Footsteps echoed in the hollow belly of the mountain. The man in front deftly opened the stone door, and the echo instantly vanished. Monk Zheng Yan braced himself against the doorframe, just as the clouds above shifted. He squinted at the sun, silent for a long time.

"Congratulations on your rebirth!" Yu Ci smiled from behind.

Monk Zheng Yan hummed in acknowledgement, saying, "Thank you, Elder Yu Xian, for personally coming here to release me."

"Nonsense," Yu Ci chuckled, patting Monk Zheng Yan's shoulder. "You, Master Zheng Yan, have been trapped in this evil cave, yet you never surrendered to the Demon Head. You are truly commendable. We moved you into the heart of Cinnabar Cliff mainly for your safety. As soon as we confirmed you were unharmed, we immediately released you. There was never a question of whether or not to let you go."

Yu Ci, still smiling, asked, "With the Pure Water Sect gone, where will you, Master Zheng Yan, go from here?"

"Blood Monk is dead. From now on, the sky's the limit. From the Eastern Sea to the Western Extremity, from the Southern Barbarians to the Northern Wilderness, where can't I go? The 'rebirth' Elder Yu Xian mentioned is indeed a reflection of my heart." Monk Zheng Yan said, turning to bow to Yu Ci, "I will take my leave now. Please stay."

Yu Ci did not try to keep him, returning the bow, "Take care."

Monk Zheng Yan turned around and left, descending from Cinnabar Cliff, but he did not leave the city immediately.

Perhaps he still had some fondness for Cliff City. He walked through the battered city, but unfortunately, no one gave him a warm welcome. As the instigator of the earthquake, Yi Xin, had given the residents of Cliff City a terrible impression of the Pure Water Sect and all monks. Zheng Yan seemed to realize he might be the least popular person in the city. He finally left, alone, from the west gate, entering the boundless wilderness.

During this time, no one interfered with his coming and going. He was truly free.

After leaving the city, seven days had passed in a blink. The monotonous mountain and wilderness scenery had probably worn down his patience. Monk Zheng Yan's speed gradually increased, from a leisurely stroll at first to a meteor-like speed now. Hundreds of miles passed in the blink of an eye. By now, he was thousands of miles away from Cliff City.

The sky was dark, and the stars and moon were dim. In the wilderness, only the Monk was hurrying along. After another seven thousand miles, he would reach Sky Rift Valley. According to the plan, he should arrive by the morning of the day after tomorrow.

The long journey did not tire the Monk. His eyes were bright, and his gaze held a certain dignity. Along the way, he occasionally encountered scattered beasts, but they posed no threat. At this rate, he could continue for another two or three days without any problems.

But at this moment, the Monk suddenly stopped. Night owls cried in the forest, and the mottled tree shadows obscured his face, making his expression inscrutable.

"Is it you?" His abrupt question startled the birds in the nearby trees. The little creatures flapped their wings and flew up in confusion, causing a small disturbance. But there was no human response.

But the Monk seemed to have heard something. He spoke slowly, "So it is you. I thought I had wiped you out when I planted you in the Golden Bone Jade Disc. I didn't expect you could still exist in this way... You've been with me for almost thirty years, and I didn't know you had the condition of Spirit Dissociation. I, as your master, have not done enough!"

His words were clearly articulated, flowing through the desolate mountain and night forest. As he spoke, he paced through the woods, each step measured as if by a ruler, making a large circle in no time. The mountain was silent, and Monk was confident that within a ten-mile radius, there was no one else... except for "this one" in his mind.

Now he could safely ask, "What have you done while my 'seed' was dormant?"

No one answered him, but he already knew the answer:

"Yes, you couldn't do anything... You, this strand of Auxiliary Soul, are a split from the main soul, inherently deficient. After the main soul was destroyed, your Primordial Qi was severely damaged. You have the ability to perceive but lack the power to manifest. You can only wander in the Brain Palace, sometimes unconscious, sometimes awake, with no possibility of actively contacting the outside world. If so, why do you cling to life, what is the purpose of this breath? Are you still thinking about reclaiming your flesh body?

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"You are stubborn, boy! You seem to have intensified on the Auxiliary Soul! If you hadn't exposed yourself, it would have been fine. But since I know about you, what's so difficult about annihilating you?"

Having said this, Monk sneered coldly, no longer saying more, but thinking in his heart: "Refining the Remnant Soul is nothing. But originally, I hurt the Divine Soul here while hunting for its Divine consciousness. The old wound has not healed yet, and if it happens again, it will take some time to recover."

Monk was thoughtful, but he was ultimately decisive. Once he weighed the pros and cons, he made a decision: "The safest course of action is to strangle this Auxiliary Soul. It's better to do it sooner rather than later. I'll do it tonight!"

After pondering for a moment, he looked around and quickly found a suitable hidden spot. He moved over, picking up a tree branch along the way and drawing on the ground.

After a moment, it was clear that the lines on the ground were very complex, and Monk placed some objects at the intersections where the lines were densely woven. Most were jade stones, as well as the skulls of wild beasts he had collected on the spot. The skin and flesh were peeled off, and they were placed on the ground, white and stark. There were also items embedded in the trunks of the surrounding trees, placed in a staggered and orderly manner.

If there were a seasoned observer present, they would see at a glance that Monk was setting up a formation. The range was quite large, covering half a mile in radius. It took him nearly an hour to set up the formation.

Once everything was prepared, Monk sat down in the center of the formation, where the trees were most dense. His thin face was expressionless. He extended his right index finger and lightly touched the ground, closing his eyes in meditation.

The Divine Soul is the most mysterious. The Original Soul, Hidden Consciousness, and Manifest Consciousness form a three-layer structure, each with its own unique function. However, the Original Soul is the root, and the Manifest Consciousness and Hidden Consciousness are the branches and leaves. As long as the technique is right, they can be temporarily erased without dying, and can be slowly repaired, but the information contained within can never be found again. For this reason, all Possession and Soul-Sending Techniques have a basis for implementation.

Monk was using a very profound Soul Possession Technique. After erasing the information in the Manifest Consciousness and Hidden Consciousness of the target, he condensed a "true seed" from his own Divine Soul and planted it into the Original Soul of the target. It slowly grew, seizing the root system, and changing its nature. The difficulty of this technique is very high when it is applied, but once it is successful, it grows naturally, stable and reliable.

Now the most difficult time has passed. The "true seed" in the Original Soul has sprouted, and the foundation is stable. Monk naturally has full confidence. He estimates that with the power of the "true seed", it will take less than half a moment to completely erase the remaining consciousness of the previous owner of this body.

The reason for the meticulous arrangement of the formation was to seize this opportunity to conduct a thorough examination of the body, to identify and rectify any deficiencies, and to strive for perfection.

Monk's thin face was shrouded in a layer of dark energy, his facial muscles twitched slightly, and even the structure of his bones underwent changes. It should be known that the Original Soul and the flesh body's Primordial Qi are intricately intertwined, influencing each other. If one undergoes a qualitative change, the other must respond. This is what is meant by the saying "the external is a reflection of the internal."

At this moment, signs of change appeared on Monk's face, indicating that the quality of his Original Soul had undergone earth-shattering changes compared to before, further proving that he had gained the upper hand: "Rebel, what's the point of your futile resistance... Huh?"

Monk suddenly opened his eyes as the defensive Array Formation he had set up relayed information to him. A thousand feet away, leaves rustled as a figure shot towards him at an astonishing speed.

He barked, "Who is it?"

"Oh, Master Zheng Yan?"

A surprised exclamation came from between the trees, followed by incessant laughter: "What a coincidence, I was heading back to the dock and didn't expect to run into Master Zheng Yan in this wilderness. Anyone would say that we are fated to meet!"

As the words fell, Yu Ci's slender figure appeared among the trees.

Zheng Yan remained seated on the ground, his face downcast, the corner of his lips curled in a slight, mocking smile.

Did he really think others were ignorant of geography? The Mountain Moving Cloud Boat Dock was located to the northwest of Cliff City, while this place was to the southwest. The straight-line distance from the dock to here was almost equal to the distance from there to Cliff City. How poor must Yu Ci's sense of direction be to end up in this wilderness, exclaiming about fate?

So, Monk responded bluntly: "The workings of karma are hard to grasp, but I can somewhat understand Elder Yu Xian's intentions. Even now, does Elder Yu Xian still distrust this poor monk?"

"Where did that come from?"

Yu Ci walked over with a smile, but his next sentence sidestepped the issue: "Is Master Zheng Yan heading to Sky Rift Valley?"

Knowing that there would inevitably be trouble tonight, Yan responded affirmatively and stood up. His thin face wore a detached expression, radiating an aura that kept people at a distance.

Yu Ci, however, didn't seem to mind. He clapped his hands and sighed: "Sky Rift Valley, I've had enough of that place. But to be honest, it was there that I found my great opportunity. If I hadn't spent months training there, how could I have made progress in my cultivation level, touched the gates of the Lichen Sect, and made a friend like Master Zheng Yan? By the way, Master Zheng Yan, have you forgotten something?"

Zheng Yan remained impassive: "Please enlighten me, Elder Yu Xian."

Yu Ci waved his sleeve: "We're friends who have faced life and death together, there's no need for formalities. Actually, if you hadn't mentioned Sky Rift Valley, I would have forgotten. Do you remember what you promised me on the day of the cold wave?"

Monk Zheng Yan was slightly taken aback, at a loss for words.

...