Volume 7, Chapter 374 – She Tore Open the Heavens With Her Bare Hands

‘This is undying resentment attracting Yin energy! Lu Yao… is transforming into a corpse demon!’

Qi Huang, born into the cultivation world, was naturally well-versed in matters of spirits and ghosts. The gloom in her heart instantly dissipated, because this meant Lu Yao’s story was far from over. Everything was still uncertain!

Lu Yao’s resentment surged to the heavens, drawing upon the earth and sky, pulling in the surrounding Yin energy to continuously strengthen her body. The temperature around her plummeted rapidly.

A guard stepped forward to check Lu Yao’s breath before turning to report: “Your Majesty, this little beggar has already breathed her last!”

“If she’s already dead, then why hasn’t she fallen?”

The emperor’s voice was laced with suspicion.

The people around exchanged uneasy glances, none able to provide an answer. Some already wore expressions of fear, clearly terrified by this unnatural sight.

Meanwhile, the Yin energy gathering from all directions grew denser, causing the temperature to drop even further. Dew began forming on the ground in thick droplets, as if it were a winter morning.

“Why is it suddenly so cold?”

Someone shivered as they spoke.

The crowd looked around in confusion, but since ordinary eyes couldn’t perceive Yin energy, all they saw was the same sunlit sky, not a single dark cloud in sight. Their unease only deepened.

Though dead, Lu Yao’s heart continued to generate an endless stream of resentment, and with each passing moment, it only intensified. This resentment acted like a magnet, relentlessly pulling in the Yin energy between heaven and earth to strengthen her body.

Then, those standing closest suddenly felt a searing pain on their exposed skin. Looking down at their hands, they watched in horror as their flesh visibly decayed, followed by muscle and bone.

“Ah! My hands! My face! What’s happening?!”

Several nearby guards screamed in terror before collapsing to the ground, writhing in agony. Among them was the very guard who had struck Lu Yao down.

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Qi Huang knew this was the result of overwhelming Yin energy, though these ordinary people had no way of understanding.

And then, Lu Yao’s body began to change.

Her unseeing eyes now gleamed with a sinister crimson light. Sharp fangs extended from the corners of her lips, and her nails lengthened at a visible pace.

“Monster! There’s a monster!”

Someone finally noticed Lu Yao’s transformation and shrieked in panic. Others soon caught sight of the horrifying scene.

The square erupted into chaos as people shoved and trampled over each other in their desperate escape. Many unfortunate souls were crushed to death in the stampede. The emperor, too, was hastily escorted away by his guards.

Lu Yao’s heart continued to churn out resentment, eventually forming a vortex that spun like a fan, releasing waves of crimson-tinged malice. It drew in even more Yin energy, further enhancing her body.

Her skin shifted colors like a theatrical mask—iron-gray, then bronze-green, followed by silver, then gold, before finally reverting to its original shade. Yet now, it was even paler and smoother than in life, as if reborn. The only thing missing was the vitality of blood, but this absence only amplified her chilling aura.

‘This…’

Qi Huang was utterly stunned.

She knew that resentment could linger after death, but she had never heard of it manifesting such phenomena within the body. Moreover, the speed of Lu Yao’s power growth was terrifying—in the blink of an eye, she had evolved from an ordinary corpse into a Flying Zombie. Compared to this, Qi Huang’s own “cheats” seemed insignificant.

‘If her resentment remains unquenched, her power will keep increasing. Just how far will she go?’

Awe surged within Qi Huang, but it was soon replaced by sheer joy. This poor girl had finally reached her turning point.

Lu Yao continued to grow stronger.

Her body had already reached the limits of what this world could endure. Cracks began spreading through the space around her, like a mirror on the verge of shattering.

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This anomaly finally drew the attention of the Heavenly Dao.

From the highest heavens, dark clouds, black as the bottom of a pot, suddenly gathered. They pressed against each other, unleashing deafening roars. Purple lightning snaked within them, frantically seeking an outlet. A crushing pressure descended upon the world, forcing the fleeing commoners to their knees, unable to take another step.

‘Heavenly Tribulation!’

Having experienced this before, Qi Huang recognized it immediately. But unlike last time, she felt no oppressive force. There were only two possibilities, either this was because of the dreamscape, or Lu Yao had grown so powerful that she could outright ignore the tribulation.

BOOM—!

Another thunderclap shook the heavens. A violet bolt tore through the darkened sky, striking straight at Lu Yao.

Still haunted by her last encounter with tribulation lightning, Qi Huang instinctively braced for pain, but as an observer across time, she had no control over Lu Yao’s body.

Lu Yao didn’t dodge.

She stood firm, taking the heavenly lightning head-on.

Qi Huang had prepared for agony, yet she felt nothing but the faintest tingling numbness.

‘This… how is this possible?!’

Shock and elation warred within her. Shock at Lu Yao’s incomprehensible durability, and elation that this tormented girl now had the power to defy the heavens themselves.

“So this is the so-called ‘divine punishment’?”

Lu Yao finally raised her head.

Her face, now deathly pale and no larger than a palm, was breathtakingly beautiful, far surpassing her living self. Strangely, she bore a faint resemblance to Cheng Hongling and her mother. The only flaw was the dried trail of bloody tears on her right cheek, now hardened into a bean-sized crimson blemish that marred her otherwise flawless visage.

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Since Lu Yao’s senses were now sharp enough to perceive her own appearance, Qi Huang could also clearly see that blemish.

It was identical to the one Jiang Linian had passed down to Cheng Hongling.

The origin of that mark was now undeniable.

‘So it was never a birthmark… but a bloodstain from tears! But… how did it end up on my mother’s face?’

A storm of questions raged in Qi Huang’s mind.

Meanwhile, Lu Yao’s scarlet eyes locked onto the heavens.

“That tickled. Did you forget to eat? There’s plenty of ‘ingredients’ on this altar, come and take them yourself if you dare!”

The Heavenly Dao raged.

The tribulation clouds churned like furious waves, blotting out the entire sky before crashing downward. The lightning within thickened, then rained down like flakes of peeling paint, every bolt aimed at Lu Yao.

A sneer curled Lu Yao’s lips.

She didn’t evade.

She allowed the heavenly lightning to strike her again and again. With each bolt, the impurities within her body were purged, her jade-like form growing purer and more resilient. The spatial cracks around her widened further.

Meanwhile, the residual lightning coursing through her body scattered across the ground, electrocuting the commoners who had been immobilized by the heavenly pressure. Even the emperor was not spared.

“So this is what you call ‘Heaven has eyes’? Then tell me, what sins did these people commit to deserve this?”

Lu Yao’s cold gaze swept over the corpses, her voice ringing out in challenge.

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But no one remained to answer.

An immeasurable amount of time passed before the thunder finally ceased and the tribulation clouds dispersed.

“Did I say you could leave? Get back here!”

With a furious leap, Lu Yao shot into the sky. Her right hand slashed upward, five razor-sharp nails releasing five terrifying blades of energy—translucent arcs like rainbows spanning the horizon, tearing straight into the heavens.

RIIIP—!

A crisp, splitting sound echoed across the firmament.

The survivors looked up in horror.

The azure sky, as if made of fabric, had been cleanly sliced open by five enormous gashes that stretched for thousands of miles. Beyond the rends was an endless void, dotted with faintly twinkling stars, as if another world lay beyond.

“Ah! She-she tore open the heavens!”

Someone screamed in terror. The remaining survivors, their courage shattered, scrambled down the mountain in a frenzy of panic.

Lu Yao paid them no mind.

The Yin energy around her erupted like a flood, surging outward in all directions. The temperature at ground level plunged once more, and thick storm clouds sealed the sky without a single gap.

“Where I stand, there is no Heaven!”

Her voice, carrying for thousands of miles, echoed across the land as she gazed down upon the earth.