"What?" Yao Chen cried out in shock, then hurriedly focused his mind to reach out to the soul imprint he had left inside the Bone Flame Ring.
However, his mental connection vanished into the void like a stone dropped into the sea; he could no longer feel that trace of soul imprint at all.
Panicked, Yao Chen's soul-form rushed straight toward the Bone Flame Ring.
Yet no matter how many times he tried to charge forward, his form passed right through Gu Changqing and the Bone Flame Ring. He simply could not get inside.
In the blink of an eye, his home had been stolen right out from under him.
Yao Chen completely fell apart inside, staring blankly at Gu Changqing with wide, aged eyes, utterly speechless for a long time.
"You—you—what have you done to my Bone Flame Ring?"
This was truly Yao Chen's first time witnessing Gu Changqing's unfathomable and mysterious methods.
To bypass the perception of an eighth-tier Alchemist so silently, cutting off the connection between him and his Bone Flame Ring—such methods were simply too bizarre and terrifying.
"Honored Warrior Yao need not be so alarmed. I am not a person prone to seizing things by force, otherwise I wouldn't have let you stay by Xiao Yan's side and drain his Dou Qi for an extra three years."
"How about this? I will teach you a soul cultivation technique, help you find a suitable physical body, and assist in your resurrection, provided you hand all these belongings of yours over to me. How does that sound?"
Gu Changqing was proposing a trade with Yao Chen. With Yao Chen's current strength and the Bone Spirit Cold Flame fully unleashed, he could probably put up a fight against a Dou Wang.
Although Gu Changqing did not fear him, he preferred to avoid unnecessary complications. Keeping Yao Chen around might prove useful later on.
"So you noticed me three years ago. You certainly know how to bide your time, waiting until today to make your move. But soul cultivation techniques were lost long ago since ancient times; could it be that your Gu Clan still preserves a complete soul cultivation technique?"
Yao Chen was surprised by Gu Changqing's intelligence-gathering abilities and even more impressed by his patience, yet he was deeply tempted by the mention of a soul cultivation technique.
"Do you really think the Ancient Eight Clans lack a fully inherited soul cultivation technique?" Gu Changqing retorted. Although the technique he planned to impart to Yao Chen wasn't actually obtained from the Gu Clan, it didn't stop him from using the clan as a bluff.
Sure enough, Yao Chen bought the explanation, though he still did not fully yield.
"The Flame Mantra and the Bone Flame Ring, I can hand over to you. But the Bone Spirit Cold Flame is bound to my very life; it is something I obtained through untold hardships and a near-death experience, so I must ask you to forgive me—I cannot surrender the Bone Spirit Cold Flame!"
A Heavenly Flame was, after all, a lifelong pursuit for any Alchemist. It was entirely expected that Yao Chen would be reluctant to part with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
However, Gu Changqing was not negotiating with him.
"Honored Warrior Yao, you may have misunderstood. The condition I proposed was not a negotiation; it was a notification. As the young master of the Gu Clan, do you truly believe I would travel without a Dou Zun or even a Dou Sheng powerhouse guarding me?"
"Do you think whether you agree or not makes the slightest difference to me?"
As he spoke, Gu Changqing's gaze swept covertly across the spot where Ling Ying was concealed.
"Oh dear, has Young Master Changqing already discovered me?" Ling Ying thought with a trace of awkwardness, even beginning to doubt whether his concealment skills had grown rusty.
Still, upon hearing Gu Changqing's words, he deliberately leaked a faint breath so that Yao Chen could barely perceive it.
Sensing that obscure aura, Yao Chen's heart gave a violent shudder, making him realize that a true powerhouse indeed guarded Gu Changqing's side.
If he chose to resist, his life would surely be forfeit.
With a bitter smile, Yao Chen said:
"To think that I, the dignified Honored Warrior Yao, would be reduced to such a state today. Very well, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame can be given to you, but you must first help me find a suitable physical body, assist in my resurrection, and impart the complete soul cultivation technique to me."
"Otherwise, I would rather shatter my own soul and severely damage the origin of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame than let you acquire it so easily!"
"It's a deal!"
Gu Changqing readily agreed to Yao Chen's terms, then casually produced a pale gold ring and tossed it to him.
"Then henceforth, I must trouble Honored Warrior Yao to dwell within this Heavenly Soul Bone Ring. This is a gift I prepared for you over many years, crafted from the skull of an eighth-tier Heavenly Soul Beast. It is supreme in nourishing the soul, and I am certain it will meet your satisfaction."
The Heavenly Soul Beast was a special Magical Beast that grew stronger by devouring the souls of living beings. Though its direct combat power was mediocre, it could unleash a soul shockwave capable of tearing an enemy's soul to shreds before devouring it.
The skull of such a beast was an exceptionally rare treasure for nurturing the soul; on this point, Gu Changqing was not deceiving Yao Chen.
He had gone through a great deal of trouble asking Xiao Xun'er to acquire this ring for him.
Yet, hearing that Gu Changqing was forcing him to move house so soon—while his lifelong collection had just been snatched away just like that—Yao Chen felt a bitter ache in his chest. His lips moved for a long time before he said weakly:
"In my Bone Flame Ring, there are still some personal items I need to take..."
"No matter. Once I inspect them, if they are of no use to me, I will return them to Honored Warrior Yao."
Gu Changqing replied with a smile.
"You—I have never seen such a brazen and shameless wretch!"
Furious, Yao Chen bristled with rage. He snatched the Heavenly Soul Bone Ring out of the air and hurried off to the side to begin refining it.
Gu Changqing turned and bolted, shouting as he ran:
"Honored Warrior Yao, just come back on your own once you finish refining it! Though even if you don't come back, it matters little—I can always hunt you down slowly later."
In the blink of an eye, Gu Changqing's figure vanished from before Yao Chen's eyes.
"Scoundrel! Scoundrel! You brat, I swear I will have my revenge for today's insult!"
Yao Chen was driven to the verge of apoplexy by Gu Changqing's antics. Yet, utterly helpless against him, he could only watch as Gu Changqing's figure rapidly faded into the distance.
"Young Master Changqing... is far too cunning."
Ling Ying was momentarily stunned before he understood Gu Changqing's intentions.
The young master probably hadn't yet fully mastered the black ring containing that mysterious soul-form, so he had taken advantage of this window to run off elsewhere and refine the soul imprint inside the ring.
Ling Ying guessed correctly. Gu Changqing had made a dash to a remote location in one go to melt away Yao Chen's soul imprint inside the Bone Flame Ring.
Though Yao Chen's soul imprint was quite formidable, having reached the Spirit Realm soul level, so many years had passed, leaving his soul extremely weak, and his soul imprint naturally could not be very strong.
With Gu Changqing's methods, eradicating that trace of soul imprint was an easy task.
Gu Changqing directly employed techniques used against fierce ghosts, summoning heavenly thunder to bombard Yao Chen's Bone Flame Ring.
When Yao Chen's soul imprint was blasted apart, Yao Chen—who was right in the middle of refining the Heavenly Soul Beast ring—was struck by such a sudden, piercing agony in his soul that he nearly had his soul shattered on the spot.
"Gu Changqing, you scoundrel! You cunning brat! I, Yao Chen, will never share the same sky with you!"
Yao Chen cursed in fury and agony, yet he had no choice but to accept reality and continue refining the lonely Heavenly Soul Bone Ring.