Deep within the Silent Sorrow Ancient Soul Forest, beneath a dilapidated ancient platform, the void left by the sunken inscription has been fully opened, transforming into a deep abyss rift leading directly to the bottom of the Soul Realm.
A well, boundless and deep.
Neither round nor square, its structure is distorted, as if it were brutally torn apart by some will from 100,000 years ago. What remains on the well walls are a secret array pieced together from the remains of billions of souls and whispers that have never ceased for millennia.
Ming Tong took the first step forward, his gaze fixed on the bottom of the well, soul patterns appearing in his hand as he attempted to probe the depths.
However--
Her soul sense had only probed ten feet when it seemed to touch some other side of the soul realm, and her entire divine sense was directly swallowed up without any ripples.
Ming Er whispered, "This Soul Well seems to prevent any soul consciousness from probing downwards... even Realm Master cannot directly see beneath it."
Ming Yin added, "Not only can I not perceive it, I even suspect... there exists some kind of 'denial of observation' force underground."
The crowd remained silent.
Only Qin Yu quietly walked to the edge of the well. Azure Ring remained motionless, gazing at him for only a moment before softly uttering a sentence:
"Below the seventh realm, a voice... is calling me."
Ming Kong and Ming Ye exchanged a glance, then stepped forward, while Qian Ruishan stood quietly beside Qin Yu, her eyes as white as snow, and whispered:
"Let's go down."
Ming Tong hesitated for a moment, then waved her hand to activate the five-layered soul array, temporarily lifting the seal on the well using her sect leader authority, and spoke calmly:
"If you insist on leaving, you must not stray more than ten feet from the formation, and everyone must move in sync with the core imprint."
"This abyss is beyond human control; even a slight deviation will shatter the soul."
Qin Yu did not answer, but took a step forward.
Step into the Soul Well.
At that moment, the whole world seemed to fall silent!
The sound of the wind, the breath of the soul, and the energy of heaven and earth all seemed to be swallowed up from the edge of the well!
Subsequently, Ming Tong, Ming Er, Ming Yin, Ming Zhi, and Ming Luo also jumped down one after another. A "sealing array soul chain" drawn with soul power appeared in the air, guiding everyone into the first realm of the Soul Well.
The wellhead, deep and bottomless, gradually closed, as if they had never existed in this world.
Outside the Silent Sorrow Ancient Soul Forest, a fierce soul wind swept through the forest.
Three extremely powerful auras arrived, almost tearing through the sky!
The leader, clad in a crimson flame robe, with a flickering lightning flame mark between his brows, was none other than the renowned...
Venerable Feng Yanxing, Realm Lord Realm First Stage Peak, once suppressed several races in the Three Realms.
Following him, a gaunt man in black robes walked through the air, a soul bead spinning on his forehead. He was the Envoy of the Realm Sealing Tower - Xuanyuan Tower Envoy, Realm Lord Third Stage.
On the other side, a young man in a silver-white battle robe stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes flashing with crimson lightning. He was Yuan Jin, the young patriarch of the Crimson Abyss Divine Clan, who was silently following along with several core disciples.
"This is it. The powerful divine aura we just witnessed came from this place."
Venerable Feng Yanxing's gaze sharpened as he looked at the ancient array crack not far away, which still rippled after being shaken by the void.
His soul flame flickered between his brows, and he whispered:
"It's the Soul Well... Someone actually opened the legendary Soul Well?"
The Xuanyuan Tower Envoy said in a low voice, "For thousands of years, only three people have attempted to forcefully open that well, and all of them perished... Now that the well has been opened, it is no small matter."
Yuan Jin's gaze was icy, and a Crimson Abyss Soul Mirror slowly emerged from his hand. He gave a low command—
Within the Soul Mirror, a faint soul shadow appeared—it was Qin Yu.
He was down there too.
Venerable Feng Yanxing, had a glint in his eyes and immediately gave an order:
"Come down the well with me."
"We must intercept them within the inner layer of the Soul Well."
The six soul cultivator disciples behind him immediately bowed in response and activated their protective energy.
The Xuanyuan Tower Envoy remained unmoved, merely gazing coldly at the well opening, muttering to himself:
"Within the Soul Well, many things... should not be awakened."
"But what if Qin Yu really obtains the second Silent Origin Fragment..."
"Then I, Xuanyuan Tower, must retrieve his soul imprint."
Yuan Jin snorted coldly, and the power of his Crimson Soul exploded, seemingly ready to plunge down at any moment.
The three forces clashed, and in an instant, the sky changed again!
Deep within the Silent Sorrow Ancient Soul Forest, a true storm of soul cultivation is about to erupt.
Within the Soul Well, there is no light, no wind, Timelessness.
The moment they stepped in, the ground beneath their feet was no longer solid ground, but a layer of ghostly energy that was neither water nor mist.
The footsteps landed without a sound, yet it felt as if they were stepping on the back of some living being, causing a slight tremor that sent a barely audible groan through the entire space.
"Here..." Ming Yin's expression was solemn. The soul pattern between his brows was firmly fixed, but he still felt his sea of consciousness tremble.
Ming Er stared intently ahead. "This isn't a physical space, this is... a realm of displaced soul consciousness."
Qian Ruishan gazed intently into the distance, where the space seemed to be intertwined and twisted, as if a dozen or so soul corridors were overlapping each other, each pointing in a different direction, yet reflecting each other like afterimages in a mirror. With each step, soul shadows would appear simultaneously in seven or eight directions, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.
Ming Tong whispered, "This is the Soul Well, the first realm— the Mirror Soul Boundary."
"The soul of anyone who enters will be forcibly projected with 'multiple soul images,' and if their will is not strong, they will gradually lose their original self."
As he spoke, Ming Luo's steps faltered slightly, and two intersecting figures appeared in his pupils, as if another "him" was staring at him from behind.
"Drink--!"
He suddenly unleashed a burst of spiritual power, dispelling the illusion, his face as pale as paper.
Qin Yu walked slowly, his expression calm, his footsteps silent, each step seemingly untouched by any cause or effect of "this world".
His figure was reflected only once within the Mirror Soul Layer—
The image of the unique.
A strange light flashed in Ming Tong's eyes.
"He wasn't split by the Mirror Soul... even 'Soul Reflection' couldn't work on him?"
Ming Kong also noticed the anomaly and whispered, "He's not ignoring the Mirror Soul... it's just that the Mirror Soul itself can't reflect him at all."
"Because..." Ming Ye interjected, a hint of unspoken awe flashing in his eyes:
"He is not a 'soul being,' but a 'being outside the soul.'"
The space suddenly trembled.
A sloping path blocked by soul patterns slowly opened ahead, revealing a path of seven overlapping soul gates, each inscribed with ancient soul language:
[The mirror breaks itself, the discerning lack faith, the clinging is hard to return to, the crippled are corrupted...]
The last two were hidden deep within the mist, their soul-like runes difficult to decipher, as if their memories had been sealed away.
"This is a test."
Qin Yu calmly said, "The First Realm is not for battle, but for stripping away who you are."
"If you can't remember who you were before, you'll never be able to get out of this situation."
Qian Ruishan nodded gently. She could feel her soul being reconstructed, her "identity," "memory," and "emotions" being led astray by a "will of the other" here.
The group exchanged glances, Ming Tong stood up and said:
"When entering the formation, it is crucial to avoid distraction. Remember only three thoughts: What is the name of this body? What is the purpose of this thought? To whom does this soul belong?"
The Soul Well does not recognize names or Soul Seal.
It only recognizes whether you can still recognize "yourself" amidst the chaos.
Above this first boundary, the seal of the Soul Well trembled slightly.
Three powerful auras are gradually approaching.
Venerable Feng Yanxing, glanced at the remaining soul chains at the well's edge and snorted softly, "They've already gone down."
Xuanyuan Tower Envoy's sleeves fluttered, and a boundary-patterned mirror appeared in his hand. He said in a low voice, "Very well, then let them investigate the soul vein structure of this level for me."
And the Yuan Jin--
He did not speak.
But from the Crimson Abyss Soul Mirror in his hand, a faint crimson light slowly emanated, illuminating a corner deep within the Soul Well...
A new outline is vaguely emerging--
A fragment of shadow, entirely ice-blue, pulsating like the heart of an ancient soul.
He sneered:
"Silent Origin Fragment... I saw them."
Soul Well - First Boundary, Mirror Soul Boundary.
The seven gates of the soul slowly closed before them, and a deep, resonant hum echoed through the depths of space, as if some ancient soul law had been awakened and was beginning to judge the "validity of the intruder's existence."
The next moment.
--A sudden change occurred.
A mirror appeared in the void!
Blurry soul figures emerged from all directions, all remarkably similar in form to Qin Yu and the others, but with indistinct features, incomplete aura, and unstable soul fire patterns surrounding their bodies.
Ming Yin whispered, "This is... a remnant of our own soul image?"
"The Soul Well strips away fragments of our souls, forcibly creating 'our opposite' to fight against ourselves..."
"It wants us to die at the hands of an enemy it created."
Ming Luo shouted angrily and swung his palm first. A burst of soul flame shattered the illusion, but the afterimage regenerated from the ground after it shattered, doubling in number!
"We can't kill them all!" Ming Zhi gritted his teeth. "We must seal their source, otherwise they will endlessly reconstruct!"
Qian Ruishan had already quietly taken up a position on the left flank of the battle formation, her gaze fixed on a phantom that was slowly taking shape opposite her.
That was herself.
--But his eyes were empty, and his demeanor was cold, like a remnant soul that had gone mad.
That "she" slowly raised her hand, and her soul power flowed back like frost, attempting to seize control of her physical body and soul consciousness.
"I'll do it."
Qian Ruishan spoke calmly in a low voice, and an icy blue soul pattern suddenly appeared on her palm. A chill, like the first winter at the beginning of the world, instantly swept across the left flank of the battlefield!
[The Cold Realm Initial Lock!]
A hexagonal ice prism soul array spread out from beneath her feet, and ice chains descended from the void, freezing the entire trajectory of the afterimage Soul Arts in place!
Just as the opponent was about to change their attack, Qian Ruishan's eyes turned cold. She flipped her left hand, and an ice wheel appeared in front of her, its surface rippling with ice patterns.
Qian Ruishan used [Soul Mirror Ice Wheel] to counter the Soul Arts in one fell swoop, completely freezing the afterimage.
In that instant, the chill of the entire left flank of the battle formation had not yet dissipated, and a figure faintly emerged from the icy halo—wearing a black and blue battle robe, with a calm and dignified expression, long hair cascading down like a waterfall at night, and a pair of cold eyes that concealed an eternity of sorrow.
It was her Second Soul form— Ming You.
The illusory image lingered on the Soul Mirror for only a moment before gradually returning to Qian Ruishan's sea of consciousness.
But it was in that very instant.
Ming Ye shuddered, staggered, and his face paled, a mixture of disbelief, astonishment, and madness flashing across his eyes.
He stared intently at the face in the ghostly image, a lump forming in his throat, and almost uncontrollably blurted out:
"Sister... Sister...! You are... You are my sister!!"
His voice trembled, filled with undisguised excitement and despair.
Everyone's expression changed instantly.
Ming Kong turned his head in astonishment. "Ming Ye? You mean she is...?"
Ming Ye, unable to hold back her tears any longer, knelt before the aura of the icy blue soul wheel, her voice choked with emotion, revealing the deepest tremor and confirmation of her soul:
"It's the Ming You... there's no mistake..."
"I remember... I still remember the patterns of your soul's breath, your eyes, the last words you said to me before the Heavenly War--"
"Live well, Ming Ye."
"You... you're really still alive..."
At this moment, Qian Ruishan stood still, her expression slightly stunned.
Within her sea of consciousness, the wave of consciousness that had been dormant in the deepest part of her Second Soul suddenly surged violently for a moment.
That was the lingering soul of Ming You, slowly opening its eyes deep within Qian Ruishan's sea of consciousness.
She gazed outwards and saw the boy with tears streaming down his face, and was slightly moved.
"... It's you..."
His voice was calm, carrying a hint of the vicissitudes of time, yet it couldn't conceal a gentle warmth that quietly emerged.
The next instant, Qian Ruishan slowly raised her head, and the icy blue Soul Seal between her brows suddenly appeared, its soul light slowly rotating, finally projecting a wisp of light—
That was the figure of the Ming You, appearing for the first time from within the soul, solid as a human.
She looked at Ming Ye, her expression softening.
"Ming Ye... you've grown up."
"I didn't die... I just... had my soul inherited by someone else."
"But you still recognize me."
Qian Ruishan's eyes trembled slightly. For the first time, her soul truly overlapped and merged with Ming You's consciousness. She murmured softly, her gaze complex:
"Ming You... you are the other side of my soul's origin."
"And he is your brother."
She walked forward quietly, gazing at the Ming Ye.
Then, she very gently raised her hand and slowly placed it on Ming Ye's head.
The voice was low and soft, yet it resonated deep within the souls of everyone present.
"Then... I'm your older sister too."
"Ming Ye."
Unable to hold back any longer, Ming Ye threw himself into her arms, tears streaming down his face, and embraced the loved one he had prayed to reunite with countless times in his dreams.
That moment.
The first level of the Soul Well resonated silently.
The mirror spirit faded, but the icy aura lingered, and everyone's heart trembled slightly.
At that moment, the silence was so profound that even one's very breath seemed to stand still.
Qian Ruishan gently embraced Ming Ye, the boy in her arms who had struggled and grown up through countless life-and-death experiences, now weeping uncontrollably, her voice choked with sobs.
"I thought I'd never see you again... I always..."
She didn't respond, but simply held him quietly.
No longer the Second Soul Master, no longer the Frosty Spirit, just the older sister.
--My real older sister.
A few steps away, Yao Wanqing stared blankly at the scene before her, her eyes welling up with tears, and whispered:
"So... her Second Soul is Ming Ye's older sister?"
Her heart was filled with complex emotions; beyond the shock, there was also a strange sense of awe.
It wasn't about Qian Ruishan's strength, but rather the miracle that the continuation of that soul could actually carry kinship.
Zhou Yu slowly withdrew the lightning patterns, a slight glint in his eyes.
"She carried another person's soul, but instead of being devoured, they coexisted... she could even recognize her relatives."
"This soul... never truly died."
He whispered, while Qin Yu stood quietly to the side, looking at Qian Ruishan and Ming Ye.
His face was expressionless, but his eyes flickered slightly.
At that moment, what surfaced in his mind was not the battle situation, nor the hostility deep within the Soul Well, but a single sentence:
"The soul exists not to become powerful, but to be remembered."
He watched as the brother and sister reunited.
The ice and snow have not melted, and the spirit of the mirror has not yet departed.
But that tender scene illuminated a glimmer of light in the entire First Soul Prison that did not belong to the abyss.
Qian Ruishan still quietly embraced Ming Ye, her fingertips gently tracing the lingering turmoil of soul power on his shoulder blade—the resurgence of his suppressed soul veins after his intense emotional turmoil.
She didn't speak, but used her soul power to soothe him.
Just like the former Ming You would have done the same.
Suddenly, a gentle and clear voice rang out beside them.
"... You have found each other again."
The voice was soft, yet it pierced the heart like a glimmer of light.
Qian Ruishan looked up and saw Qin Yu standing not far away, gazing at her and Ming Ye with gentle eyes. There was no doubt or defensiveness in his eyes, only a faint tenderness and sincere reassurance.
"Qian Ruishan," he said softly.
"When he called you 'sister,' I could see your soul responding."
"Ming You is no longer just the name of your Second Soul; it truly lives within you."
He is your younger brother.
"You, too, are truly... his family."
As Qin Yu finished speaking, Ming Ye turned her head blankly, tears still wet on her face, and nodded subconsciously. "She... she's not just Ming You... she's Qian Ruishan, the older sister now..."
Qian Ruishan looked at Qin Yu, her eyes flickered slightly, and her lips parted slightly, but she ultimately said nothing, only holding Ming Ye even tighter.
She wasn't the type to easily show her emotions, but at that moment, she felt a sense of security that made her feel almost secure, a feeling that came neither from Soul Arts nor from her cultivation.
Instead--
Qin Yu was willing to stand behind her, acknowledging all her identities, all her ties, and all her destinies.
Qian Ruishan nodded gently, her voice as soft as the first melting of snow:
"Thank you."
Qin Yu smiled, his gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd, and said:
"Alright, we're not here to reminisce."
"The Soul Well will not stop because of emotional attachments."
"Next, everyone's past and their obsessions will be put to the test."
"But don't worry."
"This life--"
"With me here, they—can't touch you."
As soon as the words were spoken, the Soul Gate resounded softly, and the passage to the second realm slowly opened.