Yuan Lian’s half face was submerged in the stream, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Everything here, whether it was the wind or the water, seemed to instinctively recognize who the undisputed master of this place was. Even when touching her body, they chose the most comfortable way for her. The wind was a gentle breeze, and the water was a warm spring stream.
Yuan Lian didn’t bother with the uninvited guests standing not far from her. She simply propped herself up and sat sideways on the bank, taking a deep breath of spiritual energy. The pure spiritual energy entered through her nostrils, transforming into true essence that circulated throughout her body. Many strands of it eagerly approached every inch of her skin, entering her meridians through her pores and converging in her dantian, making her feel somewhat refreshed.
“You… you are…”
A voice filled with uncertainty and surprise suddenly rang out. Yuan Lian slightly turned her face. Her skin was as white as ivory, and her exquisite yet indifferent features were partially revealed, causing the young people to be even more shocked.
“Senior Sister?!”
The first to react was Kuang Yuming, who couldn’t help but call out, “Senior Sister Yun Lian, is that you?” The others, in their panic, also turned to look at Feng Yunqing, only to see him standing like a statue, unmoving, his expression unreadable, making it impossible to discern his emotions.
Yuan Lian sat sideways by the stream, her legs slightly curled, her skirt casually spread in the water. She ignored the others, instead raising her arm in a daze to examine her somewhat blurry and transparent hand, her expression turning strange. Then, with stiff and awkward movements, she stood up.
Seeing her lack of response, Kuang Yuming anxiously wanted to step forward and pull her, but Shen Ying firmly held him back. Her face was grim as she said, “Look at her, is she really Yun Lian? She has long since vanished without a trace. Who knows where this spirit creature came from? It might have been born from a heart demon, not necessarily a good thing.”
Though her words were somewhat self-serving, they weren’t entirely without reason. The girl before them appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen, but everyone knew that in the cultivation world, age couldn’t be judged by appearance alone. Although at first glance she bore some resemblance to their former fellow disciple, upon closer inspection, the differences became apparent, and the more they looked, the less she resembled Yun Lian.
Yun Lian was a mortal of humble origins, warm and lively, making people feel close to her. The person before them, though disheveled in appearance, exuded an aura that kept others at a distance, cold and unknowingly arrogant. Yun Lian was also beautiful, with a beauty full of vitality and life as a “human.” This person, at first glance, had similar features to Yun Lian, but her skin was even whiter, her face more exquisite, her hair as black as crow feathers, her eyebrows like ink, and her eyes a pale gray. Her delicate nose and slightly pursed pale pink lips added to her cold demeanor.
Her extremely white skin, extremely black hair, extremely pale eyes, and extremely pink lips, combined with her finely chiseled features and indifferent expression, created a beauty that was “non-human.” Unlike Yun Lian, who made people feel close, this beauty, though stunning, instilled a sense of fear deep within.
“Who are you?” Shen Ying couldn’t guess the origin of the person before her, but instinctively didn’t want her to wear such a face. Her heart increasingly wanted to confirm her as a spirit creature or demon, so she stepped forward to question her without thinking.
Lin Jin reached out to stop her—having just arrived in the immortal realm, they were unfamiliar with the place. Although they didn’t fully understand the significance of Buzhou Mountain, the dense spiritual pressure here was enough to make anyone cautious. Encountering anything in such a place would naturally raise their guard, forcing him to be cautious.
Shen Ying, however, said, “Senior Brother, this girl’s origins are unknown, and she ‘coincidentally’ resembles Senior Sister Yun Lian. She might be… a manifestation of a heart demon. If we let her go, it could lead to future troubles.”
Her boldness stemmed not only from being unaccustomed to the divine realm but also largely because of Yuan Lian’s face, which resembled someone they once knew. They had accidentally stumbled into a formation but didn’t know its name. The place was shrouded in mist, and Yuan Lian’s appearance was quite strange, leading her to subconsciously believe they were still in an illusionary formation, and the woman before them was a spirit creature capable of peering into people’s hearts.
In that case, as long as they kept Feng Yunqing from being bewitched by the illusion, there would be no danger.
Lin Jin glanced at Feng Yunqing, seeing him staring intently at Yuan Lian without expressing any opinion, he stepped forward cautiously, “Miss, this is Buzhou Immortal Mountain, and entry is not allowed without invitation. May I ask which sect you belong to and what brings you here?”
Yuan Lian stood before them, looking at these people who seemed so familiar yet unfamiliar, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. She slowly said, “You ask, who… am I?”
Her voice was somewhat hoarse, like someone who hadn’t spoken in a long time, but the few words were very distinctive, sounding both clear and gentle, not quite matching her outward demeanor.
Lin Jin found it even stranger—her voice bore a significant resemblance to Yun Lian’s.
At this moment, Feng Yunqing, who had been silent for a long time, stepped forward, blocking Shen Ying. He didn’t beat around the bush and directly asked, “Yun Lian… who is she to you?”
His tone was calm as usual, and even in such a questioning and impolite manner, he managed to make it seem respectful and not offensive. If it were Yun Lian, she would be very familiar with and appreciative of his every move.
Unfortunately, Yuan Lian felt only a vague sense of familiarity with them and didn’t find Feng Yunqing any different. In fact, she subconsciously wasn’t used to being stared at, so she felt displeased.
She took a few steps back.
Shen Ying saw her as if she was about to leave and didn’t want to stop her, only worried that Feng Yunqing might be bewitched by that face. Just as she was about to say something, she saw a flash of cold light.
—Feng Yunqing had drawn his sword, the sharp tip pointing at the person’s chest.
In the astonished eyes of everyone, he tightened his expression and repeated word by word, “Who exactly are you?”
Not to mention Kuang Yuming’s indignation, even Lin Jin stepped forward disapprovingly, “Junior Brother Feng!”
Feng Yunqing was usually calm and composed, not someone who was warm and outgoing, but he was courteous and principled, not cold and unfeeling. This was the first time he had drawn his sword against a girl he had just met.
Lin Jin realized that although Feng Yunqing had been restraining himself, he was still affected deep down.
Yuan Lian was pressed by the sword tip against her chest. She frowned but didn’t dodge, only feeling that she had encountered something difficult to understand.
The reason her every move seemed sluggish was that the Yuan Lian before them was just a wisp of soul inadvertently scattered. After all, it wasn’t her true self, and many of her abilities couldn’t be used. Her thinking was limited, and her memory was fragmented. But even so, she knew who she was and whose territory she was on.
She used her remaining thinking ability to ponder for a moment, then raised her finger. Her somewhat transparent and illusory fingertip became more solid, glowing with spiritual light as she lightly tapped the sword tip in front of her, easily moving it aside.
“…”
In this Buzhou Mountain, where even spiritual energy couldn’t be mobilized, what gave someone the confidence to so confidently and self-assuredly block her?
Truly a strange occurrence.
With this thought, Yuan Lian felt both puzzled and impatient. She glanced at Feng Yunqing, who was staring intently at her, then lowered her eyes. Once again, she placed her finger on the sword tip, and the surrounding spiritual energy quickly and silently gathered at that point.
The spiritual pressure here was so heavy that Lin Jin and the others found it hard to breathe. Not to mention that drawing in spiritual energy would tear their spiritual foundation, even using their divine sense to perceive it could damage their soul platform. Therefore, none of them sensed the approaching danger…
“Boom—”
But at that moment, a long and resonant bell sound echoed from the top of Buzhou Mountain, instantly resounding through the sky.
This interrupted Yuan Lian’s thoughts, causing her to pause, and it also sent a shock through Lin Jin and the others, who instinctively clutched their chests, feeling the little true essence and spiritual energy in their qi sea and meridians being forcibly suppressed, even more so than the spiritual pressure of Buzhou Mountain, almost causing them to collapse to the ground.
Feng Yunqing, though steady, also gripped his sword tightly, preventing it from slipping from his hand. He watched the girl before him, noticing that she seemed unaffected by the pressure, instead appearing to be listening intently to something.
Yuan Lian listened to the lingering sound of the bell, then raised her head in a daze, her gaze passing over the towering Buzhou Mountain and reaching the cloud-covered area above.
“Boom—”
The second bell sound came, and Yuan Lian no longer had the leisure to care about the others. She lowered her eyes, watching as her hands became even more transparent with the bell’s toll…
Feng Yunqing, pressed by the second bell sound, was half-kneeling on the ground, forced to use his sword sheath for support, yet he still struggled to look up at Yuan Lian, only to see that in just two or three breaths, she had already faded into a faint light and shadow, disappearing into the thick mist.
*
Yuan Lian was startled by the bell from the Supreme Heavenly Palace, quickly adjusting her pupils and retracting the bit of divine soul she had unconsciously projected.
This bell, named “Soul Calming,” was a perfunctory name, but in reality, it was just one of the countless rare treasures and divine artifacts in the Heavenly Palace. However, for people at their level, its sound had the effect of calming the soul and mind. Every time she heard it, it made her feel at ease, allowing her to rest better. Having heard it since childhood, it was a sound she was all too familiar with.
After leaving the Heavenly Palace, she moved her cave dwelling to the mountainside of Buzhou Mountain, where the spiritual energy was most abundant. She didn’t bring the Soul Calming Bell with her, finding it cumbersome. Fortunately, its sound traveled far, and the little immortals in the palace rang it daily, allowing Yuan Lian to listen comfortably.
However, this time the bell rang at an unusual time, likely a reminder from above for her to retract all her split souls, as it wasn’t the time to let scattered divine souls linger too long.
Yuan Lian closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic bell, calming her mind to consolidate her newly complete but still unstable soul.
She didn’t know how long had passed when the bell stopped, and she awoke from her meditation.
Not far away, someone sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations around her and respectfully saluted, saying, “Congratulations, Master, on the return of your primordial spirit.”
Yuan Lian sat cross-legged on the jade bed of the cloud platform within the grand hall, lowering her eyes to look down at the people kneeling below.
Her cultivation had advanced another level, though not reaching the expected effect, it was indeed a step forward.
She was now just a step away from the highest position, her entire being like the purest innate spiritual energy, immaculate and vigorous, embodying a power beyond the imagination of those below.
For instance, with just a casual glance, she could see through the details of everyone below. If she spent more time calculating, she could foresee their entire life experiences without difficulty.
Yuan Lian remained silent, and the person who had spoken earlier, knowing her temperament, continued without embarrassment:
“This disciple has brought a few children from the lower realm to pay respects to Master. Originally, I thought Master had been in seclusion for a long time, and it was just to show their filial piety. But unexpectedly, they had such fortune to coincide with Master’s emergence from seclusion.”