Chapter 247: Yu Zhao, Do You Think You’ve Won?
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A tremendous force crushed everything in its path like an unstoppable storm.
Before Yu Zhao, the space itself shattered into countless fragments, collapsing in a chaotic storm of destruction.
The next moment…
The mournful sound of wind echoed around her, followed by the chilling sight of a deep, unfathomable pool of water right before her.
Instinctively, Yu Zhao gathered her spiritual energy to slow her descent. But her efforts were countered by an even stronger force, leaving her helpless as she plunged into the icy depths.
Splash!
The cold water sealed her senses, freezing her breath as the chill seeped through her body, spreading into every vein and bone. Her entire being trembled, even her soul shuddered under the relentless cold. Her thoughts dulled as her consciousness blurred.
Fighting to stay alert, Yu Zhao bit down hard on her tongue. The sharp pain reignited a fierce determination in her eyes.
No!
She refused to succumb without a fight. Desperately, she tried to channel her spiritual energy to alleviate her discomfort. Yet the cold clung to her, relentless as a curse, and no matter her efforts, she could not escape its grip. She was like a newborn puppet with only the faintest will to resist, floating helplessly in the abyss.
Days passed.
One day, Yu Zhao noticed something horrifying: the little finger on her right hand had fallen off. Encased in ice as hard as crystal, her frozen body failed to register any pain. The severed limb was a stark, bloodless white.
Another day passed.
This time, her left thumb detached.
These events, small as they seemed, loomed large as harbingers of despair.
In this icy prison that could freeze even the strongest to death, Yu Zhao watched her body crumble piece by piece. She could not scream, nor could she stop it. Fear—a nameless, suffocating fear—wrapped around her heart.
Was this the end for her?
Scenes from two lifetimes flitted through her mind like a lantern show. Gradually, the storm in her heart calmed, and her panicked breaths softened into a steady rhythm.
Gone was the terror in her eyes, replaced with the stillness of the abyss—cold and resolute.
“Heart Demon, you’ve lost.”
Another illusion… one layered upon the last. She had almost succumbed to the Heart Demon Tribulation, but now she stood firm.
Her words hung in silence, unanswered.
Then, her left ear fell away, floating before her eyes. Soon after came the right ear, her nose, her lips… Until all that remained were two black eyes set in a bloodied skull.
Creak. Creak.
Her jaw moved stiffly, yet her gaze was steady and unyielding.
Suddenly, a surge of strange energy enveloped her. Her shattered body began to mend: organs reappeared, fingers reattached, as if time itself rewound.
Yu Zhao opened her eyes.
She was back in her secluded cultivation cave. A faint smile curved her lips. This life, with her earlier Nascent Soul Formation, would surely surpass the previous one.
As confidence swelled within her, an icy, rigid voice echoed in her Sea of Consciousness:
“Yu Zhao, do you want to advance your cultivation faster? To become the unmatched prodigy of the cultivation world? To crush everyone who once looked down on you? Sign a pact with me. Help me steal others’ fortune, and everything you desire will be yours.”
Yu Zhao’s heart skipped. She recognized this voice.
In her past life, after being expelled from the Five Elements Dao Sect, she had been consumed by the need to clear her name and prove her worth. Back then, Ye Cong Xin had risen as the unrivaled leader of her generation, outshining every prodigy.
Suspicious of Ye Cong Xin’s meteoric rise, Yu Zhao had infiltrated the sect through a formation loophole. There, she overheard a quarrel between Ye Cong Xin and an evil spirit. The spirit chastised Ye Cong Xin for her lack of ambition despite her newfound power, while Ye Cong Xin argued that their relationship was one of mutual exploitation and that haste in plundering Luck Value could expose her.
Horrified by this secret, Yu Zhao revealed herself, hoping to stop the harm Ye Cong Xin had wrought on their sect. But her efforts failed—costing her life.
In this new life, Yu Zhao had often wondered: if she had struck a deal with the same spirit, would she have made the same choices as Ye Cong Xin?
Deep down, she believed she would not.
But now, faced with the very same temptation, Yu Zhao could answer with unwavering certainty:
“I refuse.”
“Why reject me? Don’t you want to rise like Ye Cong Xin, to enjoy the envy and adoration of all? To crush those who looked down on you?”
A flicker of doubt crossed Yu Zhao’s face, but her frown deepened as she noticed inconsistencies.
After a long pause, she ventured cautiously: “Heart Demon?”
The voice stopped abruptly.
Yu Zhao chuckled softly. It seemed her hunch was correct.
Despite lacking memories of her trials, Yu Zhao’s sharp observations had pieced together clues. Why would an evil spirit discard Ye Cong Xin, who had already proven her value, for Yu Zhao, a riskier option? Moreover, the claim that Ye Cong Xin’s cultivation was all pretense clashed with her known diligence.
By deducing these irregularities, Yu Zhao had uncovered the truth—and confirmed it with a simple test.
“Yu Zhao, do you think you’ve won? Ha! This is only the beginning. Prepare for torment like you’ve never known.”
Her vision darkened. An avalanche of unfamiliar memories flooded her mind.
Flexing her slender, pale fingers—fragile as glass—Yu Zhao felt a strange disconnect.
It was as if she were a guest in this body, an outsider.
“Junior Sister Ye? Junior Sister Ye?”
A cheerful voice called out. Lost in thought, Yu Zhao felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she was greeted by a sunny smile.
“Third Senior Brother.”