Xia Yi could feel it—within his past memories, there was something immensely important, memories filled with people and things he could not let go of.
Yet, he still refused to merge with them.
He had no idea what he would become if he integrated those memories from his previous life.
He absolutely would not merge with them so blindly.
However… Xia Yi suddenly lifted his head and looked at the young man in front of him. With a sly grin, he said, "Even though I don't want to merge with you, can you teach me some soul techniques from my past life?"
"Soul techniques, huh?" The young man shook his head and said, "I don't know those. The only things I know are divine abilities and spells. But are you really sure about this?"
"Divine abilities and spells!" Just hearing the name made it sound far superior to soul techniques. Xia Yi's eyes lit up instantly, and without hesitation, he said, "What is there to think about? Divine abilities and spells don't come with memories, and they won't affect who I am now."
"That may be true, but accepting the divine abilities of your past life means you will always live in its shadow. You will never truly be yourself. Moreover, in the Douluo Continent, the Fox Demon techniques of Tushan alone are enough for you to dominate an entire era. You don't even need to learn other divine abilities." The young man shook his head and asked again, "Are you really sure?"
"Alright, let me think about it." Xia Yi shook his head.
No matter how powerful the divine abilities of his past life might be, deep down, he still wanted to live as a brand-new version of himself.
What he knew in his past life, he could learn again in this life.
"I don't recommend that you learn them," the young man said, shaking his head. "Techniques that are too powerful will only constrain you, making you lose your creativity. However, the space outside is filled with many wonderful things. You can comprehend them on your own and create divine abilities that belong to you in this life."
After speaking, the space vortex from before appeared once again. This time, it directly swallowed Xia Yi.
—
Xia Yi found himself standing before Leng Yulai again.
At that moment, she was staring blankly at the storage soul guide ring that Leng Yaozhu had given her.
Her beautiful eyes were slightly moist.
She must have seen what Leng Yaozhu had left for her inside.
"You're out so soon? Did Master not inherit his past memories?" Seeing Xia Yi appear, Leng Yulai wiped the corners of her eyes and curiously examined him.
"Master!"
Xia Yi shivered at the word. He could tell that Leng Yulai was gritting her teeth when she said it.
Her teeth were grinding audibly, and it seemed like she was about to break them from sheer force.
Clearly, calling Xia Yi "Master" was something she absolutely loathed.
Even though she said it voluntarily, Xia Yi couldn't guarantee that if he accepted the title, she wouldn't immediately pull out her Dark Phoenix Feather and stab him through the heart.
Even an idiot could figure out that someone as proud as Leng Yulai wouldn't easily acknowledge someone as her master.
She must have done it as a temporary measure to achieve some goal.
If Xia Yi accepted, once she accomplished her objective, she would definitely kill him to vent her frustration.
She might even use her dark flames to torment his soul for eternity.
That was far too dangerous—Xia Yi wanted no part of it.
Seeing his reaction, Leng Yulai immediately realized that her tone had been too harsh.
Realizing her mistake, she instantly changed her approach, doing a complete 180.
"Master, I'm so sorry. It's my first time having a master, so I don't really like it yet. I was too harsh just now. Will you please forgive me? You can punish me however you wish. Just… please spare my life."
In Xia Yi's stunned gaze, Leng Yulai bit her lip, bent her slender legs, and actually knelt before him.
Then, she bowed deeply, her fair forehead about to touch the ground before Xia Yi.
"Stop! What the hell are you doing?" Xia Yi quickly stopped her.
Not even the Ghost Emperor, the Underworld Emperor, or the Demon Emperor from the Holy Spirit Church could make her kneel.
For someone like Leng Yulai, kneeling was a thousand times harder than dying.
If forcing herself to call him "Master" was already at the absolute limit of what she could endure…
Then why was she kneeling?
What could possibly make this proud and terrifying woman abandon her dignity like this?
"I just wish to atone for my past offenses, Master." Though Xia Yi had stopped her from bowing her head, Leng Yulai remained kneeling, putting on a fragile and submissive act, looking at him pitifully.
Seeing that Xia Yi still didn't understand, she hurriedly continued, deliberately speaking in a cautious tone:
"Master, you should have my Dark Phoenix Seal on you, correct? That seal is my Martial Soul's essence. Once you learn how to use it, all it takes is a single thought from you, and my Martial Soul will completely shatter. I will suffer a fate worse than death."
"Martial Soul essence?" Xia Yi barely had time to process her words before Leng Yulai suddenly reached out and grabbed his right arm.
Dark flames surged into his arm.
In the next instant, the Dark Phoenix tattoo hidden by Ditian was fully revealed.
This time, Xia Yi could feel it—if he willed it, he could destroy something within Leng Yulai.
"Previously, Master's soul power was too weak to perceive the deeper aspects of my Martial Soul's essence. That's why you could only borrow some soul power from me. Now, I've helped you fully unlock it." Leng Yulai explained.
"So, you were planning to die with me before?" Xia Yi asked in a deep voice. If not for Leng Yaozhu's Phoenix Heart Jade, Leng Yulai would never have spared him before.
At that time, though he couldn't actively destroy her Martial Soul essence, if he had died, the essence imprinted on his arm would have shattered along with him.
And when that happened, Leng Yulai's Martial Soul would have been destroyed too.
Yet, despite knowing this, Leng Yulai had still chosen to attack him without hesitation.
Her pride was so strong that she would rather perish than allow someone else to control her fate.
And yet…
Now, she was kneeling?
What in the world had Leng Yaozhu left her in that ring?
What could make Leng Yulai change her attitude so drastically?
"I know I was wrong." Leng Yulai shrank back slightly, looking almost like a pet waiting for its master's punishment.
The word "Master" seemed to be rolling off her tongue more and more smoothly.
It no longer sounded forced.
"What are you really after?" Xia Yi took a deep breath and asked.
What was she trying to do?
She was deliberately placing her life in his hands to make him trust her.
This drastic change in her attitude only made Xia Yi more fearful.
Once she achieved her goal…
She might truly try to drag him to hell with her.
(End of Chapter)