Zi Lingling's knuckles had turned white from intense anger.
The suffocating killing intent radiating from her body made it difficult for Zi Wenchang to breathe.
Zi Wenchang's face was flushed red, but the cold sneer in his eyes remained undiminished.
"I... cough!"
Even speaking was a struggle for him at this moment.
But Zi Lingling was consumed by her rage, completely oblivious to Zi Wenchang's near suffocation.
"Urk..."
Zi Wenchang's eyes began to roll back.
"Patriarch, please calm your anger!"
Zi Jitian's lips moved several times before he tremblingly interjected.
Zi Lingling turned her furious gaze towards him, her voice sharp and cold, "Are you pleading for mercy for this traitorous beast who sold out his own kin?"
It turned out that over the past month, Qing Yu had been interrogating Zi Donglai and the other three.
With the interrogation methods of the Underworld Mansion, Zi Wenchang's betrayal of Zi Jitian had naturally been uncovered.
Zi Jitian shook his head in pain, "Patriarch, this beast deserves to die a thousand times over, but he knows your father's whereabouts! If you kill him, your father..."
Right! Father's whereabouts.
Zi Lingling snapped back to reality, her grip loosening slightly.
In her momentary fury, she had allowed her killing intent to cloud her mind, nearly taking Zi Wenchang's life.
Of course, Zi Wenchang deserved to die.
But they had finally found a lead on Zi Guochang, how could they let it disappear?
Zi Lingling could clearly feel a sharp pain within her soul the moment she learned of Zi Guochang's location.
She could no longer distinguish whether those emotions stemmed from the residual will of the original host's soul or her own.
Perhaps, it was a combination of both.
With that, she violently flung Zi Wenchang to the ground and roared, "Speak! Otherwise, I'll kill you!"
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Zi Wenchang clutched his throat, greedily drawing in breaths.
His rapid inhalations caused him to cough violently.
Zi Jitian let out a silent sigh of relief as he watched Zi Wenchang, who looked utterly miserable yet had escaped death.
Although he claimed Zi Wenchang deserved to die, Zi Wenchang was, after all, his own flesh and blood. How could he stand by and watch his son die?
Ultimately, he loved his son, but his way of showing it had caused Zi Wenchang to misunderstand.
In truth, Zi Wenchang's wicked deeds today were inextricably linked to him.
Zi Lingling's killing intent did not wane as she glared coldly at Zi Wenchang.
Zi Wenchang's breathing finally stabilized, though his state remained somewhat frantic.
However, having brushed against death, he no longer seemed resigned to his fate.
"All I know is that he's in the Demon Abyss. I know nothing else."
"Oh?"
Zi Lingling's killing intent surged again. "So, keeping you around is of no use then?"
Zi Wenchang shivered involuntarily, his mind completely clearing.
He cried out in terror, "No! You can't kill me! You can't kill me!"
As he spoke, he scrambled to his feet and desperately fled the assembly hall.
Zi Lingling let out a cold snort. "Run? Can you escape?"
With a thought, a wall of fire erupted, blocking Zi Wenchang's path.
In his panic, Zi Wenchang collided headfirst with the fiery barrier.
"Ahhhh~"
A tragic scream echoed.
A flame ignited Zi Wenchang's clothes, rapidly burning his skin.
Ordinarily, such a wound would be bearable for a spirit cultivator.
But Zi Wenchang had been pampered for the past twelve years!
Once a person becomes accustomed to comfort, they lose the ability to endure even the slightest pain.
The flames on Zi Wenchang's body quickly climbed, igniting his hair.
What was terrifying was that these flames could not be extinguished!
This was, of course, because Zi Lingling had infused them with a trace of divine power.
Zi Lingling's icy voice descended like a divine being.
"Zi Wenchang, whether I am a lone star of calamity or meet a tragic end, you won't be around to see it anyway."
As she spoke, her thoughts shifted again, and the flames intensified.
Naturally, Zi Wenchang's screams grew more piercing.
She was truly intent on killing him.
The Ghost Flower poison that the original host had suffered, the great fire when she was six, and the various torments inflicted by the Wang family over the years, all fermented into a monstrous killing intent the moment Zi Wenchang confessed.
Both she and the residual will of the original host exuded a chilling aura.
This overwhelming killing intent not only choked Zi Wenchang but also sent shivers down the spines of Zi Jitian and the four elders.
Zi Lingling, in this state, was terrifying, like a demon descending.
It felt as if time had stopped, all life on earth was on the brink of extinction, and even gods were not spared.
Zi Wenchang was truly terrified.
Even an ant clings to life! It is better to live a lowly life than to die!
Having faced death, Zi Wenchang became even more fearful of dying.
"No! Don't kill me! Don't kill me! Zi Lingling, no! Ling'er, no, no, no! Patriarch, spare me!"
He endured the agony of the burning flames, knelt on the spot, and kowtowed repeatedly.
Zi Jitian's face was pale, and he desperately suppressed the heart-wrenching pain of potentially losing his son.
His entire body trembled, and two tears rolled down the corners of his wrinkled eyes, tracing paths across his aged face before dripping onto the ground.
He looked at Zi Lingling several times, his lips moving for a long while, but he ultimately could not utter a plea for mercy.
Zi Yangshang, unable to bear it, looked at Zi Lingling in horror and called out, "Patriarch... could you..."
The words "spare him" ultimately remained unspoken.
After all, Zi Wenchang's transgressions could not be described as less than unforgivable.
Zi Yangchun sighed and, enduring the biting killing intent in the assembly hall, spoke, "Patriarch, give him a chance! No matter how wicked he was, you've grown up, haven't you?"
The implication was that despite Zi Wenchang's wickedness, he had still "raised" her.
However, if he knew that the grown-up Zi Lingling before him no longer possessed the same soul, would he still plead like this?
Zi Yangbei and Zi Yangqiu remained silent, but their eyes also held a mixture of pity and fear.
Zi Lingling sneered, her icy gaze sweeping across the four elders, and mocked, "You think I'm cruel, don't you?"
Though the four remained silent, their expressions implicitly affirmed her accusation.
Zi Lingling snorted coldly. "And you are benevolent? But in these twelve years, has your benevolence ever been extended to this poor child?"
She said, pointing to herself.
The four elders were speechless, their faces filled with shame.
Zi Lingling's words from the Patriarch's succession ceremony a month ago still echoed in their minds, but other than a moment of pity back then, what had they done?
Therefore, at this moment, on what grounds could they condemn Zi Lingling for her cruel methods?