In the bitterly cold Di'an Mountain in the Demon Realm, a woman with withered hands like an old crone was carrying demon bricks.
Her demonic power was completely sealed, rendering her unable to use it. She could only rely on her bare hands to laboriously move the bricks, which felt as heavy as mountains.
Furthermore, her back was covered in whip marks, punishments received for her laziness!
Even the other demon slaves nearby, witnessing her miserable state, couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
"What sin did this woman commit to be so pitiful?"
"She looks like she was once quite beautiful and refined, but now she's worn down to a mere husk... What tribe is she from, to be beaten and brought here?"
They whispered amongst themselves, murmuring in discussion.
Suddenly, a cold laugh echoed in their ears! Then, they heard a frigid mockery. Da Feng Novel Network.
"You don't know? This woman is Xue Zhizhi. She is the saintess of the Azure Sparrow tribe, but she committed several grave sins and was personally banished here by the Demon Emperor."
"Her transgressions are enough to ensure she never reincarnates, so being made to toil here is actually a kindness to her."
"It's said that she boldly impersonated the Demon Emperor's savior in the past. To prevent the truth from coming out, not only did she claim to be the savior, but she also dug out the savior's spiritual veins and used them on herself."
"Moreover, she stole a sacred artifact of the Azure Sparrow tribe and poisoned someone..."
"This woman is utterly wicked. Any fate she meets is her own doing!"
This person was clearly an insider. He had been sent by Helian Lanyan to supervise Xue Zhizhi, and Xue Zhizhi trembled violently. She continued her work in silence, but a chilling resentment churned within her.
Her spiritual veins had been dug out, and she was indeed like a cripple now.
But in her heart, she thought, what if Si Muchen was currently basking in glory? She heard that she had perished together with a demon in the mortal realm. There was no way she could become the Demon Empress.
She couldn't have Helian Lanyan, and Si Muchen wouldn't have him either!
She never considered that Si Muchen might not care for the title of Demon Empress's consort.
As she continued to agonizingly move stones, the next moment, an uproar erupted around her again. The demons in charge of the forced labor suddenly screamed.
"How can this be—what is that?"
The overseers repeatedly lashed their whips, urging the slaves not to slack off, but soon, even the overseers were stunned. They raised their heads and looked at the black vortex that had suddenly appeared above them.
What was this?
The black vortex continued to expand, revealing a terrifying aura that chilled the bone. The aura, constantly intertwined with cold black light, gradually widened. Everyone's pupils were greatly shocked as they suddenly realized something dreadful.
"Run! The barrier is broken!"
"That's demonic energy... The sealed Demon Realm is returning!"
Their voices trembled wildly, clearly showing extreme fear. Demonic energy surged continuously, layer after layer. They didn't care about anything else and frantically fled outwards, but the demonic energy seemed to sprout countless skeletal hands, grabbing them and preventing their escape.
Amidst the demonic energy, the Demon Lord in red stood with a cold expression.
"Let them be blood sacrifices to open the grand formation!"
...
Xue Zhizhi was utterly horrified.
But she felt this might be a good opportunity for her to escape!
Regardless of the situation between the Demon Realm and the demon race, all she wanted now was to flee. She was sick of this life; she felt she couldn't endure it for even another day.
She seized the moment when no one was paying attention to her and turned to run.
Perhaps because she didn't have much demonic energy on her, the skeletal hands easily let her go, not extending to grab her hands or feet. Her heart pounded wildly. Just as she thought she would soon escape this desolate land,
Her entire body ached from running, her lungs felt like they would explode, and finally, she saw a glimmer of hope.
As long as she crossed that mountain range...
She would be free!
Xue Zhizhi scrambled forward. Seeing that her freedom was just a step away, in the next second, a terrifying cold laugh echoed in her ears.
"Why are you running?"
Xue Zhizhi froze.
The voice was icy. Her breathing grew rapid, yet she felt a powerful force compelling her to turn her head.
She gazed blankly at the figure opposite her.
Although her eyes were blind, she could still vaguely see using her Azure Sparrow soul power.
Besides, her eyes had been gouged out in the past, and she had long since found a fellow tribesman to swap her eyes with.
It was just that she had been pretending in front of Helian Lanyan back then to gain benefits.
Now, she could see clearly.
In the pitch-black mountain range, a corner of a robe appeared. The black corner was like the densest, most pure black in the world. She had never seen such terrifying blackness, as if it could devour one's soul.
In the darkness, the boy's black robe gave her a sense of profound ill omen.
She slowly raised her head, breaking out in a cold sweat without realizing it. Then she finally saw the boy's face clearly. Her entire body trembled violently, and she let out a whimper, uncontrollably slumping down, her voice laced with intense crying.
"It's you?"
"You... you're Ling Qianhe?"
"Are you here to get revenge on me for Si Muchen?"
"Please, spare me. I'm already so miserable..."
Xue Zhizhi didn't know that Si Muchen had personally dug out his heart. She only knew that this boy had protected Si Muchen profusely before, and they had shared life and death in the mortal realm. He would surely kill her.
And the boy opposite her, the dark light in his eyes was like ghostly flames. Her heart felt as if it were crushed by a mountain, and it sank fiercely. Her voice changed pitch.
"Please—spare me, I truly know I was wrong..."
She whimpered and choked, her eyes looking vaguely at Ling Qianhe.
But because her face was now haggard and ugly, it only made people more disgusted by her feigned demeanor. Ling Qianhe watched her silently.
When he walked over, he had actually intended to use this woman named Xue Zhizhi.
He knew, of course, that she had harmed Si Muchen.
His original thought was to use this woman to make Si Muchen be trampled under her feet, to be utterly debased by her—but seeing Xue Zhizhi's ugly, tear-streaked face, he instantly made up his mind.
He strode up to Xue Zhizhi, but she was still struggling desperately.
"She must be with Helian Lanyan now!"
"Her greatest concern is Helian Lanyan... I'll help you, I'll help you win her back, I'll do anything for you... I know she's from the Phoenix tribe, and I also know that they have fierce competition with the Five-Clawed Golden Dragons, so she can't become the Demon Empress."
"I'll help you, help you drive a wedge between them..."
She wanted to say more, but when the boy glanced at her, her whole body went cold, her breathing grew rapid, and she couldn't utter a single word.
The boy's eyes...
Were like eternal, unquenchable ice and snow, but a more accurate description might be hell.
His eyes reminded one of hell.
He sneered, lifted his foot, and walked over to the Azure Sparrow Xue Zhizhi. Xue Zhizhi thought he was moved and quickly reached out to grab his sleeve, but the next moment, she let out an agonizing scream!
The instant her hand touched Ling Qianhe's sleeve.
She felt as if her soul had been severely burned. The pain swept over her incessantly. She could only cry out in misery, her breathing rapid, her eyes slightly dazed.
It hurt so much.
It hurt so much that she felt she was about to die.
But Ling Qianhe showed no intention of giving her a moment to breathe. He reached out his fingertip, and with a slight flick, her soul was forcefully pulled out of her body.
Having her soul forcibly extracted, the pain was so intense that her soul could barely maintain its form. Ling Qianhe, however, sneered, and the next moment.
He directly performed a soul search!
He searched her soul for all fragments related to Si Muchen.
The high and mighty little princess of the Demon Race.
Cherished by everyone.
The childhood sweetheart Five-Clawed Golden Dragon.
This Azure Sparrow had to look up to from birth.
A fierce sense of resentment arose within her, as if a voice within her heart was calling out, questioning why she couldn't have it, why she alone could receive so much affection.
Resentment was born from this.
That's why...
She had inadvertently spied on the moment Si Muchen saved Helian Lanyan. She conceived the idea of impersonation.
She thought they were just childhood sweethearts, a sibling-like bond. She would be Helian Lanyan's true love! And when she set out to frame Si Muchen, she felt absolutely no guilt from beginning to end.
Ling Qianhe looked at her memories expressionlessly. After a moment of silence, he made a hand seal and stripped away the parts of her memories related to Si Muchen.
Then—he directly crushed the soul of the Azure Sparrow Xue Zhizhi.
He had originally intended to let Xue Zhizhi humiliate Si Muchen, but after seeing her memories, he changed his mind.
If she were to be humiliated, it should be him who did it.
What right did such a despicable and shameless slut have?
He looked coldly as the Azure Sparrow's soul shattered bit by bit in his palm. The screams of her dying moments reached his ears, but he remained utterly unmoved.
Then Ling Qianhe strode forward.
Behind him, swirling black energies rose and fell, engulfing the mountain range behind him, like a snowfall of pure black, slowly yet densely covering the mountains.
Wherever he went, demonic energy devoured everything.
Ling Qianhe remained expressionless.
What did the rivers of blood, the sky-piercing malevolent energy, the mountains and rivers of this world have to do with him?
Holding the fragmented memories of Xue Zhizhi concerning Si Muchen in his palm, he thought to himself.
That woman, the woman who dug out his heart.
He wanted her to regret it for all eternity. He wanted to personally crush her body, make her cry and beg him, and then let her die in despair!
He would inflict upon her all the cruelest tortures in the world.
He would absolutely not show any mercy to that woman!
He would surely make her soul scatter into nothingness!