Chapter 37 Part 3

Elder Zhen: “See! Xiao Jing’s soul lamp is out, but the wick is intact. That means though his body is dead, his soul remains! Where is his soul?!”

Lian Yunzhi and Fang Tianxin both froze.

Fu Qing paused briefly but quickly reacted. He took out a compass-like magic artifact from his storage ring. “This is the Blood Relative Soul-Seeking Instrument. You can take it to Xiaoze State to search. The Illusion Realm is broken now. If Xiao Jing really emerged, he’s most likely wandering as a soul in Xiaoze State. You must hurry before he dissipates.”

Elder Zhen immediately took the artifact.

Fu Qing added, “You’re Xiao Jing’s grandfather and blood relative. Just put your blood and one of his personal items on the compass together.”

Elder Zhen, fearing any mistake, didn’t wait until Xiaoze State. He dripped his blood directly onto his grandson’s hairband and placed it on the compass.

A flame suddenly rose on the compass, instantly burning the hairband to ash. The needle in the center spun in place once, then fixed rigidly in one direction.

Surprisingly, that direction had nothing to do with Xiaoze State.

Instead, it pointed straight… at Lian Yunzhi.

Lian Yunzhi was slightly stunned and stepped aside. The compass needle turned to follow his movement.

Everyone looked at Lian Yunzhi in unison.

Lian Yunzhi: “…”

Lian Yunzhi suddenly remembered something. He took out the Pure Bottle from his storage bracelet, extended his arm to move it, and the compass needle immediately followed.

As expected.

In that Reincarnation Illusion, the souls of deceased outsiders also turned into black mist, but turning into black mist didn’t mean soul dissipation.

Lian Yunzhi hadn’t absorbed all the black mist power at the time. Most remained in the Pure Bottle, with the rest scattered in Xiaoze State.

Lian Yunzhi glanced into the Pure Bottle and indeed saw plenty of black mist, along with some abrupt white shadows. Perhaps because the Pure Bottle had already recognized its master, he instinctively knew how to use it. He shook it lightly, and the bottle mouth expanded several times. Lian Yunzhi reached in, made a few grasping motions in the air, then withdrew his hand and flung it onto a nearby empty patch of ground—

A pile of souls appeared neatly on the ground.

Everyone present was stunned by the sudden turn, but the Void Refining cultivator reacted fastest. He rushed over and quickly found his own grandson among the souls. Xiao Jing’s soul started off dazed and confused, but after the Void Refining cultivator tremblingly and carefully placed it into a lotus-shaped Soul-Nurturing Artifact, it regained its memories and cried out, calling for grandfather.

Tears streamed down the Void Refining cultivator’s face.

Behind the Void Refining cultivator were his personal disciples and several other cultivators in similar situations. They all rushed to the empty ground to find their loved ones and succeeded.

Songqing Peak’s grass was soon sprinkled with touching tears of family reunions.

Lian Yunzhi watched quietly.

“It’s great—everyone’s alive,” Fang Tianxin was moved to tears. He wiped his eyes and turned to the silent Lian Yunzhi. “Yunzhi, what are you thinking?”

Lian Yunzhi’s face showed no expression, and his voice held no inflection.

“I’m thinking how lucky they are—all of them alive.”

Fang Tianxin stared at him blankly and said no more.

.

After these people all left, Lian Yunzhi collected the unclaimed souls on the ground back into the Pure Bottle.

Fu Qing hurriedly summoned an immortal crane and said to Lian Yunzhi and Fang Tianxin, “This matter involves too many people. The remaining souls belong to rogue cultivators or disciples from other sects—they all need to be claimed. I have to discuss this with the Sect Leader.”

Fang Tianxin waved. “Go ahead, A Qing. Yunzhi and I will stay obediently here and go nowhere.”

Fu Qing nodded, mounted the immortal crane, and looked at Lian Yunzhi. “You released all those souls today. Elder Zhen and the others are very grateful. Stay in Lin Xian Sect for now—no one will drive you away… But about finding a Dao Companion, I still hope you’ll consider it…”

Lian Yunzhi suddenly looked up at him. “The way to forget a broken sword is to buy a better spirit sword.”

Fu Qing: “What?”

“That phrase is the slogan of the Fang Clan Spirit Sword Shop in Xiaoze State. You got it wrong—the original isn’t ‘a new spirit sword,’ but ‘a better spirit sword.’”

Lian Yunzhi said expressionlessly.

“Mu Cheng is the best. No one is better than him.”

Fu Qing was stunned.

Even as the immortal crane flapped its wings and carried him away, he hadn’t fully recovered.

Lian Yunzhi turned, then paused in his steps. He asked Fang Tianxin, “What are you laughing at?”

Fang Tianxin: “Hm?”

Lian Yunzhi glanced at him and walked away. Fang Tianxin hurriedly summoned a water mirror with spiritual power.

In the water mirror, his lips were curved up in a strange, stiff smile that refused to fade.

Fang Tianxin: “…”

Aaaahhh, possessed again!!!