The Witch Awakens, the System Upgrades

Fang Yueyu shuddered all over. Then, right before his eyes, a tall, exceptionally handsome young man appeared.

The young man was unconscious, silently floating in midair like a shadow—hardly real.

"Master, your disciple, your disciple—"

As Fang Yueyu spoke, his figure suddenly shifted, and his body began to swell.

But just then, Yaolan's figure manifested a huge blood-red hand, which shot toward Fang Yueyu and seized him.

"Bzzz—"

Fang Yueyu shook all over, as if struck by lightning, and froze in place.

His swelling body froze too, completely locked in place.

"Quite the trick you've got there! Did you think this would make you succeed? Fang Yueyu, you wanted to use Fang Yueheng's 'rebirth through death' ability to turn the tables and refine your master to death, then blood-sacrifice the holy sword Qingshuang right here?

"Then rise to power for good and become the one who laughs last?

"You're dreaming.

"Your younger brother's other dark soul realized what was happening the moment you arrived here, and secretly prepared for it!

"If I die, your fate will be even more miserable!

"Too bad. I gave you a chance, and you didn't take it!

"And the people I hate most are those who pretend to be loyal while harboring ulterior motives, with treachery written into their bones!

"People like that deserve to die a thousand times over, ten thousand times over!"

As Yaolan spoke, her blood-red palm struck out. Fang Yueyu's soul was instantly jolted from his body.

Then, a vast amount of blood-red killing intent gathered and surged into Fang Yueyu's body.

In an instant, within Fang Yueyu's body, on his golden core, appeared the dark, thick, twisted aura of Fang Yueheng's ghost soul.

But this time, Yaolan had come prepared and employed an ultimate technique. Endless blood-red killing intent transformed into a flame of infant-soul blood fiendish energy, blazing fiercely as it refined Fang Yueheng's "rebirth through death" Soul of Demise until it was utterly destroyed.

After tempering and devouring it, Yaolan's infant soul finally underwent an ultimate transformation!

The entire Nine Desolations Altar seemed coated in a layer of scarlet light, growing ferocious and terrifying.

More terrifying still, when that light enveloped Fang Yueyu's soul, it began melting like snow beneath the blazing sun.

His soul turned strand by strand into pure, ashen energy, which continuously flowed into Yaolan's ghost soul.

After just a few breaths, Fang Yueyu's soul had vanished without a trace, utterly annihilated.

The blood-red light across the altar gradually faded, then seeped bit by bit into Yaolan's ghost soul.

After a while, the holy Short Sword Qingshuang suddenly blazed with dazzling white light.

Amid the light, the holy sword slowly changed, gradually forming a supremely pure and beautiful body in midair.

The body wore no clothes at all, completely exposed to the air.

Meanwhile, the young man who had appeared in midair, seeming so unreal, finally opened his eyes.

Su Li opened his eyes, then saw a sight that nearly made his eyeballs pop out.

His heart pounded wildly.

But soon, he understood exactly what had happened.

At that moment, Yaolan's ghost soul, surrounded by white light, had already entered the naked, ivory-white body.

And then, Yaolan truly awakened.

She was not only pure, bewitching, and breathtakingly beautiful, but also incredibly powerful!

Her very aura made Su Li feel as if he were standing before a peerless Goddess.

It was a nobility that came from her bloodline, even her very soul. Even though Yaolan had not deliberately revealed the slightest trace of her aura, Su Li still felt she was truly awe-inspiring, like a towering mountain.

Facing someone like her, Su Li couldn't stop the deep-seated feelings of inferiority and inadequacy from welling up inside him.

But he quickly cast aside those chaotic thoughts.

He looked calmly at Yaolan, his gaze settling on her face.

Even so, her other assets and flaws were even more beautiful, even more captivating.

"Is it nice to look at?"

"Very nice."

"Then would you like a closer look?"

"Is that all right?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"All right, but could you help me out first?"

"Is that all you need? Want to do it a few more times? A few more strokes? It feels wonderful."

"Fairy Yaolan—"

"I don't like the name 'Yaolan.' I'm Xinxin, your little sweetheart, my dear young man. And I'm no fairy, I'm a Witch."

"..."

Su Li didn't know what to say.

He had complicated feelings about Yaolan.

He couldn't exactly say he hated her, but claiming to feel any affection would be a joke. This woman was ruthless; she'd killed Fang Yueyu without batting an eye.

Fang Yueyu had been her direct disciple, even if he was no good himself.

But by that same logic, Su Li wasn't exactly a good person in Yaolan's eyes either.

Apparently, a woman like her and a scoundrel like him really were a match made in heaven.

"My name is Qingshuang. Xinxin is my pet name."

Yaolan—or rather, Qingshuang—suddenly gazed at Su Li. Her voice softened, with a hint of earnestness.

"Xinxin, are you... about to make a move?"

Su Li's heart tightened slightly.

When Qingshuang was gentle, she was truly alluring enough to make a man want to die for her on the spot.

But a woman like her was poisonous. One touch, and you were dead!

Su Li knew himself well enough to realize that when Qingshuang grew this gentle, she was probably about to make a move.

Su Li glanced at the system panel. His Heavenly Secrets Value had already gone through the roof.

The system had also upgraded.

But he hadn't had time to sort through any of the information—not that he had the time or opportunity.

Qingshuang had kept him pinned down from the start. He hadn't had any chance to "fight back," let alone control the system.

"Make a move? My dear young man, do you really think so poorly of Xinxin?"

Qingshuang spoke in a pitiful little voice.

Heh. You know exactly what kind of person you are.

Of course, Su Li said nothing aloud.

He'd already proven it several times: the more he said, the worse he died.

Qingshuang now approached with light steps and gently embraced Su Li.

Then Su Li realized that he himself was only a phantom.

Qingshuang's embrace fell through, but she clearly didn't mind. She had known all along that this would happen.

"Frost Space can hold out for about three more days. After that, the space's concealment seal will disappear. When the time comes, you have to seize the chance and escape!

"Qingshuang has already been marked by the Soul Locking Mark, so I have to run at once. Otherwise, if that old thief Hua Lingshang comes, Qingshuang will be refined to death and devoured.

"Even with this unexpected windfall—the part of the 'rebirth through death' ability I managed to obtain—it's still nowhere near enough to stand against that old bastard."

"My dear young man, you silly thing, this is as far as Qingshuang can help you. From now on, when you make deductions, just give results like 'good or ill fortune.' Be careful with everything else.

"Also, Yun Qingxuan has already discovered you in that 'void.' Her eyes seem able to see through nothingness. Be wary of her, and don't let her honeyed words fool you.

"All right, I have to go. If I survive this, next time I'll let you truly enjoy yourself! So, my dear young man, you have to fight to stay alive! Then Qingshuang will let you taste what it's like to be with the ultimate Witch."

As Qingshuang spoke, she reached out and stroked Su Li's face, then vanished.

Outside the Nine Desolations Tower, a vast quantity of savage, spine-chilling demonic baleful energy had appeared.

At the same time, Su Li's figure in midair suddenly shattered.

The next moment, Su Li's mind jolted. He found himself once again in Yunxiu Courtyard on Yunxiu Peak, within Wanli Holy Land.

But the place had become a dark ruin, with blood-scented flames roaring through it.

He seemed to be inside a transparent cage, colorless and invisible. He lay silently inside it, floating above the dark ruins.

Su Li looked around, then brought up the Life Archive, but he couldn't lock onto Qingshuang.

He took out six stalks of cold stems and performed a divination for Qingshuang. The result was an omen of great misfortune.

It seemed Qingshuang was probably doomed.

Su Li tried pushing against the cage, but it wouldn't budge.

He was completely locked inside the cage, trapped in the unknown Frost Space.

Su Li brought up the system panel.

Then he opened the densely packed information.

[Hua Ziyan's Life Archive has changed slightly. Heavenly Secrets Value gained: 3,000 (causal connection—fate calamity altered).]

[Yun Qingxuan's Life Archive has changed drastically. Heavenly Secrets Value gained: 13,000 (causal connection—fate calamity altered).]

[Hua Yunxiao's Life Archive has changed significantly. Heavenly Secrets Value gained: 20,000 (direct connection).]

[Mu Yuxi's Life Archive has changed slightly. Heavenly Secrets Value gained: 3,200 (direct connection).]

[Yun Wanchu's Life Archive has changed drastically. Heavenly Secrets Value gained: 30,000 (causal connection—death) (limit).]

[Yaolan (Qingshuang)'s Life Archive has changed drastically. Heavenly Secrets Value gained: 50,000 (causal connection—fate calamity upon her) (limit).]

[Yun Yifan's Life Archive has changed slightly. Heavenly Secrets Value gained: 13,000 (indirect connection—avoided calamity) (cap).]

[Fang Yueheng's Life Archive has changed drastically. Heavenly Secrets Value gained: 20,000 (causal connection—death) (limit).]

[Fang Yueyu's Life Archive has changed slightly. Heavenly Secrets Value gained: 3,000 (causal connection—death) (limit).]

[Que Xinyan's Life Archive has changed slightly. Heavenly Secrets Value gained: 1,000 (causal connection—fate calamity altered) (minimum).]

...

Su Li looked at his Heavenly Secrets Value with mixed feelings. This system had truly stopped acting human.

This time, he'd harvested a whopping 177,300 Heavenly Secrets Value!

Added to the 66,151 Heavenly Secrets Value he'd already had, that made a total of 243,451!

243,451 Heavenly Secrets Value!

A lot, right?

Even after the system's automatic upgrade, surely he'd have enough left over to buy a Latent Dragon Pill, right?

Then he'd buy the Latent Dragon Pill, take it, and immediately transform from a golden-scaled fish into a dragon, soaring to the heavens, right?

The idea was beautiful. Reality was cruel.

In truth, Su Li had only 43,451 Heavenly Secrets Value left!

Still not enough to buy a Latent Dragon Pill!

The system had automatically used up the other 200,000 Heavenly Secrets Value for two things.

First, the system had gone from level 3 to level 4, automatically deducting 100,000 Heavenly Secrets Value.

Second, the system had unlocked a new feature, "True Void Experience," and automatically deducted another 100,000 Heavenly Secrets Value.

Su Li's heart sank completely.

But when his gaze fell on the system's fifth feature, "True Void Experience," his heart suddenly began to pound, and his expression turned utterly shocked, shaken, and disbelieving!