After the group packed up, they rode their swords straight to Ji Mo City. Wei Zhao was afraid of harming Zhou Qingxue during the fight, so she simply put Zhou Qingxue into the storage bag.
"Mistress, shouldn't we be more cautious and not directly enter the palace? It might be too dangerous," Wei Zhao expressed concern.
"We'll give them a big gift later," Song Weizhi smiled. She had already exchanged the 1,000 points she received yesterday for armor-piercing shells. When the chaos started, she planned to bombard the palace directly. In the confusion, the guards would likely prioritize protecting the Emperor, making it easier for them to deal with Gao Chengxuan.
Soon, they arrived at the foot of the Imperial City. Wei Zhao casually grabbed a guard to inquire about Gao Chengxuan's residence. Song Weizhi instructed Song Zhixia and Wei Zhao to go ahead and intercept, while she fired armor-piercing shells at the city gates. The once calm palace was instantly engulfed in flames.
Song Weizhi flew onto an unknown building in the palace, continuing to unleash armor-piercing shells. Meanwhile, she headed towards Gao Chengxuan's sleeping quarters.
Song Zhixia and Wei Zhao had already rushed into Gao Chengxuan's bedroom. The outside guards were mostly eliminated by Wei Zhao, while Song Zhixia fought against Zuo Xuan, gradually gaining the upper hand.
In terms of spiritual qi alone, Song Zhixia was already significantly stronger than Zuo Xuan. Adding the influence of the soul fragment, after a dozen moves, Zuo Xuan could only be dominated by Song Zhixia.
Gao Chengxuan, only realizing the gravity of the situation now, shouted desperately while retreating, "Protect me! Guards, come protect this prince!"
Unfortunately, chaos had already erupted in the palace. The guard teams were naturally focused on protecting the Emperor. Gao Chengxuan's people outside were mostly wiped out, leaving no one to pay attention to him. Gao Chengxuan had lost his former composure, attempting to escape through the back door. However, before he could take a few steps, the wall in front of him exploded. After a burst of smoke, Song Weizhi appeared in front of him with a slight smile.
"Oh, isn't this the Third Prince? Where did your former arrogance go? Where do you think you can run?" Song Weizhi teased, treating Gao Chengxuan like a clown.
"Song Weizhi, I warn you. This is the Imperial Palace, my territory. If you dare touch me, I'll make you beg for life, and death won't come to you," Gao Chengxuan threatened through gritted teeth.
Song Weizhi looked at him with interest. "Your father's palace has already been blown up by me, and he's too busy to care for himself. Don't waste your breath. Let me help you stretch your muscles; you owe Xia Xia, and I need to collect bit by bit."
Saying this, Song Weizhi pointed a few times in the air. In the next moment, Gao Chengxuan's limbs twisted at strange angles. With a few crisp sounds, the bones in his hands and feet were shattered. Gao Chengxuan could only lie on the ground groaning, "Don't kill me. I'll give you whatever you want. Let me go!"
"That's easy. I just want your life. What else could I want?" Song Weizhi said with a smirk.
On the other side, Zuo Xuan had already been beaten to the point of breathlessness. Song Zhixia and Wei Zhao approached Gao Chengxuan.
"Please spare me. I don't want to die," Gao Chengxuan pleaded with tears streaming down his face.
Song Weizhi, however, showed no mercy. "I have to act now. Can't let you waste any more time."
With one hand reaching towards Gao Chengxuan, a yellowish substance was drawn out from the empty air by Song Weizhi's spiritual qi. This time, Song Weizhi didn't consult Song Zhixia and directly put it into her soul. After the two souls merged, she could return it to Xia Xia later.
After extracting Gao Chengxuan's soul fragment, Song Weizhi had the demonic sword absorb Gao Chengxuan's three souls and seven spirits. The three of them then left. The once bustling Ji Mo City was now in chaos, with the palace engulfed in flames. The trio left their spirit tools and settled in an inn in a remote town, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Wei Zhao released Zhou Qingxue from the storage bag. Zhou Qingxue had been cramped inside, and as soon as she came out, she expressed her dissatisfaction by stomping on Wei Zhao. Wei Zhao dared not provoke Zhou Qingxue and immediately hugged her, stroking the cat's fur.
Song Weizhi dragged Song Zhixia into her room, setting up a barrier inside.
The little girl, with a smile on her face, playfully asked, "What is Senior Senior Sister doing?"
"Don't you know, Xia Xia? Last time, it was you who pestered me," Song Weizhi's lips curled slightly as she pulled the girl into her arms, planting a series of kisses on her lips.
The little girl mumbled vaguely, "I didn't do that. Xia Xia doesn't remember. Senior Sister, don't say it."
Amused, Song Weizhi looked at the girl who covered her lips to prevent her from talking. She simply lifted her and prepared to do some serious business by returning the girl's soul fragment.
When the two finished their intimacy, it had been almost half a day. Song Zhixia's soul had also completely recovered. Just as Song Weizhi was thinking about another round with the little girl, the sky inexplicably darkened. The clouds were extremely black, and Song Weizhi hesitated for a moment, feeling unsure. "Does this look like a tribulation?"
With a slightly flushed face, the little girl raised her head to look outside. The mist lingering in her eyes had not yet dissipated, but she was also shocked by the darkening sky. In just a moment, the bright daylight turned completely black. Song Zhixia suddenly woke up.
"Sister, I'm afraid one of us is going through a tribulation," she said as she quickly put on her clothes, channeling her spiritual qi.
Song Weizhi's tender feelings were awakened by the tribulation. Hastily dressing, she and Song Zhixia flew out on their spiritual tools. The clouds covering a vast expanse of the sky seemed to have targeted them, relentlessly pursuing them in the air. After much effort, the two finally found an uninhabited place to land.
At this moment, the tribulation descended upon them. Song Weizhi's mind, previously clouded by emotions, gradually cleared. Had she and Xia Xia unconsciously leveled up during their soul merge causing the tribulation? Song Weizhi thought it might be related to Xia Xia's soul. Now that all the soul fragments of the Vermilion Bird had been gathered, during the dual cultivation between Dao Companions, Xia Xia's soul could enhance the other's cultivation.
However, Song Weizhi couldn't dwell on it too much. The tribulation had already struck, but for someone like her, who had survived in the magma for several months, the current tribulation was nothing to be concerned about.
Song Zhixia's cultivation greatly increased. Coupled with her soul returning to her, after enduring several tribulations, something flew out of her body. It was a fully red Vermilion Bird but with nine large and long tails. It seemed to have intelligence as it assisted Song Zhixia in resisting the tribulation.
On the other side, Song Weizhi finally passed through her eight tribulations with difficulty. She quickly went to help, and the two, along with the Vermilion Bird, effortlessly dealt with the remaining eight tribulations. Finally, Song Zhixia completed all sixteen tribulations, and the sky began to clear. However, the mountainous forest below had been scarred by numerous large and small ravines caused by the tribulation.
Song Weizhi looked at the nine-tailed Vermilion Bird in front of her, smiling and calling out, "Little Chicken?"
The Vermilion Bird immediately retracted its previously majestic expression, running to Song Weizhi and rubbing its bird head against her hand. However, now it had grown larger, and its bird head was no longer as small as before. Yet, the Little Chicken remembered the past, cuddling with Song Weizhi, making Song Zhixia somewhat jealous.
"Senior Sister, release the big tiger to play with the little chicken," Song Zhixia suggested, pulling the Vermilion Bird back.
Song Weizhi chuckled and released the big tiger from within her body. Unlike before, the white-blue tiger now had a layer of red halo on its body, left by the experience in the magma. This encounter had made the tiger no longer afraid of fire.
The little chicken, upon seeing the big tiger, immediately ran over. The big tiger, after sniffing the air, approached and smelled the little chicken. Seeing the little chicken pecking at it, the big tiger allowed it, and the little chicken chased after the big tiger. However, this time, the big tiger couldn't escape, and the little chicken, flapping its wings, landed on the big tiger's back, riding around.
"Senior Sister, after going through so much, the little chicken still feels the same, even if it has changed in appearance," Song Zhixia said, her eyes slightly reddened. She had never expected that one day she would be able to protect herself and the person she wanted to protect. She also hadn't imagined that she could retrieve all her soul fragments. Everything she had become now was due to the person in front of her.
Feeling the fluctuation of emotions from the little girl, Song Weizhi hugged her and comforted her, "Well, not everything has changed. My affection for Xia Xia is deepening day by day." Saying this, she gently kissed Song Zhixia's lips. The little girl cooperated with Song Weizhi, tilting her head slightly to make the kiss more comfortable.
"I like Senior Sister too," the little girl expressed her affection for Song Weizhi.
Thinking about the tribulation they attracted while soul merging earlier, the little girl felt a bit embarrassed. If the two hadn't been fast enough, not only would that small inn be gone, but the entire small town would have been split in half.
Just as the two were putting away their spiritual beasts, preparing to return to the inn, Song Weizhi's mind recalled the mechanical voice of the system: [Congratulations, host, for finding the final soul fragment of the female lead. Reward: 1,000 points. Current remaining points: 1,000. With this, the host has completed the task of finding soul fragments. Next, you only need to advance to the Ascension realm to obtain the complete life of this world.]
Song Weizhi breathed a sigh of relief. All the soul fragments had been found. She and Xia Xia were only one step away from Ascension. Now that Xia Xia had also gathered all the soul fragments, their cultivation seemed to progress faster when they were together, transcending even the act of cultivation itself. Song Weizhi thought that they were not far from Ascension.