Chapter 112: Very Good

But Jiang Yu lightly stepped back, simultaneously preparing to cast the Soul-searching Technique; fortunately this technique requires no spiritual energy, so even cultivators with strong souls can use it.

That is, ordinary Daoist sect cultivators should refrain if they can, "Senior, what are you doing?"

"I need to replenish my soul power; this possessing soul of his fits perfectly," the man said, and in the same breath leapt onto their small stone platform.

His particularly youthful face calling himself "old man" was indeed unsettling.

Jiang Tu leapt, blocking his approach to Jiang Yu, and asked, "Can you restore this soul to its former appearance?"

It's a dull gray sphere; you can't tell who it is.

At that moment Jiang Yu tried to jump to another stone platform, but it was already too late.

It wasn't that the other side intended to attack her; the man crouched beside Jiang Du and placed his hand over his forehead.

"Let go of my big brother!" Jiang Yu hurried forward, kicking at the man without hesitation, forbidding him from moving her brother.

But the target was a remnant soul; her kick struck nothing solid and she almost fell herself.

The man was unaffected and muttered to himself, "After being possessed, this person still retains a fragment of spirit."

Moreover, while speaking he jabbed at the major acupoints all over Jiang Du's body.

"Is big brother still alive?" Jiang Yu, thrilled, instinctively squeezed the gray sphere tighter in her hand.

The gray sphere kept crying out in pain, unable to affect Jiang Yu and unable to startle the person currently practicing the Medical Art.

Even though the opponent was a soul, at this moment Jiang Yu saw it as a person.

Seeing the man still moving, she gave Jiang Tu a glance, then attached her spirit sense to the gray sphere in her hand and promptly began soul-searching.

In no time she discovered this person's appearance—it truly wasn't her brother, and within its soul there was a seal identical to that of a female cultivator surnamed Mi.

She decisively withdrew, avoiding the seal and disregarding the person's past, but with one hand she clenched firmly, and her spirit sense again formed a needle that pierced the sphere.

The gray sphere's wail fell from high to low, and soon its sound vanished, as if it had died.

But Jiang Yu knew it wasn't dead, so she pressed and kneaded it forcefully once more.

The man rose from the ground, saying, "It's useless unless you slice him apart with a blade."

"Thank you, senior." Jiang Yu used her spirit sense to open the storage pouch, drew out a spirit sword, and slashed at the gray sphere in her hand.

One strike split the soul in two; when the opponent screamed again, a beam of light flashed briefly within its soul and vanished.

Jiang Yu didn't mind cutting again, but the man suddenly said, "His soul has a seal; let me see it, old man."

Seeing Jiang Yu hesitate, he added, "The person on the ground will awaken soon, but he only has a fragment of spirit left, enough for only half a quarter hour."

Upon hearing this, she without hesitation handed over the two halves of the gray sphere, saying, "Big brother, is there no chance of survival?"

"His soul cannot support the body; the flesh will disintegrate." The man took it and began examining the soul seal.

Jiang Yu half‑kneeling beside her brother, waited for him to open his eyes and immediately fed him a Stabilizing Spirit Pill, saying, "Brother, I am…"

"Little Jiang head, it's good that you're alive; it's great you joined a sect," the remnant soul of Jiang Du whispered, hidden deep within the sea of consciousness, having witnessed the moment his sister met him.

Little Jiang head, impressive; upon meeting, he instantly knew it was a fake.

But he, at that time, couldn't speak to his sister, "Please honor our parents for me; I have wronged them."

That day, just after crawling out of the river, he was seized by a passing cultivator who claimed that after two years of cultivation one could visit relatives.

I worked hard on my practice, but never expected to be merely a backup body; a Golden Core cultivator didn't possess my soul, yet his disciple took it away." Jiang Du's voice was unusually faint.

Jiang Yu wouldn't tell him that his parents were dead, "Nan Su of the Harmony Sect?"

"Hmm, if you can't beat him, don't look for him; take care."

"Being able to see you makes me very happy; my flesh, you may use, to exchange for a chance at rebirth." Jiang Du tried to raise his hand, but his strength fell short of his will.

Jiang Yu quickly seized his hand, but as soon as she grasped it, her brother's eyes grew weak and closed, "I wish I could see father and mother once more."

"Brother!" The hand in her grasp slipped, and she hurriedly fed her brother another pill.

The man had already removed the gray sphere's seal, then returned, saying, "Instead of wasting it; better find a way to protect his remnant soul's reincarnation."

After speaking, he pointed a single finger at a point above Jiang Du's head; that wisp of remnant soul, like a slender willow smoke, he infused with a thread of soul power and sent toward Jiang Yu.

But Jiang Yu not only failed to receive it; she seized the two half‑circles of the gray sphere, raised her sword, and launched a flurry of slashes.

Amid its screams, she instantly sliced the gray sphere to fragments, saying, "Please give my brother half of the soul restoration."

The man calmly said, "Your brother was placed together with it; most likely someone devoured him."

"Jiang Yu, temporarily use this to nourish your brother's soul." Jiang Tu had already realized that the real Jiang Du was briefly activated by the other's secret technique.

It handed over the incense burner obtained from the Eastern Continent, saying, "Let's find the Soul‑nurturing Wood, complete his soul and send him to reincarnation, okay?"

"Jiang Yu, don't act rashly; later we'll go find that damn Nan Su and take revenge."

Jiang Yu silently kneaded the shattered soul into a paste, then carefully used the incense burner to contain her brother's sleeping remnant soul.

The man unceremoniously took it, instantly absorbing the fragmented soul completely, then floated toward Jiang Du's flesh, carrying it to the largest stone platform for placement.

He pressed a formation into the four corners of the stone platform; a buzzing filled the air as all twelve stone platforms trembled together, slowly exuding spiritual energy.

Jiang Yu steadied herself without looking, while Jiang Tu kept his gaze fixed; he saw the man turn into a flash of light and enter Jiang Du's body, and in less than a moment the flesh's cultivation level rose step by step to Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.

"His original cultivation must have been higher than that of the Mysterious Hall."

"Huh, my magical power?" Jiang Tu felt his dantian unsealed.

Jiang Yu likewise restored her spiritual energy; she turned around and saw the man, using her brother's body, sweeping all the spiritual energy in this space.

Then, the opponent's cultivation quickly broke through Foundation Establishment, "Is he at Golden Core?"

Jiang Yu and Jiang Tu exchanged looks; neither understood.

But outside this space, the arriving celestial phenomenon drew Xia Bing, Xue Miao, and Senior Brother Yang, who had fallen here, to fly in swiftly.

"This cursed place has no treasures, and spiritual energy is scarce; yet someone is at Golden Core." Xue Miao initially thought it was a secret realm, searched in vain for a treasure, then realized it was a wasteland.

Fortunately, they found Senior Brother Yang, but an annoying Xia Bing also appeared.

Xia Bing watched dark clouds gather atop the mountain, then walked toward the orchard; this time there was no barrier to entry, yet Jiang Yu was not inside.

She flew back and said, "Brother Yang, when you were looking for an exit earlier, did you encounter Jiang Yu?"

"No, Daoist Jiang, a fortunate person of heavenly disposition, will surely return safely." Senior Brother Yang was, in fact, not wrong.

Jiang Yu had nothing to do with it; watching the person on the stone platform forming a Golden Core, she cradled the now‑shrunken Jiang Tu, hoping to move to another place.

She did not expect that her spiritual energy would return, yet she could not jump to the other stone platform, and she was inexplicably trapped here.

She could only accompany the people above in cultivation, one day, two days, three days…

Outside, Sui Lv Zhenjun stared at the Jade Spring River; he was basically certain that Jiang Yu and Xia Bing were both trapped at the river bottom.

But since that pillar of light had completely vanished, they could no longer find the entrance; while they were planning to dive again to search, spiritual energy within dozens of li gathered like wind sweeping leftover clouds.

Soon, the river water trembled; on a mountain thirty li away, dark clouds suddenly thickened, and thunder and lightning struck the sky together.

Boom— the mountain split open…