I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

"Only a soul remains?"

Lin Ye stared at the photo.

"You can even carve things on stone?"

"able."

Wanling answered quickly.

"But it's difficult."

"The soul has no hands, nor is it supported by a physical body or blood. To leave such a mark, one would have to directly grind the soul power into the stone."

Tang Zhi felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing this.

"It sounds painful."

"It was already in pain."

The Way of All Spirits:

"It's like using yourself to climb up the social ladder."

"The deeper the engraving, the weaker the soul."

Lin Ye looked at the faint mark that was almost gone.

"So this was left behind before he died?"

"uncertain."

"Not necessarily?"

"nonsense."

Wanling is a bit annoying.

"The soul leaving the body does not mean immediate death. It is not uncommon for one to live for a while after leaving the physical body once one has cultivated to a certain level."

"Then the one inside Han Jingchuan's body will also work?"

This time, Wanling did not answer immediately.

A few seconds later.

He only managed to utter one sentence.

"Show me the photo of the front of the monument again."

Lin Ye's eyes flickered slightly.

"What did you remember?"

"not yet."

"Then why is your tone off?"

"Stop talking nonsense and send it."

Tang Zhi sent the high-resolution rubbing along with it.

The storage room fell silent.

Wanling remained silent for a full two minutes.

Tang Zhi lowered her voice.

"Won't the connection drop?"

The person on the other end of the phone immediately started cursing:

"I can hear you."

"Then say something."

"Shut up."

A while later.

Wanling suddenly spoke.

"Food Vessel Spirit"

"Seizing the technique."

"Soul transfer".

"And this 'mysterious'..."

Its sound is very slow.

"I may have heard of it before."

Lin Ye sat up straight immediately.

"Who?"

"I said maybe."

Wanling emphasized.

Don't take half-finished sentences as conclusions.

Lu Zhixia nodded gently beside her.

"Tell me what you remember first."

Wanling ignored Linye.

Instead, she was asked:

"Can't we be sure who that 'Taoist priest' is?"

"I can't be sure."

Lu Zhixia said:

"It can only be said that the fragments are close."

"That would be even more troublesome."

Wanling fell silent for a moment.

"I was young... cough, anyway, a long time ago, there were some old scrolls in the sect that ordinary disciples were not allowed to touch."

Lin Ye couldn't hold it back.

"Were you ever young?"

"roll."

Tang Zhi lowered her head, suppressing a laugh.

Wanling continued:

"The Beast Taming Sect has the greatest taboo against two types of people."

"A type that specializes in hunting spirit beasts."

"The other type is even more disgusting."

"They do not kill animals."

"Draw the beast soul first, then eat it."

The laughter in the storage room dissipated.

Cheng Fang spoke:

Why?

"Borrowing skills."

"Beast souls possess innate spirituality, and some even carry bloodline instincts."

The Way of All Spirits:

"Normal beast-taming cultivators rely on contracts to leverage power."

"Those heretical cultivators thought it was too slow."

"Swallow it directly."

Lin Ye thought of Han Jingchuan.

speed.

Fluctuation.

Soul power.

There is also the spirit of the Lord in the ruins.

so similar.

"Is devouring a spirit weapon also a viable option?"

"almost."

"The spirit of a magical artifact is also a spirit."

The Way of All Spirits:

"Especially complete spirit artifacts, which live a long time, know a lot, and have a solid soul."

"For this kind of person..."

It paused for a moment.

"It's just a ready-made supplement."

Tang Zhi glanced at her phone subconsciously.

"Then you wouldn't be..."

"Shut up."

Wanling was clearly more annoyed.

Tang Zhi was delighted.

"I haven't finished speaking."

"I can tell what you're thinking."

Lin Ye didn't join in the commotion.

"You said you'd heard of someone with the word 'mystical' in their name before?"

"Um."

The sound of pages turning came from Wanling's side.

It seems they are also looking for old things they left behind.

"I can't remember the full name."

"Or rather, they never really took notes."

Why?

"The time period is too far away."

The Way of All Spirits:

"When I heard that story, that person had been gone for who knows how many years."

"The clan talks about him mainly to scare the younger generation."

Lin Ye: "What's wrong?"

Wan Ling paused for a moment.

"He wandered off at night and was caught by some mysterious figure who then ate his soul."

"..."

Tang Zhi couldn't help herself.

"You ancient sects use this kind of trick to coax children?"

"Don't you guys scare children with ghosts now?"

"Too."

Lin Ye tapped on the table.

"continue."

"As far as I remember, that person's nickname was something like 'Mysterious Void'."

The storage room suddenly fell silent.

Lin Ye looked up.

"mystery?"

"I said, it seems so."

Wanling's tone became more serious.

"It might be a mystery."

"It could also be something mysterious or something else."

"Don't call Han Jingchuan 'Xuanxu Daoist' tomorrow. If you call him the wrong person, people will laugh at you."

Lin Ye wrote the name down.

mystery.

At least it matches the "玄" (xuan) on the broken stele.

Cheng Fang asked:

"What else?"

"I can't remember many."

"The old scroll says that he ate more than just beast souls."

"Later, they even set their sights on the spirits within the sect."

"After being hunted down, my physical body was destroyed once."

Lin Ye's expression changed instantly.

"Then?"

"That's all."

"That's it?"

"The test paper is missing pages at the end."

Wanling is perfectly justified.

"I wasn't a specialist in studying this person back then."

"Then what you just said sounded like you were about to reveal a secret."

"Take it or leave it."

Lin Ye endured it.

At least one thing can be confirmed.

According to ancient records of the Beast Taming Sect.

Indeed, there have been evil cultivators who could devour beast souls, stare at artifact spirits, and whose physical bodies had been destroyed.

The name is likely to be Xuanxu.

But this still doesn't prove that he is the one inside Han Jingchuan's body.

Lu Zhixia suddenly spoke:

"Would the Hehuan Sect also have records?"

Lin Ye looked at her.

The two looked at each other.

No explanation needed.

They all thought of one person.

Crimson robes.

However, this matter cannot be asked in front of Cheng Fang and the others.

The mirror of the heart remains a secret.

Lin Ye's expression didn't change; he simply picked up his phone.

"I'm going out to make a phone call."

Tang Zhi looked at him.

"girlfriend."

"At this time?"

"Is there a rule against it?"

"……you go."

The forest has been removed from the sealed-off area.

He only sent a message to Lu Zhixia after he reached the corner of the stairs.

[Asking about the woman in crimson robes.]

Lu Zhixia replied with only one word.

【it is good. 】

Half an hour later.

The two met in the underground parking lot.

Lu Zhixia didn't beat around the bush.

"She's heard of it."

Lin Ye stopped in his tracks.

"mystery?"

"Um."

This time.

It's definitely much better than Wanling.

Lu Zhixia took out her phone.

The above are some records she just compiled.

"Jiangyi said she had never seen this person before."

"Let's make this clear first, so it doesn't sound like we experienced it ourselves."

"Know."

"However, the Hehuan Sect has preventative measures against 'soul-possessed cultivators'."

Lin Ye frowned.

"Specifically designed to prevent possession?"

"Primarily to prevent spirits from invading the body."

"The reason is that the sect's old records mention a heretical cultivator."

Lu Zhixia looked at him.

"The Taoist Master Xuanxu".

Four words.

Now everyone's here.

Lin Ye didn't say anything.

Two completely different ancient sects.

Beast Control Sect.

Hehuan Sect.

A vague old news story that leaves behind an air of mystery.

One of them simply left behind the title "Xuanxu Daoren" (玄虚道人).

If you still insist it's just a coincidence...

That's a bit of a stretch.

"What else is there to say, Crimson Robe?"

"This person has had a body swap."

Lin Ye's eyes narrowed.

"Sure?"

"That's how it's written in the old records."

Lu Zhixia turned to the next item.

"But she didn't know exactly how many times it was changed, how it was done, or whether she died in the end."

"Moreover, the reason why the Hehuan Sect recorded him was not because he attacked the Hehuan Sect."

"Then why?"

"Someone came to our door asking for help."

"Who?"

"have no idea."

Lu Zhixia shook her head.

"Jiang Yi only remembered that the old records mentioned that the person's soul had already been possessed."

"The people in the sect forced the outsider out once."

Lin Ye's breathing slowed down.

"Forced out?"

"Um."

"and then?"

Lu Zhixia's expression was a little strange.

They ran away.

"..."

Lin Ye remained silent for two seconds.

"You ancient people were quite inefficient at doing things."

Lu Zhixia glanced at him.

"Jiang Yi's original words were that the other party's soul was too strong and that he had prepared another inhabitant."

As soon as those words were spoken...

The joke on Lin Ye's face completely disappeared.

Other inhabitants.

In other words.

For this kind of person.

The physical body replacement may not be a one-time event at all.

One of them is broken.

Find the next body.

The explanation for Wanling's statement that "the physical body has been destroyed once" is also now available.

He may not be dead.

It might just be a move.

Lu Zhixia lowered her voice.

"There's one more detail."

"What?"

"Jiangyi said that there is a note at the end of the old record of the Hehuan Sect."

"She doesn't remember the exact words."

"It roughly means..."

She paused.

"This person's soul is flawed."

"Prolonged reliance on this place will inevitably consume the spirit and replenish the soul."

The forest didn't move.

The soul is missing.

Swallowing souls.

Devouring the spirit of the artifact.

Suddenly, all the lines were connected.

Why does that old thing inside Han Jingchuan eat any soul it sees?

Why are soul-stealing artifacts used?

Why would they even dare to swallow the spirit of the deceased?

Perhaps it's not just about ability at all.

He has been working on making up for himself.

"Don't tell Captain Cheng where the mirror came from beforehand."

Forest road.

"I know."

"Where's the information?"

Lu Zhixia thought for a moment.

"We could try to present it as a clue from an ancient book."

"Don't rush."

Lin Ye shook his head.

"Wanling already has a lead that can be publicly investigated."

"Let's start by checking the seven sites, following the existing ruins and old records."

"Keep hiding the Mirror of the Heart here."

Lu Zhixia nodded.

The two had just reached the parking lot exit.

Lin Ye's phone rang.

Cheng Fang.

"return."

"What's wrong?"

"Another fragment of a stele was unearthed at the site."

Lin Ye stopped walking.

"What did you write?"

Cheng Fang was silent for half a second.

"name."

"Complete".

Lin Ye held his phone.

"The Taoist Master Xuanxu?"

There was silence on the phone.

Cheng Fang's voice turned serious.

How did you know?