Chapter Seventy-Four: Two Solutions

"Senior, how can I save her?"

Tu Lu took a deep breath and asked solemnly.

He dared not even imagine how a person could exist without a soul, but since the Supreme Lord of the Sun said so, it must not be a lie.

After all, someone of such stature had no reason to deceive him.

He could think of no solution to such a situation, but the Supreme Lord of the Sun surely could!

"Do you truly wish to save her?"

The Supreme Lord's voice grew much more serious.

Tu Lu nodded earnestly.

"If you wish to save her, there are two ways. The first is to let her fuse with her true form.

It is impossible to exist without a soul. Rather than saying she was born soulless, it's more accurate to say her soul does not reside within this body.

The reason she remains asleep is that the thread of origin maintaining the connection between her body and soul has vanished.

So, as long as you obtain her origin and reestablish the link, she will awaken. As for how to merge her true form and incarnation, that is something only she would know. I am not well-versed in the Art of Willful Division."

"The second way is to seek the help of a Profound Heaven expert, who could defy fate itself and forge a new soul for this body.

This soul would inherit all her memories, feelings, and emotions—it would be identical to the real her. But whether that truly counts as her or not, that depends on what you believe. However..."

At this point, the Supreme Lord of the Sun hesitated, then shook her head.

After a long silence, Tu Lu finally asked, "Does the Grand Void Palace have any Profound Heaven experts?"

"There are," the Supreme Lord affirmed with a nod, but then shook her head. "But most have hidden themselves from the world. It's not just you—even I could not find them.

And even if you could, they would never intervene. To defy fate and create a soul goes against the natural order. Even for a Profound Heaven cultivator, the price is enormous—so great that, even if you possessed miraculous fortune, they would hardly be willing to help!"

"But wait!" she suddenly recalled something. "There is a place where you might find a Profound Heaven master. And as long as you pay a sufficient price or prove your worth, they will act—and care nothing for the Grand Void Palace!"

"Where?" Tu Lu was shaken.

But the Supreme Lord's next words chilled him to the bone.

"Heavenly Dragon Bazaar," she said solemnly. "Within the borders of the Grand Void Province, there are certainly Profound Heaven cultivators slumbering at the Heavenly Dragon Bazaar. Having one foot in the grave, they care little for the cost. These merchants—if you prove yourself valuable enough to merit their attention, you should be able to convince them to help."

Tu Lu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile.

The Supreme Lord of the Sun sighed as well.

She naturally believed that Tu Lu could not offer a price high enough to move the Heavenly Dragon Bazaar.

After all, to enlist the help of a Profound Heaven cultivator required a price unimaginably steep—far beyond what ordinary people could afford. Of course, she herself could afford it, but she was unwilling to pay such a price.

No matter how deep her feelings for Ziling, there were countless concerns weighing on her.

Tu Lu understood the logic well enough.

Cultivators always prioritized their own interests. The Supreme Lord of the Sun had already been swayed by sentiment. If she were to persuade the Heavenly Dragon Bazaar to act, it would place her in direct opposition to the Grand Void Palace.

The Grand Void Palace was the mightiest of the nine in the Southern Cloud Kingdom—the power it concealed rivaled even the royal capital. Even as a Supreme Lord, she had to be cautious before such a colossus.

After resting for half a day, Tu Lu had recovered from his wounds for the most part. He bid farewell, taking Ziling with him.

Leaving Mount Supreme Sun, he changed the crystal coffin that housed Ziling, altered his appearance, and entered the Grand Void Province.

Because Ziling slept for his sake, he had to awaken her!

Since the second path was closed, only the first remained:

He must obtain the origin of her true form!