Chapter Fifty-Nine
In the Hall of Unmatched Splendor, the Ghost King sat high upon his throne, a pair of crimson eyes dark and fathomless as he gazed down upon Ayin with an air of lofty indifference.
“You are willing to exchange half of your spiritual power for Feng Yin’s three soul fragments?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know that your spiritual power is your life essence?”
“I know.”
Seeing Ayin answer so calmly, the Ghost King raised an eyebrow with interest, the icy sharpness of his brow softening slightly. “Your Great Marsh Mountain truly produces devoted souls.”
“Your Majesty, may I ask whom you intend to save with half of my spiritual power?”
Given the Ghost King’s status and ghostly power, he could even pull scattered souls back from the Six Paths of reincarnation. If he needed her spiritual power, it must be to save someone—and that person must not yet have entered the cycle of rebirth.
When the Ghost King remained silent, Ayin suddenly had an epiphany and blurted out, “Your Majesty, is the one you wish to save Ghost Lord Xiuyan?”
The Ghost King was momentarily taken aback, concealing the flicker of emotion between his brows as his gaze turned cold. “How do you know it is him I wish to save?”
Ayin scratched her head. “I guessed. This is the Ghost Realm. Without Your Majesty’s permission, how could the Cultivation Speech Pavilion openly sell tokens to enter the Palace of Bell and Spirit? The phoenix tree my master once gifted to Ghost Lord Xiuyan now grows in Your Majesty’s palace. I suspect the master of the Cultivation Speech Pavilion must have a deep connection with you.” She looked at the Ghost King. “Yesterday, I saw Ghost Lord Xiuyan in the Cultivation Speech Pavilion. His soul power is extremely weak. The spiritual power of a Water Condensation Beast is naturally capable of nurturing and repairing souls. Since Your Majesty only wants my spiritual power, it must be for Ghost Lord Xiuyan.”
“What a clever little girl. You helped him in the Cultivation Speech Pavilion. If you were not the only Water Condensation Beast in the world, I would not ask you to exchange half your life essence.” The cold severity in the Ghost King’s eyes faded as he casually brushed his fingers over the jade ring on his hand. “I have waited for a Water Condensation Beast for seventy thousand years. Seventy thousand years ago, during a great war among divine beasts in the Ancient Realm, the entire Water Condensation Beast clan perished in the chaos, except for Bi Bo. It seems fate has willed it that, seventy thousand years later, a young Water Condensation Beast would be born in the Three Realms.”
Seventy thousand years ago? The Ancient Realm endured the Chaos Tribulation sixty thousand years ago. At that time, the Ghost Realm did not yet exist. What is the origin of this Ghost King? Could he be from the Ancient Divine Realm?
Ayin grew increasingly puzzled about the Ghost King’s origins, but the era was far too distant, and as a young beast who had only awakened a few years ago, she was powerless to uncover the truth. However, this was the first time she had heard about the past of the Water Condensation Beast clan. So, her kind had been extinct for seventy thousand years—no wonder Bi Bo looked at her as if she were a treasure.
The Ghost King sighed with emotion. “You guessed correctly. Xiuyan’s soul is failing, and he could vanish into nothingness at any moment. I do indeed need your spiritual power to save him.”
As the Ghost King unconsciously rubbed the ring on his finger, Ayin’s gaze sharpened slightly. She frowned, a flicker of doubt rising in her eyes.
“Come. He is in the Palace of Bell and Spirit. After you use your spiritual power to repair his soul, I will give you Feng Yin’s three soul fragments to take with you.”
The Ghost King rose and headed toward the rear of the hall. Ayin quickly collected her thoughts and followed.
A path paved with green stones led directly to the rear hall of the Palace of Bell and Spirit. The Ghost King glanced from afar at the towering phoenix tree behind the hall.
“He is behind the hall. Go.”
With these words, the Ghost King departed alone. Ayin watched his retreating figure thoughtfully before walking toward the direction of the phoenix tree.Beyond the palace walls, the lush branches and leaves of a phoenix tree peeked through, shimmering with golden spiritual power. Ayin slowly approached, feeling as though the scattered specks of golden light were the only warmth in the cold, gloomy Ghost Realm—much like the young man standing beneath the tree.
Xiuyan, dressed in a blue scholar’s robe, let his gaze wander through the golden spiritual power. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned and sighed.
"Young lady, you’ve come after all."
He seemed to have expected everything, yet also appeared helpless in the face of it all.
Ayin nodded and walked closer to him. Seeing Xiuyan’s troubled expression, she smiled and blinked at him. "Ghost Lord Xiuyan, I’ve come to pay the true price for that top-grade token."
Xiuyan was taken aback, momentarily infected by her carefree smile. He couldn’t help but retort, "Are you really this happy about giving me half your life? Young lady, are you truly heartless, or just foolish?"
"Neither," Ayin shook her head. "I treasure my life very much."
Xiuyan sighed again. "Your senior brother couldn’t bear to part with even a single day of your life, yet here you are, sneaking back alone to trade half your life for that little phoenix’s soul. Aren’t you afraid he won’t be able to bear it when he finds out?"
Ayin’s expression faltered as she recalled Gu Jin’s fury upon waking. Her heart trembled slightly. She took a deep breath and mimicked Xiuyan’s sigh. "What choice do I have? Your Ghost King only wants my spiritual power in exchange. I can’t defeat him, so what else can I do but obediently come and trade?"
Seeing Xiuyan’s already pale face grow even paler, clearly hesitant, Ayin quickly waved her hands and leaned closer. "I was joking, don’t take it seriously. Please don’t refuse to make the exchange with me." Her voice softened as she continued, "Ghost Lord, I’m not treating my life lightly, nor am I fooling around. Our A Jin owes that Little Phoenix Lord a living life. He’s carried that guilt for ten years, and I don’t want him to spend the rest of his days burdened by remorse for Feng Yin."
The Ghost King’s power was unfathomable. Without thousands of years of cultivation, A Jin stood no chance of defeating him. How could she bear to watch Gu Jin endure millennia of self-blame?
"My life was given to me by A Jin. Without him, there would be no me today. I am willing to trade half my life essence for Feng Yin’s three soul fragments." Ayin’s expression was sincere, her gaze resolute, as she bowed deeply to Xiuyan. "I beg you, Ghost Lord, to grant Ayin this wish."
Moved by the determination in her eyes, Xiuyan finally spoke after a long pause. "Since that is the case, I will grant your request."
With that, he sat cross-legged beneath the phoenix tree and extended his hand to Ayin.
A smile spread across Ayin’s face. She nodded and sat cross-legged opposite him. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Ghost Lord, you only need to close your eyes. Leave the rest to me."
Xiuyan nodded and closed his eyes. Moonlight filtered through the phoenix leaves, casting shadows on his face and highlighting his deep, refined features.
When Xiuyan closed his eyes, hiding his dark gaze, the truth of everything seemed to become clear.
Ayin lowered her head to look at his hand, her gaze sharpening. She then raised her head again, placing her hand on her forehead as if she had seen nothing, focusing her mind to gather her spiritual power.Half a moment later, her hand withdrew from his forehead, a wisp of pale green spiritual power flowing like a living thing from her fingertips into Xiuyan’s forehead. Pure spiritual power continuously entered Xiuyan’s body, silently mending his soul until the shattered soul imprint deep within his ghost core gradually gathered and took shape, growing stronger and more stable. In contrast, Ayin’s face grew increasingly pale.
At the same time, Gu Jin was swiftly flying on his sword toward Chang’an, his expression cold and his eyes shadowed with gloom.
A Jiu, being a land beast, could not fly as fast as Yan Shuang. Given the urgency of the situation, he had no choice but to ride on the golden eagle, his face filled with worry as he sat in silence.
In the rear hall of the Palace of Bell and Spirit.
An hour later, Ayin finally finished repairing the soul within Xiuyan’s body. She withdrew her hand and, seeing Xiuyan’s complexion now rosy, let out a relieved sigh.
Xiuyan opened his eyes and, noticing Ayin’s pallid face, frowned and immediately grasped her wrist. Powerful ghost energy surged into Ayin’s body, directly reforging her immortal foundation. Thick energy accumulated within her, and the mung bean-sized inner core inside her visibly condensed until it grew to the size of a walnut, turning a deep green. Then, with a crisp crack, her immortal foundation was established, and she straightforwardly advanced to the rank of Lower Lord.
Gu Jin had cultivated for a hundred years in the forbidden grounds of Great Marsh Mountain to reach the peak of Lower Lord, yet in just half a moment, Ayin had attained the immortal power of a Lower Lord. Accustomed to being a delicate little flower, she was suddenly transformed into a powerhouse and couldn’t quite process it.
A moment later, Xiuyan withdrew his hand and stood up, asking, “How do you feel now?”
The powerful immortal power surging within her felt incredibly exhilarating. Ayin squinted her eyes and stood up as well. She casually waved her hand toward the wall, and her immortal power transformed into lightning, striking the green bricks. With a deafening crash, the wall shattered into pieces.
Was this still the same person who couldn’t lift a finger, couldn’t carry a burden, and would scatter with the wind? Ayin’s mouth hung open, her eyes wide with disbelief. Truly worthy of someone of his level—she had expended half her life essence and had been on the verge of collapse just moments ago, yet with his intervention, she felt as if she had taken a strength-boosting pill, like she had unlocked a cheat code!
In a way, misfortune had turned into fortune. Ayin turned back to look at Xiuyan, her gratitude utterly sincere. “I feel great, really,” she said, shaking his hand vigorously, nearly moved to tears. “Ghost Lord Xiuyan, thank you so much. From now on, when I encounter monsters, I won’t have to scream for help anymore.”
Xiuyan was amused by Ayin’s antics, and the guilt he felt for taking half her life essence finally eased a little. He patted her head. “Such a smooth-talking little girl! Cultivating immortal power must follow the natural order. I could only help you advance to Lower Lord. Continuing to condense your inner core might not be good for you.”
Ayin knew that the laws of the Three Realms were immutable, and Xiuyan’s intervention on her behalf was already an exception. Besides, she didn’t have a strong craving for power, so she waved it off nonchalantly. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Becoming a Lower Lord is more than enough for me. I don’t have any grand ambitions to conquer the Three Realms or dominate the Eight Wastelands.”
Seeing Ayin’s cheerful smile, Xiuyan sighed inwardly.
He had taken half of Ayin’s life essence but could only repay her with some immortal power for protection, unable to do more for her.Xiuyan raised his hand, and three golden souls drifted out from the phoenix tree. With a casual wave, he gathered the three souls into a cluster, which settled into his palm.
Ayin’s heart skipped a beat. Feng Yin’s soul had always required A Jin to use the Fire Phoenix Jade to draw it out from the phoenix tree. Yet Xiuyan had managed to extract it directly using ghostly power—his strength was likely even greater than that of the Demigod San Huo, the three-fire demon dragon.
But why was the name of Ghost Lord Xiuyan not recorded on the Pillar of Heaven and Earth?
Xiuyan handed Feng Yin’s soul to Ayin. “This is the soul of that little phoenix. Take it.”
Seeing Ayin accept it, he added, “Young lady, today you were willing to sacrifice half your life essence to save me, sparing me the agony of having my soul scattered to ashes. This is a great kindness to me. If there ever comes a day when you need me, I will spare no effort to repay you for the goodwill and grace you have shown me today.”
After speaking, Xiuyan turned to leave, but Ayin’s voice sounded from behind him.
“Your Majesty’s words, Ayin will remember. From this parting onward, the road ahead is unknown. Ayin truly hopes that in the hundreds or thousands of years to come, there will never be a day when I must trouble Your Majesty.”
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