Chapter 129: Two Soul-Bound Items for One Person

The gloomy mountain path was winding and rugged.

The magma had slightly congealed, casting a faint, reddish glow and retaining a lingering, oppressive heat. Footsteps approached slowly.

Qingyuan gripped his iron rod, holding the ancient mirror against his chest as a makeshift heart-protector, and paced steadily along the path. Had it not been for the many external pressures, he would have preferred to linger here, pondering the myriad transformations of the ancient mirror and practicing in peace. However, the world outside was in constant flux; the various masters, the ancestor of the Sun family, and even the Shou-Zheng Daoist Sect all represented intangible threats. Now that he had obtained the mirror, he had no desire to stay a moment longer and departed.

"With the mirror in hand, there will be plenty of time in the future to study it in detail."

As he walked, Qingyuan channeled his inner energy into his chest, familiarizing himself with every nuance of the mirror, meticulous and thorough. Simultaneously, the lingering aura left behind by the Celestial Venerable Guangyuan Guye was gradually being refined.

"The exit should be ahead, though I worry that the previous tremors may have caused changes," Qingyuan thought to himself. "Still, my abilities have greatly increased; perhaps I can break through any obstructions and leave this place."

He felt little anxiety regarding his escape.

...

Looking back, he recalled how, when the Earth Dragon first entered his body, he had been overjoyed to begin his cultivation. But the Earth Dragon was the culmination of countless years of terrestrial energy—the very foundation of the earth itself—and was beyond what a mortal could withstand, thus carrying a hidden peril.

Although it had seemed calm because his appointed time of death had not yet arrived, it was a lethal danger, a matter of life and death that was not as tranquil as it appeared on the surface. Whenever he thought of it, he felt a suffocating pressure. To resolve this deadly threat, he had to either ascend to immortality within a few years—achieving a celestial constitution capable of bearing the Earth Dragon—or obtain a celestial treasure to suppress it.

Ascending in a few years was a mere fantasy, something never achieved before, and likely never to be achieved again. Relying on a celestial treasure was his only path, his only chance for survival. In this human realm, the only celestial treasure Qingyuan knew of was this mirror left by the Celestial Venerable Guangyuan Guye. He had endured immense hardship to finally obtain it. Only now could he consider himself truly unshackled.

"I can cultivate now, and the threat is gone..." Qingyuan closed his eyes, thinking, "If only I could find a blessed celestial mountain, chant the Huangting Sutra, refine Golden Elixirs, and cultivate in peace—how wonderful that would be?"

For him, the best place for cultivation would have been the Zixiao Palace. But since descending to this world, fate had played its course, and he could never return. Moreover, now that he had forged his Dharma intent, his every movement carried the aura of the Five Elements; even if he were back at the Zixiao Palace, he could no longer refine elixirs, lest the heat be affected and the transmutation of the pills be ruined.

"Seeking but failing to find, and finding only to feel a sense of melancholy..."

...

The ancient mirror contained a dragon pearl, and since Qingyuan carried the Earth Dragon, it had become his life-bound treasure. Previously, his iron rod had obtained the dragon's tail, also becoming a life-bound treasure.

"A person with two life-bound treasures... surely that is rare in this world, is it not?" Qingyuan suddenly chuckled.

For ordinary practitioners, life-bound treasures were something they dared not even imagine, and might not even know existed. For those with profound cultivation, such treasures were tied to their very existence—prospering or suffering together. Since their cultivation was high, the treasures had to be of equally high grade, making them exceptionally difficult to refine.

Even those from celestial sects or divine islands did not necessarily possess such deep fortune. As for immortal beings, to forge a life-bound treasure required two daunting steps: refining the object into a celestial treasure, and then merging it with one's own body. Even if some immortals took pity on their juniors and created such opportunities, which of them would go to the trouble of bestowing a second life-bound treasure?

"I have managed to obtain two such treasures through the arrangements of the Celestial Venerable." Qingyuan felt a complex emotion. "Celestial Venerable Guangyuan Guye... he was truly as unrestrained and unconventional as the records claim."

How could even the true disciples of major sects like the Shou-Zheng Daoist Sect, the Huanhua Pavilion, or the Pre-Qin Mountain-Sea Realm possess such a vast opportunity?

...

After passing about a dozen turns, Qingyuan stopped.

The light in the path was dim, the color a dark, blood-like red, caused by the magma that had not yet fully cooled, leaving the air heavy with lingering heat. In the dark red glow ahead lay a corpse, its state of death miserable.

Half of the body had been melted away, leaving only a mangled remnant, but the true cause of death was not the magma; it was a strike of Daoist arts that had shattered the skull. This was what had truly claimed his life. Qingyuan could barely recognize the identity of the corpse.

The Poison Rogue, Han Yu!

"How could it be him?" Qingyuan’s brows furrowed. In that situation, even a master should have had almost no hope of survival.

Yet here was Han Yu, who, despite having half his body melted by magma, had ultimately escaped. And the cause of his death was not the magma, but a blow to the head. This meant that someone else had escaped as well.

"Was it Sun Yu? Or Gan Huan?" Qingyuan pondered.

Of the four masters, he had feared Han Yu the most. The Poison Rogue appeared gentle and refined, but he was as venomous as a scorpion. He was a man of hidden depths; no matter the situation, he always maintained an air of absolute confidence. Even when one knew he was putting on an act, one could not help but feel as though he had seen through everything and held the situation in his grasp. He often wore a gentle smile while a cold, piercing chill flickered in his eyes, making his true intentions impossible to fathom.

He was too shrewd, ruthless, and skilled at hiding his true capabilities. This was how Qingyuan saw Han Yu. Whether it was Sun Yu, Gan Huan, or the Daoist He of the Seven Spirits Sect, none had filled him with such dread. If anyone were to survive such a desperate situation, Qingyuan’s first thought would always have been Han Yu.

And now, Han Yu had indeed escaped, only to be struck down by another.

"Absolute confidence? Unfathomable?" Qingyuan whispered, "In the end, he is dead."

In this world, there is always someone higher than the highest mountain. No matter how unfathomable Han Yu had seemed to him, he was dead. Perhaps Qingyuan found it incredible—a man like Han Yu, so difficult to see through, should not have died so easily.

But... he was dead.

No matter his temperament, his caution, his hidden contingencies, his mysterious background, or his powerful techniques—no matter how extraordinary he was—if he could not escape his destiny, he would die. Even Qingyuan himself, if he were to be slain, who would know he was from the Zixiao Palace? Who would know he held the fortune of the Celestial Venerable Guangyuan Guye? Who would know he practiced celestial arts?

No matter who one is, one wrong step leads to the destruction of both body and soul.

Qingyuan sighed, moved by the realization.

Just then, a hoarse voice sounded from the side.

"Kid... you're still alive..." The voice gasped in a strained, ragged tone. "That is... truly wonderful..."

The voice was filled with resentment, hatred, murderous intent, fury, and... ecstasy.