Supplementary Afterword 2

The former site of Spirit Hall had once been the heart of power in the Soul Master world. Now, it resembled a wasteland scorched clean by heavenly fire. Charred stone pillars jutted from the cracked earth like broken bones. The dome of the ruined Pope's Palace had collapsed, exposing a bleak gray sky. Wind passed through the broken walls with a mournful echo, as though grieving for those forgotten souls.

Amid the snow and wind, a gaunt figure walked forward slowly. He wore a faded gray robe, frost and snow covering his shoulders. In his hand, he held a wooden staff carved with Runes—the Dao Cultivation Staff Yang Jun had left behind. Ice crystals and lightning patterns wound around its shaft, as though it contained the thousand-year wisdom of Solitary Cultivation Hall. It was Yu Xiaogang.

He had not come in search of treasure, nor for revenge. He had come under the guidance of the Dao Seed Stele. Ever since Thunder Valley in the far north and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had reached Thunder Dao Returns to Heart, he had sensed an unusual disturbance. Deep beneath Spirit Hall lay Soul Bone Remnants whispering, like countless wronged souls calling from the darkness.

"This shouldn't be the aura of an evil god..." Yu Xiaogang crouched down and touched the scorched earth with his fingertips. Icy Runes quietly spread and seeped into the earth vein. "These are... the obsessions of countless Soul Masters—the souls that were sacrificed, enslaved, and stripped of their names."

He closed his eyes and focused. The phantom image of the Dao Seed Stele appeared within his mind, revealing a shocking sight: countless shattered Soul Bones lay sleeping deep within the earth veins, corroded by darkness yet still flickering with faint light. Every Soul Bone bore a name, a memory, an unfinished vow.

Following the Dao Seed's guidance, Yu Xiaogang entered the deepest part of Spirit Hall's underground palace. This had once been the Sacrifice Secret Chamber, Spirit Hall's most secret and darkest place. Now, it had collapsed into a bottomless abyss.

Beneath the abyss lay a Soul Bone Sea. Countless Soul Bone Shards floated through the dim space like stardust, giving off a faint blue glow. Some were leg bones, some skulls, some spines. Every one bore the mark of sacrifice. Some were carved with "Obey," some branded with "Enslavement," and some even retained the dying screams of those who had been sacrificed.

"They were not weapons. They were not tools..." Yu Xiaogang said softly, his voice echoing through the abyss. "They were Soul Masters. They were people. They were warriors who once fought for their ideals."

He planted the Dao Cultivation Staff into the ground and chanted softly, "Dao Seed Returns to Origin, Soul Bones Rest in Peace."

In an instant, icy Runes spread like roots and wrapped around every Soul Bone. The darkness was driven away, and the Soul Bone Shards slowly gathered together, forming one phantom after another. They were Soul Masters who had died in battle long ago: elders, youths, women, warriors... They had once fought for Spirit Hall, and they had also died for freedom.

"Can we... still return?" one phantom asked softly, its voice like a dying candle in the wind.

"You can." Yu Xiaogang's voice was firm. "As long as you refuse to be slaves, the Dao Seed will open a path for you."

The phantoms slowly knelt and bowed to him. Then they turned into motes of light and merged into the earth veins.

Just then, a black shadow rose from the deepest part of the abyss.

She wore a tattered Pope's Robe. Her silver hair was disheveled, and bloody light flickered in her eyes. It was Qian Xunji, the former Pope of Spirit Hall and Bibi Dong's mentor. Now, only a wisp of her remnant soul remained, sealed beneath the Soul Bone Altar and condemned to endure the pain of sacrifice for eternity.

"Yu Xiaogang..." Her voice was hoarse, like rusty iron scraping together. "Have you come to kill me?"

"No." Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "I came to ask you this: did you ever truly understand the words 'Soul Master'?"

Qian Xunji sneered. "Soul Masters? The strong are honored, the weak are sacrificed. That is the rule. I once wanted to change it, but I took the wrong path."

"You were wrong." Yu Xiaogang raised his hand, and the light of the Dao Seed Stele illuminated her soul. "A Soul Master is someone who possesses the power of the soul. Not a god, not a demon, but a human."

"Spirit Hall's mistake was not in seeking power. It was in treating people as tools and souls as fuel."

Qian Xunji fell silent for a long time. Then she suddenly dropped to her knees. Her pope's crown fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. "I... was once someone who wanted to change the rules. I wanted to create a world where Soul Masters would no longer be oppressed by the secular world, but I chose the cruelest method."

She looked up. The bloody light in her eyes gradually faded, revealing a trace of long-lost clarity. "If I could do it again, I would use my life to protect the Dao, rather than use the Dao to rule others."

Yu Xiaogang extended his hand. "You do not need to start over. Today, you can atone."

Using the Dao Seed as a guide, Yu Xiaogang fused Qian Xunji's remnant soul with the countless Soul Bones and poured them into the core of the earth veins.

In an instant, dazzling light erupted from deep underground. The shattered Soul Bones reassembled, transforming into a massive Soul Bone Tree. Its roots plunged deep into the earth veins, while its branches reached straight toward the heavens. Every leaf was an awakened Soul Bone; every branch carried a remembered will.

The Soul Bone Tree slowly sank into the earth, becoming the Soul Dao Earth Vein. Connected to the Dao Seed Great Wall, it became a new force protecting the Dao across the continent.

Qian Xunji's remnant soul became the final leaf and merged into the heart of the tree. Softly, she said, "May future Soul Masters never again become slaves."

A year later, an open academy without walls was built upon the former site of Spirit Hall—the Dao Soul Academy.

There was no Pope here, no hierarchy, no sacrifice. There were only lecture halls, training grounds, and a Soul Bone Altar. Soul Masters from across the continent cultivated here, regardless of background or strength. Members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan studied Thunder Dao Protection here. Farmers from Star Dou Village taught the Dao Seed Mind Method. Even former enemy factions sent disciples to exchange knowledge.

Yu Leichen personally led the Blue Lightning clan here, standing shoulder to shoulder with Yu Xiaogang. "Lightning protection and Dao cultivation flow together today."

Xiao Wu and Tang Hao also came to witness the occasion. Xiao Wu gazed at the Soul Bone Altar and said softly, "Brother, do you see? Their souls have finally found peace."

The first dean of the Dao Soul Academy was a remnant-soul Soul Master who had once been enslaved by Spirit Hall. His name was Elder Soul. Once, he had been one of Spirit Hall's lowest-ranking "soul laborers." Now, he had become the spiritual mentor of countless Soul Masters.

At the center of the academy stood a stele, inscribed with:

Every Qingming Festival, countless Soul Masters gathered before the stele, lighting soul flames to honor the dead and illuminate the road ahead.

Late at night, Yu Xiaogang stood before the Soul Bone Altar.

Countless whispers drifted through the wind:

He looked up at the starry sky and said softly, "Yang Jun, you once said, 'The Dao descends upon all under heaven.' Now, the soul fire has been rekindled."

"The sparks of mankind will one day set the plains ablaze."

In the distance, a young boy picked up a glowing Soul Bone Shard and carefully placed it against his chest. A name was carved upon it—"Xiao Chuan." He had once been Spirit Hall's youngest soul laborer, only sixteen when he died.

The boy did not know who the shard had once belonged to, but he knew—

This light could illuminate the road ahead of him.

He looked up toward the lights of the Dao Soul Academy and said softly, "One day, I want to become someone like that too."

Amid the snow and wind, the light of the Dao Seed Stele quietly spread, like roots, like bloodlines, like sparks, silently connecting the entire continent.

Soul Bone Return to Origin, the sparks rekindled.

Spirit Hall was dead. The Dao Soul Academy was reborn.

The Dao descended upon all under heaven, and at last, light could be seen.