Chapter 139: Soul Decay (Part One)

"It is rumored that the final stage, the Decay of the Soul, is the most terrifying of all. A moment of carelessness leads to the dissolution of the body and the annihilation of the spirit, rendering all previous efforts void. Yet, what exactly is this Soul Decay? I have never encountered a description of it in any scripture."

Lin Fan was perplexed. Since the Soul Decay of every individual is unique, it is impossible for any book to contain a record of it.

Contrary to Lin Fan's expectations, the Soul Decay did not arrive immediately after the Bone Decay concluded; instead, it was delayed. This delay lasted for five full days. The entire atmosphere remained deathly silent, yet Lin Fan’s brow furrowed deeper, his expression growing increasingly grave.

"They say there is a period of calm before a storm. I cannot rule out the possibility that the heavens are brewing something. If that is indeed the case, then it is truly terrifying."

Lin Fan murmured to himself, his eyes growing ever brighter. A vast aura slowly emanated from him, eventually stabilizing at the early stage of the Heaven-Man Dual Decay. He only needed to survive this final tribulation to step completely beyond this threshold and achieve his goal.

Suddenly, a faint, ethereal sound echoed in the heavens, growing in intensity. Immediately after, boundless white mist shrouded Lin Fan, and he plunged into chaos.

"Xiao Fan, Xiao Fan."

At that moment, an urgent voice sounded, and Lin Fan was awakened by it, slowly opening his eyes.

What met his gaze was a simple thatched hut, barren and devoid of any furniture; it was extremely destitute. However, Lin Fan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He sat up abruptly, for this was the place he had lived in when he was still a lowly servant.

"Old Man Ji?!"

Lin Fan was startled. Before him was an aged face, wrinkled like a chrysanthemum, yet filled with deep concern.

"You’ve finally woken up. Do you have any idea that you’ve been unconscious for a whole month?"

Old Man Ji let out a long, weary breath, his expression softening slightly as he realized Lin Fan was no longer in mortal danger.

"Old Man Ji, I had a dream."

Lin Fan stretched, his joints popping. Old Man Ji was the old servant who had taken him in.

"You and your dreams! Do you have any idea what a grave crime it is to steal cultivation techniques here at the Tiandu Gate? If Cheng Yu hadn't spared your life, you would have been dead long ago, rather than just having your meridians crippled."

Old Man Ji spat on the ground, his tone filled with frustration. In his view, since one was born a servant, one should live out their life honestly. Though they held no status within the Tiandu Gate, it was different once they stepped outside; countless people would give anything to enter the sect.

"This..."

Lin Fan frowned, sensing something was deeply amiss. In the dream he had just experienced, Old Man Ji had died long ago, reportedly devoured by wild beasts. He also remembered being discovered by Cheng Yu while stealing techniques and nearly being beaten to death, only to be saved at the last moment by Senior Sister Yun Xi.

"Don't 'this' me! How did I teach you? Whatever you do, you must know your place. If something isn't meant for you, you shouldn't even think about it. Legends of servants rising to become phoenixes do exist, but that person is not you!"

Old Man Ji scolded him bitterly, though Lin Fan could hear the care behind the harsh words. He shook his head with a bitter smile, noticing that his body had returned to how it was when he was fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Is this really just a dream?"

Lin Fan felt dizzy. He looked at Old Man Ji before him; everything was so vivid, and he could find no flaws in the reality of it.

Old Man Ji’s grumbling lasted for several hours, leaving Lin Fan feeling lightheaded. Finally, after Lin Fan promised repeatedly that it would never happen again, the old man relented. Before leaving, he told Lin Fan to rest and recover, as he still had the duty of feeding the wild beasts and could not stay any longer.

"What on earth is going on?"

Lin Fan looked around the room. As he moved slightly, an unprecedented sense of weakness washed over him—a true sensation of having not yet recovered from a severe injury.

"In the dream, I became a supreme master of the Heaven-Man Realm, powerful beyond measure. But could such a day ever truly come? It feels too unreal. It seems it really was just a dream. Perhaps Old Man Ji is right; mediocrity and duty are the only ways for me to live longer."

Lin Fan sighed, ultimately choosing to accept this reality.

Half a month later, Lin Fan had fully recovered and returned to helping Old Man Ji feed the beasts. The smiles on the old man's face grew more frequent; having watched Lin Fan grow up, he treated him like his own grandson and was overjoyed to see him healthy again.

However, Lin Fan remained troubled. Whenever night fell, his doubts would resurface. Finally, he resolved to talk to Old Man Ji about the dream. When he finished speaking, Old Man Ji took a deep breath, but instead of the mockery or scolding Lin Fan expected, he grew somber.

"The dream you describe is too preposterous. Think about it: how many masters of the Heaven-Man Realm are there in our Tiandu Gate? Most of them come from the eight great clans. Do you think it’s possible for you to reach that level in just two years? Let alone you, even the Divine Son of our sect couldn't achieve that. Do you think your talent surpasses that of the Divine Son?"

Old Man Ji’s words were logical and irrefutable.

"Setting that aside, you claim I gave you a stone fragment—a piece of the legendary Human Emperor’s sacred statue. But I must tell you clearly: I never gave you any such thing. You imagined all of it. I know you want to shed your current status, to become a disciple of the Tiandu Gate, to become someone superior to others, but a lie remains a lie in the end."

Old Man Ji left after saying this, his figure appearing desolate and, in the end, even stumbling.

From that day on, Lin Fan never saw Old Man Ji again, as if the old man had vanished from the Tiandu Gate entirely. Later, others said he had left the sect to return to a commoner’s life.

Lin Fan took over the duty of feeding the wild beasts. Slowly, he grew old, and his original name was gradually forgotten. Eventually, he adapted to this life, never speaking to anyone about the dream he once had. Thirty years passed in the blink of an eye.

One day, after finishing his duties, Lin Fan was dragging his weary body back to his dwelling when he heard the sound of crying.

It was a plump, fair-skinned infant. Upon seeing Lin Fan, the baby stopped crying, its large eyes blinking with adorable curiosity. A smile appeared on Lin Fan’s aged face, one full of warmth.

Lin Fan bent down to pick up the infant. Then, as if remembering something, he picked up a stone from beside the baby and placed it into the infant's arms.

"My life has been unremarkable, and I have achieved nothing of note. But I, too, once had grand ambitions. Now that I am old, the chance has passed me by. I hope that you can fulfill my dream in the future."

Lin Fan looked at the baby, sighed, and said, "From now on, you shall be called Lin Fan."