Plate Thirty-Nine: The Soul's Secrets Hidden

“Oh.” The more Sang Sang listened, the more she felt the Heavenly Emperor was simply the so-called child of destiny. Perhaps if the Heavenly Emperor knew, he would merely say, “Of course, I aim to be the strongest man in the interstellar realm,” and then carry on as usual. Fate, world will—these things couldn’t be eaten, so why pay them any mind? As long as one was strong enough, the future would rest in one’s own hands.

With this thought, Sang Sang stopped worrying about destiny. “Senior, I’d like to ask about the attributes of soul talents.”

“Wait a moment.” Master Yuanmo frowned. “Don’t you think destiny is a trap set by the world’s will? Even if not experienced through the origin, to reincarnate in this world is to be born with their permission. The soul belongs to this world, so why should it be treated differently?”

“Uh.” Sang Sang was momentarily speechless. After some thought, she answered uncertainly, “People have biases, so the world’s will must have preferences too. Didn’t you say that soul seeds capable of bringing nourishment from the origin receive its favor? It simply protected my enemy and not me. My misfortune is because I’m not strong enough. If I become powerful enough, one day even the world’s will must bow beneath me. Are you envious of those raised like pigs?”

Now it was Master Yuanmo’s turn to fall silent. After a long pause, he said, “You’re not wrong, but I am merely a remnant of the main soul—a stubborn heart-demon left behind before death. Even if I understand, I cannot untangle it. If you ever meet his reincarnation, help me ask him.”

Sang Sang nodded. “If I am fortunate enough to meet your reincarnation, I will ask.” Though she said this, she doubted that in such a vast universe, among so many worlds, she would ever encounter Master Yuanmo’s reincarnation.

“Souls with attributes like ours are exceedingly rare. You, accompanied by a child of destiny, as long as you don’t die, will one day encounter it.” Master Yuanmo seemed far more confident than Sang Sang.

Sang Sang asked, “So, what exactly is the attribute of our souls?”

Perhaps it had been too long since someone had spoken with him, for Master Yuanmo grew talkative and answered her question with another. “Able to fuse all elemental laws—what do you think it is?”

Sang Sang replied, “I used to think it was time-space, or control, or chaos.”

Master Yuanmo sighed softly. “Control and chaos wouldn’t let you master everything you learn. Time-space does indeed command all laws related to energy and matter, but some laws with vague attributes would elude your grasp. Moreover, the time-space origin in you clearly comes from outside; I fear you yourself cannot use it. Someone likely used your soul’s special nature to store it. Only souls like mine can perceive it, besides god-level beings. Perhaps it is meant for your child of destiny.”

Sang Sang fell silent. The time-space origin rested within her, but she could not wield it. Her current mastery of time-space laws was borrowed from the Heavenly Emperor. In a sense, Master Yuanmo’s speculation was correct.

Master Yuanmo revealed the answer. “Nothing. The attribute of our souls is nothing. We never underwent the origin’s baptism; without laws, there can be no attribute. It is precisely because of this void that we are not repelled by any law.”

Sang Sang asked, puzzled, “Senior, you keep mentioning souls not experiencing the origin. How can soul seeds reincarnate without the origin?”

Master Yuanmo answered gently, “There are many methods. The simplest is to request the help of a god-level expert, or use secret techniques to protect the soul and find a vessel to enter—commonly known as possession. I used the first method; you likely did as well. But why the person who helped you reincarnate didn’t preserve your memories, I do not know.”

“That’s not important.” Sang Sang shook her head. “Even so, what about the previous life? That too didn’t experience the origin. And the one before that. Soul seeds originate from the origin; they always have attributes and won’t lose them through death.”

“Alright, you’ve hit the crux.” Master Yuanmo stroked his chin. “Not all souls come from the origin. Beyond this universe, there are still more universes, and naturally, other beings. Just as the celestial civilization mentions the demons from beyond the domain. ‘Demons’ is their term; in fact, they are not of the demon clan. Their mysterious nature means that a single thought from a person can draw them in, fostering obsession and creating heart-demons difficult to extinguish, thus named celestial demons. Celestial demons are not evil; they are attracted by human minds and amplify desires by instinct…”

The more Sang Sang listened, the tighter her brows knit, as if her heart were clenched and her throat dry. “So, your previous life was a celestial demon?”

“I never said that.” Master Yuanmo shrugged. “Regardless of what we were in past lives, now you are human, and I am a remnant. The main soul has probably also reincarnated as a human.”

“You’re right. I am Sang Hongye. That identity changes for nothing.” Sang Sang finished, then suddenly asked, “Do souls without attributes possess talents?”

“Talents are granted by the origin. Without experiencing the origin, naturally, there are no talents. But for others, our attribute-less souls’ ability to fuse all elemental laws is itself a talent. If you insist on defining it, perhaps it’s an innate ability to tempt hearts into corruption.” Master Yuanmo said, as though recalling something, his brows furrowing. “But it’s not absolute. If the one who helped you reincarnate placed a strand of their law’s origin within you, that would become a talent, like your time-space origin.”

Setting aside the matter of time-space origin, is the resonance ability really just temptation of the heart?

No, it isn’t. It’s merely the ability to control hearts through resonance, and anti-resonance lets one glimpse into the mind.

Sang Sang recalled the encyclopedia’s commentary on Master Yuanmo: Don’t trust his words, because you can never know how much is truth and how much is falsehood—perhaps more false than true. The ‘demon’ in Yuanmo refers to his ability to see through hearts and his fondness for playing with them.

From their very first meeting, Master Yuanmo had been instilling in her the idea that they belonged to a special race, then pointed to the celestial demons from beyond. Was this true or false? If false, what was his aim?

Sang Sang harbored doubts but betrayed nothing on her face, seeming to believe him as she hurriedly asked, “How is it different from real talents? Is it dangerous?”

Master Yuanmo smiled knowingly, as if seeing through her suspicion but not exposing it. “There’s no danger, just difficulty in controlling it. In the future, it will be hard to reach the level of a Dao Lord. But in this world, anyone who reaches the Mystic rank is one in ten thousand. Beyond that are the Origin rank, Universe rank, Cosmos rank, and God rank. Each advancement is fraught with peril; even a single flaw could see one slaughtered and devoured by the world’s will like fattened pigs. Dao Lord is so distant—there are but a handful across the three thousand worlds. This flaw is as good as nonexistent. I’d like to have it, but sadly, I do not.” He paused, then continued, “As for the difference, one connects to the universe’s origin, the other to someone else’s condensed origin—so you’re born with many teachers.”

Sang Sang lowered her head. “Thank you, senior, for clearing my doubts.”

“No thanks needed. I’ve enjoyed our conversation. Are young girls these days all as mature as you?” Master Yuanmo glanced at his hand, now faintly translucent. “I’ve lingered too long; even the deepest obsession will fade. If only I had mastered the law of time back then.”

Sang Sang’s tone held concern. “Senior.”

“Don’t worry. I can exist for another forty or fifty thousand years at least. By then, if you haven’t died, you might have reached Universe, Cosmos, or even God rank, given your companion with destiny…” Master Yuanmo waved his hand, his body visibly growing more insubstantial. “No more words. Though I won’t pass on my legacy, I can impart my insights into the laws. If anyone outside asks, say it was my idea: you are a pure spirit body—there are similarities, but your soul belongs elsewhere, so you did not inherit the legacy. My report will state the same. Focus on time-space. If I had another chance, I would choose it. Truly, time-space is the strongest law; the heart is too difficult.”

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