"Impossible, absolutely impossible."
Su Qing's whole body began to tremble. How could Suo Ya be a cultivator? It was clearly a spirit beast.
"He is the overlord who failed to break through in the Hall of Heavenly Ascension. He died here because of the failed breakthrough and is now cultivating again using the body of Qingtian the ape."
Chu Lingwei was very curious how Su Qing had become a spirit beast.
Su Qing's eyes widened as she looked at Chu Lingwei, stammering, "You're saying Suo Ya is really a cultivator, a powerful overlord?"
"How did you become a spirit beast?" Nangong Luo's voice was sharp, wishing he could kill the person before him right now.
"A thousand years ago, I was like you, a cultivator who entered here. After entering the Hall of Heavenly Ascension, I encountered danger and was about to perish." Su Qing's eyes were filled with deep unwillingness as she spoke, "My senior brother and I entered the Hall of Heavenly Ascension together. They encountered danger and left me alone. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have died."
Chu Lingwei showed no reaction to Su Qing's tragic fate. Such things were too common on the Xuan Tian Continent.
"Just as I was about to die, Suo Ya appeared and saved me. But I was too severely injured, so he... he found this body for me to be reborn."
Su Qing had no choice back then. She didn't want to die. For someone on the brink of death, any chance of survival would be seized.
Upon hearing this, Nangong Luo laughed, "The Hall of Heavenly Ascension was built by your companion specifically for devouring souls. Do you know how many innocent cultivators have died over the past few thousand years?"
"Impossible, impossible," Su Qing shook her head forcefully. This couldn't be true. Suo Ya would never do such a thing; he was such a kind person.
"Don't believe us? We'll take you to see."
As Nangong Luo spoke, he grabbed Su Qing, along with their two children, and brought them before Suo Ya.
"If you dare touch them, I'll make you all die." Suo Ya tried to step forward but was blocked by Leng Xingzhi, unable to advance.
"Suo Ya, are you really a cultivator?" Su Qing couldn't believe that Suo Ya in front of her was a cultivator like herself.
"Su Qing, don't listen to their nonsense. They want to kill me." Suo Ya looked at the two children, a flash of disgust in his eyes. Who would want their child to be like that?
"Suo Ya, you used the Hall of Heavenly Ascension to kill so many cultivators just to provide souls for your rapid cultivation advancement." Nangong Luo took out his Warm Jade Haotian Fan. Such a person must die. "Today, we will kill you."
Hearing Nangong Luo's words, Suo Ya couldn't help but laugh heartily. Too many people had wanted to kill him, but none had succeeded.
"You are merely cultivators of the Three-Day Realm. To think you can kill me, how naive."
"Weiwei, spirit energy condensed pearl."
Leng Xingzhi pursed his lips and transmitted a message to Chu Lingwei, "I cannot kill it. Help it transform; it cannot survive the lightning tribulation."
Hearing her senior brother's words, Chu Lingwei quickly took out a spirit energy condensed pearl and handed it to Feng Ming, "Feng Ming, feed this to him."
"Weiwei, why feed him this?" Feng Ming's eyes widened as he looked at the spirit energy condensed pearl in his hand. Giving this to him would only make his cultivation even more formidable.
"Don't ask anything now. Hurry and make him eat it." Chu Lingwei was anxious and wanted to step forward but was stopped by her senior brother.
Feng Ming nodded vigorously, holding the spirit energy condensed pearl, and flew into the air. Together with his senior and second senior brothers, they attacked Suo Ya.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, is what you said true? Is he really a cultivator?" Su Qing looked at the people fighting in the air. She was also a cultivator. Although she had practiced other techniques over the past thousand years, she was familiar with the techniques used by cultivators.
Many of Suo Ya's moves were like those of a cultivator.
"Yes, the Hall of Heavenly Ascension in the Cang Shan Secret Realm was built by him. He extracts the souls of all cultivators who enter to improve his cultivation." Chu Lingwei stared at her senior brother without blinking, worried about their safety.
"All the cultivators who died in the Hall of Heavenly Ascension were killed by Suo Ya?" Su Qing couldn't accept this reality. How could it be?
He was clearly Qingtian the ape. How could he suddenly become a cultivator?
"Perhaps your transformation into your current state was also orchestrated by him." Chu Lingwei looked at Su Qing, a flicker of sympathy rising in her heart. To be almost killed, then transformed into a spirit beast, and even bear children for him – it was truly pathetic to think about.
Su Qing's body trembled violently. She looked at the two children beside her again, fear in her eyes.
The two children sensed their mother's anomaly and struggled to crawl towards Su Qing's embrace. Their bodies were controlled by spiritual energy, unable to move, which made their facial expressions and gazes extremely ferocious.
Seeing their appearance, Su Qing sat down on the ground. These two things must not be hers; they were not born of her.
Seeing the opportune moment, Feng Ming fed the spirit energy condensed pearl into Suo Ya's mouth.
Suo Ya felt a powerful spiritual energy filling his body, and a shackle within him slowly loosened.
"Hahaha, I succeeded, I succeeded."
With a surge of strength, Suo Ya sent Leng Xingzhi and the others flying. He laughed maniacally in the air, "This day has finally come. I can finally transform."
"Senior brother, are you alright?" Chu Lingwei flew to Leng Xingzhi's side and supported his arm.
"I'm fine. If I weren't injured, he wouldn't be my match." Leng Xingzhi forcibly swallowed the sweetness in his mouth and quickly retreated, pulling her hand. "He is about to face his tribulation. Let's leave quickly."
Chu Lingwei looked up. Dark clouds had gathered above their heads. They were slightly different from the clouds when she had last broken through. Within the clouds above their heads, golden runes could be faintly seen.
"You people, how dare you touch my wife? I will make you all die." Suo Ya's eyes were bloodshot with rage. They dared to bring his wife and children here; they deserved to die.
"You should worry about whether you can survive the lightning tribulation," Nangong Luo scoffed, his eyes filled with mockery. Having killed so many cultivators, he certainly wouldn't survive the lightning tribulation. Today would be his demise.
His dream was about to end.
"Hahaha, a mere lightning tribulation, how could I be afraid?" Suo Ya raised his head and looked at the first bolt of lightning that was already showing signs of striking him, laughing heartily.
He had already survived lightning tribulations before and was no longer afraid of them.
"Today is the day of my enlightenment, and you are my sacrifices." Suo Ya's eyes were filled with excitement, and he laughed wildly, appearing utterly mad.
"What's the difference between him and a madman?" Su Yan sighed. Even if such a person broke through the final stage and ascended, they wouldn't reach the pinnacle.
His heart was already broken.
With a "thud," the first bolt of heavenly lightning descended.