Chapter 92 Locking the Phoenix Tree (Twenty-Five) Malice
The piercing shattered, and a stream of scarlet, viscous blood appeared out of thin air, sliding down a smooth path, with a few drops landing on Song Qiling's eyelids.
Gu Lianzhou glanced over and saw his senior brother's long eyelashes tremble slightly, his tightly closed eyes suddenly open, and a drop of blood slid down to the corner of his eye, like a tear of blood, disappearing into his hair.
Song Qiling took deep, forceful breaths of the outside air, her chest heaving violently like a fish about to die. She looked at the bloodstains floating in mid-air, her light brown pupils filled with pain and sorrow.
Having never seen his senior brother show such emotions before, Gu Lianzhou's gaze faltered slightly, and he was momentarily dazed.
In his memory, whether facing the greedy octopus who ate gold and silver or the butcher who killed people for medicine, his senior brother always had a nonchalant attitude, as if no demon or monster in the world was worth him even frowning at.
It's definitely not like this now...
What did my senior brother see after he fell into a coma?
"Let's leave here first." He reached out to help Song Qiling up, but sensed a sharp aura struggling violently.
He turned his head in astonishment and saw that the dodder, which was wrapped in a cocoon, seemed to have been torn open from the inside, and a large amount of dark blue-black demonic energy overflowed from it.
Where the demonic aura was most concentrated, the air began to distort and writhe, as if an unseen hand was stirring a pool of viscous ink.
In an instant, the churning demonic energy rapidly converged towards the center, condensing into a clear outline—the figure of a woman, astonishingly slender, as if it would break at the slightest exertion.
Her thick, ink-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, draping over her slender shoulders and back. The cloud-like strands of hair obscured her face, revealing only half of her pale chin and a strikingly bright red lip.
She hovered in mid-air, surrounded by a faint black mist, her clothes, whose original color was indistinguishable, fluttering wildly in the raging demonic wind.
Her hair was blown aside by the wind, finally revealing her full appearance.
His skin was almost transparently pale, which made his eyes appear bloodshot, churning with the purest malice and madness. The corners of his crimson lips slowly curled upwards, revealing a mocking smile.
Without the slightest hesitation, she bent down, her five fingers slightly bent, sharp as claws, carrying a resolute killing intent, and suddenly reached down at Song Qiling. Before her fingertips even arrived, the fierce wind was already pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe.
In the crimson demonic eyes, Song Qiling's suddenly contracted pupils and pale face were reflected.
That malicious smile became even more alluring.
“Zhao Luan…” Song Qiling murmured, raising her hand to grasp that slender wrist bone, a bitter smile appearing on her lips, “Why won’t you let me go?”
A chill ran through their skin as they touched. She frowned slightly and voiced her confusion: "How did you recognize me?"
She clearly disguised herself before entering the Prince's mansion, and besides... they hadn't seen each other for more than ten years.
Or perhaps she was just being delusional, and Zhao Luan didn't actually recognize her; she was simply acting on her instinct to kill, indiscriminately attacking all living things within her sight.
As the words fell, those iron-like fingers slowly tightened, and the woman's shrill voice echoed within the large canopy bed: "Bastard—"
A wisp of demonic energy transformed into a sharp hook, and right under Song Qiling's nose, it traced along her exposed neck, hooking out the dazzling golden lock.
Gu Lianzhou stared at the bizarre scene before him, his heart clenching. Just as he was about to make a move, he heard his senior brother say firmly, "Don't make a move yet!"
Thinking about how his senior brother had repeatedly sneaked into the Southern City King's bedroom, seemingly for the woman in front of him, although he didn't know the reason behind it, judging from their conversation just now, the two were clearly old acquaintances.
Therefore, despite the dodder's restless waving of its tentacles, he suppressed his desire to devour the demonic energy, but was worried about his senior brother's safety, and dared not take his eyes off the hands covering his senior brother's neck for a moment.
Being called a "bastard" again still made Song Qiling feel uncomfortable; her heart pounded and her chest vibrated.
She struggled to breathe under the pressure, and with the Xishan Golden Seal on her wrist, she forced those cold, hard hands to retreat a few inches.
She looked at Zhao Luan, whose face was contorted with anger, closed her eyes, and tried to clear her chaotic thoughts.
Zhao Luan, who had consumed the demon pill, had indeed been "reborn" and become a true demon. The only remaining obsession with "humanity" in her body seemed to be the desire to destroy herself.
This poor woman, because her illicit affair with her brother was exposed, was forced to marry the imperial son-in-law Song Xian, suffered endless torment, and gave birth to me. She should hate everything.
But what did she do wrong?
Song Qiling lowered her eyes and looked at the golden lock in front of her with her name engraved on it.
She has already died once.
In that fire, she and her mother had already entered the underworld and died once.
She owes her mother nothing now.
After a moment, she looked up and faced her birth mother's malice.
“I’m telling you,” she coughed lightly, a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, the smile not reaching her eyes, “I’m no longer the naive child I once was. You’ve messed with me… you’ve really bitten off more than you can chew.”
Before Zhao Luan could react, a golden rune exploded between the two of them.
It was scorching hot, with immense power, easily dispelling the dense demonic aura around her. The heat forced her to withdraw her hand, curl up into a ball, and keep her distance.
Taking advantage of this moment, Song Qiling rolled off the bed, grabbed her junior brother's arm, and quickly retreated, saying, "Stay away. I've unleashed the Xishan Golden Seal, which will also harm your half-demon body."
Once the two had stopped, she looked Gu Lianzhou up and down and couldn't help but exclaim, "Huh? Where's your dodder?"
Could he have been burned to death?
Gu Lianzhou paused for a moment, then said with a hint of helplessness, "They must be more afraid of death than I am; they hide as soon as they sense danger..."
Relieved, he couldn't help but feel a little scared: "Senior brother, it was really dangerous just now. If it had been any later, that demon might have really taken your life."
He looked up at the chaotic demonic energy that had been forced to reveal its true form, and cracked his knuckles. "What should we do now?"
If this demon is not eliminated, Nancheng will likely never have a day of peace.
In the brief moment he came into contact with the female demon, he sensed more than one demonic aura. It was as if... several demonic auras were mixed together, neither blending nor absorbing each other. The demonic auras were intertwined with each other, forming a chaotic entity.
Song Qiling also sensed it. She wasn't entirely confident in her magic, and if she wanted to peel away the demonic energy from Zhao Luan one by one, it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Seeing her troubled expression, Gu Lianzhou frowned slightly: "Senior brother, we have been delayed in the South City King's bedroom for too long. The guards and guests in the mansion have already heard the news and are gathering here."
They don't have much time left.
Song Qiling was well aware of the dangers involved, but before she came here, she had not prepared for her birth mother's transformation into a demon, nor had she prepared a golden alms bowl to subdue the demon.
All of this happened so suddenly... yet it seemed as if it had been meticulously planned.
Her junior brother had told her before that Zhao Yu regarded Chu Yue as an honored guest. Could this matter also be the work of Chu Yue?
Amidst her chaotic thoughts, she had already found the answer in her heart.
"Junior brother, is it possible to absorb the demonic energy on her body without harming her physical form?"
She looked troubled, but still forced herself to say, "I know this request is very impolite, but Jin Yin can't hold on for much longer. If we don't act while she's weak, we might not have another chance."
Although Gu Lianzhou was puzzled, he was very willing to help his senior brother solve this urgent problem. "Of course I can, but I have never actively absorbed demonic energy, so it is difficult to guarantee that I will not harm her."
He looked down at his toes guiltily: "I can't remember what happened the last few times, I'm afraid I might lose consciousness..."
"It's alright." Song Qiling was unwilling to force anyone. "Just do your best, and I'll take care of the rest."
As she spoke, she strode towards the door. Seeing that the bolt was already in place, she pulled over a chair and stool to seal the gap in the door. Then she turned back to the side of the canopy bed, met her junior brother's eyes, raised her hand to form a hand seal, and slowly removed the Xishan Golden Seal.
As if sensing a threat, the chaotic demonic energy, freed from its restraints, suddenly exploded, transforming into dozens of gray shadows that fled in all directions, attempting to break through the doors and windows.
However, Gu Lianzhou's dodder seed was even faster.
Countless dark figures suddenly appeared, multiplying and expanding wildly within moments, almost filling the entire room.
Two completely different demonic powers clashed violently, and the shockwave, carrying destructive power, spread out with a roar.
Thick tentacles lashed violently against the walls and beams, leaving deep marks. The rubble and beams groaned under the strain, and the whole house teetered on the brink of collapse.
Sand and dust fell like a waterfall, and the tables and chairs blocking the door were violently overturned, crashing against the wall and shattering into pieces. The layers of bed curtains in front of the canopy bed were instantly torn into countless tattered pieces by the invisible gale, which were swept up by the chaotic airflow and swirled wildly.
Song Qiling silently took a step back, supporting herself on the bedpost. Her gaze swept over Zhao Yu, who was sleeping soundly on the ground, and she felt somewhat embarrassed.
Such a devastating commotion couldn't wake him up. Could it be that he was accidentally killed by her hand chop?
Seeing the sawdust and the strong wind sweeping around the room, creating a dangerous situation, she thought for a moment, then took a few steps forward and mercifully tucked the person under the bed.
With a muffled groan, the man slowly opened his eyes... saw the horrifying scene in the room, and then peacefully closed them again...
After a long struggle, the gray demonic energy was no match for the dodder's invasion. Amidst its shrill and unwilling screams, it was entangled by the enormous tentacles, which tightened suddenly!
Gu Lianzhou, who was in the center of the house, had never experienced such a battle before. He knelt on the ground as if all his strength had been exhausted, letting the fangs and claws of the dodder ravage the furnishings in the house, almost tearing the roof beams down.
Seeing that something was wrong, Song Qiling rushed forward, raised her hand and gently patted the belligerent dodder, warning it in a low voice: "If you don't take it back, your master will be dead!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the giant dodder paused, then quickly retracted and curled up, disappearing into the shadows beneath Gu Lianzhou's feet.
Then there was another "whoosh," a soft sound that seemed particularly abrupt at that moment.
Song Qiling looked in the direction of the sound and saw a thin figure lying silently on the empty ground.
Unlike her previous resentment and hostility, and unlike her youthful and voluptuous appearance when they first met, the woman seemed to have been drained of her flesh and blood, leaving only a withered skin that loosely covered her skeletal frame.
They were pitifully thin.
It was Zhao Luan.
After thinking for a moment, Song Qiling did not step forward.
She knelt down, supporting her junior brother, and whispered, "How are you feeling? Can you stand up?"
Gu Lianzhou shook his head, almost spitting out blood the instant he opened his mouth: "No...no."
He felt a powerful yet chaotic demonic energy surging wildly within his body, tearing at his tendons and veins like a raging beast, shattering his ribs, crushing his organs, and trying to break free from his seven orifices.
The blood flowed more and more, overflowing from the corner of his lips and spreading to his chin, staining his light blue clothes a deep, dark red.
In his hazy state of consciousness, he suddenly felt his senior brother's hand supporting him trembling violently, with such force that it seemed as if he were being shaken.
The senior brother's voice trembled slightly: "Junior brother... don't sleep, I'll take you out."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
