Soul Devourer

"What?" Xia Kui was rarely surprised. "You have a way?"
Liang Yin anxiously fixed her gaze on Mo Mo, silently asking: Are you out of your mind? We've finally met the master of Dragon Fang, and now you want to destroy it? Didn't you have something urgent you needed the Ring of Falls for?
Mo Mo flashed Liang Yin a helpless smile, then turned to Xia Kui. "I do have a good method. In fact, it's one that probably only I can accomplish in the entire world." When she left White Edge City, the uncle had given her a diary filled with strange magic arrays. Mo Mo had been unable to use them at the time, but after all that had happened, her magical aptitude had grown; she could finally understand some of the diagrams.
Among them was one that seemed utterly useless—until now: the Soul Devouring Array.
The Soul Devouring Array was a long-lost magic formation, its requirements so stringent and its effects so subtle that its surviving records were mostly enshrined in museums.
The name sounded impressive, but it didn't target human souls. Instead, it was designed for the souls forged within weapons—swords, hooks, whips, and so forth. As a tool for destroying artifacts, if the user were powerful enough, no soul could resist it. With but a single invocation, it could reduce a sword that had slaughtered thousands to nothing more than a kitchen knife, fit only for chopping vegetables and looking cute.
Of course, employing the Soul Devouring Array was no simple matter. It required the caster to simultaneously control the weapon’s innate elemental attributes and their counter-elements with perfectly harmonious magical energy. One used the counter-element to drive out the artifact's soul, while the primary element guided the soul into the pre-drawn array for destruction.
But where in the world could one find perfectly harmonious magical energies? Everyone's magic was subtly different, like fingerprints—a unique signature.
This array, in truth, was tailor-made for Four-Element Mages. Only their own magic could avoid mutual conflict and allow them to control two elements at once.
But Four-Element Mages were all but extinct, and even if one existed, they’d need a thorough understanding of the array’s full diagram and casting process.
As fate would have it, right before Xia Kui stood such a mage, who not only possessed the Soul Devouring Array’s method, but also understood its full diagram and process perfectly.
However, as any well-read student knows, plans that go too smoothly never actually work out—at least not in stories. Don’t even think about it.
"No!" The voice of Ring of Falls echoed from afar, shattering their hopeful dreams. "I absolutely will not allow Dragon Fang to be destroyed."

Not far from the courtyard where they were discussing, Ring of Falls was making her way over, step by difficult step. As soon as her doctor left after changing her bandages, she had gotten out of bed to find Xia Kui and the others. "Dragon Fang is the best sword left in the entire White Tower Nation. Now that it’s finally awakened, it must not be destroyed. Didn’t the War God Feng Xi conquer the world with Dragon Fang? If he could do it, so can I."
She clutched Dragon Fang tightly to her chest. Though protected by its sheath, its murderous intent still seeped through, sending chills to those nearby.
"I’m afraid we’ll be dead before you manage to conquer the world," Lance remarked with a smile, though there was a cold edge to it.
Remembering how she’d nearly attacked Mo Mo and her mother, Ring of Falls couldn’t help but tremble. Yet, at this moment, when war could break out at any time, destroying Dragon Fang would be like severing her own arm. She refused to give it up.
Seeing her daughter's stubbornness, Xia Kui could only sigh, unable to come up with a better plan. "Let’s do this: put Dragon Fang away for now. You absolutely mustn’t use it again. When your father arrives in Acacia, we’ll decide then, all right?"
"Not even once?" Ring of Falls frowned.
Xia Kui’s tone was resolute. "Absolutely not. If the sword spirit really influences you and you lose control, then Acacia’s greatest enemy won’t be monsters—it’ll be you!"
"I understand..." Ring of Falls could only acquiesce.

She hadn’t spent much time healing at home before Mo Mo and Liang Yin dragged her out shopping, calling it: ‘investigating the people’s livelihood.’
Xia Kui strongly approved. So long as Ring of Falls stayed away from Dragon Fang, she agreed to almost anything.
Loaded with bags of medicine and gifts, Mo Mo and Liang Yin led the way, chattering about trivialities and never so much as glancing at the shops and stalls lining the street. Ring of Falls and Lance followed behind, one gazing at the sky, the other at the ground.
Rather than shopping, the group seemed configured as two matchmakers chatting up front, followed by two reluctant youths, neither ready for marriage nor willing to be set up.
"Where are we going?" Lance eyed the string of shops they passed by, confused. "Weren’t we supposed to go shopping? Is your idea of shopping just walking?"

"Can’t you use your brain? With all these bags, it’s obvious we’re going to visit a patient," Mo Mo answered without turning. Liang Yin nodded in agreement.
"A patient?" The word caught Ring of Falls’ attention, and she finally lifted her head from studying the earth. "Who are you going to see?"
"Isn’t it obvious?" Liang Yin gave Ring of Falls a meaningful look. "Of course, we’re visiting Andy—the hero our little Luo saved, who got angry for beauty’s sake."
Choosing to ignore Liang Yin’s wickedly meaningful smile, Ring of Falls bluntly asked, "Is he dead?"
Lance, previously strolling with hands behind his head, froze for a moment, then his smile widened. Mo Mo gave Ring of Falls a look as if her brain had water in it or had been slammed in a door. "If he were dead, would we be bringing medicine and gifts? We’d just bring chrysanthemums and offerings."
Ring of Falls, however, was earnest. "I was just going to ask why you brought medicine and gifts instead of offerings."
Mo Mo stared at her in exasperation. "You’re a general! Can’t you make a single deduction?"
"In my vague memory, he shouldn’t have survived. I just wanted formal confirmation," Ring of Falls replied seriously. "Any inference or deduction is secondary once the facts are clear. The most important thing is the truth."