C38 Ask Again

Ann Ziqing hung suspended in the void, motionless.

Beneath her, the earth crackled, and the relentless flames spewed forth from its fissures without end.

Yet, she seemed resolved to evade no longer.

"It's time," she murmured to herself.

The crimson orb she had previously extracted now reappeared in her palm.

"Blood Tickle!"

Droplets of blood, rich with spiritual energy, fell from her other hand like beads off a broken string.

They descended upon the crimson orb!

The orb burst into dazzling light, bathing the entire valley of Jewelry Mount in a bloody glow.

It was as if the blood sacrifice array had been resurrected!

"Hua! Hua!"

Deep underground, the blood surged, weaving a macabre and horrifying tapestry.

But apart from her, it was invisible to all.

What the onlookers saw was the earth, ripped asunder by the Blazing Inferno Halberd. From within the crevices, a blood-red luminescence eclipsed the flames, piercing through the cracks.

Beams of bloody light soared skyward like a meteor shower!

The Red Devil Sect's prized Blazing Inferno Halberd was compelled to ascend from the earth once more.

Upon its emergence, a myriad of bloody tendrils, like sinister vines, entwined themselves around it.

Hundreds of these bloody streaks latched onto the Blazing Inferno Halberd—some detonating instantly, others snapping apart.

Yet with each destruction, even more surged forth to bind it.

The Blazing Inferno Halberd radiated fire, its river of flames dimming as the numerous fiery talismans, once bright as stars, flickered out one by one.

At last, the Blazing Inferno Halberd settled back into the river of flames.

But the blood rays trailing it continued to pierce the fiery river.

From within the Blazing Inferno Halberd, a scarlet shadow burst forth, merging into the river's depths where the fiery talismans transformed into the vague soul shadow of Yuan Qiufang.

Flames cascaded across the sky, yet the rain of blood was no more.

Deep within the river of flames, Yuan Qiufang's former frenzy and derangement had vanished.

"Don't even mention Yuan Qiufang; you haven't truly achieved the status of a Yin God," Ann Ziqing scoffed. "Even I, at the Yin God Stage, cannot wield an artifact with my Yin God alone after it has separated from the body. That is, unless the artifact itself is sentient, and its soul willingly accepts you."

"And you," she suddenly turned, fixing her gaze on Yuan Lianyao, who was itching to jump into action. "I'd advise you to keep quiet."

Yuan Lianyao immediately halted and fell silent.

"The Blazing Inferno Halberd is the Red Devil Sect's most prized treasure, a Heaven Level artifact endowed with its own spirit," Ann Ziqing mused aloud. "I'm surprised it chose to accept you. Without it, Yuan Qiufang, you would never have been able to force me into hiding to secretly set up the array."

With these words, everyone in the valley realized her movements, ghost-like and evasive, were not just to dodge the Halberd's strikes.

She was actually leveraging an ancient underground chasm to lay out her array.

Once the array took shape, she shifted from defense to offense.

The Blazing Inferno Halberd, compelled from the earth, was forced back into the fiery river.

"I never expected that, despite destroying so many subterranean channels, I would still fail," came the voice of Yuan Qiufang from the river of flames. "Even in my frenzied state, I can vaguely sense the network of ravines beneath this valley, all leading to Jewelry Mount."

"Those must be the true focal points of the blood sacrifice array, aren't they?"

"Father!" Yuan Lianyao called out.

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed as he too stared into the sky, watching Yuan Qiufang's soul shadow within the river of flames. "Sister Zhao, it seems we're headed for defeat. I had hoped for a battle of equals, to harness the power of both sides, but it ended too abruptly."

As the Blazing Inferno Halberd soared from the ground and merged with the river of flames, the energies of Ann Ziqing and Yuan Qiufang ceased to spill forth.

No longer were additional flecks of fire and blood drawn to the "Glorious Heavenly Wheel," to be captured in its grasp.

The attempt to refine the essence of the young dragon's soul, now unsupported by external forces, appeared doomed to remain unfinished.

Moreover, Ann Ziqing had made it clear: she was not interested in making concessions for the sake of others.

"It's over," she declared.

Then, from the other end of the valley, another voice, heavy with hatred, echoed—a voice all too familiar to those present.

A disciple of the Blood God Cult, another who aspired to ascend to the status of a Yin God.

This was the senior brother Ann Ziqing had mentioned.

"My, my..."

The voice of Yuan Qiufang, tinged with fear and unease, echoed from the depths of the fiery river. Within it, the Blazing Inferno Halberd writhed like an unstable serpent of flame.

Atop Jewelry Mount, a figure in a large red cape adorned with intricate blood patterns emerged slowly.

His left hand's fingers were linked to five streams of blood light.

These tendrils of light bound a person, who floated beside him, ensnared by the crimson glow.

Shockingly, it was Yuan Qiufang!

But hadn't Yuan Qiufang been speaking within the river of flames, wielding the Blazing Inferno Halberd?

How then was his body now in the grasp of this man?

Many of the onlookers, those of lesser cultivation, wore expressions of bewilderment.

Yu Yuan's brow was furrowed, his lips sealed in silence.

He realized that Yuan Qiufang was beyond hope and acknowledged his own cultivation was far too inferior, forcing him to depend on the strength of others—a precarious reliance.

"Rebirth has granted me too little time, and yet, in these early stages, I've encountered an anomaly like Ann Ziqing," Yu Yuan lamented inwardly.

"Father!" Yuan Lianyao's voice rose once more, her gaze fraught with concern as it landed on Yu Yuan.

In that instant, she acutely felt her father's soul, submerged in the river of flames, weakening rapidly. "Yu Yuan, what exactly have you done to my father?"

"Don't blame him," came the resigned reply from Yuan Qiufang. "Without the pill he gave me, I would've already been slain by the Yin God, my life force commandeered to fuel a colossal arm of blood. That pill unlocked all my potential, propelling me into the Red Devil Sect's vaunted 'Crazy Devil Realm' in mere moments. My life force merged with the Earth Soul, creating an illusory Devil Soul."

"The Devil Soul—a fusion of life force, spiritual energy, and Earth Soul—enabled me to control the Blazing Inferno Halberd and wield power beyond my wildest dreams."

"Alas, the state was fleeting, unable to endure."

"This Devil Soul, too, is but a transient illusion, not the genuine, everlasting kind."

...

Yuan Qiufang's voice dwindled to a whisper.

The river of flames contracted slowly, its substance fading into an ethereal mist.

"Senior Brother, let's bring him back to his soul," Ann Ziqing suddenly proposed.

The Blood God Cult's envoy, who was in possession of Yuan Qiufang's body, was clearly reluctant. "The Red Devil Sect is our sworn enemy," he protested.

"The shattered illusionary Devil Soul, once it returns to its original body, will transform into an Earth Soul," Ann Ziqing explained, fixing her gaze on him. "Surely, you're not still afraid of Yuan Qiufang in that state, are you?"

"Afraid? Hardly," the man scoffed.

With a whoosh, a hazy river of flame, carrying barely visible fiery talismans, cascaded down onto Yuan Qiufang's head like a stream.

"Swoosh!" The Blazing Inferno Halberd burst forth, soaring away.

"Return to me," Ann Ziqing commanded with a smile, her hand making a pulling gesture. "You, my unexpected prize. Securing you will compensate for my Senior Brother's disgrace in failing to reach the Yin God Stage."

Innumerable tendrils of blood light ensnared the Blazing Inferno Halberd tightly, rendering it immobile.

"Young Master, let's strike a bargain," she suggested.

After settling that matter, she turned her attention back to Yu Yuan, observing him holding Zhao Yafu's hand. "I can lend my strength to help the Zhao family's little sister assimilate that creature. In return, we'll drop the Darkmoon City issue. I'll take the Blazing Inferno Halberd and leave with you for the Blood God Cult immediately."

"How does that sound?"

This was her second time posing the question.

Previously, she had offered to wipe out the entire Huang family if only Yu Yuan would agree.

At that time, Yu Yuan had other assurances and thought he could still place his trust in Yuan Qiufang, so he declined.

But now? Yuan Qiufang, the one he had pinned his hopes on, had been taken captive by the Blood God Cult, and the Heaven Level Blazing Inferno Halberd had fallen into Ann Ziqing's hands.

Ann Ziqing had also promised to assist Zhao Yafu with the young dragon threat.

If all went well, the Zhao family would owe a tremendous debt of gratitude. Should he accompany Ann Ziqing to the Quietus Continent, the Zhao family would be bound to extend every courtesy to the Yu family.

"I think it's acceptable," Zhao Zhenghao said wearily as he emerged from Jewelry Mount. "The Blood God Cult has shown true sincerity. Yu Yuan, why are you still hesitating?"

"My father?" inquired Yuan Lianyao.

"He's not going to die," Ann Ziqing assured her with a smile. "Frankly, your father's transformation might not be such a bad thing after all."

"How so?" Yuan Lianyao pressed, intrigued.

"The fire toxin that's plagued him for years is finally gone," Ann Ziqing explained, having already unraveled the mystery. "He's merely experienced a decline, depleting his Qi and spiritual energy. He'll drop from the Penetrating Stage to the Yellow Court Stage. Yet, he can begin anew and pursue his cultivation once more. Free from the fire toxin, it's just a matter of time before he reaches the summit of the Penetrating Stage again."

After a moment of contemplation, Yuan Lianyao weighed her options and abruptly turned to Yu Yuan. "The Blood God Cult has certainly demonstrated ample sincerity. I'd advise you to stop dithering. With their backing, you won't have to worry about the Lim family, or even the Cold Yin Sect, for that matter."

Surprisingly, she joined Zhao Zhenghao in urging Yu Yuan to acquiesce and willingly accompany Ann Ziqing.

Faced with overwhelming power, both the City Lord and the head of the Zhao family had chosen wisely.

...

Trust me, I'll get back on track. Once I'm back in form, I might even have a couple of breakthroughs.

Rest assured, the writing will only get better from here on out. Truly.