80: Chapter 80 A Moment of Grudges Leads to the Abyss

Time passed slowly as Nangong Xue refined the saint pill.

After an unknown amount of time, when the last trace of medicinal power was completely absorbed by her, Nangong Xue slowly opened her eyes.

Whew—

A breath of turbid Qi escaped her mouth, and within this breath, there were actually wisps of Nine-Colored Divine Light mixed in.

It dyed the air in front of her with a layer of brilliant colors.

So comfortable!

An unprecedented sense of ease!

Nangong Xue moved her body and felt filled with inexhaustible strength; her mind was clear and refreshed to the extreme.

That phantom pain that had been tormenting her like a maggot on a bone had now vanished without a trace.

"Healed! My dao injury... it's really healed!"

Nangong Xue trembled with excitement, even weeping for joy.

I survived!

Finally, I no longer have to worry about my Dao Foundation collapsing and my Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering!

After the initial excitement, her emotions gradually calmed down.

Her gaze subconsciously fell upon the figure still standing quietly in the corner.

Revered Master...

Looking at Fairy Ziyun's face, which was still elegant and noble but had lost all its spirit.

The wild joy in Nangong Xue's heart receded like a tide, replaced by an indescribable bitterness and guilt.

Scenes from the past flashed before her eyes like a scroll.

Nangong Xue remembered when she was first brought up the mountain by Revered Master; because her talent was poor, she was mocked by other Disciples.

It was Revered Master who kept her by her side, personally gave her extra lessons, and tirelessly explained Cultivation Techniques to her day and night.

She also remembered her first time going down the mountain for experience, where she was heavily injured by a Yao Beast.

It was Revered Master who, regardless of her status, personally rushed there to pull her back from the brink of death, then stayed by her bedside for three days and nights without closing her eyes.

She even remembered that although Revered Master was usually majestic,

In private, she would act like an ordinary mother, personally combing her hair and sewing clothes for her.

She would be sincerely happy because of her slight progress...

Revered Master treated her with kindness as heavy as a mountain, regarding her as her own child.

But what... what had she done?

She had personally poisoned her, used the most vicious incantation to imprison her Divine Soul, and even snatched away the saint pill she was going to use for a Realm Breakthrough!

I... I am truly worse than a beast!

A massive wave of guilt instantly drowned Nangong Xue, and her eyes turned red at once.

"Revered Master... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Nangong Xue stumbled over to Fairy Ziyun, reaching out her hand, wanting to touch her Revered Master's cheek.

But halfway there, she jerked it back as if she had been burned.

She didn't dare.

She felt she was too filthy and simply had no right to touch Revered Master.

"Revered Master, don't worry, I... I will definitely find a way to make you return to normal! I definitely will!"

Nangong Xue knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to Fairy Ziyun, her tears wetting the floor in front of her.

She had made up her mind; later, she would go through all the Sect's ancient records and must find a way to lift this curse!

However, just then.

A cold, malicious thought surfaced in the deepest part of her mind without warning.

"Restore? That sounds so nice. Have you forgotten what you've done? You personally poisoned your Revered Master! Do you think you can hide this?"

This voice was like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, causing Nangong Xue's movements to freeze instantly.

"When she recovers and finds out you deceived her and betrayed the entire Heavenly Sovereign Alliance, what do you think she will do to you?"

"Forgive you? Stop dreaming! She will only see you as the Heavenly Sovereign Alliance's greatest shame, and then personally tear you, this traitorous Disciple, into ten thousand pieces, making your Divine Soul perish so you can never be reincarnated!"

"No... she won't! Revered Master... she loves me the most! She will understand my difficulties!" Nangong Xue retorted frantically in her heart.

"Understand?"

The voice gave a sneer.

"You poisoned and ambushed her, snatched her saint pill, and you still want her to understand you?"

"What do you take her for? A Saint? Wake up! If you turn back now, there is only a dead end! Are you willing to die like this? Didn't you go through all this trouble just to survive?"

That's right...

I just wanted to survive...

Nangong Xue trembled, the color draining from her face instantly.

With Revered Master's personality, she hated evil as much as an enemy and could least tolerate betrayal.

If she were allowed to recover and learn the truth...

Nangong Xue didn't dare think further.

That infinitely magnified fear of death seized her heart once again.

She hesitated.

And in the moment Nangong Xue hesitated, a even bolder, more evil thought.

Like a venomous snake, it suddenly lunged out from the darkest corner of her heart!

"Instead of waiting to be executed, why not... go all the way?"

"Isn't she just a Puppet at your mercy right now? Her current cultivation is at the Peak of the Void Refining Realm! As long as you absorb her cultivation as well, you will be the new strongest person in the Southern Region!"

"At that time, the entire Heavenly Sovereign Alliance—no, the entire Southern Region—will be in the palm of your hand! Who would dare question you? Who would dare judge you?"

"You can even refine her into a perfect Puppet that only obeys your commands! Let her stay by your side forever, 'loving' you forever; wouldn't that be better?"

This thought was like a thunderclap, exploding in Nangong Xue's mind!

Devour Revered Master's cultivation?

Refine Revered Master into a Puppet?

Nangong Xue was so frightened by the idea that popped into her head that she took a step back, her mind deeply shaken.

No... no! How could I have such a malicious thought!

This is simply demonic!

She shook her head frantically, trying to fling this treasonous thought out of her mind.

However, that thought seemed to have taken root, circling in her mind and refusing to leave, instead becoming clearer and more filled with temptation.

The candlelight in the secret chamber flickered gently.

Light and shadow alternated across Nangong Xue's face.

The tear stains on Nangong Xue's cheeks were not yet dry, but the other half of her face was already hidden in deep darkness.

The corners of her mouth first tightened in pain, then, driven by the survival instinct and the desire for power.

Bit by bit, they slowly curled into an incredibly eerie arc.

"No... how could I... how could I have such thoughts? Devouring another's cultivation, refining Puppets... this is a Demonic Technique! These are methods only found in the Demonic Path!"

Nangong Xue seemed possessed as she murmured to herself.

The cold voice in her mind asked back with a hint of sarcasm.

"What are you afraid of? Isn't this your own power?"

"And it's a method you mastered long ago; you've just been deliberately forgetting it!"

As soon as the voice finished, an incredibly clear and evil Devouring Formula surfaced abruptly and completely in her mind.

It was as if she was born to know this kind of Cultivation Technique.