Another Soul
When you push it, you can clearly feel the resistance from the white crystal.
Wang Xingyu frowned, finding it somewhat strange.
Logically, this thing should be an inanimate object.
But the location we're in right now is safe enough, and I even have the inverted V mark of the Goddess of Life on my forehead, so if anything unexpected happens, I'll have a backup plan.
Without thinking further, he continued to push forward with all his might.
The more it was pushed, the more violently the white crystal struggled.
It was like a live fish pinned to a chopping board, constantly bouncing and writhing under the control of his will, each tremor feeding back into the depths of his consciousness through his Spiritual Power.
"What the hell? I don't believe it."
Wang Xingyu gritted his teeth and focused all his Spiritual Power on it.
This time, it wasn't just his will; he felt his soul exerting force as well, his entire being, from spirit to will, twisting together to hold the crystal and push it forward.
The white crystal swayed more and more violently, and fine cracks even began to appear on its surface, but it was still steadily moving forward.
Until it touched the Soul Ring that was forming.
With a bang, the white crystal shattered.
A humanoid phantom emerged from the shattered crystal and darted out of Wang Xingyu's body.
Lingxi and Qing Heng looked over at the same time, reacting extremely quickly, and in a flash, they grabbed at the illusory figure.
The two hands passed straight through the phantom's body, as if passing through a wisp of smoke.
Xiao Wu stared at the illusory figure; this state seemed somewhat familiar.
Its shape is very similar to the phantom that Gu Kesi released at the end when the two fought Gu Kesi, only smaller and with a much blurrier outline.
"It is not a physical entity, it is a soul!"
Xiao Wu loudly reminded him.
Soul? Lingxi stopped upon hearing this, but Qing Heng did not stop. His palm was covered with another layer of white substance, and he reached for the illusory figure again.
This time, his fingers gripped the other person's body firmly—it was a child.
Qing Heng lifted the child up by the back of his neck with one hand, then turned to Wang Xingyu and Xiao Wu: "Luckily, I have a technique for dealing with souls. Do you recognize it? How do we handle it?"
Xiao Wu looked on curiously. Wasn't that Gu Kesi?
Wang Xingyu stared at the child's face, and the more he looked, the more he felt he had seen him somewhere before.
I've never seen it in reality, but only in fragments of Gu Kesi's memory.
Yes! It's that child who was the original owner of the Soul Martial Soul, who previously had full Soul Power but couldn't attach any Soul Ring!
But why is the other person in this state?
Could it be that there are some unknown rules governing Soul Martial Soul?
He could only give a general account of what he knew about Soul Martial Soul and Soul Battlefield to Lingxi and Qing Heng, since the two were deacons of the Life God Trial and might be able to glean some insights from it.
After listening, Lingxi looked thoughtfully at the child being held in Qing Heng's arms.
"This state should be your Martial Soul Possession state."
As for why you didn't obtain the Soul Battlefield after defeating Gu Kesi —it's possible that the Soul Battlefield was intentionally given to Gu Kesi from the beginning.
He is still alive, hiding inside Gu Kesi's body.
But your soul is too strong; it will discover him, and he can only shut himself off.
Wang Xingyu nodded.
No wonder it turned into a white crystal; it was actually a tortoise shell.
Xiao Wu's expression was filled with disbelief. "Wow, Xingyu, you actually have a soul hidden inside your body?"
Qing Heng gripped the child's nape, the white light membrane on his hand tightening slightly. "So what do we do now? How about we try killing him and see if you can devour him?"
After saying that, Qing Heng felt that the scales of "great love" in his mind had somehow gone awry.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the child screamed at the top of his lungs, "No, no! I'm willing to sacrifice myself! I don't want my Soul Martial Soul anymore! Waaah, please, please spare me, don't kill me!"
Fortunately, it was God-given Soul Ring, not a normal Soul Ring. The initial energy buildup within the body didn't require much attention, as it was mostly automatic. Otherwise, if the mind had been distracted, the Soul Ring would probably have dissipated long ago.
Wang Xingyu looked at the crying child, "Can you offer yourself as a sacrifice to me?"
The child nodded frantically, "Yes, yes, I know Gu Kesi's Reverse Sacrifice Secret Technique! Soul Martial Soul can do it! Please, please don't kill me!"
This child was also a pitiful soul captured by Gu Kesi, hiding inside Gu Kesi's body. There was no other way; it was best not to kill him if possible.
Moreover, Wang Xingyu currently lacks the ability to devour the opponent's Soul Martial Soul.
"I can spare you, but after you sacrifice yourself to me, can you survive?"
Wang Xingyu was also curious: how would someone who survived by relying on a soul Martial Soul Possession survive after sacrificing themselves, once their Soul Martial Soul was gone?
"Sure! Just give me your original body."
"Your original body?" Wang Xingyu said regretfully, "Your body was probably disposed of by Gu Kesi a long time ago. Even if it's still there, it would have rotted away long ago."
The child looked dejected. He knew he just didn't want to die.
Qing Heng suddenly spoke up, "Would other bodies be acceptable?"
The child's eyes lit up again. "Yes, it's possible! It just needs to fit my body!"
Qing Heng raised his other hand, the green light in his palm pointing towards the ground. Several vines broke through the soil, Entanglement and twisting, slowly forming a human shape.
The vines have a fine and dense texture, and you can even see the outline of an arm at the joints.
He looked at Wang Xingyu: "Sir, why don't you let him give it a try?"
Wang Xingyu naturally had no objections.
Qing Heng stuffed the child's soul into the tree spirit, and the child passed straight through it, floating out from the other side.
Lingxi sighed softly beside her, "It doesn't look like it will work."
Qing Heng did not give up; this was his adherence to his beliefs. "I'll go ask the High Priest; hopefully, it's not a price I can't bear."
He looked up at the Ancient Tree of Life, about to fly up, when suddenly his eyes closed.
A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his voice filled with surprise. "The High Priest just spoke with me and said he could help."
A green energy with a golden edge slowly descended from the depths of the Ancient Tree of Life's canopy, landing on the treant created by Qing Heng.
Lingxi stared at the energy, her expression shifting from surprise to disbelief. "The High Priest actually used this energy."
Energy seeped into the tree-man's body, and the surface of the vines began to change.
The rough bark texture gradually fades, transforming into a skin-like texture, and the outlines of the limbs and torso slowly emerge, revealing the veins.
In just a few moments, the human figure sculpted from vines had transformed into the lifelike body of a child.
Qing Heng stuffed the soul child into this brand-new body.
The next moment, the child's chest rose and fell slightly, his eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes.
He raised his hands, turning them over and over to examine his palms, which were formed from vines. His lips trembled several times before he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence that even he himself couldn't believe.
"I... I'm alive?"
Wang Xingyu and Xiao Wu were also somewhat surprised.
It actually survived.
After the child realized what was happening, tears welled up in his eyes. He thought he was going to die. He turned around and was about to kneel down in front of Qing Heng, sobbing as he solemnly thanked him.
Qing Heng reacted swiftly, lifting him up from behind by the neck, his tone both delighted and brooking no argument. "No need. You sacrifice yourself first."
After all, Wang Xingyu was still in the process of absorbing the God-given Soul Ring.