Volume 3, Chapter 167 – The Nine Nether Demon Cats (Part 2)

Content Warning

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Animal abuse ⚠️

Indeed, the two cats imprisoned in the dungeon were none other than the Nine Nether Demon Cats—creatures every sect in the cultivation world coveted beyond measure!

The one with intact eyes was named Mi Mi, the elder sister. The blind one was named Yao Yao, the younger sister. They were twins!

In their memories, their mother always called them with a soft “meow, meow, meow”, so they naturally assumed this was their name. Thus, they split the sound of “meow” into two—Mi Mi for the elder sister, and Yao Yao for the younger.

Of course, this was only their subconscious understanding. Their intelligence was not much higher than that of ordinary cats, so they couldn’t possess the same level of self-awareness as humans.

As for why they were covered in wounds—that was a matter tied to the function of the Nine Nether Demon Cats.

The Nine Nether Demon Cats fed on souls. The stronger ones could even devour malignant spirits and vengeful ghosts!

Because they could see ghosts, they drew the attention of cultivators. After extensive research, someone discovered that their tears could be used to create a miraculous eyedrop. When ordinary people used it, they, too, could see ghosts.

For common folk, the ability to see ghosts might be useless. But for immortal sects, it was an invaluable treasure! Low-level cultivators couldn’t perceive spirits, so these “cat tears” compensated for their deficiency.

Thus, the Nine Nether Demon Cats became the target of wholesale hunting across the cultivation world.

Of course, merely capturing them wasn’t enough—they had to make them cry.

In the cultivation world, there was only one method to force tears from a Nine Nether Demon Cat: torture. The more far-sighted would only inflict physical pain, while the short-sighted would stimulate their eyes directly, killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

As a result, most Nine Nether Demon Cats endured unending torment from birth. Some even lost their eyes entirely, which was why their numbers dwindled drastically.

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And this was also why the two cats in the dungeon were covered in scars.

Elder An viciously yanked the iron chains. Mi Mi, the one with intact eyes, let out a pitiful wail as she was dragged through the air like trash, her battered body dripping blood from the violent motion.

Elder An showed no mercy. With a backhanded swing, he lashed her with a whip.

“Meow—!”

Mi Mi let out a weak cry, her tiny body sent flying before slamming into the wall and collapsing to the ground. Her limbs, twisted from the beating, twitched uncontrollably.

“Meow!”

Beside her, the blind Yao Yao sensed her sister’s pain. Her fur bristled as she located Elder An by sound alone and pounced without hesitation, fearlessly throwing herself at him.

“Scram, useless thing!”

Elder An kicked her away in disgust. For this blind cat, he held no reservations.

Thud!

Yao Yao flew like a ragged sack, crashing into the wall with a sickening crack of breaking bones. When she hit the ground, her body convulsed weakly.

Mi Mi, trembling, managed to stand again. She glared at Elder An with dry eyes, then began licking the gruesome whip wound on her belly.

“Cry! Cry, damn you!”

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Elder An’s eyes bulged with rage. He yanked the chains again, dragging Mi Mi toward him before raising the whip once more.

Crack!

This time, Mi Mi didn’t even make a sound. She flopped limply to the ground, either too weak to resist or simply numb to the pain.

In truth, only Mi Mi knew—she had endured torture since birth. Physical agony no longer moved her to tears.

Meanwhile, Yao Yao struggled to rise, her fur still standing on end as she defiantly faced Elder An. But her hind legs dragged uselessly—paralyzed. That kick had shattered her spine.

“You dare defy me? I spared you out of pity before, but do you really think I won’t kill you?”

Elder An sneered.

Mi Mi lay still for a long moment before forcing herself up again, yet still no tears fell.

“Damnable little beast! Still no tears? Have they dried up?”

Elder An seethed. He wanted to kill her, but feared the sect leader’s wrath. So he scanned the dungeon, searching for a more brutal method.

His gaze landed on Yao Yao.

“Hmph! Since you’re already blind, you might as well serve your final purpose!”

In a flash, Elder An vanished and reappeared beside Yao Yao, his hand clamping around her throat as he lifted her into the air.

Yao Yao struggled weakly, but with her paralyzed body, she posed no threat.

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Mi Mi didn’t understand why he had seized her sister, but a deep unease gripped her. Staggering forward, she let out desperate meows—whether in anger or pleading, even she didn’t know.

“Let’s see if your tears have truly run dry!”

Elder An’s face twisted with cruelty. His massive hand enveloped Yao Yao’s tiny head—and with a vicious twist—

“Snap!”

A sharp crack echoed.

Yao Yao’s head lolled limply, her once-bristling fur going slack. Her miserable life—less than a year long—had ended. For her, this world had been too cruel. Death was a mercy.

Elder An tossed her lifeless body at Mi Mi’s feet.

Mi Mi licked her sister gently, but Yao Yao did not respond. Only then did she realize—her only family was gone.

“Meow… Meow… Wuwuwu…”

Her soft, kitten-like cries were drenched in sorrow, echoing endlessly in the dungeon. She didn’t understand—what had she done wrong? Why had she suffered such inhuman torment from birth? Why was the world so unfair?

Her heart shattered, and tears finally spilled—large, glistening drops rolling down her cheeks.

“Good! Excellent! It worked!”

Elder An exulted, rushing forward to grab Mi Mi by the scruff. He held a jade vial beneath her, collecting every precious tear. In the cultivation world, these were worth more than gold—not a single drop could be wasted.

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Mi Mi, broken in body and soul, could only weep helplessly. The grief and resentment she had bottled up for so long overflowed, her tears falling like unstrung pearls.

Elder An, delighted, spat:

“I should’ve killed that useless runt sooner!”

But as he focused on the tears, he failed to notice—something was wrong with Yao Yao’s corpse.

Generally, all living beings possessed three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls. Upon death, the seven corporeal souls would disperse immediately, followed by the dissolution of the Life Soul. The three ethereal souls would then be erased by the Heavenly Dao.

But this was only true for ordinary beings.

If one’s cultivation was strong enough, even after death, the Life Soul could temporarily resist the Heavenly Dao and linger as a wandering ghost.

There was also a second method—dying in a place of extreme yin energy. The concentrated darkness could preserve the Life Soul of even a commoner or animal.

And then, there was a third way—resentment.

If a being died with sufficient hatred, their corpse would emit a powerful grudge, attracting yin energy to shield the Life Soul, allowing it to defy the Heavenly Dao.

And Yao Yao—she belonged to the third category.

Her resentment was too great. Though her seven corporeal souls had scattered, her corpse radiated a dense, malignant aura, shrouding her Life Soul as it slowly drifted free.

Like a bottomless abyss, it began drawing in all the yin energy for miles around…