"I just … can't be happy … I see." Black Lotus sighed gently and looked at her in pity.
Originally, he thought Gu Yanying had a deeper plan, using some sort of artifact to block the Heart Cleansing Technique of Clear Ripple. However, the answer was unexpectedly simple. Even the Heart Cleansing Technique of Clear Ripple was unable to wash away the pitch-black pain in her heart.
A situation like this had actually occurred before. However, those who failed would usually kill themselves very quickly. Even if they survived, they would be tormented to a state of agony, like a walking corpse, muddle-headed. Since there was no escape, death became the best salvation.
"Then why are you still alive?"
"Why? Why? " Qian Rongzhi lowered her head and murmured. Suddenly, she smiled and tidied her hair. "Perhaps I just don't want to accept this."
In this situation, everything she did was useless. Her life was in her hands, but she was instead fearless. Just like what Black Lotus had said, death was not a very bad choice for her.
Black Lotus said sincerely, "Rongzhi, I really want you to live …"
"You can't! Don't even think about it!" the White Lotus Mother screamed.
"Then the problem right now is, how can I let you live? I might not be an Altar Lord anymore, but I still can't disobey the White Lotus Mother's orders. "
"Black. Lotus. Where. are. you. standing?" The White Lotus Mother stressed each word as she kicked Black Lotus's leg. Black Lotus laid out his hands helplessly.
Qian Rongzhi just raised her head. Sunlight flickered like starlight between the cracks of the green leaves. Her figure was reflected in the quiet stream, aloof from the world. It was as if everything here no longer had anything to do with her anymore.
She had already done all that was humanly possible.
Black Lotus considered it for a while before suddenly smiling. He raised a finger. "They all say that it's impossible to have everything right, but as long as you look carefully, you'll always find a way."
Afterwards, he crouched down. He said to the White Lotus Mother, "Mother. Will you be satisfied if you kill her like this? This will instead be a form of release for her. "
The White Lotus Mother said, "Do you think I'll let her die so easily? I'll make her taste all the torture in the world. Only when she cries and begs for mercy and breaks down mentally will I kill her. "
The corner of Qian Rongzhi's lips curled into a sneer. Crying, begging for mercy, having a nervous breakdown, do you want me to act it out for you right now?
Black Lotus seemed to have grasped the crux of the matter. He smiled and said, "Yes, torture. Do you still remember that?"
The White Lotus Mother was taken aback. She smiled viciously. "Yeah, that's it. You sure are clever." He took out an item and handed it to Black Lotus.
Black Lotus opened his hand towards Qian Rongzhi. He was holding a sparkling amber. Sealed in the amber was a tiny snake as thin as a strand of hair. However, its gorgeous colors were mesmerizing.
Qian Rongzhi asked, "This is?"
"This item comes from the Mist province."
"Snake Gu?" Qian Rongzhi frowned. The Mist province was known as the myriad mountains. Although it had been under Great Xia's rule for many years, it was still a land of wilderness. The path of cultivation of the barbarians was very different from that of the Central Plains. It was directly inherited from the ancient times. The Art of Witchcraft was one of the most mysterious killing methods, and it was famous throughout the world.
"That's right."
"You want to use this to kill me?"
"A friend of mine once said that true gu is not used to kill, but to make people wish they were dead."
Qian Rongzhi's eyes lit up. Since it was worse than death, that meant she could live.
"However, this gu is called the Pestering gu. In the first three hundred years, it was always believed to be a dead gu, as no one has ever survived. They all died from agonizing torture. Even the most cold-blooded, tough man will become as fragile as a child after being afflicted with this gu."
The White Lotus Mother's smile widened. She was innocent and cruel. Qian Rongzhi also shivered.
Black Lotus continued, "Only afterwards did people discover that this gu is not fatal. It doesn't even cause any harm. All those who die to this gu commit suicide. If they can endure the pain, it will instead bring them great benefits, which even gave birth to a sect that worships this snake as their sacred snake. "
Qian Rongzhi waded through the stream and walked over, reaching towards the Snake Pestering gu without the slightest hesitation. Was it painful? She had always been very patient.
However, Black Lotus brought his hands together, and his face became stern. "Do you really plan on living like this? Once this gu is planted, it won't stop until you die. It's impossible to remove, which is why it's called pestering."
"It seems like I have no other choice." Qian Rongzhi's face was filled with mockery.
Black Lotus gazed at her deeply. "I suddenly feel a little regretful. If you choose to die, I'll give you a quick death. There won't be any pain at all."
The White Lotus Mother was very unhappy. "Black Lotus!"
Black Lotus bowed and said sternly, "No matter how unhappy you are, I can't just watch you do this. Slaughter and death will always be unavoidable, but humiliating and torturing isn't something we should do. If you insist on doing this, please kill me first!"
The White Lotus Mother was helpless against him. All she could do was turn her head away viciously.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. "Thank you for your kind intentions, but if I only wanted a quick death, why would I have come here?"
Black Lotus fell silent for a while before opening his hand. "Fine then. I respect your choice, but please listen to the last thing I have to say. According to what I know, this snake is not a creature of this world. Instead, it comes from the Hell realm. As a disciple of legalism, you should understand. "
Qian Rongzhi's eyes narrowed. She obviously understood. It was said that the Hell realm had a total of eighteen major hells and countless smaller hells. They were the place where all souls of the dead returned to in the great thousand worlds. All sins would receive the final judgment of the officials of hell there. It was the supreme symbol of law. As such, it was very clear why the Snake Pestering gu did not cause death. The torture of hell had never been for the sake of slaughter, but for punishment.
It would make even the most brutal criminal feel pain and then repent.
"This snake comes from the Venomous Snake hell. The so-called torture of the human world is like playing house compared to the punishment of hell. In other words, from today onwards, you'll have to live in hell every single day. "
Before he had even finished speaking, Qian Rongzhi had already picked up the amber and held it up to the sunlight. She raised her pretty face and looked at the beautiful snake inside. She glanced at Black Lotus and curled her lips. "Thank you for your good idea."
The amber slipped from her fingers. Under the illumination of the sunlight, the tiny snake inside seemed even more beautiful and enchanting. Suddenly, it opened its eyes and directly entered her mouth.
In the darkness, cracks appeared on the amber. It shattered immediately. She was not the one who had freed it. Instead, it had broken free by itself.
It was like a wild beast that had caught the scent of blood, a glutton that had seen delicious food. There was no shame in this. Souls filled with hatred were its favourite food and hotbed. It could not help but burrow in deeply.
Qian Rongzhi trembled all over. She instantly knelt in the stream. The tiny snake, more beautiful than the rainbow, swam on her face, like a tattoo, moving on her skin. It seemed to be a little stronger than when it was in the amber.
She suddenly opened her eyes wide and fell straight down, splashing the stream water.
It was an indescribable pain. Even unimaginable pain, like a snake slithering. She opened her mouth wide, if she could make a sound. She would definitely be screaming right now. But the pain had seized her body and locked her throat. She could only make meaningless gurgling sounds.
However, every inch of her body was groaning, and her whole soul was wailing.
She had far underestimated the torture of hell. She was very wrong, far from being as strong as she had imagined. In just a moment, she regretted it and was willing to do anything to relieve this pain.
Were the souls of hell also repenting for the sins they had committed in life every day and night?
Although she opened her eyes as wide as she could, her vision was blurry. Everything around her seemed to spin, turning into a blurry colour. Vaguely, a black shadow approached her and said, "Since this is the path you've chosen, please allow me to wish you a safe journey."
Black Lotus stood up and said to the White Lotus Mother who admired Qian Rongzhi's horrendous state with great interest, "Let's go!"
The White Lotus Mother said, "Let me watch a little longer."
Black Lotus became stern. The White Lotus Mother cursed, "Stingy!"
When the first round of pain passed, the venomous snake from hell seemed to have had enough of its activity, entering a state of rest.
She propped herself up and knelt up. The sky had already darkened completely, and she barely managed to organize her chaotic consciousness. Apart from the paleness of her face, she was basically unscathed. The White Lotus Mother had not even touched a single hair on her. It was much better than the best-case scenario she had imagined.
However, her mind and willpower seemed to have been completely destroyed. It was very strange. If a person endured unendurable pain, they would fall unconscious or go mad even if they managed to survive. However, she remained conscious the entire time, carefully savouring every single bit of pain. Perhaps this was the wondrous aspect of the punishment of hell!
Returning to her senses, the first thing she did was grab her throat. All she needed to do was grab it gently, and blood would gush out, and she would be free.
Her sharp nails dug into her pale-white skin, and warm, bright-red blood flowed out. After hesitating for quite a while, she pulled back her hand and stood up unsteadily. She found a small cave and dove into it, falling unconscious.
She dreamed of a huge snake that was even more beautiful than a rainbow, swallowing her in a single gulp. She woke up very soon, and the second round of pain arrived.
Time passed day by day. She took advantage of the time when she could move to replenish her food and water before waiting for the next round of pain in great fear. Yes, fear, fear that she had never experienced before. She was so afraid that she trembled all over. Even when she was resting, the snake would use another method to torture her, making her want to free herself with death every single time.
However, she refused to give up. Gradually, she could also perform some simple activities when she was being tortured, but the situation only worsened. Every single time, she would lose her rationality, wanting to rip the snake out of her body and tear off every inch of her skin. Fortunately, cultivators possessed tough bodies, so the wounds would always heal very quickly.
She even began to wonder whether she could break free from the snake if she peeled off her own skin. However, her remaining rationality stopped her. The snake had already fused with her, and if she did that, she would die very soon. She could not die like this!
At this moment, a dangerous aura interrupted her thoughts.
A daemonic beast that resembled a leopard followed the smell of blood and arrived in the cave. Its glowing eyes constantly drifted about in the darkness.
This was a daemonic beast that had condensed its daemonic core. Perhaps it was the man-eating daemonic beast that she had been tracking, but that was not important. Even if she was in perfect condition, she did not dare to say that she would definitely win. Now that she was extremely weak, she could not even move a finger.
PS: Bow to thank the student from the "Name Space" for the reward, and congratulate the new sect master!
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