Chapter 473: Finally Seeing Parents Again, Then Parting Once More

This was perhaps the tacit understanding between mother and daughter.

Earlier, when entering the painting, the person inside had called herself a painting spirit; though Lingxiang did not fully believe it, she did not delve deeper, as her mind at the time was entirely on the Linglong Cauldron.

Later, when she encountered Liu Yaoyi again and obtained the Huitian Pill from her, she sensed the peculiarity in all this.

Although she did not know what connection her mother had with Liu Yaoyi, one of Liu Yaoyi's statements was not wrong: "Tumi is a person who has attained the Great Vehicle in cultivation, with a universe in her heart; the things she does must have profound meaning."

Lingxiang did not think much of it at first, but after a deep conversation with Fairy Yaoji, she felt more and more that there was something suspicious about the matter.

And what finally confirmed that the person encountered in the painting was indeed Tumi was that sentence from the Eternal Firmament: "Since it began because of you, it must end because of you."

Originally, Lingxiang had simply thought that the so-called "began because of you" was only because her own Spirit-Refining ability was coveted by the Demon Race, but once she associated it with what Fairy Yaoji had said and viewed the overall situation, she suddenly realized the truth.

The person in the painting was indeed her mother, Tumi.

Although she did not know why her mother had to hide it from her, Lingxiang now understood why her mother had painstakingly hidden her Primordial Spirit in the painting.

It was the final measure to prevent the current situation.

The chess game had been set, and since her mother, the chess player, was not present, it was up to her to end this game.

Lingxiang only glanced at Tumi's back before lowering her head, saying no more and focusing solely on the task at hand.

Tumi's appearance also affected Chiyanzi; he recognized at a glance that this was his master.

A moment of distraction gave the Yin-Devouring Ghoul an opportunity; the blood turned into a giant hand and grabbed the dazed Chiyanzi in one go.

Chiyanzi secretly thought it was bad; he struggled several times but could not break free. The blood hand tightened, and Chiyanzi felt as if his old bones were about to be crushed.

In the moment of crisis, thanks to Lu Ying's timely rescue, a swing of the Long Mace shattered the Yin-Devouring Ghoul's blood hand, and Chiyanzi was saved.

Having landed, Chiyanzi gathered all his focus, no longer distracted by Tumi.

His master had always had her own plans; no matter what she intended to do, it was not something he should worry about.

By comparison, the Demon Lord's reaction was a far cry from his usual demeanor, with his former overbearing aura completely gone.

The Demon Lord was captivated by Tumi's figure and had completely forgotten to stop Lingxiang, his heart and eyes filled only with the person before him.

The reason for this was precisely the effect of the Wandering Soul Grass; now, the Demon Lord was not only unable to control his emotions but also found it difficult to distinguish reality from hallucinations.

"Tumi... Tumi..."

With whispers like murmurs, the Demon Lord reached out toward Tumi, but for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, he could not move forward even half a step, and could only kneel powerlessly on the ground.

"Lingxiao," Tumi smiled gently, "I have come to fetch you."

Tumi seemed to be glowing all over, and she also slowly reached out her hand toward the Demon Lord.

Even though the two were within arm's reach, in this short moment, the Demon Lord felt as if a thousand years had passed.

Just as their hands were about to touch, Tumi suddenly formed a finger seal and pointed at the Demon Lord's brow.

A warm current poured in, and the Demon Lord felt his whole body incomparably comfortable, as if falling into the clouds, and he closed his eyes contentedly.

He remembered this feeling; in that small hut in the mortal world, that warmth was something he was loath to part with.

Ah! It really is Tumi...

Just as the Demon Lord was indulging in it, a wisp of light smoke like gossamer drifted out from his crown, swirling and gathering behind him; before long, the outline of a man was vaguely visible.

It is the Soul Separation Technique!

Lingxiang glanced over and felt that the outline was so familiar, until the wisp of light smoke was completely extracted, revealing the man's appearance—it was actually...

"Father... Father..."

Although he looked the same as the physical body before her, Lingxiang could recognize at a glance that this was her father.

So that was it!

Lingxiang finally understood what the first piece of witchcraft her mother had performed back then really was.

Back then, the Demon Lord had taken advantage of Lingxiao's weakness to perform Possession on his body; to preserve Lingxiao's soul, Tumi had specifically used one of Lingxiang's souls and one of her spirits as a guide to protect it within the physical body.

Only blood relatives could perform such a method.

It was precisely because of this that for so many years, the body had always been withering, because he had never succeeded in the Possession; he had only been lodging his soul in an empty shell.

To possess a living body, one must use one's own soul to suppress the soul of the original body and then absorb it; only then can it be considered a success.

It was precisely because of the interference of Lingxiao's soul, which had been hidden by Tumi, that the Demon Lord's consciousness was always unstable, appearing confused from time to time.

After all, it was a forcibly occupied body; how could it have a greater influence than the original master?

The physical body also has memories.

The mystery was finally solved, and Lingxiang let out a long sigh of relief, inexplicably feeling a sense of ease, though her eyelids suddenly felt incredibly heavy, and she longed to have a good sleep.

But now was not the time to rest!

Lingxiang braced herself and focused on performing the Suspended Thread Technique; the cloth strips on her wrists were soaked through with blood, dripping down one by one, splashing flowers of blood on the ground.

The Demon Lord was like a dead man, eyes tightly shut and motionless, while Lingxiao's soul behind him, after his form became clear, slowly opened his eyes.

"Tumi, long time no see."

The refined face and the casual words made the listener feel unspeakably heartbroken.

But Tumi was very calm, only smiling slightly: "Long time no see."

The two seemed to be chatting about daily life, without the slightest excitement of a "long time no see," whereas Lingxiang, on the side, already had reddened eyes.

Lingxiao looked past Tumi, tilting his head to look at Lingxiang, his eyes curving into crescents: "Xiang'er, do you still remember Father?"

Just this one sentence made it even more poignant; Lingxiang was instantly bathed in tears, yet she could not say a word, only nodding continuously.

Tumi also turned around at this moment, looking at Lingxiang with a serene smile.

With just this look, Lingxiang understood everything; she squeezed the tears in her eyes, trying hard to make her vision clearer, but no matter what, the tears still poured out uncontrollably.

Ah! How she longed to look at her father and mother's faces again, and then keep them firmly in her heart.

"My child, do not cry; worldly affairs are impermanent but have their destiny. If there is fate, we shall meet again."

Lingxiang only felt the world go dark before her eyes, and everything around her became blurred, but she still nodded hard, forcing a smile.

"I only wish for Father and Mother to have a smooth journey ahead and peace in the next life."

Tumi looked at Lingxiang, her eyes full of reluctance. Lingxiao stepped forward and embraced her, nodded approvingly at Lingxiang, and then the two of them transformed into a ball of golden light together, dissipating into the flames.

"Father, Mother, go in peace."

Lingxiang's eyes grew increasingly dim; she could no longer see the scene around her, yet she still stubbornly pinched the finger seals, and the Suspended Thread Technique never broke.

The Soul Restraining Array shrank smaller and smaller until it retracted into Long Qi's body, and only then did Lingxiang stop the Suspended Thread Technique.

Although she could see nothing, Lingxiang still pinched another finger seal and tapped it toward Long Qi's abdomen; a golden light dissolved and dissipated into Long Qi's body.

Lingxiang undid the Hanyu Pill on Long Qi.

Long Qi's eyelids trembled slightly, as if he might wake up at any moment, but just then, the Demon Lord to the side suddenly let out a long howl toward the sky:

"Tumi! Don't go! No!"