Chapter 60

Chapter 60 At the same time, Zuo Xuan, who was sent out by Gao Cheng Xuan, had returned to report to him. He knelt and paid his respects to Gao Cheng Xuan before speaking, "Your Highness, I have completed the investigation you ordered. I followed Zhou Yeran's men and indeed found the traces of Song Weizhi and others. Song Zhixia was indeed meditating on refining the soul in the original place." "Song Zhixia already had soul fragments in her body even before she obtained the soul of the martial arts competition. I noticed it the first time I saw her. It's quite interesting; I wonder how many soul fragments are hidden in her body." A hint of amusement appeared at the corner of Gao Cheng Xuan's lips. "Forgive my ignorance, Your Highness. Why didn't you just let me kill Song Zhixia directly? That way, regardless of how many soul fragments she has, they would all belong to you," Zuo Xuan asked puzzled. Gao Cheng Xuan smiled and said, "There are two uses for soul fragments. One is as you said, to seize and possess, and the other is to merge with the person who possesses the soul fragment, achieving the same effect. I find Song Zhixia quite interesting, and I'm rather reluctant to kill her." Zuo Xuan nodded and said, "Your Highness is wise. I understand." "Song Weizhi, will you surrender? Crushing you is no different from crushing an ant to me." In the grand hall, Zhou Yeran stared at the almost dying Song Weizhi. "What surrender? Isn't all this just robbery in essence?" Song Weizhi spoke with little strength left in her voice. "Hm, still so stubborn. It seems I've been too lenient," said Zhou Yeran, just as he was about to make a move. At that moment, Gao Cheng Xuan's voice came from outside the grand hall, interrupting the scene, "Head Zhou, what are you doing here?" Recognizing Gao Cheng Xuan's voice, Zhou Yeran immediately walked out of the grand hall, changing his expression to greet Gao Cheng Xuan, "Third Royal Highness, I was just dealing with the wrongdoers. Why have you come? Please be careful not to soil your eyes." Gao Cheng Xuan smiled as he walked and said, "It's only proper for Head Zhou to deal with his disciples. I just wanted to ask Miss Song a few questions about something. Whether I can have Song Zhixia is another matter." After a glance at Song Zhixia and then at Gao Cheng Xuan, Zhou Yeran understood. However, he was still unsure about the location of the soul fragment of the Xuan Bird. Therefore, he wasn't keen on releasing anyone. Seeing his hesitation, Gao Cheng Xuan sneered, "Why is Head Zhou hesitant to release the captive?" "Your Highness, please calm down. It's not that I don't want to release her, but both of these offenders are hiding secret treasures of my Cold Mountain Sword Sect. Neither of them is willing to hand it over, so the situation is quite tricky," Zhou Yeran's expression turned somewhat unnatural. "What treasures? Isn't it the soul fragment of the Xuan Bird? Head Zhou, there's no need to hide it," Gao Cheng Xuan saw through the reason Zhou Yeran refused to release the captives. Zhou Yeran's expression changed, but he quickly regained composure. He couldn't afford to offend the royal family, and only with their support could the Cold Mountain Sword Sect claim the position of the leading sect among the four major sects. "What are you talking about, Your Highness? I don't understand your meaning." "Head Zhou is a clever person. You should know what I'm talking about. I can support the Cold Mountain Sword Sect, or I can abandon it and support another sect. There are matters beyond your imagination." Gao Cheng Xuan had already walked several steps to where Zhou Yeran had been sitting. Despite his annoyed expression, when Zhou Yeran saw Left Xuan by Gao Cheng Xuan's side, he immediately abandoned the idea of not surrendering anyone. Even Gao Cheng Xuan's personal guards were as skilled as him. The royal family indeed had many talents. If the soul fragment indeed existed on Song Weizhi, he still had a chance to obtain it. Therefore, he decided to give Gao Cheng Xuan face, and if Song Weizhi didn't have it, then he would have to let it go. "Your wish, Your Highness. Song Zhixia will be handed over to Your Highness," Zhou Yeran changed his earlier reluctance and respectfully gave way to Gao Cheng Xuan. "Good. Then I won't interfere with the Sect Head's affairs anymore. Left Xuan, let's go," Gao Cheng Xuan said to Left Xuan. "No, I won't leave. I want to stay with my senior sister," Song Zhixia tried to move towards Song Weizhi, but before she could move far, the Elder used spiritual power to restrain her, immobilizing her, regardless of her attempts to struggle. At this point, the consciousness of Song Weizhi had already become fuzzy. Whether it was blood or something else in front of her, her strength had diminished, and she couldn't even open her eyes. However, just before she passed out, she was still murmuring Song Zhixia's name softly, "Xiaxia..." Zhou Qingxue rushed forward and stood in front of Song Zhixia. "Father, what are you doing? Isn't the soul fragment of the Xuan Bird supposed to belong to the winner? How can you go back on your word?" "How dare you! I'll deal with you later," Zhou Yeran said with an iron face. But the moment he spoke to Gao Cheng Xuan, he immediately changed his expression, "Third Royal Highness, my daughter has been spoiled by me. I hope you won't mind." Saying this, Zhou Yeran signaled to the Elder with a meaningful look. Understanding the signal, the Elder calmly struck Zhou Qingxue, causing her to faint, to be taken care of by the nearby female disciple. "It's all right. It's normal for the Sect Head's daughter to be innocent and lovely," Gao Cheng Xuan said to Left Xuan, who immediately grasped the situation. He used a technique, and Song Zhixia fell silent. No matter how she screamed, there was not a sound. She was like a lamb to the slaughter, held in Left Xuan's hands. After a few breaths, Gao Cheng Xuan's group disappeared from the spot. "What about Song Weizhi and Wei Zhao?" the Elder asked. Zhou Yeran spoke calmly, "First, have someone keep an eye on Song Weizhi alone. As for Wei Zhao, lock him up in a water dungeon for now." The Elder understood and promptly arranged for the disciples to carry out the orders. As for Zhou Qingxue, Zhou Yeran had two female disciples support her and took her back to her residence. Despite the order not to spread the news, the important incident in the grand hall had already leaked out. By the time Zhou Chengwen and Yao Xintong arrived, Zhou Yeran had taken Zhou Qingxue back to their residence. The two hurried to Zhou Qingxue's residence, but when they arrived, there were only Zhou Yeran and the unconscious Zhou Qingxue in the room. Seeing this, Yao Xintong rushed to her daughter's bedside, "Qingxue, what's wrong?" Rushing to her daughter's bedside, Yao Xintong asked anxiously, "Qingxue, what's going on?" Tears gathered in Yao Xintong's eyes. On the other hand, Song Weizhi had been thrown into a practice room. This room was built near the mountains, with molten magma underground. The purpose of the practice room being located there was to temper the disciples' endurance and enhance their cultivation, which posed an even greater challenge to those with ice or water spiritual roots. Song Weizhi was confined in the lowest chamber of the practice room. She didn't know whether she was in agony or feeling the intense heat, but she had no strength left in her body. Her body pressed against the scorching ground, and she felt as if she were better off dead. Before long, the door of the practice room was opened, yet Song Weizhi could barely lift her head. "Ah, isn't this the champion of the martial arts competition? How did you end up as a prisoner here? Weren't you and Qi Yingzhe both considered cultivation geniuses? How did you manage to provoke Master so quickly?" It was Li Qingyuan. He had always looked down on Qi Yingzhe, and now, with the addition of someone who was considered the strongest Nascent Soul cultivator on the continent, he had long been dissatisfied with Song Weizhi. Finding the opportunity this time, he voluntarily asked Master to guard Song Weizhi, as Master had said that as long as he didn't kill anyone, he could do whatever he pleased. "You were once hailed as a genius? Is this the extent of your endurance?" With these words, Li Qingyuan stepped on Song Weizhi's hand, channeling spiritual power into his foot. The sound of cracking bones echoed in the empty practice room, as Song Weizhi's hand bones were gradually crushed. Despite the excruciating pain, Song Weizhi bit her lips, refusing to make a sound. Her face was covered in blood, with some wounds scabbed over, while others continued to seep fresh blood. "Hm, quite resilient," Li Qingyuan chuckled as he addressed his disciples observing the torment. "But if both her hand and foot bones are crushed, I wonder if our 'genius' can endure it?" As he spoke, he applied pressure on Song Weizhi's other hand. The delicate and fair hand was deformed and the flesh mutilated. Drenched in sweat and unable to find a pain-free spot on her body, Song Weizhi endured indescribable suffering. From above, Li Qingyuan's voice rang out, "I thought this task was a pleasant one, but it seems you've been reduced to this state. Your face is hardly recognizable. I can't find the motivation to continue, so I'll have to content myself with tormenting you in this fashion to alleviate my boredom." His words were followed by another round of bone-cracking sounds, as this time, it was the sound of Song Weizhi's left ankle bone fracturing. Li Qingyuan continued, "But I've heard that someone close to you, Song Zhixia, didn't suffer much injury to her face. I wonder how the Third Prince will treat her?" Author's note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solutions between 2021-06-06 20:38:26 and 2021-06-07 20:52:43~. Thanks to the nurturing angels: Little Expanding Ghost (4 bottles of nutrient solution).