"Ah..." A pained shriek escaped Ye Jingyu's lips as tongues of fire erupted from within him, desperately trying to incinerate the clinging resentments. Yet, perhaps due to his exhaustion, the flames, though brilliant, lacked any true searing power, making them utterly incapable of clearing the malevolent wisps.

Seeing Ye Jingyu in such agony, Luo Ling'er felt her very heart shatter. Why was she so useless? Why couldn't she do anything to help him? Why was she forced to watch him suffer for her sake?

It seemed as though all the hardship had always been shouldered by him alone. She was his wife, but what had she ever truly done for him?

Perhaps the things she had done for him didn't even measure up to what a mere courtesan might offer.

Luo Ling'er's body moved swiftly to Ye Jingyu’s side. She opened her arms and tightly embraced him, tears continuously tracing paths down her cheeks as she softly choked out his name in muffled sobs.

It was a call, perhaps a confession, but Ye Jingyu, besieged by countless resentments, felt nothing beyond the searing pain.

This was the terror of the Reversed Netherworld Blood-Piercing Spear: no matter how immense one's power, once struck, one could only endure the agony of being devoured by vengeful spirits.

Meanwhile, Xuanyuan Ruoxing in the sky began chanting his incantations once more, his free hand continuously drawing arcane symbols in the void. He was determined to kill Ye Jingyu; he would grant him no quarter.

As for the potential death of a beauty like Luo Ling'er, he didn't care in the slightest; a pregnant woman held no allure for him.

Sensing the immense pressure gathering in the sky, the expressions of several people shifted drastically. Luo Ling'er's wide eyes darted from Zhuge Siyu's ashen face to Hei Ming Shixuan, who was still gasping for breath, then glanced at the slumbering Taotie, finally settling on Ye Jingyu’s convulsing form.

Xuanyuan Ruoxing was utterly resolved to slay Ye Jingyu. He had already fought through successive battles; he lacked the strength to confront Xuanyuan Ruoxing again. Ye Jingyu had already done far too much for her; she could not let him pay any more.

"Little Ye Zi, you have sacrificed so much for Ling'er, done so many things for her sake. This time, let Ling'er do one thing for you!" she murmured softly, handing the small figure of Tao Tao resting on her shoulder over to Hei Ming Shixuan.

Ye Jingyu's body trembled. He struggled to look at Luo Ling'er, and in her eyes—pure, untainted by any impurity—he saw a terrifying, resolute glint.

"Don't..." Ye Jingyu suddenly realized something, reaching out with his right hand to grasp Luo Ling'er, but she was already soaring into the sky.

"With my own blood as the conduit, open the gates of the Abyss! With my soul as the offering, summon the descent of power..." A string of incantations flowed from Luo Ling'er’s lips, and upon hearing them, Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s face contorted in shock.

This was a top-secret Blood Curse, known only among the three great families. Legend claimed that activating this curse could draw upon the power of the demons from the infernal abyss to defeat one's foes. However, once used, one's soul would be seized by the demons, enslaved forever until the very moment of utter annihilation—a fate a hundred times more agonizing than simple soul dissipation, even more wretched than being cast into the eighteenth level of hell...

Demons—these were not the fiends of the Demon Realm. Rumor had it that every demon possessed the energy to shatter heaven and earth, requiring only the primordial deities of ancient legends to contend with them.

Yet, such a blood curse was known only to the Xuanyuan, Nanfeng, and Tuoba families. How could she possibly know it? Ah, yes—the remnants of the Nanfeng family lived within the Nanyun Empire; they must have told her.

After a fleeting moment of astonishment, Xuanyuan Ruoxing composed himself. Even if the curse were real, given Luo Ling'er’s cultivation, having not yet passed her first Heavenly Tribulation, how potent could the power she summoned truly be? At most, it would elevate her strength by two or three realms. Should he fear a True Immortal of the Third or Fourth Tribulation?

But as Luo Ling'er’s voice dropped, a black fissure tore open in the void. A surge of boundless black light shot straight toward her, instantly causing the aura surrounding Luo Ling'er to shift and climb.

First Tribulation, Second Tribulation, Third Tribulation, Fourth Tribulation...

Fifth Tribulation, Sixth Tribulation...

When her aura reached the Sixth Tribulation True Immortal realm, Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s face changed entirely. How could she summon such terrifying strength? She was merely a Soul Immortal! Wasn't the rumor that it could only boost power by three or four realms at most?

Little did Xuanyuan Ruoxing know, although Luo Ling'er was only an ordinary Soul Immortal, she possessed the Pure Spirit Body. Never mind that she was a Soul Immortal—even if she were a mere mortal, trading her soul with a demon could secure enough power to annihilate any Martial God expert.

After all, the Pure Spirit Body was like a diamond, while an ordinary soul was mere scrap iron. Even a tiny sliver of diamond could procure a vast quantity of scrap iron.

Soon, the aura emanating from Luo Ling'er neared the Ninth Tribulation True Immortal level. Xuanyuan Ruoxing could no longer remain seated. He pointed a single finger, and the ancient sword shot forth, instantly piercing through Luo Ling'er’s body...

"Hmph..." Luo Ling'er merely grunted, continuing her chant. The power surging through her climbed relentlessly, even as her physical form began to disintegrate—a fate only averted by the very power she channeled, which was struggling to maintain her flesh.

Watching Luo Ling'er madly accept the power summoned from another dimension, Ye Jingyu's expression warped in alarm. He ignored everything, forcefully activating his Thunder Acupoint, Star Acupoint, and Fire Eye Acupoint. His three Golden Cores showed signs of exploding.

Boundless flames erupted, terrifying lightning surged forth, and silvery starlight scattered everywhere, relentlessly dissolving the encroaching black resentments.

Luo Ling'er's current strength had already reached the Ninth Tribulation, perhaps even the Venerable level. Cracks were spider-webbing across her body, and large amounts of bright crimson blood seeped out—a sight even more tragic than Ye Jingyu’s suffering—yet, her face was lit by a look of exquisitely beautiful happiness.

Finally, just this once, she could do something for him.

"With the breath of the Earth as the bow, With the might of the Heavens as the string, Forging the essence of ten thousand stars as the arrow! Heaven and Earth Star Spirit Arrow!"

Luo Ling'er whispered the incantation softly—this was the very first Soul Art Ye Jingyu had taught her, and the one she knew best.

A colossal black bow manifested in the void, drawing in immense power. A black arrow of light appeared upon the string. This was no mere construct of starlight; it was an arrow forged from the essence of demonic power.

The arrow did not even need to be loosed; the sheer, crushing pressure it exerted had already cast Xuanyuan Ruoxing into despair...