Record of a Demon's Cultivation Chapter 1518: The Inevitable Solitude of the Cultivation Path

A volcanic eruption of rage, fueled by millennia of suppressed regret, exploded from Song Wen's chest.

A colossal wave of malevolent qi, carrying overwhelming pressure, surged outward like a tsunami, sweeping across all directions with relentless fury.

In an instant, the heavens and earth were transformed, their colors drained away.

Within a radius of five thousand miles, every mountain range was crushed as if by an invisible giant's fist.

Towering ancient trees were reduced to dust, rivers evaporated instantly, and the earth cracked into bottomless ravines.

Birds, beasts, insects, and even the slightest creatures had no time to cry out before being utterly annihilated by this world-destroying force.

The once-verdant landscape was instantly transformed into a desolate wasteland, dust billowing skyward to blot out the sun, howling like an endless sandstorm.

Song Wen's long hair whipped wildly, his robes billowed, and his body was wreathed in tangible, pitch-black malevolent qi. His eyes burned crimson.

Yan Yuyan, straining her last reserves of spiritual power, conjured a mana shield to defend against the surging Yin Fiend Corpse Qi.

Though Song Wen's malevolent qi hadn't targeted her directly—even deliberately avoiding her—the energy storm unleashed by its passage still made her feel like a withered leaf caught in a gale.

Terrified, Yan Yuyan stared at the man before her.

At that moment, Song Wen seemed like a world-destroying demon god from the Nine Nether.

Yet Yan Yuyan also sensed a bone-deep loneliness and desolation within him.

He seems... quite pitiful too.

The thought had barely formed when Yan Yuyan suddenly shivered.

She was terrified by her own compassion.

As a newly ascended one, she had no right to pity others, especially a senior expert whose cultivation far surpassed her own.

Meanwhile, in Song Wen's mind, countless memories shattered and reformed.

Scenes of his first meeting with Zhou Siyi, their parting during his ascension, and countless other moments flashed through his mind.

Then he recalled Cui Xinyi, remembering their initial encounters.

And then Shan Yue, Zhu Yin, Lan Chen, Ye Bing, Bai Wei, Ying Wu...

Among them, Zhou Siyi, though not a romantic interest, had been his longest acquaintance, the person he had spent the most time with, and the one he had trusted most deeply.

Now, Zhou Siyi had died because of him!

Rage, regret... and a profound sense of helplessness surged through his heart.

Back when he had heard of Lan Chen's "death" from Mo Yexue, his heart had burned with anger, but it was nothing compared to the complex emotions overwhelming him now.

At that time, Song Wen had been determined to avenge Lan Chen, even later discovering her divine soul still existed and, through a stroke of fate, rescuing her and helping her seize a new body to be reborn.

But when it came to Zhou Siyi's great vengeance, Song Wen was powerless to act.

Cui Xinyi was a native of the Tianyuan Realm. To eliminate her, Song Wen would have to descend to the Lower Realm, but he couldn't go personally. He could only send someone else or dispatch his Primordial Spirit.

Descending to the Lower Realm was no simple matter.

Song Wen had inquired about this from Gu Que and learned it was exceedingly difficult. It required setting up a formation to pierce the spatial barrier between the realms. Even if the formation itself weren't so complex, the spiritual materials required were beyond what Song Wen could currently gather.

Though his heart burned with grief and fury, Song Wen quickly suppressed these emotions, returning to his usual calm demeanor.

"Fellow Daoist Yan," he asked, "do you know how Cui Xinyi killed Senior Sister Zhou?"

After Song Wen ascended, Zhou Siyi had become the most powerful figure in the Corpse Demon Sect. Even though Cui Xinyi had also advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, killing Zhou Siyi shouldn't have been an easy task.

Yan Yuyan shook her head.

"Neither the rumors circulating nor the Corpse Demon Sect's official announcement detailed the cause of Fellow Daoist Zhou's death."

"What about Yu Wen? What did she say?" Song Wen asked again.

Before Song Wen's ascension, he and Zhou Siyi had served as the Corpse Demon Sect's sect leader and vice sect leader, respectively. However, they rarely managed the sect's affairs, leaving the actual administration to Yu Wen.

Yu Wen's role was similar to that of a sect master.

In fact, when Song Wen founded the Asura Sect years ago, Yu Wen had been the sect's chief elder, responsible for overseeing all major and minor affairs.

In the years leading up to Song Wen's ascension, Yu Wen's cultivation had reached the peak of the golden core stage. Zhou Siyi had even meticulously prepared various spirit herbs and pills to help her break through to the nascent soul stage.

Had the breakthrough gone smoothly, she would have become a nascent soul cultivator long ago.

Given Zhou Siyi's sudden death, Song Wen naturally harbored suspicions toward Yu Wen.

Yan Yuyan replied, "By the time of my ascension, Yu Wen had already reached the mid-nascent soul stage. However, she made no public statement regarding Fellow Daoist Zhou's death. After Zhou's death, she became the Corpse Demon Sect's sole nascent soul cultivator, and it was only natural that she assumed the position of sect leader."

As she finished speaking, a hint of inquiry flickered in Yan Yuyan's eyes. "Senior Ji Yin, do you suspect Yu Wen was involved in Fellow Daoist Zhou's death?"

Song Wen nodded slightly.

Then—

"Ah!"

Song Wen let out a heavy sigh.

What was the point of investigating Zhou Siyi's death now?

After all, he couldn't descend to the Lower Realm, at least not for the foreseeable future.

Even if he one day possessed the strength to construct a cross-realm teleportation array, by then Cui Xinyi, Yu Wen, and the others would likely have exhausted their lifespans or ascended to the mystic realm.

"Do you know if Senior Sister Zhou's soul still exists?" Song Wen asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.

Yan Yuyan shook her head again.

"No one knows. The rumors circulating in the Corpse Demon Sect's market were likely deliberately spread by Cui Xinyi to flaunt her joy at finally avenging her great hatred. But they made no mention of Fellow Daoist Zhou's soul's whereabouts."

Song Wen fell silent at this news.

After a long pause, he finally spoke in a low voice.

"Fellow Daoist Yan, do you seek revenge?"

"Revenge?" Yan Yuyan blinked, momentarily stunned.

"Senior, are you suggesting... retaliating against the Wei Clan?"

"Precisely," Song Wen replied. "Wei Ziming attempted to harm you, and the Wei Clan sent assassins after you, nearly costing you your life. Don't you yearn to avenge this injustice?"

Yan Yuyan hesitated.

"Junior appreciates Senior's kindness. Senior saved Junior from mortal peril, a debt of gratitude as vast as the mountains. Junior is already deeply indebted and dares not trouble Senior further by risking your life."

"Are you worried I'm no match for the Wei Clan?" Song Wen's eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized Yan Yuyan.

She quickly clarified, "Senior, that's not what Junior meant... Junior doesn't underestimate Senior, but rather..."

"Enough. Follow me. I've been itching for a good slaughter!"

Song Wen turned, shattering through the swirling dust, and sped away.

TL/N: Quite uncharacteristic of him to do that. I am still enjoying the story. But I can't seem to figure out the MC, he always acts obsequiously and uses honeyed words with everyone he meets. But he also decisively leaves them behind. But then he does stuff like this, and how he rescued Lan Chen, like what's the end game? What do you guys think?