Chapter 95
A beautiful young girl in a fiery red dress stood at the entrance. When she chased after them, she noticed there was an unclear restriction at the entrance to this realm.
She intended to torment people as a warning to others, but she wanted to do it without anyone knowing. Once she finished and they discovered the fate of this father and son, they would realize the dire consequences of speaking carelessly.
The girl before him was stunningly beautiful and charming, especially her captivating eyes. It seemed all the allure in the world could not compare to her eyes alone. Initially, Zhu Chi had also been interested in her. But now that she appeared here, her intentions were likely malicious.
With a single sentence, she exposed what he had just done. Zhu Chi’s heart trembled and he subconsciously pressed his sleeve where he had hidden the Shui You grass he stole after killing Mei Luo.
Those eyes, brimming with endless charm, keenly captured his movement. Su Heng’s face revealed a strange, eerie smile. “It seems you came here as a thief to steal something?”
“I heard that unless you are the Valley Master of Dan Xun Valley, no one else knows how to enter. Inside, there are all kinds of restrictions. Just touching them will completely seal your spiritual power, leaving you no different from an ordinary person.”
She laughed and glanced meaningfully at the entrance.
“You didn’t hesitate to flaunt your masculine charms in front of that little fool, so this thing must be very important to you. Otherwise, with your temperament, putting on a false face for her would be your limit.”
“Let me see it.” She extended her palm, facing upward, gesturing for him to take out the item.
Zhu Chi had witnessed her abilities and didn’t dare underestimate her. He drew in his chin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Su Heng laughed loudly. “As expected of a young master spoiled since childhood, even at this time, you still can’t say a single pleasant word.”
Someone who has been above thousands since childhood and pampered by all will maintain a lofty arrogance towards others until their bones are completely shattered. Even if they encounter hardship, it’s hard to change.
“I watched you and Mei Shuangshuang frolicking shamelessly with the sky as your blanket and the earth as your bed. I went to deal with your father first. I originally thought you’d struggle for a while longer since you’re young. I didn’t expect you to finish so quickly.”
She clicked her tongue twice and sized him up with an obscene gaze that made Zhu Chi burn with anger. But the next moment, he extracted another meaning from her words.
“You went to my father?”
He was about to rush to Zhu Lang, but Su Heng interrupted his hand seal.
Su Heng stared at him. “Don’t worry, I didn’t let him die. Letting you father and son die now would be letting you off easy. Letting you live and experience a fate worse than death is the best. Being inferior in skill is one thing, but you dare speak ill of others behind their backs. Since your mouth dares to say it, being punished is only natural, right?”
Zhu Chi was speechless from Su Heng’s words. Since she said she left Zhu Lang alive, she would indeed spare his life, but just barely. In this regard, she was far more ruthless than Tan Ye.
Tan Ye would leave it to fate whether his opponent lived. If they died, so be it; if they lived, he wouldn’t pursue further. But she was different – born to take revenge for the slightest grievance. If she was determined to let someone live, they would indeed live, while lucidly enduring all the punishment.
“You…”
Killing intent flashed in Zhu Chi’s eyes. He glanced outside and struck out with his palm, accumulating immense spiritual power. In an instant, flying sand and rocks filled the air outside.
Su Heng looked outside. “You killed someone. If I’m not mistaken, you must have killed Mei Luo. Since you still dare to lure people here, I truly don’t know if I should praise your guts or open your crown to see if your mind has cleared from that business.”
Zhu Chi laughed savagely. “At this point, do you think I would leave any path of retreat?”
He materialized his usual Wind Spirit Blade and slashed at her.
Countless red threads flowed from her sleeve, weaving into a giant red net that blocked in front of her.
Zhu Chi’s blade cleaved the red net in two, but the severed halves came alive, attacking from both sides as if they had a life of their own.
Su Heng observed from the side. “These are all refined from the flesh and blood of vicious beasts or cultivators who committed great evil.”
As she spoke, she felt increasingly justified. Even as a demon, she had principles and morality. She only killed the guilty, whether human or beast. As long as they committed no crime, she didn’t care about their identity. She was more righteous than many in this world.
“Since they contain both flesh and soul, they retain some of their abilities from when they were alive.”
Su Heng’s face grew even more sinister. “How is it, having the honor of fighting against so many predecessors?”
As she spoke, several red threads had already pierced through Zhu Chi’s arms. Though his cultivation wasn’t bad, battling hundreds of threads at once was extremely difficult. As time dragged on, hidden threads seized upon his momentary openings, piercing his protective spiritual energy and penetrating his shoulder blades.
The excruciating pain of his pierced shoulder blades made Zhu Chi’s vision go black.
The next moment, the thread through his shoulder lifted upward, suspending half his body in the air, feet off the ground.
The agony of shattered bones made him nearly lose consciousness. A single thin red thread suspended his entire body, pulling upward. The man’s weight made the thread press even more urgently into his bones and flesh.
Zhu Chi barely held on, slashing at the suspending thread with his Wind Spirit Blade. The thread snapped and he dropped down. But the instant he fell, his other shoulder blade was also pierced through, hanging him up identically to before.
More and more sweat poured down, blurring his eyes. The stinging sweat brought wave after wave of pain.
For the first time, infinite despair welled up in Zhu Chi’s heart. So she had anticipated all of this long ago.
“Back then, your father used iron hooks to pierce through his shoulder blades and hang him over earthly fire, burning him alive for over a decade. Now your Langfeng Sect is useless. I heard nearly all the Langfeng disciples and elders have fled. I settle all my grudges and grievances. The others can be spared since their fleeing shows they don’t want to die with you.”
“By principle, I should find your dad, but he’s become a complete waste now. Even with crutches he can’t stand. Hanging him up would be too boring. I see you’re so filial, you must be happy to pay your father’s debts, right?”
She asked Zhu Chi gleefully.
Zhu Chi’s shoulder blades were completely pierced through, half his body suspended by a single thin red thread, even more torturous than what the King of Bohai endured back then.
The thread, pressed down by his body weight, completely split the bones apart.
In the art of tormenting others, Su Heng’s methods were far superior to Tan Ye’s.
“After all, mortals have a saying – ‘the son pays the father’s debts.’ You’ve enjoyed your father’s care and benefits for so many years. When it’s time for you to suffer in his stead, there’s no reason not to step up, right?”
Su Heng leaned in close. Zhu Chi’s face was filled with despair.
Seeing this, she sighed. “You’ve only been like this for a short while, what are you afraid of? The King of Bohai was hung up by your father like this, burning over earthly fire for more than ten years. If he could endure it, a young man like you surely can.”
As Su Heng spoke, a sudden realization dawned on her. “Although, I originally thought you and Mei Shuangshuang could fool around on that tree trunk for quite a while. Young people tend to get carried away, frolicking day and night. Who knew you’d finish so early.”
She spoke with utter disdain. Seeing Mei Shuangshuang wailing loudly with the branches shaking nonstop, she thought the two would go at it all night. But when she returned, it had already been over for a while.
“So useless. Why not just castrate it then?” Su Heng spoke in a sincere tone as if discussing in earnest. “I heard that after castration, a man’s skin becomes much smoother and he’s freed from carnal desires.”
She spoke with great enthusiasm, while pondering how to make the cut.
Back then, Tan Ye had been ruthless in his punishment of Zhu Lang. Mere castration wasn’t enough – he burned it with lightning to completely sever the root.
Su Heng considered it and sighed with some regret. “But I only know how to cut, not cauterize the wound with fire like he did.”
Zhu Chi’s eyes, previously blurred by sweat, suddenly flew open, now filled with sheer terror.
Seeing his eyes open, Su Heng said, “You haven’t passed out? Perfect, let’s begin then.”
As she spoke, she sensed many people rushing this way.
She looked back to see Mei Shuangshuang leading the group here.
Elder Yaoguang was right beside Mei Shuangshuang, eyeing her strangely.
The forbidden area was stirring. Yaoguang immediately sent someone to find the Valley Master, but the Valley Master was nowhere to be found. She had no choice but to seek out Mei Shuangshuang. Besides the Valley Master and the future Valley Master, no one else knew how to enter that place. The disciples spent quite some effort just to locate Mei Shuangshuang. Yaoguang couldn’t personally lead people there. In the end, they found her in the courtyard of that distinguished guest from Langfeng.
When they found Mei Shuangshuang, she was lying naked under a tree in the courtyard, covered in bruises. The male disciples were startled and immediately left. The younger, clueless disciples thought Mei Shuangshuang had been beaten, but the older disciples knew what had happened. This wasn’t something they could handle themselves, so they had to ask Yaoguang to come.
Mei Shuangshuang had been utterly exhausted and was sleeping like the dead. Even with so many people rushing in at once, she didn’t wake up. It wasn’t until Yaoguang gave her a pill to restore her energy that she was barely roused.
“Stinky-faced jerk!” Mei Shuangshuang saw Zhu Chi hanging upside down by Su Heng and instantly became enraged.
Su Heng turned around to look at Mei Shuangshuang. Seeing that her legs weren’t unsteady, she glanced teasingly at Zhu Chi. “As expected, you’re still not up to par.”
“Sister Su, why are you here?”
Mei Shuangshuang looked at Su Heng in complete surprise. She spotted the Shui You grass that had fallen to the side.
Zhu Chi said weakly, “Shuanger, the Valley Master is dead.”
Mei Shuangshuang’s face went blank for a moment. It took a long while before her eyes showed a hint of reaction. She hurriedly rushed inside. From outside, Su Heng heard Mei Shuangshuang let out a scream that had completely changed in pitch.
Yaoguang stood outside, unable to enter. Her gaze circled between Su Heng and Zhu Chi, then she ordered the disciples to seize Zhu Chi.
This command from Yaoguang actually saved Zhu Chi’s life. If Su Heng had been allowed to continue suspending him with the red threads, the area from his shoulder blades to his shoulders would have been torn in half sooner or later.
Su Heng extended her hand and the red threads that had been suspending Zhu Chi retracted. Several red flashes disappeared into her sleeve. Originally suspended in the air with his feet off the ground, at least now his feet could touch the ground. However, as soon as Zhu Chi’s feet landed, he immediately knelt on the ground. The red threads had pierced through his shoulder blades on both sides, suspending him.
The wounds were tiny, not even bleeding, but inside, a critical area had been damaged.
He couldn’t even support himself on his hands. He lay on the ground like a puddle of mud.
The horror of Mei Luo’s corpse made Mei Shuangshuang sob hysterically. She screamed and hugged the utterly mangled corpse. She was almost completely unresponsive to the outside world, no matter what happened, she barely felt it and didn’t want to deal with it.
She wailed and howled. Everything could only be left to Yaoguang to handle outside.
“You stole the Shui You grass, what else are you capable of?” Zhu Chi asked intermittently, his breath as faint as a wisp.
Su Heng glanced at the glowing grass on the ground. She let out a contemptuous snort. “What do I need that for? I don’t have anyone waiting for me to save them.”
Her heart inexplicably ached. She knew Tan Ye had returned to where he should be. They were not meant to last long anyway. But in that moment, she actually felt a hint of envy toward Zhu Chi. At least Zhu Chi still had someone he wanted to save, while she did not.
She had witnessed with her own eyes as Tan Ye disappeared into heavenly lightning and earthly fire. Later, there were even rumors of him being obliterated.
Su Heng’s originally decent mood instantly soured.
She looked at Yaoguang. Mei Shuangshuang’s screams and wails kept spilling out. Now the only one in charge was Elder Yaoguang.
Elder Yaoguang had overseen Dan Xun Valley for many years, serving as the Valley Master in all but name. She thought the woman couldn’t be that foolish.
Elder Yaoguang frowned as she looked at Zhu Chi on the ground. “The method to enter the forbidden area is only known to the Valley Master and the future Valley Master. Even I don’t understand the mechanisms and restrictions inside.”
Zhu Chi knew this elder wouldn’t be easily fooled, but he had to struggle to his last breath. No matter what, he had to drag someone down with him.
“She was able to enter my Langfeng Sect’s formation without a trace, so how could she not be able to enter the forbidden area?”
Zhu Chi grinned. “Elder, aren’t you afraid of someone who can come and go freely in your sect?”
Yaoguang speculated this man was involved in Mei Luo’s death, but this woman was definitely no ordinary figure either.
“You entered our sect without permission. No matter what, this is inexcusable. Especially since you two appeared together outside where our Valley Master was killed. Until this matter is thoroughly investigated, we can’t let you leave easily.”
Not only could they not leave easily, even if it was determined this woman had nothing to do with the matter, just based on this alone, they couldn’t let her off.
Su Heng paid no heed to these words. Her mood had taken a downturn. When she was in a bad mood, she either vented it herself or kept it bottled up.
She disliked bottling it up. After all, suppressed anger turns into depression. For women, keeping anger in their hearts isn’t good.
“You think you can keep me here?” She swept her gaze over the surrounding disciples and spotted a clean-cut, handsome young man among them. She cast him a flirtatious glance.
That young man had witnessed how she had suspended Zhu Chi, a grown man, and heard Elder Yaoguang’s order. His hands holding his sword were damp with sweat. At this tense moment, that woman’s enchanting eyes turned to him with a dazzling smile.
With a clang, the young man’s sword fell to the ground.
Su Heng instantly appeared before him. She bent down, picked up the sword, and returned it to the young man. She looked him up and down. “You’re very handsome.”
Her words were sincere, her eyes brimming with affection. The young disciple’s cheeks flushed red. He should have angrily denounced the woman before him as a demoness, but facing her, he couldn’t utter those two words no matter what.
“Take action!”
Yaoguang watched from the side, frowning deeply. She knew these disciples might not be a match for Su Heng, so she personally took the lead.
“Then I won’t hold back.”
Su Heng smiled and spread her ten fingers, red light flashing at her fingertips. She had already shown mercy. If she started a massacre now, she couldn’t be blamed.
Just as she was about to make a move, a breeze brushed her face. A warm sensation gripped her wrist. The force seemed casual, even she barely felt it, but her entire body was spun around by that force. Her fiery red dress flared out in a beautiful arc in the air.
Yaoguang saw a dazzling white light before her eyes, so intense it was blinding. When the white light vanished in an instant and she focused her gaze, the person had already disappeared.
Su Heng heard the wind howl briefly and intensely by her ear. Her whole body tensed. Her five fingers fully spread, the red light at her fingertips drawing out thousands of red threads. But this time, Su Heng sensed something was wrong. Those red threads were suppressed in her sleeve, unable to move, not disobeying her command, but forcibly restrained.
A smile full of interest appeared on her face. She was about to move when she discovered she was tightly restrained by an arm wrapped around her front in a completely unceremonious manner.
She leaned back and found herself pressed against a tall, sturdy male physique, completely different from a woman’s.
Su Heng was enraged. In all her long life, she had never been at a disadvantage against a man. Now she had actually been caught by one?
And in a way where she couldn’t even see his face.
The anger that hadn’t erupted yet now surged fiercely again.
She smiled enchantingly. “Oh, this isn’t good. You and I have no relationship. Doing this is taking advantage of me.”
Su Heng raised her head. She could see a sleeve of white gold. She couldn’t make out the material, but there were faint golden threads woven in, reflecting a noble light.
She sneered inwardly, her eyes concealing murderous intent. She was a wild weed that grew unchecked. Whatever status that might work on others was less than a breeze to her.
Su Heng secretly gathered power in her palm. Her voice was as gentle as a slow stream in the woods, imperceptibly lingering in one’s heart.
She couldn’t see his face and his aura was unfamiliar. She really couldn’t recall when or where she had provoked such a person. But none of that mattered. Since he had come knocking, there was only one path – to slaughter him.
Su Heng acted coquettishly, her body softening to the extreme, but the person behind her showed no reaction at all. Su Heng could feel the person behind her observing her.
Suddenly, her feet touched grass. The arm restraining her loosened. Su Heng seized that instant of vulnerability. She spun around and struck at him with a palm strike infused with spiritual power.
The moment she turned around, she met a pair of eyes.
In that moment, everything froze.
