Lotus Rebirth: Deliverance

After thinking it over, Bibi Dong took out a bracelet and slipped it onto Cen Yu's wrist.

"This is a Storage Soul Tool. It has sixteen slots inside and can store living things like medicinal herbs when activated with Soul Power."

"I'll give it to you now as your apprenticeship gift."

Cen Yu glanced at the bracelet on his wrist and couldn't help pouting. "Master, I'm a genius with a full twenty innate levels, you know?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, I'll reach the same heights as you someday. This apprenticeship gift is a little... heh~"

Bibi Dong's mouth twitched. She promptly tapped him on the head.

"Enough. I'll give you a Soul Bone when I get the chance. You can consider it owed for now."

She looked at Cen Yu and pondered for a moment before sending Zhang Shou'an away.

"What was Zhang Shou'an talking about with your Martial Soul? You weren't like this when I first met you."

Could this boy be like her, with Twin Martial Souls?

Cen Yu chuckled. "About that~ Since you're my master now, I'll explain it to you~"

"I'm a second personality split off from Cen Yu due to the influence of his Martial Soul. Our Martial Souls are the same way."

"His Martial Soul is called Miao Shi Heavenly Maiden. It symbolizes auspiciousness and wields sacred power."

"Mine is called World-Ending Heavenly Mother. Just like the name says~"

At this, Bibi Dong, Gui Mei, and Yue Guan were all stunned.

This wasn't Twin Martial Souls. It was two souls in one body???

Bibi Dong frowned. "Then you and him...?"

"Our memories are selectively shared. When I'm awake, he won't know anything I don't want him to know. It's the same for him."

Cen Yu smiled slyly. "Then I'll let Master have a chat with her other disciple~ See you~"

As he spoke, the red in his eyes faded, replaced in an instant by a golden gleam.

In a flash, the hall seemed to transform into a golden sea of clouds, and waves of Buddhist music rang out.

Miao Shi Heavenly Maiden's figure appeared amid the clouds, her compassionate face lowered in a gentle gaze.

At once, Gui Mei and Bibi Dong felt a shiver run through them. They hurriedly waved for Cen Yu to put away his Martial Soul.

It seemed this really was two souls in one body: one person became light, while the other descended into darkness.

Cen Yu nodded, withdrew his Martial Soul, and obediently bowed to Bibi Dong. "Greetings, Master."

Bibi Dong nodded. After thinking it over, she took out a jade pendant and hung it around Cen Yu's neck.

"I can't play favorites. This jade can nourish your body and speed up your cultivation. I'm giving it to you as your apprenticeship gift."

Cen Yu was taken aback. He stared blankly at the jade pendant around his neck.

Even though he was my other personality, he could still feel a little disappointed... Did she really take such subtle feelings into account?

After a moment of silence, he lowered his head. "Thank you, Master. I like it very much."

"Mm." Bibi Dong nodded, then said to Gui Mei and Yue Guan, "Make preparations. We're going to see Cen Yu's hometown."

That afternoon.

Bibi Dong and the Spirit Hall entourage behind her stared at the scene before them, stunned.

The whole village was filled with crumbling walls and dried bloodstains... corpses lay everywhere, and some had already begun to rot.

Bibi Dong hadn't yet reached that point in her life, so even she couldn't help growing furious at the sight.

Cen Yu ran to the entrance of his home and immediately saw two people hanging from the rafters.

Fighting back his grief, he took them down, then fell to his knees and broke into heart-wrenching sobs. "Ugh... Mom... Dad..."

Those beasts! Why? What gave them the right? All because of a Soul Bone? Was it really just because of a Soul Bone?!

Before long, Bibi Dong arrived and couldn't help turning her face away at the sight.

She sighed and said to Yue Guan, "Go buy the finest coffins you can find and give everyone here a proper burial."

"As you command, Your Holiness the Pope." Yue Guan nodded, then turned and left to carry out the order.

Once he was gone, Gui Mei directed the people they had brought to gather the villagers' remains. They would bury them as soon as the coffins arrived.

Bibi Dong walked over to Cen Yu and crouched beside him, patting his shoulder. "Cen Yu, the dead are gone. You have to pull yourself together."

But the boy didn't respond. He continued clutching the two bodies and weeping.

Only after a long while did he manage to lay them gently on the ground.

"Master... I understand. I just can't bear to let them go..."

Then he turned to look at the village in ruins and the villagers who had died such horrible deaths.

It was all his fault... If they hadn't tried to get this Soul Bone for him, they wouldn't have suffered such a devastating disaster...

In an instant, golden mist rose, and Miao Shi Heavenly Maiden descended, wreathed in sacred light.

Cen Yu spoke softly. "I'm sorry... everyone. I'll find those beasts and avenge you with my own hands."

"Thank you all... Don't worry. From now on, I'll take good care of myself. You don't have to worry about me anymore."

"Let me send you on to rebirth. It won't do you any good to remain here."

"..."

"Mm... I'll remember... All right."

"Mom... Dad... everyone... goodbye..."

As he spoke, he closed his eyes in pain and raised a hand to the sky. "Compassionate Bodhi State innate skill—Lotus Rebirth: Deliverance!"

In an instant, sacred power surged. Miao Shi Heavenly Maiden rose into the sky, and a massive Buddhist Script Dharma Disk took shape behind her.

Under everyone's horrified gaze, streams of Buddhist script burst from the disk and spread across the entire village.

In just a moment, the chill that had filled the village vanished.

Fortunately, Bibi Dong and Gui Mei had kept clear at Cen Yu's deliberate urging, so they weren't burned by this power.

Even so, the sight of him left them utterly shocked.

After all, who could have imagined that someone could speak with the dead?

And judging by the situation, Cen Yu was performing a rite to deliver these unjustly slain souls.

By the time Yue Guan returned with several carts of coffins, Cen Yu had finally finished the rite. The golden light faded, and he collapsed backward, utterly drained.

Seeing this, Bibi Dong hurriedly caught him and asked helplessly, "Did you really have to push yourself this hard?"

Cen Yu recovered a little and gave a light nod. "They're my family... For my family, anything is worth it."

As he spoke, he struggled over to sit down. "Thank you, Master. Don't worry, I'm fine."

"I'm just a little drained. I'll be fine after resting for a while."

Yue Guan came over and said, "Your Holiness the Pope, everything's been taken care of."

He pointed to the convoy behind him.

"The coffin makers are working on the rest. They'll be delivered soon."

Bibi Dong nodded and immediately spotted the finest two coffins on the carts.

Were those for Cen Yu's parents? Yue Guan really had put thought into this.

Sure enough, the next moment Yue Guan said quietly, "Your Holiness the Pope, those two coffins are the finest I could buy. They're for Cen Yu's parents."