537: Chapter 47 A Fleeting Dream, A Golden Bell Devours the Soul

The inner courtyard of Jinxiu Workshop.

Jin Binger, dressed in a bright red embroidered robe adorned with golden patterns, sat in a pavilion gently comforting a delicate young girl dressed as an embroidery maid.

"Ling'er, just work here with peace of mind. I have already sent that Kuong A Xiang away."

The delicate young girl, Ding Ling, nodded and said gratefully, "Thank you, Workshop Master."

As soon as the words fell, a young woman dressed as an embroidery maid rushed over and reported with an indescribable expression, "Workshop Master, someone outside wishes to see you."

"Oh?" Jin Binger let out a soft sound and casually asked, "Who is it?"

The young woman replied, "She says her name is 'Jin Ling,' and also..."

Jin Ling?

Jin Binger raised an eyebrow, feeling the name was somewhat familiar, but she didn't immediately think of the founding Ancestral Master, Madam Jin Ling.

After all, Madam Jin Ling had been missing for over eight hundred years.

However, seeing her confidante A Cheng, who was the young woman reporting, hesitate to speak further, she instantly knew this likely involved matters unsuitable for a newcomer like Ding Ling to hear. She immediately said to Ding Ling, "Ling'er, you go attend to your duties. I will go meet that person."

"Yes."

Ding Ling softly responded, turned, and left.

Afterward, Jin Binger turned her gaze back to A Cheng and asked, "Is there something unusual about that person?"

A Cheng leaned closer and whispered, "That person looks exactly like our Hehuan Sect's founding Ancestral Master, Madam Jin Ling."

Jin Binger froze for a moment, then asked, "Really?"

A Cheng replied, "When I entered the sect, I paid respects to the portrait of Ancestral Master Madam Jin Ling. Compared to the Ancestral Master's portrait, that person's appearance is at least eighty to ninety percent similar, if not identical. She is currently in the reception hall; the Sect Head can go see for yourself."

Jin Binger said nothing and headed straight for the reception hall.

Soon, she saw Jin Ling standing in the reception hall, hands behind her back, looking around.

Upon clearly seeing Jin Ling's face, Jin Binger was instantly stunned.

She truly looked exactly like Madam Jin Ling!

At this moment, Jin Ling retracted her sweeping gaze, looked toward Jin Binger, sized her up from head to toe, and then asked with interest, "You are the current Sect Head of the Hehuan Sect, Jin Binger?"

Jin Binger snapped back to her senses, forcing herself to remain calm, "I am indeed Jin Binger, but only the Workshop Master of this Jinxiu Workshop, not the Sect Head of the Hehuan Sect."

Hearing this, Jin Ling frowned, "The Hehuan Sect is one of the Five Demon Sects. In its founding days, its prestige was second only to the Blood Refining Hall."

"Now, as the Sect Head, you dare not even admit your identity? You truly disgrace the face of the Hehuan Sect."

With that, she flicked her sleeve, sealing all the doors and windows of the reception hall from a distance, and then struck Jin Binger with a palm.

A burst of palm energy shot out, causing ripples to surge in the air. Faint illusions of flowers and the moon could be vaguely seen before the energy merged into them and vanished.

The next second, several mirrors materialized near Jin Binger, each containing palm energy—the real and the illusory were difficult to distinguish.

Jin Binger's pupils contracted, and she exclaimed, "Mirror Flower, Water Moon Palm!"

Mirror Flower, Water Moon Palm was a high-level Spell of the Hehuan Sect, a method of combat integrating illusionary arts and martial palm techniques. Its effect was exactly as its name suggested: constantly shifting between real and illusory, making it impossible to defend against.

As the current Sect Head of the Hehuan Sect, Jin Binger knew this Spell, but...

She was sent flying by a single palm strike, crashing into a nearby pillar before sliding to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

A Cheng, who was nearby, turned pale with fright, "Workshop Master!"

Immediately, she glared angrily at Jin Ling, about to attack, when she heard a crisp bell ring. She instantly lost focus and stood frozen like a wooden statue.

Jin Binger, who had just managed to stand up from the ground, felt her mind shake but was not completely ensnared.

In an instant, she followed the sound, quickly locking onto the hehuan bell in Jin Ling's hand, and her expression changed: "hehuan bell!?"

"You actually recognize it?"

Jin Ling sounded a little surprised.

As far as she knew, although the hehuan bell was the token of the Hehuan Sect's Sect Head, it was buried along with Madam Jin Ling in the Dripping Blood Cave and was never passed down through the Hehuan Sect's Legacy.

She hadn't expected that after more than eight hundred years, the Sect Head of some unknown generation, Jin Binger, would actually recognize it.

This surprised her, but also made her feel slightly gratified.

Jin Binger did not respond to Jin Ling's surprised words. She stared at Jin Ling and asked in a tone that was both nervous and expectant, "Who exactly are you, Your Excellency?"

Jin Ling put away the hehuan bell, stood with her hands behind her back, and replied with an enigmatic smile, "This seat is Jin Ling, who founded the Hehuan Sect over eight hundred years ago. You tell me... who is this seat?"

Jin Binger's heart trembled: "You are Ancestral Master Madam Jin Ling?"

Immediately, she shook her head again, muttering, "That's impossible! When our Hehuan Sect's Ancestral Master Madam Jin Ling disappeared, she was already over three hundred years old. More than eight hundred years have passed since her disappearance. If you truly are her, you must be at least eleven hundred years old by now. How is that possible?"

"Even the Qingye Ancestor of the Qingyun Sect back then, whose cultivation reached the heavens, only lived for just over seven hundred years."

"Although Madam Jin Ling's cultivation was profound, she was still far inferior to that legendary Qingye Ancestor."

"How could she possibly live for over a thousand years?"

Jin Ling pursed her lips: "How this seat achieved longevity for a thousand years is my business and need not be explained to a junior like you. But my identity is beyond doubt. On the other hand, you, as the Hehuan Sect's Sect Head, how have you fallen to this state?"

"Not only are you secretive about your identity, but your cultivation is only comparable to the Peak of the Yuqing Realm."

Jin Binger fell silent. After a few seconds, she asked, "Are you truly Ancestral Master Madam Jin Ling?"

Jin Ling did not speak. She summoned the hehuan bell and cast a secret technique, condensing a musical note which she shot toward Jin Binger.

Jin Binger could not dodge in time and was struck instantly. A musical note mark appeared on her brow before quickly fading away.

In that moment, Jin Binger felt something within her body—something related to life and death, controlled by another person.

In that instant, Jin Binger's thoughts raced, and she immediately recalled a secret technique of the Hehuan Sect—the Jin Ling Soul Devourment Curse!