Chapter 586: Meeting Yi Zuqian Again

“Daoist Friend Yi, it’s time to wake up.”

Yi Zuqian, who sat cross-legged within the True Flame Hell, slowly opened his eyes.

A massive figure appeared in Yi Zuqian’s sight. He froze for a moment before lifting his head.

“I…”

“Daoist Friend Chen?”

His gaze was dazed. He realized he was still trapped within this inferno.

But why was Mr. Chen here?

Chen Changsheng reached out and grabbed Yi Zuqian’s neck.

He looked back, then stepped forward. The restrictions of the True Flame Hell seemed to mean nothing to him. With one stride, he walked out.

Outside, Black Pagoda, who had been waiting, finally took a relieved breath when he saw Chen Changsheng emerge. “Thank heavens, thank heavens…”

Yi Zuqian was confused. He had no idea what was happening.

But when he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing before his mortal body.

“This…”

Mr. Chen’s soul spirit returned to his body. He opened his eyes and looked.

He saw that Yi Zuqian’s soul spirit was still outside his mortal body, unable to re-enter.

Yi Zuqian raised his head. It took him a long while to collect himself.

“Daoist Friend Chen!”

Chen Changsheng said, “Daoist Friend Yi, return to your body first.”

Yi Zuqian snapped back to reality. “My mortal body… it’s still here!”

He immediately tried to re-enter it.

But what happened next left him dumbstruck again.

He couldn’t get in.

He tried once more, only to discover he utterly couldn’t enter his body. The body before him was rejecting him.

Chen Changsheng also noticed something strange and asked, “You can’t enter?”

Yi Zuqian frowned deeply and nodded.

Chen Changsheng intended to channel a thread of magical power into Yi Zuqian’s body. As he raised his hand, he saw the body rapidly rot, its clothes disintegrating into dust along with it.

In an instant, the body completely vanished.

Yi Zuqian shuddered. “This…”

For a moment, countless emotions warred within him. Hope had turned immediately to despair. The sudden shift left him speechless.

All he could do was let out a long sigh, expressing everything he felt.

Seeing this, Chen Changsheng said, “Daoist Friend Yi, look on the brighter side. You lost something, yet you also gained, no?”

Yi Zuqian recovered. He then looked at his immensely powerful soul spirit. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so sorrowful anymore.

Loss and gain…

He had lost his mortal body. But over the years, his soul spirit had grown countless times stronger. It had reached such strength that it was no weaker than many Divine Transformation cultivators.

Only…

Without a physical body, his only path now was that of the Ghost Cultivator. Gain and loss, loss and gain. Still, the whole ordeal left him with a profound sense of melancholy.

Yi Zuqian roused his spirits, then clasped his hands in salute to Chen Changsheng. “Yi expresses his deepest gratitude to Daoist Friend Chen for the lifesaving grace. Had it not been for you, I do not know how much longer I would have remained imprisoned here.”

Chen Changsheng asked, “Why did you come here, Daoist Friend Yi? And how did you become sealed in that hell?”

“This… is a long story…”

Yi Zuqian sighed heavily and began recounting his ordeal.

Back then, he truly had caused a massive scene at the Hall of Law Enforcement. Though rescued unharmed by an Elder and allowed to leave, the matter was far from settled.

After leaving Lingyue Immortal Isle, his Senior Brother simply refused to let him live. Pursuers were sent after him relentlessly. For years, Yi Zuqian lived a life of hiding and secret cultivation.

But even he couldn’t handle it forever.

“My Senior Brother sent a Dongxu Cultivator to hunt me down,” Yi Zuqian revealed with a bitter smile. “Who was I to deserve being chased by a Dongxu Cultivator?”

Ultimately powerless, he could only keep fleeing.

Finding no refuge left in the Cultivation World, he came to the Desolate Sea. He passed countless Desolate Islands, pursued relentlessly for an unknowable length of time. Exhausted, he gathered his last strength for a final stand against the Dongxu Cultivator.

In that battle, he used every skill he possessed. Yet, it only took three moves from the Dongxu Cultivator to defeat him.

He plunged into the Desolate Sea.

“I was buried in mud. Feeling around desperately, I found this door. Then, my soul spirit was sealed within it.”

“Thanks to this door, my physical body escaped detection. The Dongxu Cultivator assumed nothing unexpected remained. He didn’t even search before leaving.”

“It was just my luck,” Yi Zuqian managed a weak smile. “Losing the mortal body is painful. But, just as Mr. Chen said, lose something, gain something. The power in my soul spirit now is an opportunity.”

“I see,” Chen Changsheng nodded. Then, he heard Yi Zuqian ask, “But why are you here, Daoist Friend Chen?”

“I happened to come across you by chance,” Chen Changsheng replied.

Yi Zuqian chuckled. “The last time was on a deserted island. This time, you saved my life. Truly…”

“It means our paths are fated to cross,” Chen Changsheng said.

“Exactly,” Yi Zuqian agreed, though a trace of awkwardness surfaced. “This kindness… Yi finds it hard to repay. Especially in my current state…”

Without a physical body, possessing nothing but a soul spirit, he had nothing to offer as repayment. He was even more in need of help himself.

Chen Changsheng lifted a hand. “Daoist Friend Yi, you can barely fend for yourself now. Focus on deciding your next steps. There’s no need to rush repayment.”

Yi Zuqian sighed again. “Yi feels deeply ashamed.”

Mr. Chen asked, “Do you have anywhere to stay for now?”

“Actually…” Yi Zuqian began.

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment. “I know a place where you could shelter temporarily, Daoist Friend Yi…”

Yi Zuqian shook his head to refuse. “I dare not trouble Mr. Chen further.”

“It’s no trouble at all. It’s just that…”

“No,” Yi Zuqian persisted, shaking his head with a helpless sigh. “It’s not that I refuse your kindness, Mr. Chen. It’s simply my nature. I hope you won’t take offense.”

Chen Changsheng smiled. “Daoist Friend Yi has a steadfast Dao heart. I harbor no petty assumptions.”

“Thank you, my friend.”

Chen Changsheng understood why Yi Zuqian refused aid.

It stemmed from his fundamental Dao heart.

Having grasped some of this during their first meeting, Chen Changsheng wasn’t surprised by the rejection.

Yi Zuqian then asked, “What are your plans my friend? Will you enter this door to investigate?”

“I’ve actually been here several times already,” Chen Changsheng stated.

Yi Zuqian hesitated, then understood.

“What’s inside… could it be…”

Yi Zuqian cut himself off halfway.

He quickly corrected, “Yi misspoke. I shouldn’t pry.”

Mr. Chen smiled. “I know your character well, Daoist Friend Yi. But truly, inside lies no secret treasure of the Path of Immortality. If you’re curious, you could enter and see for yourself.”

Yi Zuqian shook his head again. “That is unnecessary. Since Daoist Friend Chen intends to enter this door, I vow never to return here. Nor will I speak of it to anyone. You have my word.”

This resolution was likely precisely why Chen Changsheng had been willing to offer such details.