"You disgraceful thing! Today you die!"
The air was filled with the resonating voice of an elderly man, dressed in flowing robes of vibrant orange and red. Despite his bald head, he possessed a magnificent, long white beard that nearly brushed the ground as he spoke. His hands pressed together, coaxing forth small flickers of fire that danced and circled his clasped hands. With increasing speed, the flames formed a vibrant corona before transforming into the imposing shape of a magnificent serpent. Locking eyes with his opponent, he watched as the serpent encircled himself, rearing up and ready to strike at his opponent.
His opponent stared at him from across the desolate battlefield. The man was tall, with a medium build. He had shoulder-length, ragged silver hair and wore ornamental black and silver clothes that were now torn and tattered. Despite his worn-out appearance, this was Pale Soul Monarch, a man feared throughout the heavens. Across the desolate battlefield, his adversary locked eyes with him. The man stood tall, displaying a medium build. His shoulder-length, ragged silver hair framed his worn face, and he was adorned in ornate black and silver robes that were now in tatters. Despite his dishevelled appearance, this was none other than Pale Soul Monarch, a figure feared throughout the heavens.
"Earth-Fire Serpent! Earth Flame Ancestor, I'm honoured to see this technique of yours!"
"Courting death!"
The mighty Earth Flame Ancestor let out a thunderous roar as the serpent surged forward, aiming directly for the Pale Soul Monarch. The creature crashed into the ground, only to swiftly launch itself back into the air, leaving behind molten earth in its wake as it relentlessly pressed forward. The Pale Ghost Monarch let out a chilling chuckle as he raised his arm and brought it down in a swift, chopping motion. A mysterious black mist trailed his hand as the Earth-Fire Serpent split down the middle, creating two distinct halves. Each half continued to swirl around the Pale Soul Monarch until they forcefully collided with a nearby rock, sending shards scattering in all directions.
The Pale Soul Monarch fought to keep his composure as he surveyed the battlefield, strewn with numerous lifeless bodies. Despite his efforts to appear unfazed, he couldn't ignore the throbbing pain of his wounds. While he had managed to vanquish the Earth-Fire Serpent, the grim reality set in - he was undeniably on the verge of losing the battle.
"Face it, Pale Soul Monarch, you have no chance!"
Earth Flame Ancestor screamed, unclasping his hands as he held them out in front of him the molten earth left by Earth-Fire Serpent rose from its pits, flowing through the air and towards Earth Flame Ancestor forming an ornate seal in front of him.
"Earth Flame Ancestor, you honour me further by showing me this unknown attack!"
Pale Soul Monarch laughed as he brought his hands together, placing them palm to palm, one hand on top of the other, a black smoke forming between his palms and spilling out from the gaps. As he pulled his hands apart, the black smoke formed into a whirling cyclone linked by his hands.
"I think it's about time we finish this, Earth Flame Ancestor!"
"I must agree… Shi Xiong!"
Pale Soul Monarch couldn't get a word out to express his surprise as a sword was pushed through his back and out of his chest, the bloodstained blade standing at the centre of his now-shaking visibility. There was nothing but corpses behind him! His mind rushed to figure out how they managed to take him by surprise, then it hit him.
"Y-you, bast-"
"Quiet. We've pursued you for years, don't act like playing dead isn't a skill you are vastly proficient in! Now, disciple, Shi Xiong, finish him off and I'll grant you the inheritance of the Dragon Spirit Sword Saint as I promised."
As the sword was pulled from Pale Soul Monarch's back, only to land a secondary slash along his back, he turned to get a look at this "Shi Xiong" As he turned he saw a boy of small stature, Shi Xong was about chest height for Pale Soul Monarch, and his hair was long and vibrant, with it pulled into a ponytail, he certainly maintained the appearance of youth, with soft features and an almost cherubic face.
As Pale Soul Monarch finally fell to the ground he felt the world spinning around him as his blood drained out onto the dirt.
"Hmph, this world will be better with you gone… Though, just to be safe"
Earth Flame Ancestor reached into his sleeve, pulling out a paper talisman.
"I prepared this just in case. It is called a soul-dissolving talisman, no doubt you have some method to resurrect, so this soul-dissolving talisman will scatter that cultivated soul of yours into the great vastness. May you never return."
Earth Flame Ancestor threw the talisman onto Pale Soul Monarch's back, with it burning away into a pale white smoke that enveloped his body, soon scattering into nothing just as quickly as it had appeared.
Pale Soul Monarch awoke to a void, he tried to move his body but felt nothing but the quiet buzz of numbness, was he dead? If he was then it had been a good life, if not? Then he still had a chance, as Earth Flame Ancestor admitted, his soul was being scattered across the great vastness.
While he contemplated the slow demise he would be victim to he felt himself be pulled downward as a light formed beneath him, a feeling of warmth washing over him as a female voice called for him.
"... Yu!"
"... Chang Yu!"
"... Chang Yu!"
Pale Soul Monarch opened his eyes eyes and, crouched over him, was a woman with long, red, hair. She had a thin and dainty figure, she was wearing colourful clothes that seemed untouched by dirt or dust, quite unlike the uniform that Chang Yu was wearing, it was scuffed and dirty, with it having plain, faded colours.
"Chang Yu, are you ok? You just fainted"
Pale Soul Monarch, now called Chang Yu, according to this woman, just blinked in response, unsure how to respond seeing as it appears he took over this body quite suddenly. He tried to get up, but, found his body struggling to do something so simple, Pale Soul Monarch decided, if only for the time being, to adopt the name of this body until he was strong enough to reveal himself.
"What's your name?"
"What's my… Did you forget my name? Brother Chang Yu, you're truly hopeless"
The woman let out a long sigh, her slender fingers moving to rest against her forehead. The sound carried a weight of discontent, suggesting that Chang Yu was not someone she held in high regard.
"Well, if it seems you've truly forgotten me… I'm Xiao Meilin, we are both inner disciples of Blossom Mountain Palace."
She spoke slowly and with a hint of condescension, as if she believed Chang Yu to be incapable of understanding. After she finished speaking, she gently helped Chang Yu to his feet. His legs felt unsteady, and he feared he might collapse as soon as he stood up. Thankfully, Xiao Meilin offered him a sturdy stick to use as a crutch, and she guided him back to their sect.
Thankfully, I still have some of my techniques… Alright, I'll use Soul Inspection first.
Chang Yu's first constructive thoughts echoed in his head as he activated his technique, first turning on his benefactor. Xiao Meilin's soul appeared as a small sprite, a small ball of light about the size of a pebble.
1 Man Soul? Not unexpected, this style of cultivation didn't exactly become mainstream… I couldn't even fully develop it before I was killed.
Then, he turned it on himself, his eyes opening wide with some surprise. His soul had a more defined shape, possessing the vaguest resemblance to a person, seeming more like an initial sculpt of a human made of clay, it was sat down and appeared to be meditating.
100 Man Soul? I shouldn't be surprised, no doubt that the Soul-Dissolving talisman that Earth Flame Ancestor used diminished my soul's foundation, but, to see I retained this much!
A dumb grin came to his face as he continued to think.
"Though, another possibility is that this boy, Chang Yu, just had a naturally large soul, equal to 100 humans! But, what about the weakness of his body? Bah! With any luck this Blossom Mountain Palace can help me whip this body into shape."
By the time the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, Xiao Meilin and Chang Yu would reach the foot of a large mountain, it seemed to continue creeping higher into the sky as Chang Yu raised his head to try and take in its peak, every inch seeming to be covered in great forests of large, red-leaved, trees. However, when he came back to reality he saw a large stairway heading up the mountain just past an even larger gate emblazoned with a large sign reading: "Blossom Mountain Palace"