Chapter 121: Am I the Reincarnation of Shui Qing Yue?
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
The wind howled fiercely as Yu Zhao’s hair whipped through the air. Her exposed skin stung like needles pricking her, each gust of wind a sharp reminder of the danger she was in.
“Hurry, get out of here!” the old siren shouted, his eyes wide with fear. He reached out to grab Yu Zhao, but his arm felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, making it nearly impossible to move.
“It’s too late,” Yu Zhao replied with a calmness that belied the panic building inside her.
As if to confirm her words, a black figure suddenly appeared before them, blocking their path. The man stood tall and imposing, his presence radiating authority and strength. Despite his impressive appearance, his eyes were clouded, a stark contrast to his otherwise powerful demeanor. As he blinked, a dark, ominous energy flickered in his gaze.
The old siren trembled violently upon seeing the man. His eyes bulged with rage and hatred so intense it seemed to consume him. This man was one of the Nascent Soul monsters who had slaughtered the siren race years ago!
The man barely spared the old siren a glance before turning his attention to Yu Zhao. His expression twisted into one of disdain, almost as if he were looking at something foul. “You really know how to run, don’t you? I almost lost track of you,” he sneered.
Yu Zhao remained silent, her mind racing. She hadn’t expected the Nascent Soul monster to be so obsessed with her, chasing her all the way to the deep seas thousands of miles away. This time, she knew she was in grave danger.
Suddenly, the man tilted his head slightly, studying her more closely. “Why do you look so familiar? It’s like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
Cultivators who reach the Foundation Establishment stage gain the ability to remember everything they’ve seen. Anyone they’ve encountered leaves a mark in their memory. The man had searched through the souls of so many cultivators that he couldn’t immediately place Yu Zhao’s face, but he was certain he had seen her before.
Then it hit him. He recalled passing by a sect full of female cultivators outside South Sea City not long ago. There, he had encountered a female cultivator who recognized him. Years ago, there had been another sect of female cultivators in that area, but he had personally led the mission to destroy it.
What was the name of that sect? Ah, yes—the Water Cloud Palace.
And the sect leader… her name was…
The man’s pupils suddenly contracted as the face before him overlapped perfectly with a defiant one from his memories. “Shui Qing Yue! You’re Shui Qing Yue!” he exclaimed, his voice trembling with excitement. His eyes gleamed with a frenzied light.
Yu Zhao’s heart skipped a beat when she heard him call out Shui Qing Yue’s name. Did he know Shui Qing Yue? Could he have been involved in her death?
“Hahaha! I understand now! I finally understand!” The man, now identified as Teng Xiao, burst into maniacal laughter, his eyes fixed on Yu Zhao as if she were a priceless treasure. “There truly is a way to achieve immortality! My fate is far from over!”
Immortality? Yu Zhao didn’t understand what he meant, but a chill ran down her spine.
“Shui Qing Yue,” Teng Xiao continued, his tone dripping with malicious glee, “I thought you died when you fled after being gravely injured. But it turns out you used the Water Spirit Jade to reincarnate! Hahaha! You never expected you’d fall into my hands again, did you? Not only have you revealed the secret of the Water Spirit Jade, but you’ve also delivered to me an unimaginable fortune! Hahahaha!”
Yu Zhao’s mind exploded with shock. Reincarnation? She wasn’t Shui Qing Yue’s blood relative—she was Shui Qing Yue’s reincarnation! No wonder she looked exactly like Shui Qing Yue; they were the same person all along!
Still reeling from this revelation, Yu Zhao barely noticed when Teng Xiao made a grabbing motion in the air. An overwhelming force yanked her forward, and a large hand clamped down on the crown of her head.
Teng Xiao’s voice was filled with excitement as he said, “Once I extract your memories, I’ll surely uncover the method of reincarnation through the Water Spirit Jade.”
The shock that had fogged Yu Zhao’s mind instantly cleared. Soul-searching was one of the most vile and feared techniques in the cultivation world. The lightest consequence of being soul-searched was losing one’s mind, descending into madness. The worst? Complete annihilation of the soul, obliterating one’s existence entirely.
No matter the outcome, Yu Zhao knew she couldn’t accept it. Even though she was well aware that she couldn’t defeat Teng Xiao, she resolved to fight with everything she had.
“Realm of Illusion,” she murmured, releasing an invisible wave of spiritual energy that spread outward from her, cloaking the area in a dense, fog-like mist. The world around them blurred and shifted as if seen through a veil.
“Pathetic,” Teng Xiao scoffed. His right foot stomped down hard, and the illusionary landscape shattered instantly. Yu Zhao let out a muffled groan, her body slumping as exhaustion and despair overwhelmed her.
“Shui Qing Yue, for providing me with the key to immortality, I’ll make sure to give you a swift death—if you survive the soul-searching.” Teng Xiao’s laughter echoed in the air as he forced his spirit into Yu Zhao’s mind.
Her mental defenses held for less than a second before they were violently crushed by the immense power of his soul. Yu Zhao felt as though a sharp blade had pierced into her consciousness, twisting and tearing apart everything in its path. The pain was unbearable, and despite biting down hard on her lip, whimpers of agony still escaped her lips.
“Let her go!” The old siren’s voice was filled with desperation. He didn’t know who Shui Qing Yue was or what the Water Spirit Jade entailed. All he knew was that Yu Zhao was the last hope of the siren race. If she died, their entire race would perish along with her.
Yu Zhao must not die! The siren race must not fall!
A ghostly flame ignited in the old siren’s heart, quickly spreading throughout his body. His old, wrinkled skin began to smooth out, regaining its youthful elasticity. In an instant, he appeared decades younger, as if he had returned to his prime.
With a powerful swing of his tail, the old siren launched himself from the shell he was perched on, hurtling toward Teng Xiao like an arrow. His bright blue eyes were filled with a determination to die together with his enemy.
“Begone!” Teng Xiao’s brow furrowed in annoyance. He swatted at the old siren with a casual wave of his hand. The impact sent the siren crashing into the ocean with a thunderous splash, creating massive waves as his body disappeared beneath the surface.
Teng Xiao barely spared him a second thought, his focus returning to Yu Zhao as his soul probed deeper into her mind, searching for any trace of the Water Spirit Jade.
The Water Spirit Jade was a legendary treasure formed in places saturated with water spirit energy, said to absorb the essence of the heavens and earth, the sun, and the moon. It was an invaluable treasure in the cultivation world. It was rumored that cultivators with a water spirit root who wore the jade could absorb spirit energy at an accelerated rate, achieving twice the result with half the effort. Even those without a water spirit root could benefit from the jade, as it nourished their meridians and calmed their minds.
The Water Spirit Jade’s extraordinary powers made it incredibly rare. Despite the siren race living in the Southern Sea for thousands of years, they had never encountered one. When news of Shui Qing Yue possessing the Water Spirit Jade leaked, Teng Xiao had immediately led an attack on the Water Cloud Palace.
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
Due to the overwhelming difference in power, Teng Xiao had been confident of his victory. But at the last moment, the Water Spirit Jade had created a tear in space, allowing the gravely injured Shui Qing Yue to escape. Teng Xiao had regretted it ever since.
Now that he knew the Water Spirit Jade could also grant reincarnation, Teng Xiao was determined not to make the same mistake again. He had to secure the Water Spirit Jade for himself.
However, despite scouring Yu Zhao’s mind multiple times, Teng Xiao found no sign of the jade. Instead, he noticed that Yu Zhao’s spiritual energy was nearly on par with a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. If she were allowed to continue cultivating, it was terrifying to imagine how powerful she might become in a few more years.
The more extraordinary Yu Zhao’s talent appeared, the more intense Teng Xiao’s desire grew. He had been stuck at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul level for too long. With a second life, he could ascend to heights even greater than those he had previously dreamed of, possibly becoming the most powerful cultivator in the world and crushing someone like Master Qing Yan beneath his feet!
Reincarnation is fine, but it makes no sense for her to automatically believe Teng Xiao. Only once something objective confirms it, should she believe.