Volume 14, Chapter 929 – The Death of Cheng Hongling

Qi Huang charged forward fearlessly toward the male Life Soul. Her Divine Sense surged out without reservation, grinding against his, while the power of Assimilation within her body poured forth, devouring the space before her at a frightening pace, corroding everything in its path toward her enemy. Her Boundless Demonic Hair transformed into a massive black tendril, exuding a thick aura of Yin energy as it coiled toward Yin Wan. Even if she were to die, she was determined to tear a layer of skin off that man.

The female Life Soul could no longer target Feng Jiu’an; she turned her Divine Sense around to shield Yin Wan instead.

“Hm? Assimilation Power!”

Yin Wan’s expression darkened slightly.

The male Life Soul was forced to abandon Cheng Hongling for the moment, diverting most of his Divine Sense into a solid shield that blocked all of Qi Huang’s attacks.

Cheng Hongling knew that if she hesitated now, she would regret it for the rest of her life. Terrifying Killing Intent surged from within her, charging straight toward the male Life Soul.

He was caught completely off guard. His face twisted in horror, and his Divine Sense froze for an instant.

In that brief window, Cheng Hongling regained her freedom. With a thought, five shards of the Demon Ancestor’s Heart appeared in her hand. Without a trace of hesitation, she slashed open her wrist and merged them all into her body.

“No!”

Qi Huang’s eyes widened in agony as she screamed. She knew that once Cheng Hongling did this, the Yin energy would devour her from within. There was no way she could survive it.

A serene smile bloomed on Cheng Hongling’s face. She knew the Imperial Weapon was now useless to her, so she withdrew it from her body and allowed the Yin energy from all thirty Heart Shards to gush out, corroding every inch of her flesh.

In the blink of an eye, her once rosy skin lost all color, turning ghastly pale. A dense Yin aura seeped from her pores, transforming her very presence.

“Hm? Kill her! Quickly!”

Yin Wan instinctively felt a wave of dread and immediately ordered his two Life Souls to strike.

“Too late!”

A faint sneer curved on Cheng Hongling’s now ghostly beautiful face. In the next moment, horrifying Killing Intent erupted from her body like a tidal flood, crashing toward the two Life Souls and Yin Wan.

“Ah!!!”

Yin Wan’s face contorted with sheer terror. His soul-body trembled violently like a house caught in an earthquake, then shattered apart.

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The two Life Souls suffered the same fate. Their faces twisted in horror; though they did not immediately disperse, their essence weakened rapidly, falling from the peak of the Heavenly Immortal Realm to its initial stage in the blink of an eye.

Qi Huang seized the opportunity, crushing down with her Divine Sense without mercy, grinding both souls to pieces.

Seeing this, Cheng Hongling smiled in relief. Her body lost all strength, tumbling from the sky as the rampant Yin energy devoured her remaining vitality.

“No!”

Qi Huang screamed and rushed forward, catching her beloved in her arms, fumbling helplessly as she checked her condition.

Feng Jiu’an and the others hurried over as well, pity written across their faces.

“Don’t bother… It’s useless.”

Cheng Hongling grasped Qi Huang’s arm, her expression calm and peaceful.

“But you… you…”

Qi Huang clutched her lover’s delicate hand, sobbing uncontrollably.

“It’s fine. I told you before, after everything we’ve been through, whether I’m a fairy or a demon no longer matters to me. The most important thing is to live true to oneself.”

Cheng Hongling’s voice was soft, gentle as a spring breeze.

“I’m sorry… It’s all my fault…”

Qi Huang still couldn’t forgive herself.

“It’s my fault… If I hadn’t invited you to that enthronement ceremony… this wouldn’t have happened today.”

Feng Jiu’an rubbed her reddened phoenix eyes, her voice thick with guilt.

“It’s… it’s not your fault… Even if we hadn’t gone, he… he would’ve come after us sooner or later.”

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Cheng Hongling forced a faint smile, her breathing growing rapid.

Qi Huang disregarded reason and desperately poured True Qi into her lover’s body, trying to suppress the violent Yin energy. But it was futile, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Her cultivation was only at the Divine Realm.

At that moment, Qi Huang felt a regret she had never known before. ‘If only I had cultivated harder… maybe I could have saved her.’

“My… my love… stop wasting… your True Qi… Living another way… isn’t necessarily… a bad thing…”

Cheng Hongling struggled to hold Qi Huang’s hand, her chest heaving weakly.

“Feng Jiu’an, do you have any way to save her?”

Qi Huang turned to Feng Jiu’an, her tear-filled eyes pleading.

“I… I’m sorry… There’s nothing I can do.”

Feng Jiu’an’s voice trembled. Even an Imperial Weapon couldn’t suppress such Yin energy, how could she?

“Is there anyone—anyone who can save her? I’ll give anything, anything at all!”

Qi Huang looked around desperately, her voice filled with anguish, but no one answered. At that moment, she suddenly felt the delicate hand in hers go limp.

She turned her head slowly and saw that her lover’s beautiful eyes, though still open, had lost all their light.

“No… No! Don’t die! Don’t die, please!”

Qi Huang pulled Cheng Hongling’s body into her arms, sobbing like a lost child.

Qi Huang’s cultivation was weak, her mortal body fragile; soon she felt a stabbing cold engulf her, as though icy river winds were slicing through her bones. Her body trembled uncontrollably.

Feng Jiu’an was startled. She quickly pulled Qi Huang away and used her True Qi to drive out the invading Yin energy.

Qi Huang stared at her lover lying alone on the ground, her heart wrenching in pain. She sank to her knees, covering her face and weeping.

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“Don’t cry. With the amount of Yin energy in her body, she’ll definitely turn into a member of the ghost clan. Just as she said—living another way might not be a bad thing.”

Feng Jiu’an comforted softly, then turned to a minister. “Prime Minister Zeng, clear the area. Have the soldiers seal off this plaza. No one unauthorized is to approach.”

“Yes!”

The minister obeyed and left.

“Don’t cry. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

At that moment, Cheng Hongling’s Life Soul drifted out of her body, gently consoling Qi Huang. Because of the power of the Assimilation Heavenly Dao, her seven corporeal souls did not perish along with her flesh. This was the result of her tireless effort.

Qi Huang stood up shakily and reached out to touch her lover’s face, but her hand passed right through it.

“Try using Divine Sense!”

Cheng Hongling reminded her.

Qi Huang focused her Divine Sense into a hand, and this time, she could feel her beloved’s touch. Tears flowed anew, but they were tears of joy.

“Your body is constantly releasing Yin energy now. You can use it to shield your Life Soul. With your soul’s strength, you should be able to exist like this for quite some time.”

Feng Jiu’an advised.

“Thank you.”

Cheng Hongling’s Life Soul bowed gratefully, then turned to Qi Huang. “My love, take me away. My body will soon turn into a corpse.”

“Alright.”

Qi Huang wiped her tears, then stored Cheng Hongling’s Life Soul and body into her spatial ring. Quietly, she left Fengqi City.

Feng Jiu’an wanted to follow, but after some hesitation, she decided against it.

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Qi Huang did not return immediately to Lishui Planet. Instead, she found a secluded world in the cultivation realm and waited for her lover’s body to undergo corpse transformation.

Inside the ring, she closed Cheng Hongling’s eyes and sat beside her, keeping silent vigil.

“I’m sorry, my wife. I’ve always tried so hard to grow stronger, to prevent this from happening… but in the end, it was still you who had to sacrifice yourself for me. I’m truly useless.”

Qi Huang stared at Cheng Hongling’s Life Soul, tears blurring her vision once again.

“It’s alright, my love. You’ve done more than enough. I’m proud of you.”

Cheng Hongling’s Life Soul smiled sincerely, then turned toward her own body. “Once it transforms, we’ll find the remaining two shards of the Demon Ancestor’s Heart. When we combine them with the Blood-Tear Mole on your face, she’ll become another Lu Yao. Then, our path of rebellion against the heavens will be a hundred times easier.”

“Alright.”

Qi Huang nodded absently. Her heart still ached over her lover’s death. “But… who will the real you be then?”

“They’re both me. You can think of her as one of my doppelgängers.”

After a moment of thought, Cheng Hongling replied softly.

Days passed. The Yin energy leaking from Cheng Hongling’s body grew thicker and thicker. It corroded her garments, then the spatial ring itself.

Qi Huang had no choice but to move her lover’s corpse outside, cradling it carefully with her Divine Sense.

As the Yin energy transformed the body, Cheng Hongling’s pink nails darkened to a blackish-brown and lengthened. Four corpse fangs pushed through her lips, and her once-pale skin turned deathly cold. Her fairy-like grace vanished completely.

Qi Huang’s heart churned with a thousand emotions. She truly didn’t care how her lover looked, but she wondered if Cheng Hongling herself could accept it.

Half a month later, Qi Huang’s anxiety deepened. If the corpse transformation failed, the path they’d planned would be completely severed.

“Hm…”

At that moment, both Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling heard a faint groan.