Upon hearing Lin Feng's words, Wu Pang didn't show surprise. He merely fell silent for a few seconds before replying coldly, "Fine!! But you must swear a Dao Oath! You must let me leave after I truthfully answer your questions!"
"A Dao Oath?" A trace of mockery touched Lin Feng's lips. No cultivator swore a Dao Oath lightly—certainly not for something like this. He sneered, "Do you honestly believe you are still in a position to bargain?"
As he spoke, his thoughts stirred. The flames encircling Wu Pang abruptly contracted inwards! The space within shrank by nearly half, leaving less than a meter of clearance. Wu Pang's Nascent Soul instinctively recoiled, fear flashing in its eyes. But then defiance surged, a desperate gamble. It shrieked, "Then why should I trust you?! If death is certain regardless, just kill me now!! You'll never learn the secrets of the Blood Demon Blade!!"
The blatant threat ignited a sudden, ferocious anger deep within Lin Feng. His voice turned icy as the grave. "Want death?! Fine—I'll grant it!"
He raised his right hand abruptly and made a crushing motion towards Wu Pang. Instantly, the surrounding flames surged inward, engulfing the Nascent Soul completely!
"AAAAAHHH!!!" True panic filled Wu Pang's eyes. He screamed wildly, flailing his arms. Layer upon layer of translucent energy coated his ethereal form, desperately resisting the encroaching flames. Though he lacked a physical body, a faint, sickening sizzling sound filled the air. Wu Pang's Nascent Soul writhed and contorted in silent agony within the inferno, a pitiful sight.
For over a full minute, the torment continued. Only then did Lin Feng flick his wrist. The flames immediately pulled back, revealing a hollow space barely half a meter wide. Inside, Wu Pang's Nascent Soul was visibly weaker, flickering like a dying candle flame. Lin Feng looked down on him coldly. "You demanded I kill you outright. Why resist? Had you simply surrendered, you would already be nothing but scattered dust."
"..." Wu Pang's Nascent Soul gasped for breath like a drowning man, its luminous gaze now holding palpable fear as it stared at Lin Feng. After a long struggle, it managed to stammer, "Wh-what... what do you want?! If you... if you promise to spare me... I'll tell you everything! Everything you want to know!! I'll even give you the secret arts of the Yin Corpse Sect!!"
"I have no interest in your Sect's filthy tricks!!" Lin Feng snorted with contempt. Then, without warning, he waved his hand again. The roaring flames surged forward once more, swallowing Wu Pang's Nascent Soul!
"NOOOOO!!!" Wu Pang screamed, utterly unprepared for Lin Feng's brutal caprice. Terror consumed him as he resumed his futile struggle against the Magma Flame.
"..." Another minute passed. Lin Feng slowly opened his raised right hand. The flames obediently retreated, unveiling the Nascent Soul once more. It was now perilously translucent, flickering weakly like embers about to die.
"You..." Wu Pang gasped, struggling to lift his head, perhaps to speak. But he only managed a single syllable before he saw Lin Feng's open fingers suddenly clench into a fist once more!!
"NO!!! AAAHHH!!!" Wu Pang shuddered violently. Denied even a plea, he was swallowed by fire again.
This time, Wu Pang endured less than a minute. Just as he surrendered, ceasing his struggle, the scorching flames inexplicably retreated. He seized the fleeting respite, gasping for nearly ten seconds before he could weakly raise his head. His gaze met Lin Feng's utterly emotionless eyes.
In that instant, Wu Pang—a cultivator of centuries, a perpetrator of countless tortures—felt a chill pierce the very core of his being. He finally understood. This man wasn't just killing him; he was deliberately tormenting him. Making him crave death, yet denying him release!!
Utter despair washed over Wu Pang. Intense resentment and bitter unwillingness flashed in his eyes, twisting his expression into a grotesque mask. He raised his tiny right hand and slammed it towards the crown of his own head!
He had abandoned hope of mercy. To escape this agony, he chose self-destruction—spiritual suicide!
Yet, in that exact heartbeat, a sharp glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. It was as if he had been waiting for this very moment! His right hand shot through the lingering haze of fire faster than lightning. Several intricate seals flashed simultaneously, striking Wu Pang's Nascent Soul!
Instantly, multiple points of light flared across Wu Pang's ethereal body. Complex runic patterns shimmered briefly before sinking deep into his essence. Wu Pang's Nascent Soul froze completely, paralyzed as if bound by an immobilizing curse.
Wu Pang was stunned, confusion momentarily eclipsing his terror. Then, raw, primal horror flooded his being as he saw what Lin Feng produced next. His luminous eyes dilated impossibly wide, consumed by disbelief and bottomless dread. "SOUL BANNER!!!" he shrieked, the sound piercingly shrill. "You... you possess a Soul Banner?! What... what are you going to do?!"
Lin Feng held the very banner he had acquired from the wicked cultivator on the Maze Island. He ignored Wu Pang's screams. With a casual gesture, he recalled the lingering Magma Flame. Then, his right hand formed another seal, tapping the dark fabric of the banner. Instantly, thick black smoke billowed forth, releasing a multitude of wailing, ghostly wraiths.
Watching Lin Feng handle the Soul Banner with such unnerving familiarity, coupled with the paralyzing seals used moments earlier, Wu Pang was struck by a horrifying realization. "Th-this..." he stammered, consumed by shock. "This is Wu Luosen's Soul Puppetry Technique!! How... how could you possibly know it?!?!"
Surrounded by swirling wraiths, Lin Feng regarded the immobilized Nascent Soul with an expressionless face. He ignored the question. "You thought death would come easily? Don't worry. I won't let you die." His voice was chillingly calm. "I will bind your soul and refine your spirit. You will know intimately the exquisite agony of a hundred wraiths devouring your essence."
He paused momentarily, as if recalling something, then added almost conversationally, "Ah, yes. Later, I shall retrieve that Wu Luosen's Soul Banner. It holds many more wraiths... easily enough to manage a 'Thousand Ghosts Devouring Soul' ritual..."
Lin Feng met Wu Pang's petrified gaze and offered a twisted reassurance. "Don't fret. You won't perish. I'll preserve your consciousness. You'll 'live'... 'forever'... within the Soul Banner..."
Wu Pang finally broke. His mind snapped under the weight of unimaginable horror. "WHO ARE YOU?!!" he screamed, utterly hysterical. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!!!"
Lin Feng's voice remained glacial. "You know perfectly well what I want."
"Alright! ALRIGHT!!!" Wu Pang howled, his spirit shattered. "I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!! Just... just grant me a swift end!!"
Successive torments had demolished Wu Pang's mental defenses. He never imagined Lin Feng was also a practitioner of such forbidden arts. He knew all too well the unspeakable fate of being refined into a soul puppet. He would choose death ten times over rather than endure that.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Lin Feng's lips. "Good," he stated calmly. "Begin. What exactly is the Blood Demon Blade? And who was this 'Elder Luo' who once possessed it?"
Wu Pang instinctively wanted to bargain, but Lin Feng's icy stare froze the thought in its tracks. He had no choice but to comply. "I... I don't know the precise origins of the Blood Demon Blade," he confessed hastily. "I only know Elder Luo acquired it from a mysterious ancient ruin somewhere. It's at least a Dao Artifact, possessing the terrifying power to absorb the blood and soul essence of any living creature to enhance its own might. As for Elder Luo... he was one of the managing elders of our Yin Corpse Sect in the East Loong Continent. His jurisdiction covered this very Starry Sea region... but he vanished thirteen years ago. Since you have obtained his Blood Demon Blade... he must be dead..."
Thirteen years ago!
A flicker of something—recognition, calculation—passed through Lin Feng's eyes, quickly masked. He pressed on, his tone controlled. "Oh? What happened before Elder Luo vanished? Where was he last seen?"
"I... I'm not entirely certain..." Wu Pang stammered, flinching as Lin Feng's expression hardened. He hurriedly added, "But there were rumors! Rumors that he discovered some priceless spiritual treasure! He disappeared while pursuing it! According to the last message he sent back... the treasure was said to be an exceptionally rare and precious spiritual herb!! Also... there were other whispers... whispers that Elder Luo's trail was spotted within the borders of the Yue Kingdom, far inland!! Though their truth was never confirmed. Later, Elder Yin personally took charge of the matter... but no further news ever emerged. I have no idea if Elder Yin ever found him!"
Priceless spiritual herb! Inland! Yue Kingdom!
Lin Feng's mind reeled. He rapidly pieced together the fragments. Thirteen years ago... exactly when my parents disappeared! That herb... could it be the Seven-Colored Immortal Lotus? That Elder Luo, unaware my father left the Lotus in the Starry Sea, pursued him all the way inland... sightings in Yue Kingdom? Yue is Xia Kingdom's neighbor! So that 'zombie cultivator' in the Black Fog Medicine Valley truly was Elder Luo?! But why was he there? Father still vanished... was it because of this Elder Yin?
While seemingly uncovering vital clues, the questions only multiplied, tangling Lin Feng's thoughts into a knot. He remained silent for a long while, wrestling with the implications. Finally, he seized upon the most crucial question. "What were the identities of this Elder Luo and Elder Yin? What were their cultivation levels?!"
Wu Pang was bewildered by Lin Feng's intense focus on these specifics. He hesitated briefly before answering. "Elder Luo... his name was Luo Lielu. He was at the Xuanyin Stage (Mysterious Yin Stage - Mid-stage Soul Transformation). He was merely one of the managing elders in the East Loong Continent. Elder Yin... his name was Yin Wuyá. He... he is one of the Grand Elders of our Yin Corpse Sect! He oversees all Sect affairs in the East Loong Continent. His cultivation... is the Great Ascension Stage (Dacheng Stage)!!"