Chapter 42: Returning the pearl to you, tears fall twice; regretting we did not meet before you were wed

The vice hall master led the way, and the other clan elders followed suit.

The group arrived at the mountain summit.

Ye Xue's dwelling was simple, just a small wooden cabin, with a massive stone tablet standing not far away.

This was the first time the juniors had come to the mountain peak where Ye Xue lived.

"Second Ancestor?"

"Are you there?"

The vice hall master knelt again in worship, but still no one responded.

In his perception, there was not a trace of any living spirit's aura.

"Ancestor Ye Xue may have already gone out traveling."

A lamp keeper of the Ying Shen Hall said, "I pay attention every day; the fate tablets of the two Second Ancestors shine brightly, certainly not like those about to perish."

"He must have gone out." The vice hall master gave a wry smile, "It seems we can only handle this ourselves."

The group searched the mountain again, unwilling to give up, trying to find a way to contact Ye Xue, but found nothing.

The only thing Ye Xue left behind was that massive stone tablet.

The stone tablet bore a line of poetry.

——Returning the pearl to you, tears fall twice; regretting we did not meet before you were wed.

After reading those words, the clan elders were dumbfounded.

In their impression, Ancestor Ye Xue was extremely aloof, a heroine among women, true to her name—like night and snow, distant and unapproachable.

Ancestor Ye Xue never married and never took a dao companion.

She even avoided closeness with anyone.

At first, the Spirit Clan folk thought Ancestor Ye Xue and Ancestor Yue Ming had mutual affection, only later learning that when Ye Xue rose to fame, Yue Ming was still an infant.

In the juniors' eyes, they stood equal as the two ancestors, but in reality they were worlds apart.

If it were true love, it would be a 'Forbidden Love'.

"So Ancestor Ye Xue was also a deep-feeling person." The vice hall master sighed, "If not for this unexpected ascent, we might never have known."

Another elder said, "Perhaps long ago Ancestor Ye Xue met the one she wished to spend her life with, but that person's heart belonged elsewhere, so she could only meet and regret meeting too late."

Three thousand years have passed; who that person was can no longer be traced.

"Oh no! Oh no!"

As everyone sighed over Ye Xue's deep feeling, the lamp keeper's shout came from the Ling Shen Hall.

"Soul lamp! The soul lamp has flown away!"

The lamp keeper's words made the Spirit Clan elders' eyes go dark, as if a coffin were lowered over their heads.

If Ancestor Yue Ming learned that the ancestral soul lamp was lost, they'd likely be beaten to death!

When they arrived at the Ling Shen Hall, the ancestral soul lamp had vanished without a trace.

"How could this be?!"

The vice hall master fell to his knees with a thud,

"The ancestral soul lamp is protected by the divine power personally laid down by Ancestor Yue Ming and Ancestor Ye Xue, and bolstered by the fortune of the entire Spirit Clan; even a Legend Realm expert could not take it away!"

"How could this happen! How could it just disappear?!"

The group could not accept the fact, their faces turned ashen.

The lamp keeper panicked, "Honored clan elders, have you considered another possibility—that the soul lamp was not taken, but returned to the ancestor's body?"

The vice hall master widened his eyes, "You mean the ancestor… she has revived?"

The lamp keeper nodded, "It's not impossible; after three thousand years of the Spirit Clan's fortune nurturing her, the ancestor has amassed boundless merit—it is time for her revival."

"Let's hope so."

The vice hall master sighed, "Otherwise we would deserve death ten thousand times."

The lamp keeper said, "The urgent task is to find the clan chief and the hall master, let them decide, then send someone to the Tu Shan Clan to report this."

The Spirit Clan has developed to this day, with a history of three thousand years.

Now the Spirit Clan has long left Tian Yuan Zhou, intent on spreading its doctrine throughout the Nine-phase World.

The road ahead for the Spirit Clan is still long.

Every clan chief and Ling Shen Hall master has strived to help the clan develop.

But as the clan grew, problems multiplied; living beings have different natures, and not all Spirit Clan members incline toward peace.

Occasionally, Spirit Clan members will provoke wars.

Even worse, some Spirit Clan members massacre demon and human tribes.

This is destined to happen.

The Spirit Clan's leadership has tried hard to stop it, but cannot eradicate it completely; even at its strongest, the Spirit Clan is strong only in a few regions.

The hegemons of the Nine-phase World remain the human and demon tribes.

Even the dragon and phoenix clans, among the ancient great clans, are beyond the Spirit Clan's comparison.

To anger those races' supreme powers puts the Spirit Clan in imminent peril!

The old lamp keeper silently prayed, "May the ancestor truly return, together with the two Second Ancestors, to bring the Spirit Clan back to the right path."

The clan elders soon departed.

The young lamp keeper asked, "Master, do you say that Ancestor Wu You will truly be reborn? Will he still remember the Spirit Clan afterward?"

"He will."

The old lamp keeper smiled, "Ancestor Wu You and Ancestor Tu Shan are the foundation of the Spirit Clan; the clan exists thanks to their blessings."

"After they departed, the Spirit Clan repaid them with three thousand years of blessings and fortune."

Kid, do you know how deep this bond is? Don't underestimate it!

"Disciple will keep it in mind," the little lamp-keeper nodded vigorously.

He then recalled another matter and asked curiously: "Shifu, I heard that among the founders of the Spirit Clan there was also a meritorious figure, just like Elder Wu You, both of whom came from the Human Race."

"Yeah, that person is called Yan Beicheng."

The old lamp-keeper recalled the past; the story had been passed down generation after generation, and the tales of the ancestors were told to him when he was young by his Shifu.

Yan Beicheng is quite a remarkable figure!

After Elder Wu You passed away, Yan Beicheng was undoubtedly the generation's unrivaled strongest on the Tianyuan Continent.

He created many legends.

It is said that after breaking through the legendary realm he left, and many say he was a close friend of Elder Wu You, seeking Elder Wu You's reincarnation.

……

Qingyun Prefecture.

Youliang County.

After several days on the road, Lin Shi Jiedi brought Xiao Rumeng and successfully arrived at Juncheng.

This was Lin Chuan's first time coming to Juncheng.

As a prefectural capital, compared to the small place of Youshui County it is indeed much more prosperous, but Lin Chuan had no heart to appreciate the scenery.

The siblings had a clear goal and headed straight for the residence of the Demon-Slaying Office.

The residence of the Demon-Slaying Office is extremely mysterious; aside from the local prefect and commandant and a few others, no one knows about it.

Their siblings' talent was valued by the Demon-Slaying Office, which is why they received this special exception.

Void Space.

Mo Sangyu watched as Lin Chuan stepped into Juncheng, a smile on her face, "Get ready! My husband is coming; as long as you perform well, the reward is no problem."

Not far from the inn, on a stage that had been set up long ago, a good play began.

The storyteller sat below the stage, his voice rich and smooth, narrating a story leisurely.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the story I will tell today is about the love and hatred between the Cold-Faced Demon Lord and the White-Robed Sword God."

"Don't miss it if you pass by; I guarantee it's absolutely wonderful."

Lin Chuan, who happened to be passing by, instinctively paused his steps.

What?

This pause made him instantly feel that something was wrong.

Damn! The plot's been exposed! A beautiful woman is scheming against me!