A soul lamp was a treasure imbued with the aura of a cultivator, and such lamps were not easy to refine.
When a cultivator pledged allegiance to another, they would often entrust a wisp of their soul or primordial spirit to a soul lamp, placing it under their patron’s supervision.
In this way, any harm suffered by the lamp’s owner could be reflected in its flame. If necessary, the lamp could also be used to locate the cultivator so someone might be sent to rescue them. After the owner died and the flame was extinguished, the lingering aura could even be used to deduce the identity of the killer.
Twelve lamps had gone out in succession. Eight had belonged to Perfected Ones at the peak of Golden Core, while the other four belonged to cultivators at the peak of late Essence Transformation. The latter losses were tolerable, for many such followers remained. But there were now fewer than four or five peak Golden Core cultivators left.
No wonder the delicate-looking man was furious.
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss was himself a Nascent Soul cultivator, yet even he had only a limited number of truly powerful experts sworn to his service. Such a tremendous loss infuriated and distressed him.
After drawing several deep breaths, he swept his sleeve and left the secret chamber.
In the outer room of his cave abode, he flicked his fingers. Two beams of white light flew outside to summon someone.
Before long, two Perfected Ones at early Golden Core hurried in. Seeing their patriarch’s dreadful expression, they knelt together on the ground.
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss’s face was dark and his gaze sinister. “I have always entrusted the affairs of this peak to you two. Now I should like to know why so many soul lamps have gone out.” With a sweep of his hand he smashed a piece of spiritual jade, making the entire cave abode tremble. “Speak! Who sent them out?”
The two Perfected Ones bowed their heads to the floor. One said fearfully, “The Second Young Master ordered them to kill Yun Lie and Xu Ziqing, so that his resentment might be appeased.”
The other added, “The Young Master invited eight seniors to ambush Yun Lie and sent four outstanding disciples to eliminate Xu Ziqing. Success should have been all but certain…”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss roared in fury. “Yet they went out and were wiped out to the last, leaving me to suffer such losses!”
The shout stirred surging true essence. Both Golden Core cultivators were injured by the sound wave, their chests aching painfully.
Even so, they dared not complain. They could only keep kowtowing, begging their patriarch to spare their lives.
After venting his anger for some time, Patriarch Ultimate Bliss finally asked, “Where is Sheng’er?”
The two men quietly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly replied. “Since leaving the water prison, the Second Young Master has remained in seclusion, cultivating diligently. Some days ago, Ancestor told us to watch the movements of those two men. Our sect’s connections investigated and discovered that they had gone to Borderguard City half a year ago. The Savage Beast Plains there are mysterious and unpredictable, with many powers whose strength is difficult to judge. We therefore came to report the matter.”
“The messenger found the Second Young Master and told him what had been discovered. Only afterward did the Young Master make these arrangements.”
After hearing the full explanation, Patriarch Ultimate Bliss gradually calmed. After all, he was a Nascent Soul cultivator with a resolute Dao heart. His manner was no longer as violent as before. “I understand. You may leave. If anything similar occurs again, report to me first. Only then should a decision be made.”
Hearing that they would receive no punishment beyond this warning, the two Perfected Ones were deeply grateful. “Thank you, Ancestor, for showing mercy! We shall devote ourselves completely to our duties and never permit another mistake!”
They rose and left together.
The great cave abode was once again occupied by the patriarch alone.
He sighed softly, sat cross-legged on the ground, and took out a mirror.
Light flickered across the mirror, and a figure appeared in profile, speaking soothingly to him. “Don’t be angry. Those Golden Core cultivators are lost, but they were never equal to a Nascent Soul. Once I form my Nascent Soul, I’ll obey your every command and make up for the injustice you suffered today. All right?”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss was plainly still smarting over the loss of his eight Perfected Ones. He said nothing.
The person in the mirror sighed. Suddenly the glass flashed, and an arm reached out from within.
The arm was flawless and pale like exquisite jade. It grasped Patriarch Ultimate Bliss and pulled him bodily into the mirror.
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss did not resist. He transformed into a streak of white light and entered.
Inside a stone chamber was a pool of roiling water. The liquid was strikingly beautiful, pale red, with bubbles gurgling over its surface.
It contained intensely concentrated Fire qi, and the chamber was constructed from spirit stones of extraordinary value, making the entire place a rare treasure.
A man was seated cross-legged before the pool.
He was powerfully built, his muscles hard as stone and his features sharply defined and resolute. He wore not a scrap of clothing. His skin was so pale that not even a trace of blood color could be seen.
Yet his eyes remained tightly closed and his head was slightly bowed. Only his faint, thin breathing proved that he was still alive. Seven red threads extended from his back near the heart and disappeared into the pool, drawing Fire qi into his body without cease.
Strangely, another man stood not far to the right of his body, identical in every respect but indistinct, at once real and illusory.
Although this second figure seemed incorporeal, he emitted a faint black glow. This revealed that he was not an ordinary person’s soul but something rarer and of a higher order: a cultivator’s primordial spirit.
Clearly this man’s primordial spirit had become separated from his physical body. For unknown reasons, he could not return.
As everyone knew, if a cultivator’s primordial spirit remained separated from its body too long, the body would eventually die.
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss, dressed in splendid brocade, knelt on one knee before the man’s body and caressed his cheek. Looking toward the primordial spirit, he complained anxiously, “How could you dare pull me inside at a time like this? If you’re repelled again, you’ll only be injured!”
The man’s primordial spirit approached and extended both arms. They closed loosely as though he were embracing Patriarch Ultimate Bliss. “You were so angry that I feared it would harm your health. How could I think about myself?”
At those words, most of the patriarch’s anger disappeared, and his voice softened. “If you hurt yourself, don’t you think I’ll suffer too?”
The primordial spirit’s expression relaxed. “As long as you’re safe and well, anything is worthwhile.”
Soothed by the man’s words, Patriarch Ultimate Bliss finally moved from anger to delight and even smiled. “You and that silver tongue of yours.” Then he asked with concern, “How do you feel now? I’ve gathered so many Flame-Extreme Crystals to create this pool for you, but I don’t know how much longer it can sustain you.”
The man sighed. “My body is being nourished well enough. Unfortunately, my primordial spirit still cannot return. I have long accumulated enough cultivation. All I need is to harvest the essence of a virgin cultivator with a single Fire spiritual root, using that person’s pure Yang true essence to regulate my own, refine away the impurities, and then devour their soul to draw forth True Fire. That will complete this stage of the art, allow me to form a Righteous Yang Dao Body, and carry me straight into Nascent Soul. Afterward, when we unite our Yin and Yang, I can transform you into a Righteous Yin Dao Body as well. Once we cultivate the later stages of the art, our progress will be tremendous in a short time.”
He smiled as he continued. “If everything goes smoothly, our cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds. Even ascending to become immortals will be within our reach.”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss listened, enraptured. “When that day comes, I won’t have to worry about your demonic qi being exposed. Though this cultivation art appears sinister, once it is mastered to a profound level, its practitioners are indistinguishable in appearance from those of the immortal path.”
The man agreed. “Exactly.”
After thinking for a long time, Patriarch Ultimate Bliss finally made up his mind. “Wuling Immortal Sect has recruited countless talented disciples, but single spiritual roots are rare, and those of the Fire attribute rarer still. And every time we find one, that old monster, the Divine Fire Ancestor, interferes. It’s infuriating!” He shook his head. “Besides, the Fire qi in this pool of Flame-Extreme Crystals may soon be exhausted. With so many subordinates lost, matters will be much harder to arrange. I cannot bear to be without you, and those who remain will struggle to search out new crystals.”
“You cannot afford further delay. In case something goes wrong unexpectedly one day, I’ll take you on a journey myself. In the past I’ve had too many reservations, but this time I must ensure you break through!”
The primordial spirit was shaken. “You mean to go to one of the other three domains…?”
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss nodded. “The various powers there are entangled in complex struggles. Fishing in troubled waters should not be difficult. If that fails, I can always abduct someone. I can no longer concern myself with the consequences.”
It had come down to success or death. In the past, they had believed they had plenty of time and could gradually wait for a suitable cultivator with a single Fire spiritual root. When one appeared, they could accept him as a disciple and act without anyone noticing.
Patriarch Ultimate Bliss had initially regarded Yun Lie and Xu Ziqing as merely somewhat promising and had paid them little mind. But he now realized that if they were allowed to develop further, they might eventually destroy him.
Therefore he would set aside all caution and worry and first refine the Dao Body for the person he loved.
Otherwise, if the attempt to change cultivation paths failed, the primordial spirit of the person he cherished would be lost entirely!
As Patriarch Ultimate Bliss considered this, determination appeared upon his delicately handsome face.
After Xu Ziqing reunited with Yun Lie, he recounted everything he had experienced over the preceding six months, sharing his gains and losses with his senior brother. Naturally he included Rongjin’s advancement and the dying fox woman’s entrustment of her cub. Yun Lie said nothing but listened attentively.
Only after relating these matters did Xu Ziqing mention Nan Zhengya.
When he finished, Yun Lie said, “There should be a karmic connection between you and Nan Zhengya.”
Xu Ziqing nodded. “I thought the same. That must be why I feel so close to him. His temperament differs greatly from mine, and ordinarily he should dislike someone like me. Yet since we met, he’s treated me well. He mocks me with his words, but there’s no malice behind them.”
Yun Lie said, “Your judgment is sound.”
Xu Ziqing smiled.
He trusted Nan Zhengya, but he trusted his senior brother most of all. Hearing Yun Lie confirm there was no cause for concern eased his mind even further.
Remembering what had worried him earlier, he asked, “Senior Brother, you were ambushed today too. I heard there were eight cultivators at peak Golden Core?”
Yun Lie answered with a brief “Mm.”
Xu Ziqing felt completely reassured and did not ask what had become of them. If his senior brother had acted, he certainly would not have spared their lives.
Having just survived an attempt on his own life, Xu Ziqing was delighted beyond words to see the senior brother he loved arrive. Somehow, a trace of playfulness stirred within him.
Smiling to himself, he abruptly took out a Beast-Controlling Token. White light flashed, and a small bundle of snow-white fur appeared in the crook of his arm.
In the next instant, he raised his hand and tossed the bundle toward his senior brother.