Chapter 1302: Repaying Kindness
Translator: CinderTL
"The three of you have a total of 140,000 catties of Netherworld Sand!" Song Wen’s eyes lit up slightly, a satisfied expression on his face. "Excellent. You’ve done me a great service. I’m not one to repay kindness with ingratitude, so I’ll make your deaths swift and painless."
Wen Hua and the other two had initially thought they might escape with their lives when they heard the first half of Song Wen’s words. But the final sentence plunged them back into despair.
They tried to beg for mercy, but the blood sea that had surged from Song Wen’s feet engulfed them, silencing their pleas forever.
"Young Master Guan Liang, it’s your turn. Have you thought of Fan Kang’s weakness? If not, I’ll have to let you experience the true tortures of us demonic cultivators."
Guan Liang watched in horror as the blood sea gradually receded into Song Wen’s body, leaving no trace of Wen Hua and the others.
"Fan Kang has no weaknesses. He has no interest in women and no family. All he cares about is cultivation and studying formations. He has no other hobbies. In truth, I should be his closest companion. If you want to set a trap to ambush him, I’m the perfect bait."
Song Wen smiled faintly. Guan Liang, desperate to survive, would truly say anything.
If he were used as bait, it meant he could temporarily preserve his life. Moreover, if he were truly used to set a trap, there was a chance Fan Kang might rescue him, offering him a chance to live.
"At least Wen Hua and the others managed to gather over a hundred thousand catties of Netherworld Sand for me. You, a useless waste who knows nothing, still dare to beg for your life?"
Song Wen sneered, and a blood sea surged beneath his feet once more.
Seeing the approaching blood sea, Guan Liang was terrified and panicked. But his divine soul had been severely damaged, leaving him unable to gather spiritual power. He could only watch helplessly.
"Please, don’t kill me..."
The blood sea surged over his mouth and nose, cutting off Guan Liang’s words.
Song Wen held four storage rings in his hand. After a brief inspection, he confirmed that none contained any divine sense imprints left by others. He then soared into the air and vanished into the distant horizon in an instant.
A year later.
In a remote, uninhabited wilderness.
The clear, azure sky suddenly changed color.
A streak of blood-red light abruptly seeped from the horizon, spreading rapidly like ink dissolving in water.
In mere moments, the entire sky was swallowed by a surging sea of blood.
The blood sea churned like a raging storm, and a stench of blood swept across the land.
Everything between heaven and earth was bathed in a crimson glow, resembling a hellish bloody purgatory.
Song Wen stood amidst the blood sea, gazing at the churning crimson waves.
On the surface, the blood sea appeared unchanged from before, but its power had increased severalfold.
The natal magic treasure’s current might rivaled that of some lesser high-grade spirit treasures.
"The Blood Sea Emperor Seal is truly formidable! With this treasure, I should be able to escape even if I face an Early Body Integration Stage cultivator," Song Wen thought with considerable satisfaction.
But the memory of the shadow void in his Sea of Consciousness tempered his joy.
Without lingering, Song Wen retracted the blood sea and swiftly departed.
Over two hours later, disguised as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he appeared in Great Tan City.
After entering a private room in a tavern, Song Wen retrieved Bai Wei’s Communication Jade Slip.
[Senior Bai, it’s been over a year since we last met. Are you well?]
Bai Wei replied almost immediately: "Gou Jun, did you contact me to ask about the progress of the Heavenly Astral Body Integration Pill’s refinement?"
"Senior, not only are you stunningly beautiful, but your mind is also as sharp as crystal. Before you, junior feels as though all his thoughts are laid bare," Song Wen said.
"Empty flattery!" Bai Wei snorted coldly before continuing her message: "The refinement of the Heavenly Astral Body Integration Pill requires utmost care and caution. While I have obtained the Nirvana God Grass and gathered all the necessary Spirit Herbs, I still need some time to rest before I can begin refining the pill."
Song Wen replied, "Senior is absolutely right. It was junior’s impatience. However, everything I said earlier came from the bottom of my heart. Senior’s unparalleled beauty is something junior has never witnessed before, and your care for your disciple fills me with genuine admiration. I hold Senior in the highest esteem."
Bai Wei fell silent, as if lost in thought. After several dozen breaths, Song Wen finally received another message.
"Wang Qiuyue has been looking for you for months. Wait a moment; I’ll go find her."
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Communication Jade Slip in Song Wen’s hand trembled again.
He sent his divine sense into the jade slip and found that this time, it was a message from Wang Qiuyue herself.
"Gou Jun, you’ve finally appeared. Do you still want the secret art?"
"Senior Wang, what secret art?" Song Wen asked, puzzled.
"Have you forgotten our deal from over a year ago?" Wang Qiuyue countered.
Song Wen’s expression stiffened slightly before he hurriedly asked, "Senior, have you already slain Tang He and obtained the wooden box from the Immortal’s Tomb?"
"I owe much of this victory to your Heaven and Earth Incarnation Technique. While I was slightly stronger than Tang He in terms of raw power, I couldn’t have stopped her from escaping if she had chosen to flee. Without your Cosmic Transformation Incarnation to distract her and give me an opening to strike from the shadows, I would have struggled to take her life." Wang Qiuyue’s voice carried a hint of satisfaction at having slain her enemy.
Without waiting for Song Wen to reply, Wang Qiuyue continued, "The wooden box Tang He possessed contained a divine sense-based attack secret art. In the Immortal’s Tomb, the mutilated corpse had used this secret art to severely injure me and Jian Xiao. Based on our agreement, I must now duplicate this secret art for you. Where are you? I will deliver it to you."
Song Wen held the Communication Jade Slip in his hand, his expression a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.
After a moment of contemplation, he decided not to reply to Wang Qiuyue. Instead, he rose and walked out of the private room.
Perhaps because he rarely trusted anyone, Wang Qiuyue’s sudden offer of the secret art made him suspect a trap.
It was possible she had been bribed by Fan Kang to lure him out.
Verifying whether there was a conspiracy was actually quite simple: he just needed to confirm Tang He’s fate.
If Tang He was truly dead, Wang Qiuyue’s words might be genuine. But if Tang He was still alive, it was undoubtedly a deception.
After all, even if Fan Kang wanted to eliminate Song Wen, he wouldn’t use the death of a Late Body Integration Stage cultivator as bait.
Song Wen visited several information shops, each yielding the same result: Tang He had perished half a year ago, but the identity of her killer remained unknown.
This event had caused an uproar in the Southern Nether Continent.
The Profound Sky Sect, unwilling to let the death of a Late Body Integration Stage cultivator go unpunished, had launched a widespread investigation to track down the killer, but had yet to find any leads.
(End of the Chapter)
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