Chapter 1024 - Song Zhi’ang as a Mother

Rumble!

The blast hurled everyone several thousand zhang away.

Pfft!

Yu Hua coughed up a mouthful of blood. The impact had broken half the bones in her body. A Combined Body Realm cultivator’s self-destruction could nearly destroy heaven and earth.

Yu Hua, Zhao Pei, and the others stopped fighting and exchanged grim looks. Only four of them remained, and they all knew how hard it would be to remove the black worms from their bodies. They had just witnessed the fate of those who tried.

Buzz!

Whether Lu Tian had stayed behind deliberately was unclear, but he slowly emerged from the violent aftershocks, holding a thick worm that writhed in his grip. With an amused smile, he tapped his forehead. “Ah, I forgot to tell you. Don’t try to pull them out.”

Whoosh!

Yu Hua stiffened as Lu Tian appeared beside her and leaned toward her ear. She trembled, feeling the heat of his breath against her ear.

“Especially you,” Lu Tian said, then thrust the worm into her body.

Yu Hua was utterly terrified. She had always been too strong-willed to submit to anyone, let alone endure something as revolting as this. The worm had absorbed all the dead cultivator’s power, and Lu Tian had forced it into her sea of consciousness. He clearly thought she might rebel.

Her shoulders sank. She bowed her head with a bitter smile. “I wouldn’t dare.”

Lu Tian clasped his hands behind his back, a playful smile on his lips. “No, you wouldn’t dare now.”

The implication was obvious. Before this, she would’ve dared.

He turned to the others. “Remember, you don’t have much time. Tomorrow, I want to see the Daxia Sword Sect devastated. I want to see a slaughter. If any of you have other ideas, you’ll end up like that man.”

Lu Tian laughed wildly, his fingers dancing wildly around his body. He tipped his head back. “Bang! You’ll explode. Every one of you will become nourishment for the Heavenly Demon Worms.”

With that, Lu Tian tore open the void and stood within the spatial rift. The corners of his lips curled into a handsome arc as he stared deeply at Yu Hua. Without saying another word, Lu Tian laughed loudly and departed.

Alone in the void, his expression became incomparably cold. “Who took the sword coffin? Who else could have, besides me?”

His voice dropped to a murmur. “Li Guanqi, heh. I wonder how you’ll react when you see him again. The transformation should be almost complete.”

At the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, Ye Feng frowned at the demonic qi swirling in the black pool. “Transforming into a demonic body... What exactly is he trying to do?”

Song Zhi’ang sat at the entrance of the hall with a tranquil smile, her eyes unfocused. She propped her chin on one hand as though she hadn’t heard Ye Feng at all. The skin on her hands was peeling slightly, though no one knew why.

“Ahhh! Mom, I’m done soaking in the pool!”

A cheerful young boy in black brocade robes ran toward her, clutching a one-chi sword. His plump face was rosy.

Song Zhi’ang quickly stood up and scooped him into her arms. “My, Si’ang, you’ve been good! Did you practice your swordsmanship today?”

The boy pouted. “Mom, I don’t want to practice.”

He spotted Ye Feng sitting inside the hall, his expression cold. The boy wrinkled his nose, harrumphed, and turned away.

Ye Feng slowly turned around. His left sleeve was completely empty, and his exposed right hand was covered in black patches. Darkness surrounded his eye sockets. He glanced at Song Zhi’ang and the little boy with an indifferent expression.

Song Zhi’ang seemed to sense something. She set Si’ang down gently. “Go play, but remember to meditate later.”

“Mm-hmm!Bleh! Bad uncle!” The boy stuck out his tongue and ran off.

Ye Feng stood beside Song Zhi’ang. “You shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Then what should I do?”

“You know very well that when Li Guanqi sees you in the future, there will be nothing but hatred in his heart. He’ll definitely kill you.”

Song Zhi’ang smiled freely. “So what if he does? I was supposed to die anyway.”

Her gaze wavered, and her voice trembled. “Thank you.”

Ye Feng shook his head. “No need to thank me. Your father... was consumed by grief and longing. If the Daxia Sword Sect hadn’t looked after him, he would have perished long ago. Besides, Qian Qiusui took care of his burial.”

Song Zhi’ang lowered her head and sat on the steps, hugging her knees. Behind her, Ye Feng spoke softly. “As for Li Si’ang... Don’t you understand that he’s part of Lu Tian’s plan?”

Song Zhi’ang buried her head between her knees. Her voice came out muffled and trembling. “I know.”

The moment Ye Feng heard this, anger flashed through his eyes. “You know perfectly well that this child possesses extraordinary talent! He’s three years old, and he’s already reached the Foundation Building Realm! With that monstrous talent and the resources Lu Tian controls, he’ll be able to enter the Combined Body Realm within twenty years! If Lu Tian arranges for you to die at Li Guanqi’s hands and the boy witnesses it all, what do you think he’ll be thinking about afterward?”

He continued, “Hatred! Revenge! He’ll stop at nothing to kill Li Guanqi! You call that love? Is that really what you want for him?”

Song Zhi’ang looked at him vacantly and murmured, “The child is innocent. He’s all I have to hold on to.”

Ye Feng grabbed her and slammed her against a stone pillar. “Wake up! Do you want me to kill Li Si’ang myself?”

Boom!

Countless black spikes pierced Ye Feng’s body. The force blasted him back dozens of zhang. Black mist surged around Song Zhi’ang, and her loose hair fell across her eyes.

“I’m warning you, Ye Feng,” she said coldly. “If you touch Si’ang, I’ll make you pay. Ye Tianying, Su Xi, Ye Qing’er. I’ll make your whole family wish they were dead.”

Ye Feng narrowed his eyes. Demonic qi rose from his right hand and spread over half his face, turning his right eye red. He gripped his sword. “Are you threatening me?”

“Yes,” Song Zhi’ang said through gritted teeth, fiercely staring at Ye Feng. “Touch him, and I’ll kill your entire family. Right now, Si’ang is my life! I don’t care what happens later!”

Buzz!

They both withdrew their auras. A troubled look crossed Ye Feng’s face. Only now did he understand why Lu Tian had targeted the infant first. He had planned all of it.

If Li Guanqi really killed Song Zhi’ang, what would Li Si’ang become? The possibilities were frightening.