness, not only had his soul become dominated by the beast but his soul foundation had also been used by the foolish beast to break through to the next realm.

After that, he encountered an inhumane bastard who killed the beast but continued to attack the dead creature as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"If only that fellow were a Third Stage cultivator, I could have escaped earlier," Li Tianhe lamented as he recalled his ordeal.

Though a Fourth Stage cultivator's spiritual sense couldn't fully perceive a soul, some keen senses could detect abnormalities. Thus, Li Tianhe bided his time, waiting for the madman's distraction to make his escape.

"I need a new body quickly; my current state is deteriorating by the second," Li Tianhe fretted.

Just as he contemplated his options, he sensed something.

"Oh, a cave? Could this be the spirit-devouring rat's lair?" Ning's voice echoed through the cave, seemingly oblivious to anything else.

Looking at that madman, even though he was in a soul state, Li Tianhe couldn't help but feel his imaginary forehead become damp with sweat.

"Is this lunatic following me?" Li Tianhe wondered, his anxiety mounting as he watched Ning examine every nook and cranny with unwavering curiosity.

"The spirit-devouring rat must have revived due to some treasure it consumed," Ning muttered as he continued to explore the cave.

"He is simply greedy?" Li Tianhe couldn't help but curse his misfortune.

"Well, I must escape quickly; once I find a suitable host body, I will exact my revenge on this madman," Li Tianhe plotted.

The golden blob slowly started to float out, but suddenly stopped hearing something.

"Ah! If only I could stumble in the inheritance of some old master just like those stories I have heard." Ning suddenly muttered 'aloud' in total 'obliviousness'.

At least, the soul couldn't sense any deceit from Ning. But then again, its mental capacity was decreasing by the second without a physical brain, not that it had realized.

"Perhaps..." Li Tianhe thought, a sinister plan taking shape.

The soul floated towards the inner part of the cave quickly and slowly inhabited a rotten body. It was his previous body, but its vitality had already been consumed, and it had several serious restrictions.

Now, he had to take the initiative to re-enter it, by doing so he could slow down the rate his soul was collapsing, though he would be restricted again.

But upon hearing Ning, a new idea formed in Li Tianhe's mind.

Seize the body.

"Although that guy is mad, that body has an excellent foundation, especially that Qi with exceptional quality. I will take my revenge in this way," Li Tianhe thought sinisterly and waited for Ning to arrive.

Seconds dragged on, and time seemed to torment Li Tianhe endlessly. Three minutes had passed since Ning had entered the cave.

"Where is that guy? Did he run away? My soul is already on the verge of breaking down," Li Tianhe felt anxious, seeing Ning's absence.

"Should I abandon this plan?" Just as his soul weakened significantly, Li Tianhe contemplated leaving immediately.

But at that moment, he suddenly sensed something.

"I could not find any treasures outside. I hope to find something good here," Ning muttered 'aloud'.

Totally unintentionally, if he may add.

Immediately, laughter echoed from somewhere.

"So, you've arrived. I've been waiting for you."

Deja vu, much?