Boom!

A clap of thunder resounded startlingly.

A few raindrops fell onto his body, feeling a slight chill that made the man lift his head in confusion.

Unnoticed, the sky had already darkened, clouds densely gathered in the sky, indicating an impending storm, yet this did not change Wu Daoxu's state of mind at all; he simply continued to limp along the small mountain path.

Bewildered, helpless, confused, he did not know why he was still alive, nor did he care why Jiang Feng spared his pathetic life; perhaps, if anything, it was to utterly shatter his dignity.

There was no rage; his expression was very calm. The eerie whispers that had echoed in his mind for a full three years had completely vanished, pulling back his spirit from the brink of collapse; the peculiar sense of expansion and conflict in his body also disappeared.

This was, in fact, his original character; otherwise, the elders of the Fan Yin Sect wouldn't have valued him so highly, and Wu Mingsheng wouldn't have entrusted the sect to him.

Yet after painstakingly managing the sect for many years, he could not compare to a fool's moment of inspiration. The sect had absorbed too many common people, greedy individuals whose purpose in seeking the Immortal Path was not for immortality, not for seeking the way, and certainly not to protect the common people but simply to be able to overlook all life.

To enjoy the adoring and fearful gaze of all, to be superior to others, for the so-called "power" and "freedom", to obtain everything they desired.

He gazed up at the vast sky, letting the torrential rain pour down; the bloodstains on his body were completely washed away. His face was pale and colorless, his steps unsteady, appearing truly as if severely ill and injured; in the recent battle, he had suffered heavily—not only did he lose an arm, but even his Divine Soul was greatly damaged.

The Soul Puppet he had nurtured within his body for three years was extracted, especially the Yin Souls mingled with the Fan Yin Sect disciples'. Watching his master's and junior sister's souls thoroughly disperse, their remaining flesh similarly burned by a great fire, three years of effort reduced to nothing, his strength would inevitably plummet in the short term.

What was surprising, however, was that his heart was neither angry nor despairing, but rather relieved.

Released.

The junior brothers and sisters were released.

The uncles were released.

Master was released.

He himself was finally released.

For a full three years, he couldn't let go, always living in the shadow of his master and fellow disciples. He could mercilessly erase the consciousness of the other lingering souls and make them into spiritless remnants, integrating them into the Soul Puppet to raise his own power.

But towards his fellows, he simply couldn't do it.

Jiang Feng guessed one thing correctly: within the Soul Puppet attached to Wu Daoxu, were integrated the Divine Souls and flesh of Wu Mingsheng and Wu Wenjuan. To outsiders, such a sinister act seemed utterly deranged; to not spare them even after death. But Jiang Feng completely understood his mentality.

As long as the Soul Puppet existed, then these two couldn't be considered completely dead.

Even though it was just a fragment of soul, just a sliver of flesh, under the Ghost Cultivator's refining, they could still retain their awareness from life. This is why Wu Daoxu ultimately resolved to fall into demonic ways.

Though it sounds horrific, if one could resurrect the deceased they treasured most, countless people would likely be willing to do such a thing. But now, he only felt that the burden pressing on his heart had vanished, feeling an inexplicable sense of pleasure.

Despite the essence being damaged, the body incomplete, and the refined Soul Puppet incinerated, his skills did not disappear. If he wished, he could create another Soul Puppet that wouldn't backfire; however, now he just felt weary to the bone, having even let go of so-called hatred, feeling utterly disillusioned.

Now, three years later, Wu Daoxu actually recognized the fact that the Fan Yin Sect had already been destroyed three years ago. His Master and junior sister had tragically died three years prior. Rather than saying he let go of hatred, it was more like he used such a method to numb himself.

Deep down, he knew he had no right to resent Jiang Feng. The fall of the Fan Yin Sect to such a state was partly due to his junior sister's momentary lapse in judgment, partly due to his own greed, and partly due to the sect being a mix of different sorts, with varying qualities, which eventually led to great disaster.

It's just that he was unwilling and in his heart, always unwilling to face reality, unwilling to acknowledge the mistakes of his junior brothers and sisters, so he had been using hatred to numb himself. But now, completely defeated by Jiang Feng, he instead felt relieved.

Because he will never catch up to him in this lifetime.

After years of hard cultivation, even at the expense of breaking the boundaries and resorting to evil techniques, turning himself into this half-human, half-ghost state, facing Jiang Feng again, he was still not his opponent. The gap with Jiang Feng not only did not shorten but widened further this time. Now, in retrospect, he was nothing more than a complete joke.

Walking along the mountain path in the pouring rain, he didn't even know himself where he was heading. The sky was already densely overcast, thunder rumbling, torrential rain blinding his sight. Yet in this extremely chaotic situation, he seemed to hear a cry for help.

"Ah!!!"

It seemed like a woman's scream.

He immediately lifted his head, brow furrowed, the confusion on his face instantly disappeared. Even though his Divine Soul was damaged, he still endeavored to sense the changes in his environment. He had already been around Qingshui County for several months, and this mountain path was the only road from the state capital to Qingshui County, so bandits often lay in wait here.

The heavy rain poured down, and since this was a border area, it became a governmental no man's land. Hearing that faint sound, he immediately rushed towards it, as this instinct had been ingrained in him through decades of cultivation.

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