Chapter 359: Crowd

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How many times can the soul be split?

Much has been said and written about the subject. From the moment cultivators realized the soul was not beyond their control, they have sought to push the boundaries of what can be accomplished with it. Soul fragments were born from that experimentation. They are useful tools for those who can make them, being able to send and receive messages, spy on others, and more.

However, soul fragments are not without risks. The soul, no matter how many times it is split, is always one, and splitting it too many times places it under a great strain. Even if a proper hierarchy is established to lessen that burden, there is a limit to how many soul fragments can be created. There are stories of cultivators who could create hundreds of soul fragments, and there are stories of cultivators whose essence ended up scattered to the winds when they attempted to create that many.

Most experts agree that thirty soul fragments is the limit for even highly skilled individuals, but that’s only the case if one is talking about standard soul fragments. The number decreases as the complexity of the soul fragment increases. A soul fragment as complex as the one Liu Jin has helping Xiao Nan and the Duke is quite taxing on his soul, especially after the damage it received due to Xiao Nan’s Qi.

However, it should be fine if he makes one more.

There is no other choice. The arts of the Death Fashioning Scripture are something he is uniquely equipped to deal with. He could send General Nie Dan to investigate, but Liu Jin has a feeling that would just lead to a lot of collateral damage and very little negotiation. Thus, after several hours of careful work and meditation, another of Liu Jin’s soul fragments leaves the palace with a freshly-made body.

According to the soldier’s report, the incident occurred in a town just a few miles away from Stone River City. That used to be Duke Lai’s former seat of power. He was a traitor who collaborated with the Death Fashioning Scripture in exchange for power and was defeated by Big Sister Bai. There is a chance this incident is merely the result of some leftover creatures they were unable to locate back then, but Liu Jin doubts it.

The journey is a short one. The speed and flight of the Heaven Realm mean no part of his Empire is ever too far away. Liu Jin might have even gone a little too fast. The messenger he carried is very dizzy by the end of it, so another soldier has to be the one to lead Liu Jin to the site of the incident.

“I-It’s this w-way y-your, Y-Your Majesty,” a soldier who looks at least twice his age and is a veteran of the civil war stutters as he guides him through an empty town. “I have never seen any-anything like it.”

“Was there anyone living here?” Liu Jin asks, taking note of the decrepit state of the houses around them. This place is not just dirty. It has been abandoned for a long time.

“Not many,” the soldier says, shaking. “After the in-incident with Duke Lai, mo-most moved away from this area, Your Majesty. It’s only a couple of be-beggars and vaga-gabonds that still live here. If not for your orders, we’d have ignored th-them. Good thing we didn’t because…”

Liu Jin sees it as soon as they turn around the corner.

Dogs, cats, boars, squirrels, and many other animals that must have roamed the surrounding areas. Their dead bodies have been fused together and turned into a macabre sculpture that now occupies the town square. Curiously, despite the materials used to make it, the shape of the sculpture is fairly basic.

It is an arrow pointing left.

“Has anyone touched it?” Liu Jin asks, walking closer to the flesh monument.

“No one, as far as we know, but we qu-quarantined everyone who has been in the area as per your instructions and—Your Majesty!”

The soldier cries in shock as Liu Jin’s hand makes contact with the pile of flesh.

“You did well,” Liu Jin says. “I will look over those people after I’m done here.”

“Y-Y-Your Ma-Majesty!” the soldier cries out, pointing at him. “Your hand! You’re touching it! You’re touching it!”

“Be at ease, soldier,” Liu Jin says. “There is no risk for me.”

As soon as he speaks, the flesh statue collapses. All the organic material swirls and compresses around Liu Jin’s hand, forming a flesh-colored gauntlet that reaches all the way to his elbow. The soldier’s face turns green. He’ll probably throw up later.

“Go,” Liu Jin says. “Evacuate the area. It is best if no one is around for the next part.”

The soldier has probably never obeyed an order faster in his life. Liu Jin watches him go before turning and following the direction of the arrow. His steps take him to a large, empty barn. The hinges on the door are so rusted that they look like they could fall off at any moment. Liu Jin gives them a kick to speed up the process.

“I received your message,” Liu Jin says as he walks in. “It was a bit too much.”

For a moment, there is silence. Then, the ground rumbles as she rises from amid the straw. Her body is covered by a dark cloak, but Liu Jin recognizes her immediately.

“It was a little too melodramatic, wasn’t it?” Serene End admits, leaning in as if to share a secret. “I apologize. That sort of thing is usually for artistic types like the Fleshcrafter, but I needed to get your attention.”

“You could have shown up to the palace,” Liu Jin says.

“Alas, I was a little intimidated after our last meeting, Your Majesty,” Serene End says, placing a hand over her chest. “I’d rather us meet in a place where you do not have an absolute advantage.”

Liu Jin gives her a look.

“The sculpture was not made of animals,” he says. “Why?”

He realized the moment he made contact with the corrupted flesh. Though fashioned to look like many dead animals fused together, the whole thing was just rotting flesh taken from the corpses of nearby graveyards. Whether that makes it better or worse is not something Liu Jin can say.

“I am not a savage, Your Majesty,” Serene End says. “I’d never hurt a dog. A cat, yes, but never a dog.”

Liu Jin wonders if he should have brought Marrow.

“So long as we are talking about sculptures, that’s a fantastic body you are wearing,” Serene End says. Her gray shines behind her hood as she looks at him. “That must have taken quite a bit of time to make. Even in the Death Fashioning Scripture, there are not many who are capable of such craftsmanship. You might say you are not one of us, but…”

She trails off. Abruptly, she advances several steps forward. Liu Jin immediately retreats.

“A soul fragment,” she says. “You’re not projecting your consciousness. You’re using a soul fragment.”

He sees her frown. Serene End’s lips thin as she tilts her head left, then right.

“That’s just strange,” she says at last. “You decided to imitate the end result, but came up with an entirely different process. Fascinating yet bizarre. The Elders will probably spend the next few centuries debating the merits of making the soul an active participant in the process when I give my report. I suppose that will give them something to do when they’re not theorizing about which demon species are more suitable for our arts.”

Liu Jin frowns.

“You know about the plan to bring down the barrier, then?” he says.

“All high-ranking disciples know. I will not insult you by pretending that it is not one of our goals,” Serene End says. “To live under the barrier is stagnation. Only when the sky above our heads is limitless will we be free.”

“You do not know what will happen when the barrier falls,” Liu Jin says.

“I know what will happen if the barrier does not fall,” Serene End says. “You were born on the wrong side of the Dead Plains, so you do not understand the might of the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak. They were here before the war, and for four thousand years they have been gaining power. To live under the barrier is to live under their tyranny.”

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Liu Jin frowns. First Cao Bian, now Serene End. They are certain the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak is the biggest threat.

“I thought all three factions on the other side were equal,” he says.

“Equality is a pleasant lie. That is why there is always a first among equals,” Serene End replies, crossing her arms. “Only those duty-bound fools from the Temple of the Thousand Shadows are content to let the fake peace of ours continue. Besides, the barrier will fall down one way or another. Better for it to be on our terms than to let the demons figure out how.”

“The war between humans and demons was one humans lost. We were weaker than they were before our strongest one hundred and eight sacrificed themselves to make that barrier. There is no telling how much the gap has widened during that time. If they still feel any hostility towards us, it will not end well.”

“That’s another subject the Elders have endlessly theorized about. They really have no lives. Do you know there are some who believe the demons wiped themselves out, and we’re all that remains on this planet?” Serene End asks, catching Liu Jin by surprise.

“Is that what you believe?”

“No, I just thought I’d share it,” Serene End says, shrugging. “If you join us, it won’t matter what’s out there. The Death Fashioning Scripture will become the strongest. Every other faction will be absorbed. Humanity will be unified in a way it wasn’t during the last war. The demons may be strong, but they have never been a unified front.”

She speaks with the unwavering conviction of someone whose mind was made up long before the conversation started. There was never a chance to change her mind.