The crimson pillar of light shot skyward, its bewitching and magnificent ritual formation glow illuminating Gao Fang's astonished face.
Li Yingling's gaze was calm, her mind already forming several deductions.
The reason why some poor soul always had to be near these unlucky pillars of light was because they actually needed a poor soul.
What if the pillar of light was because the Heavenly Demons couldn't fully open the passage between the two realms, but were short on manpower and needed reinforcements?
Divine Descent might be their solution.
At least the Great Tribulation Record documented that back then, the demons had also risen to power step by step.
If they could truly cross between realms without any scruples, then back when ascension was still possible and this world had far fewer Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, it would probably have been completely destroyed long ago.
After all, the Heavenly Demons betting everything on their final gambit, just so all their compatriots could be buried alongside them—that was a bit of a hellish joke.
So these specially chosen evil cultivators might be extremely suitable vessels.
Gao Fang was perhaps too perfect as a research template: he knew soul arts, was a bit mad, and using such soul techniques so extensively would inevitably cause severe soul deterioration.
This madness and memory loss were most likely side effects.
Those with weak souls were probably the chosen targets. And if these Heavenly Demons truly descended through this method, then this was also an excellent way to identify them.
Under these circumstances, why not let one descend and see what quality they were?
The body of a Golden Core cultivator—no matter how extraordinary the Heavenly Demon's abilities, they couldn't possibly bridge such a massive realm gap, could they?
What if they could capture one alive…
Li Yingling pondered briefly, then spoke in a cold tone:
"No one will answer you. Only you can answer yourself."
"Impossible!" Gao Fang snapped back, straining his hollow gaze and shouting fiercely, "Sun Zhong! Come out! Get out here right now!"
"Have you forgotten the sect rules? Have you forgotten how your master painstakingly nurtured you?"
"Sun Zhong! Your master poured his heart and blood into cultivating you!"
Li Yingling's brows furrowed slightly as she watched Gao Fang, who could no longer even distinguish what he was doing.
Was it because without his eyes, he couldn't assess the current situation and had completely fallen into the world within his own heart?
Li Yingling let a trace of her pressure surface and said coldly:
"Sun Zhong is dead."
Gao Fang turned back, his hollow gaze locking onto Li Yingling as he hissed:
"You killed him?! You killed him?!"
Li Yingling's expression remained calm. After a moment of thought, she understood this disciple Sun Zhong's fate—if the disciple were still alive, this evil cultivator probably wouldn't have even cast this technique. She said directly:
"Think carefully about the day Sun Zhong was refined by you. Did he not fight you fiercely?"
Gao Fang froze at her words, then the corners of his mouth curled into a smile:
"Fight me fiercely? Sun Zhong walked in willingly that day, believing I had a secret technique to supplement his insufficient spirit root."
"I watched with my own eyes as his expression changed from trust to terror, watched him try to resist but be unable to, only asking me why in confusion."
"So what if Sun Zhong was clever? He knew I was an evil cultivator, but truly believed I would work wholeheartedly for his benefit."
"Hahahaha, truly so stupid it's laughable."
"And he even prepared gifts for me…"
Gao Fang laughed wantonly, laughing with such abandon, but soon his laughter cut off abruptly.
Obviously, he had realized something.
"Sun Zhong is dead, refined by me…" Gao Fang suddenly murmured, "Then who… answered me… who was speaking to me?"
Li Yingling sneered: "You've gone mad. You were answering yourself."
Hearing this, Gao Fang's face instantly turned to terror, his gaze fixed on the pillar of light before him:
"No… Sun Zhong said he saw that this ritual formation contained soul secret arts, that if I could comprehend them… if I could comprehend them…"
Gao Fang's expression shifted from terror to despair. As an evil cultivator, years of instinct meant constantly examining himself from others' perspectives.
Soon, Gao Fang understood, his expression despairing:
"I… have gone mad."
Gao Fang remembered too. Excessive use of soul secret arts would damage the soul.
He had always used them, yet never felt anything was wrong.
He was still that calm, that clever, that brilliantly talented—more than enough to manipulate everyone at his fingertips.
The erosion had been happening every second, every moment, every instant he had thought nothing would change.
A sense of crisis surged through him, but Gao Fang's first reaction wasn't panic—it was composure and calm.
Years of honing between life and death had forged Gao Fang into someone who grew calmer the more dangerous the situation became, who maintained his bearing.
Showing weakness was equivalent to handing his life over to another's judgment.
Gao Fang's expression became restrained as he suddenly straightened, his gaze turning to Li Yingling:
"I remember now. You're from the Evil Spirit Sect."
Li Yingling watched as Gao Fang seemed to regain clarity and composure, but she understood this was merely an outward appearance. Everything was already irreversible, and she delivered the final blow:
"Although Sun Zhong is dead, the soul part is real. This pillar of light is the answer."
"You have secret arts. The body can be refined again. But the answer to eternal immortality lies within."
"Go on. Go comprehend your secret arts yourself."
Gao Fang froze again, his expression drifting back toward madness.
He turned around, facing the ritual formation pillar before him:
"That's right… Sun Zhong said he wouldn't lie to me. The gift he left me wasn't some soul-healing pill—it was this heaven-sent opportunity."
Li Yingling heard this and felt a twinge of helplessness.
Sun Zhong had probably discovered long ago that his master's soul was damaged and his mind was deteriorating. If these soul-healing pills were real, they truly weren't something money could buy.
Knowing his master was mad, and moreover an evil cultivator, he had still genuinely trusted his master.
Gao Fang's expression was manic, almost delirious, as he pushed forward into the core of the crimson pillar of light despite the torrent of energy spilling from it.
Perhaps Sun Zhong really was Gao Fang's beloved disciple.
At every moment, Gao Fang would always discuss things with Sun Zhong. If he truly didn't trust him, such discussions would never have existed.
Perhaps Gao Fang had once felt regret, which was why he kept forgetting the fact that Sun Zhong had already been refined.
Gao Fang reached out to touch the crimson pillar of light, but the spiritual energy flow was utterly merciless—his hand was washed away upon contact, not even bone remaining.
But he showed no reaction to this, even preparing to step directly into it.
Li Yingling was considering whether to stop him first.
But the next moment.
An incredibly powerful fluctuation arrived.
Not spiritual energy, but soul energy.
That extremely unique power condensed in an instant, the powerful soul energy forming a crimson hue before pouring entirely into Gao Fang's body.
"Yes! Yes." Gao Fang's expression was one of extreme agony and struggle, yet his tone was filled with elation, "This is the boundless might of the soul!"
Li Yingling had no time to continue listening to Gao Fang's nonsense. She grabbed the still-curious Li Xingtian by the collar and pulled him backward.
This second junior brother really was dense—knowing something big was about to happen and still standing there staring.
If he wanted to look, he should at least stand further back.
Several Tribulation Transcendence cultivators naturally moved to the front, each ready with their treasures. Those specifically designed to protect the soul were brought out in full.
All waiting to see if a Heavenly Demon would descend.
Then they would open their eyes to such a surprise.