Song Weizhi's consciousness was already scattered, but after hearing the little girl's name, her scattered consciousness seemed to find a focus. "What nonsense are you talking about? I'll kill you." She spoke as if she had exhausted all her strength.
"Heh, kill me? Just based on you? Song Weizhi, what do you think of yourself now?" Li Qingyuan said angrily.
He formed a seal with his fingers and lightly touched Song Weizhi's wrists and ankles. Then, he burst into laughter, "Hahaha, Song Weizhi, your tendons and bones have all been picked apart. But don't worry, I'll help you shatter your leg bones too."
At that moment, there was a sound from outside the practice room. Zhou Yeran had arrived with his subordinates.
Seeing Zhou Yeran, Li Qingyuan immediately greeted him respectfully, "Sect Master, you're here."
Zhou Yeran nodded and walked over, kicking Song Weizhi's bloody arm. "How are you, Song Weizhi? Hand over the soul fragment, and I'll have someone treat your injuries."
After waiting for a while without hearing Song Weizhi speak, Zhou Yeran was getting annoyed. He couldn't afford to offend the Third Prince. Did he also have to be afraid of Song Weizhi? "Is it that I've been too kind to you? Fine, let's see how much you can endure."
Saying that, he pointed in the air, lifting Song Weizhi as if levitating her. Zhou Yeran smiled as he carried Song Weizhi and opened the door to a secret room. Inside, there was nothing but a staircase leading down. Zhou Yeran carried Song Weizhi through the long stairs to a large platform below. The platform was just a corner of the iceberg, and beyond it, endless rolling magma was visible.
Zhou Yeran brought Song Weizhi to the edge of the platform. If Zhou Yeran let go, Song Weizhi would be swallowed by the magma in an instant.
"Song Weizhi, I'll ask you again. Will you speak or not? Don't blame me for not reminding you; as an Ice-type Single Spirit Root, you fear fire the most. What do you think will happen if you fall into this magma?" Zhou Yeran threatened, moving Song Weizhi a bit outward. A tremendous pressure gathered around Song Weizhi's throat, as if Zhou Yeran would strangle her the next moment.
Song Weizhi's consciousness was chaotic. She endured the intense pain, forcing herself to make a decision. These people wouldn't let her go, and she didn't know how her little girl was doing right now. In her current state, she probably couldn't protect her little girl. She only hoped her little girl would suffer less.
Without hesitation, Song Weizhi's mind moved. The recoilless cannon had been set up in a concealed corner.
She had no other choice. All her points were spent in the previous Martial Arts Tournament, and the only remaining items were the four armor-piercing shells from the Linlang Secret Realm. Even if she had to die, she didn't want to die at the hands of these scoundrels.
Using her last strength, her voice hoarse, Song Weizhi said, "Even if I die, I won't give you the fragment."
As soon as Song Weizhi finished speaking, the armor-piercing shell was already flying towards Zhou Yeran and the others. Song Weizhi also knew that with Zhou Yeran's cultivation, these shots wouldn't hurt him, but at least it would buy her a moment.
Indeed, Zhou Yeran's palm force shattered the two armor-piercing shells in front of him, but some of his disciples accompanying him weren't so lucky. A few were blown into a bloody mess.
Because Zhou Yeran used his palm force to deflect the armor-piercing shells, he released the hand holding Song Weizhi. This was what Song Weizhi had been waiting for. With all her strength, she leaned backward, falling off the platform.
Her vision was a fiery red, and the fall took only a few seconds, yet it felt like a lifetime.
After a few moments, Song Weizhi could only feel herself being charred. The temperature of this magma was far higher than that of fire, and as soon as she fell in, everything on her body was melted by the magma, including Song Weizhi's bones, blood, and flesh.
Feeling the melting and charring of the flesh and bones on her body, Song Weizhi's consciousness gradually became blurred.
It's unknown how much time passed, but Song Weizhi woke up from a hazy state. As soon as she woke up, she experienced a bone-chilling pain. Her eyes couldn't see anything; she could only sense herself being engulfed by scorching heat. At this moment, a voice from the system echoed in Song Weizhi's mind.
[Hello, host. Due to the urgency of the situation and your loss of consciousness just now, I had to decide for you. The temperature of the magma here has exceeded a thousand degrees. If your flesh or bones were to enter directly, they would turn into a piece of charcoal. I can only help protect your soul, spirit roots, and three souls and seven spirits. As for your physical body and skeletal structure, they will continuously refine in this magma. Of course, the pain you will endure during this process needs to be borne by you repeatedly. You will have to experience the agony of your bones and blood turning into ashes over and over again.]
Song Weizhi's mind buzzed, or more precisely, the sensations within her soul buzzed. Her bodily organs had long been continuously burned into charcoal, and the pain was so intense that she couldn't spare a thought for what the system had said. After less than half a moment of being awake, Song Weizhi fainted again due to the pain.
Although Song Weizhi's soul, spirit roots, and three souls and seven spirits received some protection from the system and didn't turn into ashes, they still faced the severe challenge of the scorching waves from all directions.
On the other side, Song Zhixia, who was taken away by Gao Chengxuan, returned to Gao Chengxuan's residence. Gao Chengxuan's brow slightly furrowed as he asked, "What's wrong? Does Miss Song not want to see me that much?"
At the acupoint of Song Zhixia's throat, the sealed meridian had already been released. She spat disdainfully, "Pah, you despicable scoundrels, release my Senior Sister immediately."
"Heh, Miss Song, your own life is at stake, and you're still thinking about your Senior Sister? Now, let's talk about the matter of the divine shard. You have two options before you: either I kill you and take the divine shard, or you and I cultivate together. This way, you can preserve your life, and I can achieve my goal. Moreover, as a prince, choosing you is already a climb for you," Gao Chengxuan said, watching Song Zhixia as if observing a plaything.
"Pah, don't even think about it. If you want to kill, do it quickly, or I won't spare you," Song Zhixia's eyes were red, resembling a trapped beast.
"Interesting. If you agree just like that, I might lose interest in playing with you. Don't worry; I'll make you willingly beg for the dual cultivation later," Gao Chengxuan said, giving a signal to Zuo Xuan. Zuo Xuan lifted Song Zhixia, and in an instant, Gao Chengxuan and his group appeared on a cliff, the Blood Demon Cliff where Song Zhixia was tainted by demonic blood.
"Song Zhixia, do you know where this is? Just a step forward is the Blood Demon Cliff in the demonic realm. If you turn into a half-human, half-ghost appearance, do you think your Senior Sister will still want you?" Gao Chengxuan sneered.
"Pah, if you want to kill, just do it. Why bother with such trouble?" Song Zhixia's eyes showed a fierce resolve.
"Killing you is quite easy, just a matter of moving a finger. It's not interesting to see you panic. Besides, even if you fall into the demonic path, as long as I kill you, the soul fragment will still be mine. The agony of falling into the demonic path will be unforgettable for you, Song Zhixia. I'll ask you one last time, do you agree or disagree to cultivate with me?"
"Don't even think about it. Let's get it over with," Song Zhixia had already embraced the determination to die; she only wished to be with her Senior Sister.
"Good, you're still a sentimental one. Then, experience the pain of the bite of ten thousand demons. Zuo Xuan, do it." Gao Chengxuan's smiling face turned cold. He didn't expect a woman with no notable background to dare genuinely refuse him, making him feel embarrassed. Anyway, he had demonic cultivators under him. Even if Song Zhixia fell into the Blood Demon Cliff, he could retrieve her. By then, Song Zhixia would become a half-human, half-ghost, which amused him.
The moment Zuo Xuan released her, Song Zhixia felt the world spinning. Fortunately, she hadn't spent much spiritual qi. She used her spiritual qi to make herself float on the sword. However, for some reason, the sword seemed to get heavier and heavier, and despite her efforts, the sword gradually sank. At the same time, Song Zhixia's body started showing traces of blood.
Not long after, the flesh on her forearm was bitten off by something. No matter how Song Zhixia drove away these things with her spiritual qi, their quantity was too much. In less than a moment, many areas of her body were exposed as her flesh was eaten away, revealing bare bones.
The slim hope of surviving was shattered. Song Zhixia wasn't afraid of the biting pain; she was afraid she wouldn't survive and wouldn't be able to see the person she wanted to see.
Where her bare bones were exposed, a faint black mist infiltrated, burning her bones and blood. The originally clean dantian was gradually filled with a large amount of black mist.
"Delicious, the flesh of this girl is tender. I'm almost reluctant to eat it."
"It doesn't matter; let her stay. We still have many spirit medicines that can produce flesh. Eat and regenerate at will."
"Great, a cultivator at the Golden Core realm. This flesh is truly fragrant."
"Yes, when we get tired of eating, we'll send her on her way."
When Song Zhixia woke up again, she felt a piercing pain all over her body. Her remaining flesh and blood were scarce, and she didn't know how many times she had been eaten by these evil spirits in the void. However, her consciousness remained clear. Her flesh was slowly regenerating, and the sensation was both painful and itchy. The entities in the void seemed particularly excited.
Song Zhixia didn't know how long she had stayed in this hellish place. At first, she couldn't help but cry from the pain, but as time went on, she shed all her tears. No matter how painful her body was, she never cried again.
One day, when her flesh had just recovered, the entities around her began to stir. Right when they were about to start, dark clouds covered the Blood Demon Cliff. The thundercloud was massive, enveloping the entire Blood Demon Cliff and descending towards the place where Song Zhixia was imprisoned.
"What's going on? How can she, who looks like this, attract the heavenly tribulation?"
"Yeah, clearly, she has been eaten by us repeatedly these days, and she didn't even have time to cultivate."
"The clouds are pressing too low. I think she won't live through today. Let's quickly find a place to hide. It's a pity about her flesh, but oh well, we won't get to eat it anymore."