Record of a Demon's Cultivation Chapter 1517: Ominous News

"You're Senior Ji Yin..." Yan Yuyan's voice trembled slightly with emotion.

Her tense nerves immediately relaxed a fraction.

Though she hadn't been close to Ji Yin in the Lower Realm, they had never been enemies or had conflicting interests. His sudden rescue couldn't be for ulterior motives.

Moreover, the oppressive aura he had just released indicated that Ji Yin's cultivation had reached at least the Void Refinement Stage.

With such a powerful acquaintance offering assistance, her immediate safety seemed assured.

"Senior Ji Yin, what happened to your appearance?" Yan Yuyan asked.1

"Just a disguise for convenience," Song Wen replied, pulling out a jade bottle and tossing it to Yan Yuyan. "Here are some Healing Pills. You'll probably need them."

Fifth-tier Healing Pills were now useless to Song Wen, so giving them to Yan Yuyan was the best use for them.

"Thank you," Yan Yuyan said, accepting the bottle without hesitation. She poured out two pills and swallowed them.

At that moment, sounds rose from the ground below them. The six pursuers who had been chasing Yan Yuyan were still alive, though severely injured, and were struggling to rise from the stone pit.

An invisible force immediately radiated from Song Wen, enveloping the six cultivators below.

In an instant, the six, who hadn't even regained their footing, were slammed back to the ground, their bodies crushed under the immense pressure. Their bones cracked audibly, blood trickled from their mouths and noses, and they couldn't even lift their heads.

"Which faction do you belong to? Why are you pursuing her?" Song Wen's voice was low, yet it pierced clearly into each cultivator's ears.

"Senior, we are from the Wei Clan of Wuyan City," a male cultivator in the mid-stage of Divine Transformation pleaded, his voice trembling as he was forced to prostrate himself. "Please, Senior, spare our lives for the Wei Clan's sake."

"The Wei Clan?" Song Wen's tone turned icy. "Didn't I warn you not to pursue her again? How dare you defy my orders?"

"Senior... please calm your anger! We received orders from the clan three days ago to escort the ascended one. Since then, no new instructions have been issued," the male cultivator stammered in terror.

"The Wei Clan? Their audacity knows no bounds," Song Wen sneered.

Before his words faded, the oppressive force crushing the six cultivators surged violently.

Their bodies shattered into a pulpy mess, splattering across the ground like pools of blood and flesh.

Yan Yuyan's eyelids twitched slightly at the sight.

Ji Yin's power far exceeded her expectations.

He had ascended only three hundred years ago. How had he cultivated such terrifying strength in such a short time?

"This isn't the place for conversation, Fellow Daoist Yan. Please follow me. I have two companions nearby. After we meet them, you can close yourself off to recuperate."

Song Wen spoke calmly and slowly rose into the air.

"I will follow Senior Ji Yin's lead in all matters," Yan Yuyan replied hastily, hurrying to catch up.

"Ah, Fellow Daoist Yan, there's something I wanted to ask you," Song Wen said casually as they flew.

"Please ask, Senior," Yan Yuyan replied.

"My senior sister—Zhou Siyi—what is her current cultivation level? Has she ascended?" Song Wen asked.

Inquiring about Zhou Siyi's well-being was his primary reason for rescuing Yan Yuyan.

Yan Yuyan's expression froze, and a complex, indescribable emotion flickered in her eyes.

Sensing her reaction, Song Wen abruptly halted his escape light, turned, and fixed Yan Yuyan with a gaze as sharp as a blade.

"What happened? What's wrong with my senior sister?" Song Wen's voice rose sharply.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou... she..." Yan Yuyan lowered her head, unable to meet Song Wen's icy gaze. "She has passed away."

"What did you say?!" Song Wen roared, his voice like thunder.

His oppressive aura erupted again, sweeping outward like a mountain collapsing into the sea. The surrounding forest bowed beneath its weight, dust swirling in the air.

A frigid light flashed in his eyes, but deep within them, a crimson tide surged, as if an inferno raged within.

He took a step forward, closing the distance, his nearly uncontrollable killing intent locking onto Yan Yuyan.

"Tell me! How did she die?!"

The final words were a hoarse roar, filled with disbelief, fury, and violence.

"A woman calling herself Cui Xinyi was responsible, but I never saw her myself," Yan Yuyan said.

"Cui Xinyi?" Song Wen repeated the name coldly, his mind racing to recall anyone by that name.

He had ascended only three hundred years ago. By then, Zhou Siyi was already a nascent soul cultivator. Anyone capable of killing her back then would have been no ordinary cultivator.

Song Wen racked his brains, but he couldn't recall who this person could be.

There seemed to be no such individual within the Corpse Demon Sect or any of the other major sects of the Tianyuan Continent.

"Tell me everything you know about Senior Sister Zhou's death," Song Wen demanded.

Yan Yuyan frowned slightly, her gaze drifting to the devastated landscape beneath her feet, ravaged by the oppressive aura Song Wen had unleashed. After a moment of gathering her thoughts, she replied.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou's death was sudden. About a century ago, a rumor began circulating in the market at the foot of Corpse Demon Peak. Someone calling herself Cui Xinyi claimed to have slain Zhou Siyi, the sect leader of the Corpse Demon Sect, and even provided a detailed account of how she killed Fellow Daoist Zhou."

"Shortly after the rumor surfaced, the Corpse Demon Sect issued a public announcement, proclaiming Fellow Daoist Zhou's death to the world."

"According to the market rumor, Cui Xinyi declared that she was not from the Tianyuan Continent but hailed from the Chaotic Sea beyond the Endless Desert. She claimed her motive for killing Zhou Siyi was to avenge her grandfather, Cui Gu, who had met a tragic end at your hands, Senior."

"However, since you have already ascended, Cui Xinyi could not seek revenge against you directly. Instead, she shifted her target to your Senior Sister, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Hearing this, Song Wen finally remembered who Cui Xinyi was.

Back then, the woman from the Cui Clan of the Chaotic Sea.

He had only interacted with Cui Xinyi three times.

The first time, Song Wen, as a robber cultivator, kidnapped her to threaten Cui Gu.

The second time, Song Wen, under the alias "Wei Ding," disguised himself as a rogue cultivator and infiltrated the Cui Clan, deceiving Cui Xinyi's affections. He then used her to kill Cui Huo and seize Bie Chou's divine soul.

The third time, Song Wen, under the alias "Gou Jun," killed Cui Gu.

It was likely during this third encounter that Cui Xinyi truly began to harbor her hatred for him.

However, Song Wen couldn't understand how Cui Xinyi had discovered that "Gou Jun" was Ji Yin, or how she had tracked him from the Chaotic Sea to the Tianyuan Continent. These two regions were separated by the impassable Endless Desert.

For cultivators in the Tianyuan Realm, even nascent soul cultivators, the Endless Desert was an insurmountable chasm.

In any case, Song Wen had never crossed the Endless Desert himself.

Could it be... that Cui Xinyi had also discovered the teleportation array connecting the two regions?

Song Wen's mind buzzed with a thousand conflicting thoughts.

But one truth pierced his heart like a venomous thorn, filling him with unbearable anguish:

Zhou Siyi had died because of him!

He had sown the seeds of disaster years ago, yet the calamity had fallen upon Zhou Siyi.