Wu Qianfan had truly believed he had escaped disaster, yet as the saying goes, the older the ginger, the spicier it burns.
Without warning, the Wuji Heavenly Venerable unleashed the Soul-Searching Art upon him. Wu Qianfan never saw it coming.
Of course, even forewarned he could never have fled. Before a Saint-realm powerhouse, he did not possess the slightest sliver of resistance.
In that instant his entire body froze solid. Remembering the Venerable’s earlier threat (one single lie and his neck would be snapped), Wu Qianfan’s heart turned to ice.
“I’ve done far more than utter a single lie. I haven’t spoken one word of truth!”
“My neck is definitely getting wrung. This is the end.”
“Ye Changsheng, oh Ye Changsheng! What sin did I commit to meet a jinx like you? You’ve utterly destroyed me!”
At this moment Wu Qianfan genuinely wanted to burst into tears.
He had travelled thousands of li from the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty to the Undying Mountain purely to seek treasure. Who could have foreseen that he would obtain not a single treasure, yet somehow end up as Ye Qiu’s servant by cruel twist of fate? And ever since, misfortune had dogged his every step.
He had assumed that once he left the Undying Mountain the bad luck would finally cease. Instead, an even greater calamity awaited him.
“Don’t they say that when misfortune reaches its limit, good fortune arrives?”
“Where is my good fortune?”
“It must be that Ye Changsheng stole every shred of my destiny!”
Though filled with fury, Wu Qianfan had no intention of betraying Ye Qiu.
“Ye Changsheng, I definitely won’t escape this time. But I hope you do not die.”
“You must stay alive, ascend to Sainthood one day, annihilate the Yin-Yang Cult, slay the Wuji Heavenly Venerable, and avenge me.”
“Otherwise, even as a ghost I will haunt you forever.”
Just then the Wuji Heavenly Venerable’s voice rang out. “Boy, I ask you one final time. Is there anything else you wish to say?”
Having already embraced death, Wu Qianfan no longer felt fear. “Everything that needed saying has been said. There is nothing more.”
“Have you truly thought this through?” The Venerable smiled. “If something suddenly occurs to you, speak now and I may overlook the past.”
“But if you remain obstinate, and once I search your soul I discover your earlier lies, I’m certain you understand your fate.”
“Boy, there is only one chance, and only one life.”
On the surface he seemed to offer kind advice, yet every word dripped with menace.
Wu Qianfan knew perfectly well that even if he sold out Ye Qiu, the Venerable would still search his soul.
Once the search began, the Venerable would realise not a single truthful word had left his mouth from the very start. Death remained inevitable.
Since he was doomed either way, better to shoulder it all alone.
With that thought, Wu Qianfan frantically circulated the true qi within his body. Instantly his flesh ballooned like an inflating ball.
The Wuji Heavenly Venerable saw his intent at a glance and sneered. “Before me, you have no chance to self-detonate.”
Hum!
Radiance surged from the Venerable’s palm.
In that heartbeat every meridian in Wu Qianfan’s body was sealed. The power within him ebbed away like a retreating tide. He could not summon even a trace of strength. Before a Saint, he was weaker than an ant.
“I merely wished you to speak the truth. I never expected you would attempt self-detonation. Clearly you are concealing something.”
“Now let me see precisely what you hide.”
As the words fell, seven-coloured light poured from his palm and completely enveloped Wu Qianfan’s skull.
Agony instantly flooded every inch of his being.
“Ah…”
Wu Qianfan could not help screaming. It felt as though his primordial spirit was being torn free. Heaven and earth spun wildly.
“Heavenly Venerable, go gently. Do not turn my little darling into an idiot,” Nangong Jingyun reminded.
“Fear not. I know my measure. Even should he become an idiot, it will not hinder your use of him.”
While the Venerable spoke, Wu Qianfan’s memories unfolded in his mind like scenes from a motion picture.
Very soon the Venerable’s expression changed.
“Bastard! Outrageous!”
The other Saints turned to look. The Wuji Heavenly Venerable’s face was livid, murderous intent rolling between his brows.
“Heavenly Venerable, did the boy lie?” asked Li Chaohui, Grand Elder of the Primordial Holy Land.
“Lie?” the Venerable replied. “He has not spoken a single truth.”
Everyone froze.
He continued, “Li Beihai was not slain by Jiang Wudao and Ling Menghan. He died by Ye Changsheng’s hand.”
What?
Li Chaohui’s face darkened.
The cultivators kneeling on the ground looked bewildered. Who was Ye Changsheng? Why would he kill Li Beihai?
Yet the Venerable’s next words nearly caused their legs to give way.
“Jiang Wudao also perished at Ye Changsheng’s hand.”
“He aided the Beast Tamer Clan successor in suppressing Ling Menghan.”
“Furthermore, Tuo Ba Xiong and An Ruoxi were likewise slain by Ye Changsheng.”
Hearing this, Tuo Ba Yunhe and An Zaitian were first stunned, then erupted in fury.
“Very well, prince of Great Zhou! You dared deceive us all. I shall send you on your way.” Tuo Ba Yunhe moved to strike.
“A mere Cave-Heaven cultivator treating us like monkeys. You cannot be suffered to live.” An Zaitian prepared to attack as well.
“Hold,” said the Wuji Heavenly Venerable. “Wait until I finish searching his soul. Then you may kill him.”
Nangong Jingyun glanced at Wu Qianfan with faint regret. She had intended to take him home, keep him hidden as a secret pet, ruin him through play, then dispose of him. Sadly, he had lied without cease.
“Little darling, I had planned to spare your life. Who asked you to be so dishonest? It seems you cannot escape death today.”
“What a pity. It is so rare to meet a man who stirs my heart.”
“Never mind. The world teems with handsome youths. I shall find another later.”
With that thought she asked, “Heavenly Venerable, did his memories contain news of Yao Meng?”
“Patience. Let me finish the search.” From Wu Qianfan’s memories the Venerable had already learned that the qilin cub remained in Ye Qiu’s hands, that Elder Longbrow had obtained a Xuanwu cub, and Yun Xi had acquired a unicorn cub.
But he did not reveal this.
“Three divine beast cubs… hahaha, this journey was worthwhile.”
“When you emerge, I shall capture every one of you, and the divine beasts will be mine.”
The Wuji Heavenly Venerable gloated inwardly. Moments later his expression shifted again.
“What? Ye Changsheng obtained the supreme fortune of the Undying Mountain and the Demon Clan imperial artefact, the Demon-Refining Pot?”
Mad joy surged in his heart.
“This prince of Great Zhou truly is a hapless fool. An imperial demon artefact lay right before his eyes, yet he failed to recognise it and let Ye Changsheng profit for nothing.”
“One must admit, Ye Changsheng’s luck is heaven-defying.”
“He already possesses a Qiankun Cauldron, and now he has gained both the supreme fortune of the Undying Mountain and a Demon Clan imperial artefact. Should I seize these three treasures, I could crush the Azure Cloud Sword Sect with a flick of my finger and sweep unchallenged across the entire Eastern Wilderness!”
