Chapter 118.1 The Celestial Demon’s Return (2)
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Pei Jing couldn’t help but laugh.
Chu Junyu’s character remained unchanged. He never bothered to discuss or seek approval for his plans.
He decided to leave abruptly, without giving any consideration to saving face.
How could he be unaware of his own authoritarian tendencies?
He walked through the dark passage and reached a massive palace. Four black pillars stood tall, and the floor was polished and shiny. Looking around, it was empty and devoid of any human presence.
At the heart of the palace stood a dragon head, emanating a faint purple aura.
Pei Jing took a couple of steps forward, but he still couldn’t spot anyone. However, he could faintly hear voices coming from behind a closed door.
Inside the palace chamber, the gentle glow of the lamps cast long shadows of two people on the floor.
Pei Jing recognized one of them as the Blood Spider Mother.
They were inside an inner chamber.
The Blood Spider Mother’s face turned serious. She was a woman who could scheme to kill even her own husband in the mortal world, and she had deep-seated suspicions. She asked cautiously, “Can the Huanyuan Palace really fulfill any wish I have?”
The figure opposite her seemed strange, with a head shaped like a bird, featuring a long and peculiar beak. In a raspy voice, it replied, “Certainly, as long as you’re willing to offer something in exchange.”
The Blood Spider Mother let out a sigh of relief, but her expression quickly turned ferocious again as she spoke bitterly, “A wretched woman has ruined my face. She is filled with poison, and now I’m on the brink of death. I’m willing to give anything in return if you can save me.”
The bird-headed figure asked, “Are you willing to give me half of your soul?”
The Blood Spider Mother stiffened, but she was now like a desperate outlaw with no options left. “Half of my soul? How can I give it to you?”
The bird-headed figure remained calm and composed. “I want your unwavering loyalty to our Demon Clan and your willingness to dedicate your soul to the Demon Lord.”
The Blood Spider Mother whispered, “…Demon Lord.”
The bird-headed figure said, “I will set up an array beneath your feet. As long as you don’t resist, the ritual will be completed.”
The Blood Spider Mother hesitated for a while and nodded. “Alright.”
The bird-headed figure’s eyes, colored green, held a touch of mockery as it warned her, “Once you enter this place, there’s no turning back. Don’t even think about resisting. Any resistance during the formation of the array will result in instant death.”
The Blood Spider Mother’s face turned pale, but she managed to force a strained smile as she touched the scar on her face. “Why would I resist… After all… this is my only way out.”
Concealed within a black robe, the bird-headed figure, devoid of joy or sorrow, extended its human hands. Dark purple demonic energy seeped from its fingertips and slowly enveloped the Blood Spider Mother’s body.
The serpents around her waist suddenly became agitated. Driven by fear, their twisted bodies constricted, causing her face to turn a sickly shade of blue. Beads of cold sweat formed on the Blood Spider Mother’s forehead as she crushed the snake’s head with her hand. The centipede that crawled on her scalp, unable to escape its fate, curled up and died on the ground.
The Blood Spider Mother’s entire body trembled as she felt the dark purple spiritual energy permeating her skin and merging with her soul.
Then, the intangible soul acquired weight, descending heavily.
From the palace’s four corners, an inexplicable red liquid slowly oozed. It followed the intersecting grooves on the floor, converging beneath her feet, forming a pool of blood.
Within the blood pool, it seemed as if a pair of hands awaited, ready to receive her descending soul.
The agony of having her soul forcibly extracted flooded her mind.
The woman in the purple robe, standing in the palace’s center, finally crumbled, burying her head in her hands, kneeling on the ground, and letting out a piercing scream.
“Ah, ah, ah—”
Hearing the woman’s heart-wrenching screams, the bird-headed figure’s face remained numb, as if accustomed to such sounds.
Pei Jing stood outside, observing everything clearly.
Seeing the purple demonic energy enveloping the Blood Spider Mother like a gaping mouth and the blood oozing from the four corners forming a cross on the ground, creating a small puddle. A shadow detached itself from her body, pure black in color, bearing a fierce and resentful expression. It slowly got consumed by the blood pool, emanating a sense of malice and grudge.
The soul of a truly wicked person.
So, this was what the Demon Clan desired?
Doubts arose in Pei Jing’s mind. What could they possibly want with it?
Furthermore, why couldn’t that bird-headed figure sense his presence?
Logically speaking, within the Celestial Demon Temple, any Elder’s cultivation surpassed his own by at least two stages. Merely a glance would reveal that this bird-headed Elder was someone he couldn’t provoke at his current level.
Was it because his aura was masked by the Execution Sword or the Transient Jade Lotus?
For now, Pei Jing dared not take any action. After all, Chu Junyu had warned him not to act rashly in the presence of Celestial Demon Clan Elders.
However, it was impossible for him to simply wait in silence.
Pei Jing surveyed his surroundings, examining the layout of the entire palace. He entered a hidden passage, which led to a side window of the inner chamber.
Holding his breath in the darkness, he listened as the voice of the Blood Spider Mother gradually weakened and faded.
The ritual seemed to be complete. The red liquid in the center surged and, contentedly, flowed back into the corners along shallow grooves on the floor.
The bird-headed figure took a step forward and said, “The ritual is complete, and the poison in your body is gone. Now, leave through that door and retrace your steps.”
The Blood Spider Mother curled up, her body split in half, overwhelmed by excruciating pain that engulfed her senses. However, upon hearing that the poison was gone, she still managed to laugh intermittently. Tremblingly, she reached out and touched her face, the repulsive and hideous scar finally vanished. Gasping for breath amidst her laughter, she coughed on the ground and muttered, “You wretched little girl, you finally left. No longer lingering and tormenting me.”
Disgusted, the bird-headed figure urged, “Hurry up and leave.”
After achieving her desired outcome, the Blood Spider Mother had no intention of staying. Clutching her stomach, she stood up, her purple gown brushing over the corpses of venomous creatures, leaving behind traces of bloodstains. She was in excruciating pain, but she continued to walk and laugh, her teeth trembling. Infused with malice and hatred, her face twisted into a horrifying expression.
The bird-headed figure turned around, swiftly pulling his black robe, his form blending into a dark mist, disappearing from sight.
Pei Jing confirmed that he had truly left. He broke open the side window with his sword and leaped inside. At that moment, the Blood Spider Mother stood at the doorway, her fingers barely touching the door. Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her, and with an intensely cold gaze, she turned around, only to see a white-robed youth leaping in through the window.
The Blood Spider Mother’s eyes narrowed, and her heart filled with great alarm—was it him?!
Pei Jing could tell at a glance that the Blood Spider Mother’s days were numbered.
As expected, he thought with no surprise, the demons of the Celestial Demon Clan were not so benevolent. When they spoke of taking half of her soul, it was probably the entire soul. He wagered that once the Blood Spider Mother left, she wouldn’t live for more than three years. The Elder of the Celestial Demons spared her life, most likely to deceive more wicked individuals into coming here.
Pei Jing had originally planned to personally kill the three people on the ship after entering the inner city, but now he thought it unnecessary. After all, they were doomed, and he didn’t want to create any commotion.
At this moment, when he saw the Blood Spider Mother, he merely smiled faintly.
He found this woman to be quite extreme in temperament, but after encountering so many deranged women, Pei Jing had almost become indifferent.
No matter how extreme she was, she couldn’t compare to the arrogance of the Queen Mother of the West, who acted like a lunatic, seeking vengeance for even the slightest offense. The Thousand-Faced Woman was also one of them, adding the insane Heavenly Dao to the mix.
Compared to them, the Blood Spider Mother could be considered harmless.
On the other hand, the Blood Spider Mother saw him as a formidable enemy, even though she was severely injured and no match for Pei Jing. With a fierce exterior but cowardly at heart, she asked, “Why have you come?”
Pei Jing replied, “Auntie, don’t you have a poor memory? We entered together, so if you can come, why can’t I?” He looked around, knowingly asking, “Oh, where is everyone? I wanted to make a wish.”
The Blood Spider Mother’s face remained pale. Breathing a sigh of relief, she relaxed a bit and said, “That person has already left.”
“It’s alright, I can wait.”
The Blood Spider Mother’s eyes revealed a hint of mockery. “Then you can wait here.”
Throughout their journey, her impression of Pei Jing was that of an airheaded fool, making wishes as if it could grant anything. It was laughable to the extreme.
Pei Jing narrowed his eyes and understandingly asked, “Hmm, why do I feel like you’re not in good health?”
His words made the Blood Spider Mother break out in a cold sweat all over her body, her heart tightening once again. She forced herself to remain composed and said, “It’s nothing, just feeling a little uncomfortable.”
Pei Jing merely wanted to startle her a bit and replied with feigned concern, “Uncomfortable, huh? Well, make sure to rest well and drink plenty of hot water.”
The Blood Spider Mother: “Heh heh.”
“Oh, it seems there’s no hot water here, but I remember there being a pool of lava outside the refining tower once you’re out. Then drink more lava.”
The Blood Spider Mother: “……”
She seethed with anger and wished she could kill him, but her condition held her back. The Blood Spider Mother could only say, “You can wait here slowly. He will come.”
After making sure he wouldn’t launch a surprise attack from behind, the Blood Spider Mother gritted her teeth and, enduring the discomfort, turned around and pushed open the door.
Instead of the palace, there was a mass of black mist waiting outside, just like when she had arrived.
She endured the pain and stepped inside.
Behind her, Pei Jing’s smile turned chilly, his gaze indifferent as he watched her depart.
When the entire room was empty, leaving only him, Pei Jing began to search for the line on the ground. He walked to the center and found a small circular recess.
“This is it.”
His fingers touched the floor beside the circular recess, where four lines symmetrically divided the room diagonally.
“How did the blood get here?”
Pei Jing followed the inconspicuous groove and reached the corner of the inner chamber, where the groove disappeared into a black hole. Pei Jing squatted down and looked for a while, but couldn’t figure out anything. At that moment, he felt movement in his sleeve and was surprised to find the chubby green world. It crawled out of the Transient Jade Lotus, its translucent body becoming plumper and seemingly well-fed and well-rested.
“How did you come out?”
Pei Jing and the worm stared at each other. The worm twitched its antennae, remaining silent, and then crawled along Pei Jing’s finger, making its way to the ground.
Then, to Pei Jing’s astonishment, he watched the caterpillar nibbling on the wall.
Nibbling… on the wall?!
“…….”
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