Everyone knows original parts are the best. The soul and body of an intelligent being are naturally matched to each other. Forcibly placing one’s soul into another person’s body, as in body snatching, easily triggers rejection. Not only does the physical vitality gradually fade, but the soul also weakens over time. The most typical example was Cao Budao’s wife.
But Heavenly Demons didn’t have such concerns; they were experts at usurping others’ bodies.
The Prince of Yan stared at her intently: “What about my soul registry?”
People had household registrations in the mortal world and soul registries in the netherworld, also known as the Yin Registry. As long as one was registered, which newly deceased soul could escape the power of reincarnation?
The Prince of Yan couldn’t either. No matter how powerful he was in life, after death, his soul would return to the Yellow Springs.
“Substitute with deception!” This wasn’t something Feng Miaojun thought of on the spot, but rather a method the Heavenly Demon had taught Cao Budao years ago. Over the years, she had pondered it repeatedly and believed it was somewhat feasible. “The Yin Registry cannot be erased, but there’s still one chance for substitution. Why not select another departed soul to replace your entry in the Yin Registry, entering reincarnation in your place and bearing all your sins and blessings? From then on, you’d be a wild soul without a Yin Registry, similar to a Heavenly Demon.”
The Prince of Yan stared at her without blinking: “You can accomplish this?” The principle sounded simple, but implementation was extremely difficult. The crux of the matter was “deception”—was the Way of Heaven so easily fooled?
“We can try.”
She carried the knowledge of the Heavenly Demons. If the Heavenly Demon leader could do it, why couldn’t she give it a try? To reassure him, Feng Miaojun made a solemn vow that she would solve his immortality problem, then shrugged and said: “Actually, the simplest method would be to reopen the Heavenly Path. Then we both could enter the Realm of Immortality, and the problem of lifespan would be effortlessly solved.”
Blood oaths could not be violated. The Prince of Yan’s grim expression immediately softened: “It’s a deal.”
Having achieved his goal, he no longer made things difficult for Feng Miaojun. After all, he didn’t want to stay here either. “First, tell me, what is this?” He had been studying it for quite some time.
“It’s the complete cultivation power that the Heavenly Demon leader left behind in the Isolated Land,” Feng Miaojun took a light breath. “Back then, it had to abandon all its spiritual cultivation, becoming weak enough to slip through the cracks in the barrier and enter Yingshui City.”
“How do we use this?” The Prince of Yan shook his head. “I can sense the surging soul power within, but I can’t absorb it at all.” Otherwise, why would he have wasted so much time talking with her? He could have simply defeated her and forced her to hand over the secret technique.
“I’m not sure.”
Feng Miaojun shrugged, took out the Star Sky Awl to pierce her fingertip, and used her blood to draw a seal on the barrier.
After learning so much knowledge in the stone chamber, she could now firmly remember the shape of the seal drawn by the Heavenly Demon leader, reproducing it without the slightest error. The blood flowing from her wound was, in essence, her soul power. “We just need to find a way to activate the soul power contained within.”
“If the Heavenly Demons couldn’t break through the barrier with the full force of their race, how can we accomplish it?”
“This barrier is no longer the same one that stopped the Heavenly Demons over three hundred years ago,” she explained clearly while continuing her work. “At that time, Yingshui City was home to nearly three million people. Their vibrant life force, along with the elemental power of the Kingdom of Haoli, all converged to strengthen the barrier, making it impenetrable and even able to resist the attacks of Heavenly Demons. This was the so-called ‘using the power of an entire nation to suppress them.’ Now, Yingshui City has only around ten thousand living people. The barrier we face is no longer as formidable as the one that trapped the Heavenly Demons before.”
At this point, she changed the subject: “However, the barriers between illusion and reality are inherently formidable. Even in ancient times, those below immortal rank couldn’t break through. Our combined strength might not be enough—we still need it.” She casually pointed at the blood-red ring.
The Prince of Yan remained silent, folding his arms and watching her draw the seal on the barrier.
The symbol Feng Miaojun was currently creating was one of the most complex in the world, with thousands of intricate lines. If even one line was drawn incorrectly, she would have to start over. Both of them had already expended large amounts of soul power. Now, as she performed such delicate work, after persisting for several hours, she inevitably became exhausted, with blurred vision and her form subtly fading.
If they couldn’t escape this time, there was no chance they could try again.
When she finished, everything she saw had double images. She stepped back to rest with closed eyes, and only after a good while did she reexamine the seal she had drawn.
“Done. The Heavenly Demon leader escaped using this. Hopefully, we’ll be just as successful today.” Feng Miaojun looked up at the sky, seeing the flashing cyan light growing brighter in the distance. The last time it had brightened, it had drawn the Heavenly Demons back. This time…
“The seal in the stone chamber is about to be fully restored. We must hurry.”
She didn’t want to be dragged back to the stone chamber like the Heavenly Demons were.
By now, the blood had dried. Each of them extended a palm, pressing it against half of the seal, and channeled all their soul power into it.
In the next moment, the seal emitted a faint red glow.
“Not enough.” Feng Miaojun had seen the seal triggered by the Heavenly Demons—that light had been as vivid as blood, several times stronger than the current one. “Give me the ring.”
The Prince of Yan handed over the ring.
The Queen of Xia had already vowed to help him escape reincarnation, so for now, there was no reason for her to turn against him. This much, he understood clearly.
However, Feng Miaojun was thinking about how to release the soul power contained in the ring. She had considered violently shattering it, but since the ring had once sustained the gap in the barrier, buying the Heavenly Demon leader more time to escape, she wasn’t confident that she and the Prince of Yan’s weapons could break it open.
But what happened next proved her concerns were unnecessary:
The moment the ring touched her delicate palm, it suddenly emitted a blinding light, so intense that one couldn’t open their eyes.
It was a brilliant crimson-gold as if the setting sun had suddenly shone into this secluded and dim space, yet the light didn’t give off any warmth.
The sudden change caused the Prince of Yan to instinctively step back, squinting his eyes.
The light lasted only an instant.
When he could see again, even with his kingly composure, he couldn’t help but change color in shock:
“You!”
No one had expected the autumn rain to be so persistent, falling continuously for thirty hours without stopping. The entire Yingshui City was shrouded in misty rain. Yun Ya gazed into the distance from the balustrade, seeing only boundless desolation.
The sky gradually darkened, and the lanterns in the homes of the commoners in the southern part of the city lit up one after another, adding a touch of gentleness to this rainy night. But reflected in Yun Ya’s pitch-black eyes, not even a speck of light shone through.
He stood motionless, having remained in this position for several hours. The servants had been sent away, leaving only him and the Queen lying on the bed in this spacious yet silent chamber.
A gentle breeze blew in.
Yun Ya seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head to see that the person on the bed had already opened her eyes, her gaze fixed directly on him!