"Senior!" Lü Ying quickly performed a deep bow. "Lü Ying dares not ask Senior to insist on anything... no matter the cost, as long as Sister can be saved, Lü Ying is willing! Even my life would suffice!"
"It's like this, to save Hong Ying, a little bit of other people's soul power is needed," Ye Fan explained. "However, the person who provides soul power will suffer a slight, permanent damage to their soul... Although it's a very small amount, you should understand what that means, right?"
"Senior, use mine!"
"Senior, use mine!"
Huang Huihong and Lü Ying said in unison.
"Yours won't do," Ye Fan rubbed his nose. "Too weak..."
This method required souls that were generally stronger than the one being saved. Huang Huihong and Lü Ying were clearly not suitable.
As soon as he said this, the two were instantly plunged into despair...
A method existed, but they couldn't find anyone at all...
Should they beg Ye Fan and his companions?
That would be utterly absurd!
Although it was only a small amount of soul damage, it was still permanent...
Once a cultivator's soul was damaged, even by a little, the future losses would be immeasurable.
Perhaps it was precisely this tiny bit that would cause them to miss out on a breakthrough opportunity they would have otherwise achieved.
They weren't even close friends with Ye Fan. They had no reason or courage to make such an excessive request...
Hong Ying...
There was no saving her...
Lü Ying stood up dejectedly, and with a sigh, prepared to leave with Hong Ying.
"Wait a moment," the little demoness spoke up. "How about using mine?"
Ye Fan looked at her strangely.
When did this girl's feelings for the Hong Ying sisters become so deep?
Was it because she had been buried underground for too long?
Perhaps, it was indeed so...
Think about it.
A person buried underground for tens of thousands of years.
By the time they were dug up, the world would have long since changed!
All their loved ones and friends would be gone, leaving only them, alone and desolate...
Humans need friends.
This was a basic social need.
Those who could cultivate in isolation were ultimately a tiny minority.
And no one could guarantee that they wouldn't have a single friend, could they?
Ye Fan couldn't interfere with the little demoness's choice.
However, she clearly wouldn't work.
"Too many messy things have been fused into your body," Ye Fan shook his head. "Although you are both of the demonic path, your souls are no longer compatible with hers."
"How about mine?" Shan Ji asked.
Seeing that their 'Big Sister' the little demoness seemed a bit sad, Shan Ji also decided to go for it!
If he hadn't met Ye Fan and the little demoness, he might have ended up on a dinner table long ago.
Now that he could help their 'Big Sister' the little demoness, he would do it!
"Your situation is too unique, so that won't work either," Ye Fan shook his head again.
The Vermillion Bird soul was no joke.
Even a diluted version of it was not something Hong Ying could withstand.
If they really did that, Hong Ying would instantly be done for...
"Then how about mine?" Xiang Jiaojun spoke up.
Ye Fan glanced at Xiang Jiaojun. "However... are you sure you really want to do this?"
"Being able to help others is a very meaningful thing in my opinion," Xiang Jiaojun nodded. "I don't really like fighting and killing anyway, so a little loss of soul power is nothing."
"Alright, then let's do it," Ye Fan nodded.
If there was anyone here most suitable, it should theoretically be Ye Fan himself.
But the problem was that he had to be in charge of the entire process, and even a moment of distraction could lead to complete failure.
Although Xiang Jiaojun was a demon cultivator, he was also a descendant of the World Tree.
The World Tree was the fundamental source of the three realms, and its life-giving characteristics were better suited to the current situation.
Not only would Hong Ying not experience any rejection, but she might even receive unexpected benefits.
As for the sequelae caused by the loss of soul power...
For the Tree of Life, this was not a problem at all.
After all, the growth of the World Tree had already surpassed the scope of what was considered cultivation; they were fundamentally two different concepts.
The fact that they were still cultivating now was merely a transitional phase.
To be precise, even if Xiang Jiaojun did nothing, he would still become an object of universal reverence in the future.
It would just take a little more time.
After confirming with Xiang Jiaojun multiple times, Ye Fan began to prepare.
The main reason he agreed to treat her was because Huang Huihong and the others were so loyal.
They had refused to betray him even at the cost of their lives. For that loyalty, Ye Fan couldn't stand by and do nothing.
Although he himself didn't care about life or death, this was a different matter.
Ye Fan first arranged for them to place Hong Ying in a room, then took out paper and pen to sketch and draw.
The little demoness and the others dared not make a sound to disturb him, only peeking with hidden curiosity.
But in the end, their curiosity was met with nothing...
What Ye Fan was writing looked no different from heavenly script to them; they couldn't understand it at all...
Ye Fan wrote very quickly, and the stack of draft paper on the table grew thicker and thicker...
After all, the evil flame contained more than just the Nether Prison Soul Flame.
His previous conception was just a general outline.
Even in a greatly weakened version, some details still needed to be carefully finalized.
There was only one chance, and not a single mistake could be afforded.
It had to be said, things concerning the soul were truly too complex!
Even with Ye Fan's current level, it took him over half an hour to deduce everything.
If it were any other type of formation, after being greatly weakened, he could have just started working on it directly, without even needing to deduce anything.
Compared to destruction or extraction, the calculations involved in repairing a soul were terrifying!
If a normal cultivator were in this situation, their brains would probably explode!
Of course.
If he still had his cultivation, it would have been much faster...
After finishing, Ye Fan took out some materials from his ring and began to engrave formations on the ground.
This time, besides the basic formation bases and lines, some materials were also needed.
This was also the first time the little demoness and the Banana Chicken duo saw Ye Fan needing something other than a rune brush to set up a formation.
Engraving the grand formation took Ye Fan another hour or so.
Rune brushes were also breaking one after another...
During this time, he had to stop several times to think before continuing.
"Crack!"
Another rune brush shattered.
"It's been too long since I've done this, I'm a bit rusty..." Ye Fan flicked his right hand, muttering to himself.
Fortunately, there were no other formation masters here.
Otherwise, if they heard Ye Fan say this, they would likely die of shame on the spot...
Normally, for them to engrave a grand formation, even a moderately skilled one would take a month or even several months.
For complex topics involving the soul, they wouldn't even dare to imagine it...
Even if they had the ability, the time required would be at least a century!
And that would be for geniuses among geniuses!
Yet Ye Fan?
He finished it in a little over an hour in total. Was this something a human could do?
This wasn't humble-bragging, was it?!
Don't you know this makes us look worse than useless?
Are you going to let us live or not...
...
After arranging for them to place Hong Ying inside the grand formation, Ye Fan pointed out three positions.
"Shan Ji, stand in the circle next to the blue metal."
"Little Demoness, you are in the black circle."
"Brother Jiao, the green one."