Conquering That Great Demon Lord [Xian Ni Fan Fiction] - Chapter 54: Reforging

Chapter 54: Reforging

Wang Lin’s vision blurred with tears, yet through his heart-wrenching grief he sensed an overwhelmingly powerful force descending from above once more.

The pearl before him was radiating multicolored light. Having absorbed the joy, anger, and sorrow generated by the Fiend, the attributes of seven emotions and six desires had reached perfection. The Soul Pearl had upgraded into a superior Magical Artifact.

[Soul Pearl: The three emotions from the Fiend are of unprecedented purity accumulated over thousands of years. Though inhumane, this is karmic destiny that none can prevent.]

Wang Lin’s eyes burned crimson, “Soul of Life? You’re the Soul Pearl Wan’er once mentioned?”

[Soul Pearl: Had it not been for you two fulfilling this, I could never have gathered all seven emotions.]

Wang Lin’s fury intensified as he roared to the heavens, “Return Wan’er’s Soul of Life to me!”

[Soul Pearl: Once successfully conquered, the Soul of Life merges with the Soul Pearl and cannot be returned.]

Li Muwan hadn’t been wrong – the Soul of Life could never be retrieved. The purpose of the Soul of Life was merely to make the Fiend generate seven emotions and six desires through love.

The Soul Pearl flickered with a memory of her.

“Will someone retrieve my Soul of Life for me a hundred years from now?” Those were words Li Muwan had once spoken.

“Return Wan’er’s Soul of Life to me!!!”

With an enraged roar, terrifying power surged throughout his body. Wang Lin recklessly cast a Mystical Technique to extract the Soul of Life from within the Soul Pearl.

[Soul Pearl: You’re mad! With your mere God Transformation Stage cultivation level, you cannot extract the Soul of Life.]

Wang Lin paid no heed, wildly channeling all his Spiritual Power without restraint, determined to retrieve Li Muwan’s Soul of Life.

“Re-turn-my-wi-fe’s-Soul-of-Life!” His bloodshot eyes revealed endless determination. The Soul Pearl shook violently but remained immobilized under Wang Lin’s Mystical Technique. A wisp of blue light, faint as mist, was half-extracted from the Soul Pearl.

With Wang Lin’s cultivation level, he couldn’t possibly withstand the backlash from extracting the Soul of Life. He vomited mouthful after mouthful of blood, nearly collapsing from the strain.

Yet Li Muwan’s Nascent Soul seemed to sense his efforts, trembling twice. This response reignited hope in the nearly exhausted Wang Lin. Wan’er’s Nascent Soul remained – as long as he retrieved the Soul of Life, everything could be resolved.

He gathered his strength again, consuming his Nascent Soul until most of the Soul of Life had been extracted.

The Hand of Heaven formed from dense clouds shattered his Restriction defenses once more, reaching for Li Muwan’s Nascent Soul.

Caught between shock and fury, Wang Lin found himself stretched too thin.

He would never allow Heaven to take Li Muwan’s soul!

Wang Lin accelerated the extraction of Li Muwan’s Soul of Life. As the Hand of Heaven’s attack approached, he cast another Restriction to slow Heaven’s descent, continuously vomiting blood as the Restriction was quickly broken.

Wang Lin exhausted all his strength to extract the Soul of Life, swiftly catching it with the Soul Gathering Lock and storing it in his Storage Bag.

By now, he had no strength left to oppose Heaven.

The final Restriction behind him shattered, rushing toward the scroll. Unable to cast spells in time, Wang Lin could only use his body as a shield. Vomiting blood, he protected the Nascent Soul beneath him. The tiny figure inside lay peacefully sleeping – even a single glance could somewhat soothe his battered soul. Blood flowed into the scroll, dripping into Li Muwan’s Nascent Soul, where tears slid from the corners of the tiny figure’s eyes.

The Nascent Soul trembled, “Senior Brother…”

Wang Lin concealed the reluctance in his eyes but didn’t give up. He used the Restriction Banner to form a spear again, piercing through the thick fog to block Heaven’s attack.

“With your power, you cannot escape the Heavenly Cycle.”

“Heaven… hahahaha…” Wang Lin laughed like a madman, “Heaven is unjust!”

“I, Wang Lin, will defy the heavens! If you try to send Wan’er into the cycle of reincarnation, I will never allow it!”

“If you attempt to seize Wan’er’s Nascent Soul, then let us battle!”

“Why struggle so desperately? All things in this world follow their own cause and effect.”

“Senior Brother, if you faced the one you love perishing before your eyes, would you also defy the heavens like Zhu Feng to save her?”I never make conclusions about ethereal matters.”

The question of the Sea of Demonic Cultivationnow Wang Lin would respond.

He would!

Gathering power in his long spear once more, Wang Lin’s eyes turned blood-red, with blood seeping from their corners.

“My cause and effect, I decide!”

The spear clashed against the Hand of Heaven, unleashing boundless waves of power. The sky seemed torn asunder, continuously churning with dark cloudsthe manifestation of the heavens’ bolstered strength.

The power gathered by the heavens, accompanied by several heavenly thunderbolts, struck the Restriction Banner spear once again. The spear shattered into dust, his Spiritual Power exhausted, the strength he mustered unable to withstand the heavenly thunder.

His body was battered and scarred, the Ancient God physique unable to endure the heavens’ power for long. His bloodied white robe was torn open, revealing wounds left by the heavenly thunder.

His white hair gradually faded to red, his Spiritual Power so depleted he could no longer even maintain his hair’s color.

Yet, with his broken body, he supported the Life and Death Artistic Conception Scroll enveloping Li Muwan’s Nascent Soul. His arms, raised in effort, slowly bent, blood streaming from his eyes and lips. He struggled to rise again, only to be pressed down, repeating the cycle.

“Wan’er…” he murmured weakly.

Suddenly, Li Muwan’s Nascent Soul drifted out from the scroll, attempting to use its power to block the incoming Heavenly Tribulation.

“Wan’er, don’t.” Wang Lin’s voice was hoarse as he swiftly retrieved the Nascent Soul, sealing it back into the Life and Death Artistic Conception Scroll with a Restriction.

Li Muwan’s Nascent Soul could sense the one using his body to withstand the Heavenly Cyclehow could she bear it?

“You wish to extinguish Wan’er’s Nascent Soul, erase all traces of herI, Wang Lin, refuse!”

“With your body, you cannot prevail.The voice of the heavens carried a shocking force.

Retaining a sliver of reason amidst his anguish, Wang Lin hid Li Muwan’s Nascent Soul within the Heaven Defying Pearl. The heavens could no longer sense any aura of death.

Wang Lin seized upon this realization, hope rekindled.

“Since I entered the World of Cultivation at sixteen, I’ve seen through slaughterweakness is the original sin. If I cannot protect those important to me, what use is cultivating immortality? When my Cultivation level equals the heavens, even the heavens will bow to me.”

“The Heaven Defying Pearl?”

“You actually hid the Nascent Soul within the Heaven Defying Pearl? A Cultivator’s Nascent Soul cannot endure long in the space of the Heaven Defying Pearl. Even if you temporarily evade the Heavenly Cycle, her Nascent Soul will still dissipate.”

As the echoes faded across the firmament, the heavens receded, the dark clouds dispersed, and sunlight returned.

Wang Lin knew this, but for now, he had no other choice. The moment he retrieved the Nascent Soul, the heavens would return, repeating the cycle.

Having lost his beloved, though Wang Lin had temporarily reclaimed Li Muwan’s Nascent Soul from the heavens’ grasp, he could not endure the heart-wrenching pain. For years, he descended into madness.

On a cliff of Vermilion Bird Star, a man in a white robe with disheveled silver hair left trails of carnage in his wake. Standing amidst ashes and seas of blood, he incessantly chanted, “Kill, kill, kill.”

The Spiritual Power sweeping from his wide sleeves could shatter mountains and split the earth. At times, he raved incoherently; at others, he babbled nonsense.

“Damnable heavens, tormenting me, mocking me!”

“All who love me, all whom I love, meet no good endam I, Wang Lin, truly a Fiend?”
“It is the injustice of Heaven that forces me to become a demon! When I become a demon, what can Heaven do to me?”

“I cultivate the art of the Heavenly Cycle. One day, I will make this heavenly law act according to my will, Wang Lin’s will.”

“I will make this Heaven kneel at my feet!”

“…”

These words echoed beyond the mountain peak, persisting for three years.

He held the Heaven Defying Pearl, speaking to the Nascent Soul within as if to himself.

“Wan’er…”

“After you left, no one in this world has shown me compassion.”

He had seized countless treasures from numerous cultivators, sought various methods, studied mystical powers and magical arts, all in an attempt to reconstruct a physical body for her.

The departure of a beloved is not just a sudden storm; this storm turns into continuous rain through the long years, drenching him day and night.

Wang Lin, covered in blood, held numerous precious elixirs. Within the Heaven Defying space, he gazed at the tiny figure that resembled Li Muwan, a smile on his lips.

His flesh was a horrifying sight, yet he seemed utterly indifferent, looking contentedly at the Nascent Soul.

“My Wan’er, one day I will find a way to revive you. Any cost is worth it.”

“You, within the Heaven Defying Pearl, need not be stained with blood.”

“…”

Many attempts ended in failure, but the three-year period had passed. Li Muwan’s Nascent Soul had to be removed from the Heaven Defying Pearl and remain outside for three days.

During these three days, Heaven’s law would descend again. To confront it, Wang Lin used the Life and Death Artistic Conception Scroll to store Li Muwan’s Nascent Soul, protecting it once more with his Divine Sense.

A figure vanished from the mountain peak as the sky suddenly churned and the Hand of Heaven descended once more.

The valley below became a scene of ruins after the confrontation.

Three days later, his figure reappeared on the cliff, his body again covered in wounds and dripping with blood.

Three years after three years, this cycle repeated.

Through repeated struggles and confrontations with Heaven’s law, Wang Lin finally realized that only by reconstructing Li Muwan’s physical body could he evade the Heavenly Cycle.

The three-year period arrived once more.

A voice filled with awe echoed through the clouds.

“All these years, I, Wang Lin, have repeatedly battled Heaven’s law, all to protect my wife’s cycle.”

“Now I have attained enlightenment.”

“Heaven cannot cover my eyes, earth cannot bury my heart, no one in this world understands my willI will make the Heavenly Cycle completely dissipate.At this moment, Wang Lin resembled a devoted follower who had attained enlightenment.

“Using the Soul of Life to reconstruct a physical body? Using the Soul of Life to reconstruct a physical body…”

…

“The Soul of Life enters the body!” Suddenly, he understood.

Wang Lin took out the Soul Gathering Lock from his Storage Bag, within which Li Muwan’s Soul of Life was sealed.

“The Soul of Life contains vitality!”

“To use the Soul of Life to restore lifespan, the original physical body must not have completely dissipated, and the three souls and seven spirits must remain. Wan’er now only has a Nascent Soul. If the Soul of Life enters it, it might allow Wan’er to condense a physical body.”

Immediately, Wang Lin extracted a drop of Ancient God Blood from his heart and infused it into Li Muwan’s Nascent Soul. He then drank several bottles of Spirit Elixir, recited a Magic Art, and channeled a vast amount of Spiritual Power into the Nascent Soul.

Within the Heaven Defying space, the Nascent Soul absorbed the Ancient God Blood. Wang Lin then transferred the Soul of Life from the Soul Gathering Lock into the Nascent Soul. Under his continuous infusion of Spiritual Power and nourishment,

Half a year later, a physical body began to solidify. Wang Lin, who had been meditating with closed eyes to restore his Nascent Soul, suddenly sensed a familiar aura. When he opened his eyes, Li Muwan’s physical body lay peacefully beside him.

“Wan’er?”

In a daze, Wang Lin’s movement as he leaned over was both hesitant and impulsive. Tears welled in his eyes, and the joy of regaining what was lost left him no room for further thought.

In the end, he held that soulless body, disregarding all else, cradling it as carefully as precious jade, cherishing and caressing it with tenderness.

Wang Lin embraced Li Muwan’s physical form, pressing his cheek against her cold lips, unwilling to part for even a moment while pondering how to reassemble her scattered soul.

“Though I retrieved a wisp of Wan’er’s Soul of Life to reconstruct her body, her soul has dissipated. To restore her three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls…”

“The information extracted from that Nascent Soul cultivator’s Divine Sense indicated that possessing a Soul of Life could rebuild the physical form, yet it would remain extremely fragile. Wan’er once mentioned that the Netherfrost Lotus could nourish the body and reassemble the three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls. Though plucked years ago, its Spiritual Power remainsthe efficacy may have diminished, but it’s worth attempting.”

His gaze softened as he observed her sleeping countenancefair as jade, radiant as lotus blossomsyet devoid of vitality.

Suddenly, Wang Lin formed hand seals, conjuring a Magical Art to retrieve the Netherfrost Lotus from his Storage Bag, swiftly channeling it into Li Muwan’s body.

The power of the Soul of Life was overwhelmingly potent. Fearful the reconstructed body might disintegrate again, Wang Lin continuously infused Spiritual Power into her form, even pouring in Ancient God’s heartblood. Since the body and Soul of Life originated from the same person, their compatibility proved better than he had anticipated.

After the Netherfrost Lotus fully merged with Li Muwan’s body, Wang Lin ceased his Magical Art but maintained the Spiritual Power transmission Formation surrounding them, allowing energy to flow slowly and steadily into her physical vessel.

The pallor of Li Muwan’s lips gradually gave way to rosy hue. Wang Lin clearly witnessed the deathly whiteness of her cheeks being slowly overtaken by blooming color.

Tremors of hope and terror shook Wang Lin’s heart. His fingernails dug into his palms until blood stained his white robe crimson.

Choking on dread, his voice fractured into silence: “Wan’er…”

“Wan’er, I’m Wang Lin. Wake up.”

“Wan’er…”

“Come back to me…”

“……”

Yet despite his heartrending pleas, the body showed no response. Crushing despair shattered him. Wang Lin’s shoulders slumped in defeat, his laughter twisting into maddened hysterics.

“Time, terrain, and destiny all favor me, yet the boundary between life and death remains unbreachable…”

“My wife’s soul refuses to return. Heaven’s compassion is but hollow pretense.”

Clutching the lifeless form, he laughed bitterly at the sky, “Hahahaha… Heaven’s will… Heaven mocks mortal endeavors…”

“I resent! How I resent this!”

His mournful sobs echoed through the mountain valley.

He resented his inability to protect what he cherished most.

He resented Heaven and Earth’s cruelty, treating all beings as straw dogs.

He resented the unfairness of Fate, why must all sorrows and sufferings fall upon him alone.

……

The woman in his arms slowly opened her eyes, pushing weakly against the suffocating embrace.

Wang Lin jolted from his stupor, staring disbelievingly at the figure in his arms.

“Wan’er?”

He pressed her hand against his cheek, tightening his embrace as tears of joy fell. “Wan’er?”

“Wan’er, you’re awake?”

His warm tears dripped onto her face, but her gaze remained vacant and dull, blankly observing his weeping form without any expression.

She simply stared blankly at the man before her.

Receiving no response, Wang Lin’s joy turned to alarm. His brows furrowed deeply. “Wan’er, I’m Wang Lin.”

The woman in his arms tilted her head slightly, studying him. She reached out to poke his cheek curiously, then quickly withdrew her finger as if touching something unfamiliar.

Wang Lin saw clearlythe timid apprehension in her eyes as she looked at himand felt his heart being carved by blades.

“Wan’er? Why aren’t you speaking? Did I frighten you?”

The approaching silhouette and aura made Li Muwan shrink into his embrace, her hidden cheek pressed against his rising and falling chest. Though terrified, she could only seek shelter beneath his form.

“What’s wrong?” Wang Lin stroked Li Muwan’s hair, the jet-black lustrous locks flowing smoothly over her body – no longer white.

“Wan’er, don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.” Wang Lin gently lifted her face, unable to resist gazing at this long-lost person who had been returned to him.

Though she had awakened, because her Soul of Life had gathered the seven corporeal souls while the three ethereal souls remained incomplete, the current Li Muwan couldn’t speak, had no memories, and possessed incomplete intelligence – like a three-year-old child, unfamiliar with everything in this world, and unfamiliar with the person before her.

Wang Lin examined her body – her physical form was weak, her soul incomplete within, without any Cultivation level, merely an ordinary mortal, not even equivalent to a normal mortal.

“Wan’er, your soul is incomplete, but I’ve already reconstructed your physical body to awaken you. I will also gather your remaining souls to fully revive you and help you remember everything about us.”

Li Muwan’s physical form remained unstable and required Spiritual Power to sustain it. Only by taking her to live in a place abundant with Spiritual Power could her body be stabilized.

As for the missing souls, given a mortal’s lifespan of a hundred years, it wouldn’t be impossible to find the souls within that century, reincorporate them, and then use his Mystical Power and Magical Arts to extend her lifespan.

He lifted this form in his arms, standing on the cliff edge, facing the long-missed clear breeze.

“Wan’er, I’m taking you back to Zhao Kingdom.”

“Wan’er, we’re going home.”