Chapter 118: Soul-Devouring Blood Demon Technique

        As Song Ye drew nearer to the Murong residence, the smell of blood grew stronger. He unconsciously lightened his steps, then leaped onto the roof and looked down into the courtyard.

        Dozens of corpses lay scattered throughout the estate, each in a horrifying state, while blood had pooled into streams. In one of the corridors, a woman in a green dress held a pitch-black longsword that had pierced the throat of a man in blue robes.

        The woman in green seemed possessed. Her pupils had turned crimson, and her long hair drifted wildly around her.

        Although every lantern in the residence had been extinguished, leaving the night so dark that one could not see their own hand before their face, Song Ye's keen eyes immediately recognized the woman. She was Murong Qingyi, who had vanished three years ago.

        No, that was no longer her name. She had long since taken back the surname Liu. She should now be called Liu Qingyi.

        Three years earlier, when Song Ye and Qin Xuanxi were married, Liu Qingyi had not attended the wedding. She had merely sent a wedding gift in advance, secretly.

        Song Ye had never imagined that, the next time he saw Liu Qingyi three years later, he would witness her slaughtering the Murong residence in Yan City.

        He also noticed the black demonic true qi swirling around her.

        Could she have turned to the demonic path?

        Song Ye immediately examined Liu Qingyi's cultivation again.

        Liu Qingyi: Second Stage of the Demonic Origin Realm.

        Sure enough, Liu Qingyi had become a genuine demonic cultivator.

        What surprised Song Ye was that three years ago, Liu Qingyi had still been an immortal cultivator. She had abandoned the immortal path for the demonic one, yet in a mere three years, her cultivation had already reached the second stage of the Demonic Origin Realm.

        Clearly, this girl possessed far greater talent in demonic cultivation than in immortal cultivation.

        Just then, the Demon Spirit Sword in Liu Qingyi's hand seemed to sense Song Ye's presence. It instantly tore free from her grasp, turned of its own accord, and shot toward him with the force of thunder.

        Song Ye immediately shifted to the right. The sword howled past his ear and sliced away half the roof beneath him.

        Even with Song Ye's formidable physique, he had only barely evaded the attack. In other words, the sword's own power far surpassed Liu Qingyi's.

        The pitch-black longsword seemed not to have expected Song Ye to dodge its lightning-fast strike. It immediately turned around and prepared to launch a second attack.

        "Sanghe!"

        Liu Qingyi suddenly called out to the sword. "Stop killing innocent people indiscriminately."

        Song Ye was still wearing the Yun Qianxue outfit. His white hair streamed in the wind, and his pupils shimmered with flowing light. Compared with his usual appearance, he looked like an entirely different person.

        Even in the bright sunlight of midday, someone would have difficulty recognizing him as Song Ye without examining him closely. In the darkness of night, Liu Qingyi naturally failed to recognize the white-haired man before her as her benefactor, Song Ye.

        She merely assumed that the sudden arrival of a white-haired man meant he was not one of the Murong household. She had no desire to create further bloodshed, so she called the Demon Spirit Sword back.

        In truth, Liu Qingyi had already returned to Yan City earlier that day. Her face had been covered by a blue veil, making her impossible to recognize, and there were not many people in Yan City who knew her in the first place.

        When Cao Yue had entered the noodle stall to question Song Yan, Liu Qingyi had been nearby. She had heard him call Song Yan a little slut.

        Song Yan was the younger sister of her benefactor. How could Liu Qingyi possibly let anyone who insulted her benefactor's sister off without a harsh lesson?

        Thus, when Cao Yue left the gambling house, Liu Qingyi lured him into a secluded alley. First, she tore out his tongue while he was still alive, making him experience the agony of being unable to speak. Then she had Sanghe slit his throat.

        She knew that Cao Yue belonged to the Crimson Wolf Hall and had carried out many filthy deeds for the Murong clan. His death could only be considered well deserved.

        After nightfall, Liu Qingyi threw Cao Yue's corpse into the Murong residence. At the time, she had only intended to frighten the people inside. She had never planned to slaughter the entire household.

        But the Demon Spirit Sword at her side seemed determined to push her into an abyss from which there would be no return, determined to shape her into a second Blood Sword Demon Venerable.

        The sword had therefore flown from Liu Qingyi's hand of its own accord. It had first taken Wu Yi's life, then begun its massacre of the Murong residence.

        The demonic cultivation manual Liu Qingyi practiced was the Soul-Seizing Blood Demon Art, which the Demon Spirit Sword itself had taught her.

        The technique was steeped in murderous intent and had gradually begun to influence her temperament. Once the Demon Spirit Sword offered even the slightest guidance, she found it difficult to restrain herself, becoming bloodthirsty and frenzied.

        Only moments ago, Liu Qingyi had forcibly calmed herself and ordered the Demon Spirit Sword to stop killing innocent people.

        Sanghe paused in midair, apparently obeying Liu Qingyi's command. But in the next instant, it suddenly shot toward Song Ye once more at astonishing speed.

        The Demon Spirit Sword was exceptionally sly. It actually intended to launch a surprise attack.

        This time, it was even faster than before, clearly determined to take Song Ye's life.

        Song Ye had no choice but to repel the evil sword first.

        Heavenly Mechanism, Dustless!

        Song Ye used Cheng Wanting's guardian technique, Heavenly Mechanism, Dustless.

        A colossal figure of Cheng Wanting immediately appeared behind him. She wore a pale yellow dress and held a wine gourd in her hand. Her cheeks were flushed, as though she were already half-drunk.

        Liu Qingyi's eyes widened. She stared blankly at Cheng Wanting's enormous illusory form, her heart pounding.

        Why does that figure look so much like the Wine Immortal depicted in the Chronicles of Immortal Venerables?

        She was utterly shaken. Who exactly was this white-haired man? How could he manifest even the Wine Immortal's immortal form?

        At the same moment Cheng Wanting's figure appeared behind Song Ye, a gigantic sword with a gleaming white blade materialized in the night sky. Its radiance instantly illuminated half the darkness.

        The giant sword was called Dustless. It plunged downward at tremendous speed, pointing straight at the Demon Spirit Sword.

        The instant the two swords collided, rings of shock waves erupted. It seemed as though the entire night trembled beneath their impact.

        Before long, the Demon Spirit Sword was defeated. It swiftly flew back to Liu Qingyi's side and transformed into a black thigh ring, fastening itself around her right leg.

        Liu Qingyi glared at the ring and scolded it, "Hmph. You act so arrogant every day, but now that you've encountered a true master of cultivation, you've lost your nerve, haven't you?"

        The black thigh ring trembled faintly and emitted pulses of dark light, as though urging Liu Qingyi to flee for her life.

        Liu Qingyi, however, seemed relieved. "If that master truly wanted to kill me and avenge the people of the Murong residence, how could I possibly escape?"

        But when she raised her head again, the white-haired man had already vanished into the darkness.

        Liu Qingyi never would have guessed that Song Ye, this so-called master of cultivation, had come to the Murong residence that night for the very same purpose: to slaughter the household.

        Song Ye therefore had Liu Qingyi to thank for doing the job on his behalf and sparing him a great deal of trouble.

        By then, Song Ye had returned to his own courtyard. He saw that the little black tree was still maintaining its berserk state.

        In the less than fifteen minutes since he had left, no one else had come to the courtyard. Yet the little black tree had remained on high alert the entire time. The ground was littered with the corpses of mosquitoes and other insects it had swatted to death, proof of how faithfully it had guarded the place.

        Song Ye immediately had it end its berserk state and told it to rest properly.

        When he pushed open the door, he saw Song Yan sitting obediently on the bed, her eyes still covered with a cloth.

        She seemed to recognize that her brother had entered the room, for a smile rose at the corners of her lips.

        "You should go back to your own room and sleep for the rest of the night," Song Ye told her.

        Song Yan shook her head vigorously, then simply lay down on the bed. She clearly intended to stay there for the remainder of the night.

        Song Ye had no choice but to indulge her. After all, he would not be able to spoil her for many more years. Once he sent her to the Profound Clarity Palace, the siblings would have very few opportunities to see each other again.