“What’s going on?” The formation master discovered that the power of the resentful spirits was growing weaker and weaker. He pushed away the alluring woman kneeling before him pouring wine and strode to the cliff’s edge to look out. He saw祥clouds and black mist tangled together in the sky, locked in an even struggle.

“Is that former princess of the Mortal Realm a disciple of Yunhua Sect or a Buddhist sect?” The formation master ground his teeth in hatred. “Those bald donkeys never meddle in affairs—how could there be Buddhist light here?” For a cultivator from the Mortal Realm, not being bullied and humiliated in Lingyou Realm was already fortunate—how could she establish connections with Buddhist cultivators within just a few short years?

The Buddhist cultivator causing trouble was definitely no ordinary person. Looking at the Buddhist light filling the sky, this Buddhist cultivator had likely already attained the Arhat fruit position and cultivated a dharma form.

“Venerable One, what should we do now?” The evil cultivators saw that bald donkeys had come to ruin things and inwardly cried out in alarm.

“What to do?” The formation master turned to look at the evil cultivators behind him. “These monks emphasize compassion and benevolence, don’t they? You go into the city and kill people. Let’s see whether these monks continue chanting sutras or come to stop you.”

“Venerable One, these monks…”

“What, you evil cultivation realm experts are afraid of a few bald donkeys?” The formation master sneered coldly. “Or are you saying you only dare to act fierce toward evil cultivators?”

“We understand.” The evil cultivator who asked knew this Venerable One’s temperament was unpredictable. He feared that if they delayed any longer, before dying at the hands of the bald donkeys, they would first die at this Venerable One’s hands.

“Good.” The formation master’s face finally showed a smile. “I’m getting old and prefer juniors who are more obedient.” He turned his head and saw an evil cultivator still standing in place, not moving. He sighed deeply. “Child, are you afraid?”

“Please forgive me, Venerable One.” This evil cultivator was so frightened he shook his head repeatedly. “Please forgive me, Venerable One.”

“Look how scared you are. I’m a person who greatly cares for juniors.” The formation master smiled, waved his hand to grab this evil cultivator before him using spiritual power, and suddenly exerted force with his five fingers, snapping the person’s neck.

“This way, you’ll never have to be afraid again.” He took out a handkerchief to wipe his five fingers clean, then turned his head to smile gently at the other evil cultivators. “Well, why aren’t you moving yet?”

As soon as his words fell, the other evil cultivators flew off from the cliff, heading toward the city.

The smile on the formation master’s face disappeared. He kicked the corpse at his feet off the cliff. “Waste.”

The female evil cultivator serving him was already trembling all over with fear. He glanced at the female evil cultivator curled up in a ball, arranged the hair at his temples, and transformed into a streak of white light that disappeared into the horizon.

“The dead are born, the six paths of reincarnation…”

Monk Fatan opened his eyes, looked toward the city gate direction, and furrowed his brow.

“Please continue, Master. Leave the rest to me.” Huan Zong, holding the Longyin Sword, jumped down from the cloud. Watching the evil cultivators flying toward them from outside the city, he swept his sword. The several evil cultivators flying at the front had their throats sliced by sword energy and fell from their clouds one after another.

“How can there be a sword cultivator?” The remaining evil cultivators saw that in the blink of an eye they had lost several companions. They hastily stopped, stood surrounding each other, and looked toward the city gate in terror.

The tightly closed city gate opened wide, and a man wearing white robes with black hair like ink walked out unhurriedly.

“A sword cultivator!”

“No, it’s Zhongxi Zhenren!” Cold sweat seeped from the forehead of the evil cultivator with the highest cultivation. A hundred years ago, his master had died under this person’s sword. This person’s sword was merciless, and the person was even more merciless than the sword. Why was this sword cultivator who should be cultivating at Liuguang Sect in the Mortal Realm?

“Flee quickly.” Before Zhongxi Zhenren, who could withstand a single battle? He sent a signal flare into the air, hoping the formation master could come save them.

“Since you’ve already come, why must you leave?” The city gate area was filled with the foul stench of corpses. In a large pit not far away, bodies that hadn’t been incinerated yet were still piled up. The Longyin Sword in Huan Zong’s hand emanated dazzling golden light. His gaze was very cold as he flew up to block the evil cultivators’ escape route.

“Zhongxi, there are so many of us, we’re not necessarily afraid of you…” The leading evil cultivator’s voice trembled slightly. He gripped the magical artifact in his hand tightly, shouting for the others to deal with Huan Zong while looking for an opportunity to escape.

These evil cultivators who normally strutted about arrogantly were like radishes and potatoes under Huan Zong’s sword. He quickly cut them down until they were scattered in disarray, and the earth beneath their feet had already been stained red with fresh blood.

The leading evil cultivator turned and fled. However, he had barely flown far when he heard a gust of wind by his ear, and his left arm fell from his body, dropping into the large pit where corpses were buried.

“Zhongxi Zhenren, as a sword cultivator of Lingyou Realm, you meddle too much in other people’s business.” The evil cultivator repeatedly looked toward the distant mountain, hoping the formation master could hurry over. “These mortals have short lifespans. Why must you care about such matters? Aren’t you afraid of bringing trouble upon yourself?”

Huan Zong kicked him into the pit with one foot and looked down at him from above. “Every single common person in this pit died unwillingly and innocently. From today onward, your soul will guard this place until all the common people have reincarnated. Only then can your soul leave this place.”

“No, no, no…” The evil cultivator shook his head repeatedly, turned around wanting to climb out of the pit by stepping on corpses. A sword energy sliced through, and he stared wide-eyed as he fell together with these common people his group had killed. The formation master he had been waiting for still showed no trace.

Huan Zong grabbed at the void, seizing a blue soul shadow. He bit his finger and drew several talismanic spells on the soul shadow, then threw the soul shadow back into the corpse pit. “The resentful souls of this place will not disperse. You will never achieve rebirth for all eternity.”

Waving his sleeve to incinerate all the corpses in the pit cleanly, Huan Zong put away the Longyin Sword. Looking at the burning flames, he turned and flew toward the direction the evil cultivator had been repeatedly looking at earlier.

Above the cliff, there were tables, chairs, and palace structures that hadn’t been withdrawn in time. A beautiful female cultivator knelt beside a jade table. Lifting her head to see Huan Zong suddenly descend from the sky, looking at the Longyin Sword in his hand, she was so frightened she shrank backward. Then she pulled down the clothes on her body, revealing her fair shoulders, and ran toward Huan Zong in tears. “Immortal, save me.”

“Step back.” The Longyin Sword left its sheath. Huan Zong pointed at the female cultivator expressionlessly and looked her over from head to toe. “Where is he?”

“Immortal, are you referring to the villain who kidnapped me?” The female cultivator pursed her red lips, appearing especially seductive. “Perhaps he sensed your immortal aura, became afraid in his heart, and has already fled in advance.”

She thought, not knowing which sect this Immortal belonged to, he was so handsome. In this world, there probably wasn’t another man who could wear white robes so enticingly.

“Fortunately, the Immortal came, otherwise this humble woman would have been by evil cultivators…”

Before she finished speaking, the sword had already pierced through her spiritual platform. She bent over clutching her abdomen, staring wide-eyed in disbelief. She had even used her seduction technique—how could there be a man who, in such circumstances, would so easily harbor killing intent toward her?

“This is impossible…” Even at the moment of death, the female cultivator couldn’t believe this fact.

This definitely wasn’t a man…

Huan Zong didn’t even glance at the woman on the ground and turned to hurry back. These evil cultivators were filled with soaring malevolent energy, their hands stained with who knew how many lives. For evil cultivators like these, he never wasted words. Letting them live one moment longer in this world was cruelty to those common people who had died at their hands.

Monk Fatan led his disciples sitting among the clouds, chanting the Rebirth Sutra for three days and three nights. On the fourth day, as the morning sun was about to rise, Fatan opened his eyes. Looking at the Ten Thousand Bones Array that had already lost most of its effectiveness, he stood and sighed. “Although the resentful souls have already received deliverance, the souls locked in the Soul-Capturing Array still need someone to release them.”

“I’ll go.” Lin Hu stepped forward.

Fatan shook his head. “No, the Soul-Capturing Array is full of the souls of the common people from this place. Now their soul bodies are weak and they’ve greatly lost their spiritual intelligence. They cannot withstand the slightest disturbance. To them, you’re just a stranger of unknown origin. If you approach there, you’ll be attacked by them.”

This formation was truly too sinister. The souls in the Soul-Capturing Array were like oil in an oil lamp. Although the flame on the lamp had been extinguished, the oil couldn’t just be casually poured out.

“Senior Lin, this matter should still be left to me.” Kong Hou, holding her phoenix-headed instrument, walked before Lin Hu, gave him a respectful bow, and turned to look at the horizon that already had a trace of light. “From the day I was born, I enjoyed everything the common people provided. Back then I couldn’t help them. Today I cannot let them be unable to rest in peace even in death.”

“Miss Kong Hou…”

“Be careful.” Huan Zong looked deeply at Kong Hou, adjusting the hairpin at her temple. “We’ll wait here for you to return.”

Kong Hou smiled until her eyes curved. “Alright.”

“Young Master!” Lin Hu frowned. Although the resentment and malevolent energy had already been suppressed, the crisis hadn’t truly been resolved. How could Young Master be at ease letting Miss Kong Hou go alone?

Huan Zong ignored him, withdrew his hand from Kong Hou’s temple, slightly curved up the corners of his mouth, his gaze as gentle as a warm spring. “Go. I’ll be right here.”

Kong Hou nodded, jumped from the cloud, and flew toward the formation eye.

Huan Zong followed two steps forward until Fatan chanted a Buddhist phrase, and only then did he stop.

The wind on the cloud was strong, making Huan Zong’s robe corners flutter loudly. He turned his head to glance at Fatan sitting cross-legged, threw out his flying sword, jumped on it, and chased after Kong Hou. Not far from the formation eye, he stopped and gripped the Longyin Sword in his hand.

Arriving beside the formation eye, Kong Hou was stunned by the scene before her. Countless wailing souls stretched out their arms, trying to crawl outward, but were pulled back again and again. Heads and arms were tangled and pressed together, and no one could achieve liberation.

Kong Hou walked to the edge of the formation. A bruised hand grabbed her ankle. This hand was withered but was still a half-grown child’s hand. She bent down, gently patted this arm, and without hesitation jumped in.

“First there was heaven and earth, water nourished all things, clear energy dispels turbidity. Heaven and earth give birth to yin and yang, yin and yang converge into the Two Principles, the Two Principles give birth to the Four Symbols…”

The souls tried to tear at her, wanting to step on her shoulders to leave this place that imprisoned them. Kong Hou closed her eyes, sat cross-legged holding her phoenix-headed instrument, and placed her fingers on its strings.

These common people were born here, buried here, but should not be bound here.

The music was melodious, like the most peaceful and gentle soul-soothing melody, bit by bit appeasing these souls that had lost their rationality. Her hair bun was already disheveled, her clothes already worn. All around her ears were screams of pain and unwillingness.

Everything on her body was from Lingyou Realm, but she herself and the sound she created were not.

The common people in the city watched Kong Hou jump into the formation filled with accumulated resentful souls. Some saw their relatives in the formation, some saw their friends in the formation, and they also saw more and more wounds appearing on Princess Kong Hou’s body.

They fell silent.

“It’s raining…”

Droplets of fine rain fell, no longer bitter rain but sweet and delicious sweet dew.

As the fine rain washed over them, the resentful souls roaring angrily in the formation gradually quieted down. The tattered clothes on their bodies gradually became complete and bright, and the wounds on their bodies gradually healed.

The music didn’t cease, and the rain continued to fall.

Rainwater soaked Huan Zong’s hair, dripping from his chin to the ground. He stared unblinkingly at the young woman in the formation, his long lashes moistened by the water vapor.

“Amitabha.” Fatan slowly opened his eyes. “What a fine Soul-Soothing Rebirth Melody. This old monk hasn’t heard such beautiful music in many years.”

“Master, this is… the Soul-Soothing Rebirth Melody?” Disciple Xuanwu said, “This Miss Kong Hou only has Heart-Stirring Stage cultivation. How can she play such a powerful piece?”

“Benevolence and compassion do not distinguish between old and young, and naturally also do not distinguish between cultivation levels.” Fatan pressed his palms together and chanted a Buddhist phrase. “If this woman entered our Buddhist order, her comprehension would far exceed all of yours. What a pity…”

When the melody stopped, Kong Hou’s fingers plucking the strings were already covered in bloody marks. She opened her eyes and saw the wronged souls in the formation transform into points of light flying toward the path of rebirth.