=== Chapter 55 ===
Seeing Yan Changqing die, Ding Songyan did not immediately pull out his dagger; instead, he pressed it deeper into the man’s skull and twisted it.
This was not out of excessive hatred, but because he feared that this former sect master of the Absolute Saint Path might not be truly dead.
As a man who lacked the strength to truss a chicken, he could hardly withstand any further turmoil, and even with that final "breath" of energy remaining, he felt no confidence.
Seeing that Yan Changqing no longer moved, Ding Songyan carefully withdrew the dagger and stared at the corpse, checking it over and over again.
Hoo... He finally set his mind at ease and cast his gaze toward the remains of Chaos that extended from Yan Changqing’s stomach:
A yellow, sac-like object, within which seemed to burn a crimson flame, with a core of utter darkness.
Ding Songyan did not hesitate. He first wiped the blade clean with Yan Changqing’s cyan Lanshan robe, then plunged the dagger into the remains of Chaos.
Just as he had told Yan Changqing earlier, such a divine object must be consumed immediately; there could not be the slightest possibility of leaving it for others.
Moreover, once consumed, he would have the power to break the deadlock when facing enemies like Ji Hanyi.
If the Dingjiang Prefecture or the Xiaoming Sect could not tolerate him because of it, then as a master of the Dharma Realm, the world was vast—where could he not go?
The dagger pierced the yellow sac as if it were rotting flesh. Ding Songyan exerted force through his wrist and swiftly carved off a quarter of it.
He had learned from Yan Changqing’s lesson and decided to eat a smaller portion first. If it were not enough, he could always have more. He must not be assimilated by the overbearing and peculiar nature of Chaos and end up a tragedy.
Everyone makes mistakes, but it is best not to repeat the mistakes others have made, especially when that person has just died right in front of you.
After cutting off twenty-five percent of the remains of Chaos, Ding Songyan noticed that the surface of his steel dagger had become pitted and scarred; it no longer shimmered with cold light and appeared unusually dull.
"Can, can this thing really be eaten?" Ding Songyan only dared to grip the surface of the yellow sac, not daring to touch the flames or the darkness within.
Thinking that even a grandmaster like Yan Changqing had eaten it, he took a deep breath and prepared to raise his left arm to bring the small portion of the remains of Chaos to his mouth.
At that moment, his entire body stiffened. He wanted to raise his arm, but forgot to do so; he wanted to move, but forgot how to act. The dagger clattered to the floor.
A figure strolled leisurely into the room, wearing a scallion-white, silver-trimmed, straight-collared, front-opening short shirt and a light, goose-yellow silk skirt, her black, glossy hair hanging down.
Ji Hanyi.
The demoness has arrived so quickly... Ding Songyan struggled to turn his body, but he could no longer eat the remains of Chaos, nor could he launch an attack against Ji Hanyi.
It was not that he believed he could do anything to the demoness with his final "breath," but he hoped to force her back a step to create an opportunity to consume the remains of Chaos. Furthermore, if a clash at the Dharma Realm level occurred, the commotion would inevitably be impossible to conceal, and the official masters would immediately pinpoint their location and rush over.
Regrettably, Ding Songyan had no intention of attacking Ji Hanyi at all—not because he truly lacked the intent, but because he forgot the moment he was about to put it into action.
With Yan Changqing no longer there to help him suppress Ji Hanyi’s Heavenly Heart Mark, he was nothing more than an ordinary man.
Ji Hanyi did not look at Ding Songyan. She walked lightly to Yan Changqing’s corpse, reached out to take the remains of Chaos, and said with a faint smile:
"Master, in truth, I also coveted the divine object you retrieved from the Heavenly Emperor’s palace. Otherwise, I wouldn't have given you the chance to speak just now and allowed you to stall for time.
"My thoughts were the same as Zhen Qianfan’s: we both hoped to let you escape briefly, surrounded only by ordinary people, to see if that would make you lower your guard and reveal the location of the divine object. The difference is that Zhen Qianfan only trusts himself, yet lacks the necessary state of mind and is easily influenced by martial arts like the 'Great Method of Thousand Changes and Myriad Transformations to Charm the World,' whereas I chose to place my bet on Second Young Master Ding."
Me? Ding Songyan had not expected the demoness to believe that an ordinary man like him could turn the tables.
However, she had indeed used the Heavenly Heart Mark to help him at a critical moment.
Because the demoness currently viewed him as nothing, Ding Songyan finally calmed his mind, and his thoughts began to race:
This is currently the home turf of the official authorities. The longer I can stall, the more chance I have of survival...
Wait, although I cannot attack the demoness now, and I have "forgotten" to flee, and I have no desire to "eat," it seems I can still do other things...
When it comes down to it, the demoness and I have no deep-seated grudge. As long as I don't get in her way, it seems she doesn't necessarily have to kill me...
Besides, she has already been exposed to the official authorities; there is no possibility of me leaking her secrets...
I even helped her kill Yan Changqing and assisted her in obtaining the remains of Chaos!
I am the one with the grudge, not her.
Uh, then I must hide this mass of the remains of Chaos in my hand. I am truly unwilling to just hand it over to the demoness like this. She didn't even look at me just now, so she shouldn't have noticed... There is plenty left for her to eat; eating any more would just lead her to repeat her master’s mistake...
Thinking of this, Ding Songyan gripped his left hand tighter, shielding the small, already meager portion of the remains of Chaos completely.
He still felt uneasy and suddenly remembered something.
He had once sent copper coins into the Netherworld and retrieved them after a while.
"If I hide this mass of the remains of Chaos in the Netherworld, the demoness will certainly never guess or discover it." Ding Songyan quickly made his decision. "Once I’ve hidden it, I’ll chat with the demoness. We’ve spent quite a few days together; even if the act was fake, there might be a shred of truth in our connection. Letting an ordinary man like me go won't affect her... At the very least, it’s a way to stall for time..."
Ding Songyan quickly transferred the clear, misty "seed" within his Sea of Consciousness to the center of his brow.
Once again, he saw the smoke-like darkness and the boundless wilderness, the wandering ghosts, and the blank, spiritless "Yan Changqing."
At this moment, Ji Hanyi had already taken the large mass of the remains of Chaos. She continued to look at Yan Changqing’s corpse and said with a beaming smile:
"It was worth it to value Second Young Master Ding. Before my Heavenly Heart Mark took effect, he had already figured out the crux of the matter himself and even obtained the Candlelit Sword Intent of the Xiaoming Sect in advance. I only needed to suppress your Heavenly Heart Mark at the right moment.
"Master, you surely never expected that you, who dominated the world for a lifetime, would end up dying at the hands of an ordinary man with no martial arts. What a great irony.
"You must be regretting your own impatience, revealing a flaw that was spotted by Second Young Master Ding. Heh, this was no coincidence.
"I intentionally used Second Young Master Ding to pass the news of the Heavenly Emperor’s palace to the Xiaoming Sect and the Great Zhao imperial court on the final night. In this way, today there would surely be grandmasters, or even Extraordinary Beings, arriving. Your mastery of the art of calculation is so profound that you must have calculated that this very moment was your only chance to escape, leaving you with no desire to stall or wait for variables. How could you not be anxious?
"Once a person is anxious, they are prone to mistakes. Moreover, you looked down on an ordinary man like Second Young Master Ding from the bottom of your heart, never thinking he could pose a threat to you, so naturally, you were not cautious enough when dealing with him..."
So, telling me that the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas was complete was just to make me leak the information, and only after all preparations were in place... Ding Songyan sighed inwardly at how devious the demoness was, while quietly moving a few steps toward the side of the corpse.
Because he had not thought of trying to escape, he completed this maneuver smoothly.
His current position was right in front of several black stone pillars, which were covered in small, weathered holes.
Ding Songyan hurriedly transferred the clear, misty "seed" to his left hand and successfully felt the bone-chilling, icy wind.
Bit by bit, he extended his left palm behind him, using his body as cover, and stuffed the small yellow sac into a hole on the surface of the stone pillar.
Then, he released his fingers, and after confirming that the remains of Chaos had not fallen out, he slowly retracted his left palm.
The smile on Ji Hanyi’s face gradually faded. She looked at Yan Changqing’s corpse and sighed:
"It is a pity that I did not kill you with my own hands."
You could always stab him a few more times... Ding Songyan felt his heart tremble.
Ji Hanyi held the large mass of the remains of Chaos in one hand, turned her body, and cast her gaze toward Ding Songyan.
"Miss Ji." Ding Songyan squeezed out a smile.
A great man knows when to yield and when to stand tall!
Ji Hanyi giggled, like summer flowers melting winter ice.
"That sounds so distant." With a smile, she walked step by step to Ding Songyan’s side.
I can't exactly call you 'little sister' anymore, can I? Ding Songyan was at a loss for how to respond.
Ji Hanyi suddenly leaned forward, bringing her head close to his ear.
Ding Songyan immediately caught a faint, ethereal fragrance and saw half of her clean, beautiful face.
"Second Brother." Ji Hanyi whispered with a laugh, "Guess, when you tried to send the copper coins into the Netherworld and then retrieved them, was I watching from the shadows?"
Ding Songyan’s gaze froze instantly.
At that moment, he felt his thoughts about to congeal.
This demoness is truly terrifying!
He immediately wanted to retrieve the small mass of the remains of Chaos, then see if he could use his survival instinct to protect himself with that final breath of energy when Ji Hanyi tried to kill him, creating an opportunity to consume the divine object.
Ji Hanyi stood up straight, her beautiful eyes turning to sweep across Ding Songyan.
Ding Songyan immediately forgot his thought of reaching behind him to touch the stone pillar.
Ji Hanyi put her hands behind her back and said to him with a smile:
"Second Brother, are you wondering why I value you so much and often follow you in secret?"
"Miss Hanyi, I do have that question." Ding Songyan forced himself to pull his spirits together.
Stall for as long as I can!
Ji Hanyi tilted her head slightly to look at him, her smile blooming like a flower.
She said in a light, airy tone:
"The person I killed with my own hands suddenly came back to life in front of me—how could I not be curious and value you?"
Ding Songyan’s heart sank instantly; his whole being felt as if it had plummeted into an ice cellar, and even his soul was not spared.
So, everything I did was seen by the demoness...
I previously only guessed they were confused as to why I didn't die; I never expected they had witnessed it with their own eyes...
"How exactly did that happen?" Ji Hanyi rested her cheek on her right hand, which was not holding the remains of Chaos, and asked with bright, smiling eyes.
Hearing this, Ding Songyan actually considered for a moment whether to reveal the truth of his transmigration to enhance his mystery and importance in the demoness’s eyes, hoping to escape this calamity.
But just then, Ji Hanyi’s right palm extended, seemingly to stroke the top of Ding Songyan’s head.
Ding Songyan’s soul nearly left his body, and he struggled with all his might against the Heavenly Heart Mark, trying to use the clear, misty "seed" to protect himself.
Ji Hanyi suddenly tapped her toes and flew backward, landing at the doorway of the room amidst a light laugh.
Her goose-yellow skirt fluttered, and she turned to smile enchantingly at the stunned Ding Songyan:
"I’ve had a lot of fun these past few days. I’ll let you live for a while longer."
With that, Ji Hanyi walked with her hands behind her back and a light step into the dim courtyard, where the heavy rain was still falling, and soon disappeared from Ding Songyan’s sight.
"..." Ding Songyan remained dazed.
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