Between Life and Death . . .
"Cha Eun Xiao... He's in Sky Soul Hall..." Yue Changtian's voice quavered with anxiety. He feared that Cha Eun Xiao had met his demise. After all, he had set their adversaries free on account of Cha Eun Xiao's survival. If he turned out to be deceased, the three grandmasters would be inconsolable... it would be a catastrophe!
"Sky Soul Hall!" The three elderly martial artists were taken aback.
"Is he truly gravely injured?"
"Let's go check on him."
With no further words for Yue Changtian, they departed abruptly.
News had reached them that Wu Huitian and the seven others had caused a ruckus in the sect and killed a few disciples, which had resulted in Cha Eun Xiao's injuries...
Before they could learn more, they rushed down from the mountaintop. They believed Cha Eun Xiao was in peril, but not fatally so.
Yue Changtian chose not to disclose the truth to them.
If they learned that Cha Eun Xiao was severely wounded and struggling to breathe... the three martial masters would undoubtedly have hunted down Wu Huitian...
However, upon hearing that Cha Eun Xiao was in Sky Soul Hall, they became increasingly concerned.
They knew that Cha Eun Xiao was in dire straits!
Sky Soul Hall was the most enigmatic location within the three factions.
It was also the most sacred.
Countless generations had toiled mightily to construct this hall, often resorting to morally questionable means to bring it to fruition. Yet, it remained incomplete.
Even though it was unfinished and not as effective as they had hoped, it still possessed certain unique properties. One such attribute was that when an individual had just died, placing their body within Sky Soul Hall would prevent their soul from departing!
The soul would not be consigned to oblivion!
The fact that Cha Eun Xiao was in Sky Soul Hall suggested... he was near death! He could perish at any moment!
The three elderly martial artists were in a state of extreme agitation! They had no time to contemplate pursuing Wu Huitian. Their top priority was to ensure the safety of their cherished disciple!
...
After Cha Eun Xiao had been impaled by that sword strike, he was keenly aware that his fate was sealed. He believed he was about to die!
In that moment, he felt weightless. It was as though he were floating. As he pondered this, he inexplicably found himself looking down from above. There, he observed a lifeless body sprawled on the ground.
That body was his own.
A gaping hole had been rent through his chest!
Cha Eun Xiao, who was immensely experienced, promptly reached a dispiriting conclusion: he had died.
He lay lifeless on the ground. But why then was he viewing his own form from a vantage point in the heavens?
The answer was plain to him. He was on the brink of death. In other words, his physical body was dying, and his soul had become detached!
Perhaps it was due to his entry into the Boundless Space that his soul managed to endure.
Nevertheless, nature's inexorable law dictated that his soul would eventually fade away.
At this juncture, Cha Eun Xiao grasped one profound truth: no matter how fortunate an individual might be, once they died, they died.
All beings were subject to death.
Until then, he had harbored a belief that a second chance at life was his prerogative. He thought he was the chosen one, that he would not meet an untimely end.
He had placed his trust in the belief that his destiny was to survive.
He believed in it, and that belief had greatly influenced him. It had bolstered his courage.
Even when confronted by tens of thousands of assassins, despite the peril posed by the poison he carried, and despite his intimate knowledge of human nature, he could not have been certain of victory.
He could have perished from any minor miscalculation. If those assassins had charged at him with even greater recklessness, he might have been compelled to use the last of his poison much sooner. If that had occurred, how could he have combated the united forces of the two major sects in the end?
When he dueled the Land of Han-Yang's number one cultivator, Bu Jingtian, he had resorted to using Brother Egg to dispatch Bu Jingtian with a single blow. It was a spectacular triumph, but if Bu Jingtian had exercised even a bit more caution, he might have discovered the secret in Cha Eun Xiao's hands, thereby altering the outcome and likely leading to Cha Eun Xiao's demise.
Throughout his second life, Cha Eun Xiao had encountered numerous opportunities and dangers. He had teetered on the precipice of death on multiple occasions. Yet, each time, he emerged victorious and reaped substantial rewards!
Without fail, he emerged as the triumphant hero, bearing a trove of accolades. Such repeated successes fostered a belief in him, one that echoed in his mind: "I am invincible! I shall never die! The heavens smile upon me!"
However, now he had come to realize that he had been grievously mistaken. He had made a profound error in judgment.
"I should never have presumed it was safe within Cold Moon Palace," he mused. "I should never have let my guard down."
He continued to reflect: "I should never have stowed away the Golden Soul Tower simply because life had grown easier. Had I retained the tower, I might have survived this ordeal."
"I should never have believed in my own immortality. It was nothing more than a fool's delusion."
Now, a sense of caution and vigilance washed over him. "If I survive this dire moment, I will be far more prudent in charting my future."
"Because the martial world teems with individuals, and people are the most perilous entities within it."
He reproached himself, lamenting: "Despite my extensive experience in the martial world, I somehow forgot its cardinal principle. I have only myself to blame for this predicament."
"Life and death are as straightforward as that."
"No one is truly the chosen child of the heavens."
"God does not bestow all good fortune and blessings upon a single individual."
"God does not perpetually shield your back."
"Yet, shall I have an opportunity to rectify my course? To exercise greater prudence and respect?"
Cha Eun Xiao let out a heavy sigh.
At that moment, he was gripped by fear. Fear that he might not have the chance to carry on!
However, when people began to lift his lifeless body, he sensed an irresistible force tugging at his soul. He attempted to resist it, but it proved too overpowering. Yet, at that moment, he saw another option—a path into the Boundless Space!
He believed that the wondrous space would certainly protect him from being drawn away. It seemed like a safe choice. He remembered the instance when Gu Jinlong's physical form perished and pondered the idea of taking residence within another's body. Cha Eun Xiao was not a Dao Origin Stage cultivator, so his soul was not as potent as it had been in his Xiao Monarch days. Although he possessed the knowledge of resurrection, his soul was more stable than that of many others. All he had to do was locate a new robust body to inhabit.
As he prepared to execute this plan, he came to a sudden halt. He realized that the force pulling him away emanated from his own body!