Water Soul

Before anyone knew it, the morning sun pierced through the dark clouds in the sky, creating a huge hole that allowed light to stream in.

Sunlight filters through the gaps between the lotus flowers, casting golden dappled patterns on the clear lake surface.

A gentle breeze blows, and the light and shadow dance and shimmer, dazzling and vibrant.

Su Cheng stood in the Lotus Pond, looking at the figure prostrate on the ground and weeping in front of him, and felt a sense of emotion.

The beautiful, picturesque lotus lake where they were standing was the reflection of Bibi Dong's soul.

Of course, the filthy swamp just now was also a projection of her mind.

Before this, when leaving Hell Road, the killing intent derived from the Asura Divine Power was shielded by the Innate Power emanating from Su Cheng and returned to silence, no longer entangled with the group.

But the Rakshasa Evil Intent are not so easy to get rid of.

As the inheritor of the Rakshasa God, Bibi Dong bears the mark of the Rakshasa God's divine power. The Rakshasa Divine Power itself is extremely strange and difficult to deal with, and it is obviously difficult to erase it with ordinary Innate Power alone.

Su Cheng originally planned to use the second stage of his Martial Soul Avatar directly to completely annihilate it with an absolute difference in power level.

Anyway, now that we've left Hell Road, we have nothing to worry about.

But when the massive Rakshasa Evil Intent invaded, Su Cheng clearly sensed something unusual about Bibi Dong's soul.

The familiar fluctuations that he had never been able to truly understand, as well as Bibi Dong's soul, were now revealed with extreme clarity within his perception under the stimulation of that intense evil divine power.

Almost without hesitation, he abandoned his initial idea and directly separated a portion of his Soul Power to follow Bibi Dong into her spiritual world.

Then he saw a sight that silenced him as well.

Decay, desolation, deathly silence...

This is not the spiritual world that a living person should have at all.

That sense of decay was so intense that even someone who had just died and whose soul had not yet completely dissipated might not be able to exaggerate it.

Even the last glimmer of hope in his heart was gradually extinguished by the rampant erosion of the Rakshasa Divine Power during this journey through Hell Road.

After that, Su Cheng discovered the source of the familiar aura.

It was a glimmer of starlight, and within that starlight was an aura similar to his own.

Or to be more precise, it is the aura of "Cheng Xue" from another world, which is also Bibi Dong's spiritual guide.

Only after he truly touched that lotus-seed-like starlight did Su Cheng understand why the "Starlight Water Soul" as a reward appeared in Bibi Dong's soul instead of falling directly into his hands.

Because the starlight generated after the previous Simulation was incomplete.

It can only be called "starlight".

To truly transform into the so-called "Starlight Water Soul," one needs to nurture it with extremely rich emotions in order to form it.

As the most intelligent of all beings, humans naturally possess a far richer emotional life than other creatures.

But people are different from one another.

This so-called "emotion" is not just love; joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are all forms of emotion.

Some people may have extremely rich emotions in one area, but their emotions are very limited in other areas.

For example, Qian Renxue's emotions are actually quite detached.

Whether it's joy or sorrow, it won't be extremely extreme.

Sometimes they will even set aside past hatreds for the sake of interests or other goals, and are rarely swayed by joy or anger.

But it wouldn't be the same if it were Bibi Dong.

Whether it's love or hate, she can push herself to the extreme, often giving up more favorable situations and opportunities for further advancement for the sake of those emotions.

They might even drag the whole world down with them because of their hatred and resentment.

Status, wealth, and even life itself are not as important to her as emotional release.

She may or may not know about her own problems, but when the time comes, she still makes the same choice.

The effect of that starlight on her was not to wash away the filth and purify the past, nor to erase everything from the past.

Instead, they are allowed to settle and be embraced.

It is encompassed in the imagery of this "Lotus Pond".

The lotus grows in the mud. All the past experiences, both suffering and nourishment, need to be gradually resolved and then let go.

While past memories are painful, facing them can also be a valuable asset for her future.

All the beautiful memories of the past have withered, decayed, and turned to dust, but with new seeds, even more magnificent lotus flowers can be nurtured.

Perhaps Bibi Dong can also possess a more resilient will and a more tolerant mind.

In terms of cultivation and conduct, things will be very different from the past.

From then on, she will be reborn.

However, it is clear that she cannot do this on her own.

Because she can't let go of the past, she doesn't even dare to face it.

The role of Starshine is to act as a catalyst, helping her take this step.

Today, after Su Cheng appeared and personally handed her the lotus seed formed from starlight.

Bibi Dong finally achieved initial liberation and completed her first self-examination and transformation.

For Su Cheng, Bibi Dong's current soul world is also of great help.

The sword intent he has now comprehended is truly terrifying and profound.

Even though his heart was firm, and he was always mindful of these feelings, they still weighed heavily on him and could easily wear down his emotions without him even realizing it.

This is clearly not the situation he wanted to see.

He hoped that he would always be a "human being" with flesh and blood, rather than a "god" who disregarded everything.

Fortunately, Su Cheng's initial understanding of swordsmanship when Self-Created Soul Skill came from emotional guidance, so the problems in it were not obvious.

However, as his cultivation deepens, the true meanings of annihilation and eternity will also erode his own aspect as a "human being".

Bibi Dong, however, was different.

She is different from many people in this world.

The sheer volume of her emotions and the depth of her obsession far exceeded my imagination.

This endless Lotus Pond is a testament to this.

The silt at the bottom of the pool also reflects the extreme nature of her other emotions.

The delicate fragrance of lotus blossoms flows into the lungs through the nose and mouth, while the surrounding mist gently moistens the skin.

Su Cheng clearly felt that the portion of his Soul Power that had entered the other person's body was being greatly nourished.

The harmony of Yin and Yang has always been an eternal truth.

It is easy to break if it is too tight.

The Water Soul that formed deep within Bibi Dong's soul had an extraordinary effect on enhancing her abilities.

Of the different energies that make up Innate Power, which one is the most difficult to improve?

It is undoubtedly the Soul Power.

Soul Power goes without saying; as long as you absorb free Soul Power from the outside world and continuously add Soul Ring, you can accumulate it continuously.

It wasn't difficult for him to Bloodline Power. He condensed his foundation with the Five Elements and also incorporated the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone of the Blue Silver Emperor, giving him extraordinary physical qualities.

The only way to improve Soul Power is through persistent, gradual effort; in the past, there were absolutely no other shortcuts.

Comprehending sword intent cannot help him improve his Soul Power.

On the contrary, he needs a sufficiently strong spiritual foundation to support his swordsmanship will.

Otherwise, the experience of almost having your sea of consciousness torn apart by the powerful sword intent that was brought out after the first Simulation should serve as a lesson.

But how can we use this "Water Soul" deep within Bibi Dong's soul to cultivate again in the future?

Su Cheng was in a dilemma for a moment.

As time passed, Bibi Dong's crying gradually subsided.

The scene fell silent.

After a while, Bibi Dong stood up, her skin as white as snow and her features as beautiful as a painting, no longer looking as disheveled as before.

"Huh? Who are you? What are you doing here?"

She looked at Su Cheng in front of her with a look of surprise.

"..." A moment of astonishment flashed in Su Cheng's eyes, "I..."

He then noticed the faint smile in the other person's eyes and immediately understood.

He shook his head, both amused and exasperated, and said, "It seems you're alright now. So get ready and hurry up and come out."

After saying that, he vanished in a flash.

Bibi Dong stared blankly at the spot where he had disappeared.

Before I could say what I really wanted to say, the other person had already left.

She sighed softly, a blush rising on her face.

I said that mainly to ease the awkwardness.

She was not unaware of the scenes that unfolded after entering the Hell Road.

Although her body was out of control and her mind was confused and disoriented, she had not completely lost consciousness and still had a general impression of what had happened.

He had promised to protect them in the Slaughter City, but he was the first to give up and had to rely on Zhu Zhuqing for protection. He couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Of course, what she felt most ashamed of was her uncontrollable outburst of tears.

After Su Cheng opened his eyes, a murderous aura emanated from beside him.

It is Zhu Zhuqing.

She had already regained consciousness by then, and apart from a faint red glow in her eyes, she was otherwise unharmed, clearly in good control.

The murderous aura floating around her was extremely pure, and she would easily dispel it in no time.

Although it seemed like he had been in Bibi Dong's soul world for quite some time, in reality, it had only been a short while in the outside world.

The perception of time scale in the sea of consciousness is completely different from that in reality.

Noticing Su Cheng's gaze, Zhu Zhuqing nodded, but she was somewhat puzzled.

No matter how you look at it, there's no reason why the other person should have woken up later than you.

There shouldn't even be a situation where someone loses consciousness.

After all, the mysterious energy that Su Cheng had used to envelop them earlier could completely isolate even the intense Killing Intent at the end of Hell Road.

Even she herself was momentarily stunned by the impact during the teleportation because of her overwhelming killing intent.

How could Su Cheng have woken up later than her?

Just as he was about to ask, Bibi Dong on the other side opened her eyes.

Zhu Zhuqing glanced to the side and was surprised to find that the other person seemed to have changed drastically.

Although he still looked a little disheveled, with his long hair loose and his clothes messy, his God of Light had completely lost their former sinister and ruthless nature, and instead showed more calmness and composure.

Compared to the somewhat artificial sense of authority in the past, it now seems like a true transcendence.

Su Cheng also looked over, his eyes flickering slightly, "Your His Holiness the Pope, you look very different."

"No one stays the same forever," Bibi Dong said calmly. "However, I am still the same person I was before."

The two were already aware of each other's situation and circumstances.

But for one reason or another, they maintained a tacit silence and did not break the unspoken agreement.

"Perhaps this is for the best." Su Cheng remained silent for a moment, saying nothing more.

"It won't always be like this," Bibi Dong thought to herself.

Unlike when they arrived, Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan were left in the Slaughter City for training.

Upon returning, Zhu Zhuqing appears.

Amidst a complex mix of emotions—some silent, some expectant, some puzzled—the three hurried toward Spirit City.

However, although their feelings were different, none of them revealed anything on the surface.

However, Bibi Dong has changed quite a bit compared to before.

Even while walking down the street, under Su Cheng's surprised gaze, she took the initiative to get close to Zhu Zhuqing, her newly accepted personal disciple, and explained various details of cultivation to her.

She was also taught and introduced to the current division of authority within the Spirit Hall, as well as various details of life in Spirit City.

Although Zhu Zhuqing had doubts, with her intelligence and keen insight, she obviously wouldn't give up this opportunity to get closer to the relationship, and she certainly wouldn't mention what happened on the Hell Road.

They didn't say a word they shouldn't have, and behaved very obediently.

Besides the exchanges between the teacher and student, Su Cheng was also busy, taking the time to guide Zhu Zhuqing on her thoughts regarding changes in the domain, as well as the direction she should focus on cultivating next.

He also taught her the cultivation method of the Innate Skill Second Scroll.

There's no need to teach the first volume anymore.

The cultivation method Zhu Zhuqing is currently practicing is the Nirvana Sutra, which is specifically for cultivating the Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul. Its effects are obviously far stronger than the Innate Skill First Scroll of the Innate Skill.

All three of them possess considerable strength.

Even Zhu Zhuqing, who was the weakest among them, had reached the peak of the Soul King level after her experience in the Slaughter City. She could advance to the Soul Emperor level at any time, so her speed of travel was naturally very fast.

In less than a week, Su Cheng and his group returned to the Spirit Mountain Range and arrived near Spirit City.

As soon as Zhu Zhuqing stepped outside the city gate, she immediately felt a gaze fall upon her.

She silently looked up at the tall figure standing proudly on the city wall.

Zhu Zhuqing had never seen Qian Renxue in this state before.

He was no longer dressed in black, and he no longer had that gloomy and fierce aura.

Although they looked exactly alike, she was certain that this was not the woman she remembered.

She was dressed in white, her long golden hair shimmering in the sunlight, making it difficult to discern the expression in her eyes.

A strong wind blew across the high wall, ruffling her clothes and long hair.

Even though Zhu Zhuqing had no affection for her, he couldn't help but be moved by her beauty at this moment.

The next moment, his figure flashed and appeared in front of them.

Those golden eyes were fixed on her.

His gaze was disdainful and aloof, like Lion scrutinizing its subjects, appearing exceptionally majestic and indifferent.

"I wonder who has such great influence that the Pope and elders of my Spirit Hall would personally go to invite them."

Qian Renxue's voice was clear and melodious, revealing no emotion.

"So it was you, my defeated foe."

That's the first update for today. I'm organizing the outline and getting ready to start the next part of the story.