Longevity Candle

Chapter 83 Taiyin - Ritual Soul! (10,000 words, please subscribe)
Jiang Zhu looked at the three-headed crows, and then he fell asleep again.

His mind was damaged, and he forgot too much, even the ability to send away wandering spirits.

Or perhaps, he never had it to begin with, and it was just that the Soul-Guiding Lamp had this ability.

Jiang Zhu and Li Qingxuan sat on the recliners, gazing at the starry sky, recounting their conversation with the old dragon.

"Wandering souls as nourishment? Then, do those wandering souls turn to ashes like burning wood?" Li Qingxuan asked.

"I think so," Jiang Zhu said. "Do you still want to continue?"

Li Qingxuan was silent for a moment, then said, "I want to continue sending away wandering souls, not for merit, but just to send them to where they should go. Whether I can enter the path of immortality is uncertain. If I can't, I will have died of old age long ago."

Jiang Zhu sighed softly, as if she were seeing Li Qingping from back then.

Although he did not accompany Li Qingping on his final journey, we can see it in the page of Taiping he left behind.

He did it for the mortal world, and Li Qingxuan did it for the wandering souls of the mortal world.

However, Li Qingping possessed the dragon's aura of national destiny and was ultimately affected by it, while Li Qingxuan was purely out of pity for wandering souls.

Li Qingxuan glanced at the three-headed raven: "He's quite pitiful too. He can't go home and has been harmed like this. Shuntiandao is truly despicable."

"Have you ever tried using merit?" Jiang Zhu asked.

“It’s no use.” Li Qingxuan shook her head. “Uncle Jiang Zhu, could you let the wandering spirit enter his body and take a look?”

“He’s incredibly powerful; what wandering spirit would dare to enter?” Jiang Zhu paused abruptly, then added, “Perhaps I can give it a try.”

A silvery moonlight appeared in his palm, transforming into a ring that trapped the three-headed raven.

Jiang Zhu's body transformed into a ray of silver light and disappeared into the body of the Dark Crow.

The immense magical power surged forth, attempting to drive out the outsiders.

The three sleeping ravens, relying on their instincts, mobilized their magical power. Jiang Zhu's body was filled with Taiyin magical power, and the silver light was cool and gentle.

Following the power of the Taiyin magic, he found the souls of the three-headed raven, which were still slumbering.

The soul, riddled with holes and cracks, gave rise to three heads, just like its original body.

Seemingly sensing him, the middle head opened and looked at Jiang Zhu warily: "Who are you?"

He forgot about Jiang Zhu again.

"Jiang Zhu, your friend, has come to check on you," Jiang Zhu said calmly, a full moon appearing above his head.

"Taiyin Youying".

The three-headed raven stood up, its vast magical power surging and exuding an ancient aura: "I remember now, you are the Soul-Guiding Lamp."

“I am not a soul-guiding lamp, but a green lamp, but I can still send away wandering souls,” Jiang Zhu said.

"You are Jiang Zhu, Jiang Zhu." The three-headed crows murmured twice, then said, "You can send away wandering souls, but do you know how to perform rituals for spirits?"

"What is the spirit of ritual?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"Paying homage to the Netherworld, sending the soul to the underworld... I've forgotten the rest," said the three-headed raven.

"How much do you remember about the Soul-Guiding Lamp?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"The Soul-Guiding Lamp..." The three-headed raven pondered for a moment and said, "The Soul-Guiding Lamp can guide the souls of the dead to the Netherworld, which is the final resting place of the deceased."

"Does the Soul-Guiding Lamp not need the souls of the dead as nourishment?" Jiang Zhu asked.

The three-headed raven said, "No need. The Soul-Guiding Lamp will not absorb the souls of the dead. It is an ancient sacred object bestowed by Youying to guide the dead in the world."

Jiang Zhu pondered to himself, it seemed that the so-called celestial wonder was not the guiding lamp for souls.

"Do you know how to heal your injuries?" Jiang Zhu waved his hand, scattering moonlight onto the three-headed crows.

The three-headed raven felt quite comfortable, with one of the cracks on its body lessening. It squinted contentedly and said, "I remember now. My three heads represent the guiding soul, the ritual soul, and the living soul, respectively."

"What is a living soul?" Jiang Zhu asked again.

“I don’t remember. I’ve long forgotten my abilities.” The three-headed raven pondered for a moment and said, “However, you can search my memories. I hope you can find it and then tell me.”

Jiang Zhu once again unleashed the Moonlight of the Moon, but it had little effect on the three-headed crows.

The three-headed raven closed its eyes, its magical power surging, and a chaotic scene appeared.

The scene is sparse and extremely cluttered. It takes place in a dark space with a silver lamp, under which three ravens sleep.

Then came three raven-headed creatures, carrying soul-guiding lamps, who led the wandering souls of Yunmeng into the dark space.

He sent away wave after wave of wandering souls, accumulating a great deal of merit.

Later, various colored lights shone, engulfing his memories.

He was severely injured and wandered the world, still guiding wandering souls.

On every full moon night, he would pray to the moon, inhaling its light to heal his injuries. Later, various colored lights appeared again, and the Way of Heaven attacked him once more.

He saw some elves, birds, beasts, and a chubby tabby cat carrying a sword.

They invited the three Dark Ravens to join the Shuntiandao sect, but they all refused.

The old dragon appeared and brought the three-headed raven to the vicinity of the Southern Ridge.

However, the three-headed raven seemed to have a conflict with the old dragon, and did not accept his kindness, leaving alone.

He sought out the tabby cat, but was naturally defeated and severely wounded by a single sword strike.

He returned to Nanling in despair and never went out again. From then on, he became mentally unstable.

The remaining memories are of his encounter with Li Qingxuan, which Jiang Zhu already knew.

The power of the Yin energy permeated the air, enveloping the three-headed raven's spirit: "I observed you praying to the bright moon on the night of the full moon. Was it you performing a ritual to invoke the Yin energy?"

"Worship the bright moon?" The middle head looked blank, as if he had thought of something, and his chaotic memories were in turmoil.

An unusual scene, previously obscured by various colored lights, began to unfold. The light dimmed, and a gigantic three-headed raven appeared, its left head proclaiming in a loud prayer: "Eternal Shadow, the souls of the Unending Age pray to you. Lost wanderers listen to your holy pronouncements. Ancient wanderers know not where to go; we have lost our way. Please grant us moonlight, Shadow Palace..."

As he chanted, a bright moon truly rose behind him, its sacred and ancient aura filling the void, like the most ancient spirit, Taiyin Youying, lowering its eyes.

Jiang Zhu's magical power fluctuated, and a sacred aura permeated the air, illuminating the souls of the three-headed raven.

Candlelight!

Although it has lost its ancient charm, it brings light and dispels the darkness.

Seemingly influenced by the candlelight, the cracks on the three-headed raven's body healed a bit more.

A soft murmur reached Jiang Zhu's ear, like a chant from ancient times, or the sound of drums nearby, creating a unique melody.

It was as if a gentle and tender woman was softly singing in his heart, praying that the moonlight would shine eternally.

At this moment, his magical power underwent a new change, operating along a completely new path and absorbing more moonlight.

The moonlight between heaven and earth, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, merges into the body.

He vaguely saw a silver-white palace, as if it had a pair of eyes looking down on the world.

The other two heads of the Three-Headed Raven also awoke, and the magical power within them suddenly surged violently like a tidal wave.

Jiang Zhu raised his hand to put away the candle and withdrew from his body.

“Uncle Jiang Zhu.” Li Qingxuan looked at him with concern, then at the three sleeping crows, which remained asleep.

"He remembered something and is recovering." Jiang Zhu flicked his finger, and a wisp of magic power enveloped the three-headed raven.

He looked up at the bright moon in the sky, which had witnessed countless births and deaths, and still shone brightly over this world.

"The Ritual Soul?" he murmured, channeling his magic power, seemingly able to easily sense the silver-white palace.

The spirit of the three-headed raven is meant to sense that palace, causing it to glow with moonlight, illuminating the path to the underworld and guiding the departed souls away from the mortal realm.

But where is that palace now?

Why can I sense its presence, yet have no specific direction?
His Yin magic power exuded a sacred aura, as sacred as the Sun magic power that inherited the Candlelight Fire.

"Ok?"

Jiang Zhu gazed into the distance. Under the bright moon, a young man with a bright red mark between his eyebrows was devoutly and respectfully worshipping the moon. Beside him stood the Seven Star Sword Box.

Within the boy's body, there was a rich moonlight and a trace of dragon energy, resonating with the land of Yunmeng Kingdom.

As he devoutly worships the moon, wandering spirits appear around him, stepping into that unknown land and leaving the mortal world, and he too is blessed with merit.

He suddenly stood up, his gaze seemingly transcending space to meet Jiang Zhu's eyes.

"A mortal who can sense me? Is it because of the connection between our souls?" Jiang Zhu was increasingly surprised. They were far apart, so it wasn't a connection based on dragon energy.

"Uncle Jiang Zhu, what's wrong? Where is everyone?" Li Qingxuan looked around but couldn't see anyone.

Jiang Zhu said, "The distance is quite far, but he came here. He must have some connection with Li Wanzhang and also has the Seven Star Sword Box. He knows the ritual of sending away wandering souls."

"He can also send away wandering souls?" Li Qingxuan asked in surprise.

“We are the outsiders, and he should be someone favored by Yunmeng.” Jiang Zhu pondered, “If he is not a bad person, then give him a peach wood lamp. Perhaps, it will be helpful to the Three-Headed Crow.”

With a wave of his hand, a piece of peach wood fell and transformed into a new peach wood lamp, its glow dimly illuminated by the moonlight.

Having learned the Ritual Soul, his magical power has increased considerably, and he now possesses a more sacred aura. Now that he has encountered someone who may be destined to be with the Three-Headed Nether Raven, he should bestow a wisp of blessing to make up for the lack of a soul guide.

As for Taiyin Shenghun, it remains to be seen whether he can cure the old crow.

(End of this chapter)