Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen unleashed two streams of spiritual power, seizing Xuan Qu's severed head and mangled remains.
Instantly, the head and torso withered into a mummified corpse.
Flames erupted from Song Wen's hands.
In the blink of an eye, the mummified corpse was reduced to ashes, scattering into the swirling Primordial Qi.
Without pausing, Song Wen activated his escape technique and vanished.
Simultaneously, he projected a portion of his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness, where he materialized a phantom-like figure.
Xuan Qu's divine soul was imprisoned within the Sea of Consciousness Black Hole, utterly immobilized.
Like Bai Wei before him, cracks spiderwebbed across his Soul Body, yet his consciousness remained clear.
Song Wen couldn't help but worry that the oppressive pressure emanating from the Sea of Consciousness would crush Xuan Qu's soul.
Reluctantly, he manipulated the Black Hole to ease the pressure.
"Xuan Qu, answer a few questions, and I'll grant you a swift end."
Song Wen's words rang with bitter irony in Xuan Qu's ears.
Just moments ago, Xuan Qu had spoken the very same words to Song Wen, in a similar tone.
"Chi Pei, kill me or torture me as you please. This Monarch's divine soul is shattered beyond repair, on the verge of collapse. Soul scattering and spirit vanishing is my inevitable fate. Why should I submit to you and answer your questions?"
A mocking smile spread across Song Wen's face, as if ridiculing Xuan Qu's ignorance.
He raised his hand and pointed upward. The Black Hole above immediately released streams of spiritual light that cascaded down upon Xuan Qu's divine soul.
Instantly, the cracks in Xuan Qu's soul began to show signs of healing.
"Xuan Qu, achieving soul scattering and spirit vanishing isn't as easy as you think. As long as I will it, I can make you endure the agony of your soul being torn apart endlessly."
Xuan Qu felt the inhuman pain diminish significantly, his face etched with profound shock.
The Black Hole above Chi Pei's Sea of Consciousness was truly unfathomable. Not only could it suppress void fiends within the Sea of Consciousness, but it could also release spiritual objects capable of healing divine souls.
Xuan Qu's expression turned despondent. If even death was denied him, what hope remained for resistance?
"Ask what you want to know," he said.
"What was the outcome of the Battle of Luyang City?" Song Wen demanded.
"I don't know either," Xuan Qu replied. "That day, after Gong Tianzong and Wei Gu broke through the formation, the Orthodox Path forces gained the upper hand, and I felt a sudden urge to retreat. Moreover, I had intended to kill Bai Wei, so I seized an opportunity to slip away from the battlefield. I then followed the lingering traces of your and Bai Wei's auras. However, when you both fled underground into the Primordial Qi Death Zone, the chaotic Primordial Qi interfered with my senses, preventing me from detecting your auras deep beneath the surface. I had no choice but to give up. That's why I didn't question your claim that Bai Wei was in seclusion in the Primordial Qi Death Zone, healing her injuries."
"What grudge do you hold against Bai Wei? Why do you want to kill her?" Song Wen pressed again.
Xuan Qu shook his head, his gaze turning wistful.
"There's no grudge between us. Quite the opposite, in fact. When I first met her in my youth, I was struck by her otherworldly beauty."
"Otherworldly beauty?" Song Wen glanced at Xuan Qu skeptically.
While Bai Wei's features were undeniably delicate and refined, she hardly stood out in the Immortal Cultivation World, where beauties were as numerous as the clouds. How could she possibly be considered "otherworldly"?
Still...
Her figure was undeniably graceful and alluring, radiating an irresistible charm.
In Song Wen's mind, the indescribable softness he had felt when he once pinned Bai Wei beneath him flashed instantly.
Xuan Qu seemed to sense the doubt in Song Wen's eyes and continued, "Bai Wei's current appearance isn't her true face. She's disguised herself to appear ordinary."
Song Wen's confusion deepened. "Even if she were the most stunning beauty in the world, what does that have to do with why you want to kill her?"
Xuan Qu's gaze turned profound, as if recalling ancient memories. "About four thousand years ago, when we were both golden core cultivators, we first met at the triennial joint competition of the three great sects. From that fleeting glance across the arena, her image became deeply etched in my heart. From that moment on, I secretly vowed to marry her in this lifetime. But..."
Xuan Qu's tone shifted abruptly, becoming filled with fury and resentment. "To win her affection, I swallowed my pride and relentlessly courted her—for four thousand long years! During all that time, I poured out all my tenderness and devotion like a moth drawn to a flame. Yet she remained unmoved, as cold and unresponsive as a stone."
"I once believed she had no interest in romantic relationships, her heart solely devoted to the Dao of cultivation. Yet, centuries ago, she secretly carried on an affair with a demonic cultivator from the Divine Blood Gate, only to be abandoned after being seduced. It was then that I awoke from my delusion, realizing that the aloof, cold demeanor she presented to me was nothing but a facade. In truth, she was nothing more than a wanton, despicable woman at heart. From that moment on, I swore to take her life, to avenge the humiliation I had endured for four thousand years while desperately trying to win her favor."
Song Wen gave Xuan Qu a strange look.
Could this be what they call 'love turned to hate'?
A dignified cultivator at the Body Integration Stage—what woman could possibly elude him, driving him to such extremes?
Yet, upon further reflection, Song Wen found nothing surprising in this.
After all, no sane man would obsess over a woman who treated him with such cold indifference for four millennia.
"Who was the demonic cultivator Bai Wei was involved with?" Song Wen asked.
"I don't know," Xuan Qu replied. "But his cultivation was exceptionally high—likely a Great Ascension Stage cultivator."
Song Wen paused, slightly taken aback.
A Heavenly Chosen of the Orthodox Path falling in love with a demonic path overlord!
This is far too melodramatic.
But Bai Wei and Xuan Qu's tangled love-hate relationship was none of his concern. Song Wen shifted the topic.
"What kind of talisman was that thunder talisman you used to escape earlier?"
"Profound Thunder Nine Heavens Talisman," Xuan Qu replied.
"Did you craft this talisman yourself?" Song Wen asked.
"I can't craft talismans," Xuan Qu said. "I purchased these from the sect. Originally, there were three. I used one during the Battle of Luyang City, another when you were chasing me, leaving only one remaining."
Song Wen nodded. While interrogating Xuan Qu, he had already scanned the storage ring and confirmed that only a single purple-gold talisman remained.
"There's a silver jade slip in your storage ring containing a secret art called the Profound Thunder Nine Heavens Art. Was this talisman crafted based on that secret art?"
"Indeed," Xuan Qu confirmed. "The Profound Thunder Nine Heavens Art is fundamentally a thunder-based escape technique, one of the three great escape techniques of the Profound Sky Sect. However, its cultivation requirements are extremely stringent, demanding exceptional talent in thunder magic. Otherwise, even after a century of arduous training, one might never grasp its fundamentals. Though my talent in thunder magic is already remarkable, I still couldn't master it, which is why I purchased these three Profound Thunder Nine Heavens Talismans for self-defense."
Song Wen's interest in the Profound Thunder Nine Heavens Art immediately piqued.
He was eager to know how his thunder magic talent had developed since devouring two demon beasts with Divine Beast bloodlines in the Lower Realm.
(End of the Chapter)
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