Chapter 39: Soul Transformation

In the gloomy Shura Forest, there was a sense of tragic atmosphere. By the Soul Pool, Aoxue and Cangyue tightly grasped their divine swords, their faces pale, their eyes determined as they stared at the thousands of enemies surrounding them. On both sides, Purple Sun True Person and Feng Yuanyang stood with their heavily injured bodies, swords drawn, protecting the fallen Yun Feng.

With a wave of his ghostly hand, Mirage began commanding the attack. Four ghost immortals beside him rushed forward, while two first-grade generals commanded thousands of ghost soldiers, forming a long snake formation to besiege them. Shadows flickered as the four ghost immortals suddenly transformed into dozens of ghost shadows, emanating a sinister and evil aura as they rushed towards Aoxue and the others.

With a low drink, Aoxue's Purple Shadow Divine Sword swiftly swung, forming a fan-shaped curtain of 187 purple sword shadows in front of her, firmly protecting the front. On the left, Feng Yuanyang's "Dragon Slashing Sword Technique" transformed into countless green sword rays, forming two intersecting cross-shaped sword shadows, firmly holding the front. Behind them, Cangyue and Purple Sun True Person gathered their entire body's power, desperately resisting the attack of the ghost immortals.

With a sneer, Mirage's figure silently appeared above them. His hands traced a strange trajectory in the air, and a black net suddenly appeared above them, descending swiftly towards them.

Their hearts trembled as Aoxue and Cangyue suddenly looked up. Seeing the black net, their faces changed drastically, and they shouted in shock and anger, "Black Net, get out of the way!" As they spoke, both women erupted with their true energy, their divine swords emitting dazzling radiance, shooting directly at the black net. In an instant, two powerful and dazzling beams of light collided with the black net, lifting it several feet. Seizing this opportunity, the two women instructed Purple Sun True Person and Feng Yuanyang to each take the injured and shoot outward with all their might.

Dodging, Purple Sun True Person, with Bi Tian, and Feng Yuanyang, with Du Li, suddenly encountered an ambush by nearby ghost immortals as they reached a distance of three meters. Ghostly shadows flickered as powerful and evil soul transformations enveloped Purple Sun True Person and Feng Yuanyang. Unable to struggle, the powerful soul transformation easily trapped the already heavily injured two, and crazily corroded their souls.

Meanwhile, Aoxue with Yun Feng and Cangyue with Xu Jie were also in dire straits. With Mirage's pursuit from above and the encirclement of ghost immortals and ghost soldiers below, the two women were completely trapped in a desperate situation. However, despite being in dire straits, the two women firmly held onto the people in their hands, never giving up.

Looking at Aoxue, Yun Feng said weakly, "Senior Sister Aoxue, let go of me. Taking me with you will only result in both of us dying together. If you let go of me, with your divine sword in hand, there is still a chance of survival. And I believe Lu Yun will return soon. As long as you can hold on until he returns, there is still a chance of survival for you. But like this, you won't be able to hold on until the end. Rather than everyone dying, why not try to save a few lives? Let go of me, believe that you will wait for Lu Yun. Don't you want to see him again?"

With a bleak look, Aoxue's face, as cold as jade, showed a few traces of sadness. Did she not want to see Lu Yun again? That would be a lie, but could she see him again? At this moment, Jian Wuchen had already come out for quite some time, and she still hadn't seen Lu Yun's figure. Had he also encountered danger down there? Even if he was safe, could she hold on until he returned? Perhaps disappearing silently was also an ending, wasn't it?

Driving away a ghost immortal with a sword, Aoxue looked down at Yun Feng and said softly, "Don't speak. We'll both be fine. Believe that Lu Yun will definitely come back to save us. Now, just remember to speak less and try to preserve your vitality. Leave the rest to me." With that, she casually swept her gaze over the Soul Pool, but there was no one there.

On the other side, Xu Jie sighed softly, "Senior Sister, you should let go. Taking me with you, we will both die. It's okay if I die, but you must not die. You have to go back, or Master will be sad. And maybe Lu Yun will come back anytime soon. You have to wait for him. Then you and he might have a chance. Don't waste your life. You have to live well. Cultivation is lonely. When a woman meets someone she likes, she must be brave and strive hard. After I die, please remember to bury my tombstone next to Yun Feng's. That way, my heart will be happy. Please, Senior Sister, remember to think of me occasionally in the future. Maybe then, you will remember our childhood mischief and laugh."

Without speaking, Cangyue's face was pale, her eyes filled with endless sadness and worry. Looking at Xu Jie, Cangyue shook her head slightly and sighed softly, "Don't talk nonsense. You won't die. With me here, I will never let you die. I'm still waiting to drink your and Yun Feng's wedding wine, aren't I? Cheer up a bit, hold on, we can definitely leave here alive. You must have confidence in me."

With a sad smile, Xu Jie glanced at Yun Feng, then at Purple Sun True Person and Feng Yuanyang, whispering, "Senior Sister, look at the situation now. How long can we hold on? Except for you and Aoxue, everyone else is in dire straits, struggling to hold on. This journey to the ghost domain has come to an end. Although the ending is a bit bleak, at least it's an ending, isn't it?" Cangyue's heart bled, her eyes sad and helpless. Looking at Xu Jie and then at Purple Sun True Person and Feng Yuanyang, she wanted to go and save them, but she was already overwhelmed. Perhaps, as Xu Jie said, it was time to end.

At this moment, everything seemed to lose its color, and the entire Shura Forest fell into silence. The gloomy howls had already faded away. Jumping ghostly shadows flickered in the silent scene, without a sound. The screams of Purple Sun True Person and Feng Yuanyang, the shouts of Aoxue and Cangyue, everything was frozen in the black and white sky.

Just at this colorless moment, a faint ripple suddenly appeared in the calm Soul Pool, and a phantom silently shot out from it. Looking around, a sense of shock, anger, and indignation suddenly permeated the surroundings. The phantom flickered, and a stream of light converged into a familiar figure above Purple Sun True Person. With a cold gaze, Lu Yun's left hand suddenly struck the back of the ghost immortal without

 warning. With a flash of silver light, a sharp and miserable scream sounded, and the black ghostly energy around the ghost immortal violently fluctuated. In a dense sizzling sound, it suddenly shattered, turning into clouds of mist. With a flash of black light, the ghost immortal let out a terrified scream, and its entire body turned into a black cloud in Lu Yun's hand, flashing a few times before disappearing.

In a flash, Lu Yun appeared beside Feng Yuanyang without a trace of breath, just as the ghost immortal attacking Feng Yuanyang heard the screams and became aware of the danger. Before it could retreat, Lu Yun silently appeared behind it, leaving it no escape route. Looking at the ghost immortal coldly, Lu Yun's eyes flickered with astonishing coldness as his right hand fiercely pressed on the ghost immortal's body. Soul Transformation Symbol, Soul Destruction. The terrifying erosive power, the moment it was imprinted on the ghost immortal, instantly took its soul into his palm, and in a blink of an eye, destroyed it.

A familiar feeling arose in Aoxue and Cangyue's hearts at this moment. They exchanged a glance, both revealing a trace of surprise in their eyes. Lu Yun had returned. Although they hadn't seen his figure yet, that familiar feeling had already emerged in their hearts. Their gazes turned, the two women searched for Lu Yun's figure, and soon found Lu Yun appearing above them.

With a faint glance, endless longing, joy, and bitterness emerged from the eyes of the two women. Nodding slightly, Lu Yun didn't speak, his body shooting straight towards the ghostly Mirage in the sky. Aoxue and Cangyue exchanged glances, their bodies simultaneously shooting towards Purple Sun True Person, intending to converge together for one last effort. Lu Yun's appearance brought hope to the two women, gradually fading the overwhelming sorrow and heaviness, making them feel a glimmer of hope!

With a cry of surprise, Mirage's figure flickered and disappeared from its original position, reappearing several dozen meters away. It looked at Lu Yun in terror, its eyes showing caution, and its expression extremely careful. Although it didn't know all of Lu Yun's secrets, it understood that Lu Yun could perform soul transformations in the ghost domain and possessed the Ghost King Battle Armor. However, what shocked it the most at this moment was that Lu Yun was clearly in front of it, yet it couldn't sense the slightest trace of his aura. If it hadn't seen it with its own eyes, it would have thought that Lu Yun couldn't possibly be here.

Coldly looking at Mirage, Lu Yun said in a cruel tone, "We meet again, and this time it should be the end. Now, you start struggling for your life." As he spoke, Lu Yun's body suddenly transformed into an illusionary scene like clouds and mist outside Mirage's body, completely blocking its way forward. In midair, the As-You-Will Soul Sword emitted a shocking and eerie howl, flashing red flames like dancing spirits, detaching from the sword and forming a blood-colored lotus platform in midair, covering Mirage's head. Above the lotus platform, flames burned fiercely, while below it emitted a layer of hazy red light, trapping Mirage in the center.

With a wild roar, Mirage felt shocked and angry in its heart, its body moving rapidly in all directions. Lu Yun's silent and invisible approach made Mirage completely unable to defend itself, relying solely on visual recognition, which was already too late. Feeling the increasingly intense heat, Mirage realized Lu Yun's intentions and desperately struggled to break through his prohibition. Encased in the red light barrier, Mirage transformed into a flickering black light sphere, moving frantically at a rate of tens of thousands of times per instant, trying to find a loophole in the light barrier to break through forcibly. However, after several unsuccessful attempts, a strong sense of unease arose in Mirage's heart, knowing that besides head-on confrontation, there was no other way out.

With a frantic roar, Mirage reverted to its original appearance, its eyes flashing with fierce and vicious determination. With both hands waving wildly and a ferocious expression, Mirage gathered all its power when danger approached and suddenly unleashed the Black Cloth Barrier. A powerful black light emitted from the Ghost Domain's one of the three treasures, the Black Cloth Barrier, forming a strong black light aura, creating a rotating black Eight Trigrams in the crimson light barrier, spinning rapidly. As the black Eight Trigrams rotated, a powerful black light beam shot out from it, fiercely hitting the blood-colored lotus platform above.

The red light trembled, then violently shook, and the entire blood-colored lotus platform began to appear extremely unstable. The black light aura clashed with the red light barrier, mutually repelling each other, engaging in a fierce battle, with each demonstrating its own abilities. With a cold laugh, a red light flashed in Lu Yun's right hand, and the intense true fire essence from the Black Domain's secret realm erupted fiercely, pressing down heavily on the blood-colored lotus platform. Only a deafening roar sounded, and a fierce flame erupted from the lotus platform, causing the entire blood-colored lotus platform to shimmer with a domineering aura. In the surge of red light, the scorching true essence instantly suppressed the black light beam.

In midair, within the red light barrier, after the black light beam was suppressed, it bounced up three times in a row but was forcibly suppressed by Lu Yun each time. Finally, with a mournful ghostly cry, accompanied by a burst of light, the entire blood-colored lotus platform was lifted up by the powerful explosive force, and the light barrier below it shattered instantly. Retreating, Lu Yun avoided the airflow caused by the explosion with a cold expression, his left hand reaching out to the fleeing black soul of Mirage, using a strong suction force to grab it.

Struggling desperately, but unable to resist Lu Yun's powerful suction force, Mirage's soul was captured by Lu Yun in an instant. Looking at the black soul in his hand, Lu Yun said ruthlessly, "It's all over now, die, Mirage. Back then, you almost killed Aoxue and Cangyue. At that time, I swore in my heart that as long as I found the right opportunity, I would kill you to avenge them. In this life, no matter who it is, they are not allowed to harm them in front of me. Whoever dares to harm them, I will destroy them, even if it includes gods!"

A desperate cry, mixed with shock, anger, and unwillingness, came from Mirage's mouth. The black soul in Lu Yun's hand trembled slightly, and Mirage weakly asked, "I hate it. Since I learned that you possess my Ghost Domain's Supreme Law, I have been on guard against you, always avoiding you. Unexpectedly, I still died at your hands today. I am so unwilling. Before I die, I have one thing I don't understand. Why can't I sense the slightest trace of your aura, even though you are clearly alive in front of me? This is absolutely impossible. Even if your cultivation level is high, it should still be traceable. Why can you do it?"

With a cold smile, Lu Yun was about to speak when suddenly his expression changed. He clenched his left hand, immediately destroying Mirage's soul. Turning around, Lu Yun glanced at the Soul Pool, then shot towards where Aoxue and the others were stationed. As he moved, he shouted, "Everyone, be careful, leave the Soul Pool immediately, hurry!" As he spoke, his body had already appeared beside everyone, and with both hands, he swiftly lifted them all up, quickly moving outward.

At that moment, the remaining two ghost immortals and two first-grade generals all looked towards the Soul Pool, their eyes filled with shock. They saw a transparent phantom suddenly rushing out of the Soul Pool, not pausing in midair but shooting straight towards the edge of the forest, disappearing in an instant. Just as this mysterious phantom disappeared, the calm surface of the Soul Pool suddenly surged violently, gathering into a three-zhang-wide black light column, shooting up into the sky.

At the same time, the light around the Soul Pool shimmered, countless starlights emitting endless radiance, forming a halo around the Soul Pool, also rising into the sky. Looking from afar, a huge black light column pierced through the heavens and the earth from the center of the Soul Pool. The outer periphery of this black light column was surrounded by a halo with five colors, also piercing through the sky, firmly enclosing the black light column within it. On the halo, countless star charts and nebulae were distributed along strange trajectories. Countless dazzling lights emanated from these star charts and nebulae, forming countless beautiful patterns, dancing around the Soul Pool.

Staring blankly at this sudden occurrence, everyone, including countless ghost beings, fell into silence. Suddenly, a frightened roar broke the silence. Immediately, two ghost immortals screamed and fled. When they left, the other ghost soldiers also woke up suddenly, and all the ghost soldiers retreated like a tide, disappearing into the Shura Forest in an instant.

On the ground, Yun Feng let out a faint exclamation, surprised, saying, "The Milky Way Star Chart has been activated. It's so amazing, so beautiful, truly magnificent." No one spoke, everyone silently watched the sky, their eyes showing a mix of surprise and strangeness. Except for Lu Yun and Yun Feng, the other seven people hadn't expected that this sudden scene would save their lives. It was completely unexpected, and no one had thought that they would recover a life in such a situation.

Worriedly glancing at everyone, Lu Yun whispered, "The Soul Transformation Pool is about to be destroyed. At that time, an incredibly powerful force will be generated, and I'm afraid even the Milky Way Star Chart won't be able to withstand it. For safety, everyone should leave here immediately." After instructing Ao Xue and Cang Yue to take one person each, the rest were taken by Lu Yun alone.

Lu Yun displayed a qi shield with both hands, placing the injured people within it, swiftly moving outward with Ao Xue and Cang Yue. Because the formations in the Shura Forest were extremely complex, Lu Yun guided the two women along the way, and after a long time, they finally appeared outside the Shura Forest. At this moment, it was quiet outside the forest, without a ghost in sight. Apparently, those ghost soldiers had all left after losing their commander.

Less than three miles from leaving the Shura Forest, a dazzling bright light suddenly appeared behind them, followed by a deafening roar. Looking back, everyone saw a dazzling light emitting from the direction of the Shura Forest, and the entire black Shura Forest turned into dust and disappeared in the explosion of the Soul Transformation Pool. In the sky, countless streams of light accompanied by various scattered lights fluttered in the wind.

Gazing slightly at the horizon, Lu Yun sighed softly, "Seal the soul, transform the soul, a journey of hardship, how many adversities, bitterness is hard to describe. Walking in the ghost domain, the road of life and death, vicissitudes of blood and tears, all dyed in the dust. Looking back indifferently, gazing at the path ahead, leaving a message at the foot of the green mountains."

Looking at Lu Yun, everyone felt his desolation and sadness, sighing involuntarily. In silence, Zi Yang Zhenren asked softly, "What should we do now? Swordless Dust has already taken the Soul Seal. Once he returns to the mortal world, he will seal the passage here to the mortal world. How will we go back then?"

"Moreover, with our current situation, I'm afraid we don't have time to rush back. It takes twice as long to recover here compared to the mortal world, plus our injuries are very severe, especially Yun Feng. He probably won't be able to recover in less than a month. In this case, how can we go back?" Wind Yuan Yang added softly, looking at Lu Yun.

Glancing at everyone, although no one else spoke, Lu Yun could see their concerns. After a slight contemplation, Lu Yun said, "At this moment, six out of nine of us are severely injured. It's probably impossible to break through the tight defenses of the ghost domain experts and return to the mortal world. However, if we give up this last chance, once Swordless Dust goes back and says we're all dead, the Sect Leader will have to seal the exit with the Soul Seal for the safety of the mortal world. Then it will be too late for us to return to the mortal world. Now, at such a difficult moment, I can't decide on my own. Let's hear everyone's opinions and see what everyone thinks."

Looking at Lu Yun, Yun Feng smiled bitterly, "Lu Yun, I can't make it. I'm very happy to see you back. As for me now, my true essence is exhausted, my meridians are withering, and it's time for me to run out of oil and the lamp to dry up. At this moment, everyone actually knows our situation. If you take us with you, we definitely won't be able to break through the enemy's blockade and return to the mortal world. But if you and Ao Xue and Cang Yue leave together, with the strength of you three, I believe you can definitely go back. Now, you should take this opportunity to leave with them. Instead of dying here, why not leave as much as you can? I think everyone here actually wants to say this. This trip to the ghost domain, we can't all die here, the price would be too high."

The other injured people nodded in agreement with Yun Feng's words. At this moment, everyone knew their situation and understood that there were things they couldn't control. The price was destined to be paid, but how much of a price they could reduce it to was a crucial question. Being able to minimize the price to the greatest extent possible was, in a sense, also a kind of victory.

Sweeping his gaze over everyone, Lu Yun felt a touch of desolation in his eyes. For the first time, Lu Yun felt powerless, like a blunt knife slowly piercing his body, painful yet unavoidable. With a soft sigh, Lu Yun looked at the sky and whispered, "Regardless of anything, I won't leave you behind and leave. I believe Ao Xue and Cang Yue won't either. Since we came together, we should leave together, whether in life or death, we are together. Now, I'll try to help you recover some vitality first, then we'll rush to the exit and see if we can return with Tian Yibo. Now, everyone sit in a circle, hold hands with each other."

After arranging the six heavily injured people in a circle, Lu Yun said to Ao Xue, "During the time I'm restoring their true essence, just keep an eye on the surroundings with Cang Yue. This won't take too long, just about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, because we don't have much time." Then Lu Yun sat in the circle formed by the six injured people and began to meditate.

On the ground, Lu Yun was surrounded by a faint halo, and the "Ten Thousand to One" technique was fully displayed, causing a strange light to shimmer around him. As time passed, Lu Yun's body was surrounded by a dark cyan light. Countless tiny flashes around him swarmed towards him, forming a strange dark cyan halo around him, enveloping the six people outside the circle.

Lu Yun, using the "Ten Thousand to One" technique, controlled the gathered spiritual energy, which began to enter the bodies of the six people from various parts of their bodies, nourishing their damaged meridians and replenishing their depleted true essence. With a slight separation of his hands, the dense spiritual energy suddenly accelerated towards Lu Yun, then returned from him to the bodies of the six people, quickly nourishing their bodies.

With a shout, Lu Yun suddenly burst out with a powerful force, shaking the six people who were holding hands. Just as they were thrown into the air, Lu Yun swiftly descended. The two women, Ao Xue and Cang Yue, were about to fly to catch the six people who were thrown away, but they found that the six people had opened their eyes at this moment and stabilized their bodies in mid-air. They each displayed their wind-controlling skills

 to return to the two women.

Seeing Lu Yun's pale face, both Ao Xue and Cang Yue were surprised and asked in unison, "Are you alright? Is it serious? Sit down and rest quickly." Wiping away a bead of sweat, Lu Yun's eyes were shining, and he smiled, "Don't worry, I'm fine, just a bit of true essence consumption, I'll be fine in a moment. Now, among the six of them, except for Yun Feng, everyone has recovered almost four layers of their power. They may have a chance now. As for Yun Feng, because his injuries are too severe, I can only repair his meridians temporarily. He needs to recuperate slowly."

Zi Yang Zhenren looked at Lu Yun strangely, whispering, "Now, let's go try, hopefully we'll make it in time. Let's go, we'll talk about it on the way."

Mo Tian looked at Ao Xue, then at Lu Yun, his eyes filled with mystery. With a sigh, there seemed to be some secret hidden in his eyes, but unfortunately, he didn't speak it out. Du Li gently patted his shoulder, looking at him with a sighing gaze, then pulled him to follow the others.

In the wind, the group flew towards the exit between the ghost domain and the mortal world. Looking back, Lu Yun glanced at the direction of the Soul Transformation Pool, leaving a sigh behind, drifting in the sky. The road ahead was dangerous and unpredictable. Whether Lu Yun and his companions could break through the layers of blockades by the ghost domain experts and return to the mortal world was uncertain. Perhaps everything would go smoothly, or perhaps a few memories would be left behind, forever etched in their hearts.