240 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

Tendrils of red intertwined in Ning Song Wu's pupils, staining her dark irises a deep crimson. After a moment, she suddenly opened her eyes and sat up, glancing around with a soft chuckle. "It seems we meet again, as inevitable as fate." A familiar presence emanated from the adjacent room—the presence she despised the most. Ning Song Wu's eyes were a shade of blood red, with flames of hatred smoldering beneath. To be precise, the one seated here was no longer Ning Song Wu but Yao Huang. "Who would have thought that my reincarnation would turn out to be such a useless wretch." Sensing the spiritual energy within her body, Yao Huang almost wished to end her life and reincarnate again. At this point, avenging herself was a mere fantasy—any random human could easily kill her. However, reincarnation was inherently difficult, regaining memories from a previous life even more so, and Yao Huang dared not take that risk. Reflecting on her past self, able to move mountains and command legions of demons, Yao Huang felt deeply conflicted. Yet waking up in this state was at least a first step taken; Yao Huang walked to the window where Ning Song Wu had left half a jar of wine. Unsealing the jar, Yao Huang tilted her head back, gulping the remaining wine before wiping her lips with her sleeve. "This spiritual wine falls short." Yao Huang had awakened before, but previous times lacked self-awareness, driven only by the instinct to hunt humans. This time, connecting with an item imbued with spiritual energy restored her consciousness. Following human cultivation techniques, Yao Huang used the spirit in the wine to establish a foundation within this body. Once the foundation was built, she retrieved the technique manual Ning Song Wu had discarded under the bed. The manual's cover was coated in thick dust, which Yao Huang disdainfully brushed off to reveal the words "Basic Heart Technique." Thumbing through the pages, Yao Huang chuckled. This technique could severely harm demons; clearly, Ran Fan Yin had suspicions. But she had obviously approached it the wrong way. Though a demon in her past life, Ning Song Wu was now human, facing no issue in cultivating this technique. Smirking condescendingly, Yao Huang murmured, "What a fool." Upon recalling that Ran Fan Yin was currently in seclusion, Yao Huang's lips curled into a calculating smile. "Let's see how far my dear master has progressed." Yao Huang opened the door and stepped out, pausing briefly at a portrait of a man in Ran Fan Yin's room. She stood silently for a moment before greeting, "Old friend, long time no see." The portrait, of course, couldn't reply, but Yao Huang muttered to herself, "This time, I will win." This was Ran Fan Yin's room, so Yao Huang left without lingering, heading towards the back of the mountain where Ran Fan Yin was secluded. Unaware of these developments, Ran Fan Yin had claimed seclusion as an excuse. Though victorious in her battle with Yao Huang five hundred years prior, she had sustained severe internal injuries. These injuries flared up annually, causing excruciating pain—her most fatal weakness. Thankfully, a cold spring in the depths of the rear mountain, left by her master, could alleviate her suffering. Ran Fan Yin's perpetually low body temperature was a result of this spring. Soaking in the bone-chilling water, Ran Fan Yin's lips were pale, her brows furrowed as muffled groans of pain occasionally escaped her lips. Having endured such pain numerous times, Ran Fan Yin had developed a degree of tolerance, no longer rolling in agony like in the early years, tearing her lips with her teeth. She struggled to stay lucid, needing her spiritual energy to maintain the spring's barrier, despite the formations in place—she couldn't afford to let her guard down. But for some reason, her slowly healing injuries began worsening, like her soul was being roasted over flames. Unable to bear it any longer, Ran Fan Yin violently coughed up a mouthful of blood. The blood dissolved into the azure spring water, giving it an eerie appearance. As tumultuous emotions surged through Ran Fan Yin's mind, attempting to seize her sanity, voices clamored within her: "You betrayed us!" "How are you different from a demon, resorting to such extremes?" "Ah! It hurts. I curse you to die a miserable death!" "Spare me! I'll give you anything you want!" Unable to endure it any longer, Ran Fan Yin clamped her hands over her ears and screamed in despair, "Stop it! Stop speaking in my mind!" Her eyes were vacant, tears streaming down her cheeks into the spring, looking fragile and helpless. She kept repeating, "It wasn't me. Stop it." Emotionally unstable, Ran Fan Yin lost control of her spiritual power, causing tiny cracks to form on the icy blue walls of the cave as her energy surged chaotically. Simultaneously, black mist began emanating from her body. Dressed only in her undergarments, her other clothing and a cherished flute lay beside the spring, glowing faintly. After a while, the black mist dissipated, no longer oozing from her body. Footsteps echoed outside the cave, drawing closer, along with Ning Song Wu's careful calling, "Master? Are you there?" Startled, Ran Fan Yin sensed that Ning Song Wu was about to step into the formation—a lethal trap for an ordinary human like her. Anger flared within her at the timing, but she had no time to dwell on it. Stifling the malicious thoughts in her mind, she forced herself from the water and flew with difficulty towards Ning Song Wu's location. Walking through the cave, Ning Song Wu had no idea how she got there. She wanted to turn back but couldn’t find a way out. So she called out to Ran Fan Yin, knowing this was her master's place of seclusion. Sighing, Ning Song Wu felt as if calamity had fallen upon her. Intruding upon her master's retreat, she was surely going to be punished. But strangely, despite the darkness of the cave, Ning Song Wu could vaguely make out the outlines. It felt as though her vision had improved considerably since her nap. "Master, are you there?"