Soul Aberrants, Invitation of the Hall of Spirits, A Way to Solve the Problem

As Ronan's shout ended, a rustling sound came from the hazy Moon Tree, and several figures appeared in front of him.

These people were covered with glowing patterns drawn with Moon Tree, blending into the environment so well that they were almost indistinguishable to the naked eye.

"Woo-da-mi-woo."

The leader stepped forward warily, speaking in a native dialect similar to Ronan's earlier.

"Woo-da".

Ronan gave a brief response, and when the latter spoke again, he remained silent.

Because Evaqu only taught him those two sentences in total.

Several natives, drawn out by Ronan's call, huddled together and whispered to each other before quickly turning away, leaving only one person watching him and Moriel.

Ronan's mental energy followed the departing natives deeper into the Moon Forest and soon discovered a primitive-style tribe. The tribe consisted of ordinary mortals, but the entire tribe was surrounded by a layer of Rune Array, most likely created by Evaqu.

Out of politeness, Ronan did not rush forward, but waited quietly in place.

The native who remained was a robust young man with slightly dark skin. Perhaps attracted by Moriel's appearance, he kept secretly observing Moriel.

Even after seeing that Moriel's feet were injured, he carefully took a small animal skin pouch from his waist and handed it to her.

Ronan glanced inside and found that it contained some kind of medicine powder for treating external injuries. He did not stop it and simply nodded to the native youth to express his gratitude. On the contrary, Moriel disdained these medicines and did not even glance at them, which made the native youth look both ashamed and inferior.

Before long, the departing natives returned, escorting a young girl dressed in a white wolf fur skirt.

The latter had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were extremely bright, and a glint of intelligence flashed between his brows. He exuded the spiritual power fluctuations of First Level Wizard.

The girl in the white wolf-skin skirt approached the two men, performed a strange greeting, and then spoke in the clear, standard language of the Southern Wizards.

"The Holy One has been waiting for you two for quite some time."

It's obvious who the saint the girl was talking about is.

Ronan took Moriel with him and followed the girl and her group forward. Before long, he met Evaqu himself in the indigenous tribe deep in the Moon Forest.

Compared to his appearance during the Helamus Talent Competition, Evaqu was now dressed in a more wild and untamed style.

He was simply wrapped in a black wolf skin, and his strong physique was covered with snow-white totem patterns.

"You didn't tell me you brought other people with you."

The first thing Evaqu and Ronan said to each other was to question Moriel's existence.

When he finally saw Moriel's face clearly, he was utterly shocked.

"It was her?!"

"Something unexpected happened."

Ronan gave Evaqu a look, and the latter immediately arranged for someone to take Moriel away. In his animal-skin tent, where he was the saint of the tribe, only the two of them remained.

Ronan briefly recounted his encounter with Moriel along the way and the strange changes that had occurred to the two of them to Evaqu.

"I can't believe such a thing exists."

Evaqu was amazed after hearing Ronan's story.

I have heard the legend of the Undying Bird.

Legend has it that these ancient creatures heal themselves by devouring the souls of others when injured. However, if this process goes awry, it can backfire, burning both the creature's own body and the soul of the other to ashes. Yet, a new individual is born from the ashes. Rather than immortality, it's more accurate to describe it as a unique way for the species to perpetuate its bloodline. Your current situation resembles a bidirectional soul distortion resulting from a failed 'rebirth'.

Is there a way to solve this?

Ronan asked in a deep voice.

Evaqu shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't do that right now."

Ronan frowned deeply. If even Evaqu couldn't help, he really couldn't think of anyone else to ask for help.

It's impossible for me to maintain this inexplicable relationship with Moriel forever.

Moreover, even if he could accept it, Moriel might not agree.

At present, the two seem to be getting along peacefully, but that's because Moriel is powerless to resist, and their relationship is dominated by him.

Once the powerful members of Moriel's family arrive and break the contract between the two, Ronan will undoubtedly die.

I know what you're worried about.

Evaqu seemed to read his thoughts and calmly said, "You can rest assured about one thing: even if this situation between you is resolved, Moriel herself will never harm your intentions."

"Why?"

Ronan squinted and asked.

"Because your souls have been intertwined for some time now, even if you are separated now, there will still be a part of each other in your souls. This remnant will make you recognize each other as the closest beings in the world for a long time. This intimacy comes from the soul and even surpasses the connection of blood. Ask yourself, Damien, if you put aside this symbiotic relationship, can you really hurt her without hesitation?"

Evaqu looked into Ronan's eyes, and Ronan was taken aback.

As Evaqu said, although he thought about "killing Moriel to silence her as soon as the relationship ends" ten times a day, he really couldn't accurately grasp his true inner answer when it came to actually doing it.

Ronan had always thought this was due to the existence of a "symbiotic" contract, but he never expected the reason to be more complex, namely the influence of the soul's instinct on self-awareness.

"I don't think you need to rush to break off this relationship. If this fusion continues for more than a year, it will affect your body and bloodline. The Undying Bird bloodline of the Phoenix is not something everyone has the chance to obtain."

Evaqu spoke calmly, then took out a white finger bone that looked like both crystal and jade and handed it to Ronan.

"Keep this safe. In a critical moment, it can shield you from all soul fluctuations and evade all detection methods under the Level Seven Twilight. You might find it useful when Moriel's people come looking for you."

Ronan's eyes flickered slightly. Evaqu's gift had put away the last worry in his heart. He carefully put it away and sincerely thanked Evaqu.

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic."

With the matter of Moriel settled, Evaqu finally steered the conversation to his real purpose in seeking out Ronan.

Ronan straightened up slightly. Whether it was the reminder during the battle or the white finger bone just now, Evaqu had shown him considerable goodwill.

The more this is the case, the more important it is that he is seeking Ronan's help, and the risks may be greater than Ronan anticipated.

"I want you to come with me to the Hall of Spirits!"

Evaqu's opening remarks surprised Ronan.

"The Hall of Spirits of the Ancient Spiritual Shamanic Path? Wasn't it said to have been sealed away and banished to endless time and space long ago?"

"I've found it, and I also have a way to break the seal..."

Evaqu remained calm, yet uttered a startling statement. "I even went in once, but for some reason, I ultimately failed."

Ronan's face showed deep shock. If this news were to spread, it would probably cause a great uproar in the Southern Wizard World.

The rumors circulating about Evaqu are that he was just a "lucky one" who accidentally obtained a shallow part of the ancient spirit witch's inheritance. He did not obtain the most core spirit inheritance of the ancient spirit witch school. Therefore, even though many people are curious about Evaqu's mysterious background and origin, they have not investigated it further.

Who would have thought that Evaqu had already entered the Hall of Spirits once, and that he could be considered a true spirit sorcerer.

Evaqu continued, "I come from the Uta tribe, which is the tribe you see here now."

Our Uta lineage has always preserved the complete ancient spirit witch tradition, but the requirements to become a spirit witch are very strict. In this generation, only I am qualified to become a spirit witch.

Five years ago, I had already cultivated to the point where I was qualified to be recognized by all the spirits. Accompanied by several elders, I stepped into the Hall of Spirits to undergo their test, but unfortunately I failed, and all the elders died.

I'm not satisfied and want to try again.

However, to initiate the inheritance trial, at least one person with a special soul is required to assist.

I left my tribe to participate in this Talent Competition for prodigies in order to find a soul with special abilities who could help me."

Upon hearing Evaqu's explanation, Ronan couldn't help but ask, "What does 'soul special being' mean?"

"It's hard to explain."

Evaqu thought for a moment and then said, "It's a person whose body contains more than one soul; you can consider it a type of soul mutation."

Generally speaking, such distortions are acquired. The lineage of spirit sorcerers has a tradition of passing down a portion of the soul from generation to generation, so this is more common. Outside of spirit sorcerers, this situation is very rare.

Especially someone like you, who clearly contains more than one soul yet still maintains an extremely intact sense of self, is even rarer."

Ronan roughly understood what Evaqu was saying.

He transmigrated to this world, merging with the soul of the original "Ronan" upon arrival. During his subsequent cultivation, he unintentionally merged with a portion of the ancient will of "Hecalto," thus becoming the so-called "soul specialist."

This characteristic is also the key factor hindering his advancement to the Level Four Dawn, and he came to Evaqu this time to find out how to solve this problem.

"In the entire south, I'm the only one you found?"

Ronan asked again.

"No."

Evaqu shook his head. "In fact, there is another person who is more suitable than you in some ways. The other part of his soul is stronger and better integrated than yours."

However, his personality is extremely unstable. I tried to get to know him, but I felt I couldn't establish a relatively stable working relationship with him, so I gave up."

"Who?"

Ronan pressed for an answer.

Evaqu softly uttered a name: "Anglie Leo".

That's the opponent you faced in the second round of the bloody battle.

Anglie?!

Anglie harbors a soul even more powerful than the Ancient Frost Hydra "Hecalto"?! Ronan was shaken and speechless for a moment.

"I left the Fairy Ancient City only after I witnessed your battle."

Evaqu pondered for a moment and said, "From what I know, if he had been willing to reveal all his skills on the field at that time, no one should have been his match."

Ronan remained silent.

He even thought he had defeated Anglie head-on and personally shattered a long-standing nightmare in his heart.

Unexpectedly, Anglie was hiding his true identity better than anyone else.

"Hiss--"

Ronan took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart, and asked Evaqu, "What do I need to do to accompany you into the Hall of Spirits?"

"I'll tell you then, it's not particularly difficult."

Is there any danger?

"Of course there are risks, but with your abilities, it shouldn't be a problem."

Evaqu explained, "The Uta Clan elders who accompanied me into the Hall of Spirits were all only at the level of second-level wizards and were very old. Not long after entering, they were directly summoned by the spirits and remained inside forever. This is the main reason why I failed the trial."

Evaqu's gaze was honest, but his eyes held a hint of resentment.

Ronan felt that what he said didn't seem fake, but of course, he couldn't completely believe Evaqu.

"I need to think about it."

Ronan spoke.

Evaqu nodded. "Of course. You have plenty of time to think it over, and it's okay if you ultimately decline."

In fact, I already have another candidate in mind, but it just takes some time to train them."

Ronan subconsciously thought of the girl in the white wolf-skin skirt who had led him into the tribe on behalf of Evaqu. After asking her, Evaqu nodded in agreement.

"... I will contact you again in as little as six months, or as long as three to five years."

Entering the Hall of Spirits will also benefit you; it should resolve the soul fusion problem you're currently facing."

Ronan's expression shifted; he realized that Evaqu had seen the obstacles he faced in advancing to the Dawn, and took the opportunity to raise his own question.

Evaqu was generous with his guidance.

"The reason why the two souls within you are not completely integrated is because you did not understand the obsessions they held before you merged them."

The concepts of soul fusion and the [Salvation] of the dead are interconnected; by achieving what the souls desired but could not, they will naturally become docile.

As a psychic, Evaqu was a master of spiritual studies. His words, like a scalpel, precisely struck at Ronan's core issues, clearing away the fog in his mind.

"Obsession."

Ronan silently pondered these two words. There has always been a tradition in the Wizard World that after a wizard dies, the "Soul-Calming Song" that relatives and friends often sing is meant to comfort the soul of the deceased.

He didn't know what Hecalto's obsession was, nor did he want to know. He didn't even intend to merge with Hecalto's lingering will; if given the chance, he would definitely remove it from his own body.

However, Ronan Ronan, the former incarnation, thought of the letters from his hometown piled up in his Space Ring and realized it was time to go back.

Where is the entrance to the Hall of Spirits?

"Central Continent".

After the last question was asked, the conversation between the two ended.

He followed Evaqu out of the animal-skin tent and found that the Uta Clan people had already lit a welcoming bonfire in the center of the tribe.

As a distinguished guest of Evaqu, the highest saint of the Uta Clan, Ronan was deeply respected by all the Uta Clan.

The Uta Clan held a grand banquet arranged by the girl in the white wolf-skin skirt, and Ronan gladly took his seat.

The main course at the dinner was a thick soup made from various crushed berries and meat, simmered with many spices, which was quite delicious, and served with a homemade fruit wine called Uta Wine.

Under the moonlight, by the bright campfire, Ronan enjoyed a tranquility he hadn't experienced in a long time.

He saw Moriel sitting alone in the corner. She wasn't eating anything; instead, she was staring blankly at the flames, lost in thought.