Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 705 - 349: Do Not Ascend at All Costs!_2

Chapter 705: Chapter 349: Do Not Ascend at All Costs!_2

The spectral hands seemed to possess a lifeforce of their own, slowly extending toward the ground and tightly entangling the shadow cast by Jiang Shouzhong’s fallen figure, creating an eerie and suffocating atmosphere.

Jiang Shouzhong seemed unaware of all this.

Yet his face displayed an expression of profound pain, and his lips continued to chant the floating words, as if he had succumbed to possession.

The dark liquid surrounding him began to writhe, showing signs of agitation.

Black vein-like lines started to appear across Jiang Shouzhong’s body.

The Taoist Ancestor watched this scene with an emotionless expression, gazing at the possessed Jiang Shouzhong, and a sinister, pleased smile curved at the corner of his lips involuntarily.

His body trembled slightly.

As if an insidious plan had succeeded, he was brimming with excitement.

"A mantis stalking the cicada is no match for a rabbit lying in wait... Oh, East Emperor, East Emperor, the prey you hunted so arduously has delivered itself right to your doorstep, hasn’t it?"

"Back then, all eighty-one Immortals of Upper Constellation willingly descended to the Lower Realm, sacrificing their Primordial Spirits to possess mortals, intending to share in this prey. And the result? Heh, all of them perished."

"Heaven and earth are merciless, treating all living things as mere straw dogs. Saints are merciless, treating the people as straw dogs... Excess words lead to calamity. Better to let Shouzhong... better to let Shouzhong bear it all, wouldn’t you agree?"

Looking at Jiang Shouzhong, who grew increasingly tormented yet remained powerless to resist, the Taoist Ancestor burst into laughter, his laugh becoming more and more frenzied.

Just then, a burst of golden light erupted from Jiang Shouzhong’s chest.

——

In the Capital.

Deep within the Blood Pool Array of the Underground Palace, Ran Qingchen’s stunningly beautiful face was distorted into an agonized grimace.

On the surface, she appeared unchanged.

But upon closer scrutiny, one would find her facial features had grown slightly sharper, losing their softness and gaining a piercing darkness.

Her aura grew increasingly oppressive and filled with malice.

And yet, a trace of clarity still lingered in her eyes.

The Asura Queen sat leisurely nearby.

Observing the girl enduring endless torment, she sneered and said:

"Still so stubborn, unwilling to hate that man, unwilling to abandon those false bonds of kinship. I truly don’t understand what you’re holding onto—what’s the point?"

Ran Qingchen did not respond.

She no longer had the strength to refute.

The girl struggled to cling to the thin thread of rationality within herself, her body trembling uncontrollably under the agony, sweat dripping rhythmically onto the stone platform, mixing with the blood seeping from beneath her nails.

The blood in the Blood Pool had lightened significantly.

But streams of Blood Qi continued to flow into the girl’s body, gnawing away at her sanity.

The Asura Queen crouched in front of the girl, her smile sweet yet mocking:

"You’re suffering such extreme torment here, enduring the cruelest pain for that man, and what is that man doing now?

Oh, that’s right! He must be enjoying himself, embracing your stepsister and other women, making babies in bed. Ah, my poor Qingchen, how pitiful you are—you deserve better..."

The black mist around Ran Qingchen intensified in its movement.

The clarity in her eyes began to fade, bit by bit.

The Asura Queen continued her verbal assault, breaking down the girl’s mental defenses:

"You gave that man your sincerity, yet he deceived you from start to finish. You trusted your master, but your master only sought to use you.

You thought the old matriarch of the Ran Family truly cared for you, yet in her eyes, you were merely a tool to uphold the family name.

You sought comfort in Jiang Wan’s maternal love, but you weren’t even her biological daughter; she only used you, implanting the Heartless Sword Heart inside you to hone her blade.

Your beloved stepsister came specifically to steal your man on your wedding day.

Qingchen, what did you do wrong? Why do they treat you this way? In their eyes, are you truly worth no more than a dog? Do you deserve to live for them?"

Ran Qingchen suddenly clutched at her chest.

The girl’s fingers turned alabaster white due to her excessive grip.

Then, a heart-wrenching scream erupted from her lips, echoing through the cold and shadowy space.

She spat a mouthful of fresh blood.

Pushing hard against her heart, it felt as though an invisible, titanic hand had gripped it tight and plunged it into a bone-chillingly cold abyss.

But the pain seemed to originate from somewhere else.

Or rather, from someone else’s body entirely.

Ran Qingchen couldn’t afford to think further; all she could do was desperately endure, desperately hold onto the fragile shards of her sanity.

"Looks like it’s working better and better."

Seeing the girl exhibit such rare, intense reactions, the Asura Queen’s face brimmed with mockery.

Getting this cursed girl to descend into possession was truly no easy feat.

She gently patted the girl’s trembling shoulder, her voice soft and coaxing:

"It’s not your fault; it’s theirs. It’s this world’s fault. Qingchen, stop making needless sacrifices. It’s not worth it. It’s time they paid the price."

...

On the high dais of the Astronomical Observatory, Emperor Zhou Chang frowned as he observed the scene through the mirror: "What’s happening to her?"

The elderly observatory chief glanced at the normally functioning array and speculated: "She probably can’t hold out anymore. It seems this girl is on the brink of succumbing to possession."

"The Asura Queen is influencing her state of mind, isn’t she?"

Emperor Zhou Chang said blandly.

Though outsiders couldn’t directly see the residual soul of the Asura Queen near Ran Qingchen, Zhou Chang could sense a foreign force affecting her.

The elderly chief gladly nodded: "That woman desires freedom above all else."

"Freedom..." Zhou Chang murmured, "Whether she receives it or not, lies in my hands alone."

At that moment, Zhao Wuxiu suddenly appeared on the dais.

"Yan Changqing is on his way to the Capital."

Zhao Wuxiu reported.

With his hands folded inside his sleeves, Zhou Chang showed no sign of surprise. He withdrew his gaze from the mirror and looked toward the distant horizon: "The scouts have already informed me. Do you think Yan Changqing will save his daughter?"

"If he intended to save her, he would have come long ago." Zhao Wuxiu replied.

Zhou Chang laughed: "Then is he coming this time to kill me? Minister Zhao, you had better prepare me a good coffin, lest I die without one."

Faced with Zhou Chang’s sarcasm, Zhao Wuxiu’s expression remained blank: "I will do my best to stop him."

"Do your best?"

Zhou Chang stared at him.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Wuxiu still refrained from uttering the word "certain," opting instead to repeat his earlier assurance: "I will do my best."

Zhou Chang laughed again.

But this time, the laugh was cold.

"Then do your best."

Zhou Chang clapped Zhao Wuxiu on the shoulder and descended the dais.

...

The girl lay sprawled on the ground, her entire body trembling violently like a leaf in the wind.

Black mist coiled around her layer by layer.

Blood as black as ink seeped from her seven orifices.

The Asura Queen inhaled the extreme darkness emanating from the girl’s body, her expression equal parts satisfied and delighted.

It was close.

The girl was close to breaking.

Soon, she could completely seize this Shura Body and achieve her true rebirth.

From then on, Ran Qingchen would cease to exist.

As for Emperor Zhou Chang’s petty scheming, she didn’t care.

She couldn’t accept that she would ever be controlled by him.

An emperor was still mortal. What skill could he possibly wield to make a Queen of the Asura Clan submit? Such an idea was laughable.

Thinking of this, the Asura Queen’s smile grew even wider.

"You’re happy, aren’t you?"

Ran Qingchen’s hoarse voice suddenly sounded.

The Asura Queen froze.

She raised her head and met the girl’s stare, only to see Ran Qingchen gazing directly at her with cold, emotionless eyes, threads of black lines swimming in her pupils as deep and frigid as an icy abyss.

Her chest emitted a burst of golden light.

Had the transformation succeeded?

The Asura Queen frowned slightly in suspicion.

Before she could react, a slender pale hand suddenly pierced through her residual soul.

The next instant, the hand unleashed some powerful force of suction, causing the woman’s soul to unravel, pulling it apart like fibers stripped from silk.

"What are you doing!?"

Realizing her soul was being irreparably consumed, the Asura Queen’s heart sank in horror.

Furious and panicked, she tried to resist, but found herself completely immobilized.

What was happening?

How could this occur?

The once triumphant Asura Queen felt fear for the first time.

"In this world, there can only be one Shura..."

Ran Qingchen’s lips curved into a sensuous, chillingly beautiful smile, her fingers clenching mercilessly as the Asura Queen emitted a hideous scream, her soul crumpling like a shattered piece of paper.

"And it won’t be you!"