Chapter 41: Please Help Me Cultivate

Han Ming's visage was already pleasing to the eye, and now, suddenly adopting a humble posture, transforming from icy dominance to obsequious submission, stirred something in the heart.

Beneath the iron mask of the Azure Iron Armor, Ning Zhuo remained unmoved, his expression as still as an ancient well.

He retrieved Han Ming's magical artifact, the Soul-Seizing Shuttle: "I've heard that your Soul Devouring Sect's techniques allow one to directly augment their soul's foundation by devouring other souls."

"And that if you reverse this technique, you can purify the essence of your own soul through a magical artifact, and then imbue it into another. Though this incurs significant losses, it leaves no lingering side effects."

"Your esteemed sect relies on this ability, allowing elders nearing the end of their lifespan to transmit soulforce, granting powerful foundations to younger disciples in an instant. This is one of the main reasons the Soul Devouring Sect became a major demonic sect."

"Han Ming, I wish to request your assistance in my cultivation."

The Phoenix Soul Blood Incense Pill was but a medicinal concoction; Ning Zhuo could not bring it with him upon entering the palace of souls.

Even if he consumed it before entering, its medicinal efficacy would not last.

Ning Zhuo preferred a more direct approach. Why not directly augment his soul's foundation?

When he saw the information regarding the Phoenix Soul Blood Incense Pill and then laid eyes on Han Ming, he decided to capture her alive.

Hearing the words of this young master, Han Ming's eyes widened, and a chilling sensation spread throughout her being: "I understand now! I am your true prey!"

"This talk of attacking the Violet Sun Retreat was just a smokescreen!"

"This is a trap, a venomous snare!"

Han Ming shrieked, struggling with all her might, rattling the heavy chains binding her.

The other end of the chains was firmly secured to the walls of the prison cell, clanging against the stone with a loud crash.

The young master Ning Zhuo calmly watched her, waiting until Han Ming had calmed down before speaking: "You are too agitated; it is not good for your injuries."

Hearing this, Han Ming, who had just regained her composure, flared up once more, launching into a torrent of curses.

Ning Zhuo listened quietly, waiting again until Han Ming's voice became hoarse and she finally stopped.

"Would you like some water?"

Ning Zhuo flicked his fingers slightly, a strand of mana coalescing into a thread extending from his fingertip. Beneath the thread, a wooden puppet carrying a water cup climbed up Han Ming's body, starting from her foot, up her calf, thigh, abdomen, and then standing on her chest, holding the water cup high, offering it to Han Ming's lips.

Han Ming's breathing became heavy once more.

But her earlier struggles and curses had exhausted much of her strength. She glared at Ning Zhuo, finally lowering her gaze to the water cup.

A moment later, she lowered her head and drank.

She was indeed thirsty.

More importantly, she was now a prisoner. If the young master wished to harm her, he had many ways to do so, with no need to resort to poisoning the water.

After drinking, Han Ming calmed down somewhat.

"There's one thing I don't understand!" Han Ming raised her head, her brows furrowed, her gaze fixed on the young master's face, "Sun Lingtong is a disciple of the esteemed Incomplete Emptiness Sect. Why would he join forces with you? What is your relationship?"

Ning Zhuo smiled faintly: "I have been purchasing information from him for over a decade."

"I watched him bit by bit, step by step, strive to eventually take control of the black market in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and gain a firm foothold in this city."

"Our interests are tightly intertwined."

Han Ming scoffed: "Is that all?"

"That's all it takes for him to join you in framing me, risking offending the Soul Devouring Sect?"

"If anything goes wrong and I escape, his foundation in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and you, will be finished!"

"We are not like those righteous sects who play by the rules."

Ning Zhuo smiled again: "Then have you escaped? Have you sent a message out?"

Han Ming: ...

Ning Zhuo continued: "Attacking the Violet Sun Retreat was not entirely a smokescreen. At the very least, we did manage to acquire a great many pills."

At the mention of this, Han Ming became agitated once more.

"You two bastards, damned fiends! My sect will surely avenge me, flaying you both, old and young, extracting your bones, tearing your souls to pieces, and casting you into endless torment!"

Ning Zhuo waved his hand: "Calm down, calm down, will you?"

"Getting angry is bad for your health."

"Didn't you promise me just now that you would do anything? Then come, assist me in my cultivation."

"Heh heh heh, hahahaha." Han Ming looked up and let out a piercing laugh that even brought tears to her eyes.

"Ptooey." She suddenly stopped laughing, spat a mouthful of saliva, and said with utter hatred, "Dream on!"

The saliva flew into the air, only to be stopped by Ning Zhuo's mana, falling weakly to the ground.

Han Ming's voice was icily cold: "I have cultivated with painstaking effort, accumulating for so many years, to reach the foundation and essence I have today. You want me to diminish my soul's foundation to help you cultivate? Heh heh heh, you are so ugly, yet you have such beautiful dreams!"

"Painstakingly accumulated?" Ning Zhuo asked, puzzled, "Your Soul Devouring Sect's Nine Revolutions Soul Devouring Art allows you to devour the souls of others, augmenting your own foundation. It is blatant plunder, how can you call it painstakingly accumulated?"

This is the biggest difference between the demonic path and the righteous path.

The righteous path's cultivation resources are basically like thunder, rain, dew, flowers, birds, insects, and fish.

The demonic path's cultivation resources are other cultivators themselves. For example, blood, souls, bodies, and so on.

Han Ming retorted: "You are an amateur, only knowing one thing and not the other!"

"Do you think the Nine Revolutions Soul Devouring Art is so easy to cultivate? That one can devour other souls and completely transform them into their own foundation?"

"Hmph! If it were so easy to cultivate, then my Soul Devouring Sect would not merely be one of the major demonic sects, but would have unified the entire demonic path long ago!"

"Fifty percent, at most fifty percent!"

"The closer the devoured soul is to one's own, the smaller the difference, the higher the yield."

"It also cannot be used frequently."

"It's like eating food, eating too much will kill you."

"We also need a lot of time and a lot of supplementary resources to help our souls digest."

"If the digestion is not thorough, the soul will be deformed, which will bring very huge consequences."

"Of course, within my Soul Devouring Sect, there are those who are impatient for quick success. They ignore soul deformation and devour other souls madly, and their strength will skyrocket in a short period of time. But doing so will surely lead to a dead end."

Han Ming was not short-sighted. She possessed the inferior celestial talent of Yin Corpse Qi, and that alone was enough to surpass most cultivators.

Han Ming has always focused on digestion, maintaining the purity of her soul.

She cares very much about her future.

That is why she is extremely resistant and does not want to cooperate at all. To ask her to actively transfer the essence she has painstakingly accumulated over decades to someone else?

Absolutely impossible.

Especially when that person is her enemy!

"Don't even think about me cooperating with you! Kill me, that would be more straightforward!" Han Ming was also very cunning.

She could see that Ning Zhuo needed her, so she was fearless. She said this intentionally, trying to gain some initiative.

Ning Zhuo sighed softly: "I advised you kindly, hoping that you would cooperate obediently."

"If you cooperate well, I can promise you that after a while, I will set you free."