Immortal Taoist

Senior Sister Liu walked toward the site where Meng Lin's body had been obliterated by the explosion, her steps heavy and her thoughts a mix.

She couldn't understand how Meng Lin would just blow herself up like, not unless she had something to rely on, because no cultivator would willingly do that unless they had been through thousands of years of experience, and this Junior Sister of hers seemed inexperienced in that regard.

This led her to think that there had to be something else at play, and so she had to investigate. As she neared the edge of the crater, her eyes were suddenly drawn to a pristine white robe lying on the ground.

Despite its torn fabric, the robe pulsed with intense energy, absorbing the surrounding qi to mend its fabric.

"What is this?" Senior Sister Liu muttered, her voice tinged with curious suspicion. She had seen many items and weapons in her time, and this robe—its aura reminded her of one of the primal lotuses.

“Could this be crafted from something related to the Immortal Lotus? For it to endure such a massive explosion and remain intact?” Senior Sister Liu’s mind reeled with the implications; she couldn't help but reevaluate this Junior Sister Meng.

Suddenly, the air shifted with an unsettling tremor, and from where Meng Lin's soul had exploded, a mysterious figure emerged from nowhere.

The figure was an old woman with silver hair that fell to her shoulders like a waterfall. She was wrapped in a mystical robe that seemed to bend the space around her. Her eyes, deep and weary, looked into the sky with a mixture of sadness and worry. 

Without a word, the old woman turned her gaze to Senior Sister Liu. Her presence exuded immense power that seemed to warp the space around her.

“Who—” Senior Sister Liu started, but her question was cut short as the old woman raised a finger.

“I hate those who betray their own kind,” the old woman’s voice was soft, but it carried a weight that seemed to press down on the very air. 

Before Senior Sister Liu could react, the old woman's raised finger released a wave of energy that surged forth, her voice resonating with ancient power. “Although it's a waste, I only eliminate you because you have seen me. Vanish!”

A mystical beam of light shot from her outstretched finger, striking Senior Sister Liu directly. The force of the attack was so intense that Senior Sister Liu's form was obliterated instantly, her scream echoing through the crater before fading into silence.

"Oh, quite the interesting physique she has," the old woman commented on the obliterated figure as she held a knowing smile.

She shook her head and turned to the sky again, her face etched with concern. Her eyes narrowed, seemingly worried about something.

In that moment, a small amulet materialized in the air before her. The old woman’s eyes flashed with recognition. Without hesitation, she moved toward the amulet, and a sphere of light coalesced around her. 

As the sphere formed, it began to pulse gently, casting a warm glow as her form turned into a small ball of light that shot into the amulet.

Within moments, the amulet was enveloped in the ball of light, its figure vanishing, replaced by the sudden appearance of the destroyed core that surrounded Meng Lin's soul.

****

Far across the continent, at the borders of the God Blood Sea, an old man, Father Emperor, held a stern and weathered expression as he floated in the sky, his eyes a shade of mystical colors as he looked into the sea, seemingly gazing through it.

Above the God Blood Sea was a storm of intensely churning clouds and crackling lightning, a sign of the large amount of energy that thrummed through the air. Father Emperor exuded an oppressive force that focused on the sea.

As his mystical-colored eyes scanned the tumultuous God Blood Sea, his expression shifted momentarily, revealing a flicker of concern as he noticed an intricate weave of elemental energies converging somewhere within the sea’s depths.

With a swift motion, he extended his hand, and the clouds and blood water parted, revealing an intricate array of ancient formations 30 miles in length, glowing faintly beneath the surface.

“So that's where you hid,” Father Emperor murmured, his voice a low rumble that resonated with ancient power. “The Eclipse Serpent Formation, why is something like this here?"

Father Emperor's gaze narrowed as he took in the sight of the Eclipse Serpent Formation, its complex patterns of light and shadow swirling in enigmatic patterns beneath the sea's surface. The formation seemed to pulse with a life of its own, drawing on the raw energy of the sea to maintain its integrity.

"I wonder if..." Suddenly, a fluctuation in the air caught Father Emperor’s attention.

Father Emperor’s eyes sharpened as he detected a significant fluctuation of primal energy in the air, signaling a powerful presence comparable to his own.

His gaze shifted from the Eclipse Serpent Formation to the source of the disturbance further into the continent, and his mystical eyes revealed an ethereal, shifting light that pierced through space to show him the location of the fluctuation. 

Without further hesitation, Father Emperor's form dissolved into a swirl of energies, merging seamlessly with the air as he moved toward the fluctuation. 

****

Meng Lin felt a jolt in her consciousness as she experienced a pulsating feeling in her mind; her awareness sharpened as she strained to understand it.

It felt familiar—like the beating of a heart. It was faint, far away, yet with each pulse, it grew louder and stronger, as if pulling her toward something.

Then came the pain.

It was slow at first, like a dull ache, but it quickly escalated into something fierce, something raw. Her chest felt tight, her limbs heavy, her very soul stretched and twisted by invisible hands. And then, like a rush of cold water, she felt it—her soul.

Her senses exploded all at once, an overwhelming flood of sensation. She gasped, her lungs burning as air filled them, her body jolting awake as if dragged from the brink of death. 

She could feel again—the weight of her body, the earth beneath her back and the heat of the sun above her, the sound of her own breath were ragged and heavy in her ears and her eyelids trembled.

Her eyes fluttered open, blinding light pouring in from above. It took a moment for her vision to clear, but as it did, she saw the clear sky, the faint glow of the sun flickering overhead. 

Realization hit her like a shockwave, leaving her disoriented. The last thing she remembered was Senior Sister Liu's golden hand, the tightening grip on her throat, the sensation of her soul being ripped from her dantian; she should be gone, yet here she was, lying on the cold ground, her body aching but whole.

Forcing herself to sit up, Meng Lin took in her surroundings. She was in the middle of a desolate field, the jagged remnants of a battle scattered around her. 

The earth was scorched, torn apart by powerful forces, scores of dust and debris standing like eerie monuments, and the remnants of her qi still clung faintly to the air, dissipating slowly.

Her hand instinctively reached for her stomach, experiencing the cool sensation of her touch on her Dantian. The spot where Senior Sister Liu had struck felt hollow, a strange emptiness there, but now she could feel her soul.

Faint, flickering, but present. Her spiritual energy was weak, barely a whisper compared to what it had been, but it hadn’t been destroyed. It seemed that the Soul Bound Amulet of Resurrection had protected her.

Meng Lin closed her eyes, focusing inward, trying to sense the flow of her Qi in her dantian. To her surprise, she felt a strange energy within her soul, the same foreign energy she had controlled when she had suddenly exploded her soul.

Soul energy, it was entwined with her soul, and next to it, she felt a small foreign consciousness that was ancient, heavy, and pulsating with power. It wasn’t hers.

Then, a voice echoed in her mind.

"You should have died."

Meng Lin’s eyes snapped open, her heart racing. She wasn’t startled, though; she knew this voice.

“Master?” she whispered into the silence, her breath catching in her throat.

It was the voice of Li Ya, her master. "You pushed yourself too far," Li Ya's voice resonated in her mind, calm and regal. "But you are alive, for now."

Meng Lin’s chest tightened at memories of her interaction with her elderly master. “Master, why are you in my soul core?" 

A soft sigh echoed in her consciousness. "It was the only place I could be to avoid detection from others, although now I wouldn't be so sure." 

"What do you mean?" 

Li Ya's voice came through, filled with an undercurrent of urgency. "My disciple, my primal energy fluctuation was revealed when your soul core was breached. Anyone in the Ascension Realm and above could sense it. We need to be cautious; there are powerful beings aware of my presence now."

Meng Lin's mind raced with the implications. "What should I do now?"

"Do not worry. Now that I am back in your soul core, it will be impossible for anyone to detect me, unless they delve into your soul core, which would be the same as attacking you," Li Ya said. "However, we are not out of danger yet. For now, you should just find a place to recuperate."

"Um, Master, have you been watching me all this time?" Meng Lin asked, a note of worry in her voice.

Li Ya’s tone softened, though it still carried an air of gravity. "Not exactly. The technique I used to hide my presence causes me to enter a dormant state within your soul core. I only awaken when your life is in severe danger. I do not see everything that you experience; otherwise, I would have been easily able to warn you about that Senior Sister of yours."

Meng Lin's concern deepened. "Then you didn't see everything that happened?"

Li Ya’s response was calm but firm. "I sense the critical moments, but my awareness is limited."

Meng Lin took a deep breath, feeling a mix of relief and understanding. She looked around at the desolate field, the remnants of the battle, and the scattered debris. 

A gust of wind blew by, and Meng Lin suddenly realized that she wasn't wearing anything; her body had been obliterated in the explosion, so she was resurrected in flesh only. A flush of embarrassment colored her cheeks as she quickly looked around for something to cover herself.

Then, she quickly released her spiritual consciousness, scanning the area and making sure there were no witnesses. Within her spiritual consciousness, she quickly found her Immortal Lotus Robe; she spotted it at the edge of the crater, still pulsating with energy, slowly repairing itself.

She rose to her feet, wincing as her sore muscles protested the movement, and made her way over to the robe. As she picked it up, she felt the immense power contained within it, like a reservoir of energy waiting to be tapped. 

She quickly used her Qi to tidy herself up before bringing out some undergarments from her inventory and wearing everything, with the comforting robe supplying her with Qi as it wrapped around her.

With the important matter addressed, Meng Lin looked through her spiritual consciousness, noticing how even the Peak Rank 4 beast had disappeared, presumably due to the explosion of her soul.

She also noticed a pond a few hundred meters away, the same pond she had seen amidst her battle with the Peak Rank 4 beast.

Although the energy within the pond seemed to have diminished by half since then, she still recognized the large amount of Elemental Qi held within.

After slowly walking toward the pond for a few minutes, Meng Lin arrived at the pond to the sensation of two different elemental energies in the air.

The air around the pond shimmered with power, the mingling of Gold and Fire creating a radiant heat that pulsed against her skin.

Standing at the edge of the pond, Meng Lin extended her hand, feeling the waves of qi emanating from the surface. The elemental energies were potent yet stable. She could sense their inherent conflict, the sharpness of Gold clashing with the wild, consuming nature of Fire. But even so, they held a delicate balance.

After giving instructions to the crimson tortoise dragon, Meng Lin sat cross-legged, closing her eyes and allowing herself to slip into a meditative state.

Her breath steadied as she focused inward, letting the remnants of her qi circulate through her body. Slowly, she extended her spiritual consciousness toward the pond, scanning for anything before extending her qi into the pond.

The moment her qi touched the water, a surge of energy rushed toward her, intense and overwhelming. Her body tensed, but she quickly adjusted, letting the Elemental Qi flow into her. The Gold energy was more intense, while the Fire was controlled as it touched her qi, recognizing the fire elemental qi within her.

Meng Lin had not been in that position for long when she felt a small tremor run through the ground, and the water of the pond rippled as if disturbed by an unseen force. Meng Lin’s eyes snapped open, her senses alert. The tremor was faint but persistent, hinting at a larger disturbance.

Rumble!!

Suddenly the tremors intensified, and Meng Lin felt the whole ground shaking as if an earthquake was affecting the entire realm.

She quickly rose and looked toward the sky, where she saw five colossal pillars of several dozen miles stretching out from a fractured space in the sky, blocking out the sun.

Crack!!

Meng Lin's eyes widened in pure shock and terror as the five pillars of several dozen miles slowly began to bend, their massive forms taking on the shape of five colossal fingers that seemed to be ripping apart the sky.