Chapter 160

"Qi Meng Sheng-----" Zong Zi Xiao's angry roar pierced through the valley where the killing was rampant and reached straight into the two's ears. He was being attacked from two sides by Li Bu Yu and Xu Zhi Nan and was so distracted that he had to manipulate a group of Yin soldiers to turn around and rush in their direction.

"Go in first." Qi Meng Sheng and Zong Zi Heng retreated into the cave. She waved her hand to seal the entrance with ice. Behind the half-permeable ice were dark figures gathering, like ghosts in a thick fog.

Zong Zi Heng looked horrified: "Why hasn't his spiritual energy dried up? Is he absorbing spiritual energy from the ice crystals?" Zong Zi Xiao, no matter how gifted he was, had not reached the Mahayana stage after all. His cultivation might have been first place on earth, but as long as he was still a physical mortal, he could not possibly afford to supply the consumption of the ancient divine treasure for a long period of time. It took the cooperation of a hundred high-ranking cultivators to open the furnace of Shen Nong Ding once, Zong Zi Xiao should not be powerful to this extent, unless ...

"The ice crystal isn't that powerful, otherwise it should be the Cangyu Sect uniting Jiuzhou. He's absorbing spiritual energy from the Yin soldiers." Qi Meng Sheng said with an expressionless face.

Zong Zi Heng's face was ashen and his body was like falling into a cold kiln.

When he saw Zong Zi Xiao's state, he actually already had this guess in his mind.

Zong Zi Xiao had used his spiritual power to control the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman to summon the Yin soldiers, and he also absorbed spiritual power from them, so his spiritual power was incessant, and he alone has the power of a magnificent army with thousands of men and horses. However, Yin soldiers are Yin cultivators, and the human body is balanced with Yin and Yang. Absorbing a large amount of spiritual energy from Yin cultivators will lead to an imbalance of Yin and Yang, which may lead to going off the rails at least, or a complete breakdown at worst. Even the soul will be scattered due to the backlash of Yin energy. After his return, Zong Zi Xiao's gloomy, cold, violent and evil temperament is certainly related to what he has experienced, but it is inextricably linked to his demonization. It is only his profound cultivation and foundation of more than twenty years of orthodox sword cultivation that he is able to suppress his Yin energy for the time being. But at this moment he is absorbing a large amount of Yin soldiers' spiritual energy, seemingly gaining supreme power for a short time, but in fact he is intensifying his own destruction.

If this continues, either Zong Zi Xiao would slaughter the immortal cultivation world, or he would go off the rails, lose his sanity and finally die a violent death.

Zong Zi Heng said in a deep voice, "Help me unseal the chakra, I am going to stop him."

"How does the Emperor intend to stop him?" Qi Meng Sheng said indifferently, "He might die from the Yin energy backlash, but before that happens, he might kill everyone."

"... I will kill him with my own hands." The heart that had been repeatedly cut a thousand times could no longer feel the pain. The world in his eyes was like a sky covered by Yin soldiers, which no more light could penetrate. He only had one thought now, and that is to stop Zong Zi Xiao from doing evil, no matter what method he used. Even if the two of them died together.

"If the Emperor wants to stop him, the most important thing you should do is not fight in close quarters." Qi Meng Sheng's gaze glittered with an unintelligible chill.

"What do you mean?"

Qi Meng Sheng gripped the ice-crystal longbow in her hand and said slowly, "Please, Emperor, give me your golden core."

Zong Zi Heng gazed at her motionlessly and said indifferently, "You also want my core."

"Right." Qi Meng Sheng was cold, proud and aloof in nature, and had never faced Zong Zi Heng without being obsequious nor supercilious. Even when her words were offensive, she would never be perfunctory, but at this moment a hint of uneasiness flashed across her face, yet her eyes were stern and determined.

"You want this core, then why didn't you take it back then in Kunlun, when I was seriously injured and totally powerless to fight back?"

"This is one situation and that was another."

Zong Zi Heng asked calmly, "Take this core, and then what? Will you be able to stop Zong Zi Xiao by eating the Absolute Human Emperor?"

"I don't eat human cores." Qi Meng Sheng looked straight into Zong Zi Heng's eyes that seemed to see through everything, "This core of the Emperor must not fall into the hands of Zong Zi Xiao, but he has already forced Cangyu Sect to open the furnace for Shen Nong Ding, so he will soon be able to refine the Absolute Human Emperor after taking your core. At that time, there will be no possibility for us to stop him."

"Are you really just trying to prevent Zong Zi Xiao from getting this core?" Zong Zi Heng always forced his eyes on Qi Meng Sheng, and he thought: with Qi Meng Sheng's pride, she probably would not bother to lie.

Under that sharp gaze, Qi Meng Sheng lowered her phoenix eyes slightly, and her cherry lips mumbled slightly, "Your core can save one person."

"Who?"

"Cheng Yan Zhi."

"What?" This long ago and familiar name, Zong Zi Heng momentarily thought he had heard it wrong.

"Cheng Yan Zhi. He is still alive." Qi Meng Sheng said.

Zong Zi Heng still remembered when Xu Zhi Nan had used the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp to hang onto Cheng Yan Zhi's life, even though it had long been declared to the public that Cheng Yan Zhi had been killed by the core stealing Demonic Cultivator and had died of serious injuries. More than ten years had passed, but he never expected that Cheng Yan Zhi was still alive!

Qi Meng Sheng's expression was like the surface of a river that was about to freeze. The cracks revealing her desperately suppressed emotions: "Yes, he is still alive, but he can't leave the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp. He is just a living dead man. After eating the Absolute Human Emperor, he can truly come back to life."

"You and Cheng Yan Zhi have never known each other, why do you want to save him? Or should I say..." Zong Zi Heng's emotion did not undulate at all, "It was Xu Zhi Nan who sent you." The mere thought of this possibility made people shiver, but Zong Zi Heng had no surges. In this world, perhaps everyone covets his core. His existence is meaningless. His purpose was to be a flesh and blood vessel for this core.

"No, Yan Zhi and I are not strangers to each other either." Qi Meng Sheng said in a hoarse voice, "Apart from being able to suspend the lives of people on the verge of death, the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp also has an unknown ability, which is to allow people to swap souls."

"..."

"Over the years, Xu Zhi Nan and Cheng Yan Zhi were sharing a body, taking turns to be 'alive'." Qi Meng Sheng calmly revealed the shocking secret.

Zong Zi Heng was momentarily speechless. Only after a long time did he say, "So you and Xu Zhi Nan are, in fact, ..."

"The person I love is Yan Zhi."

Zong Zi Heng gasped and only felt a chill run down his back. It turned out that in this matter, Li Bu Yu did not tell tales. Xu Zhi Nan and Cheng Yan Zhi occasionally switched bodies, which was why they had different temperaments or did things inconsistently. It turned out that Xu Zhi Nan's claim that he had to go into seclusion every now and then because of his health was also true.

During these ten years or so, in Xu Zhi Nan's body, there were two people living alternatively, and he had never noticed because he had only met Xu Zhi Nan a few times, but Qi Meng Sheng had developed feelings for that host spirit?

How absurd.

Qi Meng Sheng took a step closer and said coldly, "Emperor, your core must not be obtained by Zong Zi Xiao, so it cannot remain in your belly. Give it to me, at least it can still save one person."

Zong Zi Heng took a step back, his face cold and grim.

"I will only take the core. I will not harm the Emperor's life."

Zong Zi Heng asked in reply, "Does Xu Zhi Nan know?"

Qi Meng Sheng pursed her lips and said nothing.

Zong Zi Heng's back was against the stone wall, and he could no longer retreat. He looked at Qi Meng Sheng, who was glaring at him, and suddenly chuckled.

Qi Meng Sheng looked at Zong Zi Heng warily.

The muffled laughter grew louder and louder, and finally, Zong Zi Heng simply could not stop laughing. His mournful laughter echoed in the cave, and the lingering sound was long-lasting.

"Hahahahaha, the golden core, my golden core." Zong Zi Heng laughed till his tears fell. As he laughed, he said viciously, "There is no Zong Zi Heng in this world, everyone wants to dig out my core."

His biological father, the younger brother he had painstakingly brought up, the friends he thought he was close with, the followers he had thought were loyal, everyone had once cajoled him with a genuine look, while behind his back, they were thinking of opening his guts up.

Yet he thought that this supreme talent was a gift, which is the world’s largest amusement. It was clearly the evil karma of his destiny implanted by the reincarnation from heaven, which now bore the most poisonous fruit.

He was cursed. His origin, his destiny, everything about him was dripping with bloody evil karma. It was because of this core that he and Xiao Jiu had fallen to the state they were in today.

Evil, he saw boundless evil.

Qi Meng Sheng's palm condensed out an ice spell and struck towards Zong Zi Heng.

The Zongxuan sword was unsheathed, cutting down the strike, and Zong Zi Heng ran towards the cave entrance.

Zong Zi Heng, whose chakra was only half unlocked, was no match for Qi Meng Sheng. The killing intent behind him was like a blade licking across his throat, and he did not need to look back to know that Qi Meng Sheng was drawing her bow.

He poured his limited spiritual energy into his sword. With a few streaks of sword energy flying out, he slashed at the cave entrance.

The Yin soldiers outside were still chiseling the ice wall left by Qi Meng Sheng, and with the combined attack from inside and outside, the ice wall shattered with a bang, and Zong Zi Heng*

 

----

PS: *may the readers continue the story xD SQC didn't complete the sentence, anyway I'm pretty sure he ran out of the cave...? (SQC's version of suspense I guess xD)

 

Edited  on 8 May 21 (Emzie)

 

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