Chapter 160

Chapter 160: Equivalent Exchange

The White-Robed Man held a jade brush, about to cross off the names written upon it when he noticed someone had appeared beside him. He turned swiftly and saw a youthful, curious face staring intently at the object in his hand, her almond-shaped eyes glittering brightly with innocent excitement.

The moment Yun Xi saw the pair arrive, her eyes sparkled even brighter. These legendary envoys of the Underworld, the renowned Black and White Impermanence, stood right before her eyes, and one even held the jade brush used for claiming souls. Her curiosity instantly soared. Without thinking, she activated her Thousand Shadows Windstep and appeared beside the White-Robed Man in the blink of an eye.

The Black-Robed Man jumped in surprise and sharply rebuked her, “What are you doing?”

Yun Xi chuckled lightly and replied with a respectful gesture, “I have long heard of the Underworld’s esteemed ghost envoys. Now seeing your honorable selves today fills me with joy, so please pardon me for boldly coming close to admire your presence!”

Liu Hao Tian and the others nearly burst out laughing but managed to hold it in.

The Black-Robed Man was at a loss for how to respond, so he simply let out a prideful huff and flung out a black chain to begin gathering souls.

The White-Robed Man, calmer than his counterpart, finished marking the names, tucked away the jade brush and the list, then spoke gently, “Young fellow daoist, could you tell us why so many mortal souls have gathered here?”

“Of course!” Yun Xi briefly explained everything that had happened, then took out the bronze mirror from her sleeve, saying, “This is the mirror that caused all the trouble. It doesn’t appear to belong to the mortal world, nor to the cultivation world. I was preparing to bring it back to my sect, but I wonder…”

Before Yun Xi could finish, Black Impermanence blurted out, “The Soul-Collecting Mirror? How did it end up here?”

White Impermanence’s attempt to silence him came too late.

Yun Xi instantly withdrew the mirror, smiling knowingly, “Ah, so this troublesome thing belongs to the Underworld after all!”

Black Impermanence immediately tightened his grip on the soul-binding chain, awkwardly glancing away.

White Impermanence sighed and politely explained, “Indeed, the Soul-Collecting Mirror is an artifact issued to Underworld ghost envoys for gathering souls. Sometimes unexpected incidents occur during our missions. This mirror must have been accidentally left in the mortal realm by one of our ghost envoys. However, only ghost envoys from the Underworld can control it. According to your explanation earlier, it seems its artifact spirit is forcibly absorbing souls to repair damage, which is quite surprising.”

Yun Xi did not press further and thoughtfully responded, “As far as we know, the mirror’s artifact spirit might have been corrupted or manipulated by demonic cultivators. That’s why my spirit beast said it detected a strange scent, different from pure demonic energy.”

Her words brought instant clarity to Liu Hao Tian and the others, realizing why the mirror’s actions were similar to those of demonic cultivators. It absorbed the souls offered by villagers who made wishes, fulfilling their desires, and then magnifying their greed. In their pursuit of more desires, the villagers offered more lives, thus helping repair the mirror’s spirit. The entire Peach Source Village had thus fallen into its own tragic doom. Only Yin Yong, aware of the mirror’s danger, managed to escape its manipulation.

Liu Hao Tian added, “By doing this, demonic cultivators intended first to pin blame on the Underworld, and second, to turn this place into a breeding ground for resentment, making it an ideal cultivation spot. Mortal resentment is not to be underestimated.”

Black Impermanence’s eyes flashed furiously, nearly spitting fire, “Trying to blame us? They certainly dreamed big!”

White Impermanence remained calm and turned to Yun Xi, politely asking, “Fellow daoist, would you mind returning the Soul-Collecting Mirror to us? We’ll bring it back to the Underworld and properly handle the souls of these innocents.”

Yu Qing Cheng narrowed her phoenix eyes and bluntly questioned, “What about us? We spent precious treasures and nearly got trapped inside that mirror. If Daoist Master Wei hadn’t had treasures bestowed by her master, we’d have become part of that mirror ourselves! Without us, you’d never have discovered the evil acts here.”

Yun Xi eagerly nodded, completely agreeing.

The two Impermanence exchanged glances. White Impermanence cleared his throat softly and conceded, “Indeed, we’ve troubled you greatly. We would like to compensate you, but items from the Underworld aren’t suitable for cultivators like yourselves.”

Yun Xi gazed meaningfully at the two envoys and smiled cunningly, “Both esteemed ghost envoys are ghost cultivators, not needing spirit stones but soul stones for cultivation, correct?”

Both envoys momentarily hesitated before admitting it was true; cultivators knew too much to hide such things.

White Impermanence quickly understood her intention and promptly said, “You desire soul stones?”

“Indeed,” Yun Xi admitted, “I’m curious and wish to see them for myself.”

The two impermanence’s exchanged another glance before replying, “Very well, we’ll compensate you in soul stones according to the standard reward for recovering a lost artifact.”

Black Impermanence quickly added, “Once you’ve accepted this payment, we’re even.”

“Agreed!” Yun Xi readily responded.

The others voiced no objections. Yun Xi had contributed most in this escape, and if she found soul stones useful, they would not object.

Having already gathered all the souls floating above Peach Source Village, Black Impermanence discussed briefly with White Impermanence, then piled a cluster of black, crystal-like stones onto the ground, “Here is your reward as agreed.”

Yun Xi scanned the stones with her divine sense and commented, “Spirit stones and demon stones in the cultivation world have low, mid, and high grades. I presume Underworld soul stones have similar tiers. These seem filled with impurities.”

Black Impermanence sighed, replying helplessly, “You sure know a lot. These are indeed low-grade soul stones, but they’re actually suitable for your current levels. Medium-grade stones contain too much soul force for you to fully absorb.”

Yun Xi understood his reasoning but still bargained, “In that case, let’s exchange some of these lower-grade stones for two medium-grade ones, just as keepsakes. We can split the rest evenly.”

Knowing there was no point in further debate, White Impermanence took back a small portion and exchanged them for two medium-grade soul stones, clearer and less impure.

Yun Xi waved her hand, collected the two medium-grade stones and ten low-grade stones, and evenly distributed the rest to her companions. Only then did she hand over the Soul-Collecting Mirror.

After White Impermanence took the mirror, ready to depart, Yun Xi flashed beside them again with a bright smile, handing each envoy a communication talisman, “Meeting two respected elder brothers is surely fate. If there’s ever a need, please contact your younger sister. Let’s become friends and share resources.”

Black Impermanence was stunned, realizing today had truly opened his eyes. Never before had he seen a cultivator so eager to befriend Underworld ghost envoys. Despite his shock, he accepted the talisman.

White Impermanence calmly accepted as well, handing Yun Xi a small black box in return.