Chapter 109: The Way of the Soul

After two muffled groans and two gasps of surprise, the night sky fell silent once more, as if nothing had ever occurred.

Above Mount Luoling, the Demon Moon Mirror, wreathed in five-colored light, hung in profound tranquility. Its radiance remained hazy, yet the mirror within the aura rotated slowly. At this moment, it is uncertain how many still remembered the boast Nan Luo had once made in the Heavenly Court: "I possess a mirror that can illuminate the heavens and the earth." Perhaps this was because the Demon Moon Mirror no longer seemed merely a tool for illumination to others, but rather a treasure capable of infinitely enhancing one's own power.

In their eyes, the space enveloped by the Demon Moon Mirror had become an independent realm, as if it had transcended the world itself. Those with an understanding of celestial star power, however, discovered that the mirror could also draw upon boundless stellar energy, forming a mysterious connection with the vast, sprawling cosmos.

Green Essence was watching the Demon Moon Mirror with fervent intensity. To him, the mirror held an endless, hypnotic allure. The giant hand formed of black clouds just moments ago had been a manifestation of his own lack of restraint.

Broken silently by the light of the Demon Moon Mirror, others might have viewed it as merely a probing attack, but Green Essence knew he had exerted his full strength. At that moment, the mirror felt to him like a mountain connected to the vast earth—immeasurably heavy. Yet, its light could dissolve all anomalous spiritual energy in its vicinity without a sound. That five-colored aura was like a vast ocean; anything that fell into its light could at most stir a ripple, utterly incapable of overturning the deep.

His impulsive action had provoked the other two lurking in the darkness to act as well.

Green Essence’s expression turned grim. His original form, which held no secrets from Nan Luo, was that of a green-furred badger—a creature that had stepped half a foot into the threshold of the Divine Realm. While those who entered the Divine Realm were generally more formidable than those in the Immortal Realm, this was only relative.

To enter the Divine Realm, one only needed a clear understanding of a Great Dao and the ability to manifest a supernatural power. The nature and strength of that power were not the standard for judging one’s entry.

Beside him stood two others. One was the Old Ancestor of Golden Light, draped in dark gold robes with a long golden sword on his back; even his flowing beard was the color of tarnished gold. At this moment, faint golden light rippled in his eyes as he stared unblinkingly at Mount Luoling. It was he who had let out the exclamation of "Primordial Sword Weapon."

Judging by the golden scabbard on his back, one could tell that his magical treasures and powers were centered on that blade. Ever since he learned the name of Nan Luo, he had recalled the sword in Nan Luo’s possession. Primordial sword weapons were exceedingly rare in this world, and achieving extraordinary power through such a weapon was notoriously difficult. Compared to other bizarre magical artifacts, the utility of a sword was too narrow, which was why few in the Primordial Era chose the path of the sword.

Green Essence did not know the origins or specific powers of this mysterious Old Ancestor of Golden Light. This was because the latter had rarely acted in recent years. In his early days, when he wandered the world, he would often defeat opponents with nothing more than a flash of golden light across the void, leaving them decapitated. This was the origin of his title, though his true name remained unknown.

The sword in the golden scabbard on the Old Ancestor’s back was his only weapon. Though it had an extraordinary origin, containing fragmented and chaotic Great Dao, it was considered only a semi-primordial item. What he desired most in his life was a true Primordial Sword Weapon. He himself had one foot inside the Dao Realm. In his youth, he had traveled to an island in the east, where he had sparred with someone wielding four Primordial Sword Weapons. Since then, his progress had been swift, and his years of dedicated cultivation were all for the sake of that encounter.

Having realized so much from that battle, he often thought that if he possessed a Primordial Sword Weapon, he might not be inferior to that person. Thus, his initial intention—to show respect to Zixia of Mount Tianzixia and avenge Jin Sha—had transformed into a desperate, unwavering resolve to obtain this unexpected Qingyan Sword.

Beside the Old Ancestor of Golden Light stood another man, whose gloomy eyes held a fierce, predatory glint. When Nan Luo saw him through the Demon Moon Mirror, he immediately thought of the eagle clan from Cangmang Cliff—the same vicious gaze, the same black robes.

He had hardly spoken a word since arriving, keeping his eyes fixed on Mount Luoling. Ever since the Qingyan Sword appeared and instantly annihilated the black-green giant claws and the blood wolf, his thin lips had pressed even tighter. A trace of surprise flickered in his eyes, yet he stared even more fiercely at the Luoling Cave Heaven from which the sword had emerged.

The Old Ancestor of Golden Light introduced him to Green Essence as the patriarch of the Grey Eagle clan. Green Essence felt a jolt of shock, realizing he was the legendary Eagle King. While others addressed him with respect to his face, they called him the "Demon Eagle" behind his back.

Green Essence offered a hasty, smiling greeting, but the Eagle King ignored him entirely, sparing only a cold, indifferent glance that made Green Essence feel as if he had been pierced by ice. The Eagle King’s demeanor ignited a sudden, roaring anger in Green Essence, which he instantly suppressed. As a man of status in these parts, to whom the lords of major mountains showed deference, he had developed a prideful disposition and was deeply offended by the Eagle King’s attitude. However, he was the type of person who would never show his resentment, preferring to strike from the shadows. Thus, he remained all smiles, appearing completely unaffected by the Eagle King’s coldness.

Each of the three had something they were determined to obtain: the Old Ancestor of Golden Light craved the Qingyan Sword, Green Essence was obsessed with the Demon Moon Mirror, and the Eagle King was intent on killing Nan Luo.

Yet, just as the three were preparing to act, they discovered that others were arriving around Mount Luoling, all possessing formidable powers—at least at the Divine Realm level. Among them was the Bloodthirsty Old Ancestor, who had manifested the blood wolf in the void earlier; he was the ancestor of the white wolf that Nan Luo had slaughtered before the Yangping clan. As for the entity behind the black-green giant claws, they could not discern its identity. They could clearly sense that others were hiding in the darkness, yet they could not pinpoint them.

They could not see clearly, but Nan Luo, through the Demon Moon Mirror, saw everyone with perfect clarity. The light emitted by the mirror shrouded Mount Luoling perfectly, not spreading even an inch. This level of control, this degree of fusion with the surrounding space, and this application of the power of heaven and earth were precisely what made the hidden observers feel a sense of dread, causing them to hesitate.

Thousands of miles away from Mount Luoling, a seven-colored rainbow light descended into a mountain, revealing a white rock and a woman in purple robes. Her face was deathly pale, and black, foul-smelling blood continuously seeped from a wound on her left shoulder.

Her arrival startled a mountain cat king. Sensing her weakness, the beast lunged from the darkness with excited eyes and bared fangs; the roar it emitted carried a hint of tiger-like ferocity.

The woman in purple lashed out with a seven-colored whip, which moved like wisps of smoke. It passed clean through the mountain cat king, and the beast immediately dropped dead, a cloud of gray mist dissipating from its body.

The Seven-Colored Soul Whip targeted the soul specifically; any living being struck by it risked total disintegration. Whether it was her Soul Dao or the whip itself, both were among the most terrifying powers in this world—but she had encountered Mosquito Daoist, who possessed billions of incarnations, and a being who had no soul at all.

She had been hunted the entire way; had it not been for the unique nature of her soul-escaping techniques, she would have been captured long ago.

She glanced back at the sky, the cunning and ease in her eyes replaced by panic. Biting her lip, she whipped the air with her Seven-Colored Soul Whip, transforming back into a rainbow. She then merged into the white rock, vanishing into the forest like a streak of colored light.

Moments later, two streaks of dark light descended, stopping where the woman had just been. They were the Mosquito Daoist and the ugly man surnamed Luo.

The ugly man laughed, "Who would have thought this woman's escape technique would be so strange? If not for the injury inflicted by your Nether Sting, she might truly have escaped."

Mosquito Daoist chuckled, his slit-like eyes flashing with an unfathomable, chilling light.

"Are you certain she has no friends in this world? If she were rescued, wouldn't all our efforts and this time be wasted?" The man's face was ugly, but his voice was exceptionally gentle. Listening to the voice alone was pleasant, but combined with his appearance, it felt like thousands of ants crawling on one's heart.

"She has been hunted ever since she left that place; where would she find friends? Moreover, she dares not let anyone know where she came from. I fear there are already others in this world searching for her. Hehe... Even if she had friends, could they survive against us? We would simply dispose of them as well."

"What is her background? Judging by your tone, it seems as if the world is about to undergo some change. Could there be something even greater than Di Jun and Tai Yi building the Heavenly Court?"

"Hehe... I cannot say for sure. I just have a feeling—or perhaps all beings born before the formation of this world share it. Hehe... the path of the soul... hehe..."