Chapter 197: The Dust Settles
Luo Xue’s sword strike, empowered by Nangong Ling, was exquisite, her control over the will of withering astonishing even to Nangong Ling and Nangong Wan’er.
It wasn’t just that Luo Xue, with her Foundation Establishment consciousness, could control withering, but that… they had never seen anyone use the ultimate laws in this way.
Sword intent combined with withering was the ultimate destructive force.
However, compared to this sliver of the will of withering, Luo Xue’s Sword Intent of Withering was still immature.
After that one strike, the Sacred Soul’s will of withering was almost completely depleted, and even Luo Xue had to use the Sacred Soul’s form to deliver the final blow.
But this newly emerged consciousness effortlessly wielded this last wisp of the will of withering, instantly annihilating the otherworldly demon.
Thus, these demonic remains, suppressed for countless years, eroded by the will of immortality to the point of near annihilation, finally collapsed and dissipated.
It was fortunate that this crisis occurred now. If they waited a few thousand years more, the demonic remains might have recovered from their injuries.
“You are…”
Nangong Ling, sitting in her wheelchair, stared at the Sacred Soul’s back.
She suddenly realized that the consciousness within the Sacred Soul had changed.
“I am Nangong. And you? Why do you have the aura of ‘immortality’?”
The Sacred Soul turned around, its majestic gaze making even Nangong Ling, a Tribulation Immortal, feel a sense of insurmountable pressure.
“I… am your descendant.”
Nangong Ling said in a low voice.
The Sacred Soul paused, as if in a trance, then a hint of gentleness appeared on its cold face.
“I see, the wisp of consciousness I left behind… has been awakened.”
She looked at the spot where the demonic remains had dissipated, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“No wonder… that vile creature’s aura felt so familiar. It was actually… His remains.”
Then, after a slight hesitation, the Sacred Soul asked,
“And you are?”
She was asking Luo Xue. The moment her consciousness returned to the soul, she sensed another presence within.
“…I don’t know how to introduce myself.” Luo Xue said helplessly. “Just as you said… I suppose I’m half a successor of the Phoenix Venerable.”
The Blood Sea in the nine provinces and four domains was formed from the Phoenix Venerable’s remains, and she and Su Yiyao had both inherited her legacy, so calling herself half a successor was accurate.
Nangong was silent for a moment, then said, “Phoenix Venerable… has already fallen, hasn’t she?”
“Yes.”
Luo Xue nodded.
However, she found this question strange.
Before Nangong’s death, Phoenix Venerable had already become the Blood Sea. Nangong shouldn’t have asked this.
Nangong, sharing the same soul as Luo Xue, immediately sensed her confusion and answered,
“This consciousness was left behind in advance, to leave a foundation for the Nangong clan, and also… in case something happened to me, so that some unfinished business could be handled by this consciousness.”
“In other words, in my current memories, the war against the otherworldly demons has just begun—but it seems this war has already ended for… countless eras.”
“I see…”
Luo Xue pondered for a moment, understanding Nangong’s situation.
This consciousness of Nangong’s had been frozen in time since it was separated. She didn’t know anything that happened afterward, and her personality was also slightly different from the one Luo Xue had seen in the Sacred Soul’s memories.
More aloof.
After explaining, Nangong fell silent, not responding even when Nangong Ling and Nangong Wan’er approached excitedly.
Luo Xue’s consciousness regained control of the soul and looked at the two innocently.
“…Has our ancestor… left already?” Nangong Ling twitched her lips. Seeing the change in the Sacred Soul’s eyes, she knew it was Luo Xue.
“I don’t know, she seems to be looking at her memories.” Luo Xue shrugged. “I’m just a guest in this soul, how would I know…”
Luo Xue also wanted to return to her own body, but she couldn’t find a way.
Actually, Luo Xue could vaguely sense that her body was probably… gone…
The will of withering wasn’t something anyone could touch. Her Eternal Withering Body was probably still at the bottom of the Blood Sea. An ordinary body couldn’t withstand its erosion.
Fortunately, her consciousness had been tempered many times, and for now, the will of withering couldn’t erode it.
“…So much has happened…”
Just then, Nangong’s voice rang out again, this time much gentler, closer to Luo Xue’s impression of her.
“I didn’t expect… that the demon race would betray us.”
“The other ancient clans also did quite a few things…” Luo Xue said.
“It’s not surprising that the cultivation families did those things. The fact that they didn’t become pawns of the otherworldly demons is already commendable, I don’t expect anything more.”
Nangong didn’t seem to think much of the ancient clans, she didn’t even consider the Nangong clan to be one of them—although now, the Nangong clan was considered an ancient clan, along with the other former cultivation families.
Her consciousness gently enveloped Luo Xue and said softly,
“Welcome home, child.”
The nine provinces and four domains were the last cradle of humanity, and also a cage of exile.
Countless cultivators, with the potential to reach the Sea Crossing Realm, or even Saint, were trapped at Soul Transformation, dying frustrated and unfulfilled.
The current Great Thousand Worlds no longer had a place for the nine provinces and four domains. Even if Phoenix Venerable opened the passage, it wouldn’t be a golden age, but a disaster.
Even with the potential to reach Saint, at least for now… there wasn’t even a single Ascension Realm cultivator in the nine provinces and four domains.
Moreover, Phoenix Venerable wasn’t human. She had her own mission.
Her duty as Gatekeeper was just to honor a promise to an old friend.
There weren’t many like Luo Xue, who had entered the Great Thousand Worlds in such a special way, and couldn’t reveal her identity… Otherwise, if the current Great Thousand Worlds knew about the existence of the nine provinces and four domains, disaster would follow.
Nangong truly hoped that humanity could leave the cradle and return to their true home, but at least for now… it was impossible.
“Senior, your descendants are still waiting for you outside.”
Luo Xue said within the consciousness. Nangong was currently talking to her within the soul, and the Sacred Soul’s expression was frozen.
But Nangong shook her head and refused softly.
“No need, I have no face to meet my descendants. I owe them… too much…”
Luo Xue opened the Sacred Soul’s eyes and said to the expectant Nangong Ling and Nangong Wan’er,
“She said she owes too much and doesn’t want to talk.”
“…”
After a strange silence, Nangong Ling sighed deeply and said,
“Indeed, we owe our ancestor too much… We failed to inherit her will…”
“No, you have done well, it was my mistake.” Nangong finally appeared and said, “I can guess why this wisp of consciousness was awakened, heh… it’s all because of the seeds I sowed in the past.”
She glanced at Luo Xue resentfully within the consciousness. If not for Luo Xue’s words causing Nangong Ling and Nangong Wan’er to misunderstand, she wouldn’t have appeared.
Luo Xue blinked playfully, a smile appearing on her lips.
She had seen almost all of Nangong’s memories, even experienced them firsthand.
Therefore, Luo Xue understood the personality of this human leader from the ancient era. She had deliberately said those words to meet Nangong Ling and Nangong Wan’er’s expectations.
“It must be Great-Grandmother’s arrangement,” Nangong Ling pondered for a moment, her sharp mind quickly understanding the key point. “She must know something… but for some reason, she can’t say it directly.”
Thinking about it carefully, Great-Grandmother had hinted at this before, but Nangong Ling only understood it now.
If not for Luo Xue, she would probably have had to wait until Great-Grandmother awakened their ancestor, Nangong, to escape.
And this consciousness left behind by Nangong, after countless years of erosion, was already very weak.
It could probably only resolve this crisis, unable to converse with them like now.
Thinking of this, Nangong Ling felt a surge of gratitude towards this mysterious girl who had suddenly appeared.
If not for her help… they wouldn’t have been able to meet their ancestor.
“By the way, have the separate dimension and the Blood Sea Secret Realm merged now?” Luo Xue asked. “I seem to sense some familiar auras…”
She had dealt with quite a few cultivators infected by the will of immortality in the Blood Sea Secret Realm.
“Yes,” Nangong Ling nodded. “The Blood Sea Secret Realm was originally a projection created by the demonic remains to avoid the will of immortality. Once it collapses, the projection will also disappear.”
“Fortunately, only a thousand years have passed in the outside world. Hiding in a separate timeline, it could only recover to this extent.”
The distorted time flow in the separate dimension was mainly to suppress the demonic remains, which could only hide in a separate timeline to avoid the suppression, but then it could only recover at the speed of the outside world.
Otherwise… what Nangong Ling and Nangong Wan’er encountered wouldn’t be just the remains of a Great Emperor who had recovered to the Sea Crossing Realm, but perhaps the complete remains of a Great Emperor.
“In that case, is Nangong Mian in the Blood Sea here?” Luo Xue asked again.
“Oh right, Xiao Mian is still in the Blood Sea!”
Nangong Ling and Nangong Wan’er slapped their foreheads and immediately turned towards the Blood Sea, intending to retrieve Nangong Mian.
“So excited about meeting our ancestor that you forgot about your sister…”
Luo Xue couldn’t help but twitch her lips, but Nangong’s voice stopped them.
“No need, that little girl in the Blood Sea, I’m protecting her. Daring to cultivate the Desolate Extinction Scripture… even in my time, very few did that. I admire her.”
“Hmm?”
Nangong Ling and Nangong Wan’er looked at each other in confusion.
“She’s currently forming her core, Enlightenment Core Formation.” Nangong said, sighing with emotion. “I haven’t seen many Enlightenment Core Formations. Before I left this wisp of consciousness, including myself, there were only six or seven. Truly astonishing.”
“Is it that difficult?”
Luo Xue blurted out subconsciously.
When Nangong left this consciousness, she was already at the Saint level, having lived for countless years, yet she only knew of a few.
“Yes, Enlightenment Core Formation has nothing to do with talent or strength, only with opportunity.” Nangong said. “This Blood Sea I left behind is her opportunity. Consider it a gift to someone worthy.”
“The Blood Sea… you left it behind?”
Luo Xue asked.
The Sea of Withering she had seen before was formed from the remains of Phoenix Venerable, so Luo Xue naturally assumed it was her doing.
But shouldn’t Nangong control withering…
“I don’t just control the will of withering, but the Law of Ending, including both withering and immortality.”
Nangong directly answered Luo Xue’s thoughts, which were reflected in her consciousness.
“The reason I only left the Nangong clan the inheritance of the will of immortality is because Phoenix Venerable is dead, and I couldn’t refine the will of withering to a level humans could withstand.”
Nangong’s gaze fell on Luo Xue.
“Honestly, you surprise me even more than that little girl in the Blood Sea. Even though you belong to Phoenix Venerable, directly wielding the will of withering as sword intent is… too reckless.”
It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen others do it, but… no one dared to.
“It’s… alright…”
Luo Xue said awkwardly. She had done this several times already.
“Can you still sense your body?” Nangong said faintly. “Although I don’t know how your consciousness can withstand the erosion of withering… your body is quite ordinary.”
“Wait, Holy One, you mean…”
Luo Xue’s heart sank upon hearing this.
She had her suspicions, but to have them confirmed was… hard to accept.
“Indeed, the moment you unleashed that sword strike, your body and soul were completely eroded by withering, turned to dust.” Nangong said. “I don’t mind giving you this incomplete remnant soul, as long as you don’t mind becoming a wandering ghost.”
“I do mind…”
Luo Xue wanted to cry. She was still alive, how did she suddenly become a soul?
How could she find a new body?
“However, thanks to your help, quite a bit of my consciousness remains.” Nangong pondered for a moment, then said, “I’ll be dormant for a while. If you need me, just awaken me. Consider it… compensation.”
She hesitated, then added, “Oh, and don’t tell the Nangong clan about this… I dislike formalities and don’t want to talk to my descendants with the face of an elder.”
While talking to Luo Xue within her consciousness, Nangong’s tone was much more casual.
At least, before her descendants, Nangong still wanted to maintain the image of a dignified ancestor.
After saying that, Nangong’s consciousness fell silent, seemingly not wanting to wake up for a while.
“…”
Luo Xue opened her eyes, and under the expectant gazes of the two familiar figures, she said sadly,
“The Sacred Soul… has fallen into slumber.”
