Zhusheng returned to Yunxi's hand and reverted to his original form, his voice listless as he transmitted:
"Master, I protected the souls of those two human cultivators and brought them out. I also brought out the soul of the other female cultivator traveling with you, but she currently has no body to depend on."
Yunxi took a deep breath and said:
"It's fine. I'll think of a way."
It seemed True Lord Yusu had been rather unlucky. Not long after entering, she had fallen into the trap and voluntarily surrendered her body. If that body had not been destroyed, it should now have been occupied by an evil cultivator. Just thinking about it gave Yunxi a headache. Fortunately, Zhusheng had brought her soul back, leaving her room to maneuver.
Yunxi asked again:
"Your grandfather?"
This time, Zhusheng remained silent for a long while before replying:
"Master, Grandfather really is gone. That bad thing replaced Grandfather and used Grandfather's original body to trap many souls—not only human cultivators', but also those of all the living beings in the bamboo forest."
There was no need for him to say the rest. Yunxi understood. Only now did she realize why she had felt uncomfortable the moment she entered the bamboo forest. Aside from the rustling of bamboo leaves rubbing together, there were no insect chirps or bird calls whatsoever. That in itself was abnormal.
Although Soul Devouring Bamboo fed on souls, even rabbits did not eat the grass around their own burrows. Even if it was trying to lure in more prey, it would not turn the entire bamboo forest into a place devoid of living beings.
Besides, even rotten bamboo could produce fine shoots. Zhusheng was not Soul Devouring Bamboo; he was Tear-Stain Bamboo, an extremely rare high-grade spirit bamboo. If he