Chapter 76: Clear Distinction Between Primary and Secondary

When Ou Xinlai regained consciousness, she found herself in an unbearably cold place. Her neck ached terribly when she tried to move it. Just after Ou Jinjue had left with Ou Xinya, some mysterious force had appeared out of nowhere and knocked her unconscious. "Where is this place?" she asked.

The formation of purple lightning flickered, and a voice echoed, "This is the Extreme Yin Land of the Demon Sect. Every man and woman possesses yang energy; if it is lost, one becomes a ghost. The Extreme Yin Land of the Demon Sect will drain all the yang energy from a person, leaving nothing but a pile of red powder and withered bones."

That voice considered Ou Xinlai both greatly blessed and sorely cursed.

"Demon Sect?" At the mention of those words, the first person who came to Ou Xinlai’s mind was Li Chengfeng. Could it be that Li Chengfeng had not believed she had spent all the Golden Spirit Stones, and had returned to deal with her?

No, she had experienced firsthand Li Chengfeng’s seventh-level abilities—his power was considerable, but not enough to render her unconscious with one blow. Therefore, the person who struck her must be even more formidable than Li Chengfeng.

"So cold..." she hissed. All she could see was a vast expanse of black clouds, swirling incessantly around her. Because of these clouds, every bit of warmth in her body was leached away, little by little.

She staggered and kicked something on the ground. Reaching down, she found a pale human bone.

"Anyone who dies in this Extreme Yin Land decays faster than elsewhere. The bone you just picked up likely belonged to someone who died only a year ago." Yet by its appearance, it seemed to have been there for over a decade; such was the fearsome power of this place.

"Enough," she said, though the voice continued its explanations, for Ou Xinlai had already fully sensed the terror of this land. Any trace of warmth that arose within her was instantly siphoned away by the black clouds.

If this continued, she would freeze to death soon.

"Find a way out," she said.

The voice laughed. "If it were so easy to escape the Extreme Yin Land, the Demon Sect would not treasure this place so. The yang energy absorbed here becomes nourishment for the cultivation of the sect's higher-ups. Only those marked for special punishment are thrown in."

Whoever had captured Ou Xinlai must hold considerable status within the Demon Sect.

"We’ll see," she replied, unwilling to surrender. Soaking in these black clouds was pure torment. She drew out her artifact, intending to ride her sword—not to escape outright, but at least to distance herself from the clouds and catch her breath.

But as she rose into the air, the black clouds coalesced into a giant hand and seized her tightly.

Ou Xinlai grew furious. In this land of pure yin, she dared not use the transformation of yin and yang; if she did, her yang energy would be drained away even faster. She could only use her silver needles against the black clouds. The clouds, sensing her defiance, quickly dissolved their hand and scattered.

She hardly had time to smile before the dispersed clouds swirled back, surrounding her more tightly as she ascended.

Seeing this, Ou Xinlai was almost driven to curse aloud. Were these clouds sentient? Did they know to follow her every move, rising as she rose?

Thus, her sword-riding proved futile; her yang energy continued to be slowly stripped away.

The sensation of her life force being drawn out bit by bit was excruciating, for that yang energy felt as vital as her very life.

With every fragment lost to the black clouds, a part of her life slipped away.

Before long, even someone as powerful as Ou Xinlai began to lose color in her face. "This accursed place is truly formidable."

It was strange—if Li Chengfeng wanted the Golden Spirit Stones, why not interrogate her about their whereabouts instead of simply leaving her to die here?

It seemed less like he wanted to recover the stones and more like he wanted to torment her to death.

Unwilling to perish under the assault of the black clouds, Ou Xinlai began to observe her surroundings, searching for an exit from the swirling shadows.

But everywhere she went, the black clouds followed; no matter how she moved, her yang energy continued to drain away.

She felt the cold acutely, but it had nothing to do with movement or stillness. All she could do was try to delay the inevitable, minimizing her losses until she found a way out.

She spent three days and nights locked in the Black Cloud Altar. It was like throwing a living soul into a vat of piercing ice. An ordinary person would have frozen to death in such a place long ago, their brows layered with frost, their blood congealing until even the marrow turned solid.

This, truly, was the most torturous suffering.

Li Chengpeng observed Ou Xinlai’s condition daily through the Primordial Heaven Mirror. Watching her face grow more agonized with each passing day, he felt immense satisfaction.

Yet the girl was undeniably strong—she had survived thirty-six hours in the Black Cloud Altar, where even the mightiest typically lasted only twenty-four. Her resilience only confirmed for Li Chengpeng that if anything had befallen Li Chengfeng, Ou Xinlai must be involved.

Before she could die, Li Chengpeng ordered her removed from the altar.

He saw her curled up, shivering uncontrollably, her once-bright eyes now shrouded in deathly gray, all vitality stripped away, as if she stood one step from death.

"Tell me—where is Feng’er’s body?" Now that Li Chengfeng was dead, Li Chengpeng was determined to recover his son’s remains.

"Li... Li Chengfeng?" Ou Xinlai trembled violently. Even under the blazing sun, she could not feel a hint of warmth, as though the sunlight could not reach her. A layer of ice encased her, and only when it was shattered could she hope to feel the sun’s heat again.

"That’s right!" So, she did know Feng’er.

"He’s dead?!" Ou Xinlai raised her brow. No wonder her captor sought her life rather than the Golden Spirit Stones—it was about Li Chengfeng. Someone connected to him believed she had killed him and had come for revenge.

"Don’t play dumb with me!" Li Chengpeng, livid, stomped on her hand. She heard a sickening crack—her hand was broken.

And yet, she barely felt the pain. She gave a bitter smile; so much suffering in the Black Cloud Altar had left her nerves numb.

"No," she shook her head. "Though I did meet Li Chengfeng, I never harmed him. Besides, do you really think I have the skill to kill someone like him?"

Seeing the flicker of confusion in Li Chengpeng’s eyes, she pressed her advantage. "If you’d made inquiries, you’d know I’m powerless. In what way could I possibly have killed Li Chengfeng? And are you truly certain he’s dead?"

She found the idea of Li Chengfeng’s death hard to believe. Unless Ji Liehuo and his ilk had ganged up on him for the Golden Spirit Stones, who else would be foolish enough to cross the Demon Sect?

Whoever harmed Li Chengfeng would draw the wrath of the sect’s most dangerous members.

"Don’t try to trick me!" Li Chengpeng desperately wished his son were alive, but he knew Li Chengfeng was truly dead.

"Fine. If you insist I killed him, then so be it. But what motive would I have? And who told you Li Chengfeng died by my hand?"

How had this absurd accusation fallen upon her?

"You may have no powers, but that doesn’t mean you’re innocent," Li Chengpeng retorted. Even a powerless person, given the right opportunity, might catch someone as formidable as Li Chengfeng off guard.

She shook her head. "If you’re so certain of his death, you should be pursuing the one who told you I did it. If they know I killed him, they should know where I left the body. Why not find the body first, then come after me? Surely, after seeing the corpse, you’d be more enraged, and I’d be less likely to survive."

Clearly, this man hadn’t arrived at his own conclusion—someone had informed him. Most likely, it was Ou Xinya.

Had Ou Xinya not appeared, Ou Jinjue and the others would not have left Ou Xinlai’s side, and even if she’d been abducted, the others would know where to look for her.

But would Ou Xinya really be the informant? She herself didn’t know Li Chengfeng’s fate—how could she?

More importantly, the man standing before her seemed to have a close connection to Li Chengfeng. How would Ou Xinya know of their relationship and contact him?

Troubled by these thoughts, Ou Xinlai frowned. The more she interacted with Ou Xinya, the more she realized how complex that woman was—even maintaining connections to people of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. What role did Ou Xinya truly play within the Ou family?

"What do you mean?" Li Chengpeng was no fool and understood her reasoning.

When he learned of Li Chengfeng’s death, he was furious. Once he confirmed that Ou Xinlai and Li Chengfeng had been together in the Chiyou Grotto, and that some treasure was involved, he chose to believe it.

But now, her words planted seeds of doubt. Nevertheless, nothing would stop him from taking her life. She had crossed Feng’er in the Chiyou Grotto—if Feng’er were alive, he would have claimed vengeance himself. Now Feng’er was dead, so Li Chengpeng would exact the price.

"I repeat, I only met Li Chengfeng; I never fought him. If someone told you I killed him, I suspect that person wants to use you to kill me. You’re his kin, aren’t you? Kill me if you must, but don’t let the true murderer go free."

She knew full well whether she had killed Li Chengfeng. With her meager skills, she could have exchanged a few moves, but taking his life would have been a technical impossibility.

"Don’t let small matters cloud greater ones. I’m a minor player, battered and powerless to escape. Think: is it more urgent to punish me, or to hunt down the true culprit who killed Li Chengfeng?"

She did not miss the flash of realization and murderous intent in Li Chengpeng’s eyes.

She quickly accepted the fact that, even knowing she was not the killer, he still wanted her dead. He was, after all, a member of the Demon Sect; his willingness to use her as a scapegoat was only to be expected.

"Killing should be done properly. If you let the true murderer go free and hound a bystander like me, what good does that do you? If that’s the case, I almost wish I had been the one to kill Li Chengfeng—I might have enjoyed a few more good days before you found me. While you torment me to death, the real culprit escapes, living carefree. That person must think themselves untouchable, believing that Demon Sect members are simple-minded brutes. Do you really want to play the fool for them?"

She painted the informant as contemptuous—describing the disdain for the Demon Sect, for Li Chengpeng, so vividly that his eyes reddened with rage.

With a thunderous crash, he shattered a boulder in his fury, then kicked her hard in the gut. The pain turned her face ashen, blood trickling from her lips.

"Just wait. Whoever harmed my Feng’er will not escape!" At first, he had intended to deal with Ou Xinlai and then pursue the true killer. But now, he realized the culprit might be manipulating him, using him as a weapon—eliminating a threat while also removing Ou Xinlai. It was a win-win for them.

No one would make a fool of him with impunity; someone would pay dearly for this.

After Ou Xinlai’s words, the sequence of vengeance became a matter of pride. Anyone who had offended the Demon Sect or harmed Feng’er deserved death—the true culprit most of all. Ou Xinlai could not escape, but she could wait her turn.

So, after kicking her, Li Chengpeng ordered her imprisoned and stormed off to find his informant.

Watching him leave in a fury, Ou Xinlai smiled faintly.

A Demon Sect henchman, seeing her smile, thought she had been kicked senseless. Even if Black Protector didn’t kill her now, she was as good as dead once he returned.

Still, whether she was mad or not was none of his concern. He simply had to carry out his orders and lock her away.

He hoisted her up and carried her to the Demon Sect’s prison—a dank, oppressive place that chilled the soul.

"Who is this? Just kill her and be done with it—why toss her in here?" The jailer grumbled, though his eyes gleamed with bloodthirst.

"Don’t be reckless. This is Black Protector’s prisoner. If you kill her before he returns, he’ll have your head!" the henchman warned.

The jailer’s face changed instantly. "Of course, I wouldn’t dare touch Black Protector’s charge, don’t worry. I’ll watch her closely." He handed over the cell keys and let the henchman lock Ou Xinlai away.

As the man carried her into the cell and prepared to leave, Ou Xinlai smiled again. The moment had come!