Chapter Forty-Nine: Identity

"Alright!"
The elder gritted his teeth, abruptly withdrawing his power and spinning around.
Together, the two launched a joint assault against the prismatic dragon.
A colossal imprint of a fist surged from below, rising to the heavens.
"Daoist Heaven’s True Fist!"
Boom!
The sky shuddered as if about to split open.
The prismatic dragon roared furiously, its cry piercing and desperate, radiating a boundless brilliance. Yet in that very instant, it faded into nothingness, and several beams of dazzling light flickered and vanished into the void.
"Not good!"
Seeing this, the faces of the two old men changed dramatically.
"This isn’t the true dragon soul!"
"Impossible! A spiritual avatar cannot stray far from its original body!"
"I understand now—damn it! Her divided soul was among those four insignificant ones who just escaped!"
Only now did the two elders realize the truth, but the space had already sealed. Not even they, nor the resurrected soul avatar of Gongsun Yan, could determine where that spatial passage led.
At that moment, far from the region of Azure Profundity Manor, a rift suddenly tore open above a distant mountain range.
A jade-green ark burst forth from the crack.
But as it emerged, its protective wards shattered completely, and deep fissures scored the vessel’s hull.
The four hurriedly disembarked.
"Haha! Three hundred years—three hundred years at last! I’ve finally reclaimed a source dragon soul. The threshold of Divine Transformation is no longer an obstacle. Splendid!"
Just then, Xiao Ci broke into raucous laughter. Even as she spoke, her aura surged, reaching the very peak of the Filling Seas realm within a few breaths.
Tu Lu hadn’t even regained his composure before he stared in utter shock at this scene.
"Let me reintroduce myself: I am Gongsun Yan. Xiao Ci is simply my childhood name. Young Master Tu, thank you for your care these past days—and for your cover today. You’ve been a tremendous help."
"It was just an inscription master leaving with two followers—just as planned. It lulled their vigilance perfectly. Otherwise, if those two old monsters at the Divine Transformation peak had caught up, we’d have been in real trouble."
A crisp, melodious voice joined in.

"Xiao Cai!"
Tu Lu had not yet recovered when his eyes widened once more.
Xiao Cai smiled gently, her eyes curving like crescent moons as she offered a bow. "I am Dongfang Qi. I imagine you’ve heard my name, sir. Before we met, I was always running errands for my elder sister. Our first encounter was when I shielded Lei Hu from the heavenly tribulation, exhausting my power and suffering severe injury—hence how I was captured by mortals."
Tu Lu’s mouth hung open.
Dongfang Qi—of course he had heard of her. She was the previous Lord of Divine Wind City, also a cultivator of the Violet Palace. Gongsun Yan had defeated her to claim the city.
Yet after her defeat, Dongfang Qi had vanished without a trace.
To think Xiao Cai was her!
"Just as you suspect, I am one of the divided souls of that prismatic dragon from three hundred years ago. Xiao Qi is as well. The secrets I told you in the manor were true; it’s just that we are source-less avatars, our memories fragmented after centuries of separation and division, so we developed our own personalities."
She grinned. "But compared to me, this one is even less discreet. To avoid any mishaps, I made sure she kept her mouth shut in front of others."
"Miss, it’s time to—" Lei Hu began, hands clasped.
"Lei Hu, keep quiet!" Gongsun Yan shot him a frown, then turned and smiled. "So, your true identity was obvious to us. As thanks for your help…"
"Lei Hu, bring out the Thunder Vine!"
"Yes, ma’am."
Lei Hu muttered glumly, lowering his head as he produced a thumb-length vine crackling with thunder. He seemed rather pained to part with it.
Gongsun Yan took it in one swift motion and handed it to Tu Lu.
"This is the Thunder Vine, Lei Hu’s companion spirit herb. When Lei Hu became a primordial beast, the vine achieved true spiritual root status—far more precious than ordinary plant spirits. It should aid you in cultivating the Eighteen Shadow Guard Formations. Consider it a token of gratitude."
Tu Lu, still dazed, reached out and took it.
Gongsun Yan smiled faintly. "That’s all. I have other matters to attend to. This is where we part ways."
At her words, Tu Lu suddenly remembered something. "W-wait!"
Just as the three were about to turn away, they paused and looked back, somewhat surprised. Xiao Cai blinked:
"Little sir, my sister isn’t abandoning you, you know. The source within the divided soul imprisoned by Dragon Pavilion is too important. Now that we’ve seized it, they’ll panic and take drastic measures. My sister wishes only to spare you any trouble—so you should be grateful to her."
"N-no, that’s not it—"
"Could it be… that you’re reluctant to part with me, sir?" Xiao Cai’s eyes grew wide, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"Xiao Qi, you hush as well!"

Xiao Cai stuck out her tongue but fell silent.
Gongsun Yan spoke: "Young Master Tu, are you hoping for news of Mystic Spirit Isle?"
Tu Lu hesitated, then nodded.
"Haha, we know you’ve always been searching for that place. In my memories, there are indeed fragments about Mystic Spirit Isle, but they’re too disturbing to speak of, and would do you no good. Besides, though my recollections are more complete than Xiao Qi’s, there are still many gaps. I can’t guarantee anything."
At this, her tone shifted. "But you could try your luck at the Sea of Ascendance. The isle you seek may be there. Yet before that, you must at least reach the Divine Transformation realm, or you won’t even qualify to explore on your own."
Tu Lu was stunned.
"That’s right. Hehe. The Sea of Ascendance is a tainted region. Its laws have long since been corrupted. A Violet Palace cultivator can enter, but linger too long and you’ll be doomed—even without running afoul of the sea beasts," Xiao Cai said with a mischievous giggle.
Tu Lu’s scalp prickled as he nodded awkwardly.
He could handle Xiao Ci, but after getting used to Xiao Cai’s usually impassive demeanor, her sudden playfulness was truly disconcerting.
"Farewell, then."
Xiao Cai waved.
After the three departed, Tu Lu stood motionless for a long while, then sighed.
He thought of Divine Wind City, of his journey since becoming a cultivator. Even now, it all felt unreal.
Especially the revelation that Xiao Ci and Xiao Cai were two divided souls of the prismatic dragon!
How mortifying—he remembered all too well the times he had spoken ill of Gongsun Yan in front of those two girls—whether at the inscription shop or the city lord’s manor. It wasn’t anything terrible, but still…
To think he’d both criticize and later flatter the same person, not realizing they were one and the same!
Now he finally understood Zhao Yuyang’s predicament—he wished he could bury himself in a hole.
It took him quite some time to come to terms with it all.
Speaking of which, he wondered how Zhao Yuyang and the others were faring…
Recalling the explosion that destroyed Divine Wind City, Tu Lu shook his head, dispelling further thought. After a brief pause, he used the Dragon Order to collect the half-ruined ark, altered his appearance, and set out from the mountains.
His first priority was to determine his current location.
Harnessing the utmost speed of the late Filling Seas realm, he soon left the mountains behind and discovered a small city beyond their edge.