The Soul Falls Dormant

Once again, Ling Yun replaced the Heavenly Eye Spell.

Although his spiritual sense was already extremely powerful, its range still fell short of the Heavenly Eye Spell's.

"Unfortunately, the Heavenly Eye Spell can only show me any disturbances within fifty li. It can't let me hear the details. In that respect, it's inferior to spiritual sense."

A hint of regret showed on Ling Yun's face.

He could currently make only the most rudimentary version of the fifth-tier low-grade Heavenly Eye Spell. A Heavenly Eye Spell capable of displaying its full power was at least sixth-tier. Only such a high-tier Heavenly Eye Spell could truly perceive every disturbance within its range.

"Better than nothing. At least for now, the fifth-tier Heavenly Eye Spell is still very useful."

Ling Yun skillfully activated the Heavenly Eye Spell and once again saw everything within the Spirit King's Manor.

More than half a month had passed since the incident involving Princess Chen Ling, and with an imperial elder holding the fort, most people in the Spirit King's Manor had put their minds at ease. The manor had regained its former bustle.

But the true upper ranks of the manor knew that a storm was brewing. Even the imperial elder wore a grave expression.

During this time, one matter in particular had given Madam Wang and the others no end of headaches.

At this moment, inside a side hall of the manor.

The place was a shambles. Fallen bead curtains, jade screens, tables, chairs, and utensils left scarcely any room to stand.

Heart-rending screams rang out without end, like those of a crazed beast, utterly devoid of reason.

A gaunt figure lay restrained on the bed, bound so tightly by a restraining artifact that he could barely move.

The figure was none other than Dai Cheng.

He no longer bore any trace of his former handsome appearance. His cultivation was in turmoil, and his breath was fading. Worse still, he had never regained his senses.

Every few hours, he would descend into a frenzy, and each time he calmed down, his soul would grow terribly weak.

This time, his frenzy had been the most violent yet. He had even injured the guards watching over him.

Fortunately, the restraining artifact had activated once again. No matter how wild Dai Cheng grew, he could not break free.

"What evil art did Chen Ling use?"

Madam Wang and the others had arrived in the side hall.

During this time, she had witnessed everything that happened to Dai Cheng with her own eyes. It had overturned the worldview she had built over decades of cultivation.

"Madam, he's calmed down."

A guest elder spoke.

After his series of frenzies, Dai Cheng finally began to settle down, and the confusion in his eyes slowly faded. But everyone noticed that his vitality was beginning to dissipate.

"This... damn it, he can't hold on much longer."

Madam Wang's expression changed.

Dai Cheng absolutely could not die in their manor. When he had summoned that Primordial Spirit Realm dharma body some time ago, the entire manor had been marked by that Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator.

Under these circumstances, they could only pray that nothing happened to Dai Cheng. Then there might still be room to turn things around. Otherwise, even with the imperial family's help, they could not be sure the manor would survive the crisis unscathed.

Just as everyone was panicking, a fierce wind suddenly swept through the side hall.

By the time they recovered their senses, an old man in a python robe had appeared before them, his presence terrifying.

"Elder!"

Madam Wang breathed a sigh of relief. It was as though she had found someone to rely on, and her previously flustered heart settled somewhat.

The imperial elder said nothing. He studied Dai Cheng with a grave expression, then knitted his brows.

At the sight, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.

"His soul has fallen dormant. All the signs of death are upon him."

At last, the elder spoke.

Hearing this, Madam Wang nearly lost her balance. At the thought of Chen Ling's appearance the other day, her heart felt as though it were being cut by a knife.

"How much blood and sweat have I poured into this manor over the years, only to fall at the hands of a mere girl?"

Madam Wang felt she had been led into this trap one step at a time. Chen Ling had even known her temperament and exploited her pride.

She could not tolerate a single grain of sand in her eye, much less any damage to the manor's prestige. Chen Ling seemed to have been certain that Madam Wang would receive her, which was why she had carefully staged such an elaborate performance.

"Good... very good..."

Madam Wang looked dazed, mocking herself bitterly.

Ever since the Spirit King had fallen asleep, the manor's standing had suffered, but Madam Wang had used a firm hand to hold it up by sheer force.

She simply could not accept the manor's decline and still regarded it as it had been in the past. Without the strength to match, she still sought to cling to its former prestige. That mindset had doomed her to face this day.

If she had chosen to ignore Chen Ling's provocation, might the Spirit King's Manor have been spared this fate?

"Is the Spirit King's Manor going to perish?"

Pessimism filled Madam Wang's heart to overflowing. The forcefulness she had once shown was nowhere to be found.

"The four great royal manors-Ling, Xuan, Qing, and Guang-have endured for over a thousand years, yet in the end, ours is the first to fall into decline."

"Fei'er hasn't grown up yet, Ling Yun's talent has been crippled, and the prince has fallen asleep. The Spirit King's Manor has no chance of rising again."

Madam Wang's eyes grew wet.

The elder glanced at her and sighed. "Does your manor have any precious medicine that can stabilize and nourish the soul?"

"His soul has fallen dormant because, at the root of it, the lingering power of the evil art has tormented him constantly, exhausting his soul power. If you have precious medicine to nourish his soul, it can keep him alive and restore some of his vitality."

He paused before continuing.

"If this boy's master has a way to purge the corruption of the evil art, he can fully awaken, and your Spirit King's Manor won't have to offend a great Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator over this."

The elder's words were calm, but they brought everyone hope.

Madam Wang in particular was pulled from despair by his words, and her eyes lit up.

"Something to nourish the soul..."

Madam Wang thought back over the treasures accumulated in the manor's vault and finally recalled one item.

"Fifth-tier high-grade-the Heavenly Soul Flower..."

Madam Wang's gaze steadied, and her heart trembled violently.

"That's the only thing..."

She struggled fiercely within, but in the end, she steeled her heart.

The Heavenly Soul Flower was an exceptional spiritual treasure coveted even by great Primordial Spirit Realm cultivators. It could rapidly strengthen the soul and greatly aid cultivation in the Primordial Spirit Realm.

The Spirit King had obtained this treasure in his early years and had never been willing to use it. She had never expected that they would ultimately have to hand it over to someone else.

In Madam Wang's view, with Dai Cheng's soul tainted by the evil art, only such a high-tier spiritual treasure could give him a sliver of hope for survival. At the same time, only by doing this could she secure a chance for the manor.

Having made her decision, Madam Wang hesitated no longer. She had never been the indecisive sort; on the contrary, her methods were exceptionally decisive.

Madam Wang did not slow her pace along the way and eventually came to a concealed entrance.

As the Spirit King's Manor's vital treasure vault, this place was protected by a sixth-tier restriction personally inscribed by the first Spirit King a thousand years ago, capable of holding off even a Dao Palace Realm cultivator.

Although the restriction had gone unrepaired for many years and had deteriorated somewhat, it was still not something an ordinary Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator could force their way through. Thus, this place was considered a forbidden area of the manor, and only the Spirit King's Token could open it.

If the Spirit King's Manor can't resolve this crisis, this vault could hold out for a while.

Madam Wang thought to herself.

After she entered the vault, she found the dark space within extremely vast, with numerous shelves displaying all manner of spiritual treasures.

At last, Madam Wang walked into its depths. Inside a miniature restriction, a jade-white flower radiated a luminous white light, dreamlike beyond compare.