Chapter 730

A Cheng's idea is too bold.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present, except me, unanimously opposed.

Tang Xun said: "A Cheng, this is pure nonsense!"

Shan Shan echoed: "The Nirvana fire will burn Aunt Wanwan to death."

Xiao Jiu also said: "The probability of success is too low, too low; we should think of another way."

But if there were any other way, A Cheng wouldn't have said this idea, would he?

I firmly declared: "I said it, no matter the outcome, I am willing to cooperate with A Cheng to give it a try."

A Cheng said: "Your biggest concern is fearing that Miss Fu cannot withstand the refinement of the Nirvana fire, but actually, I dare to propose this bold suggestion precisely because Miss Fu's soul has been slowly recondensed and fused in the Merit Light of the Soul-guiding Lamp; since she fears neither the Soul-guiding Lamp nor the Merit Light, as long as she is not burned for a long time by the Nirvana fire, plus the Yin lethal qi carried by the Coffin Nail itself and other auxiliary measures, I think she may well be able to endure this refinement stage."

How to put it, this is also like treating a dead horse as a living one.

No matter what A Cheng says, I am resolutely supportive.

Everyone also had no better option, so in the end we could only agree to let A Cheng give it a try.

Xiao Jiu made a phone call, asking Li Qingying to personally run a trip and bring that Coffin Nail over.

Li Qingying arrived quickly; in the latter half of the night, the sandalwood box containing that Coffin Nail had already been delivered into A Cheng's hands.

A Cheng has a dedicated residence within the Feng Clan, with strict guards.

He brought me alone into a secret chamber.

The moment the secret chamber door opened, a biting Yin Cold Qi rushed at me; upon entering, I saw that the center of the chamber was actually a pool, with more than twenty bird corpses of various kinds soaked in pitch‑black water, and a barrier had been set up around the corpses.

Looking at the water in the pool, I felt a sense of familiarity: "Is this… the River of Forgetfulness?"

"Yes, it was brought by Elder Sister Yu Nian." A Cheng said, "These twenty‑plus bird corpses all died from the Hundred Spirit Medicine Gu on the upper reaches of the Nine Abysses that day; I brought them all back and sealed them here."

He paused, then turned to me and said: "Miss Fu, I will soon infuse your soul into the Coffin Nail, then break the barrier and toss the Coffin Nail into the pool; the entire process afterward will be extremely painful for you, and you must find a way to grit your teeth and endure it in order to proceed to the next stage, the scorching of the Nirvana fire."

If you cannot withstand this stage, do you see that Bronze Bell in the southeast corner of the pool? You need to swim over and ring it; once I hear it, I will immediately have Sister release the Soul-guiding Lamp to draw your soul and rescue you.

I know that when the time truly comes to release the Soul-guiding Lamp inside, it will signify that the whole plan has died in the womb.

Then I would rather die in this pool!

Next, A Cheng explained some details to me, and I agreed to each one.

A Cheng acts very prudently; he placed the Coffin Nail on an offering table, then set up a formation around the table.

I don't understand the formation, but following his instructions, I stood before the offering table; as A Cheng performed the Yu step and chanted, I only felt a strong suction emanating from the Coffin Nail, pulling my entire Soul Body uncontrollably into it.

The next moment, my vision went completely dark.

Silence!

All around, it was terrifyingly silent!

Clearly, just moments ago A Cheng's chanting was still in my ears, but now I hear nothing and see nothing.

This process lasted a full three or four minutes.

Every second for me was filled with uncertainty, making me even more terrified.

On one hand I had to guard against whether something terrifying would attack my Soul Body the next moment; on the other hand I feared that nothing would appear, rendering all of A Cheng's expectations empty talk…

Just as my mind was in turmoil, a memory image not belonging to me suddenly appeared in my mind.

And the person in that image was all too familiar to me.

It was Chen Ping and Zhao Zixun!

Chen Ping sat at the head, while Zhao Zixun stood below.

He was holding something in his hand, looking down at it.

Both hands had bulging veins, showing he was desperately suppressing something.

"Zixun, you are my right‑hand man, and more than that, you are a child I raised from infancy; in my eyes you are half my son." Chen Ping spoke earnestly: "The Battle of Small Camp Mouth—how did it go? You experienced it firsthand; we have fought together for years to seize the realm, and we have never suffered such a loss."

But if we retreat this time, more people will employ this tactic against us in the future; we will be unable to keep up with the times and will only be left to be beaten.

"Whatever others have, we must also have; but entrusting such an important matter to others, I cannot rest easy, Zixun—I only trust you!"

This… this is actually Zhao Zixun's memory!

I never expected that after being drawn into the Coffin Nail, I would actually glimpse Zhao Zixun's memory imprisoned within it!

No, it's not a glimpse—it's a fusion.

At this moment I am fusing with the Coffin Nail, and naturally the memory imprisoned within it is also being integrated.

At this moment I can finally empathize with Zhao Zixun's situation then.

Everything I had previously speculated is now confirmed at this moment.

What Zhao Zixun holds in his hand is exactly the Birth Characters that the Madam exchanged from my household; Chen Ping indeed used this Birth Characters to gain leverage over Zhao Zixun.

All talk of being a confidant or half‑son is mere false pretense before this Birth Characters.

Zhao Zixun suddenly lifted his head, eyes bloodshot, and gritted his teeth demanding: "What have you done to Wanwan!"

"For now we've done nothing." Chen Ping said, "But with this Birth Characters, doing anything to her is as easy as turning one's hand; Zixun, what would you have me do to her?"

Zhao Zixun's hand gripping the Birth Characters trembled.

Because he exerted too much force, his lips also quivered as he spoke: "Great Commander, since I followed you on campaign, I have won forty‑six battles big and small, capturing soldiers and wealth as numerous as cattle hairs; I am utterly loyal to you, in my heart you are the ruler and I the subject; at your command I would scale blades and plunge into flames, I Zhao Zixun would not shrink from death a thousand times; therefore I believe we should never need to use a woman's life as the stake for such a grand joke."

The Battle of Small Camp Mouth indeed caught me off guard; please give me a little more time, and I will surely find a breakthrough and completely take Small Camp Mouth.

"Zixun, you are too naïve." Chen Ping sighed deeply and said, "It's not that I, Chen Ping, boast; in terms of tactics and combat strength, our cooperation is invincible, undefeated in battle; but you see, even if we were stronger, facing supernatural powers we still cannot avoid the outcome of total collapse."

"Zixun, I cannot stand by and watch the realm we painstakingly conquered be swallowed by others while we are powerless to resist; whatever others can do, I, Chen Ping, can do as well."

Moreover, the Battle of Small Camp Mouth showed me another possibility: the endless toil of ruler and minister cannot compare to the ease of becoming an immortal.

(Dear readers, happy New Year, may the Year of the Horse bring great fortune and wealth~)