The song was melodious and enchanting, like a celestial melody.
Yet, it was impossible to discern its direction, only that it grew closer, sending a chill down Zhang Ruochen’s spine. He couldn’t seal his hearing, as doing so would only give the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed a greater opportunity to strike.
Dao Prison Emperor and Feng Hou had sealed their hearing immediately, but hearing nothing only heightened their inner torment.
The song carried powerful illusionary force, gradually affecting Zhang Ruochen.
As the melody shifted, memories flooded his mind: eight hundred years ago, being killed by Chi Yao; eight hundred years later, seeing Kong Lanyou with white hair in a bamboo grove; the first glimpse of Chi Yao’s statue; the moment before Ziwei Palace, severing ties with Huang Yanchen…
Each scene, each memory, struck a vulnerable point in his heart.
“What a sophisticated illusion, fused with the song, making me lose myself in it.”
Zhang Ruochen’s mental will was formidable, and in an instant, he snapped awake, roaring, “Break!”
His voice, infused with his sixty-fifth-tier mental power, unleashed a shockwave.
The song vanished.
The visions in his mind faded.
The underground river fell eerily silent, with only the sound of flowing water remaining.
“Did the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed retreat? The depths are indeed treacherous, not a place to linger,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
“Great Saint Ruochen, are you alright?” Feng Hou’s graceful figure approached within the True Spatial Domain, her eyes gleaming with concern and tenderness, a gaze that could melt the world, including a man’s heart.
Zhang Ruochen remained unmoved. Feng Hou’s concern stemmed only from his strength; if he died here, she wouldn’t spare him a second glance.
“Where’s Dao Prison Emperor?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Feng Hou shook her head, “I don’t know. He suddenly vanished. Could the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed have taken him?”
Zhang Ruochen’s brows furrowed deeply as he released his mental power to probe.
Nothing.
“That shouldn’t be. Even Immortal Realm Great Saints could escape. With Dao Prison Emperor’s cultivation, how could he be taken so easily?”
“And even if he was taken, there should be some trace or aura left behind.”
“Could the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed have completely devoured him?”
At this thought, Zhang Ruochen’s expression grew graver.
Feng Hou, whose cultivation wasn’t much higher than Dao Prison Emperor’s, appeared both shocked and afraid, showing a delicate, feminine vulnerability. Her slender hand gripped Zhang Ruochen’s arm, her tall, fragrant body pressing into his embrace, “We must have encountered a Holy Blood Shadow among the Blood Shadow Ghost Seeds. They’re the most terrifying, having developed intelligence.”
Feeling the warm softness in his arms, Zhang Ruochen glanced at her, a flicker of doubt in his eyes, “You’re a candidate for goddess and a powerhouse among Great Saints. You should have some courage and boldness. It’s just a Holy Blood Shadow—does it warrant such fear?”
“I’m still a woman, after all, and I have moments of fear and timidity. Great Saint Ruochen, mocking me like this, aren’t you afraid I’ll get upset?” Feng Hou raised her snowy neck, her eyes glistening with a hint of resentment.
Zhang Ruochen said, “This place isn’t safe to linger. Let’s leave first.”
“But… I want to refine another Blood Shadow Ghost Seed. Please, Great Saint Ruochen, you must help me.”
Feng Hou’s repeated use of “me” lacked her usual nobility and sanctity, instead carrying a soft charm that could stir a man’s heart.
Fortunately, it was Zhang Ruochen standing here. Another man, embraced and wooed so tenderly, would likely have surrendered already, willing to do anything for her, even die.
Zhang Ruochen stared at her closely, “Your blood qi has already grown significantly from refining one Blood Shadow Ghost Seed. Can you handle another?”
“Of course I can. If Great Saint Ruochen is willing to help, I can satisfy your every desire.” Feng Hou smiled seductively, removing her golden silk mask to reveal a flawless, exquisite face. Her long lashes fluttered, her red lips gleaming with allure, “I’ll be your woman sooner or later. I don’t mind giving myself to you now.”
“You really think I can’t resist beauty?” Zhang Ruochen’s expression remained unchanged. He reached out, roughly pressing his hand to her face. With a twist of his wrist, her head exploded with a “bang,” turning into a cloud of blood mist.
A painful, piercing scream echoed through the True Spatial Domain.
Feng Hou’s headless body turned liquid, forming a stream of blood that coiled toward Zhang Ruochen.
As the blood stream reached his head, it formed a female head with flowing hair, though its features were indistinct. She said coldly, “So what if you saw through me? I’ll still devour all your blood.”
The blood-red liquid head was very close to Zhang Ruochen.
Yet, he remained calm, “You must be a Holy Blood Shadow, right? Impressive. At first, you truly deceived me, pulling me into your illusion. Unfortunately, you don’t know me well enough, or you wouldn’t have failed.”
“And in my True Spatial Domain, don’t be so arrogant.”
The blood stream snorted angrily, contracting sharply like a blood-red iron chain, trying to bind Zhang Ruochen.
Simultaneously, the liquid head lunged to bite his neck.
“Freeze!” The space within the True Spatial Domain solidified.
The blood stream and liquid head froze in an instant.
Zhang Ruochen shrank to the size of a thumb, slipping out of the blood stream’s confinement, then returned to normal size.
“Moyin, can you absorb a Blood Shadow Ghost Seed?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“Master, Moyin has been craving it!” The Saint Devourer Flower extended from Zhang Ruochen’s back, its dozens of roots piercing the blood stream, directly refining and absorbing it.
This Blood Shadow Ghost Seed was far stronger than the one given to Feng Hou, nearly overcoming Zhang Ruochen.
Such a powerful Blood Shadow Ghost Seed, he certainly wouldn’t give to Dao Prison Emperor.
“It seems Blood Shadow Ghost Seeds lean more toward mental and illusionary attacks. Their physical attacks are weak. Once frozen in space, they can’t break free,” Zhang Ruochen noted, gaining some understanding. These soul-like, liquid-demon creatures resembled Ye Changzai of the Ghost Clan, both adept at hiding and hard to guard against.
But their weakness was clear.
Once exposed, they were no longer fearsome.
Of course, each Blood Shadow Ghost Seed was unique. Zhang Ruochen had only encountered two and couldn’t assume others shared the same weakness.
And even if their weaknesses were obvious, a Blood Shadow Ghost Seed with stronger mental power and illusionary skills would still be highly dangerous.
Dao Prison Emperor and Feng Hou remained within Zhang Ruochen’s True Spatial Domain.
Dao Prison Emperor looked at the blood stream being absorbed by Moyin, “That easy to take down another?”
“Easy? I nearly died just now. The Blood Shadow Ghost Seed’s mental and illusionary attacks are terrifying. Be cautious and don’t underestimate them,” Zhang Ruochen said gravely.
Feng Hou asked, “You fell into an illusion?”
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze fixed on her, “Yes. In the illusion, the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed took your form, tempting me with all sorts of methods. I’m still savouring it. Pity it was just an illusion.”
“Haha!” Dao Prison Emperor let out a hearty laugh but, seeing Feng Hou’s cold glare, restrained himself, saying solemnly, “Indeed, it was close. The Blood Shadow Ghost Seed can target a cultivator’s weaknesses to create illusions, showing high intelligence. It must have overheard our earlier conversation to do this.”
“Your conversation? What did you talk about?” Feng Hou asked.
Dao Prison Emperor shrugged, “Nothing. Great Saint Ruochen told me nothing, and I know nothing.”
Having refined the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed, Feng Hou’s blood qi surged, her power fluctuations far stronger than before. With such strength, she felt confident even against Lei Di, ranked sixth on the perfect Hundred-Shackle Realm list.
The coldness in Feng Hou’s eyes softened, “Great Saint Ruochen, could you help me capture another Blood Shadow Ghost Seed?”
Zhang Ruochen had heard similar words in the illusion.
He asked, “Can you still refine another?”
“I must try. The stronger I become, the more I can aid the Huntian War. And Great Saint, you haven’t forgotten my promise, have you? Whether I become a goddess or not, we’re on the same side.” Feng Hou’s eyes sparkled with captivating charm.
Zhang Ruochen understood her implications, thinking, “So she thinks her beauty can manipulate me into doing her bidding.”
If not for her usefulness, he’d have loved to slap her face as he did the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed.
Wanting to take without giving—nothing in the world came that cheap.
Even Dao Prison Emperor understood the concept of a trade better than she did.
To gain, one must give.
