Zara Yun raised an eyebrow, looking dashing: "Hm?"
Keith Quinn frowned: "Hmph!"
"I am the High Priest of the Shadow Tribe." The High Priest spoke slowly, "I have been guarding this tribe for many years. By rights, I should be looking for an heir to pass on my responsibilities, but something has gone wrong. The heir who was supposed to appear has never been born into this tribe. Even though I know my body is failing, I cannot die yet."
"I went through all the records left by previous High Priests in the tribe. To make sure I understood everything correctly, I even snuck out into the outside world, learned their language and knowledge, and double-checked everything. My predecessor left behind a fragment of a secret ritual, with a prophecy written on it: If anyone disturbs time and space, that will be the day the Shadow Tribe is destroyed."
"At first, I didn't understand what this meant, until I heard about a famous family from the distant Eastern world who married a woman that should have died but somehow survived. I started paying attention to them. I saw that woman with my own eyes—her soul was split in two. Normally, someone like that would be either foolish or die young, but she was perfectly fine. That's when I knew the prophecy was talking about her."
"I returned to the tribe and used forbidden magic to unlock a sealed secret. That secret was about Spirit Power. If you can devour a powerful Spirit Power, not only can you slow your own decay, you might even achieve immortality."
The High Priest's words made both Zara Yun and Keith Quinn furrow their brows.
The two exchanged a glance: This guy is insane!
And he's an insane guy from the future!
"When I went out again and saw that woman, I realized her body had recovered. Someone had used Spirit Power to mend her soul. I immediately understood—she was the powerful soul. If I could devour her, I could repair my lifespan, maybe even live forever! But then, I found a problem. After she recovered, her soul only had half left. The other half was gone!"
"So, I burned my own life force to summon back that half of a soul. Because my power was limited, I couldn't bring someone fully back to life—I could only let her be reborn in someone else's body. The moment I succeeded, I was beyond ecstatic! But the ritual left me with severe internal injuries, and I had to recover here for three years before I could move again."
"So you just captured them and brought them here?" Zara Yun looked at him with disdain. "You know the person you summoned would be me. And you still have the nerve to tell us all this so confidently? Young man, you've got guts! Where does your confidence come from—what makes you think I'd willingly become a sacrifice?"
"Yes, I want to make a deal with you." The High Priest lifted his head and looked at Zara Yun. "Do you want to return to the world that once belonged to you and start over?"
The smile on Zara Yun's face slowly faded as she stared at the High Priest.
Keith Quinn, however, shook his head at Zara Yun in disapproval.
"Keep talking," Zara Yun said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
As a general, Zara Yun's aura was incredibly powerful.
Even though this was just a soul form, the High Priest could barely withstand it—his body hunched over even more.
The High Priest braced himself and continued, "You've seen it—I can bring Nora Yun back from the dead, reborn in someone else's body. I can also let General Keith be reborn, in a safe identity, to live well again!"
"What's the catch?" Zara Yun's eyes flickered. "You want my Spirit Power? You want to devour me?"
Before the High Priest could answer, Keith Quinn immediately refused: "No, I won't agree! Zara, if you're not here, living over and over again means nothing! Don't agree to this!"
The High Priest clutched his chest, speaking with difficulty: "General Yun, do you know, on the day of your grand wedding, behind all the red bridal finery and proud horses, General Keith ended his own life with a single stroke?"
"Stop!" Keith Quinn interrupted sharply. "Don't talk nonsense!"
Zara Yun's expression darkened: "Keep talking!"
"Back then, Prince Shuo did promise you—if you married him, he'd shoulder the pressure from the Qing court and release those tens of thousands of soldiers. But that didn't include General Keith." The High Priest laughed softly. "Prince Shuo found General Keith and told him, if he wanted you to have a life free of worries, he couldn't remain in this world. So, General Keith didn't die of heartbreak as others later claimed—he took his own life on the red carpet of your wedding to Prince Shuo!"
Zara Yun's hand suddenly clenched. "Prince Shuo, he..."
"All these memories—I hypnotized both of them and saw them in their minds." The High Priest coughed lightly. "You were so beautiful in your bridal finery. General Keith used his heart's blood to send you off..."
"Stop!" Keith Quinn interrupted again, turning to Zara Yun. "Zara, I did it willingly, without any regret. You married him, so what's the point of me living? The war was over, the country was at peace—my duty was finished."
When Zara Yun turned to look at Keith Quinn, her eyes filled with tears.
"Why are you so foolish?" Zara Yun couldn't help but ask.
“Aren’t you the same?” Keith Quinn gently wiped away the tears from Zara Yun’s eyes and said softly, “Even if we couldn’t be together in our previous life, we’re together in this one, aren’t we?”
Zara Yun and Keith Quinn looked down at the unconscious Charles Yin and Cecilia Gu below them, their gazes growing even more tender.
“Ahem, let me interrupt,” the High Priest spoke up. “Your reincarnations may be complete, but you’re no longer the same people. Your paths have changed.”
“General Yun, I promise you, I can ensure that General Keith will be born safe and sound in your original world, and live a long, happy life.” The High Priest’s words were highly persuasive: “That General Keith will be exactly as he was before. Nothing will change!”
(This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Please click to the next page to continue reading the exciting story!)
“This life is indeed complete, but don’t you want your previous life to be complete too?” The High Priest finally revealed his ultimate bargaining chip: “I can even leave you a trace of Spirit Power, so you can accompany him through reincarnation and birth. You just won’t have another chance to reincarnate, but for you, does it really make a difference?”
Sure enough, Zara Yun was moved.
Her greatest regret in this life was missing out on Keith Quinn.
If there were a chance to bring Keith Quinn back to life...
Before Zara Yun could finish her thoughts, Keith Quinn suddenly sprang into action. A long spear appeared in his hand, and he thrust it straight at the High Priest!
Normally, a soul entity cannot harm a human body.
But the High Priest was a special case.
He could summon soul entities, so naturally, he could be harmed by them as well.
Keith Quinn’s spear struck the High Priest’s body with perfect accuracy.
“Zara, don’t let this bastard fool you! If I’m reborn and you disappear, what about the three lying on the ground—Charles Yin, Cecilia Gu, and Nora Yun? Would they still exist? They’d just vanish into thin air.” Keith Quinn said coldly, “Past life or present, what’s gone is gone. All I need is to remember that we met and loved each other for a lifetime. As for reincarnation, I don’t care at all.”
Zara Yun snapped back to her senses.
She immediately glared angrily at the wounded High Priest.
That bastard almost tricked her!
“That’s right, Keith Quinn is correct. Rebirth wouldn’t really be us.” Zara Yun whipped out a whip from behind her and lashed it fiercely at the High Priest. “You dared harm our reincarnated bodies—this is your punishment!”
After suffering two consecutive injuries, the High Priest could no longer hold on. He spat out another mouthful of blood and looked utterly exhausted and defeated.
“Still, you’re quite talented to have discovered our secret of reincarnation.” Zara Yun withdrew her whip and said proudly, “Since that’s the case, I’ll give you a chance.”
The High Priest, whose heart had been filled with despair, suddenly saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes as he stared fixedly at Zara Yun.
“Since you helped Nora Yun come back to life—she and Cecilia Gu are twin souls—I’ll tell you a secret.” Zara Yun’s eyes shone with brilliance and pride. “The Yun Family has had astrologers born in every generation, but there was a gap in Nora Yun’s generation. If nothing unexpected happens, the next one will appear in the following generation.”
The High Priest’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.
“You mean, Nora Yun’s child will be…” The High Priest stopped mid-sentence, unable to believe what he was hearing. “But what benefit does that give me?”
“That depends on your own ability and understanding.” Zara Yun said nothing more, but turned to Keith Quinn and said, “Brother Keith, in this life they are safe and happy. In the next, I’ll stay by your side, never to be parted.”
“Alright.” Keith Quinn smiled and took Zara Yun’s hand. Together, they turned and returned to the bodies of Charles Yin, Cecilia Gu, and Nora Yun.
With the spiritual pressure of their souls gone, the High Priest collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
The High Priest’s disheveled hat fell off, revealing an exceptionally handsome face.
Looking at the still-unconscious Cecilia Gu and Nora Yun, the High Priest gave a bitter smile and muttered to himself, “Women really are troublesome creatures! I wanted to trick Cecilia Gu, but Molly Yun saw through me. Right, with my pitiful abilities, how could I threaten Zara Yun? What did she mean by that? Will a new generation’s astrologer bring hope to our tribe? Could that child inherit my position as High Priest? Cecilia Gu will never have another child, and her daughter clearly isn’t an astrologer. So, the only possibility is Molly Yun… her child!”
The High Priest’s gaze turned to Molly Yun. “How can I make sure she has a child soon? Maybe… she should have my child?”