The sun blazed overhead, yet Ruan Meizhen felt cold all over.
She had spent years in hiding, doing her best to avoid every disciple of the Primal Demon Temple, terrified that the scars in her heart would be torn open, bloody and raw.
But she had still failed to escape them.
Now the gazes of the nine visitors from the Primal Demon Temple pierced her like sharp swords, leaving her riddled with holes and wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
What had she done wrong?
The man she had loved had publicly cut off her arm to win another woman's trust. Even that had not satisfied him; he had called her a "filthy bitch" over and over, determined to kill her on the spot.
Her heart had been torn apart, yet she could only flee in panic.
After all those years of fleeing, she had finally been spotted by those former onlookers, only to suffer public humiliation once again.
"The Primal Demon Temple..."
Ruan Meizhen laughed bitterly inside. The thought that she still lacked the strength to stand against them hurt so much she almost wished she were dead.
Zhao Changfeng frowned deeply.
A sorrow and helplessness so dense they could not be dispersed radiated from Ruan Meizhen beside him, almost tangible.
He had witnessed and personally experienced that human tragedy time and again. He knew it was the source of Ruan Meizhen's Heart-Demon Obsession, a bleak past she could never escape for as long as she lived.
The Primal Demon Temple stood high above all others, the foundation and pillar of the Beichen Demon Kingdom, revered by everyone in the Demon Kingdom.
Just looking at the humble attitude of City Guard Army members such as Shen Yanrong and Qin Hui toward the temple's visitors, and the boundless longing in their eyes, he could imagine the unshakable, sacred place the Primal Demon Temple held in their hearts.
Shi Yue, whose life force he had roused twice, lay on the sand like a dead dog. Even in death, he had never managed to grasp the Bronze Bell within arm's reach.
Ruan Meizhen was being mercilessly mocked and ridiculed again.
Meanwhile, Xiang Lin's image remained inside the second cauldron, hindering the formation of willpower and blocking his path to greater strength.
The many spirit beasts deep underground and that Earth Yin Cold Spring-they wanted to seize all of those as well.
Just because they came from the Primal Demon Temple?
A tangle of thoughts swirled through his mind and body. The urge to kill erupted uncontrollably, and the veins in Zhao Changfeng's neck twitched like startled little snakes.
"What should I call you?"
Zhao Changfeng looked at Tong Yi.
The man replied calmly, "Tong Yi."
"Then how about this?"
Killing intent surged within Zhao Changfeng, but his face was unusually calm. "That man!"
"I'll fight him to the death. If he survives, the Earth Yin Cold Spring and all the spirit beasts inside will belong to you."
He pointed at Xiang Lin, who was laughing most brazenly of all.
Xiang Lin's laughter did not stop. Instead, it grew even more unrestrained. "Why me?"
Zhao Changfeng turned toward Shi Yue's corpse and said earnestly, "This rogue cultivator was one of mine."
Then he pointed at the astonished Ruan Meizhen and added, "She's one of mine too."
Xiang Lin said nothing more, merely roaring with laughter.
Their leader, Tong Yi, stopped smiling now. He stared curiously at Zhao Changfeng and asked, "For a rogue cultivator and a crippled woman missing an arm-is it worth it?"
Ruan Meizhen's heart trembled. She instinctively glanced at her empty sleeve, bit her lustrous lip, and remained silent.
"I think it is."
Zhao Changfeng smiled, forcibly suppressing the murderous urge about to burst forth. "Do you dare?"
Tong Yi had been wondering what excuse he could use to seize the Earth Yin Cold Spring. Without even asking Xiang Lin's opinion, he nodded. "Fine. You two fight until one of you is dead."
Xiang Lin grinned and said with a laugh, "A sect that even takes in cripples dares to challenge our Primal Demon Temple?"
Each utterance of "cripple" insulted not only Ruan Meizhen, but every disciple of the Crippled Demon Sect.
Clouds of deathly white, icy mist abruptly appeared.
In an instant, Xiang Lin became a humanoid demon constantly releasing a strange, chilling power. Threads of writhing cold light spread outward like demonic tentacles.
An aura similar to that of the Earth Yin Cold Spring emanated from him.
A bone-piercing chill that froze souls, split bodies, and snuffed out vibrant life.
It was the Profound Yin Scripture.
"Senior Brother Tong, if I kill this brat, will that count as a contribution?"
Xiang Lin turned his head and smiled at Tong Yi, utterly unconcerned with what Zhao Changfeng might be planning. Clearly, he did not take Zhao Changfeng seriously.
Tong Yi nodded. "I'll allow you to cultivate alongside me."
"Good!"
With that promise secured, Xiang Lin hesitated no longer. He first spat out a stream of gleaming white frost, then stamped a foot on the ground and launched himself into the air.
After Chen Haoming, he became the second person to try to kill Zhao Changfeng from above on the streets of Tamu Town.
Thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump-thump!
Zhao Changfeng's heart pumped violently. Blood and vital energy flooded the meridians and blood vessels throughout his body like lightning, and his flesh burst into a deep crimson demonic glow.
The moment the Blood God Saber entered his hand, a strange sense of blood connection arose. Spiritual power, blood, and vital energy flowed into it as though entering his own flesh and sinews.
It was the weapon best suited to the Blood Shadow Art, custom-made by the Crippled Demon Sect for those who cultivated this path, and it could greatly enhance the art's power.
Whoosh!
The gleaming white frost Xiang Lin had spat out suddenly gathered the strange chilling power dispersed earlier, condensing into a murky stream that seemed to flow through the Yellow Springs of the Nine Hells.
Suspended in midair, Xiang Lin resembled a Netherworld Prison Evil God commanding a stream of the Yellow Springs. His eyes abruptly turned a ghostly white.
He grasped a White Paper Fan and gently fanned the stream.
The already near-solid stream gave off the burbling sound of flowing water that tugged at the soul. Strange creatures could faintly be seen swimming merrily within it like fish.
Flowing water symbolized life, and those strange creatures also radiated the breath of life. These should have been signs of all things flourishing.
Yet an unnatural deathly stillness permeated the entire space.
Sunlight could not penetrate the stream. Those who gazed at it too long would find their minds sinking into its depths, as though their souls were being silently drawn inside.
"Don't look at that yin river!"
Qin Hui barked the warning.
Many members of the City Guard Army shuddered as if awakening from a deep dream. They no longer dared look closely to see whether the strange creatures in the stream were fish or evil beings from the depths of the Nine Hells.
Zhao Changfeng advanced with saber in hand.
His hips, knees, and ankles moved in concert. Using a method consistent with the science of movement, he unleashed explosive strength, twisting the potential in his flesh, bones, and sinews into a single force.
He too thundered into the air.
Swish!
A long, narrow streak of bloodlight blazed forth, slashing at the yin river with the saber's sweep like crimson spectral lightning. Willpower lay within it, brimming with the intent to tear and distort.
The murky stream teeming with strange creatures was cleaved in two with a single slash. Its soul-ensnaring yin energy drifted away like deathly white willow fluff.
It resembled lanterns of ghostly fire swaying in the air.
"Oh?"
Xiang Lin narrowed his eyes slightly, a little surprised by the fighting strength Zhao Changfeng had displayed. "So you do have a few tricks up your sleeve, daring to make me your target."
With that, he waved the White Paper Fan named River of Forgetfulness.
More slender streams appeared across the fan's surface, one after another, as though truly connected to the Yellow Springs of the Nine Hells. Soul-freezing, ghostly white frost rapidly spread, engulfing his entire body.
Xiang Lin vanished from sight in midair, leaving only an enormous cloud of icy mist drifting there.
The rushing sound of water followed.
"Enough of your ghostly tricks! Die!"
After cleaving the yin river with one slash, Zhao Changfeng landed, then stamped off the ground again. Rising skyward, he swung the Blood God Saber into the air a second time.
Spiritual power, blood and vital energy, and willpower poured into the Blood God Saber together.
The Blood God Saber's demonic light blazed!
"Break!"
Three black-and-crimson blood shadows surged toward the enormous cloud of icy mist and its burbling water, one after another, like savage demon souls that had finally escaped the demonic saber after countless millennia of imprisonment.
"Careful! Watch out for those blood shadows!"
Some members of the City Guard Army could not help calling out a warning, driven by their heartfelt reverence for the Primal Demon Temple.
Zhao Changfeng had saved many of their comrades, and they should have stood on his side. Yet Xiang Lin was a disciple of the Primal Demon Temple, which naturally drew their sympathies toward him.
After all, the Primal Demon Temple was the sacred ground of the demonic path in the Beichen Demon Kingdom, and the object of their lifelong yearning.
Even Shen Yanrong and Qin Hui nearly called out warnings because Xiang Lin came from the Primal Demon Temple.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three tremendous explosions rang out within the huge cloud of icy mist, like thunder erupting in broad daylight, leaving everyone's eardrums faintly aching.
Deathly white frost sprayed in all directions. Revealed once more, Xiang Lin stood in the air with his feet on the White Paper Fan, using the artifact to remain aloft.
Blood stained his gold-trimmed black robe. Droplets fell onto the White Paper Fan beneath his feet, adding a splash of poignantly vivid color.
Xiang Lin's expression changed in alarm.
"Still not dead?"
Zhao Changfeng's chest swelled, his blood and vital energy surging at full force. Just before landing, he delivered another slash.
Two more black-and-crimson blood shadows flashed into being and pounced on Xiang Lin like bloodthirsty demon gods. Unable to keep posing nonchalantly in the air, he snatched up the White Paper Fan and held it before his chest.
Boom! Boom!
Two more thunderous blasts erupted. The fan engraved with the Nine Hells Yellow Springs Secret Pattern was instantly blown to pieces.
Xiang Lin fell from the air.
Zhao Changfeng kicked off the ground for the third time. Seizing the moment when Xiang Lin had no strength left to follow through, he hacked down again.
Crack!
Still in midair, Xiang Lin was cleaved in two by Zhao Changfeng's saber, just like the yin river before him.
Organs, flesh, and intestines spilled onto the ground along with the two halves of his corpse. His death was even more gruesome than Shi Yue's.
The artifact shattered, the yin river split, the body destroyed.
Xiang Lin could not have been more thoroughly dead.
Having finished the killing, Zhao Changfeng did not even glance at Xiang Lin's scattered remains. He merely looked at Tong Yi from afar and demanded, "Will you keep your word?"
A strange look appeared in Tong Yi's eyes, but he nodded lightly. "I will."
"Good, then."
Zhao Changfeng grinned brightly, then raced straight toward the Hidden Site of the Spirit Beasts with the Blood God Saber in hand, intent on restoring his fighting strength as quickly as possible.
Tong Yi watched him until he disappeared from sight.
The seven disciples of the Primal Demon Temple either stared at Xiang Lin's dismembered remains or looked in the direction Zhao Changfeng had gone. They had long since stopped mocking Ruan Meizhen.
Ruan Meizhen stood stunned for a moment, then suddenly chased after Zhao Changfeng, her heart a jumble of conflicting emotions.
"The Primal Demon Temple-that was the Primal Demon Temple!"
Huddled in a sunlit house with several disciples of the Crippled Demon Sect, Chi Jingchen also watched Zhao Changfeng depart. "For a rogue cultivator? For Senior Sister Ruan, who's missing an arm? Was that really necessary?"
His fellow disciples all remained silent.
After this battle, everyone firmly believed that Zhao Changfeng and Ruan Meizhen had become a couple. Otherwise, Zhao Changfeng could never have taken such an enormous risk to kill Xiang Lin.