Soul Emperor Awakening

"So you are Senior Qing Liuyun. Your reputation in the outside world is quite renowned. It’s just a shame that now..." Lin Xuan sighed deeply. Qing Liuyun was a man of excellent character who cared for his disciples and was highly respected in Qingcheng Mansion. Otherwise, he never would have been designated the next Mansion Master.

It was a shame he died so young; otherwise, his reputation would have soared even higher. It had been at least three or four years since he vanished, meaning only a few years had passed since his death—not a particularly long time.

"Qing Yunfeng!" Qing Liuyun roared. "It was all his doing! Who would have thought he’d plot against me? If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have ended up like this! To think he was so consumed by greed, harming his own sect members with such insidious and cunning methods. He hid it for so many years that even I couldn’t see through him..."

Lin Xuan was startled, but he immediately understood what had happened. This Qing Yunfeng was the Second Elder of Qingcheng Mansion. His Cultivation was about the same as Qing Liuyun’s, but his talent was inferior. He was both younger and less talented, so it was impossible for the Mansion Master to let him take the position.

One could only say that the temptation of the Mansion Master’s position drove Qing Yunfeng to murder. If Qing Liuyun had truly become the Mansion Master, Qing Yunfeng likely would have never had a chance in his lifetime.

Qing Liuyun’s death was a huge loss for Qingcheng Mansion. But no matter how devastating the loss, it was irrelevant to Qing Yunfeng. All he wanted was to become the Mansion Master!

"Go quickly and tell Yiyi the cause of my death! It was all Qing Yunfeng’s doing!" Qing Liuyun suddenly remembered that Lin Xuan could see him and swiftly drifted over to speak.

Lin Xuan spread his hands helplessly. "Even though I don’t know who this Yiyi is, I assume she was very close to you and has a high Cultivation—probably Inner Hall Level or even a Core Disciple... I haven’t even passed the assessment. I’m not even a disciple yet. How could I possibly tell her? And besides, who would believe me?"

’A stream of problems came to mind. He was the only one who could see Qing Liuyun. If he suddenly rushed out and claimed that Qing Yunfeng had killed Qing Liuyun, everyone would look at him like he was an idiot and accuse him of slander. And if he attracted Qing Yunfeng’s attention, he would undoubtedly end up dead without a complete corpse. With his pitifully weak Cultivation, it would be suicide!’

Qing Liuyun was taken aback but quickly calmed down. Thinking about it, he realized Lin Xuan was right. The Yiyi he mentioned was his daughter, Qing Yiyi, but how could they explain it to her in a way she would believe?

’Even if he recounted things from her past, Qing Yiyi would most likely just think Lin Xuan was some kind of creep who collected information on her. He’d either get thrown out or beaten half to death.’

’Of course, the biggest problem is just getting to see Qing Yiyi in the first place. He’d have to reach the Inner Hall Level. Otherwise, he could scream his lungs out, and she wouldn’t pay him any mind.’

"This is... rather difficult... It’s a shame I can’t leave this place. Otherwise, I would have gone to check on the situation myself long ago!" Qing Liuyun’s heart burned with anxiety. Now that someone finally knew the truth, he could not let the position of Qingcheng Mansion’s Master fall into Qing Yunfeng’s hands.

’He’d even murder his own sect brothers. I can only imagine what he’ll do in the future. But at least Qing Yunfeng isn’t the Mansion Master yet. If he were, things would be truly troublesome.’

Seeing Qing Liuyun’s anxious expression, Lin Xuan fell silent for a moment before saying, "I want to give something a try. I’m not sure if it’ll work, though."

"Try what?" Qing Liuyun asked, confused.

"Then come inside!" Lin Xuan manipulated the Soul Pearl, and before Qing Liuyun could even react, he had been pulled inside.

Without explaining, Lin Xuan took a stone from his Storage Pouch and began carving it in Qing Liuyun’s likeness. Qing Liuyun didn’t know what was happening, but he remained silent, wanting to see what Lin Xuan was up to.

An Hour later, Lin Xuan finished carving the stone statue. It looked exactly like Qing Liuyun, and the carving was remarkably lifelike.

Lin Xuan stood up, very satisfied with the statue. His expression then turned solemn as he activated the Soul Pearl in his body. Qing Liuyun’s soul was immediately enveloped in a layer of light.

"Go!"

Lin Xuan tossed the statue forward, and Qing Liuyun’s soul immediately merged into it. But the result was vastly different from what he had expected... Qing Liuyun didn’t appear. Instead, the statue just fell to the ground, a few of its corners chipping off on impact.

"What’s going on?" Lin Xuan was stunned. Qing Liuyun felt the same.

’Could it be that a conscious soul can’t enter the statue?’ Lin Xuan fell silent.

His original plan was to see if Qing Liuyun could possess the statue. That way, he could go and explain things himself. With his original appearance, he would have easily gained their trust. As for his low Cultivation, finding an excuse wouldn’t have been difficult.

Beyond that, there was the matter of the Soul Pearl’s secret, but he wasn’t worried about that at all. The Soul Pearl could control everything. If he wanted Qing Liuyun to return, he could make him return. He could control his every action.

Unfortunately, the plan had failed. It seemed only a soul without consciousness could merge with the statue.

"What was all that? Can you tell me?" Qing Liuyun asked, then paused and added, "Of course, you can choose not to. I understand that this place is definitely an extraordinary item, a top-tier treasure of some kind. Everyone has their secrets."

"It is indeed a secret..."

Lin Xuan didn’t elaborate. There was no point in explaining it. Even if Qing Liuyun couldn’t tell anyone, he still didn’t feel like sharing.

"Regardless, you’re right not to let anyone know this secret. I can feel it—this treasure is absolutely Heaven-Defying!" Qing Liuyun couldn’t help but let out a curse. "But throughout this whole process, you relied mostly on your own abilities. You did very well in that regard. Entrusting the Cyan Cloud Step, a Celestial Level Martial Art, to you means it definitely won’t be wasted!"

"Thank you for the praise, Senior," Lin Xuan said with a smile. "Right now, it would be difficult to convince anyone. My plan is to gradually earn Miss Yi Yi’s trust. At the same time, I’ll reveal some secrets that only you would know. Even if Miss Yi Yi doesn’t believe you’re still alive, she might at least believe that I’m your disciple or something similar. That would make things much easier."

"That’s an excellent idea! Why didn’t I think of that just now?" Qing Liuyun’s eyes lit up. It was indeed a very good method. Who would believe someone who just suddenly appeared and claimed their father’s murderer was Qing Yunfeng?

Especially since Qing Yunfeng had hidden himself so well. No one knew he was such a depraved and maniacal person.

"But before that, I should head out first, complete the Seventh Layer’s assessment. Getting into the Inner Hall shouldn’t be a problem. We can make plans after that." Lin Xuan took out his Token and was about to crush it to leave when Qing Liuyun stopped him.

"Aren’t you going to learn the Cyan Cloud Step?" Qing Liuyun said.

"With you here, Senior, why would I need to worry about that?" Lin Xuan said with a faint smile.

Qing Liuyun was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. "That’s right! I almost forgot! This time, I can finally leave this damn place!"

With Qing Liuyun’s Soul Possession, he could learn at lightning speed. He wouldn’t need to comprehend this Stone Stele at all—not unless he were without Qing Liuyun’s soul.