Back in the Nine Heavens, the God of Justice finally stopped in front of the repository and nodded at the two guards. He then opened the door and turned to the God of War as if they had really just come for an inspection. "Well, you may go in and take a look yourself to make sure everything is alright. I guess you won't be needing me here anymore then, will you?"
Qiang Yan gave a wry smile. This guy … Would it kill him to wait just a moment longer? Well, then again, they really didn't need him here and there was no reason to keep him in that case. Thus he nodded and stepped aside. "Of course. I wouldn't want to keep the God of Justice from his own task longer than necessary. I gather your guards could lock the door to the repository after we've left."
Li Yin nodded. "Naturally. Then I'll take my leave." He nodded at him, ignored the other two and then walked back toward the main building.
Qiang Yan waited a moment and then turned to Leng Jin Yu and Bai Mu. "Well, let's go in and check." He didn't wait for an answer and just turned around and walked into the repository.
The other two followed and then closed the door behind them so the guards wouldn't see what they did inside. Even though they were Li Yin's people and would likely report to him if they thought something was amiss, it was better not to take the risk.
Qiang Yan raised his hand and his fingertips lit up, brightening the dimly-lit room. He turned to the altar where the soul-engraving dagger was lying. This dagger … It shouldn't be used. Not under any circumstances. But not only did Leng Jin Yu want to do so, his own nephew had also done the same just a while ago with none being the wiser. It really made him wonder if everybody had lost their minds. It seemed the warnings of their forefathers didn't account for anything anymore.
He stepped closer and then disabled the array surrounding the altar. The fine lines that had previously shone on the ground turned dull, leaving the light at Qiang Yan's fingertips the only light source in the room. "Well, you can take it and use it now. I can only repeat what I said before though: This is dangerous. And not just a little. You're essentially risking your life."
Leng Jin Yu nodded. "I know. But I have to do it." He stepped forward and stood in front of the altar, examining the weapon in front of him. Well, he had already gotten here. He only had to use it now and hope that nothing would go wrong. Then he could return to the Yun Zou Sect and tie the array down with a part of his soul so that Jinde could finally live in peace again.
He took a deep breath and reached out, picking up the dagger. It was surprisingly light. It really made one wonder how this could be one of the most dangerous weapons in all the immortal realms.
Leng Jin Yu closed his eyes but then hesitated. He turned to Bai Mu and furrowed his brows. "For the anchor … Do we need to transfer the part of my soul somewhere or should I just leave it where it is?"
Bai Mu looked at the dagger in Leng Jin Yu's hands, his gaze complicated. "Leave it where it is. I think it's safer for you not to take it out immediately. In the worst case, we can transfer it over to another object when we're back in the mortal realm."
Leng Jin Yu nodded. "Alright, let's do that then."
He turned away from the other two men and faced the altar once more. To think that he would come to the same place as the Son of Heaven and use the very same weapon to cut up his soul … It truly was quite strange. But, well, if even the Son of Heaven that wasn't used to wielding a weapon could use the dagger to engrave his soul, even writing several delicate characters, then he who had lived a much rougher life in the cultivation world should be able to make one straight cut, right? It couldn't be that hard.
He took another deep breath, closed his eyes and raised the dagger. He calmed his mind and focused on his own body, sensing for his soul. He had never actively looked for it like this, not even after he had found out about being Chun Yin's reincarnation, but he had no trouble to find it as if this skill from his last life still persisted.
His soul's core floated behind the spot between his brows, the nebulous outer layer of the soul spreading outward. Looking closer, he finally noticed what he should have realized much, much sooner: part of it was missing. The core seemed to have been a sphere once upon a time but it looked as if somebody had taken a bite out of it. This had to be the part that he had bound to Jinde's soul in his past life.
Leng Jin Yu didn't hesitate any longer. He pointed the tip of the dagger at his brow and then cut. A single drop of blood gathered and the blade lit up pale blue, seemingly becoming transparent. Finally, the blade glided into his body, not leaving any other traces than that small wound. Leng Jin Yu shook, his body doubling over until he had to reach out with the other hand and grab onto the altar.
Leng Jin Yu forced himself to take a deep breath and continued to cut, the blade gliding through the outer layer of his soul and toward the core, finally scratching the surface.
His fingers grabbed tighter onto the altar, his knuckles turning white and he finally fell down to his knees. He gritted his teeth and continued to plunge the weapon further, finally separating a thin layer of his soul's core. His hand shook and the weapon fell down, his body following suit.