Soul Wood

The Soul Wood is a black key used by Nanke to activate the distant Soul Pivot, command the Garden of Zhou's monster tide, and fuse her soul with the dormant spirit of the Golden-winged Great Peng. Its separation from the Pivot limits precise control. (Chapters 305–345 and 528)

History

The demon key to Zhou's mausoleum

The Soul Pivot remains inside Zhou Dufu's mausoleum while Nanke carries the Soul Wood on behalf of the demon expedition. This separation initially keeps the monsters from attacking Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, allowing Nanke to shadow them until they unknowingly lead her close enough for the two artifacts to connect. Once within range, she raises the dark wood and awakens the Pivot, driving the monster tide toward the mausoleum. Her use of the key also awakens the sleeping Great Peng spirit and merges it with her soul, but the absence of direct possession of the Pivot means communication and control remain incomplete. (Chapters 305–345)

Loss after the Garden battle

Nanke repeatedly brightens the Soul Wood to renew the monsters' frenzy and sustain her connection to the Great Peng. Chen's sword army eventually defeats the fused form and breaks the Soul Pivot, while the Garden itself collapses. Later accounts discuss the Soul Wood's use immediately before the Pivot went berserk, but do not record the wood being recovered, destroyed, or transferred. Its final custody and physical condition therefore remain unknown rather than automatically following the Pivot's destruction. (Chapters 330–345 and 528)

Abilities and properties

• When close enough to the Soul Pivot, the wood activates or communicates with it and can issue broad commands to the Garden's monsters. (Chapters 305–318 and 330–333)
• It can forbid attacks, provoke a monster tide, and link Nanke's soul to the Golden-winged Great Peng spirit, temporarily giving their fused form sacred-level aura and strength. (Chapters 318–345)
• Without the paired Pivot, control is incomplete: monsters may fight but cannot necessarily follow complex instructions, and summoning the Great Peng requires time and Nanke's own soul. (Chapters 305–310, 336–345)
• The wood is a control instrument, not proof that the Great Peng or monsters are Nanke's property; they remain living or spiritual entities influenced through the artifact. (Chapters 333–345)

Ownership and custody