Jiang Siwei had stayed in the Mingxin Hall for many years, and the various methods of punishment there she had long since mastered. The moment she made her move, Liu Hua's Primordial Soul let out a shrill, agonized wail.
That voice of torment, like a demonic sound, drilled endlessly into the minds of those present. As they watched the soul writhing and twisting inside the bottle, everyone felt a chill in their hearts. If it were them enduring such torment, how long could they last?
To die swiftly, like Jin Guang had, suddenly seemed like a kind of mercy.
Liu Hua's Primordial Soul withstood only a few hours before he began to beg Yun Jin to grant him a swift death.
"Sect Master Liu is truly pitiful. How about this, I randomly pick one to accompany him on the road?" Yun Jin's cold gaze swept across the crowd before landing squarely on Wen Fu.
Wen Fu's body trembled, his voice breaking with panic. "I will cultivate, I will continue cultivating!"
He sat cross-legged at once, forcing himself to resume cultivation.
Yun Jin's eyes shifted to the next one.
"I… I will cultivate as well."
"We will all cultivate. Every one of us will cultivate!"
One by one, the group sat down, entering cultivation in fear.
Only then did Yun Jin nod in satisfaction. She placed the glass bottle holding Liu Hua's Primordial Soul in the very center, ensuring his ceaseless cries of agony echoed in their ears without pause.
The more piercing that sound became, the more desperate and focused their cultivation grew. They no longer cared about anything else. Reaching the third layer meant at least they could hope for a swift end. With that motivation, their progress naturally accelerated.
Soon, the first person to reach the third layer emerged.
It was Wen Fu.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes slightly.
Upon reaching the third layer, the most hidden depths of the demonic aura would manifest themselves.
As Wen Fu advanced, the thick demonic qi swirling behind him condensed, and within it, a withered yellow tree branch slowly surfaced.
A branch?
What was this?
Yun Jin frowned deeply.
After Lin Xiao's death, she had taken his storage pouch. She had carefully examined every item within. Although there had been many rare treasures, the thing she most desired had not appeared.
One question about Lin Xiao had always troubled her.
How had he managed to perfectly conceal his spiritual aura?
And that mysterious potion capable of masking demonic qi—where had it come from?
She had thought that reaching the third layer would reveal some clue hidden within the demonic aura. Yet to her surprise, what emerged was merely this irrelevant-looking branch.
Soon, the others too advanced to the third layer. Without exception, every one of them manifested the same branch behind their demonic qi.
This meant only one thing. The source of their corruption was tied to this branch.
Yun Jin committed the appearance of the branch firmly to memory. As for the remaining cultivators, they had served their purpose.
Keeping her word, Yun Jin granted them swift deaths.
Inside the bottle, Liu Hua's Primordial Soul gradually dissipated, finally swallowed into eternal darkness. At the corner of his lips lingered a faint, almost relieved smile.
"A branch…"
Yun Jin raised her palm, summoning the image of that withered branch upon it.
Unable to restrain herself, she addressed the statue before her. "Zi Mo Xiāndì, do you know what this thing is?"
Zi Mo Xiāndì hesitated, seeming uncertain.
"Xiāndì suspects something? Speak freely," Yun Jin urged.
Zi Mo Xiāndì considered carefully, then said in a low tone, "This is but an image of a branch, it is difficult to judge too much from it. Yet for a single branch to create so many demonic souls… it brings to mind one particular supreme treasure."
Yun Jin focused intently on her words.
Still, Zi Mo Xiāndì remained uncertain. She spoke after a pause. "Could it be… a branch from the Tree of Life? Only, judging by its withered form, it is a branch already drained of vitality, its energy long since exhausted."
"The Tree of Life?" Yun Jin narrowed her eyes. "I have never heard of it."
Zi Mo Xiāndì explained, "It is natural you have not. The Tree of Life is a supreme treasure of the Immortal Realm. Legend holds it grows at the very end of heaven and earth. Its fruit can give birth to new life, its aura heals wounds with unparalleled power, and even when ground into powder, it can conceal one's presence. This Tree of Life can be called a treasure in its entirety. Moreover, it is exceedingly mysterious. What I have told you may not even cover all its abilities."
Yun Jin's gaze flickered.
Powder…
Capable of concealing one's aura?
It reminded her at once of Lin Xiao's peculiar potion.
If…
If the powder was dissolved in water, would that be the origin of that mysterious elixir?
Yun Jin pressed further. "Zi Mo Xiāndì, given how rare and wondrous the Tree of Life is, why would you leap to suspect it merely from the sight of a single withered branch?"
Such a leap in logic seemed far too drastic.
Zi Mo Xiāndì did not conceal her reasoning. "The answer is simple. The sealed demon god possessed a small piece of the Tree of Life's root. In that ancient battle, he drew upon its restorative powers again and again. We pressed him to the brink repeatedly, yet he recovered each time by relying on the Tree's strength. In the end, we were forced to seal ourselves in order to drag him down with us.
What he possessed was a root, and it still held a trace of green vitality. This branch, however, is utterly withered. The two do not resemble each other. Yet my impression of that root runs too deep. The moment I saw the strangeness of this branch, I could not help but think of the Tree of Life.
Of course, this is merely my conjecture, not necessarily the truth," Zi Mo Xiāndì admitted.
But Yun Jin's expression suddenly darkened. From Zi Mo Xiāndì's description of the Tree of Life's powder, she was nearly certain this branch was indeed from that legendary tree.
And now…
She had learned something more.
The sealed demon god possessed the Tree of Life's root!
She had slaughtered for seven days and nights within Sky City, all to weaken that demon god's strength.
But if…
Yun Jin asked in a chillingly calm tone, "If that branch truly is from the Tree of Life, and it has already fallen into the demon god's hands, then what would happen?"
Zi Mo Xiāndì's voice changed, filled with unease. "Why do you suddenly ask this?"
Yun Jin replied evenly, "Lin Xiao was slain by my hand. His storage pouch ended up with me. As a rule, the most vital possessions of a cultivator are always carried on their person. Yet in Lin Xiao's pouch, this branch was absent.
Furthermore, think of it. Why did the beast tide break out solely in the Qingxiao region? Lin Xiao and that demon god clearly shared a tacit understanding. They must have had some hidden means of communication.
By Xiāndì's own words, that demon god's strength was earth-shattering. Even while sealed, he remains a terrifying existence. Lin Xiao, for all his influence in Qingxiao, was far from worthy of catching his eye.
In that case, why would the demon god ever bother to maintain contact with him?" Yun Jin's tone was utterly calm, but the weight of her words struck heavily.
Zi Mo Xiāndì finally understood.
Lin Xiao must have possessed something the demon sovereign desperately needed!
Her voice trembled. "Lin Xiao… gave that branch to the demon god!?"