Chapter 2272: The Person Has Left

"Living things get sick easily," Aunt Zhu said, making a fair point for both the man-eating flower and Dong Rui. "Even the man-eating flower isn't invincible."

He Lingchuan understood that even non-living things needed regular maintenance, but:

"Dong Rui should have provided a cure a month ago, but he dragged his feet, and now the bacteria have spread from the leaves to the stems! And the spore sphere in the west of the city broke down this afternoon; it can't carry anyone."

Aunt Zhu guessed, "Could the passage be blocked by pollen again?"

"No," He Lingchuan said, exasperated. "Some idiot insisted on jumping out while the spore sphere was operating. He was ground into mincemeat, temporarily blocking the passage. If it's not cleared, we'll have to wait until the man-eating flower finishes digesting him, which means it will be out of service until at least midnight."

Aunt Zhu laughed, "He deserved it, didn't he?"

Jump into the belly of a man-eating flower? Even she, curious as she was, wouldn't do something so foolish.

Just then, a palace servant rushed in from outside, prostrating himself to report:

"You are summoned to the Soul-Searching Pagoda; there's an urgent matter."

The Soul-Searching Pagoda? It was a tall tower in the northwest of the Crimson Heaven Golden Palace, housing secret documents. It was usually kept sealed and guarded by Illusion Sect disciples like Lu Jing.

An inexplicable chill ran down He Lingchuan's spine, and his heart tightened.

A premonition.

And a very bad one at that.

"Let's go!"

Aunt Zhu tossed aside her wine jar and stood up. "I'll go too."

He Lingchuan summoned the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror, and the man and the spider stepped inside.

The next instant, they stood before the Soul-Searching Pagoda.

"Your Majesty!" Lu Jing was already waiting there. Seeing the two emerge from the mirror, he immediately bowed.

He Lingchuan strode into the pagoda, asking, "What is it?"

"The Soulfire Lamp enshrined in the red niche at the top of the pagoda has gone out."

He Lingchuan stopped abruptly and whirled around. "What did you say?"

As the Great Emperor of Nine Hells, even his usual approachable demeanor carried a divine authority. At his change of expression, Lu Jing felt an overwhelming pressure, making his chest constrict. "The Soulfire Lamp..."

"Wait downstairs," He Lingchuan ordered, and strode quickly up the pagoda.

Aunt Zhu followed closely. In just two breaths, they were gone.

The Soul-Searching Pagoda was seventy-seven feet tall, with seven levels, each eleven feet high, and each holding unique treasures.

However, the seventh level held no collections. Instead, hundreds of small niches were carved into the walls, each containing a single green lamp.

The wind was strong on the pagoda, blowing through the hall. Yet, all the green lamps burned steadily, their flames unwavering.

These were soul lamps; each represented a human life and thus could not be extinguished by ordinary wind.

But in a corner, there was a niche built with red bricks, where a single green lamp stood alone.

Now, this green lamp was extinguished.

The lamp's casing was also cracked, with fragments scattered on the ground.

He Lingchuan stared intently at the green lamp, his face filled with disbelief.

He rarely lost his composure like this. Aunt Zhu also looked at the lamp, a tremor of fear in her heart. "This... this wouldn't be Fang Canran's soul lamp, would it?"

It was also the first soul lamp placed in the Soul-Searching Pagoda.

"Yes."

Silence fell in the pagoda, broken only by the mournful whisper of the wind.

"Brother Fang..." He Lingchuan closed his eyes, his voice strained. "He's gone."

Soul lamps were infallible.

As long as the person lived, the lamp burned; when the person died, the lamp extinguished.

The purpose of a soul lamp was to indicate the life or death of its owner.

For so many years, Fang Canran had traveled the world unharmed, distributing over eight thousand Dragon-Punishing Pillars across the territory of Shalitian.

This was a highly difficult technical task; the pace of distribution could be neither too fast nor too slow.

But he had completed it exceptionally well.

With the great upheaval in the Divine Realm and the frequent occurrences of Imperial Nectar, his contributions had been immense.

He Lingchuan never imagined he would receive such devastating news on this mild, breezy evening!

Aunt Zhu asked, "Can we find out who the killer is?"

"Soul lamps only indicate life or death." He Lingchuan's neck felt stiff as he reluctantly shook his head. "The lamp's casing is cracked, which means he took his own life."

If the lamp went out but the casing was intact, it meant murder; if the lamp's casing was cracked, it meant suicide.

He had no idea where Fang Canran had gone. The human world was vast; who could know what had befallen Fang Canran?

In such an expansive world, a tiny individual could simply vanish. Who could pursue such a matter?

He took a deep breath. "Aunt, I need a moment alone."

"Very well," Aunt Zhu said considerately. "Please... accept my condolences."

With that, she quietly descended the pagoda, leaving He Lingchuan to himself.

Her last glimpse before leaving was of He Lingchuan's solitary figure, facing the wall filled with soul lamps.

She remembered a line He Lingchuan had once recited: "I raise my cup to the bright moon, and with my shadow, we become three."

But now, these lamps seemed to be extinguishing his very shadow.

Even Aunt Zhu, usually so robust, couldn't help but sigh at that moment.

He Lingchuan stood silently for a moment, then walked to the niche and sat cross-legged before the green lamp.

It was as if he and Fang Canran were sitting opposite each other, chatting, just as they had countless times before.

The surroundings suddenly changed. One moment, it was the pagoda spire with the evening breeze, and the next, it was a lakeside hermitage, with carp swimming in the pond and cassia branches hanging from the trees.

Fang Canran sat across from him, a chessboard between them.

This game had been ongoing for nearly half a year. Each time they brought it out, they played for less than half an hour before either He Lingchuan had an urgent matter or Fang Canran received news requiring him to leave. Both were busy men.

He Lingchuan made a move. "Brother Fang, you'll be traveling soon. If you pass through Shen State, I still have some influence there and can lend you a hand."

Fang Canran's eyes were fixed on the chessboard. He idly tapped a piece against the chess jar twice and said casually, "No need. It's best if I do this alone, without involving others."

The task he was about to undertake, if detected by the Sky Demons, would inevitably provoke frantic pursuit and retaliation!

Therefore, the fewer people who knew this secret, the better.

"A Sky Demon can gaze upon humans, and its gaze will transform into a red thread that settles upon a person, allowing it to sense their movements. This red thread is invisible to both humans and demons."

He Lingchuan warned him, "If you are targeted by a Sky Demon, your movements won't be hidden from them."

Fang Canran's purpose for this journey was to distribute Dragon-Punishing Pillars everywhere.

If his whereabouts were known to the Sky Demons, they could easily deduce his secret simply by noting the places he had visited.

Fang Canran looked moved. "Sky Demons are cunning. Thank you, Brother He, for telling me. How can I counter it?"

He Lingchuan took a whisk from his sleeve. "The wooden handle of this whisk is made from Juluo wood, which grows in Dragoncoil City and has the power to penetrate the Azure Nether. Keep it with you. Whenever you've interacted with a Sky Demon's follower or visited one of their temples, remember to step into the sunlight."

Fang Canran took it. "Into the sunlight?"

"If you are being watched by a Sky Demon, hold this whisk and step into the sunlight, and you will see that red thread," He Lingchuan explained. "A light flick will brush the thread away, and you will be safe."