Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 217 Soul Law Determines Destiny

A hint of mockery flickered across his lips, but his tone was extremely cold and slow, like an ice blade lightly slicing through a cold night:
"The young master is supreme? Ha, that's quite a clever plan—but it's just that they want to bypass me, the Soul Master, and establish a new situation, using the name of the Infant Master to actually control me."

He slowly walked to the window, lightly tapping the secret letter on the table with his fingertips. His gaze swept over the memorials, folded pages, and secret signatures with different signatures. His expression remained calm, yet his eyes held a sharp edge.

Each secret letter was a test, a bet, by various forces in the capital, waiting for him, the Soul Master—to return, or not to return.

“Since they are so eager to make a move…” he chuckled softly, but a sharp killing intent was revealed in his voice, “then I will accompany them on this journey and see if my Soul Master’s Law Seal is ineffective, or if their ambition is too great.”

As he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeve, sweeping it across the documents on the desk and rolling up several unsealed pages of official documents.

The five Soul Lock patterns suddenly appeared in his palm, like five lightning patterns engraved, faintly vibrating the air.

What followed was an invisible fluctuation of soul rhythm, which quietly entered the void and transformed into an extremely faint talisman.

—The law seal calms the mind.

This is the first seal used by the Soul Master to regulate the world, and also the initial form of the Five Patterns returning to One.

This seal is not visible on the surface, yet it penetrates the soul and locks onto the heart.

From then on, his connection with this imperial palace was not merely one of identity, but also one of legal authority.

He raised his eyes, gazing into the depths of the palace, his voice booming like thunder yet his tone steady:

"With the five patterns complete and the soul master returned, it's time to rewrite the political landscape."

He turned around, his steps swift as the wind, and strode out of Zhaoyang Palace.

As the palace doors slowly closed, a gust of wind swept by, causing the wind chimes under the eaves to tinkle.

It was as if the entire atmosphere of the capital city had been reversed in an instant, and the wind direction had gradually changed.

— Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Huangji Zhengdian (Hall of Supreme Harmony).

The golden palace stood majestically, with hundreds of officials lined up, their court hats and robes billowing like clouds, yet there was not a sound.

The atmosphere inside the hall was like lake water pressed under ice, so quiet it was suffocating.

The senior officials in the front row had solemn expressions and deep eyes, while behind them were young civil and military officials, some with lowered eyes observing quietly, and others with hidden turmoil in their eyes.

Above the jade steps, a cyan-gold soul tablet floated quietly in front of the main seat, its surface shimmering with light runes and intertwined with hidden lightning, as if a thunderous breath were about to descend upon the world.

That is the Five-Patterned Master Seal, which represents the supreme authority of the Soul Master's Law Seal.

Everyone is waiting, waiting for that step.

"They're here!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.

A figure slowly stepped in from outside the golden steps.

His hair was as black as ink, his dark robe fluttered in the wind, and his expression was calm yet sharp as frost.

His steps were neither hurried nor slow, yet each step exuded power, like mountains and rivers coming naturally, like thunderclouds pressing down.

—Chu Ning, the Soul Master has returned to his rightful place.

He didn't utter a word, but the moment he stepped into the main hall, the temperature of the entire Imperial Palace seemed to drop suddenly.

Countless eyes were focused on him, some in awe, some suspicious. He watched with trepidation, restraint, and fear... Emotions surged like an undercurrent of a tsunami, yet no one dared to make the first move.

Chu Ning continued walking, stepping onto the jade steps.

With each step, the azure-gold soul tablet trembled slightly, as if sensing the true "return of sovereignty."

His black robe trailed on the ground, creating a soft, echoing sound. He raised his hand and firmly grasped the soul tablet.

As the palm landed, the five soul runes suddenly erupted with dark golden lightning, lighting up simultaneously.

"Om-!"

Above the palace roof, the Nine Heavens Cloud Map trembled violently, and a pillar of soul light that pierced straight through the sky descended from the heavens, penetrating the sky and the earth, enveloping him and the Soul Slip.

Outside the palace, wind and thunder raged, while inside, the floating clouds all subsided.

"Begin the court ceremony!"

Qin Henian's old voice resounded throughout the golden hall, as loud as a bell, echoing through the four walls.

—The Soul Master is crowned, the Soul Laws return to their source, and the century-old power structure of the Imperial Capital is rewritten in this instant.

The light surged forth, as if alive, piercing the heavens like a dragon entering the sea, passing through the golden dome of the palace and instantly pouring into the central pillar that stood reaching the sky—the Law Pillar.

"Boom——!"

The Law Pillar, which had been silent for 370 years, had its ancient soul patterns, which had been sealed for a long time, suddenly appear from the bottom of the pillar, like volcanic rock veins being ignited, lighting up inch by inch as if time were flowing backward.

It is surrounded by thirty-six soul rings, each ring bearing the imprint of the successive changes of the soul laws of the imperial capital, and they all resonate at this moment.

And the very last "Primordial Soul Ring" of the outermost ring appeared the instant the five-patterned main seal touched the Law Pillar—

"Click, click, click!"

Layer by layer, it crumbles and then reconstructs.

The entire Imperial Palace trembled violently, and the nine-sky cloud pattern on the dome surged, as if an invisible curtain of heaven had quietly fallen, firmly suppressing the souls of all onlookers and those who questioned it.

Outside the main hall, all thirty-six palace gates trembled. The stone drums with dragon patterns carved on the eaves of the gates—originally objects of the late emperor's rites—trembled and rang out on their own without anyone striking them. The drums' deep, thunderous sound carried for a hundred miles, shattering the fog that shrouded the court for nine hundred miles.

Further away, in the old ancestral temple and the abandoned forest of steles, a faint character "Ning" on a broken stele buried under dust and vines quietly lit up. The soul light, like a torch, pierced through the stele, completely annihilating the last remaining imperial soul imprint of the previous dynasty.

That was a watershed moment in fate, the curtain falling on the old dynasty's destiny.

—The position of Soul Master of Chu Ning is officially announced.

In an instant, the entire Golden Hall resounded with earth-shaking noises.

The oppressive force surged in like a tsunami, layer upon layer, silently crushing everything in its path.

The faces of the weaker civil officials turned deathly pale instantly, their hands and feet trembled, and they almost knelt down on the spot; even several high-ranking officials of the fourth rank or above had to circulate their soul energy to forcibly stabilize their minds, their backs soaked with cold sweat.

All those who were observing, calculating, hesitating, or desiring to seize power felt as if their souls were facing divine punishment at this moment.

This is the power of the Soul Law in its proper place.

Without uttering a word, Chu Ning, through the echoing of the law pillars and the fusion of the law seals, acted as an invisible iron chain, binding all the voices of the entire court.

Just as everyone was catching their breath, he finally spoke.

His voice was not loud, nor was his tone impassioned; in fact, it sounded rather calm.

But each word seemed to carry a soul-stirring power, piercing through the roaring soul rhythms and the thoughts of the masses, precisely—stabbing into the depths of everyone's heart:
“I know what you are worried about.”

"The title of Soul Lord has not yet been established? The position of Five-Patterned One has not yet been bestowed? The flames of the Soul War have not yet been extinguished? The embers of the Demon Realm have not yet died down?"

His voice was not loud, and his tone was calm, but all the souls in the hall had their pupils contract and their backs tense.

Chu Ning slowly raised his right palm, spreading his five fingers.

Between his palms, five profound soul patterns suddenly lit up simultaneously, like five dark golden stars shining in the sky, intertwined and merging with each other, radiating an extremely majestic light of rules.

The chains on the soul lock clanged on their own, layer upon layer, like a net hanging from the sky. The ancient seal symbolizing the "Primordial Inheritance" burned in the lock's core, like the sun in the sky, too bright to look at directly.

What was even more awe-inspiring was the golden soul ring rising from his palm—a ring purely formed from soul power.

That spirit ring had no discernible rules or form, yet it carried a "supreme will" that made all cultivators tremble.

The Soul Ring hovered above his head, its light illuminating every corner and every face in the golden palace—like the sunlight of judgment. It was as if, at this very moment, the Wheel of Fate had quietly begun to turn, and in his hands lay not merely "Soul Authority," but the true—central order—of the entire Realm Within a Realm.

“However,” he raised his eyes slightly, slowly scanning every pair of anxious eyes in the court, “the position of the ruler of the world is never tied to a seal or a piece of paper.”

"It depends solely on—"

He paused, his gaze sharp as lightning, and swept across the entire room once more, his cold light like a blade, his very soul like frost.

"One who can shoulder this immense responsibility!"

These words struck like a hammer blow, causing the soul pressure aura of the entire Imperial Palace to tremble once again.

The officials held their breath, and no one dared to speak.

At this moment, Chu Ning didn't need to say another word; everyone in the entire capital understood:

The return of the Soul Master is beyond question.

Once the laws and seals are in order, all powers will be in accordance with the will of the people.

On this day, the "Zhaoming Code," symbolizing the legal foundation of the new era, was inscribed for the first time with the name of its sovereign on the law pillar:

"The Soul Master Chu Ning holds the Soul Law Master Seal; the young master Ning Zhaoming enters the ancestral temple to succeed him by the mandate of the Great Soul."

"One master holds the seal, one son inherits the soul; the soul returns to its rightful place, as ordained by Heaven."

"The one who illuminates all things and dispels all illusions; the one who governs the soul realm and guards the eight wastelands."

In the afternoon, I photographed the quiet courtyard of the government building.

Chu Ning removed his heavy court robes and entered the courtyard in only his casual clothes.

Xie Mingli leaned against the soft couch, holding the sleeping Ning Zhaoming in her arms. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the baby's peaceful face.

"How are you?" She looked up, her voice hoarse with a hint of weariness.

"The name has been decided." Chu Ning approached, his voice extremely soft. "Ning Zhaoming. His name will be written into the 'Zhaoming Code' and placed in the ancestral temple."

Xie Mingli smiled slightly: "Very good."

She carefully handed the swaddled baby to Chu Ning.

The tenderness in her eyes was a quality she rarely showed to others when she was in full armor and ready to fight.

“From this day forward,” her voice was soft, yet every word carried immense weight, “you must protect him. With your life.”

Chu Ning took the soft yet heavy little life into his arms, his other hand instinctively clenching as if still holding the cold law seal. He gazed at the drifting clouds in the sky, yet his chest felt as if a raging storm was crashing against the shore.

The demonic flames of the far north have not yet been extinguished, the boundary lock has been set but its foundation is not yet stable, the capital city seems to have settled down, but the rifts and abysses that are spread throughout the Soul Domain are still silently devouring the peace.

But at this moment——

The warmth in his arms reminded him that his identity had changed.

He is no longer merely the Soul Master.

He is the "father" of this world. He is the towering tree that this young life must rely on.

The capital city was bathed in clear skies, and a gentle breeze swept across the jade steps, bringing the warmth of early summer.

Inside the government building, the guardian lanterns burn day and night, and the faint cries of babies occasionally drift from the courtyard; everything seems to have returned to tranquility.

However, thousands of miles away, in the far north, in the forgotten scorched land of Cangque, was once the final battlefield between the Hunyuan Master and the Liaogu Ape Marquis.

Since Hunyuan's death, the wounds from the shattered Soul Lock have spread like a hideous spider web across the entire Far North Sealed Realm, emanating ominous turbulent flows of soul power day and night.

Above the phantom, deep within the gray sky, a strange soul aura, completely different from the "World-Burning Demon Flame" yet equally filled with destruction and chaos, was quietly intertwining and entwining with the remaining demon flames, like two venomous snakes ready to devour their prey, together brewing a cataclysmic calamity that would sweep across the entire Soul Realm's inherited order...

After the Zhaoming ceremony, Chu Ning secluded himself in seclusion, cutting himself off from external disturbances.

Inside the dark, deep hall, five soul patterns slowly flowed around his body, forming a profound soul-locking array.

On the Soul Master's Seal floating in the palm, the "Ning" character soul vein was pulsating weakly but rapidly.

—That was a lament and a warning from the core of the far north "boundary lock".

Yu Xingshui rushed in, her face unusually somber: "Sect Master! The Northern Boundary Lock... the soul power disorder is intensifying, and the core node is suffering an unprecedented impact!"

Chu Ning slowly opened his eyes, his deep pupils reflecting the pulsating soul light on the Law Seal, calm and unwavering: "As expected."

He rose, his dark robes fluttering even without wind. His fingertips brushed across the trembling character "Ning" on the seal, sensing the power contained within it, subtly resisting that distant, ferocious soul's aura.

He took down the main seal robe hanging there; on the thick, dark blue fabric, soul patterns flowed like living water. The moment he put it on, an awe-inspiring aura that could suppress the eight wastelands erupted forth.

“In that case,” Chu Ning stepped out of the deep hall, his voice resolute and decisive, instantly piercing through the inner chambers' numerous restrictions:
"The light of day has arrived, the laws of the soul have returned to their rightful place! I, Chu Ning, shall personally journey to the far north—"

"Suppress again—the demigod evil spirit!"

The first light of dawn could not dispel the chilling atmosphere of battle that hung over the capital.

Chu Ning wore a deep blue-black battle robe, and the five-patterned soul lock on his back coiled and moved slowly like a living thing, exuding a chilling pressure. On his palm, the Soul Master's Law Seal floated, its inscriptions shimmering with light.

Below the stage, dozens of first-rank martial arts masters stood solemnly in formation.

The soul armor glowed eerily, and the weapons' cold gleam was concealed. All eyes were focused on the high platform, and the gathering fighting spirit surged like an invisible tide.

Yu Xing Shui stood to Chu Ning's left, his expression as solemn as iron.

"The Pavilion Master's decree has been issued! The Heavenly Mirror will be arrayed for three days, drawing upon the power of the stellar realm! The 'Dawn' Boundary Ship is fully charged; once the array is complete, we will march straight to the far north!"

Chu Ning's gaze swept over the resolute faces, and he spoke in a deep voice, which, though not loud, clearly overpowered Chen Feng:

"This journey to the far north is not for territorial expansion, nor for vying for power and profit."

"Just for—"

"Seal off the demigods and evil spirits!"

He paused, his gaze drifting towards the imperial palace in the capital, a barely perceptible hint of tenderness and resolve flashing deep within his eyes:
"If I... fail to return."

"You must protect each other with your lives—protect Mingli, protect my son Zhaoming... Heaven's mandate will not be broken!"

"If I—" his voice suddenly rose, carrying a chilling intensity that could cut through any obstacle, "I will return victorious!"

"Within the capital, there will be no more... rebellious waves!"

"As you command, Pavilion Master!" Dozens of worshippers responded in unison, their soul power surging, the sound waves soaring into the sky and scattering the morning mist.

Inside the Kunyi Palace, Xie Mingli stood alone before the carved window. The morning light illuminated half of her cool profile, but her eyes seemed to hold the frost of the North, unfathomable.

Ning Zhaoming slept peacefully in his warm swaddling clothes, his little face as exquisite as jade.

A small hand unconsciously reached out from the swaddling clothes, tightly clutching a warm "Soul Light Jade Talisman"—it was a protective incantation that Chu Ning had personally inscribed before his departure, using his own soul source as the seed and the Primordial Imprint as the root, embedding it in his palm to protect his destiny soul fire from going out.

The palace servants had already withdrawn, holding their breath. The hall was completely silent.

Xie Mingli slowly sat back down on the edge of the couch, her fingertips gently tracing the child's smooth forehead. Her gaze was lowered, her lips moving silently, only a chilling will seemed to solidify in the air:
"Your father... is going to protect all living beings under heaven, and to protect the boundary of the Soul Realm."

“But I…” She leaned down and placed a very light, yet incredibly heavy kiss on the baby’s forehead, “as long as I can protect you.”

At this moment, she shed the majesty of the regent and the halo of the soul master's wife, leaving only a mother's most primal and resolute instincts.

She looked up, her gaze piercing through the window lattice, towards the direction of Cangque in the far north, her eyes filled with tenderness.

(End of this chapter)