"Halt! Who said you could leave?" Even though Lin Luo hadn't been paying attention to the werewolf, he knew its every move. Sensing its attempt to flee, he immediately barked out a cold command, his voice laced with killing intent.

His voice condensed his murderous intent; an ordinary person hearing it would instantly bleed from all seven orifices and die. However, the werewolf was not weak and barely managed to withstand the killing aura without expiring, though it certainly suffered no less... The moment it heard the voice, terror seized it, and a great gush of blood sprayed from its mouth. It collapsed to the ground, twitching violently as if struck by epilepsy, frothing at the mouth.

Lin Luo didn't know precisely what had transpired here, but from the condition of everyone present, the general situation was clear enough. He certainly wouldn't show mercy.

Having temporarily dealt with the werewolf, Lin Luo refocused his attention on Yōka.

The first time he saw Yōka, Lin Luo thought Yuuka Kazami had been reduced to loli form. But then he saw a loli version of Yukari Yakumo, and observing the seemingly deep affection between the two girls, Lin Luo finally understood what was going on.

As the saying goes, the person who tied the bell must untie it. The reason he had been fighting Tendō was due to the influence of the Inverse Karma. Therefore, if the Inverse Karma were successfully undone, he would inevitably return to the true starting point of the Inverse Karma—much like when he returned to the Type-Moon world a thousand years prior... Although back then he returned to Type-Moon first before undoing the Inverse Karma, in reality, there was no difference between the two events.

After all, the Inverse Karma had no strict sequence; cause is effect, and effect is cause, with cause and effect intertwined beyond separation. Similarly, it never truly had an original starting point; referring to one was merely Lin Luo’s subjective viewpoint based on his own perceived sequence of events.

And this time, the Inverse Karma of Gensokyo had flung him back to an era untold years ago, an age where Yuuka Kazami was not yet the Mistress of Flowers, and Yukari Yakumo was not yet the Great Sage of Youkai. Their attire made it obvious: they were still weak youkai clinging to the very bottom rungs of society.

Thinking of this, Lin Luo instantly recalled the story Yuuka Kazami had told him back then... If he wasn't mistaken, the crucial part of the story that Yuuka deliberately omitted began right here and now.

Their catalyst was none other than himself!

But these matters were secondary for now. The immediate priority was saving the dying Yōka. After all, nearly ninety percent of her soul was already consumed by burning; she had, at most, two more minutes before her soul was entirely burned away, leaving nothing but ash.

To be honest, if his power hadn't diminished, saving Yōka would have been effortless. A mere brush from his Quasi-Heavenly Rank intent could erase any injury, or even a simple application of healing magic would solve the problem permanently. Unfortunately... with his current Earthly Rank strength, he couldn't deploy his Quasi-Heavenly Rank intent, and the Book of Covenant, much like in the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha world, had been sealed once again. Both trump cards were rendered useless.

With no other option, Lin Luo had to resolve Yōka's crisis using his own methods. While this course of action would inflict certain side effects upon him, saving Yōka made it worthwhile... After all, she was Yuuka Kazami.

Subsequently, Lin Luo reached out and gently tapped Yōka's head, causing her to instantly lose consciousness.

"Ah!" Yukari’s expression shifted drastically; she almost thought Lin Luo had struck Yōka dead.

Lin Luo smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, I just put her to sleep temporarily. The healing process coming up might be a bit painful, so it’s better if she doesn't feel it."

"Oh." Hearing this, Yukari immediately relaxed. In truth, even if she hadn't felt reassured, it wouldn't have mattered; she couldn't save Yōka herself and had to rely on Lin Luo. So, even if Lin Luo had said he needed to smash Yōka first to save her, she would have accepted it.

Of course, given Yōka’s constitution, if she were smashed, it would result in absolute death, making revival impossible. In reality, Lin Luo’s healing method wasn't complicated. After rendering Yōka unconscious, he placed the True Shikon Jewel, obtained from the Trails in the Sky world, onto her body. He then opened the lid and used his ability to facilitate a soul transfer between the two, allowing the demonic beast souls within the True Shikon Jewel to burn in place of Yōka's own.

In essence, Yōka's remaining soul would temporarily enter the True Shikon Jewel, while the demonic beast souls from the Jewel would enter Yōka's body to undergo the soul-burning process. This way, Yōka's own soul would be preserved.

However, this method had two significant drawbacks. The first was that the recipient, now housing countless demonic beast souls, would experience immense agony as these souls burned and raged. Even though her soul was temporarily housed in the True Shikon Jewel, this pain could only be mitigated, not avoided.

The second drawback involved Lin Luo himself. As the sole orchestrator, he had to balance these countless souls, ensuring their violent energy didn't destroy Yōka's body. He also had to separate a portion of his own soul to act as the intermediary.

That is to say, the demonic beasts, Yōka, and himself—these three soul entities—would be connected by him acting as the thread. Once the demonic beast souls were consumed, he would sever his connection with Yōka’s soul, and his own separated portion would burn away along with the beast souls, ultimately safeguarding Yōka’s spirit.

In Lin Luo's current weakened state, abandoning a piece of his soul meant it would take him significantly longer to recover. Yet, he had no other choice.

Yōka's massive soul was incomparable to that of mutated demonic beasts. Even with only a tenth remaining, her capacity still equaled the souls of over ten thousand beasts. This rendered a task that wasn't inherently complex into a protracted affair, taking a full half an hour to conclude.

As a result of this procedure, Lin Luo’s soul was depleted by thirty percent. Although souls could eventually regenerate, the mental toll at this stage was considerable.

Once the soul-burning was truly finished, Lin Luo used his power to stabilize Yōka's body and quickly channeled her remaining soul back into her form. When the two merged again, Lin Luo finally let out a sigh of relief, sinking onto the ground. He looked as if he’d just been pulled from water—not only soaked but terrifyingly pale.

"Is it... over?" Seeing him in such a state, Yukari asked timidly, a hint of fear in her voice.

For the normally calculating Yukari Yakumo to be so soft in her youth—appearing so gentle, vulnerable, and endearing—Lin Luo found it quite unexpected. He silently mused that time truly was a butcher knife, then managed a smile. "It's fine. As long as she doesn't have to burn her soul again, she won't die."

"That's wonderful!" Hearing Lin Luo's affirmative answer, the stone weighing on Yukari's heart finally lifted, and she couldn't help but cheer excitedly. However, she immediately noticed the exhaustion etched on Lin Luo's face and instantly felt embarrassed, asking with concern, "Um, thank you. Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm fine. I just need some rest," Lin Luo said, puffing himself up like a proud young lady refusing to lose face in public. He didn't want to lose face in front of the loli Yukari either.

After speaking, Lin Luo tossed the now empty True Shikon Jewel back into his storage space. He reflected that every event had its cause and effect; had he not traveled to the Trails in the Sky world, or failed to acquire that Jewel, he wouldn't have been able to save Yōka today.

The damage to his soul left Lin Luo both mentally and physically drained. Now, all he wanted was a long, deep sleep. He said to Yukari, "This place isn't suitable for rest. Let's head back to where you live."

"Ah!" Yukari started, displaying a look of reluctance.

"What's wrong?" Lin Luo asked suspiciously. Did youkai have rules against inviting strangers inside their homes? While he was, by definition, a stranger to Yukari, he had just saved her best friend; surely she wouldn't bar him from entry?

As Lin Luo pondered this, Yukari hesitated before saying, "We don't have a place to live." Her tone held a touch of sadness.

Lin Luo froze momentarily.

The way she said it, it sounded exactly like an orphan crying out, "I don't have a home."

A moment later, after Yukari explained, Lin Luo finally understood the situation. Simply put, the survival system in this era operated on a harsh principle: the strong prey upon the weak.

Only the powerful could claim their own territory and resources, like the Wolf Clan, Oni Clan, Vampires, and certain powerful Lord-level youkai. The weak usually had to attach themselves to the strong, otherwise, they remained unsettled, wandering aimlessly. After all, even if they found a suitable dwelling, without sufficient strength, they couldn't hold onto it.

Yukari and Yōka were those rootless, weak youkai, spending most of their time resting in the wilderness or up in trees. If they were lucky, they might find a dilapidated temple.

Hearing this, Lin Luo couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. It seemed they were faring even worse than he had imagined.

It was at this point that Lin Luo began to grasp why Yukari Yakumo was so fiercely devoted to Gensokyo. Within Gensokyo, regardless of strength, every youkai had their own residence; they weren't forced into wandering, didn't have to treat the world as their home, and weren't constantly hunted down.

For youkai, it was undoubtedly a unique paradise.

Because Yukari Yakumo had lived such a nomadic, unsettled life in her youth, her attachment to Gensokyo was extraordinary... Perhaps for her, it wasn't just a dwelling place, but the very location of her dream.

"Never mind, then. Let's find a place with a better environment. I'll handle the housing issue, as Yōka will need a long period of sleep to fully recover, and this spot isn't suitable," Lin Luo finally stated.

"Okay," Yukari nodded, then glanced toward the still trembling werewolf in the distance. "What about him?"

Lin Luo swept a wave of killing intent toward the creature without even looking, reaching his hand forward.

"Let's go."

ps: I had something to attend to during the day and returned quite late. I hastily wrote this chapter and am very tired. I owe two thousand words, which I will make up tomorrow. Apologies.