Wei Ji ignored their curses. His eyes were calm, almost detached, as if their howling meant nothing.
The three souls thrashed inside the glowing mouths of the flytraps, their wailing overlapping into a sick chorus of hatred and despair.
He raised his hands and began forming a series of seals. His fingers moved with precision and rhythm, each gesture carrying weight.
The air trembled with every completed motion.
Soon, thin inscriptions of light appeared behind each of the souls, floating like brands in the air. They spun slowly, forming intricate patterns that pulsed in time with Wei Ji's heartbeat.
He murmured, his voice low and deliberate. "Marination of souls."
The moment he said it, green Qi poured out of the ground and spread like liquid smoke. It slithered into the flytraps, wrapping around the trapped spirits like vines constricting prey. The souls screamed.
"W-What are you doing to us!" one of the soldiers cried. His voice echoed through the dark.
Wei Ji didn't answer. He continued to form more hand signs, each faster than the last. His sleeves fluttered from the spiritual wind building around him.
"You—bastard!" shouted another soul, his voice filled with rage and fear. "You killed us! You'll pay for this! Even if I fall into the deepest hell, I'll find you!"
The disciple of the Five Element Sect roared in fury. "You dare touch a disciple of the Five Element Sect?! You will suffer! My sect will hunt you to the ends of the world! They will find your bones and grind them to dust!"
Wei Ji remained silent.
The glow of green Qi intensified.
The more they cursed, the brighter it burned.
Their ghostly forms twisted, contorted, and stretched thin as the spiritual energy wrapped tighter. The pain was unbearable for them. Their screams rose into shrill, ragged cries that blended with the hiss of the vines.
Wei Ji finally spoke in a calm tone, "You can curse all you want. Words mean nothing to me."
The three souls tried to resist, but the inscriptions behind them pulsed again, draining more of their essence. The vines coiled tighter, tightening with every chant.
The green Qi crawled into their translucent bodies, sinking deep into their essence. It burned them from within, spreading pain that made them howl like beasts.
Wei Ji's expression didn't change. "Your resentment will feed your strength," he murmured. "Your hatred will temper your spirit. I'm doing you a favor."
The cultivator's soul screamed, "Favor?! You monster! You'll never—never control me!"
Wei Ji's lips curved faintly. "Comtrol you? More like renewing you."
He moved his hands again, faster this time, drawing sigils in the air. Spiritual light began to link the three souls together. Vines made of pure Qi erupted from the earth, wrapping each of them in glowing chains.
The air grew thick with energy, and Wei Ji's hair fluttered from the pressure.
"Merge," he said softly.
The vines connected, binding the three spirits together. The weaker two immediately began to tremble. The cultivator's soul surged brighter, stronger, more defiant.
The two soldiers tried to pull away, but the Qi forced them closer. Their outlines rippled as the process began.
"No! No! Stop—!" one of the soldiers cried, his voice breaking.
Wei Ji didn't blink. The souls pressed against each other, their light mixing in a violent swirl. The cultivator roared, trying to break free, but Wei Ji's seals forced him back in.
The weaker souls shrieked as they were slowly consumed, their essence drawn into the cultivator's brighter form.
"Ahhhh!"
"Stop it!"
"Please—!"
Their voices faded one by one until only one remained.
The cultivator's spirit now shone twice as bright, his shape more stable, his voice steadier but colder. He gasped for breath that no longer existed, his translucent hands trembling.
Wei Ji raised his right hand, channeling the energy around them.
The scattered spiritual Qi in the air twisted like a vortex, spinning faster and faster until it resembled a green storm around the merged soul.
"Now… form the soul," Wei Ji whispered.
The cultivator's ghostly shape bent and twisted. His scream echoed as his essence condensed, shrinking into a flickering wisp of light. It struggled, flickering wildly, before it finally stabilized.
Wei Ji nodded. "Perfect. I made your talent peak," he said in a low, almost pitying tone. "But in return, you will serve me… for a few million years."
He made another hand sign.
The wisp floated forward, trembling, before he pressed it against the forehead of the cultivator's corpse.
The moment the light touched the skin, the body jerked violently. The flesh trembled, and then—slowly—the eyes snapped open.
They glowed faint green.
Wei Ji took a small step forward and looked down at him. "You have a new soul," he said. "Absorb your memories. Then serve."
The man's chest rose. He gasped, then coughed weakly, as if learning to breathe again. His eyes darted around in confusion before settling on Wei Ji. "M… master…"
Wei Ji's gaze softened slightly. "Good. You remember who you serve."
…
Meanwhile, high above the mountains of the Five Element Sect, the Hall of Soul Crystals glowed faintly under moonlight. It was a quiet place, lined with thousands of glass-like crystals, each one representing the soul of an outer disciple.
A man in standard disciple robes walked slowly through the hall, carrying a tray of shattered crystals. He hummed under his breath, clearly used to the duty. As he passed, another man leaned out of a side hall.
"Hey, Bai!" the man called. "Another batch again?"
Bai sighed. "Yeah. Third one this week. Bandits, beasts, accidents—these rookies die faster than they learn to meditate."
The other laughed. "You should ask for hazard pay."
Bai smirked. "I'll take a vacation first. If the elders ever let us out of the mountain."
He walked on, nodding to a few passing disciples. Some greeted him, others just nodded back, used to the grim routine. It was part of life—souls break, disciples die, crystals get replaced.
But halfway down the corridor, Bai stopped. His hand froze in midair.
One of the broken crystals in his tray—cracked and dull—suddenly pulsed. A faint blue light flickered inside it. It shimmered weakly, then burst into a brief, sky-blue glow.
He stared, stunned. "What the…?" He stepped back. The light continued to pulse, stronger and stronger, until a thin line of energy rose from the crystal and vanished through the ceiling.
Bai's breath caught in his throat. "Don't tell me…" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Someone came back to life?"
…
Back at the Han estate, Wei Ji crouched before the newly awakened body. The man stood now, unsteady but breathing. His eyes glowed faintly green, still regaining focus.
Wei Ji crossed his arms. "Tell me your name."
The man's voice was rough. "Chen Liang. Disciple of the Five Element Sect."
Wei Ji nodded slowly. "Good. Tell me what you remember."
The man hesitated, eyes flickering with confusion. "I remember… a forest. I was tracking demonic Qi. I saw two soldiers. Then… pain. You—" He flinched, gripping his head. "I remember dying."
Wei Ji's gaze hardened. "And now?"
"I feel… calm," the man muttered. "But my mind… it feels chained."
Wei Ji smiled faintly. "That's because it is. You are bound to me now."
The man trembled. "Bound…?"
"Yes," Wei Ji said simply. "You exist because I allow it. You move because I gave you a vessel. You think because I gave you a second chance. Don't waste it."
He circled the man slowly, testing the bond. "Do you remember your techniques?"
The man nodded. "Yes, Master."
"Show me."
The disciple raised his hand, gathering Qi. A faint swirl of blue energy appeared, unstable but visible. Wei Ji watched carefully. He nodded, impressed.
"Good. Your spiritual veins are adjusting faster than expected."
The disciple hesitated. "Why… bring me back?"
Wei Ji looked away, eyes narrowing. "I did not bring you back." He muttered more to himself than to the man, "More like, I created you… And the memories were not yours but from the body he occupied."
The disciple was shocked. But he understood.
He turned back to him. "Prepare yourself. You already know what work I want you to do."
The disciple bowed. "Yes, Master."
Wei Ji was about to leave when he suddenly paused. His expression darkened. He looked toward the forest beyond the wall. His senses stirred. Something was coming—fast.
He frowned. "But first," he murmured, "before you go…" He raised his hand and summoned faint green sparks around his fingers. "Let us take care of our incoming guests."