“We can’t wait any longer.”

When emerging from the Ghost King Clan, Cui Jue frowned and looked down the long street toward the distance, speaking these words.

He still wore that simple deep blue robe from before, only now holding an ancient scroll tied with thin rope in his hand. The characters “Cauldron Competition” could be faintly seen written vertically on it.

Only ten short days remained until the second round of the Cauldron Competition would begin.

Today, Cui Jue had brought Zhang Tang to the Ghost King Clan to obtain their final confirmed list of participants. Thus, the people from the City of Unjust Deaths selected for the Cauldron Competition had mostly been settled.

Even the competition on the Eighteen-Story Tower was nearing its end, with only one spot still undecided.

At this moment, this scroll recorded the dozens of spots for participants from the City of Unjust Deaths in the Cauldron Competition.

But…

It was missing the one person the Eight Directions Yama Halls wanted.

Thinking of this, Cui Jue felt quite helpless.

Standing on the long street, he turned to look at Zhang Tang beside him. Zhang Tang had been accompanying him recently on Qin Guang King’s orders, to give him opportunities for experience and training.

Cui Jue knew that Qin Guang King held Zhang Tang in high regard, no less than he had once held Cui Jue himself.

After all, with this aura of fierce malevolence about him, he could never escape the position of Grand Judge.

He spoke: “That Jian Chou has been in seclusion for nearly seventy days. We have visited her door several times, always observing proper etiquette. But now that won’t do. The longer she remains in seclusion, the stronger her abilities will become. The various Yama Kings only want her to participate in the Cauldron Competition with the smallest soul pearl realm. If we let her cultivate too long, her soul power will become profound and her soul pearl will grow larger, I’m afraid the selling point will be lost.”

“What does Grand Judge Cui mean then?”

Zhang Tang had already understood the ins and outs of why Cui Jue wanted to find Jian Chou, so he was now at ease.

He just knew that Jian Chou wasn’t someone who would enter seclusion without reason—she probably had some matter to attend to—so he had slightly suggested to Cui Jue that unless it was a critical moment, it would be best not to disturb her.

Obviously, with only ten days left until the Cauldron Competition, they really couldn’t wait any longer.

Cui Jue withdrew his gaze and strode forward: “Force our way to her door, notify her of this matter first, then make other plans.”

Zhang Tang agreed and didn’t object.

He was just planning in his heart that in a moment, it would probably be better for him to knock on the door himself, to avoid…

He had his own calculations in mind, but his face showed nothing as usual.

Zhang Tang glanced at the scroll in Cui Jue’s hand, then looked back at the vast residence of the Ghost King Clan. Somehow, the image of Li Han suddenly appeared in his mind.

Wearing a deep blue robe, standing in the Ghost King Clan’s hall, carrying an air of rebelliousness.

When Zhang Tang had seen him before, he always felt something was wrong, but couldn’t put his finger on it.

In the Eighteen-Story Tower, this person had killed Yu Chen of the Fish Gill Clan with one move—his strength was formidable.

Now he gave Zhang Tang a feeling of being unfathomable…

In the Cauldron Competition, Li Han would likely be a formidable enemy!

Slowly withdrawing his gaze, Zhang Tang saw that Cui Jue had already walked far ahead.

He collected his many thoughts and followed, heading toward Jian Chou’s residence.

Sixty-some days had passed since Jian Chou’s first attempt at refining the Soul-Reversing Pill.

Inside the old residence, all was peaceful.

The study was empty except for countless books; in the pill room, an Azure Lotus Spiritual Fire had gradually dimmed.

Jian Chou’s complexion looked pale, her lips even somewhat cracked and peeling, but her eyes were bright and clear, untainted by even a speck of dust, extremely alert.

After her first failure at pill refinement, she had already analyzed the cause of her failure.

Having missed once, she naturally wouldn’t allow herself to make the same mistake again.

So during the second refinement of the Reincarnation Pool water, she had held that copper ball filled with medicine in her hand early on, raising her mental state to the extreme. Any slightest movement of air around her would be clearly perceived.

Under these circumstances, Jian Chou naturally didn’t miss the changes occurring in the Reincarnation Pool water.

The moment the last wisp of gray qi dissipated, she didn’t hesitate and directly dropped the copper ball into the Reincarnation Pool water that no longer carried any death qi.

Mysterious changes occurred at that moment.

As the Reincarnation Pool water transformed toward its extreme state, Jian Chou added the copper ball. The medicine within this ultimate purity could also be considered a type of impurity.

Thus, it didn’t become purple ice crystals like before, but maintained its original viscous liquid state.

What followed became simpler.

What was needed was carefulness, perseverance, and constancy.

Over sixty days of refinement, controlling the heat, constantly expending mental energy…

This was to fully absorb the power of the pure Reincarnation Pool water into the medicine.

The domineering medicinal properties, after being blended with other medicines, would become gentle, more suitable for consumption, and could function better within the soul body.

Now, it was the tail end of the sixty-third day.

The Reincarnation Pool water in the pill furnace had become less and less, only a small mass remaining, and its color had become increasingly pale. As its power and medicinal efficacy penetrated the medicine, it grew closer and closer to transparency.

Jian Chou knew that the critical moment would soon arrive.

She moistened her cracked lips and stared unblinkingly at the changes in the furnace.

Finally…

The last wisp of deep purple breath slipped quietly through the holes around the copper ball like a small snake.

The pool water remaining in the furnace had now become completely transparent, no different from ordinary water!

Jian Chou’s spirit immediately shook, and she directly cast a hand seal through the air!

“Splash!”

The hand seal emanating faint white light struck directly on the hanging copper ball. The entire chain immediately trembled and was pulled up from the water.

Simultaneously, the Azure Lotus Spiritual Fire burning at the furnace bottom also transformed from a spread of flame back into a single bloom under this shock, flying back to Jian Chou’s fingertip!

“Pop!”

Jian Chou extended her empty right hand, and the two-inch-sized hollow copper ball had already fallen into her palm.

There was no burning heat, nor any coldness.

Only a warm feeling of everything settling into place.

Through the ancient, simple openwork patterns, she could faintly see the pale purple pill skin inside.

At this moment, Jian Chou’s heart began beating rapidly.

A strange pill fragrance flowed quietly from these openwork holes, carrying a power that could intoxicate the spirit and soul.

That pill fragrance penetrated her heart and spleen, making her feel as if her five internal organs and six viscera had been washed by this fragrance, becoming transparent and clear!

She had actually…

Succeeded!

This thought immediately surfaced.

Jian Chou’s outstretched palm trembled slightly. She took a deep breath, trying to force herself to calm down, but it didn’t work.

Afraid that her final excitement might ruin everything, Jian Chou simply cleaned up the pill room, taking the copper ball for pill refinement with her, and returned to the study.

Two months had already passed, and the study door was still slightly ajar.

When Jian Chou pushed open the door, a deep, rich splash of color immediately entered her vision.

It was the two carved windows diagonal to the door.

At this moment, faint daylight shone in from outside, and against the white window paper, there was a somewhat translucent coolness.

The plum vase filled seven-tenths with Reincarnation Pool water sat quietly on the windowsill, with the line of writing Jian Chou had discovered earlier still beside it.

The three plum branches in the vase, under the divine effect of the pool water, had transformed into gray-white skin with deep azure showing through.

That sole red plum remaining on the branch had a bud swollen round and full, with several petals struggling to fold toward the center, as if a gentle touch would make it burst open and bloom.

It seemed…

This plum, not encountering suitable conditions in the Extreme Domain, had therefore bloomed so slowly.

Seeing this, Jian Chou felt anticipation rise.

She wondered what it would look like when it bloomed.

Her originally rapidly beating heart, upon seeing the flower bud at this moment, miraculously calmed down.

With a slight smile, her face, made pale and haggard by over sixty days of pill refinement, seemed to radiate a strange brilliance.

Jian Chou turned to close the door, stepped into the room, came to the table, and set down the copper ball.

Her finger lightly touched above it, and the previously sealed copper ball opened with a “pop,” revealing the “universe” within.

It was a purple pill.

Only about an inch in size, appearing quite exquisite.

The rounded pill skin bore no rough particles whatsoever, but had shallow white cloud patterns burned into its surface—large and small, dense and numerous, as if following some mysterious arrangement.

The aura emanating from it was breathtaking.

That was…

Pill markings!

Jian Chou’s heart trembled violently, even the corner of her eye couldn’t help but twitch: only pills of certain grades would display pill markings!

But among the pill markings she knew of, none had such patterns—so regular they seemed drawn on.

Therefore, for a moment, Jian Chou wasn’t entirely certain.

The only thing she could be certain of was her feeling—

The Soul-Reversing Pill!

A medicine that could repair the soul—how could its grade be ordinary?

Now she had actually managed to refine this pill in just two attempts…

That pill formula had truly contributed immensely.

Jian Chou slowly exhaled and picked up this pill between her fingers, sitting cross-legged on the spot, facing those two open carved windows.

Between pill refinement and her previous research into this study’s master, Jian Chou had spent considerable time.

Both Zhang Tang and Chen Tingyan were participants in the Cauldron Competition. As their friend, entering seclusion for so long was somewhat inappropriate.

Moreover, with danger beginning to emerge, she needed to go out and gather information.

Therefore, Jian Chou needed to hurry now.

After refining pills, naturally came testing them.

She closed her eyes to regulate her breathing, first swallowing two ordinary pills to replenish her consumption from pill refinement and nourish her spirit and soul.

After a period of meditation and medicinal absorption, her pale complexion gradually became rosy, and her cracked lips automatically returned to their original full appearance.

Jian Chou keenly discovered that although her spirit and soul had been greatly depleted during over sixty days of pill refinement, her gains had also been enormous.

During this period of meditative cultivation, her originally exhausted soul power surged in with tremendous force, even breaking through the limits she could previously endure, soaring upward!

The soul pearl covered in cracks floated out from above her head, and visible soul power was drawn from Jian Chou’s brow center and flowed into it.

Before long, the originally small soul pearl had actually grown by a portion.

Jian Chou inevitably felt some surprise but forcibly suppressed it, quietly feeling the changes.

After about a quarter-hour, this “growth” gradually slowed and stopped.

At this moment, Jian Chou’s soul pearl was already half an inch in size.

“One portion of effort, one portion of harvest…”

This was truly accurate.

Every moment she wanted to give up but gritted her teeth to persist, Heaven truly saw.

Jian Chou opened her eyes and smiled.

Then her gaze fell on that purple Soul-Reversing Pill.

The truly important moment had now arrived.

Toward this old residence’s master, Jian Chou was full of curiosity but also full of wariness.

Until now, regarding the Reincarnation Pool water, the other party had set no traps, and even the water’s efficacy had been fully demonstrated on the three plum branches.

By rights, she shouldn’t have any more doubts about this person.

But…

The other party was too mysterious.

So mysterious that Jian Chou couldn’t touch even a thread of their secrets, much less unveil that mysterious face.

But the Soul-Reversing Pill was in her hand.

The only opportunity she had encountered since beginning cultivation to repair her soul was right before her.

Could she refuse?

Jian Chou sighed deeply in her heart: even if what lay before her was a cup of poisoned wine, who could refuse?

Risking her life on this gamble—nothing more than this!

She reasoned that even if this matter were placed before the Fudao Shanren, he probably couldn’t reach any conclusion either. She might as well act decisively and consume it on the spot.

Thinking this, Jian Chou hesitated no more.

The Soul-Reversing Pill was in her hand—small as it was, she placed it in her mouth.

When her tongue touched the pill, an icy, trembling sensation immediately rolled through her, and Jian Chou felt her entire spirit and soul shake!

Rumble!

The moment the pill dissolved in her mouth, a mass of deep purple light exploded from Jian Chou’s spiritual platform, spreading throughout her body!

If a third person were present at this moment, they would likely be stunned by this scene!

Jian Chou’s entire body instantly became transparent, with only that mass of purple light shining high above her spiritual platform. Strand after strand of purple light, after completely covering the spiritual platform, flowed down from Jian Chou’s head, traveling throughout her body!

Her entire body, for a moment, seemed woven from countless purple lights, becoming brilliant.

Faint gray mist actually emerged from all around her body.

This scene somewhat resembled driving out impurities during pill refinement.

A soul pearl half an inch in size floated in the purple light of the spiritual platform, like a small boat tossing on waves, ready to be swallowed at any moment.

Those strands of purple light, after traveling throughout Jian Chou’s body, all flowed back from her feet, fingertips, spine, and even hair ends!

Splash!

Like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea!

Countless purple light threads, like threading flowers, surged again toward the spiritual platform!

The floating pale white soul pearl was like a narrow well.

The flood-like purple light streams instantly all surged toward the “well opening”!

Jian Chou immediately groaned in distress.

It was a pain that pierced the soul, like a thousand, ten thousand needles stabbing densely!

Her previously improved complexion became pale again.

The narrow well opening was covered with countless cracks.

Now struck by the purple light, the pale white radiance shook violently, seemingly about to shatter.

Unexpectedly, those purple lights that pierced in actually acted like needle and thread, automatically shuttling through those gaps, as if wanting to mend the broken places.

Once, twice, again…

In the blink of an eye, the purple light formed thousands of threads. Part of it surged into Jian Chou’s soul pearl, immediately igniting terrifying cold flames inside the pearl, causing her entire soul pearl with its mixed soul power to burn madly!

A flame of brilliant white mixed with purple instantly blazed from the soul pearl!

The remaining light shuttled through crack after crack.

With each disappearing purple light thread, one crack on the soul pearl would vanish.

Amid hundreds of painful torments, Jian Chou was amazed to discover this point. After a moment of shock, infinite wild joy surged from her heart!

It could actually repair the soul!

She could feel that wonderful sensation.

Those purple lights didn’t seem to be piercing through the soul pearl, but rather shuttling throughout her entire body.

As the purple light and cracks on the soul pearl decreased, her senses actually became more acute. Without even deliberately perceiving, she could “see” the earthly yin essence floating in the air just by opening her eyes!

This…

Was this the perception belonging to a complete soul?

For a moment, Jian Chou became somewhat carried away.

She still remembered when she first began cultivating at Yashan, experiencing those miraculous things.

At that time, she had already felt the splendor and wonder of this world, but she hadn’t expected that at this moment of gradually repairing her soul, under such extreme sensation, she could still ascend further!

It was like a patient with eye disease finally being able to clearly see the world before them.

Jian Chou couldn’t describe the sudden feeling arising in her heart at this moment.

She could only keep widening her eyes, letting her perception roam like a wandering dragon, extending its claws in all directions to grasp all the information she had never perceived before…

This moment seemed extremely fast, yet also extremely slow.

Jian Chou couldn’t tell whether an instant had passed or three to five hours.

She only knew that the constantly ascending perception began to slow down.

Within the spiritual platform, only the last few strands of purple light from the Soul-Reversing Pill’s medicinal power remained.

Jian Chou’s soul pearl, in that mad burning, constantly shrank, and by now had actually become the size of a grain of rice again!

But the originally pale white radiance had become pure snow white.

The cracks on the soul pearl were also much fewer.

A few purple light tails flicked and directly stabbed upward, fusing themselves into the cracks, filling them with points of purple.

Jian Chou was currently in soul form, feeling the soul pearl as clearly as feeling her own body.

One last crack remained, one last purple light…

However, this final crack was larger than all the others.

She immediately became somewhat nervous, subconsciously clenching her fists.

The transparent condition of her body had completely dissipated.

That purple light thread also became somewhat dim as Jian Chou’s body became opaque.

It seemed drawn by the crack in Jian Chou’s soul pearl, swiftly swimming and suddenly plunging into the abyss.

This purple light constantly shuttled between the “shores of the abyss.”

Those horizontally arranged purple lights immediately formed scattered smooth patches, completely merging into the crack, then fading in color, vaguely becoming the same snow white as the surroundings.

Once, twice, once, twice…

Jian Chou constantly watched the purple light’s movements, but her heart hung higher and higher…

Almost there, almost there!

Only half a crack remained!

After filling this bit, her entire soul would be complete!

However, when she noticed the length of that purple light again, Jian Chou’s burning heart immediately turned cold.

The originally long purple light now only had a short tail remaining.

And half a crack still remained.

It seemed to sense the difficulty. Within that crack was an infinite suction force that pulled the entire purple light over, pressing it against the “cliff face”!

“Pop!”

In some mysterious realm, there seemed to be such a violent sound!

The last section of purple light also completely disappeared into that crack, forming a very short segment of snow white, filling into that gap…

Bit by bit, slowly advancing…

Slow as an old ox.

Jian Chou suddenly felt like a piece of meat roasted over a bonfire.

The feeling of waiting was extremely tormenting.

Bit by bit…

Finally stopping…

At that instant, Jian Chou’s constantly ascending perception fixed—

Like a pot of boiling oil suddenly poured into a boundless icy sea!

After a sizzling sound, there was nothing.

Nothing at all.

No perception.

No tension.

No anticipation either.

What remained was only that heart that had hung high but suddenly crashed to the ground, rotting into a pool of mud.

What remained was only that string stretched to its limit but suddenly cut by someone.

Jian Chou’s upright body suddenly stiffened.

She raised her head, and that soul pearl slowly flew out from the spiritual platform. Previously already half an inch in size, it now only had half a grain of rice, returning to “speck of dust” status.

It had become somewhat brighter and whiter.

Faint strange purple colors shone through from where its previous cracks had been, mixed within the snow white like winding traces in snow.

Looking at it, it seemed to have been completely transformed.

Those countless cracks that had originally covered it had now mostly disappeared.

Jian Chou’s gaze was fixed on it, with no intention of moving away.

It rotated at an extremely slow speed.

It seemed to take a very long time to rotate from this side to that side…

An ugly black crack slowly revealed itself.

Though the soul pearl was small, Jian Chou could feel the change where most of it had been repaired, and could clearly observe every pattern on it.

Including this crack.

It was like an ugly scar on the earth, like an abrupt ravine in a snowy plain, like a hideous fissure in the blue sky!

It tore through all the original snow white and pale purple!

Just like tearing through Jian Chou’s—

Heart at this moment.

It was so inconspicuous, yet so prominent.

Like an open bloody maw, calling for something to fill it…

Jian Chou stared at the soul pearl like this, at this half crack that had ultimately fallen short, her eyes’ divine light trembling violently. Suddenly, like a mountain collapse, her entire body felt a sensation of qi and blood flowing in reverse.

“Pfft!”

She finally couldn’t hold back, pressing her hand to her heart.

Deep white “blood” scattered on the ground!

This was soul power purified by the Soul-Reversing Pill, thick as blood!

Moments after it fell, it quietly transformed into wisps of faint smoke, floating and swaying toward the window.

Before long, the “bloodstain” on the ground had faded considerably.

Jian Chou’s complexion became dispirited.

But she still looked at the soul pearl, at that sole remaining half crack…

“In the end, still short by a thread…”

Really just short by that much!

Perhaps if there had been just one more strand of purple light, her soul could have been perfect and flawless!

But ultimately there wasn’t.

That missing thread was like an insurmountable chasm lying before her.

Jian Chou couldn’t cross it.

At least not at this moment.

One Soul-Reversing Pill wasn’t enough to repair her soul.

Jian Chou couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

The soul pearl she had cultivated with such difficulty, finally advanced, had also been refined into a tiny speck. Perhaps because her mood was too poor, looking at it always felt discouraging.

That expectation that had constantly risen due to repairing her soul had ended up empty.

Under great joy and great sorrow, Jian Chou’s eyes also became somewhat dazed and vacant.

If the first Soul-Reversing Pill hadn’t failed in refinement…

If she still had more opportunities…

She thought of the plum vase she had filled seven-tenths full. Inside should still be enough Reincarnation Pool water for her to refine one more pill…

Slowly raising her head, Jian Chou looked toward the windowsill in front of her.

The plum vase stood quietly.

Three plum branches were inserted diagonally in the vase, full of vitality, with one swollen bud that seemed ready to split, gracefully adorning the branch.

Another’s beloved possession.

How could she destroy what others loved to fulfill herself?

After struggling in her heart, Jian Chou looked with flickering eyes for a long time, and ultimately smiled bitterly and gave up.

At this moment, she felt inexplicably weak.

Hope had fallen through, but it was still better than having none.

Lowering her head, she pressed her hand against the ground to help herself stand, but her fingers happened to press on those white “bloodstains.”

After that period of evaporation, the traces above had become very faint.

The last wisp of smoke floated up like silk, drawing the white “bloodstain” away from the ground.

Thus, the ground was completely clean.

That wisp of pale white smoke, carried by the air current flowing from inside the room toward the window, also drifted away.

Jian Chou’s gaze involuntarily followed this wisp of smoke.

It trembled like incense smoke rising from a burner, and before long had crossed over the plum vase, penetrated among those three plum branches, and passed by that red plum bud waiting to bloom.

At that moment, it was as if this wisp of smoke had stirred up wind, or as if that sleeping red plum had been attracted by this wisp of smoke composed of pure soul power.

A strand of smoke actually flew into the red plum!

Pop—

What a strange sound that was!

Too subtle.

Jian Chou couldn’t even tell whether it was a sound her heightened perception from repairing her soul had detected, or a sound that had rung in her heart.

In this window’s silhouette, that bright red flower bud suddenly burst open!

Five petals opened toward five directions, and tender yellow stamens quietly emerged.

It was a flower simple to the extreme, looking exactly like all the plum blossoms Jian Chou had seen in the human world.

But on this Extreme Domain’s ten-thousand-li evil soil where not a blade of grass could grow, on these flower branches that had withered for decades, it could still bloom!

Simple to the extreme, yet moving to the extreme.

As if a bit of proud, unyielding spirit had quietly permeated her heart along with this plum’s blooming, along with that dark fragrance’s flow…

That dark fragrance also seemed to carry the deep red of plum petals, floating gracefully before the window.

A red plum placed before carved windows inlaid with snow-white window paper was like a lamp lit in the night…

At that moment, finally deep and shallow reddish light and shadow emerged from that window paper, gathering bit by bit into strokes and characters, words and sentences.

Jian Chou stared blankly up at this nearly miraculous scene before her eyes.

It was as if…

At the moment this plum blossom bloomed, countless faint red plums had also bloomed on this snow-white window paper!

However, looking carefully, one could discover that these weren’t proud red plums standing tree after tree, but character after character steeped in cold!

The largest line of characters—

“I will deceive Heaven!”