Naked Sword Art

Chapter 507: Soul Devourer Drawbacks

The Patriarch’s residence stood at the heart of the Li Family Clan, its jade-pillared halls rising above the surrounding estates like a silent throne. Xiao Fang arrived as dusk settled, lanterns igniting one by one along the walkways.

Servants bowed as he passed.

But the moment he reached the grand doors of the Patriarch Hall, the guards stepped forward to bar his path.

"Young man," one of them called out, frowning. "Are you lost?"

"Hey—can you hear us?"

Xiao Fang ignored them and continued up the steps.

Another guard’s voice hardened. "If you take another step, you’ll have to excuse us for being rude."

Xiao Fang walked on, his pace unhurried.

The guards exchanged glances, then shrugged. One of them descended the steps to stop him. He reached out, but then collapsed.

The guard passed Xiao Fang without resistance, his body crumpling and rolling down the steps behind him.

"What?" someone muttered.

The remaining guards stared in disbelief. One moment, their companion had been about to grab Xiao Fang’s shoulder. The next, he was unconscious on the ground. No one saw what Xiao Fang did.

"We warned you," another guard barked. "Stop, or else!"

Xiao Fang didn’t stop.

Two guards exchanged a look and rushed him together.

A spear swept down toward Xiao Fang—but he shifted his body with effortless precision, letting it pass by. His fingers struck a pressure point, and the attacker dropped instantly.

The second guard barely had time to react before Xiao Fang was already in front of him.

Two Core Realm cultivators fell within a single breath.

Steel rang as weapons were drawn. The remaining seven guards spread out, eyes sharp with urgency. Whoever this man was, it was clear he had no intention of talking.

Seven Core Realm cultivators charged at once.

Xiao Fang scoffed quietly.

[ Soul Suppression ]

In the next instant, all seven were driven to the ground, crashing to their hands and knees as if an invisible weight had crushed them. Their bodies trembled violently as they struggled to rise—but none could.

Xiao Fang continued up the stairs, his steps slow and measured.

After reaching the top, he turned his head slightly to the guards.

"It’s unwise to engage an enemy," he said calmly, "without understanding the depth of their abilities."

Truthfully, Xiao Fang was also a bit surprised by how formidable the technique had become. After absorbing Yu Shenyi’s and Yu Liangcheng’s souls, his own had nearly doubled in size.

However, before he could be happy about his gain, turmoil suddenly erupted within his soul sea.

The absorbed souls writhed violently, struggling as if attempting to tear themselves free. Agony surged through him, sharp and consuming—but Xiao Fang didn’t react. He merely wiped the thin line of blood that slipped from the corner of his lips.

He released the technique, then placed all his attention into suppressing the souls within him.

Gradually, the unrest subsided.

Xiao Fang frowned inwardly.

Setbacks in cultivation methods were nothing unusual. In fact, it often took centuries of refinement before a single method could be considered truly complete. Most early-stage methods carried flaws that later generations were forced to resolve.

The Dual Cultivation method was a prime example. Its original limitation was severe—cultivators could only break into a new realm after sleeping with a required number of partners. That restriction alone ruined countless talents. It wasn’t until the creation of the Origin Pill that this flaw was partially overcome, allowing breakthroughs without having to sleep with anyone.

Even so, the pill wasn’t easy to refine. Many dual cultivators were never fortunate enough to obtain one—and for them, the setback remained an unavoidable fate.

Xiao Fang always assumed he’d eventually run into a problem with the Soul Devourer method at some point, considering it was only a few hundred years old, but he didn’t expect it to be from absorbing too many souls.

Xiao Fang sighed quietly.

His Soul Devourer cultivation was still only at the first stage of the Core Realm. As much as he wanted to advance it, the method itself had never been developed past this point. If he wanted to proceed, it would have to be through his own insight.

’For now... I’ll have to be cautious.’

He turned toward the doors of the Patriarch Hall. However, before he could take a step towards it, he sensed two powerful auras approaching rapidly.

Two figures landed between him and the doors. A man and a woman, both radiating the unmistakable pressure of Profound Realm cultivators.

The woman’s eyes widened as she took in the fallen guards behind him.

"You—!"

The man raised a hand, stopping her.

Though they hadn’t witnessed the fight, anyone capable of subduing ten Core Realm cultivators without visible effort was no ordinary opponent. And Xiao Fang’s age only made it more alarming.

"Young man," the man said carefully, his tone respectful, "we have no wish to fight you. Tell us what you seek—and we will see if it can be arranged."

Xiao Fang inclined his head slightly.

"Forgive my rudeness," he said evenly. "I only wish to speak with the Patriarch."

The man and woman exchanged a brief glance.

"...What business do you have with the Patriarch?" the man asked.

"Family business," Xiao Fang answered.

That single phrase caused the woman’s expression to stiffen.

"Wait here a moment. I’ll inform the Patriarch of your request."

Xiao Fang nodded. "Please, do."

The woman stayed behind to keep an eye on Xiao Fang, but seeing as the guards were all either regaining consciousness or slowly getting back up on their feet, she decided to tend to their injuries instead. However, the moment she began inspecting their bodies, she realized something strange.

"Where are your injuries?" she asked them, but it didn’t take long for her to notice that they were as shocked as she was.

"He... didn’t strike me. But I felt as if I were being crushed under an invisible force," one guard explained ashamedly.

"Crushed by a mysterious force?" the woman replied confused before realization struck. "Could it be—!"

She watched Xiao Fang’s back, her gaze now filled with awe and reverence. Though their voices were kept low, Xiao Fang heard every word clearly, and could only shake his head inwardly.

It was understandable that they had mistaken his [ Soul Suppression ] technique for a Heavenly Realm cultivator’s Oppressive Might. They could be described in the same way, so unless they experience both, they wouldn’t have been able to understand the difference.

Frankly, with his current abilities, the gap between him and a true Heavenly Realm cultivator was no longer large. Under the right circumstances, even someone like Yu Shenyi was defeated by his hand.

The man eventually returned.

"Young man, the Patriarch is currently in a meeting, but he’s agreed to speak to you briefly. Please, follow me."

Xiao Fang nodded, then followed.

Seeing as they were leaving, the woman quickly got up and followed.