Yun Jin nodded slightly.
She had long held suspicions.
Now, seeing this evidence, her guess was confirmed and her thoughts immediately became clear.
Lin Xiao, as an outer-realm fiend, had arrived in this world a long time ago. In this world, he had no body of his own and could only choose to seize another's. But a seized body was never truly his.
So Lin Xiao had to change vessels periodically.
No wonder among the Four Holy Lands, only Qingxiao Pavilion saw its Pavilion Masters replaced the most frequently. None of them ever held the position for more than five hundred years. Each time, they vanished or fell under strange pretexts. Back when the Immortal Path had not been sealed, there were even cases of so-called ascension to the upper realms.
But now it seemed clear.
That so-called ascension was most likely nothing but a diversion. Borrowing another's body meant it was impossible to achieve perfect unity of body and Primordial Soul. Even at the peak of cultivation, such a body could never ascend to the Immortal Realm.
"The Pavilion Masters of Qingxiao Pavilion throughout history, I fear, were all just Lin Xiao alone," Yun Jin said calmly.
From beginning to end, only one man.
Hong Ye's heart was shaken. But she quickly regained her composure. After a moment of thought, her voice grew dry. "Then the current Xuan Kong… has he already been replaced by Lin Xiao?"
Lin Xiao's life and death.
Yet Sect Master was suddenly investigating Xuan Kong's affairs.
Hong Ye could not believe these were unconnected.
"Not necessarily." Yun Jin pondered a moment, not hiding anything. "I already destroyed Lin Xiao's true body completely. But he had split off a fragment of soul and spirit ahead of time. That fragment is most likely inside Xuan Kong now.
If he possessed a complete soul, seizing Xuan Kong would be effortless. But now, he has only a shred of a remnant soul. Xuan Kong, after all, is a Mahayana late-stage powerhouse. He should not be subdued so easily."
Yun Jin speculated. At present, the two souls were most likely still locked in struggle.
"Sect Master, even if Lin Xiao is reduced to a mere remnant soul, we cannot simply leave him unchecked," Hong Ye lowered her voice. "If he is destroyed once more, he will never rise again."
Yun Jin raised a brow. "Now he is likely already fused with Xuan Kong. Kill him, and Xuan Kong will likely perish as well."
To kill Lin Xiao meant killing Xuan Kong too.
Hong Ye's heart wavered. Though she no longer felt the bonds of romance with Xuan Kong, the friendship remained. This choice weighed heavily on her.
"There is no need to be hasty," Yun Jin said evenly. "If Xuan Kong too were steeped in evil deeds, killing them both would be nothing. But as you said before, his actions can still be considered those of a good man. I will think of a way, to see if there is a method to save both."
Hong Ye nodded, her emotions complicated. In a low voice she said, "Sect Master, if there truly is no way to save him…"
She hesitated, then continued, "Please allow me to end it with my own hands."
To let Lin Xiao's remnant soul linger would always be a disaster.
Lin Xiao must not remain. If he and Xuan Kong could not be separated…
Pain flashed in Hong Ye's eyes. The only thing she could do for him would be to strike the final blow herself.
"Have a little faith in your Sect Master." Yun Jin patted her shoulder. "Do not dwell on it. Go see to the new disciples. I will handle the rest."
Hong Ye bowed deeply and withdrew.
Yun Jin turned her eyes back to the television screen.
Even now.
No one had come to investigate.
"Yuan Yuan, hide the camera near Xuan Kong's cave residence," Yun Jin ordered.
"Yes." Yuan Yuan responded, and the device slipped into the void, hidden once more.
After such a disturbance, normally someone should have arrived quickly.
But this time, it was another full hour before Xuan Kong staggered back.
Yun Jin's eyes narrowed slightly.
Xuan Kong's gait was strangely uneven. To one unaware, it might not seem unusual.
But knowing the truth, Yun Jin could easily tell.
This was a struggle between two souls for control.
On the screen, Xuan Kong's expression twisted.
"You are truly insane! Look now, arriving so late, the intruder is long gone!"
The next instant, his voice dropped, deep and cold.
"So what if they are gone? My greatest enemy right now is you."
His voice then grew sharp and shrill. "Madman, you are the real madman! You and I share one body, yet you oppose me at every turn. What good does it do you?"
Whatever he did then, Xuan Kong's face contorted with terrible pain.
Yun Jin frowned slightly.
This situation between Xuan Kong and Lin Xiao was similar to Yang Yun and that other remnant soul. But while Yang Yun had begun equally matched, now he was at a complete disadvantage.
Here, Xuan Kong still held the upper hand.
Otherwise, he would not have delayed appearing until the camera was safely hidden. That Xuan Kong still retained self-awareness, and still dominated, was good news.
Perhaps.
She could give him a little help.
After some thought, Yun Jin asked, "Yuan Yuan, in the inheritances left by the master of the Celestial Divine Palace, are there methods concerning the soul? If Xuan Kong's own spirit can be strengthened, it should suppress Lin Xiao's remnant more firmly. Or, perhaps a method to destroy that remnant directly?"
Yuan Yuan considered and replied, "There are some. I recall a certain talisman that can temporarily enhance soul strength. There is also a pill with a similar effect. Besides that, certain rare spirit plants can do the same. But all of these are only temporary. To truly strengthen the soul, one must cultivate specialized techniques."
"Cultivating techniques requires years of effort. Not everyone has my kind of talent," Yun Jin sighed. "Besides, with two souls constantly interfering, he cannot possibly cultivate in peace. That root solution cannot be used."
So for now, she could only turn to temporary remedies.
Yuan Yuan compiled the relevant inheritances for her.
As Yun Jin studied them, her eyes gleamed faintly.
Come to think of it…
She had just acquired a trove of pill formulas.
The combat alchemist system from Man Sen!
That system was designed for battle, its essence being to boost power for short periods while minimizing side effects. Among them was a pill formula specifically for temporarily strengthening soul power.
The master of the Celestial Divine Palace had also left behind a few such formulas.
Yun Jin fed them all into her system. She spent some Emotional Value.
The system fused and refined them. At last, a final version appeared.
Yun Jin glanced at the result. The original formulas had all been at ninth-grade.
After integration and improvement—
What emerged was a Saint-rank pill formula!