Discipleship

The black sword formed from resentment arrived in an instant.

Si Mucheng instinctively stepped in front of Wen Ya, his pupils shrinking as his heart pounded wildly in fear. Wen Ya reacted even faster; she held the talisman between her fingers, instantly activating its burning effect, and threw it out: "The talisman array condenses, the Eight Trigrams form the boundary, drawing upon the essence of the sun and moon, gathering the power of heaven and earth, all evil spirits are destroyed, and all filth is cleansed!"

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

The talisman burned out, creating a burst of energy that collided with the resentment, and they actually neutralized each other.

Mingruo raised an eyebrow: "You've got some skills."

Wen Ya stared at Ming Ruo with a serious expression, and no one saw her fingers trembling slightly. Only she knew that she dared not relax. Although this attack had been blocked, she knew clearly that even if she and her grandfather were together, they would not be a match for Ming Ruo.

Not to mention that the other party is a hundred-year-old evil spirit with deep resentment, what's more, Mingruo was a Taoist priest in his previous life. A Taoist priest from hundreds of years ago possessed the spiritual power of heaven and earth. The soul exorcists of the present world are not even on the same level as him. How can they fight him?

Mingruo was surrounded by a roaring aura of resentment, which, as if it had come to life, attacked Wenya and the others like snakes.

The attacks were fast and numerous, and Wen Ya's movements of throwing talismans gradually became too slow to keep up. Wen Tianyan had already summoned his own magical artifact to fight back the resentment together with Wen Ya.

However, even if they can barely hold on now, the talismans will eventually run out, and they will be exhausted. At that time, wouldn't they have to risk their lives here?

"Grandpa," Wen Ya called out, tossing out a talisman.

Knowing what she was thinking, Wen Tianyan said in a deep voice, "Use the Spirit Binding Array."

Wen Ya immediately turned around and glanced at him.

While dodging with Wen Xiaofeng in his arms, Si Mucheng glanced at Wen Ya and moved closer to her, asking, "What's wrong?"

Although Wen Ya was heavy-hearted, she still patiently explained, "The Spirit Binding Array... is an ancient array, said to be used to subdue evil spirits, but..." But no one in the world has ever used it before, and it is unclear whether the array is powerful enough to trap Ming Ruo.

But since there's a way, we have to give it a try.

Wen Ya's hands moved swiftly as she communicated with Wen Tianyan: "How do we draw the formation?"

Wen Tianyan turned his head and called out, "Yongjie!"

Wen Yongjie pulled a small bottle from his pocket: "Here's some rooster blood I prepared beforehand. Using this to draw the array will make things twice as effective! But... it's just that I can't manage it all by myself..."

"I can!" Si Mucheng volunteered, but Wen Xiaofeng in his arms was very unhappy to hear the words "rooster blood" and protested with a stern brow. Si Mucheng did not forget to soothe it: "Don't listen, it's not yours, be good."

Wen Ya looked worried: "You?"

Si Mucheng knew what she was worried about and said seriously, "You forgot? I'm an athlete, I'm very fast. Let him teach me, we can draw together and save time."

Wen Ya's talisman paper was being used up very quickly. She knew there was no time to think about it anymore, so she could only say, "Be careful."

Without further ado, Wen Yongjie, who had only seen the Spirit Binding Array in books, confirmed a few details with Wen Tianyan and then taught it to Si Mucheng in the same way. The two of them left from the side with their backs bent. Wen Ya and Wen Tianyan were locked in a feud, and Ming Ruo didn't have time to pay attention to them for the time being.

So, each on one side, they began drawing a formation on the ground with rooster blood. The fierce winds outside the protective ring hadn't subsided, making it difficult for Si Mucheng and Wen Yongjie to move forward and draw the formation. Wen Ya, while resisting Ming Ruo's resentment, also had to watch Si Mucheng draw the formation with trepidation. She was almost struck by a gust of resentment, but Wen Tianyan quickly blocked it, then glanced at her and said, "Don't get distracted."

Wen Ya knew that this was probably the most critical moment.

If it were just her entering the dream today, she wouldn't be too afraid. But Si Mucheng… he wasn't a spirit exorcist. Even with his agility, dealing with evil spirits and resentment couldn't be done with brute force. Anything could happen in an evil spirit's dream, and she could easily lose her life. She had long been prepared for this line of work; she didn't care about her own life, but Si Mucheng… she thought of his parents, his friends, and him—a promising college student who had spent the entire summer doing these inexplicable things with her, and now he was in such a dangerous situation. She was afraid of implicating Si Mucheng.

But there's no use thinking about it now; all she can do is try her best to protect him.

Wen Ya had no choice but to put aside her other thoughts and brace herself to face Ming Ruo's attack.

Mingruo appeared almost delirious, his long hair and robes billowing in the wind. His face was pale, but his lips were a striking red, giving him a striking, almost eerie beauty. His low murmur drifted over: "Master…you said that a Celestial Master must avoid attachment, but everyone has attachments. A Celestial Master is human too, so why can't he have attachments…Look, don't you have attachments too…?"

Hearing his seemingly nonsensical ramblings, a thought popped into Wen Ya's mind—Ming Ruo said the Soul-Returning Lamp was to bring Shi Ling back to life, so how did he hide inside it? And how did he become an evil spirit? She also recalled a previous idea she had considered: when a magical artifact suppresses an evil spirit and the Soul-Returning Lamp is activated, Ming Ruo emerges from the lamp, which indeed seemed very plausible.

So what exactly happened?

Despite the difficulty, Si Mucheng and Wen Yongjie completed the formation. The moment it was finished, Si Mucheng excitedly waved to Wen Ya, who was not far away: "It's done!!!"

Mingruo had, of course, noticed their little tricks long ago, but he dismissed such petty actions as a death throes and scoffed, "In vain!" With a wave of his hand, his resentment shot straight at Si Mucheng and Wen Yongjie.

Wen Yongjie, who had always followed Wen Tianyan, possessed some self-defense skills. Upon seeing this, he quickly pulled out his magical artifact and hastily parried. Wen Ya, seeing Si Mucheng alone, rushed away in a panic. Si Mucheng was about to be engulfed by the thick, dark resentment, but before he could react, Wen Xiaofeng moved even faster, suddenly spreading her wings and flying up from his arms. With a powerful flap of her wings, a gust of wind collided with the resentment.

Wen Ya had already moved forward to protect Si Mucheng, and quickly threw out a talisman to block the second attack of resentment.

Si Mucheng knew he had almost lost his life, and when he saw Wen Ya in front of him, he breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, he didn't forget to hug Wen Xiaofeng and say gratefully, "Thank you so much, Xiaofeng!"

Wen Ya turned her head slightly: "Hurry up and hide!"

Si Mucheng nodded repeatedly and hurried to find Wen Yongjie, who had also found a hiding place.

Seeing that Si Mucheng had already hidden himself, Wen Ya felt a little relieved and, without any worries, joined forces with Wen Tianyan to deal with Ming Ruo.

Once the Spirit Binding Array was drawn, Wen Tianyan was about to activate it. Wen Ya switched from defense to offense and struggled against Ming Ruo. In comparison, Ming Ruo seemed to be in a much better position, as if she was just playing with Wen Ya and teasing her when she had nothing else to do.

Wen Tianyan also noticed this. His heart sank, and he threw the magic weapon in his hand into the formation, using it as the core of the formation to activate it.

As Wen Tianyan activated the formation, wisps of golden light rose from it. Wen Tianyan frowned, formed hand seals, and shouted, "Go!"

The golden light shot straight towards Mingruo as he finished speaking, binding his spirit body. Mingruo looked down at himself, as if he had found a joke, and raised an eyebrow with interest: "You think this can trap me?"

The surrounding resentment ceased its attack, but a thick black mist flowed silently, forming a shapeless wall that surrounded them, poised to strike.

Wen Ya breathed slightly, staring warily at Ming Ruo, and said, "We should at least give it a try."

Mingruo looked at her and then at Wen Tianyan, and sighed: "It seems that the current Celestial Masters are no longer what they used to be."

Wen Ya did not refute, but her gaze was sharp as she said, "So your master was ultimately unable to be brought back to life, and your Soul-Returning Lamp cannot actually bring back the soul, right?" Although it was a rhetorical question, her tone was very certain.

Upon hearing this, Mingruo paused for a moment before looking at Wenya again, her tone calm: "Why do you say that?"

Wen Ya spread her hands: "Otherwise, you wouldn't have become like this."

Mingruo realized she had asked a stupid question and couldn't help but laugh at herself: "I must have lost my mind."

Wen Ya had initially only guessed, but now she was certain she was right. She asked, "Your obsession is with your master?"

Mingruo laughed: "If I said no, then obviously I would be talking nonsense." Perhaps because of talking about the spirit, he sobered up a bit from his frenzied state, and his gaze towards Wenya regained its gentle and refined appearance: "You guessed right, I couldn't save my master."

As a magic artifact maker, the appearance of the Soul-Returning Lamp was quite shocking.

That day, thunder rumbled faintly in the sky. Shi Ling's master, who was also Ming Ruo's grandmaster, sensed something and came to the entrance of the cave where Ming Ruo was in seclusion to ask him what he had made.

Mingruo took out the Soul-Returning Lamp, and upon hearing the name, the Grandmaster's face darkened: "Soul Returning? This is an evil spell!"

"But it can save my master!" Mingruo said urgently. "Grandmaster, please let me try. If I can save my master, then I can destroy this magic artifact later!"

The grandmaster hesitated. Shi Ling was also a child he had raised. As a celestial master, he naturally understood that life and death were predestined, but when it came to his own fate, he was not so carefree.

"In the end, my master agreed to let me try using the Soul-Returning Lamp," Mingruo said softly.

At that time, Shi Ling had just passed away. Ming Ruo rushed to his bedside and saw his spirit. Shi Ling's fellow disciples were all present, and their expressions were filled with grief. No matter what, even a celestial master who was used to seeing life and death could not calmly accept the death of a loved one.

Upon seeing Mingruo, Shi Ling breathed a sigh of relief. He maintained his frail appearance from his previous life, and his smile carried a hint of illness: "Finally, I've seen you. Why haven't you been here all these days?"

Mingruo was taken aback: "Master? You also have obsessions?"

Shi Ling pursed her lips, somewhat embarrassed: "I'm ashamed. I used to think I could see through it all, but I didn't expect that I still couldn't let go even after death."

Mingruo took out the Resurrection Lamp and said, "Master, don't worry. I will bring you back to life. If there are any unfinished business, you can do them yourself when you come back to life! This is the Resurrection Lamp, a new magical artifact I made that can help people return to life."

These words were shocking and startling. Everyone turned to look at their master, only to find that he remained calm, clearly having known all along.

Shi Ling was shocked: "Master? You agree to him doing something that violates the ancestral precepts?"

His master's aged face remained impassive. He paused for a moment, then said, "Shi Ling... let him give it a try."

“But he disregards life and death, and the principles of morality!” Shi Ling exclaimed in bewilderment. “Everyone dies eventually, and life and death are preordained. Shouldn’t this be a principle that a Celestial Master should understand? Ming Ruo! I’ve said before that a Celestial Master should avoid being attached to anything. Why don’t you understand?”

“Master!” Mingruo said firmly, “You also have obsessions, everyone has obsessions, why shouldn’t a Celestial Master have them? I don’t want you to die, since there is a way, why not try it!”

"But my obsession is that you no longer care about my life or death!"

Mingruo felt as if a thunderclap had struck his ears, as if he had been hit on the head with a blow that broke his heart. He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and still said, "Master, please try the Soul-Returning Lamp. I..." What he wanted to do was no longer important. No matter how angry or unwilling Shi Ling was, as long as the Soul-Returning Lamp could bring him back to life, he would accept whatever punishment Shi Ling wanted to give him.

Shi Ling was unwilling. But he had already become a ghost, and could only watch helplessly as Ming Ruo used the spirit pouch to put him away, then set up an array and summoned the Soul-Returning Lamp.

Shi Ling knew that Ming Ruo had actually gone mad, and at the last moment she tried to persuade her earnestly: "Ming Ruo, stop being so stubborn. You have been well-behaved since you were a child, so why ruin your Dao heart because of me?"

Mingruo simply looked up at him, his eyes seemingly holding a thousand words, but in his heart he thought, it's alright, Master, as long as the Soul-Returning Lamp succeeds, we can still have a lifetime together.

Upon hearing this, Wen Ya knew what had happened next. The Soul-Returning Lamp had failed, but things couldn't be that simple. She asked, "So, what exactly happened?"

Mingruo lowered her eyes, lost in memories. After a while, she said, "The Soul-Returning Lamp worked. It brought Master back to life."

Wen Tianyan was shocked: "This..."

“But,” Mingruo looked at them calmly, “the resurrected master is not the real master.”

Wen Ya frowned: "What do you mean?"

"It means... Master has become a demon."

Mingruo used her body as a shield, borrowing a spiritual artifact to revive Shiling. For a moment, she succeeded, and Shiling was brought back to life. However, without a physical body, Shiling's obsession deepened, her mind filled with thoughts of stopping Mingruo. In the end, she went mad, and upon opening her eyes, she attacked Mingruo.

Facing Shi Ling, Ming Ruo didn't want to make a move and dodged in a sorry state. If it weren't for the intervention of his grandmaster and uncles who were protecting him, he would have almost lost his life.

Shi Ling glared at him coldly: "You unfilial disciple! The Celestial Master must not be stubborn; you must not remain obstinate!"

Everyone who saw Shi Ling's state knew he had lost his mind and was showing signs of becoming a demon. The Soul-Returning Lamp was already extraordinary, and success or failure was uncertain. At this point, Shi Ling's master understood that he bore a great responsibility. Even though it pained him, he could no longer let things go unchecked. If Shi Ling truly became a demon, the consequences would be endless.

"Mingruo!" he called urgently, urging Mingruo to use the formation to kill Shiling.

Mingruo still felt there was a chance. He activated the Soul-Returning Lamp within the formation, trying to bring Shiling back to his senses. But the more he activated it, the more Shiling suffered. Mingruo watched him writhe in agony within the formation, sometimes cursing him, sometimes gently calling his name. Shiling was filled with resentment, and he had actually been turned into an evil spirit by him.

"Mingruo!" Junior Uncle said anxiously, "Let him go! Don't let him..."

He didn't say the second half of his sentence, but Mingruo knew what he wanted to say: they wanted him to let Shiling go, so that he wouldn't even die in peace.

Tears welled in Mingruo's eyes as he looked at Shiling's spirit, his face filled with reluctance: "Master...I..."

Was he wrong? All he wanted was a lifetime together, all he wanted was companionship, was that wrong? Since he couldn't have it, why let him have it in the first place?

Shi Ling suddenly fell silent. He looked up and stared straight at Ming Ruo, a hint of clarity in his eyes. He spoke, his voice hoarse: "Ming Ruo, let go..."

Mingruo was deeply saddened and suddenly realized the truth.

However, the moment Shi Ling regained consciousness, she became a demon completely.

The battle was arduous, with the entire sect joining in. However, looking at their beloved junior brother, they felt a pang of pity. But Shi Ling had completely lost his mind, every move a deadly strike. Soon, Shi Ling's former senior brothers and sisters were all injured, and even their master was struggling to withstand his attacks.

Mingruo was struck by resentment and spat out a mouthful of blood. Seeing that everyone around him was injured to varying degrees, he knew that things were beyond repair. This was all the trouble he had caused, and only he could solve it.

The formation on the ground was modified by Mingruo. He used himself as the core of the formation to form the Spirit Killing Formation. He personally used the formation to strangle Shi Ling.

In the very end, a fierce wind arose, and Shi Ling transformed into a wisp of wind. Before disappearing completely, he gave Ming Ruo a deep look. It was that one look that caused Ming Ruo immense pain.

He was already beyond saving, having used his body as the core of the formation. However, he knew that his obsession could not be dispelled and that he might become an evil spirit. So, using the Soul-Returning Lamp as a spiritual artifact, he used his last shred of sanity to suppress himself before dying. Thus, his soul was suppressed within the Soul-Returning Lamp.

After he finished speaking, there was silence around him for a long time.

Wen Ya opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Si Mucheng, who was hiding to the side, smacked his lips. He had just tasted the gossip of his ancestors and couldn't quite describe the mixed feelings in his heart.

Mingruo suddenly frowned, then abruptly looked down at himself. He said in a low voice, "You attacked me from behind?"

Wen Ya stared intently and noticed that, in addition to the golden light threads, a dark red light thread had somehow wrapped around him. Unlike the golden light, this dark red light was full of killing intent and was poised to strike.

Wen Ya realized what Wen Tianyan had done, but remained calm and said, "You are the ancestor. There is no chance of winning against you in a fair and square manner."

Mingruo burst out laughing: "So be it, so be it. I used the Spirit Killing Array to kill my master, and now I will perish in this array. It can be considered the cycle of cause and effect."

Spirit-Slaying Array?

Wen Ya suddenly turned her head to look at Wen Tianyan, and at that moment, the dark red light thread suddenly attacked, strangling Ming Ruo!

Mingruo remained calm, neither struggling nor dodging.

Si Mucheng and Wen Yongjie breathed a sigh of relief. Although the sneak attack was shameful, it was useful!

However, at this moment, a sudden change occurred!

Mingruo suddenly opened his eyes. The resentment around him did not dissipate with him when he vanished. Instead, it gathered into a ball. He chuckled, full of evil energy. The ball of resentment shot out and rushed straight at Wenya!

This happened so suddenly that Wen Yali and Ming Ruo had no time to react.

"Xiaoya!" Si Mucheng's eyes widened in fury, and he rushed out almost instinctively.

He felt his sprint record was about to be broken, his adrenaline surged, and he lunged forward almost in the blink of an eye. With his back to the resentment, he hugged Wen Ya.

Si Mucheng hugged Wen Ya tightly, closed his eyes, and thought to himself, "So what if I die!"

Wen Ya, after being embraced by Si Mucheng, saw everything through his shoulder.

It seemed like there was a slow-motion replay. She saw the swirling resentment about to hit them, and she also saw Wen Tianyan take a few steps to block them. She saw the swirling resentment pass through the center of his body, and she saw black blood trickling from the corner of Wen Tianyan's mouth.

Her pupils narrowed slightly: "Grandpa..."

Mingruo's resentment finally dissipated, but Wen Tianyan's life also faded away.

"Grandpa!" Wen Ya choked up, and Wen Tianyan forced a smile: "Xiao Ya, don't worry..."

Wen Ya finally remembered that the Spirit Killing Array was a suicidal attack that required the physical body as the array's core. If Ming Ruo used himself as the array's core when he killed Shi Ling, then who sacrificed themselves as the array's core to kill Ming Ruo?

The answer is obvious.

Wen Ya refused to believe it. She rushed over and supported Wen Tianyan's limp body, her voice trembling, "Grandpa, I..."

Wen Tianyan's cloudy eyes flickered, his fingers trembling: "Xiaoya, Grandpa didn't mean to lie to you... Don't worry, I finally..."

Everything around her was changing. Wen Ya watched as Wen Tianyan slowly closed his eyes and then raised her head in a daze.

They entered Wen Tianyan's dream.