Chapter 137

Chapter 137: The Mystery of Grievous Souls

Though the incident at Grievous Spirit Forest had concluded, You You still sensed something odd. First, where did all those resentful souls come from? Yuyu Island housed cultivators rather than ordinary human settlements. If those souls were cultivators, their sheer numbers suggested the annihilation of a major immortal sect.

Over the years, while many sects on Immortal Blessing Continent perished due to celestial maidens’ deaths, no full-scale massacres occurred. Investigations revealed Yuyu Island originally lacked this forest—it emerged after the celestial-grade Secret Realm merged. The resentful souls had been trapped within the Secret Realm.

This deepened the mystery. How could an unclaimed celestial-grade Secret Realm imprison so many resentful souls? Such souls weren’t mere Territory features creatable by power alone. True human deaths created ghosts, meaning countless people died here.

Who imprisoned them? What torment turned them all resentful?

"Jing Chen!" Nie Zheng blurted, agitation sharpening his tone. "That traitor’s behind this! Only an immortal could manage it." His reasoning solidified—mortals couldn’t open celestial-grade Realms. Among current immortals, only he and the missing Jing Chen remained.

"Possible," Ling Qi acknowledged. "But what’s Jing Chen’s goal? Why no traces in all these years? Why create resentful souls?"

Nie Zheng faltered. This contradiction troubled him—why would an immortal risk descending for mortal matters? Even supreme mortal status meant nothing to immortals. Yet Jing Chen stole divine artifacts and descended, creating this soul-filled forest. Why?

Ling Qi’s frown deepened as contradictions multiplied. He turned to the silent sect master. "Your thoughts?"

You You met their gazes. "What if this isn’t his only scheme?"

"What?" Both men stared.

"That merged Realm held more than souls—the crucial element was Soul Breath." You You leaned forward. "Soul Breath calms resentful souls. Before the merging, they were restrained beneath the forest. When I found the Breath, it moved toward the forest—not coincidence, but purpose."

Likely, the Breath originally suppressed the souls. The flawed merging separated them, and the Breath simply returned to its rightful place.

"You mean…" Ling Qi’s eyes widened. "The Soul Breath belonged to the forest?"

Nodding, You You turned to Yuan Papa. "Soul Breath’s rare, even for Divine Clan?"

"Extremely," Yuan Qi confirmed. "Ancient texts call it primal origin qi that comforts Living Beings. Even we consider it precious."

"Compared to divine artifacts?"

The question startled everyone.

"Too many coincidences." You You counted off examples. "Soul Breath, Chili Sword, Earth-Shaking Cauldron—divine artifacts keep surfacing in the mortal realm. With Three Realms’ vastness, why concentrate here? Do artifacts ‘descend’ willingly?"

"Sect master, you’re suggesting—"

"Nie Zheng," You You interrupted, "are you certain Jing Chen took only one artifact?"

Nie Zheng paled. "The Heavenly Emperor only reported the Mirror of Enlightenment stolen. But… multiple artifacts? Unheard of!"

"Two possibilities." You You’s finger tapped the table. "Either your Emperor lied about stolen items, or worse—Jing Chen serves someone wielding multiple artifacts, unleashing havoc freely."

Nie Zheng inhaled sharply. If true, his mission became impossible.

Ling Qi and Yuan Qi exchanged troubled looks.

"If artifacts connect to the forest," You You continued, "then Tao Gui Town’s formation draining cultivators’ Cultivation to agitate Earth-Shaking Cauldron fits. Some souls might be those murdered cultivators."

Dawning horror filled the room.

"Moreover…" You You’s tapping intensified. "Such Cultivation-draining schemes might extend beyond Tao Gui Town. Even Shui Yan’s den of evil imprisonment could link here."

"Evil cultivators? Impossible!" Nie Zheng objected.

Yuan Qi answered instead. "Shui Yan’s sect Disciples were targeted for Cultivation extraction—identical to Tao Gui Town’s method."

"But no beneficiary emerged," Nie Zheng argued after hearing details. "Evil cultivators gained Cultivation there, but Tao Gui’s energy sank underground. The mastermind gained nothing."

Superficially disconnected events shared hidden threads. You You’s instincts prickled—something vital eluded them.

"Unless…" She voiced the chilling thought. "This isn’t about gaining power… but conducting experiments."