New Life

Only after finding a safe place did Shen Ge remember the light that woman had given him.

He immediately sank into his sea of consciousness to investigate. As soon as his thoughts touched that faint glimmer, a graceful figure appeared.

She wore a violet gown and looked gentle, lovely, and understanding. But Shen Ge still recognized her. Though the woman's bearing had changed, she was that same woman.

After all, what had happened that day was far too unforgettable. Shen Ge might remember it until the day he died.

"Kid, you and I can be said to share a fateful connection. Since we met as I was dying, I'll give you a stroke of good fortune."

With that, the figure of light shattered into a sky full of starlight and merged completely with Shen Ge's memories.

Shen Ge closed his eyes and felt the memories that had suddenly appeared. After an unknown length of silence, he suddenly sighed. "Senior, may you rest in peace."

From these memories, Shen Ge learned that the woman known as the Ghost Demoness was originally named Lu Xi. She was the daughter of a wealthy family and could have lived out her life in happiness. Sadly, heaven did not grant her wish. Her entire family was wiped out, and she herself became a lonely wandering ghost. If not for a great fortuitous opportunity, she might have dispersed from this world long ago.

Though Shen Ge sympathized with what had happened to her, that was all he felt. After all, who knew how many people the woman had killed later on? It was hard to like her.

"The Return to Life Instruction can reform a physical body. This really is charcoal delivered in snowy weather!" Shen Ge said with delight. It was just about what he needed most right now.

After all, he had thought that borrowing a corpse to return to life would be the best method. But now that he could form his own physical body, he no longer needed it. No matter how one looked at it, a body he refined himself would suit him better than someone else's.

Cultivation knew no passing years. In the blink of an eye, a year had gone by.

During that year, Shen Ge fully recovered to his best condition. Without Yin souls to devour, the speed at which he healed had slowed more than tenfold, leaving him rather unaccustomed to it.

Even so, Shen Ge still had a conscience. He resisted the temptation of cultivating so quickly and did not slaughter ordinary people to devour their souls.

After healing his injuries, Shen Ge began cultivating the Return of the Soul Instruction. According to its records, he would need at least ten years to form a body of Spiritual Qi, then transform it into a body of flesh and blood. Only then would he count as human.

As for the war between the Spirit Moon Sect and the Devil Creek Sect, it had ended half a year ago. It ended with ten Golden Core cultivators of the Spirit Moon Sect dead in battle and the Devil Creek Sect shattered, with only three or five of its higher-ups escaping.

Though its losses were a little heavy, the Spirit Moon Sect had won the war, so those losses amounted to little. In two hundred years at most, its disciples would replace the Golden Core cultivators who had fallen in battle. With the support of more resources, it might even surpass its former state and become more prosperous.

Of course, Shen Ge knew none of this. After all, he was hiding in such a remote place, and no one would come all the way out just to inform him.

Winds and clouds shifted, and the seasons changed. Though the surroundings often changed, only the sound of the waves remained the same.

Fifteen years slipped quietly by.

On this day, a bolt of lightning suddenly descended from a clear sky stretching ten thousand miles, passed through the mountain peak, and struck a figure.

The figure immediately convulsed. His hair stood on end under the current, and his once-white body turned pitch-black.

A plume of black smoke rose, and the figure fell to the ground and lay still.

The sky above was still clear for ten thousand miles, as if the lightning bolt just now had been an illusion.

Five days later, the figure moved a finger, then climbed to his feet not long afterward.

"That power... as expected of lightning, the ultimate Yang. I almost couldn't withstand it."

"But after taking that hit, this body should be considered complete. From today onward, I'm a living, breathing human again."

Fifteen years of loneliness, fifteen years of effort-at this moment, they had finally borne fruit. Shen Ge laughed aloud, celebrating his joy.

"Awooo~"

Just then, a wolf's howl suddenly came from outside the cave abode. A white-furred wolf ran in, wagging its tail excitedly at Shen Ge. If not for its calf-sized body, anyone who didn't know better would have thought it was a dog.

"Little White, stop circling me. You're making my head spin." Shen Ge smiled, stroked the white wolf's head, and sent him outside.

He had raised the wolf for nearly thirteen years, from when he picked him up as a nursing pup until he grew to the size of a calf. It could be said that without the wolf, he would not have made it through those more than ten lonely years.

After calming his excitement, Shen Ge began examining the state of his body.

His cultivation had fallen from Foundation Establishment Peak to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, and parts of his body had been burned by the lightning strike.

But these were minor matters. One session of tempering his body with Spiritual Qi would heal most of the damage.

Shen Ge did not much care about the drop in cultivation either. On the contrary, he felt considerably more at ease. After all, he had not cultivated that power himself, and it had always felt strange to him.

"I can still use the Yin Cold Instruction, so I'll use it as my introductory Cultivation Method for now."

"But I don't have a Law Artifact. That's a bit tricky."

"I'd better find some materials and refine one first."

In the Ghost Demoness's memories, Shen Ge had come across methods for refining some basic Law Artifacts and pills, as well as some basic cultivation knowledge. These things were essentially a cheat for Shen Ge. After all, this theoretical knowledge was exactly what he needed most at this stage.

Shen Ge acted as soon as he made up his mind and headed for the cave entrance. But after only a few steps, he staggered and nearly fell.

"Damn, I'm still not quite used to this body."

Shen Ge wandered around the cave for a while. Only after he had fully adjusted to his new body did he step outside.

The blazing sun shone on him, and Shen Ge felt pleasantly warm all over.

"It really is better to be alive."

Truth be told, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to bask in the sun. After fifteen years as a Yin soul, sunlight was poison that burned him like fire. Every time, he had hidden in a dark corner and watched. When had he ever dared stand beneath the blazing sun as he did now?

A wisp of invisible pure Yang fire separated from the sunlight and silently entered Shen Ge's body. Even Shen Ge himself did not notice.

Then a gentle breeze blew past, carrying a hint of the fragrance of grass and trees into Shen Ge's nostrils.

The five elements had gathered. Only now was his spiritual body truly complete!

"Little White, come here."

Shen Ge beckoned, calling over the white wolf nearby.

"Go get me some prey. Your master has been hungry for more than ten years and has long wanted a taste of food."

Little White gave an excited howl and rushed off.

When Shen Ge formed his body, he had drawn in a large amount of Spiritual Qi, so Little White, who had always stayed by his side, benefited as well. Nourished by Spiritual Qi over a long period, Little White had not only gained considerable intelligence, but his strength had also reached the ranks of Demon Beasts. Though he was only a little stronger than an ordinary wild beast, he could now take down a white-fronted tiger with glaring eyes quite easily.