C1 Soul Came Back!

Three centuries on.

In the Profound Sky Continent, within the Silvermoon Empire, lies Darkmoon City, and nestled within it, the town of Elfview.

The night was deep and somber.

A chill wind howled around the ancestral shrine of the Yu family, stirring up a whirlwind of dead leaves.

"The soul has returned! The soul has returned!"

A gaunt elder in grey, his figure skeletal, circled the shrine, ringing a bronze bell. With each clang, he would emit a low, haunting moan, like a malevolent spirit weeping from the bowels of the earth.

At each corner of the shrine stood a Soul Summoning Flag, their banners billowing in the breeze. The ghoulish figures painted on them seemed poised to leap off the fabric, ready to seize and devour the living.

After what seemed an eternity, the old man came to a halt, giving a slight shake of his head to the Yu family's matriarch, signaling his helplessness.

Yu Cann, the family elder with legs broken long ago, sat forlorn in a wooden wheelchair. "Elder Ning, is my grandson truly beyond return?"

Ning Ji stowed the bell and cast a glance at the shrine. After a moment of silence, he spoke, "At birth, humans possess three souls: the Earth Soul harbors memories, the Sky Soul unlocks wisdom, and the Human Soul governs the flesh and blood, directing all actions and spiritual cultivation."

"Young Master Yu is no ordinary individual. I discerned early on that he was born with only the Human Soul."

"For reasons unknown, his Earth and Sky Souls have yet to manifest."

"For years, Young Master Yu has struggled to recall past events. His inability to retain lessons and academic knowledge stems from the absence of his Earth Soul, preventing the imprinting and gathering of life's experiences and memories."

"His confusion and unpredictable behavior are due to the unawakened Sky Soul, leaving his wisdom in disarray."

"Yet, while the Earth and Sky Souls are significant, it is the Human Soul that is crucial to life and death. Also known as the Life Soul or the Main Soul, as long as the Human Soul endures, death is kept at bay."

"Despite his confusion and amnesia, Young Master Yu has managed to live seventeen years, all thanks to the resilience of his Human Soul."

"Yet now, the very essence of the problem is the human soul itself!"

Each of Ning Ji's words pierced Yu Cann's heart like a razor-sharp blade, inflicting such agony that he wished for death, his tears flowing freely in his grief.

Since the tragedy that befell his son and daughter-in-law, and with his own legs cruelly shattered by his enemies, Yu Cann had abandoned any dreams of the Yu family's return to glory. His sole wish was for his grandson, born with an inherent flaw, to successfully father an heir and ensure the family's lineage.

But now...

"Grandfather, with Young Master Yu beyond hope of revival, it would be prudent to attend to the subsequent matters sooner rather than later."

An untimely, somber voice abruptly filled the air. A diminutive elder strode into the courtyard and positioned himself directly in front of Yu Cann's wheelchair. After a modest bow, he looked down upon Yu Cann with an air of superiority and spoke again, "Grandfather, please accept my deepest sympathies. No one wished for misfortune to befall Young Master Yu, but given the circumstances, it's imperative that we make decisions for the future of the Yu family without delay."

The moment this man arrived, the four Soul Summoning Flags at the corners of the ancestral hall, with their menacing and malevolent ghostly figures, seemed to transform from animate to inanimate, their previous struggle to break free eerily subsiding into silence.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice those depicted creatures rapidly fading, as if the ink that formed them was being washed away by clear water.

"You!"

Ning Ji exploded in anger, ready to confront the intruder, but his energy suddenly became chaotic. He felt four alien forces reversing from the Soul Summoning Flag he had crafted, overwhelming him like a torrent.

"Pfft!"

Overpowered, Ning Ji spat out a mouthful of blood. In an instant, his vitality seemed to shatter, his complexion turning ashen as his body shook uncontrollably.

"Elder Ning!"

Yu Cann, his hands gripping the wheelchair, veins standing out as he roared, "Yinn Jue, what have you done?!"

"Mr. Ning, with your mere Yellow Court Stage cultivation, you took a damaged Soul Summoning Flag and haphazardly constructed a Soul Summoning Formation. Did you truly believe you were aiding the young master's return?" The short elder, Yinn Jue, let out a disdainful snort and with a sweep of his sleeve declared, "If it's something I cannot accomplish, what makes you think you can?"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Four brilliant azure beams, like icy lightning, burst forth from his sleeves and pierced the Soul Summoning Flags.

The banners ripped apart abruptly, releasing the trapped evil spirits within, which vanished into wisps of smoke.

Ning Ji collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash, his face slick with sweat and blood trickling from the corners of his eyes and ears, presenting a ghastly sight akin to the malevolent spirits once held by the flags.

"Grandfather, you've seen it yourself. Mr. Ning, whom you've brought here, has insufficient cultivation. He couldn't withstand a single strike from me," Yinn Jue sighed. "I've exhausted every possible method to save our young master. If there were any hope left, would I abandon him?"

"Young Master was killed by you!"

From outside the courtyard, a young maid in purple attire emerged, pointing at Yinn Jue and accusing loudly, "I saw it with my own eyes! It was you who killed the Young Master!"

"How dare you!" Yinn Jue barked.

A cluster of eerie green flames danced from his fingertips, casting a chilling aura that swiftly enveloped the maid's head.

The chilling force, now a green mist, engulfed her completely!

Before our eyes, the maid's body rapidly froze, transforming into a stunning ice sculpture in mere moments, her vitality suspended.

Her face was eternally etched with a look of anger and indignation, incapable of any further change.

"Yinn Jue!"

Yu Cann pounded the arms of his wheelchair, struggling to rise, forgetting his legs were broken. Overcome with emotion, he tumbled to the ground just like Ning Ji, his forehead gashed open on the unforgiving stone, utterly disheveled.

Yinn Jue, who had struck twice without moving from his spot, watched as Yu Cann fell at his feet.

"Grandfather," Yinn Jue leaned down, his facade of benevolence gone, his eyes dark and cold. "The young lady of your family married that imbecile of the Yu clan, and you know full well why. The Yu family faces internal strife and external threats, all of which my mistress has been resolving. Without her, the Yu family would have surely perished by now."

"Miss has tirelessly worked on behalf of the Yu family for half a year, yet you still refuse to surrender the requested items. Her patience may endure, but ours has run thin."

Twin orbs of purple ghostly fire quietly materialized deep within Yinn Jue's eyes.

Within those flames, minuscule talisman scripts twinkled like distant stars, seemingly capable of ensnaring souls and transmuting hearts.

Yu Cann's eyes, ablaze with fury, were suddenly extinguished. A sensation of icy blades slicing his forehead overcame him, as an insidious will began to seep into his mind.

"If you won't speak, then I shall extract the truth myself!"

With Yinn Jue's fierce cry, a delicate line of blood split open on Yu Cann's brow!

His eyes quickly filled with a crimson tide, as if they might burst at any second.

"Elder Yinn! Cease!"

From outside the Yu family estate, a crisp, cold voice rang out, cutting through the air like the call of a phoenix or the slash of an icy blade, piercing the hearts of all who heard it.

Birds, conjured from pure spiritual energy, fluttered into the estate, their presence a dance of light and life.

"Crack!"

The solid ice encasing the purple-clad maidservants shattered under the birds' pecking. One bird transformed into a warm stream, flowing into her chest, aiding her in regulating her Qi and reviving her vitality.

The other birds morphed into exquisite talismans mid-flight, their divine radiance filling the courtyard with overflowing spiritual energy.

In an instant, a mysterious array formed, a nexus of spiritual energy that quelled malevolent forces.

Both Ning Ji and Yu Cann felt an immediate sense of relief, as if immersed in the nurturing glow of precious light, their mental and physical wounds mending.

Yinn Jue bowed his head, letting out a soft sigh, his magic withdrawn. He faded away like a phantom of the night.

"Grandfather Yu, I assure you that I will strictly discipline my household. Please, take heart during this difficult time. Regarding the engagement, with Yu Yuan's soul now extinguished, I will inform my father that we should meet soon to formally dissolve the betrothal."

"Meanwhile, I will continue to devote my attention to the Yu family, addressing the many pressing concerns that are within my power to resolve."

The cold voice gradually faded into silence. The speaker had remained unseen from start to finish.

Moments later, as Yu Cann, Ning Ji, and the purple-clothed maidservant were well on their way to recovery, the enigmatic rune array transformed into a flock of birds and dispersed into the distance.

"Grandfather, it's all Yinn Jue's doing – his foul deeds!" they exclaimed, unable to contain their indignation after assisting Yu Cann back into his wheelchair. "That malicious old cur, Yinn Jue, if he remains with the Yu family, he'll be the death of us all!"

"Enough," Yu Cann implored, his gaze lost upon the ancestral hall that housed his grandson's spirit. In a voice barely above a whisper, he lamented, "Can it be that my grandson will truly never return?"

"Yinn Jue wasn't wrong. My own cultivation is too superficial, merely at the Yellow Court Stage. Had there been someone of the Yin God Stage here, they might have seen through the young master's mind, perhaps even employing divine intervention to keep his soul from fading away," Ning Ji said, his voice tinged with regret.

"Yin Gods! How many Yin Gods does the Silvermoon Empire even boast? Such elusive beings, capable of traversing thousands of miles in a thought, visiting mountains and rivers with ease. How could we, the downtrodden Yu family, ever hope to associate with them?" Yu Cann's eyes lost their luster as he spoke with a heart heavy as stone. "With my grandson gone, I'd rather destroy it all, let the Yu family perish alongside him, than hand it over to them!"

"Mind your words; walls have ears," Ning Ji cautioned in a hushed tone, casting a meaningful glance at the purple-clothed maidservant.

"Grandfather, you need to rest. The young master's breath lingers; he has not yet passed. There may still be a sliver of hope. Don't despair," the maidservant urged, swiftly wheeling him away from the courtyard.

"Is there truly any hope left?" Ning Ji murmured to himself once they were gone, a heavy silence enveloping him. "Tonight, it seems inevitable that he won't make it through." With a heavy heart, he shook his head and left, his steps echoing his despondency.

The courtyard sank into a deep hush.

In the dead of night, the atmosphere above the old mansion's ancestral shrine shifted dramatically. Lightning streaked across the sky, thunder boomed, and the very fabric of space twisted and shook violently!

Two radiant fissures, crossing to form a stark "X", abruptly rent the void asunder. At the intersection of the "X", a blinding brilliance flared. Then, in quick succession, two shadowy figures, dark and nebulous, emerged and vanished into the Yu family's ancestral hall.

…