Chapter 61

Chapter 61 Song Weizhi's consciousness was already scattered, but when she heard the little girl's name, her scattered consciousness seemed to focus. "What are you talking about? I'll kill you," she exclaimed, as if using up all her strength. "Huh, kill me? Just you? Song Weizhi, what do you think you are?" Li Qingyuan snapped. He performed a finger technique, pressing on Song Weizhi's wrist and ankle, and then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, Song Weizhi, your tendons have been cut, but don't worry, I will also crush your leg bones for you." At that moment, there was a sound outside the cultivation room; it was Zhou Yeran leading his subordinates. Seeing Zhou Yeran, Li Qingyuan immediately showed respect, "Master, you're here." Zhou Yeran nodded and, looking at the barely conscious Song Weizhi on the ground, walked over and kicked her bloody arm. "How about it, Song Weizhi? Hand over the soul fragment, and I'll have someone treat your injuries." After waiting for a while and not getting a response, Zhou Yeran was getting annoyed. He couldn't afford to offend the Third Prince, but did he really have to be accommodating to Song Weizhi? "Maybe I have been too kind to you. Well, I want to see how much you can endure." Saying that, he lifted Song Weizhi into the air and then opened a door to a small chamber. Inside, there was nothing except for a staircase leading down. Zhou Yeran carried Song Weizhi through the long steps to a large platform below. The platform was just a corner of the iceberg, with molten magma stretching endlessly below. Zhou Yeran brought Song Weizhi to the edge of the platform. Once he let go, she would be engulfed by the magma in an instant. "Song Weizhi, I'll ask you again. Are you going to tell me or not? Don't blame me if you suffer. As a single-attribute ice-rooted cultivator, you are most afraid of fire. What do you think will happen if you fall into this magma?" With that, he moved Song Weizhi a few inches outward, creating an immense pressure at her throat, as if he was about to strangle her at any moment. Song Weizhi's consciousness was hazy. She endured the intense pain, making a decision. She knew these people wouldn't let her go. She was unsure about the condition of the little girl she was concerned about. In her current state, she feared she wouldn't be able to protect her. She only hoped her little girl would suffer a little less. Without hesitation, Song Weizhi, in a hoarse voice, said, "Even if I die, I will not give you the fragment." As soon as her words fell, the armor-piercing bullets she had set up in a concealed corner were already aimed at Zhou Yeran and others. She had no other choice; she had spent all her points from the previous martial arts competition, and the only ones left were the four armor-piercing bullets from the Linlang Secret Realm. Even if it meant death, she didn't want to die at the hands of these scoundrels. With her last bit of strength, she unleashed the bullets. "Even if I die, I will not give you the fragment." As expected, the two armor-piercing bullets in front of Zhou Yeran were shattered by his palm force, but several of his followers were not so lucky. Some were blown to pieces. As Zhou Yeran used his force to deflect the armor-piercing bullets, he released his grip on Song Weizhi's hand, creating an opening she had been waiting for. She exerted all her remaining strength to lean back, plummeting from the edge of the platform. Song Weizhi felt as if everything around her had turned fiery red. The descent only took a few seconds but felt like an eternity. A few moments later, Song Weizhi felt herself being charred. The temperature of the magma was far higher than that of fire. Within moments of falling, everything on her body, including her flesh, blood, and bones, melted away. Feeling her flesh and bones being charred, Song Weizhi's consciousness began to fade. After an unknown period, Song Weizhi awoke from the haze. The pain was excruciating. Her eyes couldn't see anything; she could only feel herself being engulfed by scorching heat. Then, she heard a voice in her mind. "Host, due to the urgency of the situation, you lost consciousness, and I had to make a decision for you. The temperature here in the lava has exceeded a thousand degrees. If your flesh or bones enter, they will turn to ashes. I can only protect your soul, spiritual roots, and soul. However, the pain you endure during the refining process is something you have to bear repeatedly." Song Weizhi's mind was buzzing, or rather, the senses within her soul were buzzing, as her bodily organs had long been turned into charcoal. The pain was so intense that she couldn't think about what the system was saying. She could only feel the excruciating pain. In less than half a moment of clarity, she passed out from the pain again. Although the system had provided some protection for Song Weizhi's soul, spiritual roots, and soul, preventing them from turning into ashes, they still endured the tremendous pressure and heat waves. On the other side, Song Zhixia, taken away by Gao Chengxuan, arrived at his residence. Gao Chengxuan's brow furrowed. "What? Does Miss Song really not want to see me?" Song Zhixia's throat was now free, "Hmph, you despicable scum, release my senior sister." "Heh, Senior Sister can barely protect herself, and you're thinking about her? Now let's talk about the soul fragment. There are two options for you: I kill you and take the fragment, or you and I cultivate together. This way, you can save your life, and I can achieve my goal. Besides, as a prince, I can consider it a favor to you. You'd be climbing high." Gao Chengxuan looked at Song Zhixia as if she were prey. "Hmph, don't even think about it. If you want to kill, do it quickly, or I won't let you off," Song Zhixia's eyes were red, resembling a caged beast. "Interesting. If you agree, maybe I won't be interested anymore. Don't worry, I'll make you willingly beg for our cultivation later." After Gao Chengxuan finished speaking, he gave a signal to Zuo Xuan, who then lifted Song Zhixia. In the blink of an eye, Gao Chengxuan and his group appeared on a cliff. The cliff was towering, and it was the infamous Blood Demon Cliff where Song Zhixia was corrupted by demonic blood. "Do you know where this place is, Song Zhixia? One more step forward, and you'll be at the Blood Demon Cliff. If you turn into something neither human nor ghost, do you think your senior sister will still want you?" Gao Chengxuan sneered. "Hmph, kill me already. Why make such an effort?" Song Zhixia's gaze was filled with malice. "Killing you is so easy, just a flick of my finger. However, seeing you in such panicked state is not interesting. Besides, even if you fall into the Blood Demon Cliff and turn into a demon, I will still have your soul fragment. The agony of falling into the demonic path will be unforgettable for you, Song Zhixia. I will ask you one last time, will you cultivate with me or not?" "Never. If you're going to do it, then do it." Song Zhixia had resigned herself to death. She only wished to be with her senior sister. "Fine, still a hopeless romantic. Then, taste the torment of the Blood Demons. Zuo Xuan, do it." Gao Chengxuan's playful expression turned cold. He hadn't expected that a woman of lowly status would dare to truly reject him. Anyway, with demonic cultivators by his side, even if Song Zhixia fell into the Blood Demon Cliff, he could still have her brought back. By then, Song Zhixia would be neither human nor ghost, which he found amusing. Just as Song Zhixia was released by Zuo Xuan, she felt everything spinning. Fortunately, she hadn't expended much spiritual power. Using her spiritual power, she floated with her sword. Strangely, something seemed to be getting heavier on the sword, making it sink gradually, despite her efforts to keep it afloat. At the same time, bloodstains appeared on Song Zhixia's body. In no time, the flesh on her forearm was gnawed clean by something. No matter how she drove her spiritual power to repel these entities, their numbers were too overwhelming. Before long, many parts of her body were exposed as the flesh was bitten off. The slim hope of surviving had shattered. What she feared wasn't the gnawing of these entities but the possibility of not making it out alive, not seeing the person she longed to see. In the exposed areas where her bony structure was visible, threads of black gas infiltrated. They burned her bones and blood from within. Even her once-undefiled elixir field was gradually filled with black mist. "How delicious. This girl's flesh is so tender. I'm almost reluctant to eat it," one remarked. "So what? Just leave her. We still have many spirit medicines that can produce flesh and blood. We'll eat to our hearts' content," another added. "Gladly. This Golden Core cultivator's flesh is indeed succulent." "Yeah, once we are full, we'll send her off." When Song Zhixia woke up again, she felt a bone-piercing pain throughout her body. There was hardly any flesh and blood left, and she didn't know how many times those evil spirits in the void had devoured her. However, her consciousness remained clear, witnessing her flesh and blood regenerating little by little, which felt both painful and itchy. The entities in the void seemed particularly excited. Song Zhixia had no idea how long she had been in this ghostly place. The initial excruciating pain had numbed her. At first, she couldn't help but cry from the pain, but eventually, even though her body continued to ache, she could no longer shed tears. One day, just after her flesh and blood had regenerated, the entities around her started to become restless. At that moment, the Blood Demon Cliff was shrouded in dark clouds, and thunderous clouds covered the entire area where Song Zhixia was confined, pressing down lower and lower. "What's going on? How can she, in this state, draw down the thunder tribulation?" "Indeed, she has been devoured repeatedly these days, and it's not as if she had time to cultivate." "The clouds are pressing so low. I think she won't survive today. We'd better find a place to hide. It's a shame about her flesh and blood. Well, we won't have anything to eat in the future." Author's Note: Thank you to the angels who voted for and nurtured my work!