43: Chapter 43 The Eve of the Wedding (Part 1)

In the Wu Clan, at a dilapidated stone house on the edge of the Ten Thousand Poison Miasma.

At this moment, this dilapidated room was crowded with several figures.

If an outsider were here, their jaw would surely drop.

Because these people were all high-ranking and powerful Elders of the Wu Clan who had been in the council hall during the day.

The atmosphere in the room was extremely oppressive.

"What does everyone think about the marriage Alliance that the Clan Chief suddenly finalized today?"

A black-faced Elder sitting at the head of the table broke the dead silence first, his voice terrifyingly gloomy.

The others exchanged glances, their faces unable to hide their anger and frustration.

One thin, gaunt Elder slapped his thigh and said dejectedly:

"What else is there to think? The Clan Chief is clearly like a turtle eating a weight—he's dead set on forming an Alliance with Great Zhou!"

"Even the Saintess has been dragged into this; it's basically a done deal. How can we stop it?"

The black-faced Elder heard this and sneered, his eyes full of mockery:

"Stupid!"

"Do you really think an Alliance with Great Zhou is a good thing?"

"The people of Great Zhou are insatiable. Even if we take a step back and say that in the future, we truly use their hands to repel the Demon People, can our Wu Clan really be preserved?

I fear that in the blink of an eye, we would be swallowed skin and bone by Great Zhou!"

The black-faced Elder stood up abruptly, his gaze sweeping over everyone like a viper:

"By then, we are Elders in name, but what about in reality?

We would be nothing more than a pack of guard dogs raised by the Great Zhou Imperial Court!"

"Look at the situation in the council hall today for yourselves!"

"Miao Yunzhan is a dignified Clan Chief, yet he had to be so polite and ingratiating toward a young commander from Great Zhou.

Once the Alliance is truly formed in the future, Great Zhou officials will be shitting on our heads.

Do you think we will still be able to hold real power in our hands and have the final say like we do now?"

These words struck home.

The black-faced Elder continued to add fuel to the fire:

"Right now, although our Wu Clan is forced to hide within this Ten Thousand Poison Miasma by the Demon People."

"But behind closed doors, we are the local emperors!

Which one of you here doesn't get whatever you want?

Cultivation resources, gold and silver jewelry, even the maids serving you—aren't they all the best?"

"Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix!

Are you really willing to give up being these local emperors, and go be dogs wagging their tails for the people of Great Zhou?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the few Elders who had been somewhat dejected instantly gritted their teeth, their eyes erupting with strong reluctance.

Once power is in one's hands, who would be willing to give it up?

"But what can we do?"

The thin Elder frowned: "Miao Yunzhan's cultivation is heaven-defying; we simply cannot defeat him.

The only Divine Shaman in the clan who could contend with him is on his side.

If he insists on an Alliance, we can't stop him!"

The black-faced Elder's mouth curled into a cruel sneer:

"No, we still have a chance."

The others' eyes lit up, and they hurriedly leaned forward: "What chance?"

The black-faced Elder raised his hand, made a throat-slitting motion, and spat out a few words with murderous intent:

"Kill that Great Zhou commander!"

The others were stunned upon hearing this and gasped.

"This... wouldn't this offend Great Zhou to the point of no return?"

Someone hesitated: "If it enrages the Great Zhou Emperor, wouldn't our Wu Clan have to face attacks from both Great Zhou and the Demon People?

We cannot bear that consequence!"

"Short-sighted!"

The black-faced Elder cursed unceremoniously:

"Use your brains and think! Currently, Great Zhou is being beaten back by the Demon Dynasty; they are like a mud bodhisattva crossing a river—hardly able to save themselves!"

"How could they possibly, for the sake of a mere Life Fire Realm commander's death, desperately mobilize a large army to attack us?

Can they even spare the troops?"

The black-faced Elder continued:

"As long as this Chen fellow dies, the Great Zhou Imperial Court will immediately understand.

Our Wu Clan is not a monolith, and the Alliance is just a mess."

"By then, Great Zhou won't dare to attack us, and the Alliance will be blown off.

We will still be local emperors behind closed doors, and no one will be able to threaten anyone's status!"

Everyone looked at each other; clearly, they were tempted.

The black-faced Elder was right.

That Great Zhou commander named Chen Shanzhi, based on his aura, was at most at the Peak of the Life Fire Realm.

In the eyes of these Elders, crushing him to death was as simple as crushing an ant.

"Killing him is easy, but..." the thin Elder still had concerns:

"How can we do it without alerting the Clan Chief?

After all, we can think of this method of pulling the firewood from under the cauldron.

Miao Yunzhan couldn't possibly not think of it; he will surely strictly protect that kid."

The black-faced Elder smiled confidently:

"Rest assured, as long as we act, someone will naturally go to hold him back."

The others were startled: "Who?"

"Don't ask what you shouldn't." The black-faced Elder's face darkened: "You just need to know that he can definitely be held back!"

"Then when shall we act?" someone asked impatiently.

"No rush."

The black-faced Elder said slowly:

"Right now, Miao Yunzhan must be protecting that Chen fellow tightly."

"We wait for the night of the wedding!"

"At that time, Miao Yunzhan will surely think the raw rice has been cooked into porridge, the situation is set, and his guard will definitely be at its loosest."

"We will choose that moment, take him by surprise, and kill our way in, catching him off guard! Let his happy occasion turn into a funeral!"

Time flew by, and several days passed.

Chen Shanzhi and Miao Yunzhan grandly finalized every detail of the marriage Alliance.

The wedding day was set for two days later.

The entire Wu Clan tribe was decorated with lanterns and streamers; red silk hung everywhere, filled with a festive atmosphere.

However, what surprised Chen Shanzhi was...

that those rats hidden within the Wu Clan, who should have been desperate like a cornered dog...

hadn't made a peep these past few days; it was eerily quiet.

Chen Shanzhi didn't think this meant they had admitted defeat.

The only explanation was that this group of people was brewing something big.

As for Tang Xiaowu.

These past few days, this Saintess of the Witch Clan could simply be described as absent-minded.

On one hand, she was certain that she did not want to marry Chen Shanzhi.

After all, before coming to the capital, her eyes were only on Tang Liu.

If it weren't for being forced by Chen Shanzhi in various ways, she certainly wouldn't have had any interaction with Chen Shanzhi.

However, after interacting with Chen Shanzhi, she felt that she had indeed had prejudices against him before.

But now, suddenly, she was to marry Chen Shanzhi.

Although it was in the Secret Realm, this also gave her a deep sense of betrayal.

She felt she had let Tang Liu down.

But on the other hand...

Whenever the night was deep and quiet, she would lie on her bed, thinking about marrying Chen Shanzhi.

In the depths of her heart, there would be a trace of longing.

This trace of longing was like a maggot on a bone.

It began to guide her to recall the various intimate contacts she had with Chen Shanzhi.

The feeling of bumping into Chen Shanzhi's embrace, that broad and sturdy chest.

The temperature of that powerful hand when it wrapped around her waist.

And the tingling sensation of his warm breath spraying onto her earlobe when he pressed against her ear.

"Mm..."

Tang Xiaowu suddenly covered her face, her legs going weak as she slumped onto the bed.

She only felt faint currents of electricity rushing along her spine toward her limbs and bones.

Making her body involuntarily flush with waves of strange heat.

She curled up in the blanket, shyly, like a cooked shrimp.

Her fair skin flushed with an alluring pink, and even her breathing became scorching hot.

She didn't know why, but these past few days, this trace of longing had become increasingly intense.

Her mind had simply been stirred into a paste by these tangled thoughts.

But fortunately, the Wu Clan had a custom.

After the wedding date is set, the bride and groom are absolutely not allowed to meet before the wedding.

This could be considered as saving Tang Xiaowu's life.

Otherwise, if Chen Shanzhi were to see her current shy appearance, with her face like a peach blossom and her heart stirred by spring, Tang Xiaowu was truly afraid that she would dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it on the spot.

She wouldn't have the face to see anyone for the rest of her life.

Meanwhile.

The Wu Clan Forbidden Ground, the Profound Ice Dungeon.

Two Wu Clan guards wrapped in thick animal skin coats walked in, shivering, carrying a food box.

"It's fucking cold; let's put the things down and leave quickly."

One of the guards was shivering so much he was sniffling.

He quickly took out the food from the box and pushed it through the gap in the prison door.

Then the two of them hurriedly got up to leave.

This ice prison was really not a place for living people to stay.

Sang Ji, who was locked inside, was sitting cross-legged in the corner at this moment, his eyebrows and hair covered in white frost.

Hearing the commotion, Sang Ji slowly opened his eyes, dragging his legs that were somewhat stiff from the cold, and walked to the prison door.

Lowering his head to look, he was stunned.

Today's food was surprisingly exceptionally rich.

There was roasted chicken, minced meat, and even a small pot of warmed spirit wine.

Sang Ji swallowed his saliva and was about to reach out to take it.

The chattering voices of the two guards, who were walking further and further away, suddenly rang clearly in his mind.

"Hey, you say these few days, our clan has really been lively.

Even us jailers are benefiting from the daily meals, which are much richer than before."

"That's for sure!" the other person laughed and replied:

"After all, in two days, it will be the wedding day of our Saintess! The whole clan is busy preparing!"

"Sigh, the world is truly unpredictable.

Why do you think the Clan Chief married the Saintess to that whatever commander from Great Zhou?

I always thought the Saintess and Lord Sang Ji were a match made in heaven."

"Shh! Keep your voice down!"

His companion quickly interrupted him, his tone filled with disdain:

"What Lord Sang Ji? He's not a lord of anything now!

Look at him now, locked in this ice prison, neither human nor ghost; what's the difference between him and a stray dog?

By the time he's released, the Saintess and that Great Zhou commander might even have children!"

The two voices gradually faded away until they disappeared completely outside the ice prison.

"Boom!"

Sang Ji was struck by lightning, frozen stiff in place.

Inside the ice prison, there was a deathly silence.

At this moment, Sang Ji's mind was blank, with only those few words from the guards echoing crazily in his head.

The Clan Chief was going to marry A-Man to that pretty boy from Great Zhou?

The two of them were getting married in two days?

"No... impossible..."

Sang Ji's lips trembled violently, his eyes instantly bloodshot, and an unprecedented, violent rage rushed straight to his crown!

"A-Man is mine! She can only be mine!"

"That damn Great Zhou lackey! By what right!"

"No!!!"

Sang Ji let out a shrill roar like a dying beast.

He kicked over the tray on the ground violently.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

With red eyes, like a madman, he rushed to the prison bars cast from ten-thousand-year-old profound ice.

Swinging his fists, he beat the prison bars frantically.

On the hard profound ice, eye-catching bloodstains were soon left.

"Someone! Let me out!"

"I want to see the Clan Chief! I want to see A-Man!

A-Man is mine! No one can take her away!"

No matter how much Sang Ji smashed his hands until they were bloody and his bones were broken.

The profound ice prison bars didn't even show a single crack.

Outside, no one responded to his roar.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Just then, that voice filled with mockery and playfulness rang in Sang Ji's mind again.

"How miserable."

The voice was filled with thick mockery:

"A dignified Successor of the Divine Oracle, only to be locked in this dark, sunless ice cellar, raging impotently like a dog."

"Then watching helplessly as the beloved person who likes you puts on a bright red wedding dress, lies under another man to serve him, and becomes another man's wife."

"Tsk, that scene, just thinking about it makes it feel miserable."

"Shut up!"

Sang Ji stopped smashing the door, his chest heaving violently.

The blood on the back of his hands dripped onto the ice, shocking to the eye.

He slowly raised his head; his face, which was originally full of vigor and pride, now only had endless ferocity and gloom.

"I don't know who you are."

"But I know, you must have a way to save me!"

"Speak, what conditions do you want?"

"Hehe... interesting, truly interesting."

The voice in his mind let out a series of low laughs:

"If it were anyone else in this prison, this old man's mere trapped Divine Thought would really be unable to do anything about this Formation and couldn't save you."

"But as it happens, you are the Successor of the Divine Oracle of this generation."

"As long as you do as I say, I can let you break out of this prison!"

"However..." the voice paused, revealing its true intentions:

"After you get out, you must go to a place and rescue this old man's main body from the Seal."

A trace of madness flashed in Sang Ji's eyes, and he agreed without hesitation: "Good! No problem!"

"Straightforward."

The voice carried a hint of temptation:

"Words are not proof. Now, open your Sea of Consciousness and expose your core Life Fire Origin."

"This old man wants to sign an Origin Contract with you."

"Origin Contract?" Sang Ji frowned: "What is that? Why have I never heard of it?"

"Hehe."

The old man laughed contemptuously: "There are plenty of things in this world you haven't heard of."

"This old man is in no rush, you can think about it slowly. Come find me when you've thought it through."

"It's just... time waits for no one.

If you hesitate too long, your lovely childhood sweetheart will really become another man's wife."

The words 'another man's wife' instantly shattered Sang Ji's last remaining line of rational defense.

"Good! I agree!"

Sang Ji no longer hesitated.

He shut his eyes tight, his mind instantly sinking, entering the depths of his own Sea of Consciousness.

In the center of the Sea of Consciousness, a ball of silver-white flame.

Was transforming into a small, miniature Greed Wolf, lying there and gasping weakly.

As Sang Ji completely let go of his defenses.

The miniature Greed Wolf obediently flipped over, revealing its soft belly and the beating heart inside.

This was Sang Ji's Life Fire Origin.

"Hehehe..."

A cold and bone-chilling weird laugh echoed in the Sea of Consciousness.

The next moment, a stream of black gas appeared out of thin air in Sang Ji's Sea of Consciousness without warning.

With lightning speed, it drilled directly into the heart of that miniature Greed Wolf!

"Wu—!"

The Greed Wolf let out a shrill cry of pain and its whole body began to twitch violently.

One could see black veins that made one's scalp tingle instantly emerging on the surface of the Greed Wolf's silver-white heart.

And they spread toward its limbs and bones at a terrifying speed!

In the blink of an eye, the originally sacred and pure silver Greed Wolf was completely dyed an eerie jet black.

The next moment, Sang Ji opened his eyes wide.

The original whites of his eyes completely disappeared, replaced by an unfathomable jet black.

The cultivation that had been tightly suppressed by the Profound Ice prison was restored in this instant!

Even several times stronger than in his prime!

Sang Ji stood up and slowly extended his hand, which was covered in bloody marks.

He grabbed the ten-thousand-year-old Profound Ice prison bars in front of him that were covered in Formations.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!"

A shocking scene occurred.

One could see a large amount of black mist pouring from his palm, and the indestructible Profound Ice prison bars...

at the moment they touched this black gas, were like spring snow meeting boiling oil.

They made a harsh corrosive sound and instantly melted into a pool of black water!

Sang Ji took a step forward.

He walked straight across the prison door that had trapped him for several days.

Then he disappeared into the Forbidden Ground.