A walking fifth-layer Formation, Xinzi's Thousand Soul Immolation Flag could not only unleash grim spiritual attacks that'd send mid-stage Divine Transformation experts crawling back into their mothers' wombs, but it could also turn future robbed souls into Blood Spirits controlled solely by our monk's wills. And having been built on the souls of the entire Fen Spirit clan, including several Dao Revelation level experts, even without future tweaking, its potential would leave many senior experts to salivate.
Right now, this Life Treasure was equal to a middling heaven-grade treasure, but with more soul plundering, it wouldn't be long before it rose to the sage-grade. Satisfied, Xinzi returned his attention to the Yan and Poisonfeather Birds—the Gorge had never been more silent.
Following Burning Spear Supercity's events, Yan Zhong's Dao Heart had suffered clubbing blows, not only putting his entire cultivation base at risk, but also planting the seed for a Heart Demon to grow. That Heart Demon now took Xinzi's shape, and from within Yan Zhong's soul, sported a fiendish grin.
"Yan Zhong, at first, My Humble Self never planned to kill you. How could I, when Yan Le is already a lady of my house? But now, I'm hesitating. Yan Le, does that name ring a bell, or have the years erased it from your faithless mind?" Hand on his flag, Xinzi said, and immediately, Yan Zhong's heart skipped a beat.
"Yan…Le?" A cultivator's memories could endure eternity. As long as Yan Zhong focused on that name and tried to dig out related events, he'd remember it all instantly. But before Xinzi forced him to confront the memories, Yan Zhong made sure to keep them buried. "Yan Le," too many shameful deeds surrounded that name. Yan Zhong would rather not remember, alas, the memories surged to the surface, and the Yanzhou Hegemon's Dao Heart quaked.
"A few decades ago, the Fen Spirit clan's momentum had already started to pressure your Yan Spirit clan. Frustrated by their seemingly unstoppable rise, you opted for petty measures and used your Hegemon rights to make the Fen Spirit clan master grant you his favorite human slave. At any given opportunity, you'd vent frustration on the poor woman, abusing her to no end. Even after she got pregnant, you barely softened. The continuous damage nearly crippled her body, harming the child's potential as well.
By the time she gave birth, that human slave had become a walking husk. You couldn't be bothered to name the child, so she called her…Yan Le. The daughter's birth meant nothing to you, for while her soul carried traces of your Fire Spirit lineage, she was born a Three-Element Spiritual Root human: average in human states, but mediocre by Fire Spirit standards.
As the girl grew, she became your eyesore—the living proof of your cruel deeds. So, you denied paternity and threw both mother and infant daughter out. The mother tried to raise the child on her own, but with a borderline crippled body, ailing health and no support, could only hold on for a couple of years. She died scrubbing floors. Yan Le was nine." As Xinzi spoke, his Klesha Haze spread across the scene, worming into Yan Zhong's Dao Heart and stimulating his Heart Demon. The Yanzhou Hegemon broke into a cold sweat.
"To think that you have the nerve to judge Zhenniao's atrocious deeds. Among atrocious people, should we not learn to be more tolerant of each others' misdeeds? Yan Zhong, Yan Zhong, shame on you. I've always been a fan of useful talent. But truth be told, if A'Le wants to kill you, I can't guarantee that I will stop her."
Xinzi's lips curled up, and Yan Zhong's Dao Heart teetered on the verge of collapse.
"Hahahaha! Hegemon, to think that you've maintained an austere front for so long when in truth, you're just another dirtbag. Hahaha! At least I don't try to pretend that I am any more than scum. But you, as the clan master of the hegemonic Yan Spirit clan, must convince yourself of your own righteousness so you can sleep at night. Impressive! Impressive!" Zhenniao chimed in. His words were the icing on the cake. The Klesha Haze won the battle, and Yan Zhong's Dao Heart ruptured.
"Oh my, your Dao Heart is breaking into pieces. Careful, if you don't take immediate countermeasures or embrace your Heart Demon, this will be the end of you. But I'm confused. Why are you getting so weak? Is it shame? Is Zhenniao right? Did you need to keep that event suppressed so you could convince yourself of your own righteousness? Yan Zhong, Yan Zhong, how unsightly. But it's fine. You're still Yan Le's father. That being the case, My Humble Self will not allow you to die before father and daughter are reunited again. I know, you have several children. But Yan Le only has you, so I must give her the opportunity to face her 'dad.' She's made much progress. You would be proud."
"Ugh!" Xinzi's words slammed through Yan Zhong's broken heart, making him spurt a large mouthful of blood. The Hegemon's skin paled, and the formation enabling the Yan clansmen to survive the lake's overbearing toxins teetered as well, facing an imminent breakdown.
"Patriarch, what is wrong with you? Control your heart! The tiniest show of weakness will get us all killed! Control your heart!" One after the other, the Yan elders tried to save Yan Zhong from Dao Collapse. Alas, they came too late. Words alone couldn't save Yan Zhong, whose Dao Heart had perished already. The Heart Demon alone kept Yan Zhong alive, and unless he embraced it, his life ended here.
"Here is a new cultivation method, for you and the entire Yan clan. Cultivate it, and not only can you all leave this place alive, but your cultivation bases and potential will both increase massively." Delighted by Yan Zhong's struggles, Xinzi did his best to restrain his laughs, and tapped the Devil Tome, making a flurry of mnemonic rise in the air.
Split into two rows of black and white text, the mnemonics rippled with ancient demonic energies. The black text flew towards Xinzi, while the white text dove into Yan Zhong's mind, before spreading to all Yan clansmen.
With a single glance, Tusha recognized the text, a supreme method of the Infernal Paradise: the Devil Root Refining Sutra.