"That must be the reason."
Having heard Hun Lao's words, Ye Yunfei let out a soft sigh.
In truth, Ye Yunfei had long contemplated this problem. While the Time Reversal Art was miraculous, could it truly resurrect two beings whose bodies had been smashed to pieces and even their form and spirit utterly destroyed?
Deep down, Ye Yunfei had a vague feeling that the Time Reversal Art shouldn't be quite that miraculous.
"However, both their physical bodies and soul bodies still harbor a trace of vitality, indicating they haven't truly died. Perhaps they can still be saved."
Right! Let's try the Greenwood Emperor Body!"
Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
Thus, Ye Yunfei extended both palms, directing them respectively at Elder Hu and Ji Yue, and began circulating his Greenwood Emperor Body.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two dense streams of azure mist, resembling two great rivers, billowed forth, rushing into the bodies of Elder Hu and Ji Yue.
The life energy cultivated from the Greenwood Emperor Body was the purest, possessing miraculous restorative properties for the physical form.
As vast amounts of azure mist integrated into their bodies, the complexions of Elder Hu and Ji Yue improved visibly. The cracks on their flesh began to slowly knit together.
"It seems to be working!"
Hun Lao remarked with some pleasant surprise.
Ye Yunfei exerted his Greenwood Emperor Body to its fullest, transmitting copious life energy to Elder Hu and Ji Yue without regard for cost.
It wasn't until nearly half an hour later that all the cracks on the bodies of Elder Hu and Ji Yue had vanished, their flesh perfectly restored. Moreover, their qi and blood circulation, along with their internal organs, had all returned to normal.
This indicated that the physical vitality of Elder Hu and Ji Yue had been restored.
"The body tempering technique you cultivate truly is remarkable, possessing a powerful healing capability for the flesh,"
Hun Lao couldn't help but exclaim with admiration.
"However, their soul bodies still have a problem; there's been no change whatsoever,"
Ye Yunfei said with a frown.
The soul bodies of Elder Hu and Ji Yue were still densely covered in fine cracks, maintained by the last vestiges of vitality.
They weren't truly dead, but they didn't seem alive either.
It was an eerie state.
"Let me take a look."
At this moment, Huang Shang suddenly appeared beside Ye Yunfei and spoke up.
"Elder Huang, have you perceived something?"
Ye Yunfei's heart stirred, and he asked immediately.
Huang Shang's mastery of Ghost Cultivation Arts had grown increasingly advanced, especially after refining a Divine Crystal not long ago. His Ghost Cultivation Art had improved by leaps and bounds. His ghostly form was now a dark, glossy black, covered in Ghost Path runes, bearing the aura of a perfected ghostly physique.
Ghost Cultivators possessed unique insights regarding soul bodies.
Ye Yunfei understood that as Huang Shang's Ghost Cultivation Arts grew stronger, Huang Shang was beginning to develop some unique insights into soul bodies—insights that perhaps even Ye Yunfei himself couldn't match.
"I merely have a conjecture. I need to study this carefully,"
Huang Shang replied.
Following this, Huang Shang sat cross-legged in front of Elder Hu and Ji Yue, released his Soul Power, and probed into the sea of consciousness within the two of them.
Nearly half an hour later.
Huang Shang slowly opened his eyes, his expression somewhat complicated.
"Elder Huang, do you have a conclusion?"
Ye Yunfei asked immediately.
"Their soul bodies are damaged; they have become incomplete,"
Huang Shang answered.
"Soul bodies incomplete?
That can't be. I used the Time Reversal Art to forcibly and promptly gather all parts of their soul bodies. While their soul bodies have many cracks and couldn't be completely repaired, I definitely did not lose a single fragment.
You can check for yourself."
Ye Yunfei immediately shook his head.
"Their soul bodies are indeed missing something.
Superficially, all the fragments of their soul bodies are still present; not a single piece is lost. However, some deeper, intangible, invisible internal components have been lost—things like consciousness, memories, thoughts, emotions.
To put it this way: although you forcibly collected and pieced back together all the fragments of their soul bodies, their soul bodies suffered a shattering. Part of the internal content, like consciousness, memories, thoughts, detached from the soul body and scattered into the surrounding heaven and earth."
Huang Shang explained.
"So that's it.
Elder Huang, you are correct.
I should have thought of this earlier."
Having heard Huang Shang's words, Ye Yunfei instantly understood and nodded.
If one likened the soul body to a vessel, then things like consciousness, thoughts, memories, and emotions were the contents housed within that vessel.
The vessel was a tangible entity, while the contents within were intangible.
Thus, although Ye Yunfei used the Time Reversal Art to forcibly reattach their soul bodies, some of the contents housed within those soul bodies had been lost.
This was the main reason why Elder Hu and Ji Yue remained unconscious.
"I have a method. We must return to the original location and search within that patch of heaven and earth for what their soul bodies lost. If we can retrieve it, perhaps we can restore their soul bodies to normal.
And we must act quickly. After consciousness, thoughts, memories, and such detach from the soul body, they cannot endure long in the world between heaven and earth. They dissipate rapidly, returning to nothingness."
Huang Shang thought for a moment and said.
"Right! We go back immediately!"
Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Right now, the Tianyou Tomb must be searching everywhere across the Eastern Barrens for my whereabouts.
Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, I will enter the Phantom Tower. You carry the Phantom Tower back to that place. Be sure to stay concealed. You must not let the people of Tianyou Tomb discover us, or it will complicate matters."
Ye Yunfei entered the Phantom Tower and sent a sound transmission to the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm.
"No problem."
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm also knew the situation was urgent and agreed directly. Then, carrying the Phantom Tower, he began rushing back towards the location where Ye Yunfei and those three Origin Creation Realm assassins had fought fiercely earlier.
Not long after, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm finally brought the Phantom Tower back to the site of the previous battle.
Looking around, the surrounding area spanning dozens of miles had been completely reduced to ruins. Vast amounts of residual combat energy still raged and roared between heaven and earth.
Ye Yunfei couldn't help but frown. The environment here was far too hostile.
"There is a method within Ghost Cultivation Arts called 'Summoning Souls' that can call back the souls lost by a living being.
In the language of us Ghost Cultivators, their current condition is that they have lost their souls.
I will summon their souls now!"
Huang Shang announced.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Huang Shang waved a hand. Eighteen black banners flew out, each one shrouded in rolling ghostly mist, from within which issued the sounds of fierce ghosts and resentful wails.
Huang Shang pointed a finger. The eighteen black banners swiftly began revolving within this patch of space.
"Divine Lamp to Guide the Souls!"
Huang Shang gave a great shout. An ancient lamp shot out from within his body, fixed itself in mid-air, and emitted a ghostly, greenish light.
Huang Shang sat cross-legged in mid-air, chanting aloud a strange, archaic incantation from his mouth.
"Thousand Ghosts Seek the Souls!"
A moment later, Huang Shang intoned gravely.
One resentful ghost and fierce wraith after another walked out from within his body, swiftly dispersing in all directions.
"The energies in this patch of heaven and earth are too violent; they will interfere with my spellwork. You should try to calm down the energies here."
Huang Shang suddenly sent a sound transmission to Ye Yunfei.
"That's easily done."
Ye Yunfei nodded.