Pulling back the silk threads with bare feet, a handsome general in armor appeared before them. A dark aura permeated his face, laced with faint glimmers of merit.
Ju Xuan, Ji Wu Ye, and the other two were startled by the sight of a puppet radiating golden light of merit. Ju Xuan closed her eyes and activated her Healing Eye. Upon entering his sea of consciousness, she found it shrouded in a black mist, vast yet barren and withered.
Deep within his memories lay countless battlefields, witnessing his growth from youth to middle age, each clash marked by an unwavering and fearless gaze.
This person's physical body had long since died, hence the current state. However, the sheer expanse of his sea of consciousness hinted at immense potential; he must have been an exceptionally gifted cultivator in life. Ju Xuan surveyed the entire consciousness and finally located his soul, bound by chains in a secluded corner.
Ju Xuan attempted to break the chains, but they remained unmoved. Astonished, she drew her Qingtian Sword and struck with all her might. Infused with spiritual energy, frozen, and scorched by fire – all her efforts proved futile.
"Don't wa...ste your strength, it's...useless." A hoarse voice emerged, as if it hadn't spoken in millennia.
"Why?" Ju Xuan was surprised that the soul, with a substantial portion of its soul power depleted, could still maintain consciousness.
"It's under...a restriction. Your...precious sword, though excellent, is useless against these chains." Perhaps due to prolonged silence, his speech was intermittent.
"Is there any other way to save you? The one who turned you into a puppet is already dead, but why are you still chained?" Ju Xuan felt a surge of impatience. She had assumed the puppet master had placed the chains, but now that she had killed him, there was no way to get answers.
"Only when the puppet technique vanished did I regain my clarity and recall everything about being a puppet. These chains' restriction weren't placed by that person; he lacked the capability." The black soul sneered with disdain. That man had taken advantage of his soul's concentration on breaking the restriction, leaving him vulnerable to the puppet technique, thereby ruining his efforts. It would now take at least a hundred thousand years to accumulate enough soul power.
"Senior, what is your name?" Ju Xuan felt it disrespectful to address him simply as "Black Soul."
"I've forgotten. Call me Black Soul, just like that fool outside! Thank you for killing the one who controlled me. Should I ever break free, I will repay you handsomely!" Once Black Soul adapted to speaking, his words flowed more smoothly, though his voice remained hoarse.
"My name is Ju Xuan. My apologies for my earlier impudence, Chi Zu." Ju Xuan was aware that Chi Zu had fought with Black Soul; the initial battle had been fierce.
"That fool is called Chi Zu? A giant spider?" Black Soul's tone was peculiar. Though his consciousness had been controlled, his memories remained intact. He had fought a giant spider? This was his first encounter with a demon beast. Demon beasts didn't exist in his original world.
"Senior Black Soul has sharp eyes!" Ju Xuan was once again amazed by Senior Black Soul's perceptiveness. She couldn't sense any spiritual energy from him, yet he recognized Chi Zu. Chi Zu had cultivated to the point of returning to simplicity, transforming his demon bones into human form. If he didn't reveal his true form, even cultivators in the Deity Transformation stage would find it difficult to discern him.
"Are you curious how I know?"
Black Soul lifted his pale face and smiled at Ju Xuan. He had been trapped for a very, very long time, enduring loneliness for several hundred millennia.
Time flew by. He only remembered that it would take a hundred thousand years to gather enough soul power to assault the restriction. He had failed and started anew, losing count of how many attempts he had made. The restriction was gradually being worn down by him, and just as he was about to succeed, Yin Qi discovered his whereabouts and controlled him with the puppet technique! Kuai Shu Ge
Now that there was finally someone to talk to, he couldn't stop himself from speaking...
"Yes, Senior, you appear to have no spiritual energy, yet your soul is extraordinarily powerful." Ju Xuan did not hide her curiosity.
"Because our clan cultivates the sea of consciousness exclusively from birth, tempering the soul! Only then do we practice the body!"
Ju Xuan suddenly understood, realizing why, when glimpsing his memories, she had seen him fighting bravely on the front lines. Truly, he was a formidable force, capable of holding back a myriad of enemies! Taking enemy heads was as easy as snatching something from a pocket. It turned out that perfecting the physical body made even immortals unable to block him!
A powerful divine sense could discern truth from falsehood and see through the essence of all things. Ordinary people, when meditating and calming their minds, achieved spiritual clarity and the ability to perceive reality! How much more so for a technique that specialized in this path, naturally allowing one to see through all things!
Ju Xuan also understood why his physical body remained incorruptible, like an iron wall and bronze limbs, impervious to water and fire, and invulnerable to blades and spears. No wonder the one who harmed him could only chain his soul. Ju Xuan believed that someone possessing the golden light of merit could not be a thoroughly wicked individual. It was precisely because of this understanding that she wanted to save him.
Ju Xuan secretly resolved to find a way to help Senior Black Soul break free.
Emerging from his sea of consciousness, Ju Xuan opened her eyes and faced Chi Zu, who was looking at her intently. Ju Xuan shook her head.
"Chi Zu, I'm unable to help this Senior for now. There will surely be an opportunity in the future." Ju Xuan patted Chi Zu's shoulder reassuringly.
She understood Chi Zu's feelings. Anyone who witnessed a general, shouldering the burden of national righteousness and beloved by the people, fall victim to treachery and meet such a fate would feel injustice for him!
"Yes!" Chi Zu spoke no further. He glanced at Black Soul's stiff body, regret filling his heart for not being able to help him.
Ju Xuan instructed Steward Zhu to continue flying, urging them to hasten their journey.
"Sister, here!" Ji Wu Ye handed Ju Xuan an item at this moment – the tracking spiritual artifact.
"Sister, isn't this yours..." Xiao Bai felt that it looked familiar, but her attention had been diverted by Ji Wu Ye, causing her to forget.
Ju Xuan looked at the familiar spiritual artifact. Wasn't this the tracker she had casually made back then? When she perished, her weapons and treasures were scattered across the world, and she hadn't expected them to appear here. No wonder it could track their movements!
Suddenly, the spiritual artifact glowed intensely, flying from Ju Xuan's hand. A golden light merged into Ju Xuan's brow. The artifact transformed into a feather as light as a cicada's wing, emitting a golden glow. This was the true form of the tracker. Alas, Kong Lao San had held it for thousands of years without it recognizing a master, unaware of its true nature.
The golden feather flew to Ju Xuan's hair bun, its light concealed, appearing as an ordinary hair ornament.
This was the Golden Feather Guiding Path! It had accompanied the Divine Venerable Ju Xuan in battles across all directions. Having accumulated sufficient merit, it had cultivated a primal spirit.
"Master, Little Feather missed you so much!"
"Why did you turn into a compass?" Ju Xuan was also curious. She hadn't recognized it initially.
"Master, ever since Little Feather descended to this realm, revealing my true form would have invited contempt. Naturally, I had to adopt a reliable appearance. Since I didn't want to recognize another master, I kept myself hidden. By only displaying my tracking abilities, I was revered as a divine artifact and fared quite well. I consumed plenty of spirit stones and finally accumulated enough strength, all in the hope of one day seeing Master!" Golden Feather hadn't spoken for so long that its youthful voice chattered incessantly.
Ju Xuan was speechless. She had just emerged from a world of chatterboxes only to enter another.