Reincarnation Law Applications, Reincarnation Slave Mark

Shadow Seven knelt on the ground, his Shadow Blade held horizontally before him, every muscle in his body stretched to the limit.

He tried to break free from the Taiji Diagram's restraint, but that invisible force was like a mountain pressing down on him, making even standing incomparably difficult.

Soul Power surged madly through his body, and the strength of a level 76 Soul Saint erupted without reservation. Yet no matter how he struggled, the Taiji Diagram did not budge. Like an eternal deity, it looked down coldly upon his futile efforts.

Large beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, slid down his cheeks, and dripped onto the floor.

He had carried out countless missions, assassinating nobles, wealthy merchants, and even Soul Emperor-level experts, without ever failing.

But today, he had fallen into the hands of a twelve-year-old boy.

Lin Chen walked up to him and looked down at him, his gaze as calm as if he were looking at an object. "Who sent you?"

Shadow Seven gritted his teeth and said nothing.

He turned his head away, avoiding Lin Chen's gaze, wearing an expression that said he would accept whatever came.

He knew the rules of the assassin trade. If he betrayed his employer, Shadow Pavilion would not spare him even if he returned alive.

Either way, he would die. At least he could die with some backbone.

Seeing him like this, Lin Chen neither grew angry nor pressed him further. He merely said lightly, "If you won't talk, forget it."

He raised his right hand, and a gray mark emerged in his palm.

The fifth Nine-Colored Soul Ring slowly lit up, radiating a profound and mysterious glow like a gateway to another world.

Fifth Soul Skill: Reincarnation Law Manipulation.

Shadow Seven's body trembled involuntarily. He did not know why he was shaking, but a primal terror rose from the depths of his soul, as though he had encountered a natural predator.

Lin Chen pressed his palm against Shadow Seven's head.

Shadow Seven's pupils instantly dilated. A massive torrent of information flooded into his mind.

His memories, thoughts, emotions, and entire life were like a book blown open by a gale, all laid bare before Lin Chen.

He wanted to resist, to shut away his consciousness, but before the Reincarnation Law, his resistance was like an ant trying to stop a flood, utterly insignificant.

Shadow Pavilion. The underground street. That old man. Three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. Yu Tianheng.

Everything unfolded clearly before Lin Chen's eyes.

A look of understanding flashed through Lin Chen's eyes.

He did not interrupt the soul search. Instead, he continued deeper, reviewing Shadow Seven's memories from beginning to end.

This Shadow Seven had been taken in by Shadow Pavilion from childhood and trained into an assassin. He had carried out hundreds of missions, large and small, and his hands were stained with blood.

He was not a good man, but neither was he purely evil. He was merely a tool raised by Shadow Pavilion, a tool made to kill.

Lin Chen withdrew his hand. Shadow Seven collapsed onto the floor like a puddle of mud, gasping for breath in great heaving gulps.

His eyes were unfocused, saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth, and he looked as though his soul had been drained away. Only after quite some time did he slowly regain his senses.

He raised his head to look at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with fear.

That fear came from the depths of his soul. It was deeper than his fear of Shadow Pavilion, deeper even than his fear of death.

Because in those few short breaths just now, he had felt that everything about him had been seen through by the boy before him. He had no secrets left. Like an open book, he had been read clean through.

"Y-you... what did you do to me?" Shadow Seven's voice was hoarse and trembling.

Lin Chen did not answer him.

He lowered his head to look at the gray mark in his palm, sensing the strange experience from when he had used the Reincarnation Law.

Soul searching was merely one application of the Reincarnation Law. Just now, he had discovered another possibility.

Since the Reincarnation Law could control the cycle of souls, could he leave some kind of mark upon a soul and establish a master-servant bond that could not be defied?

He decided to give it a try.

He raised his hand again, and the gray mark in his palm lit up.

This time, he did not read Shadow Seven's memories. Instead, he condensed his Soul Power into an incredibly fine thread and sent it deep into Shadow Seven's soul.

At the core of Shadow Seven's soul, he found a blank space, then branded it with his own Soul Power.

The mark was simple, containing only one word: slave.

But the instant that word was carved into Shadow Seven's soul, his body convulsed violently before abruptly becoming still.

The fear in his eyes turned into confusion, and the confusion then became a strange calm.

He slowly rose to his feet, walked before Lin Chen, dropped to one knee, and lowered his head.

"Master."

His voice was calm and respectful, without the slightest reluctance, as though this were something he had been born to do.

Lin Chen looked down at him, sensing the feedback from the slave mark.

He could clearly perceive all of Shadow Seven's thoughts and emotions, and he could control his life and death at any time. With a single thought, the slave mark would instantly detonate and completely erase Shadow Seven's soul.

This application of the Reincarnation Law was even more useful than he had imagined.

"Get up," Lin Chen said.

Shadow Seven stood up and remained at one side with his hands lowered, his posture respectful and obedient. Lin Chen looked at him and asked, "How many people in Shadow Pavilion know that you accepted this mission?"

"Only the old man who handled the contact knows," Shadow Seven answered. "Shadow Pavilion's rule is that assassins take missions through a single line of communication. No second person is involved."

"What is that old man called?"

"Everyone calls him Old Ghost. He has no real name. He is one of Shadow Pavilion's contacts in Heaven Dou City."

Lin Chen nodded, already having made up his mind. He walked to the window and gazed at the bright moon outside in silence for a moment. Then he turned back to Shadow Seven. "Go back."

Shadow Seven froze. "Master, you mean..."

"Return to Shadow Pavilion and treat tonight's mission as a failure," Lin Chen said. "If anyone asks, tell them that a powerful expert was guarding the target and you could not succeed. You need not concern yourself with anything else."

Shadow Seven hesitated. "But Master, if the mission fails, Shadow Pavilion might..."

"You only need to do as I say." Lin Chen's tone was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable authority. "If they hold you accountable, you will find a way to deal with it. You are a Soul Saint. They will not readily discard such a fine blade."

Shadow Seven lowered his head. "Yes, Master."

He turned and walked to the window. Just as he was about to leap out, Lin Chen's voice came from behind him again. "Oh, and leave Yu Tianheng alone. Let him keep believing that the plan is still underway."

Shadow Seven turned back and glanced at Lin Chen, then nodded, vaulted out the window, and vanished into the night.

The room fell silent once more.

Lin Chen stood by the window, gazing at the quiet campus outside, his eyes deep and calm.

Yu Tianheng... Lin Chen had originally not intended to do anything to this direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. After all, he was merely a young man whose mind had been clouded by jealousy.

But since the other party had already developed murderous intent and had even spent a large sum to hire an assassin to take his life, he could no longer pretend that nothing had happened.

He lowered his gaze to the Ice Dragon Ring on his finger, and the Fire Dragon King's consciousness immediately emerged. "Little brother, you're just letting him go? Aren't you afraid he'll go report this?"

"He won't," Lin Chen said calmly. "The Reincarnation Slave Mark's restraint is firmer than any oath. Even if he wanted to betray me now, he couldn't."

"What about that brat Yu Tianheng? What are you planning to do?"

Lin Chen fell silent for a moment, then a faint smile curved his lips. "No rush. Let him jump around for a few more days."