"The Dragon Jade... is guiding Granny Huai’s Fate Pattern and soul!"
An Jing was stunned, but he quickly realized what this scene meant, "The Dragon Jade actually has such an effect!"
At the same time, Granny Huai also came to a realization: "So this is where I belong?"
After entering the Dragon Jade, she didn’t lose her consciousness, and she was even able to communicate, though her soul’s voice was ethereal and soon grew faint: "This place is a bit special, it’s somewhat like deep within the Earth Vein... I’m going to sleep..."
Granny Huai’s soul fell into a deep slumber within the Dragon Jade, leaving the other two young people behind, either astonished or at a loss for words.
"What... what just happened?"
You Ruhui had no idea what had just occurred—To her, the Dragon Jade was essentially a versatile Earth Pulse Hub that she always carried with her, granting her extremely high privileges, through which she could freely perform a variety of special Earth Vein Divine Skills.
But this was just the effect she had figured out on her own; the true functions of the Dragon Jade were only revealed to her in a few brief words by King Jing, along with some guesses shared by Mingguang Dust.
Its specific, true usage, and many subsidiary functions... You Ruhui had absolutely no idea.
"To think it has such an effect..." She reached out and touched the Dragon Jade, feeling its warm sensation, You Ruhui was full of confusion, "But, along the way, the people who died by my side—Life Holders, and all sorts of Martial Artists and Magicians—were not few in number, why..."
However, An Jing fell into deep thought.
—This is definitely not an accident... guiding departed souls into itself must be one of the Dragon Jade’s functions!
He had just seen Granny Huai’s soul and Fate Pattern both enter the Dragon Jade, into the ’Heaven and Earth Core,’ and the person who entered could still retain consciousness and communicate.
This ability was almost no different from that of the Underworld.
And Da Chen, indeed, was an empire that even governed the Underworld... it was the Heavenly Ancestor that ruled over heaven and earth!
"Heaven and Earth Core... what exactly is its true function?"
An Jing shook his head slightly, coming back to his senses, he seemed to have thought of something, he patted You Ruhui’s shoulder to wake her up from her contemplations, "Stop daydreaming, Ruohui, think about it!"
"Could this be a contingency plan left by your father? Can you sense, within the Dragon Jade, any souls other than Granny Huai’s?"
Startled by An Jing’s reminder, You Ruhui also considered this possibility, and without even having time to reply, she nodded and then closed her eyes to sense the inside of the Dragon Jade with all her might.
But unfortunately, there were none.
"...That makes sense."
You Ruhui opened her eyes with a hint of disappointment; she had anticipated this: "My father was ambushed suddenly, it clearly wasn’t the kind that leaves a contingency... at least not in the Dragon Jade."
"I had already fled far away by the time father died in battle... not to mention, mother didn’t trigger this reaction either."
An Jing’s brow furrowed slightly; his main concern was to understand why others couldn’t activate it, not even the previous holders of the Dragon Jade, King Jing and his consort, but Granny Huai could.
Theoretically, this was an unsolvable question unless An Jing’s power reached the level where he could analyze the Heaven and Earth Core.
But, with a reminder from the Sword Spirit ’Huo Qing,’ An Jing suddenly understood, "These people... had their fates altered by me?"
"Moreover, it was a complete alteration of fate, from nothingness to forging an entirely new path of Fate Pattern!"
And with that, everything made sense—regardless of whether King Jing and his consort were traitors, everything they had belonged to the Heaven and Earth Core on Da Chen’s side.
When they died, even if their souls were shattered, the remnants would only return to Da Chen, not to the piece of the Heaven and Earth Core that You Ruhui possessed.
As for why there was no reaction from the others who died along the way, the reason was the same—they were born and died within the territory of Da Chen, naturally returning to Da Chen’s side.
Only Granny Huai, whose fate had originally been tied to Da Chen, had completely severed her connection, even the causal ties with the Heaven’s Will Demon Sect had been nearly cut off.
If that was the case, then whoever was closest to her would be the one to whom she returned.
An Jing believed that there must be many within Embracing the Void who defied the heavens to change their fates, freeing themselves from the binds of their original destinies.
But after their deaths, they would still follow the principle of proximity, returning to the Heaven and Earth Core closest to them, so essentially there was no difference.
Only this time, the presence of the Dragon Jade on Ruohui’s body was an unexpected factor, resulting in an extraordinary outcome.
——Indeed, changing fate to prolong Granny Huai’s life a bit longer was the right decision!
An Jing thought thus, but all these were just speculations.
It was utterly absurd to think of killing Huo Qing just to see if he could enter the Dragon Jade.
However, An Jing’s explanation did indeed account for why it did not happen to others, only Granny Huai experienced such phenomena.
An Jing, without saying much, shared his conjectures with You Ruhui.
After a moment of thought, the young girl slightly nodded, agreeing with the speculation, "It seems to be true... That said, I actually haven’t paid much attention to what happens after people from Da Chen die."
Although it was said that they should go to the Underworld, considering that at least the Underworld within Da Chen was surely under Da Chen’s jurisdiction, this idea seemed increasingly plausible.
Granny Huai’s soul was in slumber, requiring time to awaken. An Jing had substantial experience with such lingering spiritual states, as it was the case with Subdue Evil.
It was oddly fortuitous that Ruohui, with her exceptional talent for cultivation, lacked experience in interpersonal interactions, and now required the many years of Granny Huai’s worldly wisdom.
In the other tightly clenched hand of Granny Huai was a fragment of a knuckle duster, a relic belonging to both Shu Zheng and the old lady.
It now shimmered with a gentle radiance, clearly having transformed into a fated weapon, intended for An Jing and You Ruhui.
The effects of a fated weapon were unclear, but they required a corresponding Fate Pattern to be used; otherwise, they could backlash.
An Jing was of a Seven Fiend pattern, and he could use any fated weapon related to the Seven Luminaries Star Life, but Soul-Reviving Skills were not included. Contrarily, Ruohui, possessing the Dragon Jade and Granny Huai’s soul, could use it normally.
Regarding this, An Jing was not overly concerned—Ruohui could employ the Emperor’s Blood to bestow Divine Skills upon him from afar. Having many things on her side was as good as having them himself, and it was even less trouble.
"For Granny Huai and us, this may all be an unexpectedly good ending."
Summarizing thus, An Jing looked towards Granny Huai’s body and couldn’t help but feel troubled, "The only issue is, Granny Huai’s passing still necessitates funeral preparations..."
"Don’t worry." This time Ruohui had a clearer understanding, "Granny Huai was very well-liked. When she passes, many people will surely help with the arrangements."
"I’m not worried about the hassle."
An Jing shook his head. Such matters were indeed burdensome for ordinary people, but for a willing spender like him, organizing a grand and lively funeral is quite easy, not to mention that he had prepared many things in advance, "The main issue is, Granny Huai was ultimately a member of the Heaven’s Will Demon Sect. Her death will inevitably alert the Demon Sect and shift their gaze toward us... Wait a moment."
Just as he was saying this, An Jing also realized something. His expression turned odd as he turned his head towards the direction of the Western Mountains.
If one were to speak of diverting attention... Perhaps right now in the Western Mountains, an event significant enough to distract all of the Demon Sect members of Dust Li might be taking place?
"It’s fine, no need to worry about the Demon Sect anymore."
Turning back, An Jing promptly revised his statement, "While the Demon Sect is preoccupied, let’s go ahead and take care of Granny Huai’s funeral!"
——Western Patrol Envoy... Heh, I do hope your current situation is still alright!