Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 717 - 701: Obtaining Another Treasure

Upon hearing that reinforcements from the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm and Celestial South Continent Cultivation Realm are about to arrive, Zhouyang and the other cultivators present were all overjoyed.

Previously in the battle at Ice Wave City, they had witnessed the techniques of the demon cultivators wreaking havoc in the Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm. Honestly, without more reinforcements, relying solely on their current Nascent Soul Cultivators, the odds of eliminating the swarm of demons are really slim.

Moreover, during the battle at Ice Wave City, the cultivators deduced from the bizarre actions of the demon cultivators that they were secretly plotting something else, which made them even more concerned about possible changes.

At such times, the news of reinforcements from the other two great cultivation realms undoubtedly became a tonic of spirit, providing them with great relief.

As long as they maintain an absolute advantage in the number of top-tier cultivators, no matter what schemes the demon cultivators have, they cannot alter the grand course.

"Master Nie, since we can't obtain information through soul search from the demoness, what about using torture? Under harsh punishment, perhaps she might confess!"

A Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, after the joy subsided, spoke his thoughts about interrogating the demoness Huan Qianqian.

The cultivation realm has all sorts of tortures to torment cultivators, countless indeed, and unlike those ordinary tortures aimed only at the physical body, many of the cultivation realm's tortures can directly target the Divine Soul of cultivators, causing pain both physically and spiritually.

However, these tortures might work on some middle-to-low tier cultivators, but when dealing with a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, the effects are not very promising.

Nie Yushuang shook her head at the time and said, "Torture wouldn't work either. Over the past few days, I've already used various tortures on that demoness, yet haven't extracted a shred of useful information from her lips!"

"From my perspective, since ordinary tortures might not make the demoness confess, why not employ some harsher penalties? For instance, extract her Nascent Soul, and ask Fellow Daoist Zhou to gradually refine her with the Demon Refining Fire. It's hard to believe she could endure such soul refining suffering without confessing anything!"

Another Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm spoke up with his idea.

Zhouyang looked at this speaking cultivator and recognized him as someone from the Nine Yang Sect, a sect that had quite a few past conflicts with the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, located within the Profound Purity Dao Alliance, possessing considerable strength.

Because of this, Master Shen Menglong from the Yuqing Daoist Sect couldn't help but retort, "Fellow Daoist Shen privately thinks Fellow Daoist You's words are inappropriate. Not to mention that the soul refining torture has long been banned, even if we truly use such torture on the demoness, her cultivation and willpower would allow her to withstand it for one or two months, which wouldn't be a big deal. We don't have that much time to waste on her."

The cultivator You, upon hearing this, couldn't help but coldly laugh and said, "Without trying, how would you know it wouldn't work? Moreover, since Fellow Daoist Shen opposes my suggestion, I wonder what great ideas Fellow Daoist Shen might have?"

Shen Menglong merely found his proposal inappropriate, so he didn't have any good suggestions, making him unsure of how to respond this time.

Fortunately, Master Cyan Yang didn't wish to see his old friend disgrace himself, so he immediately took over the conversation saying, "Actually, even if we can't extract information through interrogation, it's not a big deal. It's been half a month since we captured the demoness, and those demon cultivators definitely know she fell into our hands. Even if we truly extract something from her, we still need to worry about falling into a trap set by the demon cultivators."

"Therefore, from my perspective, it's better to wait for the two-sided reinforcements to arrive and then use the demoness as a sacrificial flag to boost the army's morale!"

Hearing these words, the cultivator You couldn't help but sneer coldly, saying, "I thought Fellow Daoist Qingyang would have some clever trick, but only..."

However, before the cultivator You finished speaking, Xu Tianlin suddenly interrupted, "Hold on, Fellow Daoist You. I believe Fellow Daoist Zhou has something to say; let's hear his thoughts, after all, that demoness was captured by him."

After speaking, Xu Tianlin ignored the unpleasant expression of the cultivator You, turning his gaze towards Zhouyang and subtly gestured.

Being the nominal leader of this reinforcement for the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, Xu Tianlin naturally understood the past conflicts between the two sides and wanted to prevent their quarrels at this moment, thus avoiding offering cultivators like Nie Yushuang from the Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm a chance to mock us.

Zhouyang also understood this reason, so when Xu Tianlin gestured towards him, despite feeling somewhat frustrated being dragged into this matter, he had no choice but to nod and speak, "I have no confidence either, but since Master Xu has said so, I'll share my thoughts."

After speaking, he saw all the cultivators' eyes focused on him, then composed himself and continued, "The demoness won't confess most likely because she knows that even if she does, she won't escape death. Perhaps we could give her a glimmer of hope, promising that if she confesses, we would only suppress her rather than kill her outright. Maybe by doing so, she would confess to save her life."

After hearing these words, Nie Yushuang's originally hopeful gaze dimmed, shook her head in disappointment, and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou's method, I have considered. However, that demoness is truly greedy and insists we release her before she would confess, how could that be possible!"

Zhouyang originally just said these words because he was forced into the spotlight, and upon hearing Nie Yushuang's response, he followed up by saying, "Then kill her. Just as Elder Qingyang said, in front of all the cultivators below, I'll personally refine her with the Qianyang True Flame, making use of her!"

As soon as he said this, Xu Tianlin, who had hinted for him earlier to smooth over the situation, immediately chimed in, "Killing her is good as well, at least letting the cultivators below know that no matter how fiercely those demon cultivators act, the cultivation realm is ultimately still our realm, the grand trend remains on our side as cultivators, and those demons are just minor troubles, thinking they can shake the grand trend of the cultivation realm is a delusion!"

With these two influential figures saying this, and with the support of Master Cyan Yang and Shen Menglong, even the cultivator You was left speechless.

Nie Yushuang saw this, pondered for a moment, secretly communicated with some Nascent Soul cultivators from the Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm through transmission, and finally made up her mind, nodding in agreement, "Since all Fellow Daoists agree to this approach, let's proceed!"

After the matter was decided, all the cultivators dispersed.

Just as Xiao Ying finished treating some of the severely injured in the city and had some free time, Zhouyang accompanied her to stroll around the area near Ice City, taking in the unique scenery of the ice field.

However, after only five days of their outing, Nie Yushuang urgently sent a message asking Zhouyang to return to Ice City to discuss important matters.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, today Junior Brother Chen, as per my prior instructions, used torture on that witch to extract a confession. She suddenly spoke, saying that if we do not release her, we will regret it for the rest of our lives!"

"She spoke with such conviction that Junior Brother Chen felt it wasn't false, so he sent a message asking me to deal with it. Yet, no matter how I pressed her, she refused to explain, insisting that I promise to release her before she would speak."

"Naturally, I cannot release her and even mentioned carrying out an execution two days later. After a period of silence, she said she wanted to meet you, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

"I thought this might be a breakthrough, so I contacted you, Fellow Daoist Zhou. If I have disturbed you, I hope you can forgive me."

Inside Ice City, once Nie Yushuang saw Zhouyang return, he immediately relayed the reason for calling him back and even bowed apologetically.

Seeing this, Zhouyang waved his hand and replied, "Master Nie is too polite. With such an urgent matter, why speak of disturbance? I will accompany you to meet the witch as soon as possible."

"Then please follow me, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Nie Yushuang nodded and led Zhouyang to the underground ice prison holding the witch.

This ice prison, built deep beneath Ice City, was heavily fortified, the most secure facility in the entire city, specifically constructed to hold the witch Huan Qianqian.

Upon entering the prison with Nie Yushuang, Zhouyang saw the demoness Huan Qianqian chained to an ice pillar, her body covered in wounds as if sliced by blades, with layers of white frost embedded in each wound to prevent them from healing.

Being a Nascent Soul Cultivator, her physique was extraordinary and unworldly, with life force reaching superhuman levels, allowing her to cling to life.

When Zhouyang and Nie Yushuang entered, Huan Qianqian, who had been drooping her head with her eyes closed, immediately looked up, revealing a face also covered in wounds. Her expression was calm, devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Demon, Fellow Daoist Zhou is here as requested. Can you confess now?"

Nie Yushuang made the first move, speaking out as he saw no sign of the demoness addressing them first.

Unexpectedly, Huan Qianqian chuckled lightly at this, "Hehe, Fellow Daoist Nie, why the rush? If you're sincere, you might as well retract the power you left in my wounds. I might feel comfortable enough to confess then!"

Her laugh caused the meat flaps on her face, connected yet sliced layers, to tremble, creating a gruesome sight.

Even Zhouyang, who had seen mountains of corpses, felt slightly unwell seeing this.

Only Nie Yushuang, with an unchanged expression, coldly remarked, "If you want comfort, that's easy. But if you don't confess today, this body of yours might as well be food for the wolves!"

With a wave of his sleeve, the frost in her wounds melted into chilling water.

The bitter cold water trickled down, causing the fleshy flaps around each wound to shiver with pain, yet the witch did not utter a single groan, earning Zhouyang's respect for her resilience.

Once the water was drained, her body's self-healing ability activated, slowly scabbing over each wound. Her bone marrow's blood production went into overdrive, rapidly generating new blood to fill the injuries.

Impatient, Nie Yushuang urged coldly, "Enough, I've met your demand. Now, confess truthfully."

Having suffered greatly under his hands, the demoness knew he wasn't a patient man and feared further torture.

Without further tricks, she fixed her gaze on Zhouyang and asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, have you examined the items in my storage ring? You've surely browsed through the secret techniques in the jade scrolls?"

Zhouyang frowned, unclear of her intent, and simply retorted, "I have no time for riddles. Be direct, no guessing games."

"It's simple. Since you refuse to release me, and I am unwilling to perish or be suppressed for life, let's compromise. I will reveal all I know and accept your 'Soul Seizing Technique' for constraint and command. In return, you, Fellow Daoist Zhou, must swear by your Dao Heart not to kill or suppress me afterward!"

Huan Qianqian's eyes flashed with a strange color as she looked at Zhouyang with a charming smile and revealed her own plans.

Upon hearing her words, Zhouyang's expression immediately changed.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, may I ask what is the 'Soul Capturing Method'?"

Nie Yushuang looked at Zhouyang, whose expression had slightly changed, and her lips moved slightly, directly transmitting the question to him.

Zhouyang knew that it wouldn't work if he didn't let Nie Yushuang know about this matter, and even if he didn't speak, the witch Huan Qianqian might not keep it hidden.

So he had no choice but to inform her about the function and pros and cons of the 'Soul Capturing Method'.

And since the discussion had reached this point, he simply looked at Huan Qianqian the witch and said, "I don't have the inclination to keep demon cultivators as pets. Since you're willing to accept the confinement of the 'Soul Capturing Method', I'll just tell Fellow Daoist Nie about this secret technique and let her perform the spell on you."

Saying this, Zhouyang naturally chose to selectively forget about his past dealings with ghost cultivators.

After all, he was unwilling to keep a demonic cultivator with a Nascent Soul cultivation like Huan Qianqian around, lest one day raising a tiger would lead to disaster, and he would suffer her backlash.

After all, he had obtained the 'Soul Capturing Method' from her, and there was no guarantee there wasn't some secret technique to undo the control.

Demonic techniques are peculiar, and Zhouyang couldn't help but be careful.

And when Nie Yushuang heard his words, she was both surprised and somewhat tempted but hesitated to agree outright due to pride.

However, neither of them expected that upon hearing Zhouyang's words, Huan Qianqian directly shook her head and said, "That won't do. Fellow Daoist Nie has reached a dead end in progression, with a lifespan of less than three hundred years. A Dao Heart Oath holds no bind over him, and I wouldn't dare stake my life on it."

Nie Yushuang's face immediately turned icy cold, looking at the witch coldly, wishing to administer the harshest punishment to show her the consequence of speaking such words about her.

Upon hearing Huan Qianqian's words, Zhouyang was further convinced that she had ulterior motives, and quickly continued, "Even if Fellow Daoist Nie is not suitable, we can use another Daoist. To my knowledge, Fellow Daoist Nie's junior brother, Fellow Daoist Chen, has a lifespan of nearly two thousand years and still has great potential for progress."

"What Fellow Daoist Zhou says is true, but that Fellow Daoist Chen's cultivation realm is equivalent to mine. Even if I'm willing to cooperate with him to display the 'Soul Capturing Method', he might not dare to control me, given that my divine sense is much stronger than his, with a significant chance of backlash!"

At the end of her sentence, Huan Qianqian couldn't help but reveal a faint smile as she looked at Nie Yushuang.

Sure enough, Nie Yushuang's expression, already unpleasant, became even more unsightly after hearing those words, with no response to Zhouyang.

Zhouyang's expression was as if he stepped on dog faeces, and he candidly stated, "Sorry, I don't want to raise a tiger to invite disaster."

Though curious about the demon cultivators' plot, he wasn't noble enough to strap a ticking time bomb onto himself for answers.

If he did indeed meet the demands of Huan Qianqian the witch, he feared he would have trouble sleeping, constantly wary of her potential backlash against him.

However, the witch Huan Qianqian seemed firm on her trait, smiling at him as she remarked, "Fellow Daoist Zhou might be lacking confidence. You were able to severely damage my primordial spirit with divine sense attacks alone; from what I see, your divine sense's strength might not be below Fellow Daoist Nie's!"

"So what? I may not be afraid of your tricks, but there's no reason to seek trouble; I wouldn't unnecessarily add troubles for myself."

Zhouyang's eyes turned cold, coldly staring at the smiling witch, while his words aimed to make his stance known to Nie Yushuang.

He was not a subordinate to Nie Yushuang; as long as he didn't agree, no one could compel him to obey any orders.

Nie Yushuang naturally understood his words, furrowing her brow even deeper.

The witch Huan Qianqian upon seeing this, couldn't help but chuckled charmingly, "Well, I can't care that much anymore. I've laid out my conditions for you; how you handle it is up to you. Don't blame me for not warning you—if you drag on too long, the regret will come too late once things happen!"

"Humph, stop putting on airs; Zhouyang thinks you're just messing with us, not honestly trying to confess!"

Zhouyang coldly snorted, berating the witch in an acrimonious tone, and with a wave of his hand, a golden true flame flew towards the witch.

Seeing this scene, Nie Yushuang's expression flickered but ultimately did not stop him from torturing the witch.

Under the burning of the golden true flame, the smile on the witch's face vanished completely. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Even though she bit back on any moans of agony, the injuries on her body that hadn't fully healed turned raw and festering.

After scorching most of the witch's skin, Zhouyang finally withdrew the true flame and coldly said, "I'd advise you to stop playing tricks and honestly disclose everything you know, or you will face far greater agony if you're publicly executed later!"

"You can kill me now, but my conditions remain unchanged; if you don't believe, go ahead and kill me!"

Raising her charred face, Huan Qianqian's eyes were full of cold smiles, unwilling to yield a step.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Nie Yushuang called out Zhouyang, and with a wave of her hand, she shielded herself and Zhouyang from Huan Qianqian's perception through sight and sound.

"I understand Fellow Daoist Zhou's concerns, but capturing this witch for our use would indeed greatly assist us in removing the demon calamity. I hope Fellow Daoist Zhou will consider the larger picture and be tolerant."

"Of course, I know I can't command Fellow Daoist Zhou, yet asking you to agree to the witch's condition and take such a risk naturally comes with compensation!"

"Please don't be quick to refuse; read through the contents of the jade slip first. If you agree, I can promise that you can choose anything from it as compensation!"

Facing Zhouyang's gaze filled with questions, Nie Yushuang didn't resort to empty words, sincerely expressing her opinion and handing the jade slip into his hand.

Witnessing this, Zhouyang's expression shifted repeatedly, gazing into Nie Yushuang's earnest eyes for a long moment before silently releasing his divine sense to examine the information contained within the jade slip.

The jade slip detailed information on twenty to thirty treasures, each one enticing enough even for Nascent Soul cultivators.

There were ready-made Tier Six Spiritual Artifacts, Ten-thousand-year-old Spirit Elixirs to refine Tier Six Spirit Pills, rare artifact refining materials, and even the demon pill of a Tier Six Demon King alongside Top-grade Spirit Stones!

Examining each item one by one, Zhouyang's gaze finally fell upon a familiar treasure.

[Ice Tear Flower], a rare treasure capable of aiding Golden Core Stage cultivators in overcoming the 'Heart Demon Tribulation'. Zhouyang had successfully transcended the 'Heart Demon Tribulation' to form his Nascent Soul thanks to this treasure.

It was beyond his expectation that he would encounter a second [Ice Tear Flower] in his lifetime and have the chance to obtain it.

Having personally used this treasure, he understood its value more than anyone else.

Therefore, upon seeing the treasure's name, he decided to agree to Nie Yushuang's request.

Performing the 'Soul Capturing Method' on the witch Huan Qianqian might risk her backlash, yet Zhouyang was confident that even if she had a secret technique to break free from control, she wouldn't possibly backlash against his primordial spirit.

Despite Huan Qianqian's intelligence, she wouldn't anticipate Zhouyang possessing a Primordial Spiritual Treasure that could defend and nurture his primordial spirit.

At most, he intended to imprison the witch after capturing her as a servant, within [Donglai Immortal Island], preventing her from causing harm once the demonic calamity in the Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm is cleared.

After his decision, Zhouyang returned the jade slip to Nie Yushuang and solemnly stated, "Since Master Nie has gone to these measures, I'm not ungrateful. I'll agree to the master's request, asking only for the master to grant me the [Ice Tear Flower], allowing my wife to safely attempt forming her Nascent Soul!"

Upon hearing his words, Nie Yushuang's heart finally settled, promptly saluting, "Fellow Daoist Zhou sees the bigger picture; for that, Nie is immeasurably grateful. I've also heard much about your wife's life-saving actions in the city. If the [Ice Tear Flower] can aid your wife in forming a Nascent Soul, that would be a worthy use!"

Although speaking thusly, Nie Yushuang inwardly felt a pang of pain.

The jade slip's myriad treasures weren't solely owned by the Profound Nether Immortal Sect, but compiled from various sects within the Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm to combat the demonic calamity.

Unfortunately, the [Ice Tear Flower] was exclusively held by his Profound Nether Immortal Sect.