The five bodyguards wore expressions of stunned disbelief.
They seemed to feel no pain.
This was because the severing of their hands happened too quickly. Zhu Tianqi’s spiritual sword carried burning flames, which cauterized the wounds at the point of separation. Thus, only the severed hands on the ground were bloody, without the horrific scene of arterial spray.
Yet, it was precisely this quiet, eerie situation that made it more terrifying.
After a few seconds, these five professional mercenaries let out earth-shattering screams.
The pain registered by their nerves felt like a burning sensation deep within their hearts.
Zhu Tianqi raised her hand, levitating the five severed hands, then she tore off the captain's suit jacket and wrapped them up.
“You lot figure out how to get to the hospital yourselves. There’s no hope of reattaching these hands. You’d best get out of Chaoge immediately, or the next time we meet, I’ll be cutting off your heads.”
The five men were utterly terrified and scrambled out of the alley, weeping.
Zhu Tianqi, carrying the five severed hands, looked at Qin Yexuan. “How was it? Have I been performing well lately?”
When Zhu Tianqi genuinely worked for Qin Yexuan, she was undoubtedly the best subordinate.
Though Qin Yexuan had many disciples and friends, in terms of sheer power, Zhu Tianqi was number one.
However, this former imperial prince of the Great Ming, and later the Demon Cult leader, was not someone to be trifled with.
Qin Yexuan smiled. “You’re working so hard because you don’t want to be a student at Chaoge Academy, do you?”
Zhu Tianqi’s face fell. “Do you have to force me to go to school? And have me compete with Su Yuluo for that ‘campus belle’ title? That’s a profound humiliation for me!”
Qin Yexuan nodded. “I understand. You were originally male, but cultivating demonic arts caused you to become a girl. Yet, deep down, you’re still ambitious.”
Zhu Tianqi frowned. “You know this, yet you still force me?”
Qin Yexuan walked over and looked at her. “Because I want to. There are things others can’t do, but you can. Hmph, how is your cultivation of Thousand Fox Charms progressing?”
Zhu Tianqi was furious, almost bursting with anger. She replied irritably, “I don’t have the talent for it. I’ve only cultivated to the level of ‘Hundred Fox Charms,’ and I’m still far from ‘Charming All Beings.’”
Qin Yexuan raised his hand and placed it on her head. “Your cultivation is already top-tier, at the level of a Land Immortal. It’s just a pity your physical body is too weak, preventing it from withstanding true power. Normally, whether you’re cultivating or in combat, you can only unleash less than one percent of your strength.”
“I know that!” Zhu Tianqi said, filled with vigilance. “What are you doing?”
Qin Yexuan had already located the "Demonic Seed" within her body.
Under the "Imperial Heart Seed Demon Great Method," the Demonic Seed, with Qin Yexuan’s own consciousness as its carrier, was growing frantically.
At this moment, the Demonic Seed was subtly beginning to sprout, and it was believed that soon it would blossom and bear fruit.
Thinking of this, Qin Yexuan felt a pang of hesitation and indecision.
“What’s wrong?” Zhu Tianqi grew a little frightened. She understood this man’s personality too well. When Qin Yexuan showed signs of internal conflict and hesitation, it meant something extremely difficult was about to happen.
“The consciousness of the Demonic Seed within you has begun to grow. It will blossom and bear fruit before long.”
Zhu Tianqi’s whole body trembled. “What will be the consequences of that?”
Qin Yexuan hesitated for a moment. “It will appear within your body like an Nascent Soul.”
Zhu Tianqi breathed a sigh of relief. “You scared me to death! I thought it was something serious. If a Nascent Soul is formed, combined with the demonic spirit I’m already cultivating, won’t that mean double Nascent Soul cultivation? Isn’t that a good thing?”
Qin Yexuan gave a wry smile. “But this Nascent Soul is carried by my consciousness. It will grow into my…”
Zhu Tianqi suddenly realized something. According to the highest level of the Demonic Cult’s secret "Imperial Heart Seed Demon Great Method," a state akin to pregnancy would occur.
“Damn it! It’s going to become your child?”
Zhu Tianqi’s face turned ashen. Cold sweat broke out all over her body, as if she had fallen into a terrible nightmare.
Qin Yexuan calmed himself. “It will be a child composed purely of spiritual essence. It will devour your original Nascent Soul and spiritual energy, and at the same time, help transform your physique. It will be entirely beneficial to you, with no harm.”
“No, no, no!”
Zhu Tianqi’s face was like white paper. She retreated frantically. “I’ll get rid of it right now! I’ll kill it!”
Qin Yexuan shook his head. “Unless you kill yourself too!”
Zhu Tianqi gagged and vomited on the spot.
After a long while, Qin Yexuan consoled her. “It was out of necessity that I placed the Demonic Seed in your dantian. As for it blossoming and bearing fruit, it might take hundreds of years of cultivation. That’s a matter for the distant future.”
Only then did Zhu Tianqi stand up.
She clutched her head. “Fortunately, according to ancient texts, it requires at least a hundred years of cultivation. During this time, I’ll have ample opportunity to devour this damned thing.”
Qin Yexuan checked the time. “This was my oversight. After the matters in Chaoge are settled, I’ll consider helping you eliminate the Demonic Seed.”
He then patted her shoulder. “Now go talk to Song Qingya. I have classes tomorrow, so I’ll be leaving first.”
Qin Yexuan left just like that.
Zhu Tianqi stood in the alley, still clutching the five severed hands, but she remained in deep thought for a long, long time.
“If I can reshape my body, relying on the Demonic Seed left by that scoundrel Qin Yexuan to achieve great success in physical cultivation, thereby unleashing my full power, wouldn’t my grand ambition of rebuilding the Demon Cult be within easy reach?”
Zhu Tianqi’s eyes flickered. After an internal struggle, she seemed to make up her mind and popped a treasured spiritual pill into her mouth.
She circulated her spiritual energy, sending it into her dantian. The Demonic Seed, which she had been guarding against and unwilling to touch, greedily absorbed the spiritual energy sent by its “mother,” just like a child.
“Grow well, for the sake of the Demon Cult’s grand undertaking, I am willing to raise you!”
Zhu Tianqi stamped her foot, her figure flashing as she swiftly navigated through the alley, heading directly towards the desolate outskirts.
Meanwhile, Song Qingya’s private car had already passed through the main road and was speeding towards the game training base.
Song Game’s headquarters were in a high-rise building downtown, but their training base was in a villa in the suburbs.
At the same time, that villa complex also served as one of Song Qingya’s secret strongholds.
Many of her illicit dealings were managed there.
The car passed under a railway bridge. Ahead, the lights were dim, in an undeveloped area that was deserted.
Song Qingya glanced at her watch and opened her phone. “Why is there still no news? Can’t those five professional mercenaries handle such a simple task?”
Her personal female bodyguard, a veteran of the military, was driving and said, “They all came back from overseas. In my opinion, they don’t understand the situation in Great Xia. Although their strength is astonishing, they’re not suited for this kind of work.”
As she spoke, the bulletproof SUV suddenly let out a dreadful screech. Dark shadows loomed ahead, and the car seemed to hit a mass of sponge.
The female driver braked urgently in terror.
When the car finally stopped, Song Qingya had already hit the front seat, a large bump forming on her forehead.
“What happened?” she asked angrily. “Afang, how were you driving?”
The female bodyguard could no longer speak, pointing ahead with a choked gasp.
Song Qingya looked intently and was profoundly shocked.
Ahead, a woman with flowing long hair, like a specter, stood facing them. With a small hand extended, she pressed it onto the roof of the car.
This female ghost had, with the strength of a single hand, forcefully stopped the speeding SUV!