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Chapter 432: Four Wandering Souls
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Li Shiyu returned shortly…

But she came back crying!

The moment she landed, she buried her head in Ye Qinghan's broad chest, as if seeking refuge in her demonic master sister's warmth.

"Waaah! Senior Sister, Shiyu feels like she's already dead!"

Li Shiyu often spoke in ways that left others scratching their heads, and everyone had grown accustomed to it.

But this time, her tears were genuine—not feigned at all!

"What happened? Shiyu, tell us slowly. How could she be dead already?"

Li Shiyu buried her face in Ye Qinghan's chest, sniffling and sobbing, mumbling incoherently for a long while. The others couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"They saw Shiyu waaah waaah waaah, I went to check… waaah waaah, Shiyu was already dead! Waaah waaah waaah!"

"Shiyao is so scared! Shiyao doesn't want to die! Waaah!"

"Senior Sister, we might all be dead now! Waaah!"

Even though Ye Qinghan couldn't make sense of a single word, she instantly realized something was terribly wrong!

"Why did Shiyu say that?"

"Senior Sister, we're all ghosts! They can't see Shiyu! Really! We're already dead!"

Ye Qinghan glanced at Dongfang Jue and Su Muchan beside her, equally baffled. Ghosts?

"And, and, Shiyu can't touch them either!"

Li Shiyu snuggled in Ye Qinghan's embrace for a moment, seeming to recover somewhat before beginning to explain.

According to Li Shiyu, they were currently in a ghostly state, completely unable to interact with the living!

Though they could pick up objects, whenever those objects were being observed or came into contact with living beings, they would pass right through their bodies.

This was Ye Qinghan's summary based on Li Shiyao's explanation.

"Come on, Senior Sister will take you to see~"

Meanwhile, at the very spot where Ye Qinghan and the others had just awakened.

In an instant, a blade visible to the naked eye thrust out from the other side of the space, slicing through it like a tear in the fabric of reality.

A slender jade arm clad in ink-black armor emerged from the black mist, tearing the fissure wide open, widening the spatial crack until it was large enough to pass through.

Immediately after, a deadly long leg emerged, as if backing into a parking space, dragging nine massive black tails and a tall, slender figure out of the black mist.

Stretching like a cat, she stood straight, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty. Golden short hair framed eyes that seemed to look down on all creation—a gaze far beyond mere aloofness.

Fox ears twitched atop her head as she took two steps forward, clearing space for the little one behind her to land.

Immediately, a pink-haired loli tumbled out of the black mist, as if climbing through a window.

"Lord Xunye, it seems someone has indeed been here—not long ago."

"Mm."

The pink-haired loli was none other than the Flower-Seeking Immortal, the all-powerful Lord Gu Ai.

However, this Gu Ai differed from the one Ye Qinghan knew. This Gu Ai seemed to have yet to wield absolute power. Her appearance resembled that of Miao Miao—pouty and pitiful.

Her little dress looked worn from long use, frayed at the armpits and hem, yet she still wore it.

Her hair was a tangled mess, but it framed a fair, chubby little face that was… somewhat adorable?

"Lord Xunye, should Xiao Ai go take a look?"

"Mm."

The woman addressed as Lord Xunye remained motionless, only her gold-tinged eyes occasionally flickering.

Unlike that so-called elder sister, the Jade-Stealing, Fragrance-Thieving Immortal, Xunye, as the younger sister, actually smiled.

But she didn't smile often. Most of the time, she maintained her aloof persona, unless she truly couldn't hold it in.

Before long, Xiao Ai returned: "Lord Xunye, I found this. It holds residual spiritual energy."

It was a fragment of the Void Blueprint. After examining it, Xun Ye paused in surprise…

Her own spiritual energy lingered on this fragment!

She was certain beyond doubt—it was her own spiritual energy residue! Beyond that, it also contained the power of spatial authority.

Yet she was absolutely certain this was the first time she'd ever seen such an object.

So what was going on here?

From this moment onward, the matter became even more perplexing!

An object she'd never seen before bore traces of her own spiritual energy—and beyond that, even traces of Ling Er and Su Cheng's spiritual energy…

And among them were traces of two different spatial authority energies—besides her own…

Xun Ye turned her head to look at the dazed Xiao Ai beside her. Was it her?

"Let's go."

"Coming, coming! Lord Xun Ye! Wait for Xiao Ai!"

Xun Ye had already figured something out, and even she felt a chill run down her spine.

This thing needed to be taken back for further study. If it truly held a concept-level authority over time, as she suspected, this war was all but lost.

The so-called authority over fate had already rendered the gods of extermination utterly helpless. Facing an enemy who could see both past and future, the only remaining chance for victory was a gamble with almost no odds in their favor.

If another god wielding the authority of time were to appear…

They might as well find a river and jump in together…

But no matter the outcome, she would never resign herself to such a fate.

From the grass on the other side, Ye Qinghan and the others watched Xun Ye depart before cautiously peeking out.

"That's…"

"That's…"

Ye Qinghan and Dongfang Jue spoke almost simultaneously. They exchanged glances, both recognizing Xun Ye's identity!

That guy looked exactly like Shi Yao, though their auras were worlds apart.

Lord Xun Ye was utterly intimidating…

Compared to Shi Yao, who clearly wasn't the brightest bulb, Xun Ye had the face of a villain through and through—the kind you knew better than to mess with!

"Why won't you let Shi Yao say hello to Xiao Ai?!"

Li Shiyu was puffed up with indignation. She had just tried to greet Xiao Ai, only to have Dongfang Jue cover her mouth!

"Shiyao's turned into a ghost—aren't you afraid of scaring your little sister Xiao Ai…"

That Xun Ye—he's actually still alive?

And that ragged-looking Xiao Ai—is she really the Gu Ai they knew?

"Senior Sister, should we follow them?"

At the critical moment, Su Muchan spoke up. By speaking, she had already presented the first option.

If they didn't follow, the fragment of the Void Blueprint remained in Xun Ye's hands. If they wanted to return, they'd likely still need that fragment!

Now, aside from Li Shiyao, everyone else had a basic grasp of their current situation!

They were likely in the very same Immortal Realm where their Master had once resided!

Having never visited the Immortal Realm before, they could only speculate wildly. Whether this truly was the Immortal Realm remained unknown to them.

"Hmm, we should follow. We know far too little about this world. We can't just keep wandering aimlessly out here, becoming true lost souls."

"Right, Su Muchan, tell me exactly what happened back then."

Su Muchan felt slightly awkward, thinking to herself, Could it really be that she died just from trying?

"Um… Rather than discussing what happened, shouldn't we pursue Lord Xunye first?"

Ye Qinghan pursed her lips, glanced in the direction the two figures—one tall, one small—had departed, then nodded.

"Let's go."