Chapter 554 - 515: What Is There After Death?
Of course, Song Ciwan was more than just a Medical Cultivator.
She was Cultivating Immortality, engaged in Martial Arts Training, and practiced Body Refining. With her Magic, she could Call Wind and Rain; with her fists, she could move mountains.
If you were to ask what Song Ciwan cultivated?
She didn't cultivate a single Dao. She cultivated her true self, her innermost being—she cultivated immortality itself!
A thousand techniques and ten thousand Dharma Gates were all just to protect her Dao. In truth, she had no great ambitions; she simply wanted to keep walking this path.
To walk past today and tomorrow, into the boundless future. Anything that hindered her journey toward that distant future was her enemy!
However, "Xing Lan" truly was a Medical Cultivator.
In response to Yu Wenxu's question, Song Ciwan said, "General Yu, I have an item that can summon souls. Would you like me to try it on General Cai?"
Yu Wenxu jolted, a sharp glint of light instantly erupting in his grief-stricken eyes.
He took an involuntary step forward, as if to grab Song Ciwan's arm. But recalling how the Fairy had evaded his touch several times before, he forced himself to check the impulse.
'True masters are often eccentric and aloof,' he thought. 'Their quirks must be respected.'
Suppressing his excitement, Yu Wenxu's voice was low as he asked, "You... you mean you can save Cai An? Bring him back from the dead? Or help him transition to the Divine Dao?"
The Heaven and Earth Scale manifested: [Human Desires: The surprise, excitement, and apprehension of a Celestial Pride Level, Innate Fourth Transformation Acupoint Fusion Realm Martial Artist. Weight: three jin and five taels. Can be bartered.]
Song Ciwan said, "I can't guarantee success. There's merely a chance to attempt the soul-summoning."
Then she asked, "If I may ask, General Yu, how does one transition to the Divine Dao?"
The Divine Dao was a mysterious and mystical domain to Song Ciwan, one she had always been curious about.
As for why she had offered to summon his soul, it wasn't out of a sudden surge of compassion. It was mainly because she wanted to investigate and confirm for herself: what truly happens after death?
Song Ciwan had seen various beings that existed after death: the City God and the Divine Generals in the City God Temple, the mindless, gray, wandering wraiths, and even the myriad strange entities trapped within a Deceitful Realm...
She knew that the City God and the Divine Generals required deification by the Court.
She just didn't understand how the Court managed to gather the souls of the dead to deify them.
The birth of these aberrations was even more inscrutable; Song Ciwan had never managed to figure out the underlying mechanics.
She had a persistent, hidden worry. She had killed many people, and whenever she did, she was always meticulous about destroying their souls and scattering their ashes. In short, it should be nearly impossible for anyone she killed to be resurrected.
But in a Mythical Realm, who could ever say for sure?
That was why, the moment she obtained the Returning to the Divine Incense today, she had felt a strong impulse to use it to attempt a soul-summoning.
If she could try it just once, if she could really use a method to resurrect the dead, then she would have truly earned the title of "Xing Lan," the Medical Cultivator!
Yu Wenxu's left arm hung at his side, his fist lightly clenched. His thumb moved rapidly, rubbing back and forth across the backs of his other four fingers.
It was a habit from childhood, a gesture he made whenever he was extremely tense.
Yu Wenxu did his best to keep his voice steady. "Xing Lan, if you can truly gather all of Cai An's soul, I... I will wager all the merits I've earned in this life to request a Divine Sealing Yellow Register from the Court!"
Song Ciwan listened in silence, understanding at once. First summon the soul, then perform the deification. So that was a path to deification through the Court.
'But,' she wondered, 'are soul-summoning techniques common?'
Before Song Ciwan could voice this question, one of Yu Wenxu's elite guardsmen hastily reminded him.
"General," the man said anxiously, "one more great deed and you'll be able to request a Divine Sealing Order from the Gale Camp to carry with you! If—if you use up all your merits at once, getting that Divine Sealing Order... will be much harder!"
'What's a Divine Sealing Order?'
By listening and asking a few questions, Song Ciwan quickly understood. The Court's standard method of deification was, in fact, not to summon a soul and then grant a title!
Soul-summoning was difficult; in short, it was a technique that very few Cultivators could Master.
The Court's standard deification process involved issuing a Divine Sealing Order to individuals who had already accumulated great merit. The owner would carry the order with them, and upon their death, it would protect their Divine Soul and instantly return it to the Divine Sealing Platform in the Capital.
From there, a Celestial Official at the Divine Sealing Platform would assign them a post, which would finally be approved by the Emperor's own golden brush. Only then was the deification process complete.
To carry a Divine Sealing Order was tantamount to carrying a second life.
Even if one couldn't be brought back to life, deification after death was still a continuation of one's existence.
The soldiers of the Four Great Demon Passes were always risking their necks on the battlefield, making the Divine Sealing Order the most precious treasure of all.
Yu Wenxu cut his aide off, saying without a trace of hesitation, "We are all brothers-in-arms, men who can trust each other with our lives. Today, Cai An has a chance at revival. How could I possibly be stingy with my merits?"
He walked over himself and gently laid Cai An's body on the ground.
A soldier from the West Wind Army had already retrieved Cai An's head and placed it beside his torso. Yu Wenxu carefully aligned the head with the severed neck, positioning it just so.
Then he asked Song Ciwan, "Xing Lan, are any other preparations needed?"
He then quickly added, "You have acted righteously by offering to help, Xing Lan. Regardless of whether the soul-summoning succeeds, I will owe you a favor. This is a priceless service that can't be bought. When we return to Demon Suppression Pass, I am also willing to gift you a Spiritual Artifact."
It was hard to say which was more valuable: a favor from the Red Cavalry General of Demon Suppression Pass, or a Spiritual Artifact.
But by offering both, Yu Wenxu was showing immense sincerity.
Song Ciwan nodded. "Please have your soldiers stand back, General Yu. Relight the bonfires, and leave a clear path."
She stated her requirements methodically.
The soldiers of the West Wind Army worked quickly. In the space of a few dozen breaths, all six bonfires were blazing once more.
A path was left clear, facing the direction where the Night Traveling Lamp had been.
The other Medical Cultivators also pitched in, swiftly tidying the surrounding messy tents. Soon, the campsite was orderly, leaving Cai An's body lying on the sand, the focus of dozens of pairs of eyes.
Liu Mingzhong and Xiang Qing came to Song Ciwan's side at her request.
The old and young pair of Medical Cultivators were also thrilled. To bring the dead back to life! It was the noblest ideal held by any Medical Cultivator.
Even if this wasn't true resurrection, just being able to witness a soul-summoning firsthand would be a momentous, unforgettable event in their careers as healers.
Song Ciwan took out a stick of Returning to the Divine Incense. "This soul-summoning isn't possible because I have some special technique," she explained. "It's because I was fortunate enough to obtain this stick of Returning to the Divine Incense."
"Returning to the Divine Incense?" Liu Mingzhong took a sharp breath, his voice trembling. "Legend says that Returning to the Divine Incense is made from dozens of rare Spiritual Objects: Dragon Saliva, Rui Nao, Other Shore Flower, June Cicada, Last Year's Snow... And the Other Shore Flower must be picked from the patch at the very end of the Yellow Springs..."
After saying this, he turned to Yu Wenxu and seemed to sigh. "General Yu, a Spiritual Artifact... if it's just a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact, its value simply cannot be compared to that of a single stick of Returning to the Divine Incense."