Luo Xiran

The delicate handwriting within the jade slip came to an abrupt halt. After sorting through the information in his mind for a moment, Xu Yuan looked up at the female corpse across from him, still pristine even after ten thousand years, his brow gradually knitting together. The volume of information inside the jade slip was immense, and much of it remained invaluable even today. The great catastrophe of the aberrant ghosts ten thousand years ago, the reasons behind the decline of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, conjectures regarding the lifespan of human powerhouses, the refining materials and methods for the aberrant ghost antidote... All of it was priceless intelligence. Yet for Xu Yuan right now, the most useful part was the record of the infighting within this subterranean crypt. From the descriptions, three key figures had ruled this underground complex ten thousand years ago: Su Luochen, Tang Wan'er, and Luo Xiran. Whether judged by cultivation base or their status in the world above, the three of them stood at the absolute center of authority down here. Among them, Luo Xiran was the foremost. After all, she appeared to possess the authority to shut down the "research projects" of the other two. Of the two major projects within the crypt, Luo Xiran played an absolute leading role in developing the Fate-Reversing Liquid, and the Blood God Stone used to control aberrant ghosts had also been researched along the broad direction she established. Add to that the fact that the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion had spearheaded the construction of this underground crypt, and her status as the "chief architect" was essentially solidified. This power dynamic—with Luo Xiran at the helm and Tang and Su assisting her—persisted until the very moment the Fate-Reversing Liquid and the Blood God Stone were on the verge of completion. That was when human civil war broke out aboveground. Though the aberrant ghost catastrophe had dealt a grievous blow to humanity's Source Qi and laid waste to nine houses out of ten, infighting remained inevitable. A siege against the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion had been bound to happen. Even dynastic transitions operated on the notion that kings and nobles were not born to their station; yet the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, by peering into the future, had outright blocked the advancement paths of all other sects. Moreover, the only Unfathomables who could introduce variables were actively targeted—forced to join or die. Under such circumstances, who would tolerate a behemoth capable of seeing the future pressing down on their heads? The great catastrophe had finally reduced the Pavilion to the brink of ruin. If they waited until the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion recovered its strength, everyone would be forced right back under its thumb. And so, this human civil war naturally extended from the surface into this isolated crypt. What followed was straightforward: a werewolf-style battle royale within a sealed space. Because the experimental phases of both the Fate-Reversing Liquid and the Blood God Stone required Luo Xiran for final completion, she was not ambushed and eliminated right away; instead, her contact with the outside world was severed. By the time Luo Xiran truly realized her predicament and their true goal, it was already a dead end. Tang Wan'er and Su Luochen, having received news when the war above broke out, must have begun preparing from that very moment. The day the two projects succeeded would be the day Luo Xiran died. As for stalling indefinitely? Tang Wan'er and Su Luochen were both masters of their respective fields. Given enough time, the moment they noticed something was amiss, they would strike directly even if the research remained incomplete. It was a checkmate. Yet when a game could not be won, one could always flip the board. To hell with the Fate-Reversing Liquid and the Blood God Stone. Everyone would die together—ashes to ashes, dust to dust, leaving nothing for anyone. Thinking to this point, Xu Yuan's expression turned somewhat peculiar. In hindsight, the sects had acted against the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion a bit too early. They should have waited until the Fate-Reversing Liquid and the Blood God Stone were fully realized down here, killed Luo Xiran, seized the fruits of her labor, and only then made their move. He knew all too well how much aberrant ghost transformation enhanced a cultivator's combat strength. No matter how mighty the Pavilion Master had been ten thousand years ago, he could never have stood against a flock of half-aberrant Saints. After all, aberrant ghosts did not fear death. Yet Xu Yuan quickly chided himself for his presumption. If he could think of it, those ancient schemers of ten thousand years ago certainly had as well. The Overseeing Heaven Pavilion must have noticed signs of trouble back then, forcing them to advance their schedule. Viewed this way, the logic of the jade slip held together. The problem was that the crypt ten thousand years later did not match what the jade slip described. Too many things were off. The aberrant ghost queen in the Blood Nest was, in all likelihood, the target Luo Xiran had intended to possess, and by all appearances, that possession seemed to have succeeded. Yet if it had succeeded, Why hadn't the queen ever thought to enter the bottom of this blood pool over all these years? One of the most crucial foundations of her cooperation with Xu Yuan was that he could lead her out. Aberrant ghost transformation altered thought patterns, but it did not wipe away memory. Even if her mindset had shifted after fully turning into an aberrant ghost so that she no longer wished to use the Fate-Reversing Liquid to regain her human form, she could still have escaped through the path hidden in the secret chamber below. Furthermore, Why had the two Blood God Stone jade pendants—which allowed Luo Xiran to control the aberrant ghosts and the grand formation—been separated? Why was Luo Xiran's Saint body, supposed to resist decay for only a millennium, still pristine after ten thousand years? Countless questions rose in Xu Yuan's mind. Subconsciously, he looked once more toward the flawless female corpse reclining in full view, a flicker of contemplation in his eyes. All the information he had read came strictly from Luo Xiran's perspective at the time. The plan belonged to her alone, and unexpected changes always arrived faster than plans. None of the others were saints. Tang Wan'er, Su Luochen, and even the primordial aberrant ghost collaborating with Luo Xiran must have held their own contingency measures. Perhaps the primordial aberrant ghost had backstabbed Luo Xiran, or perhaps Su Luochen and Tang Wan'er had uncovered something before dying and struck back. With that thought, Xu Yuan willed it, and the other Blood God Stone jade pendant abruptly appeared at his fingertips. According to the records, these two Blood God Stones could control the crypt's grand formation, but he currently had no idea how to operate them. If the Blood God Stone jade pendant functioned like a jade slip, then the one belonging to the aberrant ghost queen, Luo Xiran, ought to contain something as well. Perhaps it held the method for controlling the formation. Having made up his mind, Xu Yuan flickered back to the corpse's side and cupped his fists in a theatrical bow. "Ahem. I'm an old friend of your brother's. If I've offended you in any way, once he regains a physical body, I'll take him out to a pleasure house." "..." No one replied, only a few streams of bubbles drifting upward from his lips. Seeing this, Xu Yuan leaned down and pressed the jade pendant against the woman's chest. Then, sitting cross-legged opposite her, he cleared his mind and began circulating the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art, refining Source Qi to channel into her body. Based on his earlier experience, the meridians inside this corpse served as the key to unlocking the information sealed within the Blood God Stone. Just like before, Xu Yuan's Source Qi swiftly seeped into her body. Unlike last time, however, his gaze remained fixed on her, taking in every subtle shift. As the Source Qi circulated through her meridians, Xu Yuan clicked his tongue in wonder once again. Old Man Luo's younger sister was preserved far too well. If not for her utter lack of vitality, she would have looked like a sleeping goddess submerged in the blood pool. *Gurgle... gurgle...* Once Xu Yuan's Source Qi completed a full circuit through Luo Xiran's body via the Blood God Stone, a stream of bubbles abruptly welled up from the point where the stone touched her skin. Immediately after, the Blood God Stone dissolved straight into her body. Xu Yuan's eyes lit up with delight. It worked. Pulling his fingertips back from her chest, Xu Yuan stared unblinkingly, waiting for a reaction. One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths. Aside from the occasional bubble rising from the pool floor, nothing stirred. Xu Yuan blinked, his crimson eyes widening slightly. *Hey, big sister, don't swallow the pendant and leave me hanging! Move, will you? Spit it back out—there's still a Saint-level barbarian hulk waiting up there!* Amidst his frantic thoughts, a sudden spark flashed through his mind. He recalled that earlier, while it felt as though she had grabbed his hand, in reality, physical contact had occurred between them. With that in mind, Xu Yuan ran his tongue over the corner of his lips and gently poked his finger against the spot where the Blood God Stone had vanished. The instant fingertip met soft, porcelain skin— *Boom—* A deafening roar erupted in Xu Yuan's mind like an explosion, accompanied by a piercing ringing in his ears. Everything in his vision slowed to a crawl, and his entire body toppled forward, completely out of his control. Luo Xiran's crossed, shapely porcelain legs loomed larger before him. Beautiful—hardly looking ten thousand years— *Wait, damn it, is this really possession?* Xu Yuan tried to move, but his body refused to heed any command from his brain. Just as their skin was about to brush, his hand abruptly shot out, bracing against the stone floor below to arrest his fall. This movement brought him no relief whatsoever; instead, a chill crept through him. A bone-deep, icy chill. Because he had not issued that command. His body was moving on its own. In the next instant, he slipped entirely into a bizarre state. Stripped of control, his physical form moved autonomously. Pushing up from the ground, he rose slowly to his feet. 'Xu Yuan' unhurriedly lowered his gaze to inspect his own palm. Or rather, he was looking at the Blood God Stone jade pendant embedded in his palm. At this moment, the pendant's appearance had undergone subtle changes. Its color had shifted—the original blood-red hue was now darker, steeped in an eerie, secretive aura. Had the two Blood God Stone jade pendants fused into one? Xu Yuan felt he had played himself, yet something struck him as odd. According to the Prime Minister's internal archives, possession would obliterate the original host's consciousness. Yet his mind was not only intact, but razor-sharp. It felt more like being possessed and puppeted by some external entity. Even as the thought crossed his mind, control over his body abruptly returned. Finding himself free, Xu Yuan instinctively raised his hand and waved it before his eyes. To be fair, that sensation of losing physical control had been rather bizarre. Still, what was the underlying principle? Pondering this, he turned his head toward Luo Xiran, who remained seated cross-legged in stillness. Yet halfway through the motion, control vanished once more. His head smoothly turned back, his gaze directed down at the Blood God Stone in his palm. Control returned. A strange glint passed through Xu Yuan's eyes. He tried turning toward the unclad Luo Xiran again. Freeze. Stare at the Blood God Stone. Turn again. Freeze again. "..." Xu Yuan was speechless. Taking a deep breath, he whispered, "Luo Xiran?" "..." No reply. Seeing no response, Xu Yuan began turning his head once more. Freeze. "Are you quite finished?" A gentle yet frosty voice suddenly resonated beside his ear. Hearing it, Xu Yuan asked again, "Luo Xiran?" The gentle voice gave no answer, its chill unchanged. "Soul Condensation brat, did your elders never teach you respect... Whatever, I will impart a method to communicate through intent-soul—" "..." Sensing the familiar fluctuation of intent-soul transmission, Xu Yuan grinned. Connecting his intent-soul to the Blood God Stone in his palm, he cut her off directly: "No need. This young master already knows how." "..." Silence from the other side. Xu Yuan chuckled softly and pressed on. "Are you Luo Xiran?" "How do you know this form of transmission? Who are—" "I'm a friend of your brother's." "..." Luo Xiran. After a long pause, the gentle voice carried a hint of hesitation: "...Luo Daofan?" "Yeah, that old man," Xu Yuan answered crisply. "If my father hadn't taken him away, I would've brought him along, and you two siblings might have had your reunion by now." "..." Silence fell again. The sheer volume of information packed into those few casual sentences left her momentarily unable to gauge the situation. Seeing her remain quiet, Xu Yuan was in no mood to drag things out. Though less than half an incense stick had passed since he dove down, that Saint-level barbarian hulk could hunt him down at any moment. Every second counted. "Cut the idle chatter. Luo Xiran, this young master has questions. Weren't you going to possess that aberrant ghost? Why are you here?" "..." Luo Xiran's thoughts churned with bizarre disbelief. An enormous amount of time must have passed, but to think manners and propriety had decayed to this degree. Shouldn't a mere Soul Condensation cultivator, upon meeting a Saint, respectfully address her as Senior before anything else...? "Speak up! Time is short!" Xu Yuan's voice carried a sharp edge of impatience. "You're Old Man Luo's sister, which makes us family. Hurry it up—there's a Saint outside coming after my head." "*Sigh...*" A soft exhale preceded Luo Xiran's gentle voice, her answer succinct: "Because I failed." Xu Yuan's gaze narrowed. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Luo Xiran continued. Her tone sounded calm and unhurried, yet intent-soul communication unfolded in a mere instant: "You must have read the jade slip I left behind. That was merely a decoy meant for Tang Wan'er and Su Luochen." "A decoy?" "My true trap was a potion planted inside Tang Wan'er and Su Luochen—a different sort of Fate-Reversing Liquid. The moment their aberrant ghost transformation reached a certain threshold, their bodies would rot away until absolute death." Luo Xiran's gentle voice took on a trace of cold malice. "Naturally, the two of them poisoned me with an irreversible toxin as well." "So you actually wanted to lure and force them into possessing that aberrant ghost." "Yes. You are clever." "..." Xu Yuan's eyes flickered for a moment, and he looked up toward the surface of the blood pool. "Yet there is an aberrant ghost outside wearing your face and your name." "That should be either Tang Wan'er or Su Luochen," Luo Xiran said flatly, tinged with melancholy. "Or perhaps it is the primordial aberrant ghost named 'Qi.' During my experiments, I tampered with Qi's body; whoever possessed it would have their memories subtly altered over time." Hearing this, Xu Yuan prompted, "She likes to refer to herself as 'this seat.'" "Then it is likely Qi. To think that out of the three of them, it was the aberrant ghost that survived to the end." "..." Xu Yuan took a deep breath, staring down at the Blood God Stone jade pendant in his palm, and asked tentatively, "Then why do you say you failed?" "Haven't you already seen for yourself?" Luo Xiran sounded faintly despondent. "I am now the spiritual essence spirit of the Blood God Stone, yet I cannot even fully control a half-aberrant ghost like you."