Newbie Guardians

Chapter 31 Missing Soul

A few minutes later, the high priest withdrew his staff. Huang Xin stood up, feeling a surge of power coursing through his body, and thanked him again. The high priest waved his hand and slowly said:

"It's alright! You can go back now!"

After the two left the tent and walked back a short distance, Hannah asked Huang Xin to wait for her, then turned around and ran back to the large tent. After bowing to the high priest, she knelt down on the prayer mat again.

"High Priest, Brother Huang Xin, he..."

The high priest said earnestly:

"His physical body was unharmed, but his soul was incomplete. I tried to find his lost soul, but I failed. I only saw a skeleton disintegrate and be reborn again and again. It was as if his soul had long since left the mortal realm."

"How could this happen?"

Hannah's voice trembled slightly.

"It's as if he was already dead, his soul summoned back by some force and forcibly kept in his body. But how can the soul of a dead person be restored?"

"Brother Huang Xin has a contract summoning skill that summons a skeleton. It looks a bit dim-witted, but it's incredibly brave in battle. After it dies, it can be summoned again every so often. Does that count as infinite rebirth? High Priest, do you think that summoning contract might be Brother Huang Xin's missing soul?"

"Theoretically, this is indeed possible."

"Thinking about it carefully, that skeleton man's physique is really similar to Huang Xin's! If it really is his soul, how can we re-merge them?"

I can't tell you, and I can't give you any hints.

Hannah's heart skipped a beat. According to custom, the high priest could not give any hints only when it came to forbidden techniques.

Her eyes were filled with sadness, but then gradually became firm and resolute.

After about fifteen minutes, Hannah returned.

"Huang Xin, let's go to the Elder's tent to collect our rewards!"

She happily took Huang Xin's hand and walked forward chatting and laughing.

"Huang Xin, how did you obtain your summoning skill?"

"When I participated in the trial, I helped Carlo fulfill his wish, and he gave me the contract stone."

Huang Xin recounted the process, and Hannah, seemingly lost in thought, suddenly asked:

"Huang Xin, don't you feel that Carlo is especially kind to you, like family?"

"No, I don't feel that way at all. Besides, how could I possibly be its family?"

"Don't you feel like you've seen him somewhere before?"

Huang Shen scratched his head.

"There is a little bit. Could it be because of the blood from my fingertip? Is this feeling of intimacy only after we made the contract?"

"It's possible..."

Hannah had no idea what to do and couldn't guess the reason at all. It seemed she had to think of another way.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, a large tent appeared two or three hundred meters ahead. Hannah said happily:

"That's the tent for the meritorious elders! Let's hurry!"

At the same time, a woman veiled in black entered the high priest's tent. She slowly removed her veil, revealing her beautiful face, and bowed to the high priest.

"Princess! You look like you've grown a lot!"

The high priest smiled approvingly.

"High Priest, this is the Flower of the Underworld. I want to see my sister's fate."

After saying that, Haliel added another sentence.

"Seeing them together made me feel vaguely uneasy..."

"The Netherworld Flower blooms only once every ten years; it's a rare and precious thing. Have you thought it through?"

"I've thought it through."

The high priest accepted the Flower of the Underworld and slowly turned to the bronze mirror behind him.

This is one of the three ancient bronze mirrors. The human's mirror shows the present, the Netherworld's mirror shows the future, and the one behind the High Priest is the Elf's mirror, which can only show fate.

The high priest closed his eyes, silently chanted an incantation, and the Netherworld Flower in his hand emitted a ghostly blue light that shot into the ancient bronze mirror.

The mirror surface rippled like water, reflecting a scene:

A woman with disheveled, completely white hair and an aged face, bearing a resemblance to Hannah, cradled a pale-faced Huang Xin in her arms. He appeared to be around the same age, with a faint, finger-thick bloodstain visible on his neck. The aged woman muttered incantations, slowly kissing Huang Xin's lips, two tears falling onto his cheek. The next second, young Huang Xin opened his eyes, while the aged woman slowly collapsed. Huang Xin struggled to his feet, reaching out to grab her, but he could do nothing; he was too weak, his eyes filled with tears. He uttered a name; judging from the shape of his lips, it was—Hannah.

Hanlier was in tears. Her sister had used forbidden magic, sacrificing her own life and soul to save Huang Xin's life, even at the cost of her own soul being scattered.

"High Priest, will killing him change my sister's fate?"

"Princess Halil, is it possible that if you kill him, you will see this scene immediately?"

Hanlier's heart was breaking, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. Hannaer was beautiful, kind-hearted, and exceptionally talented, with potential far surpassing her own. The tribe had high hopes for her, and she was willing to pay any price to save Huang Xin. Was this love? What meaning did such love hold?

After a long while, she calmed down and once again bowed devoutly to the high priest.

"High Priest, what can I do to change fate? Even if it means giving my life to ensure her soul is not destroyed."

"Legend has it that there is a secret realm called Ragnarok, where there is a Heavenly Pool. If you use the water from the Heavenly Pool to refine the Heart-Concentrating Jade Pendant, you can keep your soul intact."

Thirty kilometers outside the tribe, Hanlier broke the forbidden spell and rescued a giant salamander-like monster that was forty or fifty meters long. The monster brought its head closer, and Hanlier stroked its head, whispering, "Go back now, your little darling is waiting for you."

The monster soared into the air, transforming into a gust of wind, and flew towards the Ancient Pine Pool.

Halil set fire to the array items within the barrier, then turned to Iris and slowly said...

"I won't kill you. But you must sign a contract to protect Huang Xin from death."

Elise nodded.

"As long as I don't die, he will never die!"

"very good!"

Hanlier nodded, secretly thinking, "As long as Huang Xin doesn't die, I'll have time to find the water of Tianchi and preserve Hannaer's soul."

Inside the merit tent, Hannah held Huang Xin's hand.

"Huang Xin, look at this bow, it's called the Armor-Piercing Bow. It looks ordinary, but it has the ability to 'ignore defense' and penetrate armor. Do you think this ability would be effective against magical defenses?"

"I don't know!"

"Take a guess?"

"Well... if we have to put it simply, ignoring defenses usually only works against physical defenses. If it could also ignore magical defenses, wouldn't that be too overpowered?"

"Yes! The elders said they didn't know either. Huang Xin, let's take this chance, just in case it works!"

"Us? This is a reward for your coming-of-age ceremony quest: your exclusive longbow."

"Okay!"

Hannah added another sentence in her mind.

What's mine is yours.

Carrying a somewhat ugly-looking armor-piercing bow on her back, Hannah held Huang Xin's hand and skipped back.