316: Fifth Incarnation: Heavenly Physician (108)

The voice was not loud, yet it exploded within Xu Yuan's true spirit like a clap of thunder!

Just three simple words, yet they seemed to have waited countless ages, carrying a sense of fatalistic certainty and calm.

Xu Yuan's true spirit trembled violently. He forcefully stabilized his mind, gathered his weak consciousness, and attempted to ask: “Senior... are you... the Netherworld Reincarnation Dao Lord?”

The white skeletal mandible opened slightly, the Soul Fire calmly flickering, and the indifferent voice sounded once more:

“My title... vanished long ago with my flesh and blood. Now, I am merely a dried bone clinging to existence here, overseeing ‘Destiny.’ You may call me... Netherworld, or you may call this place—the Ruins of Return.”

He paused, and the Soul Fire seemed to “see” through all the doubt and vigilance within Xu Yuan's true spirit, continuing in that ancient, unchanging indifferent tone:

“There is no need for alarm. I did not lead you here to harm you. Although your action of ‘Dao-Usurpation to Mend the Heavens’ was reckless, your ambition is commendable. What is even rarer is that you carry... the Samsara Imprint.”

“The Samsara Imprint?”

Xu Yuan's mind shook once more!

“Indeed.”

The voice of the Netherworld white bone was still flat, yet carried a profundity that pierced through the ages. “This is not the ordinary Reincarnation of a Cultivator, where the true spirit is ignorant and drifts with the flow. Deep within your true spirit is branded a special mark... one that is immune to ten thousand calamities and forms its own cycle. This mark allows you to bypass the refinement and surveillance of the conventional heavenly Reincarnation, enabling you to be Reborn carrying innate wisdom. Although suppressed by the Rules of Heaven and Earth, you always retain a trace of undying spiritual light.”

Xu Yuan's true spirit fluctuated violently, filled with disbelief!

This practically revealed his greatest reliance!

He couldn't help but press further: “Senior... how do you know this? Where did this mark... come from?”

In the hollow eye sockets of the Netherworld white bone, the Soul Fire flickered slightly, as if lost in distant memories. A hint of complex, ineffable meaning entered the indifferent voice:

“How do I know? Because... this mark originally has a deep connection with the ‘Netherworld Reincarnation Dao’ that I oversee. In fact, one could say... it was originally the missing... other half of my Dao.”

“What?!”

Xu Yuan felt as if he had been struck by lightning!

His secret of Reincarnation was actually connected to the Great Dao of this ancient Dao Lord?

And it was the missing other half?

The Netherworld white bone spoke slowly, his voice like the Nether River flowing through eternity:

“In the ancient years, I comprehended the mysteries of life and death in the Nine Nether Regions. Seeing the souls of the deceased drifting without refuge, and the cycle of Heaven and Earth's Reincarnation stagnant and blocked, I was moved. Thus, I made a great vow to establish the Netherworld Dao, aiming to create Order, divide Yin and Yang, guide the deceased Souls, and ensure that life and death had Order and Reincarnation had a path. This was a great Karma to complete the cycle of Heaven and Earth.”

“However, while the Netherworld was easy to establish, Reincarnation was difficult to stabilize. The secret of Reincarnation involves the essence of the true spirit, the Karma of time and space, and even the supreme rules that transcend this Heaven and Earth—its profound mysteries are endless. Although I devoted all my effort, I could only construct the ‘form’ of Reincarnation, which is the process and location for guidance, judgment, and Rebirth, but I struggled to touch the ‘core’ of Reincarnation—namely, how to ensure the true spirit does not lose its inherent nature during Reincarnation, how to carry Karma without being extinguished, and how to cross the barriers of time and space without losing its essence?”

“Just as my Great Dao was on the verge of completion but stalled, and I fell into a Bottleneck, by a stroke of Opportunity, within a rift in time and space, I encountered... an extraordinary destiny from outside the heavens.”

A trace of recollection and emotion permeated the voice of the Netherworld white bone.

“That was a fragment originating from an unknown place! It contained the supreme mystery of ‘true spirit immortality’ and ‘eternal mark existence,’ surpassing the understanding of this realm!”

“Upon obtaining this fragment, I treated it as a priceless treasure, integrating it with my own Netherworld Great Dao. This finally caused the ‘Netherworld Dao’ to undergo an essential transformation, advancing it to the Netherworld Reincarnation Dao, which oversees life and death and connects Reincarnation! I also used this to successfully attain the Fruit Position of a Dao Lord in one fell swoop!”

Hearing this, colossal waves surged in Xu Yuan's heart!

So, the Reincarnation Order of this world was actually established single-handedly by the being before him!

The Netherworld white bone changed the subject, his tone carrying a trace of regret and understanding:

“However, that fragment of Reincarnation Origin was... incomplete in itself. It seemed to be part of a complete mark, and although the mysteries it contained were deep, it was flawed. Precisely because of this, the Reincarnation Order I established also has defects.”

“Ordinary Cultivators, when their true spirit enters Reincarnation, must undergo the refinement of the Netherworld, forgetting all past lives before they can be Reborn.”

“Even a Golden Core True Person, whose Yin Spirit is solid, may carry fragments of memory into Reincarnation, but they are subject to the limit of ‘Severance after Five Lives.’ That is, after five consecutive Reincarnations, the true spirit mark will gradually be erased by the power of Reincarnation, eventually dissipating completely, or merging into the great flow of Heaven and Earth's Reincarnation, making it impossible to maintain self-identity.”

“This is because the ‘core’ of Reincarnation is incomplete and cannot provide an eternal, indestructible ‘anchor point’.”

“And upon your body...” The Soul Fire of the Netherworld white bone suddenly focused on Xu Yuan's true spirit, “The ‘Samsara Imprint’ you carry, its aura, its essence, originated from the same source as the fragment I obtained back then, but it is far more... complete! Far more... core!”

“If my prediction is correct, your mark is the... core part of that complete Reincarnation Origin Mark! It is the key to ensuring the true spirit remains immune to ten thousand calamities and crosses Reincarnation without losing its essence!”

“In the past, that complete Reincarnation Origin Mark fractured for reasons unknown. The core part drifted elsewhere, while a smaller portion was obtained by me. I used this to achieve the Dao and establish the Reincarnation of this realm, but due to the missing core, Reincarnation is incomplete and cannot reach perfection. And you... for some unknown reason, merged with that core of the scattered mark, thus possessing the Reincarnation ability to be ‘Immune to Ten Thousand Calamities’!”

Xu Yuan listened, his mind swaying violently, almost unable to control himself!

So that's how it is!

The secret of his continuous Reincarnation and Rebirth actually involved such ancient Karma!

“Therefore...” Xu Yuan lowered his voice slightly, filled with extreme vigilance and a hint of imperceptible probing, “Senior, you led me here because you want to... reclaim this core mark and complete the Netherworld Reincarnation Dao?”

This was the most logical inference.

Facing a supreme Opportunity that could complete his Great Dao, or even allow him to “resurrect” or “transcend,” what ancient existence could remain unmoved?

However, upon the throne, the Netherworld white bone slowly, slowly... shook his head.

As the mandible opened and closed, the indifferent voice revealed an ineffable sense of... loneliness and composure:

“Reclaim it? Complete it? Heh...” A sigh, extremely light, sounded as if carried from an eternal tomb. “As you can see, I... am already dead.”

“My flesh and blood turned to ash, my Dao Body collapsed, and my consciousness scattered into Reincarnation upon my fall. All that remains is this Remnant Spirit and Obsession, coexisting with the Ruins of Return and relying on the Reincarnation Tunnel to exist, trapped within this seat, maintaining this place from dispersing. Taking your mark would be meaningless to me, like dressing a withered bone in fine clothes. It might even accelerate the dissipation of my last bit of obsession due to conflict between the core mark and my surviving Dao principles.”

His Soul Fire flickered calmly, as if stating a fact unrelated to himself.

“More importantly...”

The Netherworld white bone paused slightly. The hollow eye sockets seemed to “see” deeper, and his tone gained a seriousness and probing quality that hadn't been there before.

“Besides this core Samsara Imprint, there seems to be... the influence of another existence upon you. A trace that is... more obscure, more profound, and which even I, in my current state, cannot see through or grasp.”