Chapter 1549: The Spirit Medium's Blood and the Heart Lake

My daughter... is Ai Li actually the root of our clan's tragedy?

Facing the revelation from the Wail Puppet, Auntie Ai Ma's first reaction was that it must be spouting nonsense. But after locking eyes with the Wail Puppet, another feeling—one almost instinctual and bizarre—surged uncontrollably into her heart.

It's probably telling the truth!

"According to my understanding, that deer had actually set its sights on you—or rather, your clan—a very, very long time ago."

Watching Auntie Ai Ma, who was struggling to remain silent but whose eyes were filled with a growing sense of dread, the Wail Puppet curled the corners of its mouth in satisfaction. It opened its two malicious glass eyeballs and began to disclose the truth:

"The human kingdom you belong to and the Land of the Shrine Maidens were allies. The history of their exchanges spans hundreds of years, and there was no shortage of intermarriage. Several of your Baohua clan ancestors married spirit mediums from the Land of the Shrine Maidens.

You, who inherited the spirit medium's blood, are a very special branch among humans. You are born closer to death than other living beings, making you excellent vessels for the dead to descend into..."

"You're lying!"

Interrupting the Wail Puppet, Auntie Ai Ma, whose face was deathly pale, gritted her teeth and retorted:

"Even if our ancestors did marry spirit mediums from the Land of the Shrine Maidens, no one in our clan has ever learned spirit medium arts! It is impossible for us to have any talent for becoming spirit mediums!"

"Hehe. You've misunderstood one thing."

The Wail Puppet chuckled, then explained with an indifferent expression:

"Lacking the talent to learn the arts does not mean you haven't inherited the characteristics within your bloodline. Your clan did indeed inherit the spirit medium's blood in its entirety... If you still don't believe me, you might as well recall your own experience."

"Experience?"

"The experience of turning around on the 【Path of No Return】 after your first death and forcibly walking back into the world of the living."

After moving its creaking wooden body, the Wail Puppet continued unhurriedly:

"Because you discovered your daughter's soul in the Dead World, you temporarily broke free from the shackles of the 【Path of No Return】 due to anger and unwillingness, turning death into life and returning to the living world... Have you never realized that this already violated the rules of the Dead World?"

"What... rules?"

"Naturally, the rules of the 【Path of No Return】."

After observing Auntie Ai Ma's increasingly pale complexion, the Wail Puppet smiled and continued to explain:

"For all the dead, the restrictions of the 【Path of No Return】 are absolute. Souls below the level of a True God have absolutely no possibility of breaking free.

Countless people die in the living world every day, and there are plenty of dead souls who are more unwilling, angrier, and more hateful than you. Why were you the one who broke free from the shackles of the 【Path of No Return】?" "I..."

"There is only one answer: you possess a very high concentration of spirit medium blood.

The ability to frequently cross the boundaries between life and death is precisely the talent required to become a spirit medium, and you are the individual in the entire Baohua family with the most outstanding talent in this regard."

At this point, the Wail Puppet paused deliberately, giving Auntie Ai Ma, who had suffered a massive shock, a moment to digest the information, before exclaiming with admiration:

"You may not know just what a precious treasure you are in the eyes of us Dead World Sovereigns.

Those spirit mediums in the Land of the Shrine Maidens, while also close to death, have their souls 'locked' by secret arts once they come into contact with spirit medium techniques, in order to prevent themselves from sliding toward the Dead World prematurely.

You, however, are different. Your soul is unrestricted, allowing you to wander between life and death with unparalleled ease. And the child you gave birth to, before truly understanding life and death or learning to distinguish between the living and the dead, is both a living being and a dead soul, naturally capable of containing the souls of us 'dead'."

After finishing the explanation of why the Baohua clan was targeted by the Flesh-Eating Doe, the Wail Puppet looked at Auntie Ai Ma, whose body was trembling uncontrollably and who seemed to have guessed something, and grinned maliciously, revealing the secret:

"After discovering you, this wonderful treasure, that doe split off a portion of her soul in advance. Taking advantage of your unconscious crossing between life and death, she cast this fragment into your soul as it slipped into the Dead World, preparing to use you to gestate the physical body she required.

However, even if it was less than one percent of a fragment, her massive soul as a Dead World Sovereign was still something a human child could not bear. Her will could not descend at all and could only remain dormant within your daughter's body.

The only way to awaken her will is to create a grand enough funeral, allowing thousands of dead souls with similar bloodlines—those who share the same roots as that child—to share the burden of her overly massive will. Only then can that doe truly awaken from her slumber... So, do you understand now?"

Looking at Auntie Ai Ma, whose soul was in complete disarray and whose eyes had gradually lost their luster, the Wail Puppet's mouth stretched to its widest, and it spoke with great pleasure:

"The daughter you have always missed is actually not your daughter at all; she is merely a physical shell created by the Flesh-Eating Doe to descend into the living world!

And it was precisely to allow this vessel to truly 'be born' that your parents, sisters, brothers, and relatives all stepped into death one by one before your eyes, carrying their resentment and hatred toward you!"

?!!!

Ai Li... is not my daughter? Just a physical shell created by the Flesh-Eating Doe?

After hearing the Wail Puppet's words, Auntie Ai Ma, whose inner suspicions had been confirmed, felt the world spinning, as if something within her heart was collapsing with a roar.

Li Ang had given her the courage to persevere, but Ai Li was her only family, her final emotional anchor, and the pillar that had kept her alive through these days of torture.

The information revealed by the Wail Puppet was equivalent to destroying this pillar, completely shattering the defensive line of her soul, which was barely holding together. A pain so immense it was hard to imagine surged into her heart.

Yet, just as this sharp pain began to swell within Auntie Ai Ma's heart lake, threatening to turn into a heart-wrenching wail, a "hole" suddenly leaked in the center of her heart lake.

Under the stunned gaze of the Wail Puppet, the pain that had been overflowing from Auntie Ai Ma's soul fell toward some bottomless abyss, like seawater falling into a sea eye, and was drained away in the blink of an eye!

Immediately afterward, a male hand with bulging veins eerily protruded from her chest and clamped tightly around her own throat!

(End of Chapter)

Immediately after, a male hand with bulging veins strangely protruded from her chest and grabbed her own throat!

(End of chapter)