Rumble!
The terrifying explosion instantly flung everyone thousands of zhang away.
Spurt!
Yu Hua coughed up a huge mouthful of blood, the bones in half of her body shattered by the blast. The self-detonation of a Body Integration realm cultivator carried power capable of tearing apart heaven and earth.
Yu Hua, Zhao Pei, and the others all halted their fighting, exchanging stunned, wary looks.
The four survivors wore expressions of utter gloom. It was now painfully clear to all of them that they could not easily purge the black bugs from their bodies.
The deterrence of that bloody precedent was simply too overwhelming.
Hum!
Whether by design or sheer nonchalance, Lu Tian had not left. He walked out slowly from the raging shockwaves, pinching a thick, ceaselessly squirming bug between his fingers.
With a teasing smile on his lips, he tapped his own forehead and spoke with a trace of mock regret.
"Ah, I forgot to mention—don't try to pull it out on a whim."
Whoosh!
Yu Hua's body stiffened. Lu Tian's figure appeared right beside her, tilting his head slightly toward her ear.
With a flick of his hand, he violently shoved the bug directly into her body!
The woman trembled faintly in terror. She could even feel the scorching breath against her ear as Lu Tian spoke.
"Especially you."
Hearing those words, Yu Hua was scared out of her wits!
She possessed a fierce, unyielding nature and refused to bow beneath others, let alone endure such a sickening method of control. Now Lu Tian had jammed the bug—which had absorbed all of that man's power—straight into her sea of consciousness, clearly out of fear that she might rebel!
Yu Hua's shoulders sank slightly. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she bowed her head. "This humble woman would not dare."
With his hands clasped behind his back, Lu Tian offered an amused smirk. "Yes. Right now, you certainly wouldn't."
The implication was unmistakable: before this, she certainly would have!
Lu Tian turned to the remaining figures and smiled. "Remember, I haven't left you much time.
"Tomorrow, I want to see the Great Xia Sword Sect plunged into slaughter and ruin.
"If you harbor any other thoughts... you will end up just like that fellow earlier."
Lu Tian broke into a deranged chuckle, his fingers dancing through the air around him. He raised his head and parted his lips.
"Bang! Blown to bits.
"You will all become nourishment for the Heavenly Demon bugs."
With those words, Lu Tian tore open the void. Standing at the edge of the fissure, a handsome curve touched his lips as he fixed a penetrating gaze on Yu Hua.
Without another word, Lu Tian laughed loudly and departed.
Yet within the desolate void where no one could see, Lu Tian's expression gradually darkened, and his eyes turned frigid as he muttered, "Who took the sword coffin?
"Besides me... who else could it be?
"Li Guanqi... heh heh. I really wonder what kind of look you'll have on your face when you see him in the future.
"The transformation... should be nearing completion, shouldn't it?"
***
Heavenly Demon Hall.
Ye Feng frowned as he looked at the demonic qi churning in the black pool. In a voice as cold as frost, he asked, "Converting into a demonic body... what exactly is he trying to do?"
Song Zhi'ang sat by the entrance of the grand hall, a tranquil smile on her face as her gaze drifted vacantly into the distance.
Resting her chin on her hand, she seemed not to hear Ye Feng's words. The skin on her hands was peeling slightly, though it was impossible to tell how it had happened.
"Ahhh!"
"Mother, I'm done soaking in the pool today!"
A little boy with a radiant smile came running over, dressed in a black brocade robe.
His chubby cheeks were rosy and plump, and he clutched a one-foot-long sword in his hand.
Hearing the boy's shout, Song Zhi'ang hurriedly rose and bent down to scoop him into her arms.
"Oh my, our Si'ang is so good.
"Did you practice your sword properly today?"
The boy frowned, pouting as he complained in a childish voice, "Mother, I don't want to practice the sword..."
Turning toward Ye Feng, whose face inside remained as cold as ice, the boy curled his lip, wrinkled his nose, and glared at him.
"Hmph!"
With that, he twisted his head away, deliberately refusing to look at Ye Feng.
Ye Feng slowly turned around. His left sleeve hung completely empty, and the exposed skin of his right hand was mottled with numerous dark patches.
Dark rings circled his eyes as he cast an indifferent glance over Song Zhi'ang and the little boy.
Noticing the shift in mood, Song Zhi'ang set the boy gently back on the ground and smiled tenderly. "Go play by yourself, Si'ang. Remember that you have to meditate later."
"Okay!"
"Blehh! Bad uncle!"
With a raspberry, the boy scurried off in a flash.
Ye Feng stood beside Song Zhi'ang, his voice chillingly cold. "You shouldn't be like this."
"Then how should I be?"
"You know very well that when Eldest Brother sees you in the future, there will only be hatred. He will definitely kill you."
The woman offered an unburdened smile and whispered softly, "And so what if he does? ...I... deserved to die anyway."
Her eyes trembled slightly, and her voice quivered as she murmured, "Thank you."
Ye Feng shook his head and said quietly, "No need to thank me. Your father... fell ill from grief and longing. If the people of the Great Xia Sword Sect hadn't looked after him, he would have died long ago.
"Qianqiusui was the one who saw to his burial as well."
Song Zhi'ang lowered her head, slowly sitting down on the steps and drawing her knees to her chest, lost in thought.
Ye Feng said softly, "Li Si'ang...
"Don't you understand that all of this is Lu Tian's scheme?"
Song Zhi'ang buried her face in her knees, her voice muffled and trembling. "I know."
Hearing that, anger flared in the depths of Ye Feng's eyes!
"You know this child is extraordinarily gifted! Three years old! Foundation Establishment at three years old!
"With such monstrous talent, combined with the resources Lu Tian commands, twenty years will be enough for him to step into the Body Integration Realm!
"If Lu Tian arranges for you to die by Eldest Brother's hands, and 'just happens' to let the boy see it all with his own eyes...
"What do you think will fill Li Si'ang's mind in the future? Hatred! Vengeance!
"He will stop at nothing to kill Li Guanqi!
"Is this your idea of love? Is this the outcome you want to see?!"
Ye Feng was intensely agitated, but Song Zhi'ang only murmured with hollow eyes, "The child is innocent. He... is merely what keeps me going."
Seeing her like this, Ye Feng was furious at her resignation!
He grabbed the woman, hauling her up and slamming her against a stone pillar with a resounding thud, snarling,
"Wake up!
"Do you want me to kill Li Si'ang?!"
Boom!
Countless black spikes instantly pierced Ye Feng's body, violently forcing him dozens of zhang back!
Black mist surged around Song Zhi'ang, her disheveled hair partially veiling her eyes.
Her voice turned venomously cold. "Ye Feng, I'm warning you.
"If you dare lay a finger on Si'ang, I will make you pay dearly!
"Ye Tianying, Su Xi, Ye Qing'er... I will make your entire Ye family suffer a fate worse than death."
Ye Feng's eyes narrowed. Demonic qi surged along his right hand and swiftly crept over half of his face, turning his right eye crimson!
Sword in hand, Ye Feng said coldly, "Are you threatening me?"
Song Zhi'ang glared fiercely at him, gnashing her teeth as she hissed, "That's right, I am threatening you.
"If you touch him, I'll slaughter your whole family.
"I don't care about what happens in the future... Right now, he is my life!"
Hum!
Both instantly reined in their auras. A flicker of complex emotion crossed Ye Feng's eyes.
Only now did he truly understand why Lu Tian's very first target had been that infant...
So... every single piece of this had been part of his plan from the beginning.
It was terrifying...
He could hardly imagine what Li Si'ang would become if Li Guanqi truly killed Song Zhi'ang one day...
Chapter 1024