Chapter 58 Pressuring Ji Qingyou

"None of you can ever dream of using me to control anyone!"

Though restrained, Gu Ya was consumed by fury. Burning away the very last of her Golden Core essence, she resolved to perish together with these villains in a mutual destruction!

In a split second, a terrifying aura of self-detonation surged forth as Gu Ya’s body began to expand rapidly!

"Before me, a mere Golden Core cultivator dares to attempt self-destruction? Disperse!"

With a wave of the Heavenly Emperor Sect Master's sleeve, a stream of pristine spiritual energy shot forth, plunging directly into Gu Ya's body and shattering her condensed spiritual power on the spot!

"Puff!"

Gu Ya coughed up a mouthful of dark blood, her complexion turning as pale as gold foil. Simultaneously, Bai Feng stepped forward to strike several vital acupoints on her body, locking her down firmly and stripping her of the slightest capacity to resist.

"Gai Jiuyou, what are you still waiting for? Do you really want me to kill her?!"

The Heavenly Emperor Sect Master shouted furiously, his Nascent Soul aura rolling in billows as he had recovered a considerable amount of strength by now.

Ji Qingyou cast a glance at him, her gaze so chillingly ice-cold that it was terrifying, yet she remained utterly unable to speak.

At this critical juncture, the metamorphosis of her divine soul had reached its most pivotal moment. Opening her mouth would cause her spiritual energy to disperse; though she could forcefully interrupt the process and take control of her puppet by sheer force, the cost to her would be far too exorbitant.

An opportunity to break through the shackles of the divine soul was a once-in-a-millennium chance. The very reason she had seized this body was to forge a split soul, thereby resolving the mortal crisis facing her true physical form. Once missed, there was no telling when such an opportunity might ever present itself again.

Yet this Gu Ya had indeed shown her deep loyalty and righteousness; she could not simply stand by and watch the woman die before her eyes, lest it leave behind a lingering demonic obstacle in her heart.

"Don't..." Gu Ya uttered pitifully through her restraints, only to be met with even more agonizing torment.

Without sparing her another glance, Ji Qingyou focused on controlling her own body, carefully treading toward the cannibalistic demon cave within the prison while taking utmost care not to disrupt her ongoing breakthrough.

Along the way, quite a few rogue cultivators were still being dragged over to be devoured, their wretched shrieks echoing with bone-chilling terror.

"Walk faster! What are you dawdling for?!"

A disciple of the Heavenly Emperor Sect, losing patience with her unhurried pace, strode forward and moved to kick her.

"Don't touch her! Be careful not to disrupt the suppression of the Soul-Suppressing Stone!"

The Heavenly Emperor Sect Master intervened, hurling a bolt of arcane energy that caused a purple jade seal-like artifact—the Soul-Suppressing Stone—to hover just behind Ji Qingyou, following her every step at a leisurely pace to maintain its suppression.

Little did they know that this mere Soul-Suppressing Stone had no actual effect on Ji Qingyou whatsoever; the only reason she was constrained was simply because she was caught in the critical phase of her breakthrough.

Ahead, within the pitch-black cavern, the sounds of mastication drifted out at intervals, accompanied by an overwhelming, pungent stench of fresh blood.

Ji Qingyou furrowed her brows slightly, though not on account of the horrific aura emanating from the devourer's cave. Rather, as she walked, the "Divided Spirit and Manifested Thought" technique she practiced drew upon the "divine might" originating from the divine statue behind her, causing that influx of power to relatively diminish and greatly slowing the pace of her breakthrough.

By her estimation, if she took just a few more steps, the ethereal momentum of her breakthrough within her body might dissipate entirely!

Looking inward with her inner vision, the greater part of her split soul had already transformed into a jade-like translucent blue, leaving only the final head incomplete. And this head was precisely the most crucial part of the entire split soul!

Ji Qingyou's brows furrowed even deeper. Just as she hesitated over whether to terminate her breakthrough, slaughter these people to the last, and seek out another chance for ascension later, she suddenly sensed something as she drew closer to the devourer's cave: a hidden reservoir of "divine might" was actually concealed deep within that very cavern!

A wave of joy instantly surged through her!

Meanwhile, as she was being driven toward the gruesome cave, the members of the Heavenly Emperor Sect behind her stared with undisguised greed at the silver puppet belonging to Lin Jun.

Just as the Heavenly Emperor Sect Master grew impatient and sought to test the might of this puppet, a massive golden hand suddenly thrust itself into the fray, blocking him from claiming the Seven-Kill Puppet.

"Treasures since ancient times belong to those who lay eyes upon them. Isn't it rather unseemly for you to monopolize this right before the Vajra Sect?"

The Heavenly Emperor Sect Master glared with furious eyes, only to discover that the Vajra Sect Master, who had been lurking in the shadows all along, was approaching with a retinue of bald-headed Vajra Sect disciples.

With a sudden, furious laugh, the Heavenly Emperor Sect Master sneered, "Hmph, skulking in the dark like turtles, did you really think I had no precautions against you?"

"This puppet must belong entirely to my Heavenly Emperor Sect. If any of you dare to meddle, do not blame this sect master for fighting you to the bitter end!"

The Heavenly Emperor Sect Master's expression turned malevolent, his Nascent Soul aura bursting forth without reservation, exerting immense pressure on everyone present.

Yet the Vajra Sect Master showed no fear, his own Nascent Soul aura erupting in kind to stand in a tit-for-tat confrontation against the Heavenly Emperor Sect Master.

"We are both thousand-year-old foxes; who do you think you're trying to scare?" A trace of disdain flickered in the Vajra Sect Master's eyes as his gaze fell upon the silver puppet left behind by Ji Qingyou.

"Let's be blunt: as for whom this puppet ultimately belongs to, we can discuss it once we get out of here. But for now, it must be jointly owned by our two sects!"

"Otherwise—" A ferocious expression contorted the Vajra Sect Master's face.

"If our Vajra Sect cannot leave, don't even dream of walking out of here alive, Heavenly Emperor Sect!"

Sensing the Vajra Sect Master's suicidal resolve to perish together, the Heavenly Emperor Sect Master's expression shifted drastically. The strength of the Vajra Sect was on par with their own; should an internal conflict erupt now, it would only lead to a mutual defeat for both sides.

Trapped as they currently were in a perilous situation, this was the absolute last thing he wanted to see!

Though hatred burned fiercely in his heart, he had no choice but to acquiesce on the surface, agreeing that this immensely powerful silver puppet should be jointly controlled by the two sects while trapped within this prison.

"You! Step forward and activate the puppet!"

Wary of the unknown perils involved in commanding such a puppet, each of the two sects selected a person to attempt operating it in the same manner Ji Qingyou had. The unfortunate individual chosen from the Heavenly Emperor Sect was none other than Bai Feng, currently the personal disciple of the Heavenly Emperor Sect Master!

In an instant, Bai Feng's face turned a shade even uglier than a pig's liver. Well aware of the immense danger, yet powerless to refuse the direct command of his sect master, he could only harbor bitter resentment deep in his heart.

Trembling with apprehension, they attempted to command the artifact, only to discover that the puppet harbored no hidden dangers whatsoever; the insurmountable problem was that none of them could drive it at all!

In fact, not just them—no living soul among them could activate it!

Seeing that the hope of shattering their cage was dangled right before their eyes only to vanish like a mirage, the two sect masters panicked. Frantically, they pivoted toward Ji Qingyou, who had now been driven to the very threshold of the demon cave, merely a single step away from entering.

"Stop her!" the two roared in unison, launching their attacks simultaneously. In a flash, Nascent Soul energy permeated the entire prison, but they were a fraction too late, forced to watch helplessly as Ji Qingyou's figure vanished entirely within the demon cave!

"It's all your fault! The puppet I managed to seize with such difficulty—why did you have to stick your nose in?!"

Failing to stop Ji Qingyou, the Heavenly Emperor Sect Master flew into a towering rage, spinning around to strike the Vajra Sect Master with a vicious counterattack.

"Don't play the innocent! You were just trying to trap our Vajra Sect here to die!" Refusing to show weakness, the Vajra Sect Master struck back, and the two instantly clashed in a fierce, chaotic brawl.