Chapter 26: Day 26

As the seemingly endless explosion subsided, only a still-beating heart remained on the devastated earth.

The heart, vigorously pulsing despite the complete evaporation of the body.

Cheon Seo Ah snatched the heart, took a bite, and…

“Ugh, disgusting.”

She frowned at the uniquely repulsive taste of the snake-human’s heart, the worst she’d ever sampled.

It was as if the fishy taste of a thousand fish had been concentrated and crammed into a single bite, coupled with a stench that far surpassed Surströmming, often cited as the worst smell in modern times.

Taste and smell aside, however, it was the heart of a cultivator, and one who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage at that.

With each bite of the disgusting heart, Cheon Seo Ah’s expression softened slightly as the converted Demonic Qi surged through her. There was, however, one point of regret:

“I lost the soul.”

After the Ninefold Hell Body Explosion Art, Chain Demonic Explosive Orb, only the heart remained. The soul was nowhere to be found. Had it been annihilated in the blast? Or had it desperately escaped, a wisp of consciousness fleeing the destruction? The former was disappointing. The latter…

“What good is a soul without a body, especially at the Foundation Establishment stage? It should have just…”

…been eaten by me, served as nourishment.

Regret aside, with the heart completely consumed, the only thing left was…

“The breakthrough.”

Cheon Seo Ah muttered these words, glancing back at Zuhang, a distant speck on the horizon, her eyes gleaming.

#

Late at night, Cheon Seo Ah returned to Zuhang, the city she’d left in ruins.

The former headquarters of the Black Mountain Sect now lay in ruins, a desolate and eerie landscape.

Though the bodies had been removed, bloodstains and other remnants of the battle remained.

More importantly, the souls of the slain martial artists lingered, transforming into vengeful spirits that permeated the ruins.

Left unattended, this place would surely become a haunted house, the stuff of ghost stories. Of course, that would happen only if Cheon Seo Ah allowed it to remain.

“Shall we begin?”

Cheon Seo Ah settled herself in the center of the ruins, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

Inhale-.

Exhale-.

Inhale-.

Exhale-.

Breathing in, breathing out, Cheon Seo Ah followed the Ninefold Hell Body Explosion Art’s breathing method.

As she continued, the vengeful spirits permeating the ruins were gradually drawn towards her.

Not merely drawn, they were pulled, inexorably.

Did they, even as mindless wraiths, still possess some awareness of their impending doom?

The spirits, pulled towards Cheon Seo Ah, struggled against the irresistible suction, but to no avail.

The power of the Ninefold Hell Body Explosion Art’s breathing method was absolute; the vengeful spirits, mere remnants of ordinary souls, could neither resist nor escape.

One by one, they were devoured.

Inhaled into Cheon Seo Ah’s mouth, the spirits melted, converting into Demonic Qi that steadily filled her danjeon. As it accumulated, her skin turned pale, corpse-like.

The Ninefold Hell Body Explosion Art: A Demonic Art that consumed souls, converted them into Demonic Qi, and made that power one’s own.

As the user’s cultivation advanced, their body would become more and more corpse-like.

However, once mastery of the Ninefold Hell Body Explosion Art reached a certain threshold, the body would revert to its original form.

This was precisely Cheon Seo Ah’s state. Normally, she appeared no different than an ordinary human. But even at higher levels of cultivation, when using the Art, her skin would still pale like a corpse.

How long did she continue the Ninefold Hell Body Explosion Art’s breathing?

Flash!

As Cheon Seo Ah’s eyes snapped open, a flash of black light, like the depths of a bottomless abyss, briefly shone before vanishing.

“Not enough.”

Cheon Seo Ah’s voice, like that of a demon crawling from hell, rasped out.

It wasn’t enough.

Not nearly enough. A few dozen vengeful spirits were pathetically insufficient for a breakthrough. Once again, Cheon Seo Ah was struck by regret. She should have taken the snake-human’s soul. Perhaps she’d been too hasty.

No. No.

It’s fine.

She might have missed the snake-human’s soul, but…

“This city still teems with thousands of ordinary people.”

Among them, there might be those with special constitutions.

Some might even possess spiritual roots, living their lives unaware of their latent potential.

Perhaps, with luck, she might even stumble upon another wandering vagrant.

But even Cheon Seo Ah wasn’t that optimistic.

Even if a vagrant had been in the city…

“They’d have fled after witnessing that battle.”

The fight between her, a Foundation Establishment Demonic Beast, and the snake-human, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was not something to be trifled with.

A mere Qi Condensation vagrant, barely clinging to the hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, would be foolish to remain.

What idiot would stay, risking being caught in the crossfire, becoming collateral damage?

Putting aside the slim hope of finding a vagrant, Cheon Seo Ah began walking towards the city center.

The former headquarters of the Black Mountain Sect, now reduced to rubble, bordered the back alleys and Zuhang’s entertainment district.

The nature of such a place provided ample cover for dark sects like the Black Mountain Sect.

And entertainment districts, by their very nature, were brightly lit even late into the night.

“Oh my? What’s a little lady like you doing in a place like this?”

Thud, thud.

A courtesan, spotting Cheon Seo Ah wandering towards the city center, approached her with a warm smile.

Glancing behind the girl, she noticed the group of thugs tailing her.

‘Can’t be helped.’

The courtesan sighed inwardly.

The girl was a complete stranger, but still just a child, barely past puberty.

She couldn’t stand by and watch her fall prey to those vile thugs.

“Why don’t you come with me? It’s not what you think. It’s just dangerous for a young girl like you to be wandering around here alone.”

She said this while discreetly eyeing the thugs.

They thought they were being stealthy, but their attempts at concealment were amateurish, easily spotted even by an ordinary person like her.

The thugs, in turn, scowled at the courtesan’s attempt to intercept their target.

“You’re a kind person,” Cheon Seo Ah said, looking up at the courtesan with a strange, unsettling grin.

The courtesan, a shiver running down her spine, instinctively took a step back.

“You have a spiritual root, don’t you?”

Cheon Seo Ah’s smile widened. She hadn’t truly expected to find someone with a latent spiritual root, someone unknowingly living as an ordinary person, but there one was.

A five spiritual roots, perhaps, but a spiritual root nonetheless.

“I truly do love cities,” she murmured. So many people living in close proximity, a treasure trove of hidden gems just waiting to be unearthed.

The courtesan, confused, stared at Cheon Seo Ah. What was this child talking about? And what was that unsettling chill she’d felt just a moment ago?

“Not quite the center… but it doesn’t really matter where I begin.”

What? What doesn’t matter? And what was she planning to begin?

The courtesan now actively backed away. Her instincts screamed at her to put distance between herself and the girl.

No, more than distance. Flee. Run now. Leave the city. The courtesan’s face was a mask of bewilderment.

“Your five spiritual roots must give you good instincts. But it’s too late.”

One step, two steps back… Cheon Seo Ah reached out towards the retreating courtesan, a chilling grin spreading across her face. Her hand was now pale, the color of a corpse.

Ninefold Hell Body Explosion Art, Soul-Eating Demonic Hand.

Bang!

A small explosion erupted from Cheon Seo Ah’s pallid hand, obliterating the courtesan’s body. In the courtesan’s place remained only her confused soul. Cheon Seo Ah reached out again.

Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!

Caught in the irresistible pull of the Soul-Eating Demonic Hand, the courtesan’s soul let out a terrible scream as it was sucked into Cheon Seo Ah. Those nearby stared, dumbfounded, at the sudden, brutal act.

“Now, let us begin.”

Cheon Seo Ah grinned at the stunned onlookers and, without hesitation, drew upon her Demonic Qi. In her hand, she now held the Thousand Spirit Corpse Poison Pill.

“Time to ascend.”

Crackle!

With a low whisper, a torrent of Demonic Qi erupted from Cheon Seo Ah.