Not only did Hua Zhaoxue show clear shock, but even Tian You, beside her, had a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
“Husband?! How is that possible? Wait...” Hua Zhaoxue spoke in shock, then suddenly paused. After a long moment, she continued, “Humans have souls and consciousness too... so by the rules, they really can become objects of faith... but if you place your faith in an individual, you shouldn’t be able to draw out the corresponding power...”
Seeing Hua Zhaoxue fall into confusion, Li Rui finally explained in a low voice, “Right. You’re not wrong. An individual ultimately represents only one thing, so even if they become the object of faith, that faith still can’t bring out the proper power... But when that Eighth-Tier Qi War was still weak, she hid her dead husband’s consciousness and soul inside her Soulbound Artifact. She did it so that one day, after breaking through to the eighth tier, she could defy the laws of heaven and forcibly bring his consciousness and soul back...”
“...This...”
At that moment, Hua Zhaoxue was completely speechless. The great figure Li Rui spoke of had loved with absolute devotion. Once she forcibly fused her husband’s soul into her Soulbound Artifact, that artifact would contain two sleeping, unawakened souls. And more than that, merely forcing a dead soul to remain already violated the laws of life and death. She would inevitably suffer punishment from the Heavenly Dao.
In other words, that Battle Seer’s cultivation speed, and even her lifespan, would be drastically weakened. To still break through to the eighth tier under those conditions... what kind of terrifying willpower was that?
“A woman may seem gentle, but for love, she can become unshakable... Honestly, the fact that she still reached the eighth tier in that kind of situation makes me admire her deeply, but it doesn’t surprise me... With that kind of obsession, throwing everything away for love... maybe it was precisely that devotion that moved the soul residing in her Soulbound Artifact...”
Perhaps it was the resonance shared between women. After Li Rui finished speaking, silence fell over the carriage. Bai Ziting and Li Yuanqian lowered their eyes without a word, while Hua Zhaoxue paused for a moment, then secretly glanced at Tian You beside her, no one knowing what she was thinking.
“What happened after that?” Seeing the women fall silent, Tian You finally gave in to his curiosity and asked Li Rui.
“After that...” A trace of sorrow surfaced on Li Rui’s face. “After breaking through to the eighth tier, the first thing she wanted to do was retrieve the soul inside the artifact. But in the end, no one knows how it turned out... It was just that not long after, the story of the Buried Sands Ruins appeared... So I think... she probably failed.”
“...”
“Her rouge done, her bridal grace complete, yet still her lord never came. Only a severed memory remained, as I alone faded with the years... That was the last sentence she left before her death.”
After Li Rui said that, everyone in the carriage except Tian You, whose eyes were blank with shock, had tears gathering at the corners of their eyes. From that final murmur, they all heard the helplessness and sorrow in the woman’s heart.
Even if one cultivated to the very limit humanity could reach, what then? In the end, one still couldn’t cross the boundary between life and death, and could only be left covered in wounds.
Li Rui took several deep breaths and steadied his turbulent emotions. Then he said to Hua Zhaoxue, who was still wiping away tears with her sleeve, “Miss Zhaoxue, everyone knows the origin of the Buried Sands Ruins, but no one knows where it actually is. The one who discovered signs of the ruins this time was my older sister, but she only told our group. To be honest, none of us are particularly famous figures in our own country. But because of that, our trip this time hasn’t drawn much attention. It’s just...”
Li Rui’s meaning was obvious. He wanted Hua Zhaoxue to accompany their group and explore the ruins with them. After all, with a Qi dancer cultivator in the team, they would have one more layer of protection.
But his words immediately drew dissatisfaction from the three women. Bai Ziting and Li Yuanqian had only just learned that such a tragically beautiful story lay behind the Buried Sands Ruins. They were both women, and the story of that Eighth-Tier War Prayer had deeply moved them. At a moment like this, Li Rui was still talking about exploring the ruins. Of course that would upset them.
Seeing this, Li Rui inwardly blamed himself for speaking without reading the mood. For a moment, he had no idea how to ease the tension and could only give an awkward smile.
Just then, Tian You, who had been staring blankly, suddenly snapped back to himself. Feeling the strange atmosphere in the carriage, he froze for a second. Then he carefully thought over Li Rui’s words and said after a moment, “Actually, I think Li Rui makes a lot of sense. At a time like this, we really should move first and explore the ruins.”
Tian You’s words instantly drew everyone’s attention. Only after all eyes were fixed on him did he continue, “If what Li Rui said is true, then right now only their group knows about the ruins. But paper can never wrap up fire forever. Given enough time, news of the ruins will definitely spread. And once that happens, it’ll surely attract the attention of powerful figures from every empire... By then, it won’t just be a matter of disturbing their rest anymore...”
Hearing Tian You’s words, Li Rui’s eyes lit up, and he quickly added, “Tian You’s right! If we go this time, then because of our strength, and because we’ve been affected by their story, even if we do have our own motives, we won’t go too far... But if news of the ruins spreads and we still do nothing... then not only will we fail to uncover anything, we’ll also have to watch helplessly as the ruins are destroyed.”
Even if those words did sound a little like he was trying to find a reasonable excuse for what he planned to do next, the truth was exactly that. The ruins of an Eighth-Tier War Prayer were simply too tempting. And with them being so close to Wolfmoon Barbarian City, it was destined that the secret couldn’t stay hidden for long.
The three women struggled with it for a long time. In the end, after setting aside their emotions and looking at the matter rationally, they finally agreed to form a team and head to the ruins together.
