Devouring Soul Emperor

"Senior, does this mean I’ve passed the trial?"

After retracting his Soul Power, Chu Qingyun asked loudly.

After a long moment of silence, the senior’s voice finally sounded from all around.

"A perfect pass!"

Even though the silence had lasted for so long, the senior’s voice was still thick with shock.

Array of Cauldrons and Divine Separation—Chu Qingyun had passed both trials perfectly, without the slightest bit of hesitation.

If this weren’t some remote corner of the Northern Domain, the senior would have probably thought Chu Qingyun was a genius meticulously cultivated by some great Elixir Medicine Family!

With both stages passed, the Array before Chu Qingyun slowly faded away.

Then, a translucent, somewhat illusory figure walked out from behind where the Array had been.

The figure was tall and slender with a gentle face, completely free of wrinkles. He looked to be in his thirties, but his eyes held a sense of infinite, ancient sorrow.

’This must be the senior’s Residual Soul that Elder Qin mentioned.’

"Greetings, Senior. Elder Qin asked this junior to thank you on his behalf for your guidance!"

Chu Qingyun didn’t dare to get cocky, politely performing a junior’s bow.

"Mm, good, good, very good..."

The Residual Soul, however, paid no mind to Elder Qin. Instead, he sized up Chu Qingyun with a satisfied smile. "Perfectly passing both the Array of Cauldrons and Divine Separation, and possessing a pure Flame Martial Soul... My years of waiting have not been in vain. Boy, are you willing to inherit my lifetime of Alchemy Skills?"

"This junior is willing!"

Chu Qingyun answered hurriedly. He’d nearly killed himself lifting those cauldrons; wasn’t this the entire reason?

"Good. Then I shall pass on all of my life’s learnings to you."

As the Residual Soul spoke, he slowly raised his arm. A point of light glowed on his fingertip, and he gently tapped Chu Qingyun’s forehead.

Instantly, Chu Qingyun felt a massive amount of information flooding into his mind, overwhelming him to the point of dizziness.

This state lasted for about five minutes.

The Residual Soul removed his finger, and Chu Qingyun quickly recovered.

He now found that his mind was filled with a vast amount of new things: knowledge of various Spiritual Medicines and Elixirs, and even insights and experiences from years of Alchemy!

The senior’s Residual Soul had truly done as he’d said, imparting his entire life’s work to Chu Qingyun!

After the transmission, however, the Residual Soul’s form seemed to have faded considerably, appearing much weaker.

"Senior, what’s wrong?" Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but ask with concern.

The Residual Soul laughed heartily. "Haha, now that I have found my successor, my lingering obsession is gone. It is time for dust to return to dust, and earth to earth."

"May I ask for Senior’s name? Do you have any family? Or perhaps some unfinished business or grudges? This junior will do everything in his power to help you fulfill them!" Chu Qingyun said with great sincerity.

Having received such a great favor, his conscience wouldn’t rest if he didn’t do something in return.

"Haha, you know to repay kindness. Good, very good."

"But I have nothing I need you to do. Though I lived a carefree life, it was also a lonely one. I have no children, no attachments. As for my name... I’ve long since forgotten it. All the grudges and favors, after so many years, they’ve all passed."

"If you insist, there is one thing I wish to give you. Though, I don’t know if it will be a blessing or a curse."

As the senior’s Residual Soul spoke, he beckoned with his hand, and an object flew into it.

When Chu Qingyun saw the object, his eyes widened. It was a... Fragment!

It was just like the Fragment Chu Qingyun had obtained in the Canglang King’s Tomb; the ancient aura was identical!

Gazing at the Fragment in his palm, a hint of emotion flickered in the Residual Soul’s eyes. "Back then, so many experts fought their way to the Northern Domain to seize another Fragment, but in the end, it was all for nothing. The Fragment disappeared, and I... I also fell in the Northern Domain, leaving behind only this Residual Soul..." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Boy, I obtained this Fragment in the Central State. I give it to you now. Your future depends on your own destiny. If you have the fortune, perhaps you can use it to leap over the dragon gate and soar through the nine heavens. If you feel you lack such fortune, don’t force it. Just throw it away to avoid a fatal disaster!"

’It’s this kind of talk again.’

Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He seemed to recall You Yun saying something similar to him before.

"Senior, how many of these Fragments are there? And what do they lead to?" Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but ask, his curiosity piqued.

He had asked You Yun before, but You Yun hadn’t told him.

"There are six Fragments in total. As for what they lead to..." The senior’s Residual Soul shook his head. "Saying more would be pointless. It might even bring you harm."

’The same words again.’ Chu Qingyun was speechless.

He lightly tapped his Storage Ring, retrieved his own Fragment, and placed it in his palm. "Senior, I obtained a Fragment before as well. Take a look, are they from the same source?"

Seeing the Fragment in Chu Qingyun’s palm, the Residual Soul suddenly froze.

After a moment’s pause, he couldn’t help but throw his head back and roar with laughter. "Hahahaha... It is time! It is fate! This is all destiny!"

"Back then, countless experts fought their way from the Central State to the Northern Domain for this Fragment. Venerables fell, and Saints shed blood! To think that in the end, both Fragments would be delivered into your hands!"

"I give this one of mine to you as well. Perhaps... you truly are the one with that great fortune..."

As the senior’s Residual Soul spoke, his form grew fainter and fainter, finally scattering and disappearing completely.

Catching the drifting Fragment, Chu Qingyun bowed deeply in the direction the soul had dispersed.

Looking at the two Fragments in his hand, Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but think of the one Ning Xue possessed. If he could find her at Piaomiao Peak in the Central State within three years, he could obtain that Fragment as well.

’By that count, of the six Fragments, I’ve managed to obtain three of them. Could it be that in the grand scheme of things, there really is such a thing as destiny...’

After the senior’s Residual Soul vanished, the Array in the cave also dissipated, plunging the entire cavern into pitch-black silence.

Chu Qingyun used his Primordial Power to create light and looked around the cave one more time. Finding nothing, he headed back through the secret passage he had come from.

Outside, Qin Ya and Elder Qin were waiting anxiously at the entrance to the secret passage.

Back in his day, Elder Qin’s Martial Soul had barely been enough to catch the senior’s eye, earning him a chance to take the trials.

As it turned out, in the Array of Cauldrons trial, he had only managed to lift the second cauldron, barely qualifying him to become an Alchemist. But in the Divine Separation trial, he could only create two divisions, which wasn’t even a passing grade.

In the end, he had only received some very basic knowledge and a few simple Pill Formulas.

But even so, Elder Qin still held the senior in extremely high regard and admiration. He hoped Chu Qingyun could pass the senior’s trials and fulfill the lingering obsession the soul had held onto for hundreds of years.