Blood Debt and Old Grudges
Whatever chaos had erupted on the ground, the two figures in the sky had no time to spare a glance.
It was Su Min's first time encountering this Demon Queen in person. The woman's complexion was now as pale as a ghost. Disheveled hair cascaded wildly, revealing lips and pupils tainted with a ghastly dark green—one glance was enough to send a chill straight into the bones.
"You wretched brat… Letting you live back then was my greatest mistake," the Demon Queen rasped, her voice a grotesque echo. "But that's fine. I'll correct that error today. Besides, now that I look at you—your spiritual essence is far richer than before. I knew my instincts hadn't failed me."
She licked her cracked lips with a grotesquely long, serpentine tongue, a gesture so repulsive it made one's stomach churn. Her gaze fixed hungrily on Su Min, who stood aloft on her sword.
"My, my. Your mother must've really loved you."
Su Min's voice was calm, cool. "Oh? Seems like your mother didn't."
The moment the words landed, the Demon Queen's expression twisted into utter rage. Her hair writhed like serpents, her eyes gleaming with bloodthirst.
Su Min had heard of this woman before—back when she and Xie Yingying were waiting for the Corpse King's emergence. Born and sold by her mother into a pleasure house not unlike the infamous Chunhong Brothel, the woman had discovered her rare constitution there—the Ghostly Yin Soul Body, uniquely suited for dual-cultivation techniques of the more sinister kind.
There, she had drained the life essence from numerous cultivators and obtained her forbidden arts. Since then, the word "mother" had become her deepest taboo. Su Min hadn't planned on scraping open old wounds. But if the other party was first to strike a nerve, then so be it—let's see who broke first. And clearly, Su Min's defenses were far more solid.
"Ten Thousand Withering Ghost Hands!!!"
With a furious roar, inky green qi erupted from the demoness's palm. An eerie, two-meter-long ghostly hand surged through the air, laced with the stench of death and rot, aimed straight at Su Min. The moment it appeared, even many Foundation Establishment cultivators below felt their hearts skip a beat. Their instincts screamed—if that thing touched them, they were done for.
"Useless."
Unmoved, Su Min swung her blade without hesitation. The sword, ablaze with raging fire, met the ghostly hand in midair. In that instant—like boiling water poured over frost—it shattered with a screeching hiss, vanishing in a cloud of smoke.
"Nanming Lihuo? How do you have one of Heaven and Earth's righteous flames?!"
The Demon Queen's expression contorted with fear as she abruptly retreated, putting distance between them. Her face had turned pale—not from effort, but from terror. Of all the powers she wielded, the one she relied on most was her eerie, yin-corrupted arts. But these were born of filth, and filth fears purity—especially the divine fires of the natural world.
Su Min knew that too. She'd always been cautious—not because she couldn't win, but because, in the game world this encounter was modeled after, this old witch was a major end-stage boss. Back then, she'd been an oppressive threat. But here, in reality, Su Min was her perfect counter. Even without her special artifact, her odds of winning were high. Still, one only lives once. Why gamble when victory could be assured?
"If I'm filthy, then what are you?" Su Min called coldly. "In that ghost claw just now, I heard the wails of thousands of children. You damned hag—you won't let them rest even in death."
As her words fell, lightning surged through Su Min's meridians, fueling her speed to frightening levels. She became a streak of thunder—leaping through the sky.
Crack—!
A brilliant bolt of lightning flashed. The demoness, who had just widened the gap between them, was suddenly struck head-on.
"Guh—! H-Heavenly Thunder?!"
Blood sprayed from her lips as her eyes bulged in disbelief. What else did this girl possess? If this went on, she would be killed here without question. But just then, Su Min's heart gave an inexplicable spasm—and she immediately drew back. In the past, she lacked the means to stop enemies from fleeing. That was no longer the case. If this old hag dared run, Su Min would gladly hunt her like prey.
"Hah… Your instincts aren't bad."
The Demon Queen cursed, panting, as Su Min widened the distance between them. Su Min could feel it—an ominous shift in the Demon Queen's aura. This wasn't something her Nanming Lihuo could burn away. It was a curse—invisible and intangible.
Su Min's expression hardened, while the Demon Queen's thoughts grew frantic. Nanming Lihuo, Heavenly Thunder. What kind of heaven-blessed monster was this?
The last person she'd fought was that Lunar Maiden—another user of yin-based techniques like herself. She'd been crushed in her strongest domain. Now this girl before her was even worse. But there was no turning back. It was all or nothing. Without a word, the Demon Queen's hands moved in a rapid incantation gesture. Seeing this, Su Min's eyes narrowed.
"Everyone—watch out! She's activating her secret technique!"
Su Min's roar sent shivers down every Foundation Establishment expert's spine.
Almost instantly—
The Demon Queen's allied cultivators convulsed violently as their souls were forcibly ripped from their bodies. Prince Yong faction's experts didn't hesitate—every Qi Refining and above warrior unleashed their strongest attacks, shattering the defenseless souls before they could be absorbed.
"You—!!!"
The demoness's face twisted in fury. The quality of the reclaimed souls was far worse than she'd hoped. But it was too late to stop now. With a snarl, she devoured the remnants, activating her forbidden art.
"Souls of the Cursed—Return! Brat, you've pissed me off."
A monstrous aura erupted, shaking the heavens. The Demon Queen's power skyrocketed—reaching mid-Golden Core, bordering on late-stage.
"Waaaaah—!!!"
A chorus of infant wails echoed as a massive, 10-meter-tall blood infant materialized, its body stitched together from countless unborn and newborn souls. The sky darkened to crimson-black, drenched in an aura of despair and cruelty.
"Her ultimate move."
Su Min eyed the blood infant coldly. This was Demon Queen's final trump card—a cursed entity that amplified and spread her malice. Incredibly durable and capable of unleashing devastating strikes, it would take multiple Demon-Slaying Thunderbolts to destroy.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
But Su Min didn't have that many to spare. Worse, the curse it carried was unavoidable. In the game, it instantly stacked multiple debuffs, crippling the player's combat power. Even with her Heavenly Dao Foundation and Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation bonuses, fighting under such penalties would be risky. But she hadn't prepared for months just to brute-force this. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a black bell adorned with chimes.
[Eight-Wood Soul Bell (Earth Grade, Low Tier): Absorbs all curse-based attacks.]
This artifact was specifically designed to counter the blood infant. Beyond nullifying curses, it had an unlisted effect: Its chimes soothed tormented souls. And for the infant spirits composing the blood infant, the sound was like a lullaby from their mothers.
"Poor souls who couldn't even rest in death… Let the chimes guide you to reincarnation."
Ding-a-ling…
The gentle chimes cut through the chaos of battle, reaching every ear on the battlefield. The writhing, shrieking blood infant gradually stilled, its ferocity fading into calm.
"You—!!!"
Demon Queen's face contorted in disbelief. She couldn't fathom how Su Min had seen through her ultimate move. Xie Yingying had defeated her before, but back then, she was only at Foundation Establishment. The blood infant technique was something she'd only acquired at late-Golden Core. This wasn't a coincidence—Su Min had come prepared. And as the chimes rang, the demoness's invisible, insidious curses were instantly absorbed, nullifying her divine ability entirely.
"Tear her apart!!!"
With no other options, Demon Queen forced the blood infant to lunge at Su Min.
But the moment it got close—
A golden light erupted from Su Min's body, forming the vague silhouette of a Buddha.
"Namo Amitabha!!!"
For the first time in her life, Su Min spoke these words aloud.
"Great Thunder Temple?!"
Demon Queen's face paled—she recognized the Great Sun Tathagata Scripture, the supreme technique of the Great Thunder Temple.
She tried to rush forward, but—
Three flaming feathers floated past her eyes.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Three devastating explosions engulfed her face, the Nanming Lihuo-infused feathers blasting her into a charred, staggering mess. And before she could recover—
A gigantic '卍' symbol materialized in the air, pinning her down. Meanwhile, Su Min—the Eight-Wood Soul Bell hovering above her head—began chanting the Buddhist Liberation Sutra, a basic scripture for guiding lost souls, which she'd learned from Hui Ming over the past two weeks.
Under the combined influence of the chimes and sutra, the blood infant's movements slowed further. From violent thrashing, to uncoordinated flailing, to finally curling up peacefully—like a fetus returning to its mother's womb.
These were souls of infants ripped prematurely from their mothers' bodies, their mothers undoubtedly dying in the process. Demon Queen's face twisted in rage and terror. The three feathers had badly injured her, and breaking free from the '卍' seal had taken too long. Worse, the blood infant was no longer under her control.
This abomination shouldn't have existed in the first place—she had only maintained control by infusing it with her curses, keeping the souls in constant agony. Obedience meant temporary relief from suffering. But now, the curses were gone, and the souls had been soothed. Only one step remained for them to move on.
An eye for an eye.
"Go. Vent your hatred… then return to the cycle of reincarnation."
Su Min ceased her chanting, giving the blood infant a pitying glance before smirking at Demon Queen.
"Waaaaah—!!!"
The ear-splitting wail that had once devastated Prince Yong army now focused entirely on Demon Queen.
"Guh—!!!"
Already injured by the explosions, Demon Queen vomited blood from the sonic assault. But the blood infant wasn't done. Its face contorted with hatred as it pounced, sinking its teeth into Demon Queen's flesh.
"No! NO! AHHHH—!!!"
Demon Queen's screams of agony filled the sky, but no one below pitied her. Only schadenfreude. Su Min watched coldly, ensuring the demoness couldn't hide her soul in her Golden Core to escape. But the blood infant's vengeance was inescapable. A golden glow suddenly flickered from Demon Queens's body—but before it could flee, the blood infant grabbed it and swallowed it whole.
CRUNCH.
The Golden Core shattered, and the world fell silent. The blood infant's expression softened once more, curling up as it faded into nothingness.
"Amitabha… Good begets good, evil begets evil. If the retribution hasn't come, it's only because the time isn't ripe."
Below, Hui Ming clasped his hands, sighing. Even he could only say: "Serves her right."
"The Demon Queen is dead."
Su Min exhaled deeply, then summoned a ring—Demon Queen's storage treasure—to her hand.
"Now, only that damned emperor remains."
Her gaze shifted downward, where the imperial capital was in chaos. With Demon Queen's death, maids, eunuchs, and guards were fleeing in all directions—but the city was completely surrounded. No one could escape.
Su Min descended toward the palace, having long since locked onto the emperor's aura. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a shaky foundation, he couldn't even hide his presence.
"I thought you were a ruthless schemer… but you're just a pathetic clown."
Pushing open the palace doors, Su Min's expression twisted in disgust. The hall was filled with women—imperial concubines, their clothes disheveled, faces streaked with tears, some mentally broken. It was obvious what they'd endured. Their infant children had been sacrificed by the emperor, and those pregnant had suffered even worse fates—their unborn babies torn out to feed the blood infant.
"You're truly repulsive."
Su Min raised her hand, and a colorfully dressed figure—the emperor, his youth restored by Foundation Establishment, now caked in makeup—was yanked into the air.
"Using your women as shields even now."
"Spare me! I was misled back then! The Su family was framed! I've already executed the culprits to atone—!"
"Hahaha… Do you take me for a fool? Fine. Have it your way."
Su Min couldn't help but laugh at the absurd plea. With a flick of her finger, she shattered his cultivation, then hurled him to the ground. The emperor writhed like a crippled worm, unable to even stand. His lifespan would wither within years—but…
Clink.
Several small knives clattered onto the floor in front of the concubines.
"His cultivation is gone. He's no longer an emperor—just a dog. Don't you want to avenge your children?"
Silence.
Then—
"How dare you?! I am your emperor!!!"
The emperor's shrill scream was met with hollow stares. The concubines' fear was fading. One stood up. Picked up a knife. And plunged it into his thigh.
"AHHH—!!!"
His scream was the spark that ignited the inferno. The hall erupted in violence—knives, nails, teeth—every weapon at hand. Within ten minutes, the emperor was reduced to shreds.
"It's over."
Su Min hadn't lifted a finger—she only ensured his death.
"Sigh… All of you have suffered. Stay here for now. I'll arrange for your care later."
The wailing women—all from impoverished backgrounds, forced into this hell—tugged at her heartstrings. But there was little she could do beyond ensuring their safety.
She'd leave the rest to Cao Yuanmu.