Chapter 727: Righteousness and Bond

Xiang Little Wei Yuan rode his horse through the mountains, stopping occasionally to pull out a formation disc and carefully calculate the land's qi and feng shui before choosing a direction and continuing on.

From above, he appeared to be circling endlessly among the peaks, though the circles grew smaller with each pass.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan suddenly reined in his horse and turned to see Bao Yun flying toward him like a celestial phoenix, landing before him. "Why are you here?" she asked.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan said, "A sudden impulse struck me—just as I'd gathered all the spiritual materials, I returned to find a suitable site for the formation. This task doesn't require my true body, so my true body remains at the northern mountain gate."

"What formation?" Bao Yun asked, curious.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan took out two jade scrolls and handed them to Bao Yun. "This is the formation given to me by Master Fenhai Zhenjun Zhu Yan—an upgraded version of the Reincarnation Furnace. The divine materials were never complete until now."

After reading it, Bao Yun frowned. "I'm not skilled with formations. This one will need Senior Sister or Master Feng to handle."

"It's fine—I can manage it myself. I'm nearly found the formation's core. It's just that this avatar's cultivation is low, and my spiritual sense is weak. I'll need time and patience to find it."

"Then I'll stay with you."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan dismounted, leaving the spirit horse to wait below the mountains, and flew with Bao Yun into the peaks. Suddenly, a gentle voice echoed in their ears: "Come this way."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan froze. The voice sounded like Master Fenhai Zhenjun Huang Yun—but Huang Yun had already entered reincarnation. How could she still be in Qingming?

Bao Yun was equally startled. "It sounds like our Ancestor!"

They flew toward the voice's direction and soon arrived beneath a towering giant tree. Seeing the hundred-zhang tree, Xiang Little Wei Yuan was stunned. He had no knowledge of such a divine tree existing in Qingming.

The tree's branches and leaves rustled, and the same voice spoke again: "I have only just awakened to sentience, and with it, I remembered my Ancestor's final instructions. Before her true spirit dispersed, she enlightened me, helped me attain the Dao, and entrusted me with one task. When I saw those two formation diagrams, I knew the time had come."

"You mean the Turtle-Snake Divine Refining Diagram?"

"Yes. Originally, I remembered nothing of this. Only upon seeing the diagrams did all the instructions return to me. In ancient times, this formation was called the Xuanwu Divine Refining Array. Later generations modified it repeatedly, splitting it into the two diagrams you now hold."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan stared at Bao Yun in shock.

Bao Yun nodded softly. "This is one of the methods used by ancient sages—hiding objects in emptiness, triggering memory only at a specific time or upon encountering a certain person or event, to prevent other great beings from discovering and destroying the setup. Since ancient times, immortals have been planting seeds, and today, countless hidden threads and fallbacks lie buried."

"My ancestor Bao once said that even the First Emperor of Humanity planted a hidden thread—one still undiscovered to this day."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan reflected on the chain of events, and the more he thought, the more it felt wrong. He obtained this diagram because he slew the Young Prince of the Left Left Xianwang, who seemed to be the Left Left Xianwang's path to enlightenment. Then I've been using the Reincarnation Furnace to refine Liao corpses—hence why Master Fenhai Zhenjun Zhu Yan gave me the Turtle-Snake Diagram.

But push further back: the Reincarnation Furnace was modeled after the Transformation Pool. The Transformation Pool was seized by Xiang Little Wei Yuan during an ambush on a celestial envoy. At the time, Xiang Little Wei Yuan had no idea who would come—he only suspected a killer might arrive.

That celestial envoy was already at the late stage, his cultivation rivaling Huang Yun Master Fenhai Zhenjun's. He came from a mysterious force beyond heaven. He should have been beyond prediction or calculation.

The more he thought, the more tangled it became. He realized his cultivation was too low—he could only set it aside for now.

The giant tree spoke again: "There is a natural formation core within this mountain's terrain. You should go see if it suits you."

Following the tree's guidance, Xiang Little Wei Yuan and Bao Yun arrived at the core—a natural small valley. Xiang Little Wei Yuan carefully examined the land's qi and confirmed it was perfectly suited for the Turtle-Snake Divine Refining Array.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan stared at the valley, silent for a long while. Bao Yun asked, "What's wrong?"

"I remember this place had no valley before. The land's qi flowed differently. After our Ancestor's passing, the terrain changed, and this valley formed."

Bao Yun fell silent for a long while before saying, "Our Ancestor left this formation core behind—she likely entered reincarnation with no protection at all. Who knows when she'll awaken?"

With Bao Yun's reminder, Xiang Little Wei Yuan finally understood: to reshape the land's veins and create such a perfect natural formation core, Huang Yun Master Fenhai Zhenjun must have sacrificed all her life's cultivation, leaving only a trace of true spirit to enter reincarnation.

He didn't know how many reincarnations she would endure before awakening to her past karma—or if she ever would.

A heavy weight settled in Xiang Little Wei Yuan's heart. Unknowingly, he had once again incurred a great debt of righteousness.

The tree said, "Our Ancestor left you one more message."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan bowed deeply to the tree. "Please speak."

"Our Ancestor said: when you achieve something greater, try to fish for reincarnation—pull her out. Perhaps then she'll suffer less."

"How do you fish for reincarnation?"

"Our Ancestor didn't say. I don't know. The task is done. I must now fall asleep. If I ever awaken again, I won't be me."

Before Xiang Little Wei Yuan could reply, the tree's branches and leaves swayed as if in farewell. The surrounding aura fell silent, and tiny specks of spiritual light scattered into the mountains, rivers, and earth, merging into Qingming.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan had no time to stop her—the tree's sentience was gone, leaving not a single trace.

He stood frozen for a moment. Bao Yun first wiped away the tears at her eyes, then tugged at Xiang Little Wei Yuan's sleeve. "Our Ancestor was always cautious and meticulous. She arranged this to prevent anyone from interfering and blocking your opportunity. Clearly, this opportunity is vital."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan sighed and handed the formation diagrams to Bao Yun. "I leave this formation to you to arrange. I'll send all the materials in a few days."

"Won't you return yourself?"

"The Liao people won't give up. I don't know when this war will end. It's a pity I almost killed the Left Left Xianwang's top general last time—but she's too cunning. She slipped away again. Had I succeeded then, the war might already be over. And since I'm anchored at the northern mountain gate, you can quietly set up the formation."

Bao Yun nodded. "You're now directly facing immortals. Be careful. Even if Tinghai Xianjun Yan Shi is at the northern mountain gate, don't think you're safe. One day, some trivial matter might be an immortal's seed—turning into deadly intent."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan said, "You forget I'm blessed with fate? Such immortal seeds won't easily kill me. When I return to the northern mountain gate, I'll seek the elders' guidance on how to fish for reincarnation—I'll strive to awaken our Ancestor as soon as possible."

Bao Yun whispered, "Each of us must strive hard. Without fierce advancement, we're but insects caught in a spider's web—eventually devoured."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan smiled. "Don't worry—we both became Manifestation at twenty. Few can match our drive."

Bao Yun tapped his chest. "I became Manifestation at twenty. You became Manifestation at two hundred and twenty!"

Xiang Little Wei Yuan laughed and instinctively reached to embrace her. But Bao Yun stepped back. "Wait until your true body comes. These avatars—I always feel uneasy around them."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan nodded, bid her farewell, withdrew his spiritual sense, and returned to the northern mountain gate.

(End of Chapter)