"This female corpse actually has such an origin..."
Ye Ling murmured, surprised by the convoluted past of the female corpse.
"However, this matter concerning Zhang Muya should be a scandal for the Zheng Yi Sect. They must have kept it a secret. The Heavenly Net Ghost King likely wouldn't have told you these things either. Why do you know so much?"
The Duke of Painting Spirits replied, "After Xu Shuya died, the Zheng Yi Sect did not let her vanish into thin air. Instead, they performed rituals to guide her soul."
"However, people from the Red Dust Pavilion intercepted Xu Shuya midway and refined her soul into an evil spirit. She is still imprisoned in the deep palace of the Heavenly Net King's mansion. I occasionally visit her, and I learned these things from her."
"Perhaps there are some discrepancies with the facts, but it's mostly accurate."
"Xu Shuya was actually refined into an evil spirit..."
Ye Ling was surprised that the soul of the Pure Yin Yuan Corpse still existed in this world.
Since his Ye family's inherited treasure, the Phoenix Eye, could establish a connection with Xu Shuya, Xu Shuya should know the origin of the Phoenix Eye.
By finding Xu Shuya, the mystery of the Ye family's demise might be partially unveiled.
Seeing Ye Ling lost in thought, the Duke of Painting Spirits seized the opportunity to say, "Great... Great Lord... I've told you everything I know. Can you spare my life?"
Although his cooperation with Ye Ling was aimed at avoiding further torture, he was still willing to try if it meant survival.
His research was not yet complete, and he hadn't broken through to the ninth rank.
He did not wish to die.
Ye Ling, who had been contemplating Xu Shuya's matter, was suddenly brought back to reality by the Duke of Painting Spirits' words.
"You've reminded me," Ye Ling said with a smile at the Duke of Painting Spirits.
Seeing Ye Ling's smile, the Duke of Painting Spirits also smiled.
Ye Ling suddenly stated, "Not to mention the evil spirits in this arena, the decaying corpses within the armors lining your castle corridors are enough to warrant your death hundreds of times over."
"Someone like you should obediently go to hell to repent."
As his voice fell, Ye Ling, without waiting for the Duke of Painting Spirits to react, unleashed the surging demonic energy again, forming a giant claw that crushed the Duke of Painting Spirits!
*Bang!*
Blood splattered everywhere.
Ye Ling calmly watched the Duke of Painting Spirits being crushed into a pulp. Demonic flames ignited, incinerating the bloodstains on his body along with the Duke of Painting Spirits' corpse.
"After dealing with the Heavenly Net Ghost King, I'll burn this place down too..."
Ye Ling whispered, glancing around the arena. He could sense that the surrounding resentment had thinned considerably.
The corners of his lips curled slightly as he vanished from the spot.
...
In the center of the Heavenly Net Ghost City, within the Heavenly Net King's mansion.
After entering the palace, Ye Qingyan was led by the female housekeeper of the Heavenly Net King's mansion to bathe and change.
Subsequently, everyone waited in the side hall to be summoned.
Today was the day the Heavenly Net Ghost King held his annual Grand Banquet of a Hundred Ghosts. All evil spirits and cultivators of the sixth rank and above in the Heavenly Net Ghost City would attend.
Ye Qingyan and the more than ten other women were carefully selected sacrifices from various regions.
Before the banquet commenced, they would be publicly executed by the Heavenly Net Ghost King and refined into evil spirits. Their blood would be distributed among the attending evil spirits and cultivators for consumption.
However, these women were unaware of their impending fate. They believed they would be working here, serving deities, and each of them appeared somewhat excited.
"You all wait here and don't wander off. Someone will come to fetch you when the time comes."
After briefing Ye Qingyan and the others on the mansion's rules, the mansion housekeeper left the room without further delay.
As the mansion housekeeper departed, the sacrificed maidens immediately began chattering amongst themselves, their laughter filling the air, completely oblivious to the impending disaster.
Ye Qingyan did not join the discussion. Since arriving in the Heavenly Net Ghost City, she had deliberately minimized her presence, ensuring others wouldn't notice her.
This was for the current moment.
While no one was paying attention, Ye Qingyan concealed her aura and form, silently leaving the room.
...
Stepping outside, Ye Qingyan hid in a corner of the corridor, looking at the complex terrain with some hesitation.
"Where should I go?"
She had deliberately memorized the surrounding environment when she entered, but the entire mansion was protected by formations, making the layout intricate.
If she wandered randomly, she might trigger some restrictions, leading to her discovery.
Just as Ye Qingyan was contemplating, a masked man with a seventh-rank cultivation happened to walk by from a distance, catching Ye Qingyan's attention.
That masked man was Tian Yi, who had brought Wu Ying into the city and then killed him!
"This fellow's cultivation is not weak. He should hold a considerable position in the Heavenly Net Ghost City. I'll follow him for now..."
Seeing Tian Yi approach, Ye Qingyan immediately identified her target.
Completely concealing her aura, she followed behind Tian Yi, mimicking his pace.
Tian Yi, unable to sense Ye Qingyan, carried a lantern and passed through a garden full of peach blossoms, arriving outside a courtyard.
"Miss, the master requests your presence at the banquet," Tian Yi said softly, standing outside the courtyard.
After waiting for a long time, a feminine, soft voice echoed from the pavilion within the courtyard, "I know. I'll go see Father myself later. You can go back now."
"Miss, the master asked me to fetch you now," Tian Yi stated calmly, his posture upright, showing no intention of leaving.
"Don't I even have this much freedom?" the woman in the courtyard said mournfully.
Tian Yi replied impassively, "Please do not make things difficult for me, Miss. I am merely a humble servant, acting on the master's orders."
The woman in the courtyard then asked, "My father is your master, and I am my father's daughter. Does that make me your mistress?"
Tian Yi replied, "Yes."
"Then is it so difficult for you to let me go back by myself, and I'll attend the banquet later?"
"I have been confined to the Heavenly Net King's mansion for a hundred years. I am intimately familiar with every blade of grass and tree here. What could possibly happen to me here?"
"For a hundred years, I haven't even left the mansion, nor have I had any freedom."
Tian Yi: "..."
Tian Yi remained silent, not responding to the woman's words.
The woman in the courtyard continued, "If you keep guarding outside, I will never come out. I want to see if Father will blame you for missing the banquet!"
"I understand."
Tian Yi hung the lantern he was holding at the courtyard entrance and cautioned, "Then please be careful, Miss. It has been unstable outside recently, and the mansion is not entirely safe."
With that, Tian Yi departed the peach garden and returned to report.
"The Heavenly Net Ghost King has a daughter?"
Ye Qingyan watched Tian Yi leave, her eyes unable to conceal her surprise.
She seemed to have stumbled upon something significant.
Without hesitation, Ye Qingyan concealed her form and slipped into the courtyard, where she saw a woman sitting in the center, embroidering on a handkerchief.
The moment Ye Qingyan saw the woman, her pupils constricted!
That woman was an evil spirit...
And her appearance was exactly the same as Ye Ling's Pure Yin Yuan Corpse!
"What in the world is going on?"
Ye Qingyan was deeply alarmed, but before she could calm her emotions, she felt a powerful aura approaching from outside the courtyard.
The incoming strength...
Was no less than hers!