“Shen Yuexi! Why are you so selfish and narrow-minded? I raised you for more than a decade, yet you refuse to give even a single spiritual root to Qiqi? You’ve only lost your spiritual root, but Qiqi has lost her entire future! Since you refuse, I’ll do it myself!”
“Master, no!!”
A mournful scream tore through the silent night.
Shen Yuexi lay on the ground in a pool of blood, barely clinging to life. Her abdomen had been ripped open, and the agony wracking her entire body left her powerless to resist. She could only watch helplessly as her spiritual root was torn from her body. Almost pleading, she gazed at the person before her.
“W-why?”
She could not understand. Why would the Master she had respected for so many years and the junior sister she had grown up with personally take her spiritual root and even try to kill her? Why did all the fellow disciples around them look at her with such contempt and disdain?
The pretty girl standing before her cradled the five-element spiritual root in her hands. She had an adorable, innocent face, yet in the next moment, she raised her foot and viciously stomped on Shen Yuexi’s face.
“You’re a useless waste. You possess a five-element spiritual root but can’t cultivate, squandering a heaven-sent treasure and bringing shame upon the sect. You might as well give that five-element spiritual root to me. With my talent, I’ll surely shine at the Sect Grand Selection ten days from now and earn the recognition of a high-level sect!”
The middle-aged man beside her was none other than her Master, the Sect Master of Jiuyang Sect. Her blood stained his body, yet he spoke as though he were a savior bestowing charity upon her.
“I might as well tell you this: it was I who led Jiuyang Sect in destroying the Shen Family. Your parents were as lowly as dogs before they died, begging me to spare you. If they know from beyond the grave that you took a murderer for your father, they’ll probably be furious enough to burst their coffin lids!”
“Shen Yuexi, you’re not only a useless waste, but also an unfilial daughter who took a murderer for your father!” Song Qiqi sneered repeatedly, her eyes filled with contempt and disgust. “Only I am worthy of possessing a five-element spiritual root. As for you, go to hell and repent to your parents!”
With that, she kicked Shen Yuexi straight into the Soul-Devouring Abyss!
……
At the bottom of the Soul-Devouring Abyss.
Pale bones lay everywhere, while black mist swirled through the air. The dense killing aura seemed capable of crushing the heavens, filling the place with a suffocating, bone-chilling cold.
The girl’s frail body plunged into the Soul-Devouring Abyss like a kite with a broken string. Just as she was about to hit the ground, the jade bracelet around her wrist erupted with brilliant blood-colored light, enveloping her entire body and driving away the surrounding demonic qi.
Within the blood-colored radiance, the girl’s body rapidly recovered. In the dantian that had been cut open, a Chaos spiritual root condensed anew, glittering with golden light!
The radiance grew brighter and brighter. Then, a Phoenix’s cry suddenly rang out, and powerful spiritual power surged through her body.
Yuexi awoke from the pain. Every bone and scrap of flesh in her body felt as though it had been shattered and then regrown. She gathered up all the unfamiliar memories flooding into her mind.
In the past, she had been Goddess Yuexi of the Nine Heavens Continent. Now, she was also Shen Yuexi of the Lingtong Continent.
Yuexi had been the most dazzling genius beast tamer on the Nine Heavens Continent. Yet, when she attempted a breakthrough, she was betrayed by the Master she trusted most, resulting in her death.
Shen Yuexi of the Lingtong Continent had watched her family be destroyed as a child and had been taken in by the Sect Master of Jiuyang Sect.
Song Qiqi was the Sect Master’s daughter. From childhood, she had led the senior and junior disciples in tormenting Shen Yuexi for fun. Shen Yuexi had endured endless suffering, and then been thoroughly deceived by the Master she respected and trusted most. She had been tricked into taking a murderer for her father, had her spiritual root dug out, and had been thrown off a cliff!
But her soul had remained trapped inside the girl’s jade bracelet. Without a physical body, she had been completely unable to help her.
Shen Yuexi used her spiritual sense to examine her dantian. To her surprise, this body possessed the Primordial Phoenix bloodline—and a Chaos spiritual root as well.
beast taming was the special ability granted to her by the Primordial Phoenix bloodline!
The Chaos spiritual root was even rarer, appearing only once in ten thousand years. Throughout history, every person who possessed a Chaos spiritual root without exception had become a supreme powerhouse.
A pair of clear, luminous phoenix eyes suddenly opened. Yuexi made a promise:
“Don’t worry. I won’t let a single person who bullied you off the hook!”
The destruction of the Shen Family, the theft of her spiritual root, and her humiliating death—how could she possibly leave such a blood feud unavenged?
At that moment, a sinister wind swept past, and the eerie sound of crisp iron chains rang out!
Her brows drew together slightly as she followed the sound with her gaze.
A white-robed man lay on the cold jade bed. His tall, slender figure was as radiant as the moon, and his beauty was peerless. His narrow eyes were tightly shut, while the red mole beneath his eyelid was enchantingly seductive. His skin was clear and fair, his features deep and sharply defined, and his long silver-white hair lay scattered without restraint. His cold, ascetic air was strangely alluring.
Shen Yuexi’s eyes filled with astonishment. She secretly clicked her tongue. She had devoted herself wholeheartedly to cultivation and had never cared for handsome men, but there were truly few people in the Three Realms who could grow into a face like his.
That red mole beneath his eyelid was especially striking. If he opened his eyes, just how captivating would he be?
When she stepped closer, she discovered that several thick, black iron chains bound his hands and feet. Strangely, every link was covered in golden runes, as though it had been sealed by some kind of array formation.
Shen Yuexi was somewhat surprised.
“A Demon-Sealing Mark imbued with Heavenly Dao power.”
He had fallen into demonic cultivation. No wonder the demonic qi in the Soul-Devouring Abyss was so violent and dense.
She had once seen the Demon-Sealing Mark in an ancient text. It was used to seal cultivators who had cultivation bases profound enough to fall into demonic cultivation. Anyone whose cultivation was insufficient would turn into a pool of blood within a single breath beneath the Demon-Sealing Mark. According to the records, in the past hundred thousand years, only one supreme expert whose cultivation had reached the point of infinitely approaching the True God realm had barely managed to preserve his life beneath it!
Yet the man before her had actually remained unharmed under both the Heavenly Dao power and the Demon-Sealing Mark!
As she was thinking, a powerful and savage surge of demonic qi swept toward her.
Before Shen Yuexi could react, she found herself facing a pair of sinister, icy eyes as cold as an ancient frozen pool.
In the next instant, demonic qi raged around her, and a cold, slender hand clamped around her chin. The force continued to increase, nearly crushing her jawbone!
“Who are you?”
His deep, frigid voice rang out, revealing his anger.
Shen Yuexi concealed her hand inside her sleeve, her fingertips rapidly tracing a mysterious talisman.
Hiss, hiss, hiss—
Suddenly, more than a dozen third-tier Phoenix-Tailed Snakes emerged from somewhere at the bottom of the Soul-Devouring Abyss!
In the past, the creatures she summoned had been at least divine beasts. But now that she possessed no spiritual power, she could only forcibly summon these snakes with her bloodline power. They would have to do.
She was just about to issue her command when the dozen third-tier Phoenix-Tailed Snakes, which had been charging in menacingly, had not even reached her before they all began trembling in terror. Then they fled without looking back!
Shen Yuexi: ???
Useless weaklings.
At the same time, spiritual power erupted into chaos. The heavens and earth trembled, while massive peals of thunder rumbled across the sky, brewing a dark storm. The boundless pressure made it impossible to summon even the slightest will to resist.
The wariness in Shen Yuexi’s phoenix eyes deepened. His anger had actually stirred the heavens and earth!
The man before her possessed an utterly terrifying cultivation base. Crushing her current self would be easier than crushing an ant.
Fortunately, he had fallen into demonic cultivation. That gave her an opportunity to negotiate.
“Who I am isn’t important. What matters is that I can help purify the demonic qi in your body!” Shen Yuexi calmly stated her bargaining chip.
The moment the man heard her mention falling into demonic cultivation, his killing intent surged!
She had managed to break through the restrictions he had established and could see at a glance that he had fallen into demonic cultivation. He could not allow her to live.
“You truly have a way?”
His voice was beautiful, clear as jade striking gold, but his tone was cold and sinister, and murderous intent spread through the air.
Shen Yuexi saw his killing intent growing heavier. Crimson-gold Heavenly Dao laws actually coiled around his body, sharing the same origin as the golden runes on the Demon-Sealing Mark!
Her wariness deepened.
The Demon-Sealing Mark had been set up by him himself, and the Heavenly Dao power had likewise been imposed by him. He had done all this to suppress the demonic qi within his body!
Just how powerful was he to require the Heavenly Dao power to seal him on its own?!
The pain in her chin made Shen Yuexi’s pretty face pale. The Heavenly Dao pressure surrounding her made it impossible for her to take even a step. She gritted her teeth.
“The crimson-gold blood of the Primordial Phoenix bloodline can purify all impurities. Naturally, it can purify demonic qi with ease! In any case, I can’t defeat you, nor can I escape. Why would I need to lie to you?”