Chapter 541 - 538: Fusing with the Evil Seed
The mire was far more than just foul-smelling.
Since it never saw sunlight, countless streams of yin and foul energy had accumulated here, forming a virulent poison.
Should an ordinary Cultivator come into contact with even a speck of this mire, the poison would corrode them to the bone within moments. Their flesh and blood would turn to pus, and they would perish utterly, their Dao extinguished.
At this moment, Qin Xueyun was submerged in the mire. Her body was corroding at a rate visible to the naked eye, and in many places, her stark white bones were already exposed.
The instant blood spilled, it was absorbed and devoured by the mire.
Moreover, ripples would occasionally stir in the putrid sludge around her. Black worms, as thick as chopsticks and as long as a pinky finger, writhed through the water, drawn by the scent of blood before burrowing into Qin Xueyun’s flesh.
Qin Xueyun’s body trembled. The intense agony nearly caused her to pass out time and time again.
But Qin Hai’s words kept echoing in her ears, forcing her to grit her teeth and endure.
"You know your own situation perfectly well. On the path of the Martial Dao, you should know what happens to those who lose their talent and power."
"You can live as humbly as a worm, constantly watching the expressions of others, your life held in their hands. You’ll live precariously in constant fear, as if walking on thin ice. If you’re lucky, you might eke out a mortal’s lifespan of a hundred years."
"Or, you can take your own life with some semblance of dignity before you fall any further."
"But if you do that, all your hatred and resentment will vanish along with you."
"Now, I can give you a third option. Voluntarily fuse with the Evil Seed, obtain unparalleled talent and power, and seek your revenge on Mo Qi, the one who harmed you. Kill him with your own hands, even if it means you die with him!"
"Which path will you choose?"
Without a doubt, Qin Xueyun chose the third path: to fuse with the Evil Seed!
"Remember, the fusion process will be excruciating, but you must not have the slightest hint of rejection in your heart, or all will be for naught."
"You need only remember this: the more suffering you endure now, the greater the power the Evil Seed will grant you, and the higher your chances of getting revenge."
The Evil Seed was kept by Qin Hai within this mire. For Qin Xueyun to fuse with it, she first had to immerse herself in it.
Ordinarily, with her temperament, just soaking in the stinking mire would have been an impossible task, let alone fusing with an Evil Seed.
But the power of resentment is limitless. For the sake of revenge, Qin Xueyun suppressed her nausea, shut her eyes, and leaped into the mire.
’I’m not even afraid to die, so why would I fear the torment of this wretched mire?’
’Mo Qi! Gu Peng! Everything I’m going through now is because of you! I will make you regret this!’
’Pain! It hurts! Every second feels like a year! Damn you, Mo Qi! Damn you, Gu Peng!’
’I hate you! I hate you! I HATE YOU! I will have my revenge!’
’Come on! Come on! Hahaha! Let the torment be even more intense!’
’I must become stronger! It’s not enough! This pain is nowhere near enough!’
The immense pain nearly overwhelmed Qin Xueyun’s consciousness several times, but each time, the hatred in her heart allowed her to persevere.
Eventually, she even became frenzied.
In her eyes, the pain was no longer a torment, but a pleasure.
She had no path of retreat. She could only succeed!
This intense aura of resentment and hatred was exactly what the Evil Seed savored.
Just as Qin Xueyun’s organs finished dissolving and she was little more than a skeleton, a surge of Evil Energy shot up from the depths of the mire. It formed a massive hand that lifted her out.
Empowered by the Evil Energy, new flesh and blood rapidly grew over Qin Xueyun’s bones, her body completely reshaped.
The entire process lasted for an hour.
An hour later, the Evil Energy dissipated. Qin Xueyun, stark naked, slowly descended from mid-air.
The entire mire had dried and cracked, and the yin and foul energies had vanished completely.
"This is...?" Qin Xueyun opened her eyes. They were solid black, with no whites to be seen.
BOOM!
The moment she spoke, a Grotto Heaven manifested behind her head. A dense, sinister aura erupted forth, draining the color from the sky and plunging the surrounding temperature below freezing.
"The Void Realm! I’ve actually reached the Peak of the Void Realm! I’m only a step away from the Void!" Qin Xueyun was overjoyed.
"Such incredible power, what a wonderful feeling! Mo Qi, Gu Peng, just you wait! I’ll take your wretched lives with my own two hands!"
"Congratulations, Xue Yun. You’ve successfully fused with the Evil Seed." Qin Hai descended from the sky, a smile on his face.
Qin Xueyun’s brow furrowed slightly. With a mere thought, the sinister aura condensed into a long black dress, covering her naked form.
"Thank you for making this possible, Patriarch." Though her power had surged, Qin Xueyun knew she was still nothing before Qin Hai.
"No need to thank me. You earned this yourself," Qin Hai said with a smile. "You won’t be alone on your path to revenge. I’ll introduce you to a few helpers."
...
In the Desperate Mountain Range, at "Uncle Niu’s Kitchen God" restaurant.
Elder Ku Mu sat squatting brazenly before a dining table, his chest bared and his feet bare, with no regard for his appearance.
In one hand, he held a wine pot, gleefully sipping Purple Sky Wine. With the other, he grabbed food directly from the plates and stuffed it into his mouth.
His table manners were absolutely atrocious!
If you didn’t know he was a supreme expert, you could call him a beggar and no one would disagree.
"Delicious!" Elder Ku Mu devoured every last dish like a tornado sweeping through clouds.
"Mo the kid, bring another round!"
Mo Qi rolled his eyes. ’You downed an entire table’s worth of food, and you still want more? Are you a pig?’
’Enough is enough. Does he really think he can just freeload here indefinitely?’
"There’s no more!" Mo Qi said irritably.
From their earlier conversation, he was certain that Elder Ku Mu knew his mother and bore him no ill will.
Elder Ku Mu wasn’t annoyed by Mo Qi’s refusal.
He leaned back in his chair and propped his crossed legs up on the table.
He casually wiped his greasy mouth with his sleeve, then picked his teeth and said with a grin, "How about this: if you provide me with enough food, I’ll answer one of your questions."
Mo Qi’s expression shifted. The offer was tempting.
But he was no fool.
’Enough food? How much is "enough"?’
’With Elder Ku Mu’s Cultivation, I probably couldn’t satisfy his appetite even if I sold myself.’
"I’ll provide your three meals a day, and you answer three of my questions!" Mo Qi said in a low voice.
"Haggling?" Elder Ku Mu’s smile didn’t falter. "Three meals a day is acceptable, but I’ll only answer one question. That’s my bottom line. No negotiations!"
"Two questions! And I’ll throw in a pot of fine wine with every meal!" Mo Qi countered.
"Deal!" Elder Ku Mu slapped the table and roared with laughter.
Mo Qi: "..."
’He agreed so quickly... What happened to his "bottom line"?’
Mo Qi felt a pang of regret. Had he known, he would have started with a much higher offer.
’If I’d started with ten questions, we might have haggled down to five or six!’
The deal was done. It was too late for regrets.
"Where is my mother now?" Mo Qi asked impatiently, no longer dwelling on it.