Translator: CinderTL
West of the city, Xu Sanyan squinted at the massive pavilion looming outside the city walls.
Another structure from Endless Central City had materialized—the third one so far.
"The fusion of the two secret realms is accelerating..." Xu Sanyan murmured, gently massaging his temples.
Suddenly, the mother stone in his robe warmed. He pulled it out to check and saw a message from Xiang Tan:
[Senior Brother, I heard someone speaking.]
Xu Sanyan frowned. Is she sick? Why is she being so cryptic at a time like this?
[Speak.]
Moments later, Xiang Tan replied: [I heard someone say... they're going to activate the formation.]
Formation?
Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. [Are there any Formation Patterns in the room you're in?]
[Yes, but I don't recognize what kind of formation it is.]
[Wait, the formation is lighting up!]
Xu Sanyan asked, [What's happening?]
There was no response for a long time.
Finally, a message arrived:
[Senior Brother, the woman's figure... has vanished.]
Meanwhile, in the grand hall outside the city,
Huan Xi'er stood in a spacious, circular stone chamber. Countless spirit stones were embedded in the surrounding walls, but most had lost their spiritual energy and crumbled into dust at the slightest touch.
On the floor, intricate patterns were etched across the surface, their winding lines converging toward a rustic stone platform at the center.
The platform rose in a pyramid shape, tapering upward to a point where a large banner was planted.
"Good... the formation is still intact," the old man in the sword sighed in relief. When he had seen the grand hall destroyed earlier, his heart had sunk, but thankfully the formation remained undamaged.
Following the old man's instructions, Lin Fan pressed spirit stones into the walls one by one. He didn't have enough of his own, so most of them belonged to Huan Xi'er.
Huan Xi'er stood on the high platform, gripping his longsword. Despite his resolve, he couldn't help but feel anxious, muttering to himself, "Senior, you absolutely must succeed..."
The old man ignored him. After securing the spirit stones, Lin Fan retreated to the entrance and waited quietly.
"Grip that banner," the old man instructed.
Huan Xi'er took a deep breath and abruptly seized the flagpole.
In an instant, spiritual energy surged from Huan Xi'er's body like a flood, only to be completely absorbed in a heartbeat. His face paled, but he gripped the great banner tightly, refusing to let go.
The nearly ten thousand spirit stones embedded in the walls instantly lost their luster. Countless streams of Spiritual Power surged along the Formation Patterns etched into the ground, converging on the stone platform and pouring into the great banner.
The Formation Patterns on the ground emitted a blinding white light, so intense that Lin Fan could barely keep his eyes open.
The old man in the sword struggled to suppress his inner turmoil. This was his first time attempting such a feat, and he had no confidence in its success. His earlier claim of a seventy percent chance was a complete fabrication, meant only to reassure the others.
He had no choice. Without taking this risk, he would completely dissipate within three years. To survive, he had to gamble.
The old man silently reassured himself, "Chi Wangshu, don't be afraid. You are a sage!"
Chi Wangshu was the old man's true name.
Meanwhile, inside the stone platform, Xiang Tan pressed her hands tightly over her mouth, watching helplessly as the female figure beside her grew increasingly ethereal. The circle of soul crystals arranged around the woman radiated a warm, white light.
Above, the intricate Formation Patterns lit up, bathing the cramped space in a daylight-like radiance. Countless beams of light surged upward, leaving Xiang Tan to wonder what was happening above.
Trembling, Xiang Tan pulled out her child stone and sent a message to Xu Sanyan:
"Senior Brother, the woman's phantom... it's gone."
The old man in the sword seized his moment, transforming into a wisp of black smoke and darting into the great banner.
Huan Xi'er's face flushed crimson, then paled, his mind a chaotic whirlwind of memories not his own.
One moment, he saw himself as a young boy, scrambling up a rugged mountain path. At the summit stood a Daoist temple, its halls echoing with the piercing cries of cranes.
The next, he was a middle-aged man, slowly turning the pages of a book. Beside him, a woman chattered endlessly about household matters: which child had caused trouble again, which child had broken through in their cultivation...
The vision shattered and reformed. This time, he was an old daoist, standing alone before a mountain cave, gazing up at the oppressive black clouds overhead. Despair and resentment etched themselves into his features.
The dark clouds blotted out the sky, suffocating the land in impenetrable darkness. The overwhelming weight of heavenly wrath pressed down, making it hard to breathe.
Lightning flashed intermittently through the clouds. Even watching from afar, Huan Xi'er felt a primal terror. How much more terrifying must it be for the old man facing the storm head-on?
The vision shattered again with each lightning strike.
This time, he had become... a girl?
Huan Xi'er stared at the bronze mirror before him, his eyes widening slowly. The girl in the reflection was strikingly beautiful, dressed in a vibrant red padded jacket embroidered with flowers. She was trying to maintain a serious expression, but her earnestness only made her more endearing.
The images continued to flash by...
Huan Xi'er was in a daze, lost in time and place. He only remembered seeing one image after another—some of an old man, others of a girl, and a few of himself.
The three sets of images intertwined, leaving him dizzy and disoriented, barely able to distinguish which one was truly him.
"Ah...!"
Huan Xi'er suddenly threw his head back and roared, the great banner in his hand emitting a blinding light that intensified the glare in the stone chamber.
Lin Fan squinted, straining to see through the piercing white light, but could only make out the blinding glare.
Huan Xi'er writhed in agony, the chaotic thoughts threatening to burst his skull. He couldn't grasp who he truly was.
"Am I... Chi Wangshu?"
"...Or Zuoqiu Zhen?"
Unconsciously, Huan Xi'er released the banner and collapsed to his knees, clutching his head and moaning softly. He felt like he should be called Chi Wangshu, yet also like he should be called Zuoqiu Zhen.
But...
Something still felt wrong.
Suddenly, a figure flashed through his mind—a woman in palace attire, her elegant hair coiled behind her head. She radiated grace and dignity.
A gentle smile curved her lips as she reached out to caress Huan Xi'er's head from afar. Her soft voice soothed the turmoil in his heart.
"You're Huan Xi'er. You're my child..."
"Yes, I'm Huan Xi'er!"
"I'm not Chi Wangshu, and I'm definitely not Zuoqiu Zhen. I'm—"
"Huan Xi'er!"
Huan Xi'er's eyes snapped open, a sharp glint piercing the air as his gaze locked steadily with Lin Fan's.
The light from the great banner gradually receded, and the formation patterns on the ground had already returned to their original state. Only the empty shell of the spirit stone on the wall remained as proof of the events that had just transpired.
"Brother Huan, congratulations," Lin Fan said, a genuine smile spreading across his face, his joy radiating from within.
He could see it clearly: Huan Xi'er was still Huan Xi'er!
"Hahahaha... Lin Fan!" Huan Xi'er roared with laughter, though fragmented memories still flickered through his mind, they no longer held any sway over him.
The dazed, confused state that had plagued him was gone forever. His newfound clarity of thought filled him with wild elation—he was no longer a fool!
Yet now, with his three souls unified, Huan Xi'er had gone from lacking one spiritual soul to possessing an extra one.
"Lin Fan?" A startled voice suddenly called out from below the high platform.
(End of the Chapter)
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