Chapter 720: Chapter 147: The Return of the Destruction Demon Heart
A woman’s mind is always hard to fathom.
Jiang Yuning may not even understand her own thoughts.
But after Zhou Yan obtained those past memories, he suddenly understood, and his entire being felt as though it had been drenched in cold water.
In this life, Jiang Yuning was the person he loved most, and being forced to doubt the person you love most is indeed a very painful thing.
However, there were too many complex situations before that compelled him to do so.
Sufficient interests could drive people to insanity. Even the Xuanyuan Ancestor hadn’t stepped onto that immortal path, and now that Zhou Yan possessed the potential of an Immortal Evil Soul, there would inevitably be many schemes targeting him on his cultivation path.
That was why Zhou Yan had even doubted Jiang Yuning.
But now, he no longer doubted her.
Because Jiang Yuning had even given up her Life Soul from her previous life for him! What exactly was the Life Soul? Zhou Yan never really fully understood until now, suddenly acquiring this part of the memory, he finally figured it out.
By giving up her Life Soul, Jiang Yuning’s previous life would die, and to live in the next life, she would lose everything including her innate cultivation talents.
In other words, she was reborn through reincarnation due to the words ‘childhood sweethearts’ from the Lei Yan King, living by Zhou Yan’s side, silently guarding and growing up with him.
She was of a princess-like status from the upper-class Plane, with extraordinary talents and even her intellect and beauty were unmatched, compared to Mu Qingyan, the Wan Jie Divine Woman, they were both unique in their own ways. Yet, she gave up everything, entered a prison world that was a Breeding Ground, just to accompany him, always risking getting lost or perishing.
Perhaps, the Jiang family had wronged the Lei Yan King, had wronged him, and perhaps she initially just truly believed that the plan to cultivate the perfect soul could proceed as agreed upon, without thinking of any consequences.
After all, it wasn’t much related to her.
But she paid too much.
Losing her Life Soul was no different from the Lei Yan King losing his own Perfect Supreme Soul, and the outcome… did that even need to be thought about?
Zhou Yan’s fists clenched tightly, his fingernails digging into his palms. Because he had understood Jiang Yuning’s painstaking efforts, he only hated why he hadn’t thought of this sooner, so that the Holy Daughter Jiang Yuning wouldn’t have needed to take out her own Life Soul, and he could have stopped her.
But the Life Soul had already been taken out, and now it had been lost in the Netherworld, and there was no way to recover it.
It was like the Perfect Supreme Soul, the Immortal Evil Soul, once taken out, they could never return.
…
Zhou Yan casually took back the Memory Crystal Stone in his palm, preparing to step into the boundaries of the Netherworld.
The inheritance and the True Void Heavenly Prohibition left by the Lei Yan King in the Time-Space Soul-locking Tower had now all merged and completed the inheritance, and it was no longer suitable to stay inside the tower.
Zhou Yan didn’t dwell on Jiang Yuning’s matters, because now he could only live up to Jiang Yuning’s expectations, retrieve the Life Soul, complete his own transformation, further progress his own soul, and then find a way to save Gu Xi.
Activating the Netherworld Heaven Bridge Technique and taking out the Soul Token that he had used before, Zhou Yan refined it again with runes, and then took it out.
Next, he lifted the Heavenly Mechanism Shield and also took back the Soul Killing Divine Stone.
He transformed into the form of an ordinary person’s Ghost Form, nearly indistinguishable from all the Netherworld Cultivators above the Five Soul Envoys, but he left a wisp of Mu Qingyan’s Bloodline aura.
Only through this wisp of the Bloodline aura would Mu Qingyan understand that he had arrived.
This was perhaps also a minor function of the Blood Pearl Mu Qingyan had left behind before.
With Xuanyuan Ancestor’s hints and confidence in the Heavenly Mechanism Shielding Technique, Zhou Yan was sure that aside from those related by bloodline, almost no one else could calculate his identity or learn of his whereabouts.
In the eyes of others, Zhou Yan had already perished, dead from the moment he stepped into the Time-Space Soul-locking Tower.
Such was the divine skill of deceiving heaven. Once out of the Time-Space Soul-locking Tower, Zhou Yan’s soul would no longer coincide with the original soul, and he wouldn’t acknowledge it, nor would anyone else know.
It was equivalent to being reborn, but only with such a technique could he enter and leave this world without causing any ripples, truly being an observer.
At this moment, Zhou Yan, in his Netherworld form, appeared above an ancient city of the Netherworld, as a palace-like eight-carried sedan chair flew over the ancient city, vaguely sensing a large gathering of Cultivators within the city.
“The Netherworld Goddess is actually inviting the talents of the Jiang family to discuss the Tao in three days, aiming to prove the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Heart Sword Body?”
“It seems that there are mutual affections between both parties!”
“If there is anyone in this world who can match the Goddess, other than the Jiang Family, the Blood Barbaric Ancient Land, the Moonfall Xiao Family, and other families, there’s hardly anyone who has such great capabilities.”
“The specifics are unknown, but the Goddess has made significant advances in her strength, reportedly by refining a part of the Holy Daughter’s Life Soul. It’s just uncertain what the Jiang Family thinks of it.”
“The exact details, we’ll know once we see in three days.”
…
The Netherworld’s voice transformed into countless black particles that echoed through the Ancient City, yet Zhou Yan could easily discern the content of their communication from these black particles.
But this content caused his heart to stir slightly, and instantly he understood Mu Qingyan’s intention.
Indeed, Zhou Yan felt increasingly moved and worried as well.
Like Jiang Yuning before, Mu Qingyan was now doing the same.
“She intends to use this opportunity to kill the imposter ‘Zhou Yan’ here, while simultaneously concealing my existence and her awakened memories. In doing so, she will inevitably pay a steep and substantial price.”
Zhou Yan pondered and left the place without a sound.
Later, in less than half a day, Zhou Yan arrived at the Netherworld Main City, where the Netherworld Palace was located.
The Netherworld Main City bore a striking resemblance to the Sacrificial Heaven Ancient City in size, both ancient and immense. The cold, ghostly forms were cloaked in pale green robes, revealing only their jet-black heads and empty, blood-red eyes which occasionally flickered with a sinister light.
These Netherworld Guards, just like Evil Souls and Evil Spirits, did not present a beautiful appearance. Only those with a status above that of the Five Soul Envoys were entitled to a human guise.
At this moment, Zhou Yan took on an ordinary human appearance, but the Netherworld essence within him was extremely pure. His presence was not indicative of high nobility, yet it certainly did not betray low status either.
Approaching the vicinity of the Netherworld Palace, he faintly sensed a connection with Mu Qingyan’s soul. Strangely enough, although Zhou Yan sensed this connection, Mu Qingyan seemed unaware of it, acting unnaturally slow to respond.
However, the instant Zhou Yan sensed it, he immediately suppressed all his abilities and shielded his presence even better with a Rune. Even he himself had not considered his true identity.
And so, he pretended to casually pass by the Netherworld Hall.
Just then, Mu Qingyan, Lilith and Ping’er, together with a young man in white, suddenly appeared outside the grand hall.
The hall’s restrictions instantly activated, deriving mysterious Heavenly Dao Runes that shielded the group of four.
It was then that the man in white remarked, “How strange, I sense a familiar presence, as if a change is about to occur. Auntie Ping’er, could it be that you don’t trust me either?”
Ping’er remained as lovely and cute as ever but now carried a hint of mature charm and less of her former naivety.
She hesitated, “Even though you are the young master and Sister Ling Qing’s daughter, the matter of the Life Soul is of great importance. I must personally hand it over to the young master. I’m sorry, Sisi. I will apologize to you afterward.”
“Auntie Ping’er, you mustn’t do this; otherwise, Sisi will feel even more at a loss. Actually, Sisi is just worried about complications because the world is full of unpredictable changes, and they have not yet noticed me.”
The young man in white spoke softly.
“Don’t worry. With your Bloodline and his flesh, we’ve created a false him. When the time comes, we’ll strike directly, slaying the counterfeit and deceiving all.
This endeavor, bolstered by my Essence Blood, is sure to be foolproof. Besides, I’ve also devised an additional plan, to ensure that even if something unexpected arises, there won’t be any losses.
Once successful, you can take the Life Soul back and give it to your father. As for the Extreme Cold Ice Soul Stone, it can only be obtained when the Ancient Ice Glacier of the Extremely Cold Land opens, which is currently difficult to acquire. At that time, tell your father not to rush; I will personally deliver it to him in the form of descending to the Prison Plane once I have it.”
Mu Qingyan murmured thoughtfully.
“Mhm, let’s proceed with this plan. I’m somehow feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity—could it be that your father has also come? But if he had, the Goddess would have sensed him first, yet she didn’t.”
Lilith glanced around somewhat strangely but saw no indication of anything amiss.
Only they were privy to their own conversation; others could not penetrate the Heavenly Mechanism that protected this place.
But having assimilated the Six Great Sword Body, Zhou Yan could penetrate others’ Heavenly Mechanisms.
Similarly, he recognized Ping’er’s companion in white at first sight—it was no other than his daughter, Zhou Sisi.
Yet like him, Zhou Sisi had now taken on the form of an ordinary person from the Netherworld, transformed into a handsome young scholar in white.
And this young man bore a passing resemblance to Hou Chen.
“Has Sisi not forgotten her senior brother? Then she hasn’t forgotten her past… If she’s here, then what’s the current situation with Wan Jian Tian and the others?”
Zhou Yan felt an inexplicable disquiet, yet he let none discover anything. He decided to watch from behind the scenes to see what would transpire and why Zhou Sisi had come, what her true intentions were.
But despite his uncertainty, Zhou Yan felt somewhat uneasy. He sensed that Zhou Sisi might have known of his arrival the moment he came here.
This was the connection of Bloodline between father and daughter, a bond not wholly obscured even by the Heavenly Mechanism.
“If she knows I’m here and still pretends ignorance, what is she planning to do? There is no great enmity between us, she wouldn’t trap me… But the aura on her body seems off—what is this? Destruction Demon Heart? Has she been tampered with by the Jiang family? Why would she possess the Destruction Demon Heart?”
Zhou Yan carefully derived the facts, and the results of his deliberation caused him even greater concern.