Si Long sent the entirety of his Yang Soul into Qian Rongzhi’s body. The process of possession was extremely successful. Even the intangible will of the heavens could not stop him.

  He was like a returning king, facing no resistance wherever he went and reaching his capital city very soon. All that remained was torturing the thief who robbed him of his kingdom to death.

  This process took only a few seconds in total.

  Golden dragon qi soaked every inch of her flesh, every bone and every meridian, like a king recovering the world with its army. In the end, all that remained was a lone city, the soul nascence, except it was not shaped like a nascent human but a gorgeous, venomous snake. The snake bit its tail, forming a loop, like it was trying to eat itself.

  Even with Si Long’s knowledge that he placed absolute confidence in, he had never seen such a strange Soul Nascence before. When he remembered it was all due to him that she could undergo the third heavenly tribulation so quickly, he became even more enraged inside, tempted to crush it immediately. That was without a doubt the fastest method of possession.

  However, that was equivalent to killing her with his own hands. She was currently blessed by the heavens and protected by the living creatures. No matter who killed her, they would all face an intense backlash. Not only would he lose the blessings from the heavens, but his body would collapse too. The Heaven Climbing Vine would not immediately accept him as its new master either.

  There was Li Qingshan and the others leering at him outside. This was not a result he could accept. Only by devouring and digesting her soul nascence could he replace her.

  The hell snake glanced at him. There was no fear in its eyes, only coldness, as well as hints of undisguised madness.

  Si Long was afraid she was mad enough to detonate her soul nascence, so his Yang Soul gathered over immediately, like a million-strong army clad in golden armour, charging into the capital.

  At this moment, the hell snake began to spin, forming a great spiral in the centre that sucked Si Long’s Yang Soul inside.

  There was a mixture of light and shadows, and Si Long condensed his Yang Soul into human form again, standing in the muddy swamp and gazing out with uncertainty. Under the gloomy sky, countless venomous snakes wriggled and wallowed in the swamp, devouring one another. The hissing sounds were unending, enough to give him chills.

  Si Long had clearly heard about the Venomous Snake hell from the Hell realm before. He completely understood the Illustrations of Naraka as well, but that was not enough to eliminate his current shock. Perhaps it was exactly because he understood what was going on that he felt even more bewildered.

  When regular disciples of the school of Legalism borrowed the power of hell, the role they served were the “prison guards”. Only fools that were desperate for quick success would inflict the tortures of hell on themselves in an attempt to temper their wills and purify their souls, but most of them died from insanity.

  But compared to her, those people were all ordinary, forced to do so to break free from the restraints of their talent. When they truly reached her cultivation, they would still try everything that they could to return to being prison guards. After all, no one pursued longevity for the sake of enduring the tortures of hell.

  However, she had basically imprisoned herself into the depths of hell, such that she was basically in the Venomous Snake hell no matter where she was, day and night, without end, without even a moment of rest. As soon as she ascended, she would immediately end up in the Venomous Snake hell.

  It was no wonder why she could still laugh after being shaved to pieces. Compared to pain like that, no matter what kind of tortures her body faced, it was completely negligible. Killing her was basically a form of release.

  Si Long gritted his teeth. Just like that, if he devoured her soul nascence, he would have to shoulder the Venomous Snake hell in her place. Even he, a mighty Human Sovereign, could not sever a connection with the Hell realm so easily.

  ……


  “Quick, use this opportunity to kill him!”


  Rāhu Xiaoming drew his slingshot, and the surroundings dimmed. The stone pierced the Barrier of the Nine Provinces, leaving behind a black, spiralling trajectory.

  The Heaven Climbing Vine had basically drained the power within the nine cauldrons. Coupled with a blow like that, the nine cauldrons basically could not maintain the barrier any more. The recently-forged Frost Province cauldron exploded loudly, reduced to pieces. The Barrier of the Nine Provinces vanished.

  After devouring the great cultivators and Daemon Kings, the Heaven Climbing Vine spread and grew even more, almost enveloping the entire mountain peak like a green net.

  Li Qingshan lifted the Frenzy Flower Blade of Path’s End, unleashing A Madman at Path’s End. In the blink of an eye, the flowery patterns covered his body.

  Merging with the blade, he turned into a dazzling, rotating flurry. The vines were cut down wherever he passed by, paving a path. He arrived right before Qian Rongzhi, but he stopped. His sharp blade hovered over her head.

  Rāhu Xiaoming urged him. “I know what you’re thinking. Her soul nascence cannot defeat a Yang Soul. Once Si Long possesses her successfully, all of our efforts will go to waste!”


  “Let me do it!”


  Xiao An emerged from behind Li Qingshan, so quiet that she resembled his shadow. She lifted the Buddha Slaying sword slowly and sighed inside.

  At a time like this, that sword would be even more effective than the Frenzy Flower Blade of Path’s End.

  Li Qingshan grabbed her wrist and shook his head gently. He smiled. “It’s rare for you not to want to kill someone. Speaking of which, I don’t want the horrible reputation of repaying kindness with hostility. What kind of man would I be if I got you to kill her for me? If everything goes to waste, then everything goes to waste. I will kill him with my own hands!”


  He always kept clear tabs on his debts. No matter how much he loathed Qian Rongzhi, she had helped him tremendously this time, so he definitely would not take advantage of her situation and kill her while she was vulnerable.

  Rāhu Xiaoming wanted to say something, but he faltered. He was also in doubt. Logically speaking, with the difference between Yang Souls and soul nascences, possession would only take an instant. This woman called Qian Rongzhi stood absolutely no chance against him, yet many seconds had already passed, but they were still in a stalemate. Was it due to the blessing of the heavens?

  Gu Yanying smiled. “Both of you have raised valid points. This disciple of mine has always been particularly stubborn and insidious. Since she’s bold enough to stay here and face Si Long, she must have something that she can rely on. She won’t be possessed that easily. However, I don’t think she has any chances at victory either. Once Si Long possesses her successfully, that’ll be troublesome. Why don’t we lend her a hand and destroy Si Long in her body? If that doesn’t work out, then we’ve basically tried everything that we can. We can launch a preemptive strike if Si Long possesses her successfully!”


  “Good idea!”


  Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. Originally, even if they could defeat Si Long, killing him would be extremely difficult, but now was a fine opportunity.

  The four of them stood around Qian Rongzhi. The Heaven Climbing Vine filled the surroundings, so it did surround them. On top of that, with it out of control, the Heaven Climbing Vine was now impelled by its instincts to entwine and devour, but they were already prepared for this.

  With a wave of her hand, the Samādhi Flames of White Bone roared out, enveloping them in the flames. As soon as the vines touched the flames, it stopped approaching them. Then she tossed out the Immortal Relinquished sword, shooting into the sky with a twisted flash and cutting off the very top of the Heaven Climbing Vine.

  At that instant, the connection between the nine provinces and the Human realm had been severed.

  “Do it!”


  Li Qingshan placed his hand on Qian Rongzhi’s head. The spirit turtle faded into existence, suppressing down viciously.

  Gu Yanying manifested the Hot Wind hell. The whistling winds surged into Qian Rongzhi’s body.

  Rāhu Xiaoming peered into Qian Rongzhi’s eyes. His pupils turned pitch-black.