"Ah..."
Zhao Fenglou reached out and gently brushed Ling'e's hair. Although he was now a soul, the Blood-Soul Reaping Lamp formed through his secret art had been created expressly to kill.
Thus, his magical power still retained substance, allowing him to touch others. One hand slid gently over Ling'e's cascading dark hair.
Zhao Fenglou's bright eyes rested quietly on the woman before him, the woman he had not seen for so long, yet who had kept watch here all this time!
Ling'e's forehead was crimson, bearing the marks left when she had begged Li Yan earlier.
"Now that my enemy is gone, I can enter the cycle of reincarnation. You should regain your freedom! You must not delay your cultivation any longer."
Zhao Fenglou's eyes were full of tenderness, but his body had already begun to disperse, becoming increasingly ethereal.
A long-absent smile appeared on Ling'e's face. She reached out again and caught one side of his illusory blue robe. The robe was constantly dissolving into drifting specks of starlight, making Zhao Fenglou look as though he were ascending to the heavens.
Zhao Fenglou's soul could already feel an irresistible power of law sweeping toward him from heaven and earth. He knew the laws of reincarnation were calling him.
"What is cultivation for? Merely the immortality each person holds in their heart. Do you not understand mine?"
Perhaps because Ling'e knew she had no time left to remain reserved, she gazed at Zhao Fenglou with burning eyes.
Zhao Fenglou froze, then his gaze softened further. Yet he still shook his head firmly.
"Your path has only just begun. I do not even know where I will be born in my next life. Even if I wanted to stay with you, it would be impossible!"
Just then, Ling'e suddenly smiled radiantly.