The Phantom Lamp and a Bitter Reunion

As He Suosi walked alone through the Guangyu Immortal Sect, he casually lit a lamp. Its base was carved from a block of jet-black wood, capped with a layer of silver metal. The flame flickered eerily, casting a faint blue luminescence.

After igniting the ghostly blue light, a hurried attendant, clad in tight-fitting attire, approached him. Upon seeing He Suosi, the attendant exclaimed, “What time is it? Why are you still here?”

He Suosi’s gaze was dark, deep, and tranquil. “The Immortal Monarch asked me to return for something.”

To his surprise, the attendant believed him without a hint of doubt. “Oh, then hurry!” With that, they stepped aside, allowing He Suosi to pass before departing themselves.

He Suosi whistled inwardly. ‘It seems that even with a different body, my skills are as sharp as ever.’

When He Suosi was still a young cultivator, he often jokingly referred to himself as a craftsman. This was because he had initially followed a master artificer, and later acquired a compendium of various curses. His expertise in curses quickly drew the attention of a tomb-robbing syndicate, transforming him into an expert in their field. Along the way, he also picked up the art of Feng Shui.

Thus, he began to venture into the jianghu alone, relying on his formidable skills in trickery and deception to carve out his initial path.

This Ensnaring Immortal Phantom Lamp was his signature technique from his youth. Although it was a single-use item, for two hours after being lit, anyone would perceive him as a trusted acquaintance. If their spiritual power was inferior to his, they would not question a single word he uttered. It was truly an essential item for both travel and pilfering.

He Suosi, however, did not immediately head to the ice cellar where his body was kept. Instead, he made his way to Wang Zhongge’s courtyard.

He could have simply taken Wang Zhongge with him, but that would have meant she would see his body stored by Yuan Zhigong. Concerned she might overthink things, He Suosi decided it was better to leave her there for now. Indeed, as long as she possessed sufficient self-preservation capabilities, the Guangyu Immortal Sect remained the safest place.

Stepping into the courtyard, he found it remarkably calm. The maidservants showed no signs of panic, and upon seeing him, they all bowed in greeting.

Wang Zhongge had been lounging languidly on a couch. She had heard about the Luo Men Sect’s invasion but didn’t consider it a major issue, as such events were not unprecedented. However, a subtle sense of unease settled upon her when she saw “Pei Nishang” approaching her. She dismissed the maidservants from the room, closed the door, and frowned. “Does this invasion have something to do with you?”

Given the urgency of the situation, He Suosi offered no elaborate explanations. He simply retrieved a scroll-like artifact from his storage bag.

“This is the Plain-Colored Departing Map. If even the inner residence falls, you can use it to escape. As soon as someone channels Qi into it, it will teleport them away.”

“If the attack reaches here, it means the Guangyu Immortal Sect’s grand protective array has been breached and not timely repaired. Nothing will stop you from leaving then—though that’s highly unlikely.”

As he spoke, he placed the scroll into Wang Zhongge’s arms. She refused to take it, even turning away to avoid his touch. She looked at He Suosi, her eyes brimming with tears. “Why won’t you just take me with you?”

He Suosi was rendered speechless. Seeing the heartbroken look on Wang Zhongge’s face, and her seemingly endless sorrow, he simply placed the scroll on a nearby table.

“I have my reasons, Zhongge. Actually, you don’t need to…” Mid-sentence, He Suosi realized this was hardly the time for such a conversation. He sighed, turned, opened the door, and left.

Wang Zhongge rushed forward, attempting to grab him from behind. However, He Suosi’s figure flickered, and he had already slipped outside. With the maidservants present, Wang Zhongge could say nothing more.

She watched him with tightly pursed lips, a hint of resentment in her eyes. Yet, He Suosi departed without a backward glance. The resentment then transformed into a blank bewilderment.

She turned back to the scroll on the table, walked over, and picked it up. Then, a sudden thought struck her: ‘Such artifacts are incredibly rare. Does He Suosi truly have another one? What if he can’t escape?’

Meanwhile, He Suosi proceeded unimpeded to the courtyard where his original body was located. This time, he noticed that an illusion array had already been set up along the covered walkway.

However, for He Suosi, such things were practically nonexistent. He took a deep breath, held it, and stepped onto the walkway with a peculiar gait, quickly reaching the room’s entrance.

Without Yuan Zhigong’s guidance, the room was no exaggeration to call a dragon’s den or a tiger’s lair. He Suosi, of course, knew this and had already devised a solution.

If he couldn’t break in quietly, then he would simply destroy the cave’s barrier.

He took a thin knife and drew a symbol on the door, then poured a tiny bit of spiritual energy into it, retreating swiftly.

The door exploded the next second. Layers of ice, like sharp blades, suddenly piled up, pushing outwards with an oppressive force. It quickly transformed into a colossal glacier, crystal clear under the sunlight, emitting faint wisps of cold.

He Suosi nimbly leaped over the glacier. From the top of the ice mountain, he could see that the room had shattered, yet the cold jade bed—enveloped by thick layers of ice—and the body upon it remained utterly unharmed.

He Suosi arrived at the layer of ice directly above the cold jade bed and gazed down. The man’s physique was no different from before; his hands were clasped over his lower abdomen, his expression calm and serene.

For a moment, He Suosi felt a flicker of doubt. He wondered, ‘Am I truly the one who should possess this body?’

However, he pushed the thought aside, pulling a stack of fire talismans from his storage bag and affixing them to the ice layer. The translucent ice surface gradually took on an orange-red glow. The hard ice melted into fine mist, rising into the sky.

Yuan Zhigong stared coldly at the defiant Venerable Luo Guanjing in the distance.

“You’ve occupied that position for so long. Don’t you ever plan to glance at the scenery below?” Luo Guanjing asked with a sinister smile.

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Yuan Zhigong replied. “Your obstruction now holds no meaning for your conquest of the Immortal Sect.”

Luo Guanjing picked at his ear. “I feel like it.”

The two had been locked in a stalemate in mid-air for a long time. Due to their similar cultivation levels, it was difficult to determine a victor quickly; neither could afford to show weakness first. Once weakness was shown, subsequent attacks were inevitable, and severe injuries would be secondary. Their cultivation realms might even plummet, making them even more vulnerable.

Yuan Zhigong looked towards the distant, multi-storied palace, noticing a flicker of light in a certain area.

“Speak.”

“What?” Luo Guanjing was puzzled.

“Why are you helping him?” Yuan Zhigong redirected his question.

Luo Guanjing chuckled. “What are you saying?”

Yuan Zhigong’s gaze turned icy. “Do you… also harbor improper thoughts towards him?”

“…” Luo Guanjing nearly choked. He was utterly astonished that Yuan Zhigong would resort to such a method to defeat him. “You’ve won, Guangyu. I almost couldn’t hold on just now. I didn’t expect your mental attacks to be on par with He Suosi’s.”

Yuan Zhigong withdrew his gaze from him. “He’s about to succeed, but he still won’t be able to escape.”

Luo Guanjing froze for a moment. Unaware of the full story of the parasitic binding, he pondered the previous words, gradually arriving at a startling possibility. “You… you… You have feelings… towards He Suosi!”

He was so shocked that he failed to control his artifact. Yuan Zhigong gained the upper hand in an instant but did not press his advantage. Instead, he immediately disengaged from the battle and swept away into the distance.

Luo Guanjing knew that the Monarch wasn’t fleeing but was pursuing He Suosi. He quickly gave chase, thinking to himself: ‘I never would have imagined. I thought my unlucky nephew was blind enough, but here, there’s an even bigger one.’

When the two arrived at He Suosi’s location, the ice mountain had largely melted. He Suosi sat cross-legged on the ice, making funny faces.

Seeing Yuan Zhigong and Luo Guanjing approach, he cast a disdainful look at Luo Guanjing. “You’re truly useless! You only held him up for such a short time.”

Luo Guanjing was so stunned that he couldn’t even muster the strength to be exasperated. “Because… that was… wait…”

Yuan Zhigong cut off his incoherent rambling. “You can’t escape,” he declared.

He Suosi’s smiling face gradually clouded with a dark gloom, as if he had heard the biggest joke imaginable. He looked at Yuan Zhigong with icy eyes. With his previous disguise stripped away, his malice was laid bare. “I’ve truly tolerated you for a long time, Yuan Zhigong.”

“Why can’t I escape? Because you arrived earlier than I expected? What does that matter? Of course, I guessed you’d come. If you didn’t, wouldn’t my heart ache to death?” He Suosi rolled his eyes.

Yuan Zhigong then said, “I will also die.”

“But you brought that upon yourself. How innocent am I?” He Suosi clapped the spiritual talisman beside him, and the flames intensified. The glacier melted rapidly, and steam, like swirling mist, drenched He Suosi’s robes, but he paid it no mind.

“I don’t know if I’ve lost my memory or what, but the current me has nothing to do with you, Guangyu Immortal Monarch.”

Having said that, only a thin layer of ice remained. He Suosi drew a dagger from his waist and shattered the ice. Yuan Zhigong attempted to approach but was intercepted by Luo Guanjing.

The artifact, the Nine Dragon Apricot Yellow Lock, spread out, covering the sky and earth. By the time Yuan Zhigong broke through, the male body that had been lying there had opened its eyes, flipped off the cold jade bed, and casually scooped up Pei Nishang’s soulless body, which had collapsed to the ground.

However, the joy on He Suosi’s face lasted only a second. Immediately afterward, his expression darkened.

A familiar sensation told He Suosi that he had indeed returned to his own body. Yet, his heart began to ache intensely. He couldn’t help but drop to one knee, cold sweat pouring down. He tried to mobilize his spiritual energy, only to find that while it was abundant within him, it felt as if it was leaking, making it impossible to extract even a trace.

He gripped the still-unmelted glacier beside him, crushing it into powder. He said to Luo Guanjing, “He’s too far from me. Make him come down.”

Then he gnashed his teeth and looked at Yuan Zhigong. “You. Come down.”

Yuan Zhigong had already descended. Although Luo Guanjing was unclear about the full situation, combining the previous events with the current scene, he had a vague suspicion. He relaxed his defenses, allowing Yuan Zhigong to approach He Suosi.

As Yuan Zhigong reached He Suosi’s side, the intense heart pain subsided. However, He Suosi’s face remained bloodless, and cold sweat soaked his clothes. He looked up at Yuan Zhigong, seeing that the other man was also faring poorly, his lips pale, his muscles trembling slightly.

He Suosi was consumed by rage. “You sealed my spiritual meridians?!”

“Ah, I sealed them,” Yuan Zhigong replied nonchalantly.

“You only said you planted the Twin Love Root Flower!”

“…” He Suosi found himself utterly speechless. He felt indignant. “How could you commit such a shameless act?!”

Luo Guanjing watched from mid-air, and upon hearing their conversation, he wore an expression of ‘So that’s how it is.’

He Suosi quickly whispered, “Quickly unseal me, or Luo Guanjing will turn hostile.”

Yuan Zhigong paid no heed. His eyes trembled slightly as he gazed at the other’s lively eyes and spirited expression in his true male form. Finally, he lost control, reaching out and pulling He Suosi into a tight embrace. He caressed He Suosi’s neck, whispering, “This cannot be.”

The indignation on He Suosi’s face gradually transformed into a cold sneer. His fingers, which had been pushing against Yuan Zhigong’s shoulders, slowly tightened, finally gripping him firmly. “Yuan Zhigong, for the past few days, seeing as we got along well, I was prepared to let you off the hook. But now, don’t blame me.”

Yuan Zhigong’s composure vanished. If these words had been uttered by He Suosi while still in Pei Nishang’s body, they would have been mere bluster. But coming from Qianqiu Daojun himself, they couldn’t help but inspire apprehension.

He Suosi’s gaze was dark. “After all, one way to unseal the spiritual meridians is to make the person who set the seal incapable of maintaining it, isn’t that right?”

The moment his words fell, the surrounding glaciers suddenly exploded, spreading outwards like blooming blue lotuses. The airflow overturned everything in its path.

Trees as thick as three men embracing were uprooted and then pulverized into fine dust in mid-air. Luo Guanjing’s expression changed slightly, and he hastily swept into the sky to dodge.

However, the airflow inexplicably accelerated, instantly engulfing him completely. In that instant, he had only one thought: ‘It’s over, I’m going to be severely injured. Just two conditions from He Suosi—this is a complete loss!’

He Suosi protected himself with his own artifact, the Profound Yellow Merit Tower, smugly watching Yuan Zhigong take the full brunt of the impact, instantly suffering torn flesh. As he calmly surveyed his surroundings, he noticed, not far from the devastation, a young girl.

She stood there, clutching a scroll, staring blankly. The impact was upon her, yet she made no attempt to dodge.

It was Wang Zhongge.