Chapter 602 - 171: Shadow Divine Techniques, the Path of Deceitful Killing; Sky-High Resentment, Becoming a Demon in a Single Thought

Tang Yu lifted her head slightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "Young Miss, this boy’s potential is limitless. If we allow him to grow, he will become a grave threat to our Zhang Family in the future." "Should I take action myself and eliminate him, to prevent any future trouble?" "That won’t be necessary." Zhang Ling’Er closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently as she struggled to compose herself. Tang Yu paused, startled, before bowing. "I understand." As soon as her voice fell, her figure flickered and reverted to a cloud of gray-black smoke, slowly dissipating within the pavilion as if she had never been there. Inside the pavilion, only Zhang Ling’Er remained. ’Kill Chu Fan?’ She snapped her eyes open, her face twisted with such venomous hatred that it was slightly contorted, her eyes filled with crazed animosity. "I want to kill him more than anyone! It’s all I think about day and night, all I dream of!" "But if I let someone else kill him, that would be letting him off far too lightly! It would be far too easy for him!" That country boy she once saw as a mere ant, a nobody she planned to crush at her leisure and toy with like a mouse, had now turned around and bitten her back. He had sent her—the high and mighty, widely admired Daughter of Heaven—fleeing in utter defeat, her pride dragged through the mud... This monstrous resentment, this utter humiliation... If she didn’t personally crush his bones inch by inch, if she didn’t personally watch him wail and beg for mercy at her feet, how could she ever quell the hatred in her heart! "A brat from some poor, remote village... a lowlife who’s only cultivated for eight months... dares to walk all over me?!" "I can’t accept this! I can’t accept it!!" The hatred in her heart was like a bursting dam, instantly shattering the floodgates of her reason and drowning all her thoughts. She was completely unaware that as her body trembled with overwhelming hatred, strange wisps of black gas began to seep from the surface of her skin. The black gas was sinister and cold, carrying a nauseating, sickly sweet stench—identical to the aura she had seen that day at the Wang Residence, on the woman who had become a Fallen Demon! But in the dim, silent pavilion, this extremely subtle change went completely unnoticed. After a long time... Zhang Ling’Er rose to her feet, her eyes filled with resolve. She turned and walked toward the deepest part of the Zhang Family Manor. She passed through one ornate courtyard after another, with their carved beams and painted rafters, and crossed three protective wards set by the clan’s Elders. The path underfoot grew more remote, and the air around her gradually turned cold and sinister. Finally, she arrived at a desolate place surrounded by ancient pines—the Zhang Family Ancestral Land. There was no light here, only endless darkness. Even the moonlight was blocked by the dense canopy, unable to penetrate in the slightest. The night wind howled through the pines, creating a wailing sound like the cries of ghosts and apes, enough to make one’s blood run cold. It felt as if countless invisible eyes were greedily peering at the intruder from the darkness, filled with cold malice. On any other day, Zhang Ling’Er would have been terrified. But now, with her heart filled to the brim with hatred, she paid it no mind, her steps firm as she walked deeper into the ancestral land. THUD! She dropped heavily to her knees before a massive, moss-covered stone monument. Faint, ancient runes were carved upon the monument, and it emanated a faint Yin Cold Qi. Tears of grievance and indignation welled up in Zhang Ling’Er’s eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "Great-Grandfather... Ling’Er is useless. I have shamed the Zhang Family... I actually lost to a boy from a poor, remote village..." Her shrill voice echoed through the empty ancestral land, filled with endless despair and venom. The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the mournful whistling of the wind. After a very long time, a sigh—ancient, decaying, and full of disappointment and weariness—finally came from deep underground, or perhaps from within the massive tomb. The sigh was barely perceptible, yet it reached Zhang Ling’Er’s ears with perfect clarity. "Victory and defeat are common in war... To face defeat without discouragement, to suffer setbacks without breaking—that is the true spirit of a child of the Zhang Family." In the past, hearing such teachings might have prompted Zhang Ling’Er to reflect on her actions. But now, the humiliation that clung to her like a festering sore had made her lose all reason. "But that bastard is only at the Third Heaven of the Divine Power Realm!" She shrieked hysterically, her voice choked with sobs, "He’s as lowly as an ant! I can’t stand it! I can’t accept it! I refuse to accept it!" The presence deep within the Zhang Family Ancestral Land fell silent once more. In the darkness, it seemed a pair of ancient eyes was gazing up at the surface from beneath the heavy earth. ’The Zhang Family...’ The old being felt a wave of sorrow.’Each generation is truly worse than the last.’ ’In this generation, only Zhang Tianyu’s talent and temperament are acceptable enough to be worthy of my notice.’ ’But Tianyu’s little sister...’ ’Third Heaven of the Acupoint Realm, possessing the Zhang Family’s core Secret Skill, the "Cold Soul Sword Manual," and wielding two ancestral Ancient Treasures... and she comes crying to me that she lost to a country boy from the Divine Power Realm?’ ’I’m tempted to rip open my coffin lid, burst out of the ground, and slap this unworthy descendant to death!’ ’She’s brought utter disgrace to the Zhang Family!’ "Great-Grandfather! Are you listening? What should I do?" Hearing no response from below, Zhang Ling’Er grew even more frantic. She clawed at the ground with both hands, her fingernails digging in until they were slick with blood. "I want to become stronger! As long as I can personally crush that boy, I’ll do anything!" "AHHH—!" As she roared, Zhang Ling’Er’s emotions spun completely out of control. Her suppressed resentment erupted. It was no longer a few thin wisps, but a billowing black fog, dark as ink, that gushed from her seven orifices and every pore, instantly enveloping her. "Hm?" Deep within the ancestral land, the being who had been full of disappointment suddenly let out a cry of surprised suspicion. Mixed into the ancient voice was an unconcealable trace of pleasant surprise and greed. "Ling’Er... do you feel it?" The ancient voice echoed faintly by her ear, "Within you... lies a hidden power you were never aware of. A power so great it is intoxicating!" In her frenzy, Zhang Ling’Er froze and subconsciously lifted her hands. By the faint moonlight, she saw the black gas coiling around her arms like venomous snakes, crazily merging with the Primordial Qi inside her body. "This... This is..." Zhang Ling’Er’s pupils shrank, and she was scared out of her wits. She leaped up instinctively, screaming in terror, "Great-Grandfather! This is the Pollution Power! It’s Demonic Qi! I... Am I becoming a Fallen Demon? Am I turning into a monster?!"