Under One Person: The Puppet Immortal in the Tang Sect

The night wind swept across the platform, stirring up the last bit of ashes.

The ashes drifted in the air and soon disappeared without a trace.

All that remains on the platform are broken stone slabs and weathered cracks, testifying to what once happened here.

At the mountaintop, Zuo Ruotong stood on the steps in front of the main hall, hands behind her back.

Upon seeing Cui Ming and Wuming appear, Zuo Ruotong nodded slightly.

"Thanks to Master Cui for helping our Sanyi Sect."

Cui Ming waved his hand.

"You're too kind, Immortal Master Zuo. How is the situation on the mountain?"

Zuo Ruotong's voice was somewhat low.

"The disciples are taking stock of the casualties and treating the wounded. This night... the losses were heavy."

Cui Ming nodded without saying a word.

How many people died in the battle to eliminate the Trinity Gate?

Those disciples who died in battle on the mountain paths, in the square, and in front of the main hall, and those souls who were resurrected by the Yellow Springs Array and still guard the sect.

Each and every one of them is a disciple that Zuo Ruotong is very familiar with.

Zuo Ruotong paused.

"The matter with the Divine Machine Alliance has also come to an end."

Cui Ming shook his folding fan, appearing relaxed.

"The entire group of undead destroyed themselves after Long Juhao's death. Only a few of the alliance disciples sustained minor injuries and are currently cleaning up the battlefield."

Zuo Ruotong was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked.

"Tatsui Koji? Is that the name of the Onmyoji leader?"

Cui Ming was taken aback, then realized that he had let something slip.

He had originally planned not to mention Koji for the time being, but since he had already brought it up, he might as well explain.

"Yes. He was just pretending to be dead; his soul was hidden in the formation, controlling everything."

"When we were breaking the formation, we discovered his hiding place. Wuming used his flying sword to kill him completely, which is why we were able to break the Yellow Springs Formation so quickly."

Zuo Ruotong looked at Wuming, her gaze lingering for a moment on the sword box behind him, but she didn't ask any questions and simply nodded.

"We were able to win this battle thanks to the help of the two of you. The Trinity will remember this kindness."

Cui Ming waved his hand, about to say a few polite words, but noticed that Zuo Ruotong's brows were still furrowed, showing no sign of relief.

"Master Zuo?"

Cui Ming probed.

"But is there anything else wrong?"

Zuo Ruotong remained silent for a long time, her gaze fixed on the direction of the main hall.

There, the surviving disciples were going in and out, carrying the wounded and clearing the rubble.

But in Cui Ming's perception, there was something different deep within the hall.

"Master Cui, please come with me."

Zuo Ruotong suddenly spoke, then turned and walked towards a side hall on one side of the main hall.

Cui Ming and Wuming exchanged a glance and followed.

The side hall was small and was originally a place for disciples to meditate quietly.

The palace doors were tightly closed at the moment, and two disciples of the Sanyi Sect stood at the entrance. Upon seeing Zuo Ruotong arrive, they bowed and paid their respects.

Zuo Ruotong pushed open the door and entered.

The hall was empty, but Cui Ming spotted the semi-transparent figures in the corner at a glance.

A dozen or so souls of the Trinity Sect stood there silently, their bodies radiating a faint white light.

Their souls were more solid than when they were seen on the mountain path, and the white light flowed steadily, giving people the illusion of vitality.

Upon seeing Zuo Ruotong enter, the departed souls all turned around, their faces showing respect.

"Master."

"The sect leader has arrived."

Zuo Ruotong raised her hand to indicate that they didn't need to be so polite, and then turned to Cui Ming.

"Master Cui, you saw it."

Cui Ming nodded, now understanding why Zuo Ruotong had such a furrowed brow.

These Trinity Gate souls did not disappear.

Logically, after the collapse of the Yellow Springs Formation, all the souls resurrected by the formation should have lost their anchor and returned to nothingness.

At least, that's how it was for those souls of the Quanxing Sect who perished.

They self-destructed in agony, their soul fragments were drawn away by the great formation, and they eventually vanished completely.

But these Trinity Gate souls are different.

Not only did they not dissipate, their souls became even more stable than before.

"How is this going?"

Cui Ming asked, somewhat puzzled.

Zuo Ruotong sighed and looked at the spirit of an older disciple.

"He Ming, you explain."

That disciple was He Ming, who had died defending the mountain path against the Quanxing sect's attack.

He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Cui Ming and said.

“Master Cui, we have cultivated the Reverse Life Triple Realm for many years, cultivating both body and spirit, and our spiritual foundation is far more stable than that of ordinary people.”

"Although that evil formation forcibly summoned our souls back, we remained conscious thanks to the characteristics of our cultivation technique."

He paused, then continued.

“After the evil formation collapsed, we should have also disappeared.”

"How could the profound mystery of the Threefold Reversal of Life of the Three Ones Sect be corrupted by such evil and heretical paths? Instead, it operates on its own within our souls."

"As long as our true qi is not exhausted, it seems that we can... continue to survive."

Cui Ming frowned.

He strode to the body of a young disciple's spirit, extended his right hand, and used the power of Dan Shi to transform into fine threads that probed into the other's soul.

After a moment, he withdrew his hand, his expression grave.

Indeed, as He Ming said, the Reverse Rebirth Triple Technique is operating automatically within the bodies of these deceased souls.

These Trinity Gate souls are in a delicate state.

It should be known that the soul itself has no meridians, but their obsession and cultivation techniques combine to construct illusory meridian routes within the soul.

Using the energy provided by the Yellow Springs Array, they forcibly simulated the flow of cultivation techniques within their bodies to maintain the stability of their souls.

What surprised Cui Ming even more was that the longer the energy in these souls circulated within their bodies, the more it resembled primordial Qi.

Their current state is like that of ghost cultivators in cultivation novels, with their energy forming a self-contained entity within their bodies.

"this......"

Cui Ming pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Zuo Ruotong.

"Master Zuo, have you ever seen anything like this before?"

Zuo Ruotong slowly shook her head.

“Never before. Although the Reverse Rebirth Triple Cultivation emphasizes the dual cultivation of body and mind, all the ancestors, including myself, have done so.”

"No one has ever encountered a situation where the soul of the dead can maintain its existence through cultivation techniques after death."

"This is probably an anomaly caused by a series of coincidences, such as the Yellow Springs Grand Array and the Reverse Life Triple Array."

He looked at the souls of his disciples, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

"They were all disciples I personally took in, and they died fighting to protect the Sanyi Sect."

"Now that I'm living in this state, I... don't know what to do."

Cui Ming understood Zuo Ruotong's predicament.

On the one hand, these disciples died for the sect and now exist as ghosts. As the sect leader, Zuo Ruotong naturally cannot bear to watch them disappear.

On the other hand, the fact that such a situation of being reborn after death and able to exist for a long time is truly astonishing.

If word gets out, what will happen to the Trinity Sect?

How will the world view these living souls of the dead?

How many people would want to figure out how these members of the Trinity Sect have survived as ghosts?

Once the news leaks out, the Sanyi Gate, which has just suffered a blow, will probably become lively again.

By then, it will probably not just be his Sanyi Sect.

He, Cui Ming, and the Shenji Alliance disciples who came to support the Sanyi Sect would all be trapped in a quagmire from which they could not extricate themselves.

Zuo Ruotong spent his life cultivating Taoism, pursuing the attainment of immortality and transcendence of life and death.

But now, his disciples are living in a way that has never been seen before. What should he do?

Silence fell over the side hall.

The souls of those disciples also lowered their heads.

They understood the sect leader's difficulties, but who wouldn't want to live a little longer?

They fought for their sect in life, and they continue to protect the sect even after death.