Chapter 22: A split soul of a split soul

The dim light of the Wine Monk's cave flickered eerily, casting long shadows across the stone walls. The scent of death was thick in the air, and silence clung to the room like a suffocating blanket. The Gu Master awoke with a start, his head spinning, his body aching. His vision was blurry at first, but as it cleared, he was greeted with a sight that made his blood run cold.

The lifeless bodies of mortals lay strewn across the ground, their chests gaping with hollowed-out holes where their hearts should have been, their expressions showing the terror they have seen, tears still running down.

They had been tortured, then pierced clean through, leaving nothing but empty shells. 

Panic set in when he tried to move and realized he couldn't. His body was ensnared in thick, vine-like tendrils that wrapped around him, holding him fast to the cold ground. He struggled in vain, every movement causing the vines to constrict tighter. There was nothing left, no Gu worms to aid him as he had self detonated them all before he passed out.

He glanced sideways. His partner lay crumpled beside him. But there were no vines restraining him; there was no need. 

His limbs were mangled beyond repair, twisted at impossible angles. Blood oozed slowly from deep gashes, his body a ruin. There was no chance of him waking up. A wave of despair washed over the Gu Master as he realized the full gravity of their situation.

And then, the soft sound of something dripping into liquid drew his attention. He turned his head to see Ning Zu, standing in front of a massive black cauldron, his face serene as he dropped heart after heart into its bubbling contents. Each splash reverberated through the cave, each heart another nail in the coffin of their hope.

Ning Zu noticed him. A slow smile crept across his face, a smile that sent a shiver down the Gu Master's spine. "Ah," Ning Zu said, his voice smooth and unhurried, "you're awake. Good." 

The Gu Master opened his mouth to speak, but fear choked his words. He wanted to plead, to beg for mercy, but the sight of Ning Zu injecting himself with a dark, oily liquid made him freeze. 

In seconds, Ning Zu's body began to change. His once youthful skin withered and wrinkled, aging years with each passing second. Dark veins slithered up his arms and chest, writhing toward his aperture like serpents. Then, without warning, Ning Zu plunged a hand into his own stomach, and with a sickening sound, pulled something out.

It was a crystal. Not quite finished, its surface shimmered with an eerie dark light, and within it, the crystal was a dark red color.

Ning Zu's eyes flickered with a manic light as he approached. The Gu Master's heart raced, his mind a storm of terror. He tried to scream, tried to thrash free, but the vines held him firm. His panic intensified when he realized he couldn't speak, couldn't scream, he had no tongue. He hadn't even noticed when it was taken.

Ning Zu loomed over him, his shadow stretching across the cave floor. He knelt beside the helpless Gu Master, his breath slow and measured as he brought the crystal close to the man's aperture. A twisted grin played at the corners of his lips as he inserted the crystal, pressing it deep within. The Gu Master's body convulsed, his eyes wide with terror, but he couldn't make a sound.

Then, with one final push, the crystal was inside his aperture, making his talent grade drop from the top of B grade to the lowest of C grade. 

Ning Zu now removed the now completed crystal, and slid it into his pocket.

"Do me a favor will ya? Make sure to say hi to my friend over there."

With that, Ning Zu pierced the guys chest, removing his heart, killing him.

———

In the Door of Life and Death

The Gu Master's eyes blinked open, and he found himself standing in a place he had only heard of in ancient tales: the Door of Life and Death, this meant only one thing, he was dead. 

But something was wrong. There was no flow of souls around him, the realm was barren, devoid of any other spirits.

He was alone. 

Fear gnawed at him. His soul drifted aimlessly, unsure of what to do. He was powerless, just a flickering wisp in this vast, empty void.

Then, he saw it: a figure, emerging from the gloom. His heart, if it could still beat, would have stopped in sheer terror.

It was none other than Spectral Soul Demon Venerable.

A monstrous being of legend, with a thousand arms and three heads. His central head bore dragon horns, lion mane, snake eyes, and elephant tusks, his left head had peach forehead, grass hair, and three flower-like eyes, and his right head a cloud fringe, lightning eyes, fire ears, and golden mouth. 

The sheer presence of the Demon Venerable made the very air tremble.

The Gu Master tried to flee, his soul quivering, but his legs refused to move. His soul was frozen in place by sheer dread. The stories had spoken of the Venerable's unparalleled power, of his domination over death and souls, but seeing him now was beyond anything he could have imagined.

As if that terror wasn't enough, the Gu Master's gaze darted to the side, where he spotted another Spectral Soul, this one a little smaller but still a towering figure of death. This Spectral Soul noticed him.

It came at him with unbelievable speed.

The Gu Master, or what remained of him, trembled in despair. There was no escape, no salvation. His silent screams echoed within his own mind, his last thoughts a bitter cry for revenge, a vow to kill Ning Zu if he ever had the chance. But none of it mattered.

The Spectral Soul Demon Venerable reached him first. His thousand arms wrapped around the Gu Master's feeble soul, and in one swift motion, devoured him whole.

Everything faded to black for a second time. There was no pain, no afterthought. He was utterly, completely erased from existence. His soul, his very essence, was gone.

No trace of him remained not even a whisper in this endless void.

———

On a serene evening in Shang Clan City, perched atop a treehouse nestled within the branches of a tall, ancient tree, an old man sat alone, savoring the cool breeze and the stars above. 

His hand clutched a cold flask of wine, the liquid reflecting the faint glow of the heavens. From the street below, anyone would think he was just another kindly old man, the type to smile at children and help neighbors with their burdens. And indeed, he was known throughout the city as a man of generous spirit, showing kindness to everyone, even the lowest mortals and slaves. 

But behind that gentle exterior lay the heart of a powerful man, he was a Rank 5 Gu Master, and one who walked the rare and mysterious Wisdom Path. Few knew the true depth of his strength, for the Wisdom Path was a rare path, as not many inheritance of it existed in the word.

It was a path of intellect, insight, and strategy, coveted for its ability to peer into the mysteries of fate itself. Yet, despite his incredible power, the old man seemed content to live out his days in peace, far from the endless scheming that plagued other Gu Masters.

As he took another sip from his wine flask, the tranquility of the night was interrupted by the flutter of wings. A Letter Sending Green Bird Gu alighted softly onto his lap. 

The bird's plumage glowed faintly, a sign of the urgent message it carried. With a slight chuckle, the old man unrolled the shimmering letter, holding it up to read as he continued sipping his wine.

The contents were not unexpected. Another proposal from the Shang Clan.

Once he had finished, he casually tore the letter into pieces, sending the fragments floating into the air, where they disintegrated into wisps of green light. 

"Persistent, aren't they?" he mused, shaking his head. The offer was clear: the Shang Clan was willing to give him a precious 60-year lifespan Gu, a treasure that could extend his life, in exchange for his service. But the old man had no intention of accepting. 

"I've lived long enough," he murmured to himself, the lines of his face softening with nostalgia. He lived for a staggering 200 years. He was tired. 

"A man should know when it's time to let go." He said.

He leaned back, letting his gaze drift over the familiar landscape of Shang Clan City one last time. Fifty years he had spent here, watching the city change, its people grow and fade, generation after generation. It had been his home, his retreat from the world, but now, it was time to move on. 

With a deep sigh, he raised his hand, and tiny, glowing lights began to form around him. They multiplied rapidly, surrounding him in a dazzling, shifting sphere of light.

"I suppose it's time to leave my inheritance," he said softly to the night sky, his voice carrying with a tinge of melancholy. 

With a soft hum, the lights lifted him into the air, carrying him away from the treehouse and over the rooftops of Shang Clan City. As he soared higher and higher, the lights around him dimmed, each one expended in his flight.

After hours of flight, the city was long behind him, and he now passed over a , nameless land. Mountains stretched below him, their dark shapes barely visible in the dim light of the stars. As he looked around, something unusual caught his eye. A shooting star streaked across the sky.

He smiled at the sight. "How pretty..." he thought. But then, something strange happened. The star's path curved sharply, changing its direction in mid-air. It was no ordinary shooting star. The old man's eyes widened as the fiery object hurtled directly toward him.

His mind raced, the powers of the Wisdom Path surging as he began to deduce what was happening. He tried to calculate the best way to avoid the attack, to mount a defense, but it was too fast—faster than even his thoughts. Before he could act, the star struck him.

A wave of searing pain coursed through his body. Whatever this thing was, it was inside him now. The old man's heart pounded as he realized that something far more powerful than he had anticipated was invading his very being. He tried to fight it off, but the force was unstoppable. His thousand-man soul was torn apart within moments. 

He screamed in silence as his very identity began to fade. All of his knowledge, his experiences, his power, it was being consumed. 

In the final moments before his consciousness slipped away, the truth dawned on him.

This was no ordinary attack. His body was now host to something much darker, something ancient. His soul, the very core of who he was, had been overtaken. He had not simply been killed—he had been replaced.

And in his place, something far more sinister took root. The old man's face contorted, but not with pain anymore. A cold, unnatural smile spread across his lips.

He was now the split soul of Old Man Yan Shi.