Chapter 44: Past and Present Lives, Severing the Karmic Cycle!

Although Old Demon Xu was subdued by Jiang Fan, it was not entirely impossible for him to break free.
The Soul-Control Bell appeared formidable, but it was not without flaws, a fact of which Old Demon Xu was acutely aware.
In truth, as long as the soul power of the controlled entity exceeded the maximum limit that the magical treasure could govern, that entity could directly shatter the bell from within and completely shake off its master's control.
As it happened, Old Demon Xu had fortuitously acquired a bizarre cultivation technique known as the *Soul-Devouring Art*, though he had never dared to practice it.
To cultivate the *Soul-Devouring Art*, one had to be nothing more than a soul entity. In other words, he would first need to commit suicide, ensure his soul remained undissipated after death, condense a soul body, and then employ the technique to consume other souls, thereby growing infinitely stronger.
Naturally, while he was alive and possessed a physical body, he had been unwilling to take such a reckless risk.
To his surprise, he had been accidentally killed by Jiang Fan and instantly dragged into the Soul-Control Bell to be refined into a soul entity, inadvertently granting him the prerequisite to practice the *Soul-Devouring Art*.

"I no longer possess a physical body, yet I can now cultivate the boundless *Soul-Devouring Art*. Is this a blessing or a curse?" Old Demon Xu muttered to himself. "However, my remaining lifespan was nearly exhausted; transforming into a soul entity actually allows me to exist much longer... All things considered, this is a blessing in disguise! Moreover, as long as I continue to devour soul entities and grow stronger, my future prospects will be truly limitless..."

With this realization, Old Demon Xu felt a sense of relief. Far from harboring any resentment, he was now filled with intense anticipation.
He looked forward to the day when, having devoured countless souls, he would transform into an unrivaled supreme demon...

Before long, he stood up, bowed respectfully to Jiang Fan, and said:
"Master, this subordinate has recovered the strength of my soul body and can now begin refining the antidote for you."

Jiang Fan nodded coldly. "Very well. Refine the antidote immediately. I shall go inform the Third Chieftain to arrange test subjects for you right away."

"Rest assured, Master, this subordinate will certainly succeed in refining the antidote. If the Master has any doubts, you are entirely welcome to bring people in to test it," Old Demon Xu promised solemnly. "I shall begin crafting the antidote now. I hope the Master will ensure no one disturbs me."

"As long as you successfully brew the antidote, I will reward you with other soul entities to devour. If you fail, do not blame me for punishing you severely!" Jiang Fan said with a cold, mirthless smile. "The Soul-Control Bell seems to have a method specifically for 'disciplining' soul slaves. I've been rather eager to try it out... I hope you won't give me the opportunity."

With that, Jiang Fan simply crossed his legs inside the secret chamber and silently circulated the *Azure Wood Longevity Technique* to restore his cultivation.

Meanwhile, Old Demon Xu, in his form as a soul entity, began refining the antidote for the Seven-Day Heart-Devouring Powder on Jiang Fan's behalf.

Everything was progressing in a favorable direction.

However, the recovery of Jiang Fan's cultivation was proving somewhat sluggish. His innate talent was simply too poor, and lacking an enemy in prime condition to absorb his fatigue, his cultivation efficiency was inevitably diminished to a great degree.

"This won't do. My current cultivation speed is far too slow! It seems I must go out and find some enemies. Otherwise, with my already slow absorption of spiritual qi compounded by the exhaustion from cultivation, it will take an eternity just to recover my baseline strength, let alone advance further," Jiang Fan muttered with a deep breath. Utterly exhausted, he stood up, left the secret chamber, and closed the door behind him.

Stepping outside into the night, Jiang Fan looked up at the full moon hanging in the sky, a sudden sense of emptiness washing over him.

"I wonder... how my parents back on the Blue Star felt when they learned I died of sudden cardiac arrest from staying up late? Perhaps... perhaps, realizing they'd lost their source of income upon my sudden death, they would simply continue their endless cursing and berating of me!" Jiang Fan thought with a bitter sigh. Gazing at the bright moon in the firmament, he could not help but reminisce about his parents on the Blue Star.

His life on the Blue Star had been far from smooth; otherwise, he would never have overworked himself to death during a late-night shift.

In that world, he had been born in a impoverished mountain village. His father was a frail, physically weak "honest man" who was constantly bullied by neighbors. His mother, having suffered the supreme tragedy of outliving her daughter—who had succumbed to a terminal illness in her youth—had seen her personality turn deeply extreme. She projected all her dissatisfaction, foul temper, and grievances entirely onto Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan had grown up being constantly psychologically manipulated, subjected to endless comparisons with peers. Every minor grievance triggered a torrent of abuse and curses. Yet, brainwashed from childhood by traditional notions that "filial piety comes above all else," he had secretly sworn to bring his parents a comfortable life and ensure his departed sister was not disappointed.

Imbued with these deeply ingrained traditional values, Jiang Fan had shown his parents utter filial piety and accommodation in every possible way.

After graduation, he worked desperately to earn money, eventually paying off all the debts his family had incurred from treating his sister's fatal illness and struggling to survive on his father's meager physical labor.

When he finally managed to afford a decent life for the elderly couple, his mother still subjected him to habitual verbal abuse and psychological pressure. Even then, Jiang Fan did not give up, merely concluding that his efforts were still insufficient and his earnings not yet high enough.

Eventually, he did earn a substantial amount, completely renovating the old family home so his parents could live in comfort, and even purchasing a decent car for them.

Yet, his mother immediately began pressuring him to marry, comparing him once more to the peers of their hometown, which inevitably shook his state of mind. After all, which of those peers hadn't relied on their parents to secure a house, a car, and a wife? He had relied entirely on his own solitary struggle—he had already given it his absolute all...

And yet, his mother remained unsatisfied, convinced that he was simply incompetent!

Little did she realize that she and her husband earned practically nothing year-round, knowing only how to farm mechanically without ever pondering how they managed to live comfortably. In truth, it was entirely thanks to their son; otherwise, given their deficit-ridden income, they would never have known a single day of comfort or cleared their debts in a lifetime.

Releasing all these pent-up frustrations, Jiang Fan still instinctively fell back on finding fault within himself, believing that he simply hadn't done well enough.

Driven by this, he drove himself even harder to earn money. Meanwhile, under the guise of "helping him save," his parents endlessly squeezed funds out of him—funds that were ultimately squandered because they understood nothing of cost and revenue, losing everything in failed agricultural ventures.

When Jiang Fan learned that his parents had squandered his hard-earned savings, only to be berated by his mother as "useless," the habitually self-consoling Jiang Fan still blamed himself for not earning enough and not trying hard enough.

And so, he plunged into frantic overwork, juggling multiple jobs at once.

At last, late one night... he worked himself to death, abruptly ending his brief, rocky, and arduous life.

"In my past life, I was far too selfless and blindly filial! But I owe them nothing now; whatever I owed, I have completely repaid!" Jiang Fan took a deep breath and declared, "That being the case, the karmic ties with my parents from the previous life are hereby severed once and for all!
However, if one day my cultivation reaches the realm where I can traverse the void and reverse life and death, I will surely find that beautiful planet called Blue Star and resurrect my beloved and cherished sister...
I thank the heavens for granting me this chance to be reborn in the realm of immortality. In this lifetime, I shall live life on my own terms... I will pursue the ultimate peak of the Dao of Immortality!
For this sole objective, I will stop at nothing..."

A light of unprecedented determination flashed in Jiang Fan's eyes.

In that instant, without him even realizing it, his mindset underwent a complete transformation. His thoughts cleared, and an overwhelming sense of lightness washed over him. Even the fatigue from his recent cultivation sessions vanished entirely.

"It is time to visit the headquarters of the Wild Wolf Gang... I might as well find a few unlucky souls to test the poison on, and incidentally torment those heinous members of the Wild Wolf Gang. That way, my Great Dao Heavenly Book can record a few more enemies to assist in my cultivation!" With a murmur, Jiang Fan stepped into the moonlight, walking step by step toward the main hall of the Wild Wolf Gang.