C1913 The Ability to Change the Flow of the Soul
According to the Undead Ruler, the Realm of Demons was sealed to prevent Han Qi from escaping.
With the Realm of Demons under seal, no powerful beings from the outside should have been able to enter, particularly those from the Vast Ocean.
Indeed, the reinforcements Han Qi had been eagerly awaiting were unable to breach the Shinra Net and make it through.
The Shinra Net, under the tight control of the Undead Ruler, ensured that no unforeseen incidents would occur until the seal was broken.
Yet, in that moment, a wisp of a remnant soul drifted out from the Shinra Net.
It belonged to an elderly human!
Upon its escape from the Shinra Net, it became as disoriented and senseless as the other ghosts and spirits from the Outer Star River.
This remnant soul was incredibly faint and so indistinct that it seemed as if it would vanish at the slightest breeze within the Realm of Demons.
The soul of a true expert, even in death and despite being incomplete, would not appear this way.
He was simply a mortal who had never learned the ways of cultivation.
Nevertheless, human cultivators from the Vast Ocean, when they fell in battle within the Outer Star River, their lingering soul's will would return to the Vast Ocean, just as their essence had originated.
From the inception of the human race, none who died had ever willingly become a ghostly remnant drifting into the Realm of Demons.
This was due to the other Undead Ruler, the guide, who had succumbed to the Vast Ocean while attempting to lay out the path of the undead there.
This one before us was the first!
He was not like Han Miaoyuan or Yu Yuan, who had entered with their corporeal forms, nor was he like Han Qi, who had attained the status of Yin God through cultivation, or Youyu, who had become a ghostly deity.
He was simply an ordinary deceased spirit!
"An old man who succumbed to illness."
The Skeleton Horse, fiercely loyal to Wagner, its eyes ablaze with eerie green flames, fixated on the old man's remnant soul and roared with excitement, "Never before have I witnessed such a spectacle!"
As everyone watched, the old man's soul, fragile as a phantom mirage, instinctively moved towards the Grim River.
As his feeble spirit made contact with the Grim River, its memories and lingering thoughts were erased by the river's power. Carried by the current, he was swept away, merging with the flow of the river.
He was extraordinarily frail and lacked the capacity to awaken his spiritual intelligence, making it difficult for him to catch the attention of the ghostly beings.
Thus, he became a mere speck of soul energy within the Grim River, destined to be absorbed by the Reincarnation Furnace.
"Reincarnation!"
A possibility dawned on Andrea, and her face subtly shifted as she exclaimed, "If his soul is assimilated into the furnace, where will it resurface?"
Whoosh!
The Soul Divine King, with his sky-high cultivation and immeasurable power, materialized beside the ancient vine rooted in the Grim River and demanded, "Why has this happened?"
"Why? Why? I seek the answer as well."
The ancient vine whispered back in Soul Sound.
Rip! Rip! Rip!
The Shinra Net, woven from myriad ethereal lights and a labyrinth of pathways, had its seals undone.
With the barriers lifted, any daring soul with the capability to locate the entrance to the Demon Realm could attempt to cross over.
"Lord Lunar Yin, can you offer me an explanation?"
The ancient vine's Soul Sound echoed within the Yin God that Yu Yuan was refining within his true form.
"Yu Yuan?"
"Master!"
Andrea, Yu Yiyi, and the Skeleton Horse all turned their gaze to his true form.
"I've detected something from the outside world."
At Dark Mountain, Yu Yuan, gripping the Dragon Slash Platform, sensed three peculiar streams forging a spiritual link with his true form.
More accurately, it was a profound connection between his transforming Yin God and his true form.
Suddenly, he envisioned a fleet of Star Race and Asura Clan starships, teeming with humanity, navigating the Starfield.
They appeared to be selecting a new haven, positioning every soul aboard the starships onto a fresh world.
On those starships, formidable human cultivators stood guard, protecting the frail mortals within.
Among the mortals, some of the elderly and infirm succumbed to old ailments after the arduous journey through space.
Their deaths were a natural end.
The souls of the weak, once departed from the starships, should have been drawn by the vast and mysterious gravitational pull, slowly converging like returning to their origin.
Yet, a river dense with Yin Qi in the nearby Starfield altered their trajectory in death.
Consequently, the fragile human souls diverted their course en route.
Rip!
Three distinct gray meridians emerged on Yu Yuan's soul body as he progressed.
"Those are the tributaries of the Yin Meridians."
As Andrea looked on, she heard three peculiar sounds of rending.
The origins of the Yin Meridians were secretly nestled within the Starry Sky, beyond the reaches of the Outer Star River. One such meridian lay within the Epitaxial Realm, while the other two resided elsewhere. Their connection to her soul had been severed.
The soul imprint she had left was forcibly erased by higher soul laws.
In its place was the presence of Yu Yuan, whose aura had not yet ascended to that of a Yin God.
"Your existence, the path you've forged as a ghost, has managed to bring about such an extraordinary transformation!"
The colossal ancient vine seemed to suddenly grasp that Yu Yuan's soul had been a wise bet, and it was beginning to pay off.
Through Yu Yuan, it also witnessed the wandering souls of humanity, those who had departed the vast expanse and migrated to the Outer Star River, converging towards the Demon Area, following the path laid out by the Undead Ruler.
What did this signify?
It indicated that the Origin Soul, previously powerless to affect the vast expanse, was now extending its influence!
They were mere mortals now, but what of the future?
And what of those who had perished in outer space?
"It turns out you are the crucial element!"
Upon this realization, the Undead Ruler, who had vested many vicious souls in the ancient vine, paused briefly.
"Given this, you've earned your place in the Reincarnation Furnace."
Beneath the astonished and envious gaze of Andrea and the Skeleton Horse, the ancient vine and the Yin Energy mist that crowned it vanished into thin air along with Yu Yuan's Yin God, leaving Yu Yuan's physical form behind.
...
In the deepest reaches of the Demon Area, the most enigmatic locale of this world, lay the Reincarnation Furnace.
Hua! Hua! Hua! Hua! Hua!
Rivers of blood-yellow Grim River water poured into a vast, dark pool, where the water swirled gently in rings, resembling a funnel.
Countless souls of the deceased spiraled with the water, seemingly undergoing endless cycles of purification.
Beneath the funnel, it appeared, lay the path to rebirth for new souls.
"Old Three, wake up."
Above the dark pool, the ancient vine was minuscule, like a pebble. It called out with its deep and ancient Soul Sound to the heart of the Demon Area.
As it called, another Undead Ruler emerged.
"The event our Lord has long awaited is likely unfolding now."
From the swirling depths of the Reincarnation Furnace, a transparent shadow slowly materialized. It bore the semblance of a delicate woman, yet it lacked any distinct facial features.
As it took form, the churn of the Reincarnation Furnace noticeably slowed, seemingly distracted by its presence.
"Are you intending to elevate this human Yin God to a ghost deity?"
The figure settled above an ancient vine tree, perching on a verdant leaf as if carefully scrutinizing Yu Yuan's Yin God. "A human, emerging from the abyss? What have you been up to while I was preoccupied?"
The souls within the Undead Ruler, much like those of humans, appeared capable of mutual communication.
Emerging from the shadowy depths and confronting the Ancient Vine Tree, the Undead Ruler, as represented by the tree, was privy to all the secrets once known only to Yu Yuan.
"My actions were at the behest of my lord. While you were engrossed in the Reincarnation Furnace, I reached out to my master."
The Ancient Vine Tree paused, then spoke, "As you are aware, it's quite rare for my master to make contact. I require your assistance to vividly recount his life experiences across his lifetimes."
"How many lives has he lived?"
"Three."
"Even for me, he presents a challenge, but I am prepared to make the attempt."
