A Will Eternal

“Deva soul in hand!” Bai Xiaochun couldn’t have felt more excited. The only path available to him was that of the Heaven-Dao Nascent Soul stage, and if he didn’t walk it, his Dao of living forever would end.

But now he had four deva souls. All he had to do was find a metal-type soul... and he would have completed the set of five elements. With those souls, he could break out of the Gold Core stage... and forge that legendary item that, up til now, only the Celestial on Heavenspan Island had succeeded in forming... a Heaven-Dao Nascent Soul!!

“After reaching Heaven-Dao Foundation Establishment and Heaven-Dao Gold Core, my longevity has increased dramatically. Considering how difficult it is to reach the Heaven-Dao Nascent Soul stage, the longevity increase should definitely be heaven-defying!!” As soon as he had the earth-type deva soul, he threw it into his crystalline soulhoarding pagoda!

“He took the deva soul!”

“That was what Bai Hao was after, the deva soul!!”

“What does he think he’s doing? He killed Bai Qi, used his blood to open the restrictive spell, and then took the deva soul.... Does he really think that after all that, he can trade the deva soul in to the clan for a complete set of five elements deva beast souls?!?!”

The clan members outside of the ancestral land were all very puzzled. All they could think about was what they would do if they were in Bai Hao’s shoes. After killing Bai Qi, he would already be considered a traitor to the clan, so even if he got the deva soul, he would still face the wrath of the entire clan.

“He’s gone crazy! Not only has he turned traitor against the clan, but he’s trying to steal our deva soul!” Although cold expressions could be seen on the faces of all the clan elders, the eyes of some from the auxiliary bloodline glittered.

“Not necessarily. Perhaps Bai Hao killed Bai Qi because of some personal matter between the two of them. As for the deva soul, it should belong to whoever manages to get it....”

“That’s right. If Bai Hao hands over the deva soul after he emerges from the ancestral land, and asks for the five elements deva beast souls, that would prove that he doesn’t have a traitorous heart....”

Different thoughts ran through the heads of the different clan members. However, Madam Cai’s shrieks intensified, and her venomous hatred only grew more intense.

Furthermore, the direct bloodline clan members began to speak up, voices filled with rage.

“He must die! He killed my Qi’er! He absolutely must die!!”

“I don’t care what excuses you come up with, Bai Hao will die. He killed someone in the ancestral land, which proves he’s a traitor!”

Even as the clan members clamored, the clan chief suddenly stopped battering at the stone gate. Spinning in place, he looked around with a vicious glare, killing intent surging as he roared in a thunderous voice that crushed all other sound: “On my authority as clan chief, I hereby declare that Bai Hao is a traitor, and shall be killed in body and soul! His name will be stricken from the clan records as a warning to anyone who would follow in his footsteps!!”

The icy coldness of his words couldn’t have been clearer as he officially used his power to declare Bai Hao a traitor!

Meanwhile, in the hidden chamber in the clan’s catacombs, the old patriarch sat in the middle of the circle of candles with their green flames. A mysterious glow could be seen in his eyes as he seemingly ignored all of the chaos and shouting that was currently going on in the clan.

His gaze was fixed on the screen, and Bai Xiaochun, and his eyes were gradually beginning to glow with excitement and greed.

“He... is the perfect choice for my next incarnation....” The shriveled patriarch’s chest heaved as he considered rising to his feet. However, after looking at the seven candles which surrounded him, he settled back down.

Meanwhile, back in the ancestral land, Bai Xiaochun put the deva soul away and suppressed his excitement. Then he opened his Heavenspan Dharma Eye a crack, which enabled him to judge how much progress had been made in opening the ancestral land from the outside.

“I have about the time it takes half an incense stick to burn.... After that, they’ll open this place up.” Although he was nervous, he took a deep breath to calm himself, then waved his hand to produce a bag of holding.

It was Bai Qi’s bag of holding; after his death, his branding mark had faded away, leaving the bag ownerless. Bai Xiaochun quickly sent some divine sense inside to search around, whereupon his eyes began to glow.

Inside of the bag of holding was a bone slip which contained a complete record... of Bai Hao’s research notes, which had previously been written on the floor of his hut, and had later been wiped away!

“The formula for fifteen-colored flame... as well as Bai Hao’s augury technique....” Bai Xiaochun was elated, and could barely even breathe straight. The value of this information was no less than that of the deva soul he had just acquired. The formula for fifteen-colored flame was actually secondary. Most important of all was Bai Hao’s augury technique, which pertained to many aspects of enlightenment regarding flame conjuring.

With that augury technique, Bai Xiaochun would be able to understand flame conjuring on a much deeper level, and improve his skill dramatically, just as he had with the medicinal knowledge he had gained in the Heavenspan River region.

Bai Xiaochun put the bone slip away, and then looked around with determination gleaming in his eyes. As of now, he had accomplished just about everything he wished to accomplish in the Bai Clan. There were a few other things, but they couldn’t be handled right here and now.

“The most important thing right now is to get out of here safely....” As usual, Bai Xiaochun wanted to make sure that his poor little life was not in any significant danger. After he made sure it was not in any significant danger, he would reduce that danger even further.

As of this point, he could easily use his Undying Hex to pierce through the boundaries of the ancestral land. In fact, he might even be able to make it past the clan’s grand spell formation. However, he still didn’t feel safe. Even with the murdersoul spikes in place, he wanted a more stable plan.

“I only have one life. The slightest slipup or instance of overconfidence, and I could provoke a complete catastrophe....” Having reached this point in his train of thought, he blinked a few times, and then gritted his teeth.

“When it comes to my poor little life, making extra preparations will always be worth it. After I get out of the ancestral land, I need to make sure the clan is thrown into complete chaos. In fact, I also need to lock down the deva patriarch. That will make things much safer....” At that point, his eyes glittered.

“I know... if I cause heavenly fire to rain down onto the Bai Clan as I’m leaving, that will definitely cast them into turmoil. Even the deva patriarch will have to worry about protecting the clan!” His heart also surged with excitement over the realization that going through with this plan would once again put his awesomeness on display for the entire clan to see.

The feeling of being able to show off a bit after keeping such a low profile caused his excitement to surge.

“Plus, any people hostile to the Bai Clan will definitely take an interest in me afterward....” Chuckling, he flew straight up into the air.

The sight of him flying up caused the hearts of the clan members on the mountain to begin to tremble in fear. Similarly, the clan members on the outside were all paying close attention.

As of this moment, Bai Xiaochun felt completely thrilled. His lifelong desire to be the center of attention had never been completely fulfilled in the River-Defying Sect, but out here in the Wildlands, it was becoming a reality.

Feeling very proud of himself, he waved his hand, causing a large group of vengeful souls to fly out of his soulhoarding pagoda.

As all clan members looked on in shock, he then made a casual grasping motion!

Instantly, his hand became like a black hole, which caused all of the souls to fly into his palm. He closed his fingers into a fist, and then slowly opened them to reveal... a tongue of one-colored flame!

On the ancestral mountain, numerous eyes widened in shock, and the same thing happened outside in the clan!

“He’s conjuring flame!!”

“Look at how smoothly he did it! It’s only one-colored flame, but even still, it worked instantly!!”

The clan elders’ eyes widened, and as for the grand elder from the Hall of Justice, his heart trembled in shock. After all, the grand elder was also adept at flame conjuring, and could instantly see many things from how casually Bai Xiaochun had conjured the flame....

Of course, Bai Xiaochun wasn’t finished. As everyone watched in amazement, he dispersed the one-colored flame, fed more vengeful souls into the fire... and then casually closed his fist.

Three-colored flame!

Five-colored flame!

Seven-colored flame!

In the blink of an eye, Bai Xiaochun conjured seven-colored flame, sending blistering heat out in all directions. Furthermore, his motions were all completely smooth and casual!

“A master necromancer!!”

“Heavens! I can accept that he’s a master necromancer, but... the speed and accuracy of his flame-conjuring is impossibly high!!”

“Am I seeing things? One shot? In one shot, he conjured everything up to a seven-colored flame?!?!”