Chapter 230: Together Into the Fire

"This is the only time that, in terms of treachery, the Demon Cultivators have lost to the Immortal Cultivators." Xizui's hoarse voice was extremely low. "I can stay behind to cover the retreat, but can I trust that you won't betray the Saint Demon Lord again?"

"You have no other choice," Ruan Xing said unhurriedly. "I am not a subordinate of the Saint Demon Lord; I couldn't care less about her life's work."

Xizui fell silent.

He gave Xie Feng a helpless, deep look, then turned and charged out of the eggshell.

He rushed toward the blood corpse wreathed in fire; as his sharp claws sliced into the blood corpse's body, the magma Earth Fire splashed onto him as well.

The searing white flames burned, and Xizui's expression looked agonizingly painful, but he still kept his duty in mind, not letting the blood corpse get a single step closer to the eggshell.

Ruan Xing, however, felt no sense of urgency regarding the time Xizui had bought. She turned her head and said to Xie Feng, "When I said I intentionally let you two meet just now, you didn't seem very surprised?"

"Why, is it my turn?" Xie Feng laughed. "It's not like I didn't know you were always guarding against me. It's only natural to keep Sword Lai by my side to monitor me, right? I could guess that much, but I don't think I said anything to that Elder, did I?"

"Does it matter what you said?" Ruan Xing raised an eyebrow.

For the first time, she utilized the power of suppression within the Contract, forcing Xie Feng to obey her commands unconditionally.

Xie Feng's expression changed slightly.

However, this was also her first time using the Contract, and she was not entirely sure if Xie Feng had the ability to resist it.

She released Shen Lingyun from the Storage Bag.

Shen Lingyun looked at the situation before her, bewildered. Xie Feng turned his head away, refusing to meet her eyes. She seemed to understand something and pressed her lips together slightly.

Ruan Xing instructed Shen Lingyun: "After I open the passage with the Sui Spirit Pearl, I will put away the Sumeru Mirror. Xie Feng is going to intercept that big guy below, so you stay here and protect me. If Xie Feng doesn't listen and tries to bring that big guy up here, you know what to do, right?"

Shen Lingyun nodded with a solemn expression.

"Ruan Xing, you really are too wicked." Even with death at his doorstep, Xie Feng still wore a nonchalant smile.

With Shen Lingyun's rigid nature, she would certainly execute Ruan Xing's orders to the letter.

Not to mention that he was currently suppressed by the Contract and unable to resist; even if he wanted to resist, he would have to kill Shen Lingyun first.

He had the strength to kill Shen Lingyun, but if he had wanted to kill her, he would have done so long ago; he wouldn't have left it until today.

Isn't the whole point of a Demon Cultivator's life to act as one pleases?

He did not want to.

"I don't think so." Ruan Xing had already taken out the Sui Spirit Pearl and begun constructing the passage. She had used it twice in the previous Small World and had gained some experience; even without Xizui, she could use the Sui Spirit Pearl to return on her own. "Aren't you cultivating the Devouring Path? Then put in some effort, eat all these blood corpses and magma, turn this Small World into your own possession, and be the uncrowned king here. Don't say I don't cherish old ties; I've left you a glimmer of hope."

"But they taste terrible," Xie Feng said with a bitter expression. "Fairy, do you think so too?"

Shen Lingyun pressed her lips together and said nothing.

"Fine, you've wanted to kill me for a long time, and now you've finally gotten your wish, sigh." Xie Feng sighed.

Ruan Xing had already opened the passage. She said to Shen Lingyun, "After I go back, I will only leave it open for ten breaths. Don't delay; enter the passage as soon as possible."

Seeing Shen Lingyun nod in agreement, Ruan Xing put away the Sumeru Mirror. The sky-filling firelight, carrying a temperature that scorched the air, cast a red glow on everyone's faces.

Xie Feng's body fell vertically without support, landing in a sea of fire.

The magma scorched his skin, revealing black-red flesh and stark white bones. A long, thin claw reached out from the magma, grabbing toward Xie Feng.

Xie Feng opened his mouth and with a *crunch*, chewed that claw to pieces and swallowed it.

Xizui was burned down to only half a skeleton by now. He was still alive, but his will was not very clear; he only remembered that he had to stop this blood corpse, standing up again and again to charge at the giant fireball.

But each attack grew weaker and weaker; his sharp claws and the Dharma Artifacts on his body had melted in the fire.

His blood and magical power reacted with the flames on his body, emitting a sizzling sound. Xie Feng seemed to see what he would look like before long.

His lower body was also bathing in fire, and it would soon burn to his arms and shoulders.

The giant fireball leaped into mid-air once more, the magma on its body splashing wildly. Shen Lingyun stood with her Sword held horizontally before the transport passage, dodging left and right, refusing to yield the entrance.

The Yin energy on Xie Feng's body erupted violently. He opened his mouth to form a black whirlwind, absorbing the flames burning on the blood corpse toward himself.

The blood corpse could not maintain its long, thin body in the air and was involuntarily pulled downward by the suction.

Xie Feng, his eyes reflecting the firelight, shouted, "You're still not leaving? Do you really intend to die with me for love?"

Shen Lingyun stood up straight, shaken, gave Xie Feng below a complex look, then turned and flew toward the passage.

The passage was less than a few dozen meters away, but she flew very slowly.

Xie Feng just watched her back, waiting for the flames to consume him.

Suddenly, as if having made some kind of resolution, Shen Lingyun's figure flew toward Xie Feng at a much faster speed.

Xie Feng looked at that white figure in disbelief.

Until he held her in his arms.

Her white dress was also stained with fire.

Xie Feng wrapped his arms—now reduced to white bone—around her waist, yet he said, "Why come down here? Being burned to death by fire is very painful."

"We are both Puppets; what does pain matter?" Shen Lingyun said.

Puppets without consciousness cannot feel pain. Although they had consciousness, they were not using their own bodies after all; perhaps only when the fire reached their Divine Soul would they feel agony.

Her cold eyes looked at the position of Xie Feng's hands, and she said somewhat stiffly, "Demon, this time I allow you to be insolent."

Xie Feng suddenly burst into loud laughter. "You still understand me... This pile of mud that I am, I spent thousands of years trying to drag you down with me, and it wasn't in vain after all. You are actually willing to die with me."

"I can die with you, but I cannot live with you," Shen Lingyun said earnestly.

Therefore, she could not save him.

She had to obey Ruan Xing's command.

"I know, I've done many evil deeds in this life; I am the kind of person you loathe the most." Xie Feng smiled, meeting her eyes and looking at the soul within her that he was so familiar with. "Actually, I knew we were never on the same path from the start, but in all those long years, there were many moments where I wanted so much to walk with you. You wouldn't, so I could only make you accompany me."

"This time, consider it me voluntarily accompanying you." Shen Lingyun lowered her eyes. "After death, there will be nothing left, right?"

"That's not certain; what if I really eat it?"

"If I don't die, is it too late for me to regret it now?"

"Too late, the passage is already closed."

In the sky-filling sea of fire, two figures embraced tightly.

Ruan Xing waited until the eleventh breath, but Shen Lingyun still did not appear.

She asked the hidden Sword coming from the side, "She won't come back, right?"

The voice of the Sword carried the ignorance of a youth, "I will catch her back for Master."

"No need." Ruan Xing reached out and closed the teleportation channel.

She could only let Shen Lingyun choose for herself. If she could not step over this hurdle, even if Ruan Xing killed Xie Feng to keep her, she could not keep her spirit.

She had relied on Xie Feng to brainwash herself into accepting this Puppet identity; once Xie Feng died, she could find no reason to go on living, and neither Ruan Xing nor the Xumi Realm could fill her empty heart.

In Ruan Xing's mental connection, the two links belonging to Xie Feng and Shen Lingyun were completely severed.

Taking a deep breath, Ruan Xing walked out of the cave alone and looked at the Demon Cultivator in the shadows, "Have Shui Linglong come find me."

A black shadow slowly walked out; the expressionless Demon Cultivator nodded at her, then left.

Shui Linglong soon received the news and came to find Ruan Xing.

Seeing that it was only Ruan Xing, her expression became somewhat strange, "Where is Elder Washing-Sin?"

"It's a long story; he died inside. I will explain it to the Saint Demon Lord myself when I see her," Ruan Xing said.

Shui Linglong's body trembled slightly; she had not expected that the mysterious and powerful Elder Washing-Sin would die in the Secret Realm Space.

Was this Secret Realm Space that dangerous?

She did not ask further, but said, "Envoy, please wait a moment; I will go report to the Saint Demon Lord first."

Ruan Xing nodded, and Shui Linglong left.

After a moment, Shui Linglong returned and said, "The Saint Demon Lord is free now."

Ruan Xing remembered that these Demon Cultivators in the Underground Palace could judge the Saint Demon Lord's mood for the day by looking at the vines, so she asked, "How is the Saint Demon Lord's mood?"

"I can't say," Shui Linglong replied, "I have never seen that state before; it is neither anger nor happiness."

She did not deliberately hide anything from Ruan Xing. Although the Sect Master of the Fengling Yueying Sect had given her a show of force when she went to Nanzhou before, among Demon Cultivators, the strong were respected. Since that Sect Master was powerful enough to cooperate with the Saint Demon Lord, she had no qualifications to quibble, and any movement in the Underground Palace could reach the Saint Demon Lord's ears. She would not say much to Ruan Xing, but she would not deceive her out of personal bias.

Ruan Xing felt a bit more confident.

If it was neither anger nor happiness, could it be resentment or sadness? In any case, she knew Xie Yao was a relatively rational person; even if she were angry enough to want to kill her on the spot, she would endure it and wait until the cooperation ended.

If she could endure not killing Ruan Xing even when her own scandal was exposed, surely Xie Yao could endure killing a subordinate.

The little green snakes formed by the bead curtain were twisted together like a braid; they did not flick their tongues even when they saw Ruan Xing and Shui Linglong approaching.

The two lowered their heads, bypassed the little green snakes, and entered the cave.

Xie Yao tilted her head and signaled for Shui Linglong to withdraw; the first thing she asked Ruan Xing was, "Did you get the Hongmeng Purple Qi?"

"I got it," Ruan Xing replied, "These Hongmeng Purple Qi added together are enough for the Xian Tai Tree to grow the Path to Heaven."

"Good," Xie Yao said.

She was silent for a while, then asked, "How did they die?"

Ruan Xing's eyes carried a hint of sorrow, "There was an alien-fire blood corpse in the Secret Realm Space guarding the Hongmeng Purple Qi. That fire burned without receding, and there was no way to resolve it. They took the initiative to lure the alien-fire blood corpse away for me so I could obtain the Hongmeng Purple Qi. It is just that they were already stained with the alien fire and it could not be extinguished. If I brought them out rashly, I fear it would destroy the Underground Palace, so I had to leave them in the Secret Realm Space to wait until their flesh and magic power were burned away."

Xie Yao then stopped speaking.

She could not even assign blame.

Because on the surface, the Underground Palace and the Fengling Yueying Sect had each sacrificed one person.

But in reality, Xie Feng had been the one abandoned from the very first day the Envoy arrived; the only one who would be sad for the two of them was likely Xie Yao alone.

She let out a long sigh, her fingertips rubbing against her palms.

She could only wait until everything was over; at that time, if there was a chance, she would avenge them.

"I know," Xie Yao said, "When are you leaving?"

"After I receive the one million Spirit Stones," Ruan Xing replied.

Xie Yao felt it was somewhat absurd and somewhat ridiculous.

She was actually still thinking about those one million Spirit Stones.

That was right, what did Washing-Sin and Xie Feng have to do with her?

"As you wish. If you want to stay in the Underground Palace, you can find Shui Linglong to arrange it for you," Xie Yao said indifferently.

Long after Ruan Xing left, she looked up at the dome covered in vines, a bitter smile on her face.

"A Xie Feng, the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Lord who flashed briefly six thousand years ago."

"Who else will remember you?"

She slowly closed her eyes, as if she had fallen asleep.

Ruan Xing naturally would not stay in the Underground Palace; after saying a word to Shui Linglong, she left the Underground Palace.

Xie Huai had just received the news and arrived a step too late.

By the time he rushed over, Ruan Xing had already gone far away, and only Shui Linglong remained at the entrance of the Underground Palace.

His hurried footsteps stopped at the edge of stepping out of the Underground Palace.

This time, no one would sternly stop and warn him not to step out of the Underground Palace again.

Xie Huai leaned against the wall, lost and dejected, muttering to himself, "Why, why did they die?"

Shui Linglong showed unbearable pity, saying, "Every Demon Cultivator is like this; you never know if tomorrow will be your death day. You'll get used to it."

"I can't get used to it. Wasn't he the most powerful Elder under the Saint Demon Lord? Why did he die so easily..." Xie Huai could not accept it.

That gray-clothed old man; he hadn't even waited for the Immortal-Demon War.

If he had died in some battle during the Immortal-Demon War, perhaps he would not be in so much pain.

This news came too suddenly, leaving Xie Huai in agony.

Yesterday, he was still suffering from learning that the Saint Demon Lord and Washing-Sin were going to kill Ruan Xing, and he was conflicted about whether to tell Ruan Xing.

Today, he learned the tragic news of Washing-Sin, who had entered the Secret Realm Space with Ruan Xing.

Perhaps Ruan Xing had already guessed the intentions of the Saint Demon Lord and Washing-Sin and was simply playing along with their scheme.

Xie Huai looked toward the sky outside the Underground Palace with somewhat vacant eyes.

"Let us return, Palace Prince," Shui Linglong said.

Even Shui Linglong, who was only at the Golden Core Stage, could freely enter and exit the Underground Palace, yet he could not.

Could it be that Shui Linglong's strength was enough for self-preservation?

It was simply that he currently lacked the qualifications to converse with or resist the Saint Demon Lord.

Xie Huai clenched his fists dejectedly and turned to walk toward the interior of the Underground Palace.

His thin, upright figure appeared to carry a touch of loneliness.