Everlasting Immortal Firmament - Book 08 Chapter 042
Book 08 Chapter 042: Hungry Ghost Path of Reincarnation
The Unborn Man suddenly spoke up. “Your Reverence, this official might know why Bing Ji lost her memories.”
“Oh?” Gu Hai’s eyes sparkled with interest, and everyone turned their attention to the Unborn Man.
“This official observed Bing Ji closely earlier. She seemed to be missing her spiritual souls, retaining her mortal soul at most. Both her heavenly soul and earthly soul were absent,” the Unborn Man said seriously.
“What? Her heavenly soul and earthly soul are not in her body?” Kong Xuan exclaimed in surprise.
“How could this be done? Bing Ji looked fine, except for her memory loss!” Long Wanyu chimed in, equally surprised.
“Missing two spiritual souls? How could there be such a thing? According to the recent battle in Xuanyuan City, she has also reached the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm. Without a heavenly soul, how could she…?” the Mosquito Daoist exclaimed in shock.
The Unborn Man clarified, “Bing Ji’s strength doesn’t come from her cultivation but from her physical body and physical souls. Cangjie might have used a lifespan Dao secret technique to strengthen Bing Ji’s physical souls. Strong physical souls give great strength but not as much as the spiritual souls.”
“A lifespan Dao secret technique?” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Yes, Bing Ji’s heavenly and earthly souls aren’t in her body. She only has her mortal soul, which locks in the physical souls. As the saying goes, if all three spiritual souls are lost, the seven physical souls will scatter. However, with even one spiritual soul present, the seven physical souls will gather together,” the Unborn Man elaborated.
Gu Hai frowned. “If the mortal soul is inside, why did she lose her memory?”
“Cangjie probably used a lifespan Dao method to seal the mortal soul’s memories. Furthermore, memories of loyalty to Cangjie were also inserted, so…,” the Unborn Man explained.
“There’s such a method? The lifespan Dao is truly bizarre,” the Mosquito Daoist said in shock.
Everyone was astounded and began discussing this revelation.
Bang!
Gu Hai slammed his palm on the table.
The study instantly fell silent as everyone looked at Gu Hai.
“Ji Dihong? Cangjie? Excellent! Excellent! How very excellent! We were wondering why you were so kind as to return Bing Ji. So, you’re behind Bing Ji’s missing heavenly and earthly souls?” Gu Hai said with a sullen expression.
“Your Reverence, is Ji Dihong using Bing Ji to threaten us?” Kong Xuan suggested with an ugly face.
The Mosquito Daoist added angrily, “What’s this talk of two nations getting along? Is this some kind of jest? Or do they want to negotiate something with Your Reverence, using her as leverage?”
Gu Hai solemnly asked the Unborn Man, “Is everything you said earlier certain?”
“This official speaks the truth. However, Cangjie’s skill in lifespan cultivation seems greater than mine. What he did to strengthen Bing Ji’s physical souls to this extent, almost equal to the peak of the three spiritual souls, is beyond me,” the Unborn Man said with awe.
“You shouldn’t belittle yourself. Recognizing Bing Ji’s condition has helped us greatly,” Gu Hai sighed.
“That is this official’s duty. I don’t know the strength of the seal Cangjie placed on Bing Ji’s memory. However, I have a Lifespan Spiritual Soul Pill that might temporarily break the seal.” The Unborn Man took out a small box.
“Oh? It can unseal her memories?” Gu Hai said in shock.
“Not completely unseal, just temporarily. That is to say, it will allow her to recover some of her memories for a while,” the Unborn Man said respectfully.
“Just a while is enough. We will find a way to rescue Bing Ji during the time she recovers her memories. Unborn Man, many thanks,” Gu Hai suddenly said solemnly.
“There’s no need for such formality, Your Reverence. It’s my duty.” The Unborn Man promptly handed over the Lifespan Spiritual Soul Pill, then stepped aside.
Gu Hai cradled the pill, a hint of anticipation gleaming in his eyes.
——
Bing Ji’s palace hall within the Huang Nation envoys’ residence, Borderless Heavenly Capital:
Bing Ji locked herself away in the palace hall after leaving Soaring Palace Hall. Inside, she brought out vast amounts of natural treasures and used blood to draw a ritual array on the ground.
After an entire day and night of work, blood-red talisman scripts filled every corner of the hall. They combined with the natural treasures to form a ritual array.
“Activate!” Bing Ji extended her hand and activated the ritual array.
Buzz!
Suddenly, the ritual array flared with light and just as quickly vanished as if it had never existed. The hall grew eerily dark, seeming to swallow all the light.
Once everything was in place, Bing Ji slowly opened the main doors.
Creak!
Perhaps due to exhaustion from the ritual, Bing Ji’s face was pale, yet she remained expressionless. She calmly approached an official from the ministry of rites, who had thought he was merely there on guard duty and had not expected Bing Ji’s visit.
Startled, the official greeted her with reverence, “Ah, Huang Nation…no, Corps Commander Bing Ji!”
Bing Ji slowly took out a comb and handed it to that ministry of rites official before saying, “Go tell Gu Hai I will be waiting for him in my room tonight.”
With that, she placed the comb in his hands, returned to her palace hall, and closed the doors behind her, leaving behind a stunned official.
The official gaped as he held the comb, finding this strange. What’s going on?
Tell Gu Hai? I’m just a low-ranking official without the privilege of attending the imperial assembly. Why would you ask me to find His Reverence directly?
Also, you want His Reverence to go to your room late at night? Could this be a secret rendezvous? Did I hear right?
That official shook off his bewilderment, not daring to overthink this, and immediately went to report to his superiors.
His stunned superiors promptly reported it to their superiors.
While the low-level officials did not know about the situation between Gu Hai and Bing Ji, some senior officials understood the nuance of their relationship. Naturally, they feigned ignorance while quickly reporting this to Gu Hai.
It was not long before the comb found its way to Gu Hai.
“Husband, this is the comb you gave Younger Sister Bing Ji, right?” Chen Xianer teased.
Gu Hai nodded, his face showing a mix of distraction and concern, mostly concern.
Did Ji Dihong send Bing Ji as a show of power? Or does he want something in exchange for her two spiritual souls?
With Bing Ji’s memory loss, why could she produce the comb and ask for a late-night visit?
Gu Hai felt something was amiss.
Chen Xianer whispered, “Perhaps you should meet her, Husband. You have about four hours or so left.”
“Indeed. Husband, you just have to clarify with Bing Ji whether she remembers you to know.” Long Wanqing voiced her concerns as well.
Gu Hai nodded. “Alright.”
He had been looking for an opportunity to give Bing Ji the Lifespan Spiritual Soul Pill, and now seemed the perfect time. Regardless of what Xianer and Wanqing suggested, he intended to discuss matters with Bing Ji.
Gu Hai arrived at Bing Ji’s hall before the appointed hour.
Many Han Nation guards patrolled the envoy’s palace, especially after dark.
“Who’s there?!” a guard demanded while glaring.
A black-robed man stood right outside Bing Ji’s palace hall.
Is someone barging into this restricted area?
Smack!
That guard was about to shout again when a slap landed on his head.
“Captain, why did you hit me? There’s an assassin—” that guard protested furiously.
“Assassin, my ass! Do you see who is that?” The guard captain glared at him.
“That’s not an assa… Ah! Yes! It’s His Reverence!” that guard exclaimed in astonishment.
The guards goggled, unable to understand why the emperor would appear outside Bing Ji’s palace hall. Was this a secret affair?
The guard who almost raised the alarm clamped his mouth shut, silencing himself.
“Patrol elsewhere!” ordered the guard captain.
The guards quickly nodded. Although burning with curiosity, none dared to disturb Gu Hai’s activities. They dispersed, leaving him undisturbed and keeping a lookout for him.
Gu Hai held the Lifespan Spiritual Soul Pill, his eyes shimmering with determination.
Although he had misgivings about Bing Ji’s late-night invitation, his affection for her overcame his caution. He deeply empathized with her plight and wished he could immediately give her the Lifespan Spiritual Soul Pill.
Knock! Knock! Knock! Gu Hai knocked on the door.
Creak!
Suddenly, the doors opened a crack.
Peering inside, he saw only shadows, with a figure of a woman in white dimly visible, standing in the center of the hall with her back facing him.
It was none other than Bing Ji.
At the sight of her frail form, Gu Hai’s heart ached.
“Bing Ji?” he called out softly.
She slowly turned to face him, tears streaking down her cheeks.
“Bing Ji salutes Your Reverence,” she said, bowing deeply amid her tears.
That gesture reminded Gu Hai of the Bing Ji he once knew. Overwhelmed by emotion, he stepped inside without hesitation.
Although he sensed something amiss with Bing Ji, he approached her. Since he had already stepped in, there was no point in going back out.
Sinister Ghost Energy spread out in the palace hall. Now, Gu Hai sensed the problem.
Drawn by his deep affection for Bing Ji and confident in his own strength, Gu Hai walked up to Bing Ji cautiously.
“Do you still recognize us, Bing Ji?” Gu Hai asked, helping her up gently.
“Bing Ji dares not meet your gaze. This time, I returned to take you somewhere.” Bing Ji’s tearful expression shifted suddenly into a smile.
That smile struck Gu Hai as wrong. His expression changed as he became certain that Bing Ji had laid a trap for him.
However, Gu Hai did not get angry. Instead, he pushed the Lifespan Spiritual Soul Pill into Bing Ji’s mouth.
“Huh?” Bing Ji goggled.
However, the ritual array in the hall took effect just then.
Darkness engulfed the hall, and a surge of black energy blasted from the cracks of the door.
Boom!
A loud sound rang out, and the entire Borderless Heavenly Capital shook.
“What’s happening?” countless guards outside cried out in shock.
——
In the nether realm, on Myriad Bone Sinister Mountain, the skeleton Gu Hai’s face turned grave.
“Unborn Man, open the gateway between the nether realm and the land of the living! We need to go to the land of the living!” the skeleton Gu Hai suddenly called out.
The skeleton Gu Hai crushed a jade talisman in his hand, sending the message to the Unborn Man. At the same time, he flew to the location corresponding to the Unborn Man’s position in the land of the living.
The Unborn Man heard the skeleton Gu Hai’s voice and immediately opened the passageway between the land of the living and the nether realm. Then he saw the skeleton Gu Hai step out anxiously.
“Your Reverence, what happened?” the Unborn Man asked in shock.
However, the skeleton Gu Hai rushed straight to Bing Ji’s palace hall.
“What happened?” Chen Xianer, Long Wanqing, and Long Wanyu strode out of the emperor’s bedchamber.
Many officials rushed towards Bing Ji’s residence.
Bang!
The skeleton Gu Hai kicked open the doors to Bing Ji’s palace hall.
However, Gu Hai’s true body and Bing Ji had already vanished, leaving only surging black Ghost Energy.
“Where are they?” the skeleton Gu Hai exclaimed in shock and rage.
“Husband, what happened? Where’s Bing Ji?” Chen Xianer asked in shock.
“Husband, can’t you sense your true body? Where are they now?” Long Wanqing likewise asked anxiously.
“I can’t sense my true body!” the skeleton Gu Hai replied sullenly.
“That’s impossible. Did they enter the void? That can’t be!” Long Wanyu protested in shock.
The officials rushed over.
However, the Unborn Man was busy checking the black Ghost Energy.
“This is…Hungry Ghost Energy?” Long Wanyu’s eyes lit up as she looked at the black energy spreading through the palace hall.
The Unborn Man waved his hand. The talisman scripts of the ritual array Bing Ji had laid appeared slowly on the ground. However, most of them had already been destroyed.
“The hungry ghost path of reincarnation? Your Reverence, Bing Ji dragged your true body into the hungry ghost path of reincarnation!” the Unborn Man said in shock.
“The hungry ghost path of reincarnation?” Long Wanyu’s expression changed.
