Chapter 1217: Tear Mark Relic
After Ye Mo changed the first formation flag, he grasped the formation's framework. The rest proved easy. Within a day, he’d altered all the outer flags of the illusion formation, though a few key flags remained untouched. During this time, he kept Shadowless from hunting, ignoring the soul-calling voice. Occasional spirit sense strikes thwarted its influence, allowing him to concentrate on preparing his escape route—his priority.
He now understood the oval shape of the place, its center coinciding with the formation's core. He deduced that the formation's controller would be there. After a day, he wasn't sure if the cultivator knew of his presence, but the lack of response to his alterations suggested otherwise; the cultivator might be unaware or already gone.
Ye Mo proceeded toward the center, preparing more formation flags. He planned to control the entire formation once he reached its heart.
Two hours later, he entered the Lost Soul Ruins' central region, where the grey mist thickened. Despite Shadowless's intimidating presence, the mist surged upon sensing Ye Mo's approach. He allowed Shadowless to feed freely, but more black figures emerged, most eyeless. Both figures and mist, sensing a threat, attacked.
The black figure calling, "Where's my soul?" drifted closer. Ye Mo felt his consciousness heavy, so he burned essence blood, using Purple Eye Soul Sever, and urged Shadowless to act quickly. Shadowless, sensing his master’s concern, let out a sharp shriek. Black figures and grey mist were sucked in effortlessly.
Relieved but shocked, Ye Mo knew these figures were attacking independently. Under external control, he would've been overwhelmed. He chewed a Bitter Bamboo leaf, clearing his spirit sense and weakening the voice's call.
Rejoicing, he summoned Mist Lotus Heart Fire to aid Shadowless. However, it only repelled the figures; it was ineffective against the mist, burning it too slowly. The fire, he realized, was too low-level.
With Shadowless on a rampage, Ye Mo retracted the fire and examined the area. The figure calling "Where's my soul?" differed from the others. It was a living human, eyes vacant, murmuring, "Where's my soul?"
Remembering Teng Yi's legend, Ye Mo felt a profound unease, believing the story to be largely true. This soulless man was likely Feng Xi. He realized the man wasn’t saying "Where is my soul?" but rather, "Where is my Hun?"—a subtle but important distinction in pronunciation.
Sympathy stirred within Ye Mo. Feng Xi was a tragic figure. But then he noticed something disturbing. When weak, the black figures entered Feng Xi's body to feed, emerging afterward with greatly increased speed. Feng Xi was being used as a mobile soul-nourishing vessel. Only his soul, having willingly departed, made his body suitable for this purpose.
Those souls, using Feng Xi as a host, exploited his calls to steal the souls of other cultivators entering the mist. The cruelty of it appalled Ye Mo; Feng Xi's body had been violated for countless years.
Ye Mo deployed more formation flags, trapping Feng Xi and allowing Shadowless to focus on the souls attached to him. Shadowless immediately attacked. Several black figures were devoured, but a nearly solid black figure tried to escape Feng Xi's body. Shadowless, energized by this, pursued and devoured it. The surrounding shadows retreated in fear, the grey mist dissipating.
Seeing Shadowless weakened, Ye Mo ordered it not to sleep until they left. Shadowless grumbled in response but remained on his shoulder. The lack of intervention after Shadowless's massacre indicated the owner's absence.
Reassured, Ye Mo turned to Feng Xi. Abandoning him meant certain re-possession by the shadows. He fed Feng Xi a Spirit Recovery Pill, unsure of its efficacy after so much time. Feng Xi's expression softened slightly. Ye Mo administered two more.
After a time, Feng Xi's eyes regained some light. He glanced at the terrified shadows, and then blood tears streamed down his face. "Hun er is gone... I'm going too. Thank you, friend..." A flame engulfed him, and he vanished, leaving behind a longan-sized relic.
The relic, round and pearl-like, bore two dark red markings. Ye Mo felt sorrow. The Spirit Recovery Pill only awakened Feng Xi's instincts; his soul was gone. This relic was the essence of his life's cultivation, a parting gift for his liberation. Ye Mo secured it in a jade box, preventing Shadowless from consuming it.
Following Feng Xi's disappearance, the mist swirled, the black figures agitated. Ye Mo moved several hundred meters forward to a dried-up lake, the heart of the Lost Soul Ruins. He deployed more formation flags, revealing a hidden door.
Entering, a torrent of spirit chi flooded his mind. The density suggested multiple top-grade spirit veins. An enraged voice boomed, "Insect! You dare ruin my plans? You'll be my next soul jar!"
Ye Mo understood—Feng Xi had been the previous vessel. He deployed more flags, breaking another stealth formation, revealing a shocking scene, finally explaining the owner’s inaction during his earlier disturbances.