Chapter 189 - 188: I Curse You and Sheng Yue

Xu Jianjuan showed no reaction, her gaze sweeping strangely over Pei Yin and Si Xu.

Ting Ying tilted its head. "Oh no. She wasn’t that bright to begin with. Don’t tell me I turned her into a complete idiot?"

Ah Qi flew over, circled above Xu Jianjuan’s head, and began to chant softly.

"..." Jian Yu watched their pointless bustling. Her fingers fidgeted with the beaded tassels on her dress as she patiently waited for Xu Jianjuan to come to her senses.

Pei Yin was still puzzled. "I shouldn’t have been that careless."

Wiping someone’s memories would cause a noticeable drain on Ting Ying’s energy.

Besides, he rarely wiped people’s memories, usually reserving the technique for tough nuts who needed to be interrogated.

Jian Yu guessed it had something to do with the female lead’s past life.

After all, the female lead had been reborn and Awakened. It wasn’t impossible that some remnant of their Soul Beasts’ auras was still on her.

Si Xu didn’t want to waste mental energy on speculation. He lowered his gaze to Xu Jianjuan. "What... did you remember?"

Xu Jianjuan’s lips moved, but the words on the tip of her tongue wouldn’t come out.

The emotion in her eyes was overwhelmingly intense, and it was laced with a host of negative feelings.

"I’ve been possessed by a Soul Ghost Body before," Xu Jianjuan said, choosing her words carefully. "It was the same Soul Ghost Body."

She suddenly turned her head, trying to give Pei Yin and Si Xu a meaningful look.

Si Xu paid her no mind.

Pei Yin tilted his head up. "I know. I’m the one who killed it."

Defeated, Xu Jianjuan shifted her gaze to Jian Yu.

Jian Yu’s eyes shifted. Without a second thought, her fingers summoned a wisp of Purple Smoke.

She aimed it at Xu Jianjuan and shot it forward.

A bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the laboratory.

Si Xu’s eyes narrowed as a white halo of light spread from his body.

After the flash of light, a pale golden Soul Bell swiftly enveloped the Soul Ghost Body.

The Soul Ghost Body’s form contorted as it desperately slammed against Ah Qi’s Soul Beast Bell Cover.

It had just burst out of Xu Jianjuan’s body and was already howling in agony. Its cries were frantic and wretched.

"Wait, let me try," Jian Yu said, halting Si Xu’s next move.

She attacked it three times, but she couldn’t seem to kill it.

The Purple Smoke grew increasingly faint, and she could feel her energy being rapidly depleted.

Jian Yu frowned. "Pei Yin."

Pei Yin, who had been observing, immediately responded, "Coming, babe."

He curled his fingers into the shape of an eagle’s claw and swiped through the air.

Ting Ying’s long claws seemed to extend from Pei Yin’s own arm.

As Pei Yin swiped his hand, the enormous claws of his Soul Beast shot into the air, instantly ripping the Soul Ghost Body in two.

The Soul Ghost Body must have still been in a weakened state, as the stench of death clung to it.

The Netherworld Energy on its body was so faint it was nearly undetectable without a careful inspection.

In the blink of an eye, the two red skeletal eyes of the Soul Ghost Body went dark. Its shadowy form exploded, and black smoke billowed out.

Black smoke pulsed on Jian Yu’s wrist. She tentatively released a single wisp.

It was pale, like a gray mist.

The grayish-black smoke seemed to move on instinct, heading straight for the residual black smoke of the Soul Ghost Body.

Seeing this, Jian Yu stopped trying to guide it.

She watched as her smoke entangled with the Soul Ghost’s Netherworld Energy, until her gray smoke had completely devoured and absorbed the creature’s remains, transforming into a deep, spectral black.

The single, thin wisp of gray smoke, now thick and full as if it had eaten its fill, obediently burrowed back into Jian Yu’s chest.

Jian Yu focused inward and discovered that not only had most of her energy returned, but it also felt as if her storage capacity had expanded.

She reached into her Space Ring, took out the Beast Crystal from Mother Xi, and held it in her hand to absorb its energy.

The three others present all watched her actions, but none of them asked any questions.

Jian Yu hadn’t intended to hide anything, but since no one asked, she didn’t feel the need to explain.

Shi Zhao had told her that Primordial Beasts and Soul Ghost Bodies feed on one another.

If Jian Yu wanted to grow by devouring Soul Ghost Bodies, she definitely couldn’t do it in secret.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Pei Yin’s shocked expression.

Jian Yu pursed her lips, blinking uncomfortably. "What is it?"

Pei Yin said with surprise, "That Soul Ghost Body... I think it’s the same one I killed with my own hands before."

His expression turned serious. "So you’re telling me this damn thing can come back to life?"

Jian Yu figured that was a question for the female lead.

She silently turned her gaze to the female lead.

Xu Jianjuan asked in a daze, "How did you understand what I meant?"

In truth, she hadn’t even been entirely sure herself.

Jian Yu reacted quickly, but her reply was deliberate. "Pei Yin has only ever killed one Soul Ghost Body, and your file only shows a single incident."

She countered, "’The same Soul Ghost Body.’ Isn’t that what you meant? Or perhaps I misunderstood."

’Besides,’ Jian Yu thought, ’I attacked the ghost, not Xu Jianjuan. A little misunderstanding won’t hurt.’

Pei Yin’s expression was grave. "So, Soul Ghost Bodies can be resurrected? I’d rather they just tampered with memories. It can die and come back to life? Is there anything it can’t do?!"

Si Xu gave him an emotionless glance. "Did you see it get resurrected?"

Pei Yin crossed his arms. "I’ll just stare at the grave where we killed the Soul Ghost. I’d like to see it try to move its own tombstone."

He paused, then corrected himself. "Or rise from the dead."

Jian Yu: "..."

Xu Jianjuan said thoughtfully, "They can be resurrected, but there are conditions."

Under the gaze of the other three, Xu Jianjuan silently lowered her head.

Her memories of her past life had mostly returned. The Soul Ghost Body had possessed her but had not taken over her body.

The first time it possessed her, it was discovered by Xi Yu, and the Soul Ghost Body was toast.

But not long after, another one latched onto Xu Jianjuan.

This time, however, since there was no precedent for resurrection, Xi Yu didn’t notice anything was amiss.

Under the Soul Ghost’s daily brainwashing, she forgot all about her entire village and came to see Xi Yu and the others as enemies who were imprisoning her.

Her memories in disarray, she dazedly recorded her thoughts about the reasons for her supposed imprisonment in her electronic journal, deepening her hatred for Xi Yu and the others with each entry.

The Soul Ghost forced her to research various medicines that would be beneficial to it.

Because of this, she learned many of the Soul Ghosts’ secrets.

For example: their resurrection, and their natural enemies.

"Only those at Level 2S or higher can be resurrected. Each time they’re resurrected, their Level drops, and they become much weaker. For example, a Level 3S has two chances to be resurrected."

Xu Jianjuan kept her head down. "The one that was on me had already dropped from Level 2S to S. When an S-Level dies, it’s a true death. There’s no possibility of resurrection."

She added a warning, "As it goes from Level 3S to 2S and then to S, the aura of death lingers on the host. It won’t disappear for two or three months, only fade over time."

Unless the Soul Ghost truly dies.

Just like in her past life, the Soul Ghost’s aura of death hadn’t dissipated even after three months.

To avoid being discovered, the Soul Ghost became desperate to take over Xu Jianjuan’s body as soon as it recovered its energy.

But in the end, it got poked and deflated by one of Xi Yu’s tentacles again.

Once it was over, Xu Jianjuan’s memory was wiped again. All she had left were the fragmented diary entries on her Star Brain and the hatred for Xi Yu and the others that kept her going.

Jian Yu mused, "So they basically have three lives? And they’re intelligent?"

Level 3S, Level 2S, S, then death.

Si Xu glanced at Xu Jianjuan, his voice hollow. "How do you know?"

Pei Yin shot him a speechless look. "Why are you being so formal? Would it kill you to add a few more words?"

Xu Jianjuan stood up. "I guessed."

’None of that mattered anymore.’

’What mattered was that the people from her village were still alive, and her new life was just beginning.’

Xu Jianjuan’s expression was placid. "Thank you both for your help. I am deeply grateful."

Pei Yin didn’t stop her from leaving.

After Xu Jianjuan left, Pei Yin smacked his lips in a moment of realization. "What she said must be true. Isn’t Yan Qin a perfect example?"

He opened his Star Brain and began typing rapidly. "I’ll report this to the Alliance. Now, where’s the inter-planetary group chat? Why can’t I find it?"

Si Xu said, "You left the group two years ago. I’ll add you back."

Pei Yin was exasperated. "Instead of taking the time to add me, why don’t you just send out the alert yourself?"

Just then, a notification confirming her successful registration popped up on Jian Yu’s Star Brain.

Hello, student!

Congratulations on your successful registration for the Weis Lan Noble Academy’s off-campus mission to collect Mutated Beast Crystals.

The core objective of this mission is to collect one Mutated Beast Crystal for each of the five elemental types.

The Academy will provide you with the necessary equipment, physical conditioning, and specialized knowledge prior to the mission. The assembly time, location, and further mission details will be announced at a later date.

Please ensure your communication device remains accessible and strictly adhere to the Academy’s regulations for off-campus missions.

Weis Lan Mission Management Center

Pei Yin heard the distinct chime. "Isn’t that the notification sound from the Mission Management Center?"

Jian Yu glanced up. "Yep."

Si Xu grabbed Jian Yu’s wrist. "Did Sheng Yue force you to do this?"

Jian Yu shook her head hesitantly. "I agreed to it on my own."

"Bah! He’s probably just desperate for a promotion and came begging you with that thick skin of his!" Pei Yin’s voice was dripping with jealousy.

He glanced at Jian Yu, his eyes shifting uncomfortably. "A mission like that... you’ll be gone for at least a few days, right?"

Jian Yu closed her Star Brain and answered meekly, "I’m not sure."

Si Xu’s lips tightened. He angrily let go of Jian Yu’s hand.

"Hmph."

Though he released her hand gently, he let out a heavy, cold snort.

A halo of light flashed, and the tall man’s figure vanished from sight.

He left behind only a hollow, chilling curse: "In the name of the Feather Clan, may your journey bring no growth to your affections, and may your relationship remain unchanged."