As an Evil Cultivator who had reached the Nascent Soul stage, he had lost count of how many people’s lifeblood and essence he had devoured.

Not only had those people died senseless deaths, but they were forced to remain conscious and endure humiliation throughout the ordeal—a violation of their very spirit.

That damage went far beyond physical pain.

’Scum like him should have died long ago. And he dares to dream I’ll spare his life?’

’He’s dreaming!’

’And then there’s Liu Yao. A Nascent Soul True Monarch from a supposedly righteous sect, colluding with an Evil Cultivator for personal gain. For that alone, he deserves to die.’

’He has to die, too.’

’But letting him die so easily would be letting him off too lightly.’

Song Wanning’s eyes darkened. She would strip away his dignity, piece by piece, and let him die drowning in endless humiliation and resentment.

’And I’ll drag Liu Yiyi down with him.’

’Even his death must have value to me.’

She placed the Memory Stone in mid-air, then ignored the two figures entwined on the ground and walked to the entrance of the cave.

Liu Yao’s endless roars of anger and loud curses echoed from inside the cave.

As she listened to his panicked, enraged shouts, Song Wanning took out a cup of Spiritual Tea and began to sip it slowly, savoring the taste along with the sound of his screams.

...

Time trickled by. The moon climbed high into the sky, its light filtering through the dappled shadows of the trees and falling upon the cave entrance. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The sounds from the cave had long since stopped.

Or rather, Liu Yao had long since screamed himself hoarse.

Qi Xiezi straightened his clothes and walked out, his body covered in purple bruises. A trace of insatiable longing still lingered on his face.

’It’s a shame Liu Yao passed out,’ Qi Xiezi thought with a touch of regret. ’Otherwise, we could have had another round or two.’

He licked his lips and walked up to Song Wanning with a fawning expression.

Internally, however, he was cursing, ’Damn her, what kind of poison did Song Wanning give me? There’s still no sign of it letting up. I can’t feel a trace of my Evil Qi.’

’How can I get out of this?’

’If she gets upset and decides to kill me, I won’t even be able to lift a finger to defend myself.’

"Master, it has been taken care of!"

He bowed deeply, his already short stature seeming even smaller.

Song Wanning glanced back at him, her expression indifferent.

The next moment, her hand was placed directly on Qi Xiezi’s head.

Qi Xiezi was startled. Before he could react, a flame suddenly shot out, engulfing his entire head.

"AHH—"

He cried out in alarm but suddenly found himself held firmly in place. The terrifying pressure was so immense he couldn’t even move his eyeballs.

"The D-Divine Nether Profound Fire?"

Qi Xiezi glanced at the flame, trembling, and his heart jolted violently.

’This is one of the top three flames on the Abnormal Fire rankings, and it specializes in attacking the Divine Soul.’

If the vengeful souls in his Soul Summoning Banner could injure a person’s Divine Soul, then this Divine Nether Profound Fire could destroy a Divine Soul completely.

’To think Song Wanning possesses such a treasure!’

’Combined with her Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivation, I would be no match for her even if I weren’t poisoned.’

These complex thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Then, an intense burning pain originating from the depths of his Divine Soul swept over him.

In that instant, Qi Xiezi’s facial features began to twist and contort.

"AHHH—"

He screamed in agony.

The oppressive pressure had vanished, and he rolled on the ground in pain, wailing and howling.

If one had to name the most agonizing pain in the world, it would undoubtedly be damage to one’s Divine Soul—let alone having it directly incinerated by scorching flames.

Soon, Qi Xiezi’s entire body was wracked with such pain that he convulsed uncontrollably and began to foam at the mouth.

Although there were no visible wounds, the sight was all the more horrifying.

The painful howls jolted Liu Yao awake. He quietly opened his eyes a crack, and his entire body trembled.

’Song Wanning has the Divine Nether Profound Fire?’

’Damn it!’

’How does she get her hands on all the good stuff?!’

Liu Yao’s heart was filled with jealousy and indignation, but even more so with fear.

At this moment, his Spiritual Power was still recovering ever so slowly.

’Until I’m fully recovered, I’m no match for her.’

He quickly concealed his aura, hoping to deceive Song Wanning for the time being, buying time to restore his Spiritual Energy while thinking of a way to escape.

Liu Yao closed his eyes, trying to hide his breathing.

But Qi Xiezi’s shrill screams were like sharp daggers, stabbing viciously at his heart.

BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP.

His heart hammered in his chest, and a wave of fear washed over Liu Yao.

’If Song Wanning finds out I’m awake, she’ll kill me on the spot.’

’I have to stay calm. Stay calm!’

By constantly repeating this to himself, Liu Yao finally managed to calm down.

At the cave entrance, Qi Xiezi’s voice grew weaker and weaker.

His body was still twitching, but the spasms were gradually lessening.

At this very moment, a miniature Nascent Soul scrambled out of his Sea of Consciousness in a desperate attempt to flee for its life.

When a Cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul stage, a miniature Nascent Soul forms within their Sea of Consciousness, granting them what is essentially an extra life.

If necessary, they can abandon their physical body, find a new host for the Nascent Soul, and perform a possession.

Therefore, as long as Qi Xiezi’s Nascent Soul escaped, he would have a chance to start over.

Clinging to a sliver of hope for survival, the Nascent Soul shot out of the Sea of Consciousness and darted toward the cave exit.

Song Wanning stood at the entrance unhurriedly, making no move to stop it.

In that moment, Qi Xiezi seemed to have grasped a glimmer of hope.

The will to survive drove him to use every last bit of his remaining strength to flee madly forward.

’Faster!’

’Even faster!’

Qi Xiezi screamed frantically in his mind. He was just about to escape from that demon Song Wanning when, in the next instant, an Array Pattern materialized before him.

The Array Pattern rippled. It blocked his path and severed his last shred of hope.

He stopped abruptly, his final ounce of strength drained away.

’It’s over!’

’It’s all over!’

Qi Xiezi’s eyes lost focus. He closed them in despair.

’That wretched demon, Song Wanning.’

Not only had she used him, but she had also made him experience the pain of his Divine Soul being burned alive.

You could say the endless pain forced him to give up one of his lives.

’And now she’s even cut off my last chance at survival. This is too much!’

Qi Xiezi whipped his head around. Blood streamed from his eyes, his face contorted with boundless hatred.

"I’LL TAKE YOU DOWN WITH ME!!!!"

He roared and charged at Song Wanning, attempting to self-destruct his Nascent Soul. Even if he couldn’t take her with him, he wanted to at least injure her.

But when he looked up, he was met only by the faint, mocking smile on Song Wanning’s face.

She simply raised her hand, and a Golden Small Sword flew from her fingertips.

"NO—"

Qi Xiezi let out a terrified scream.

The next moment, the swelling miniature Nascent Soul popped like a leaky balloon. With a BOOM, it exploded.

It dissolved into specks of light that quickly vanished into the air.

The corpse at the cave entrance also changed.

The body, which had looked like a small, delicately-carved figure, suddenly transformed. It now measured over 1.6 meters, its head full of white hair, its skin covered in age spots and wrinkles.

It even began to emit a foul stench.

Song Wanning raised her hand again, tossed a Fireball Talisman, and swiftly burned the corpse to ash.