Chapter 73

Song Weizhi sighed, "Do you hate me so much? Even if you want revenge, there's no need to make yourself look like this. Have you ever thought about your mother and brother? What would they feel if they saw you like this?" 

Weakly shaking her head, Zhou Qingxue replied, "I didn't want to seek revenge against you. What you said is right. My father brought this upon himself. However, he is still my father. After leaving, I intended to travel to other places, help those in need, and alleviate some of my father's sins. But I encountered Qi Yingzhe before even leaving Ji Mo City." 

Tears rolled down Zhou Qingxue's face, and she fell into reminiscence: 

After leaving the Cold Mountain Sword Sect that day, Zhou Qingxue was in a daze. Recalling her mother's hatred for her father, remembering how her father treated Song Weizhi and Song Zhixia, waves of pain surged in Zhou Qingxue's heart. She felt an indescribable sense of loss. Just as she was about to leave Ji Mo City, she encountered Qi Yingzhe. 

Qi Yingzhe was the disciple that Zhou Yeran relied on the most during his lifetime. He held high prestige in the Cold Mountain Sword Sect, and Zhou Qingxue always regarded him as an elder brother. 

"Where is Junior Sister Zhou going?" Qi Yingzhe asked with his usual calm expression. 

Zhou Qingxue forced a bitter smile, "The world is vast, and there's no place for me. I don't know where to go." 

"Junior Sister Zhou, I have something to discuss with you. This is not the place to talk. Let's find a quiet place." 

Nodding, Zhou Qingxue followed behind Qi Yingzhe and arrived at a private room in a tavern. Qi Yingzhe pondered for a moment before speaking, "Junior Sister Zhou, Master's revenge is yet to be avenged. Are you leaving?" 

Shaking her head, Zhou Qingxue said, "Even my mother despises my father, and indeed, my father is at fault. What he did to Song Weizhi and Song Zhixia is the truth. I don't want to seek revenge anymore, and I can't face them again. Senior Brother Qi, the matters of the Cold Mountain Sword Sect will probably require Senior Brother Qi's attention in the future. I'll leave first." 

"If that's the case, Junior Sister can't blame me. I did this to help Junior Sister seek revenge." Qi Yingzhe's voice sounded behind Zhou Qingxue. She didn't guard herself against her Senior Brother, and in an instant, Zhou Qingxue was struck unconscious by Qi Yingzhe's spiritual qi. 

When she woke up, she found herself in a dimly lit hall filled with dark energy. It was the place where Lu Ming, the Sect Master of the Soul Drawing Sect, resided. Her most respected Senior Brother was standing beside a man seated in the hall, wearing a black robe. 

For a moment, Zhou Qingxue couldn't understand what had happened. "Senior Brother Qi? Where is this? Why did you tie me up here?" 

Leisurely sipping tea, Lu Ming addressed Qi Yingzhe, "Guardian Qi, you've worked hard. After lurking in the Cold Mountain Sword Sect for so many years, there's no need for it now." 

Then Lu Ming looked at Zhou Qingxue and said, "This is the Soul Drawing Sect. Your Senior Brother Qi is the Guardian of our sect and also the spy I placed in the Cold Mountain Sword Sect." 

Zhou Qingxue crouched on the ground, couldn't believe what she heard. Too many things had happened recently, and Qi Yingzhe, her Senior Brother, the epitome of virtue, was actually from the Soul Drawing Sect? 

"No, Senior Brother, it's not like that. My father treated you so well. Why? Why betray us?" Tears streamed down Zhou Qingxue's face, and she couldn't remember how many times she had cried recently. 

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, Junior Sister. I am indeed from the Soul Drawing Sect. The reason I went to the Cold Mountain Sword Sect was purely to find the soul fragment of the Vermilion Bird in the Sword Tomb. However, that old man of yours was too suspicious and wouldn't take me to the Sword Tomb. Besides, the soul fragment of the Vermilion Bird from the Martial Arts Tournament ended up in the hands of Song Weizhi. Staying in the Cold Mountain Sword Sect had no meaning anymore. By the way, I forgot to tell you, I was the one who ordered the black-clothed assassins to kill Song Zhixia. Unfortunately, that useless group failed." Qi Yingzhe explained, speaking calmly, not much different from his usual manner. 

"You bastard! What do you want by capturing me?" Zhou Qingxue glared at Qi Yingzhe with red eyes. 

"Humph, do you think your brother and mother have time to care about you? I think you'd better give up on that idea." 

Furrowing his brows slightly, Lu Ming spoke softly, "Take action. Use her as the host body. I want to see if Song Weizhi dares to act when the time comes." 

Qi Yingzhe nodded and then turned to retrieve the mother insect from a small ink-colored box about the size of a palm. Initially, the thing was only the size of a finger, and Qi Yingzhe used his spiritual qi to control it, placing it near Zhou Qingxue's ear. As soon as it touched Zhou Qingxue's ear, it immediately burrowed into her ear canal. 

In an instant, Zhou Qingxue felt an excruciating pain throughout her body. The insect seemed to be devouring her brain matter and flesh. No matter how she screamed, the creature didn't stop. After a while, the contents of Zhou Qingxue's head were almost consumed. The intense pain persisted, but that wasn't the worst part. The mother insect, seemingly satisfied, grew significantly in size and began laying eggs in Zhou Qingxue's head. 

"No, don't, Qi Yingzhe, kill me, kill me," Zhou Qingxue yelled loudly, enduring the intense pain. 

Qi Yingzhe, maintaining his usual tone, replied, "Junior Sister, endure it for a while. Soon, you will become a Gu person. At that time, even if you want to die, you won't be able to." 

"No, I don't want to become a monster, I don't want to become a monster," Zhou Qingxue screamed and then passed out. 

Several hours later, Zhou Qingxue's body had been completely invaded by the insects. Every part of her body harbored these creatures, and she had lost consciousness, now solely under the command of Lu Ming, who held a short whistle. 

Coming back to her senses from the memories, Zhou Qingxue addressed the three people, "Help me, I'm now an unkillable monster. Song Weizhi, your sword can turn people to ashes, right? Please, give me a quick death." Zhou Qingxue gritted her teeth and spoke. 

Song Weizhi summoned the system in her mind, wanting to see if there was any way to save Zhou Qingxue. 

[Hello, host. After system analysis, Zhou Qingxue's body has been taken over by Gu insects, making it unsuitable for normal human use. The best solution now is to extract her intact three souls and seven spirits and place them in the system's jade pendant for nurturing. When a suitable container for Zhou Qingxue's body is found, it can be used to restore her. However, this requires deducting all remaining points from the host.] The mechanical voice of the system sounded. 

Song Weizhi breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that points could solve the problem. Otherwise, what would she do with Wei Zhao? She immediately spent the remaining points in exchange for the jade pendant. 

Holding the jade pendant in her hand, Song Weizhi said to Zhou Qingxue, "At least you won't be turned to ashes immediately. However, your current body is indeed unusable. Let me extract your three souls and seven spirits first. Later, when we find a good container, we can attach them again." 

"Thank you, Mistress," Wei Zhao said with red eyes. She always felt more distressed seeing Zhou Qingxue getting hurt than when she was injured. 

Smiling slightly, Song Weizhi said, "Qingxue, I saved you for Wei Zhao's sake." 

After that, she raised the jade pendant, and the system absorbed Zhou Qingxue's three souls and seven spirits, placing them into the jade pendant Song Weizhi held. 

"Zhou Qingxue, I can only destroy your physical body." Song Weizhi said to the jade pendant in her hand. 

"Okay, that's not me anymore. Inside, there are only insects," Zhou Qingxue's voice came out from the jade pendant. 

Song Weizhi, having received Zhou Qingxue's response, placed the jade pendant into Wei Zhao's hands, instructing, "Be careful to keep it safe; your Dao Companion is inside." 

Song Weizhi continued speaking, and she felt that Wei Zhao's unchanging expression seemed to flush slightly. From Wei Zhao's jade pendant came Zhou Qingxue's voice, "What's this? I'm not her Dao Companion! Song Weizhi, don't talk nonsense!" 

Listening to the voice from the jade pendant, Wei Zhao thought that it was fortunate her Mistress had found a way to save Zhou Qingxue; otherwise, she wouldn't know what to do. 

On Song Weizhi's side, she had already thrown the demonic sword towards Zhou Qingxue's body. The demonic sword, reluctant to consume the soul of the insects, muttered for a while. However, not daring to offend Song Weizhi, reluctantly crushed Zhou Qingxue's body and consumed a considerable amount of the insect's soul. The demonic sword continued to emit the sound of spitting out saliva. 

Guided by Zhou Qingxue, Song Weizhi, and the others quickly found the headquarters of the Soul Drawing Sect. Built next to a cliff with a bottomless abyss below, the Soul Drawing Sect didn't look like a demonic palace but more like a secluded residence. However, the hissing demonic aura inside couldn't be concealed. 

A faint smile appeared on Song Weizhi's lips as she waved the demonic sword in her hand. "Let's change your taste now, so you won't complain about the insects being difficult to eat." 

Saying this, she launched the demonic sword. Wei Zhao wielded her long whip like a dragon and a serpent, killing a dozen demonic cultivators in an instant. Due to Zhou Qingxue's previous suffering here, Wei Zhao killed a particularly large number of demonic cultivators. 

Song Zhixia directly used fire elemental spiritual qi for the attack. Those demonic cultivators hit by her exploded one after another. For a moment, the three of them carved a bloody path through the Soul Drawing Sect, directly entering the main hall. 

Lu Ming, who had lost his usual calm demeanor, stared straight at the three not far away. 

"Impossible! How could you? Song Weizhi, did you kill Zhou Qingxue?" Lu Ming stood up, his voice filled with excitement. 

Seeing the situation, Song Weizhi nonchalantly nodded and said, "Yeah, not even a bit of scum left." 

Lu Ming's gaze then shifted to Wei Zhao. With Qi Yingzhe acting as an inside agent in the Cold Mountain Sword Sect, he was well aware of the relationships among the group. 

"Wei Zhao, right? You truly have no backbone. Your loved one was killed by your Mistress, yet you still stand on her side?" 

Wei Zhao coldly responded, "You've just reminded me. Since you and Qi Yingzhe harmed her so much, I must completely crush and annihilate you both." 

"Be clear. Your loved one was killed by Song Weizhi. If you want revenge, you should target her instead…" 

"Shut up! You harmed me, and now you want to harm them?" Zhou Qingxue's voice resonated from the jade pendant. 

"Humph, no more excuses now." Song Weizhi sneered. A massive ball of alternating ice and fire had already been sent towards Lu Ming. Lu Ming activated his spiritual qi to defend himself, but Song Weizhi's palm force forced him to spit out a mouthful of blood. 

Without giving him a chance to catch his breath, Song Weizhi launched several more strikes. Lu Ming was swept into the wall behind him, only to slide down to the ground. 

Song Weizhi coldly stated, "If it doesn't belong to you, then you shouldn't have it. Now, I'll take it." 

Without waiting for his reaction, Song Weizhi used her spiritual qi to lift him. In a single move, she twisted Lu Ming's neck and then proceeded to extract the soul fragment from his soul. 

On the other side, Wei Zhao's cultivation level was three major realms higher than Qi Yingzhe's. After a few lashes, Qi Yingzhe was already being whipped into a mess of flesh and blood. He no longer resembled the respected Head disciple. Enraged by the suffering Zhou Qingxue had endured, Wei Zhao's eyes turned red. She continued whipping until Qi Yingzhe turned into ashes.