Transmigrated As A Cannon Fodder Sacrifice, I Tricked An Evil God Into Becoming My Live-In Husband - Chapter 14

The great hall fell into deathly silence.

All eyes converged on Zheng Qiuyu, their gazes a tangled mess of emotions shock, suspicion, and a hint of disbelief-tinged fear.

The name Soul-Locking Fiend hung in the air like a malevolent incantation, resonating in the hearts of everyone present.

It explained a century-old mystery that had plagued the Sect.

Yet it also introduced an even greater enigma how did she know?

Zheng Qiuyu offered no explanation, merely tightening her grip on Zhuohuo’s arm, as if the person in her embrace were her only anchor.

Her pale, frail appearance—as if she might collapse at any moment—stood in stark contrast to the authoritative demeanor she had displayed moments earlier when she revealed the hidden truth.

Amidst this frozen atmosphere, a discordant voice suddenly erupted.

Utter nonsense!

A young man in the robes of an elite Pill Refiner stepped forward from the crowd.

His handsome features were now contorted with anger and arrogance. Though he appeared no older than twenty-five or twenty-six, his cultivation level was already remarkable.

He first bowed respectfully to Zhang Xuan, seated on the main dais, then turned to Zheng Qiuyu, his eyes now blazing with undisguised contempt and hostility.

Spreading demonic lies to deceive the masses!

Our Pill Peak has studied this matter for a century and has never heard of any ‘Soul-Locking Fiend’!

You’re nothing but a charlatan! You’ve clearly overheard some Sect secrets and are now trying to deceive us with your theatrics!

His voice, clear and sharp with youthful arrogance, echoed through the grand hall.

Many young disciples nodded in agreement.

Zheng Qiuyu’s theory was too shocking, effectively negating generations of effort by Pill Peak’s masters. They couldn’t accept it.

Elder Li frowned, about to reprimand the youth when Zhang Xuan raised a hand to stop him.

The old man’s gaze remained fixed on Zheng Qiuyu, his expression unreadable.

Emboldened by this, the young disciple straightened his chest and declared loudly, Elder, this disciple, Wang Hao, volunteers to refine the Heavenly Return Pill on the spot!

I will prove with facts that there is absolutely nothing wrong with this Pill Formula!

And I will expose this woman’s deception before everyone here!

His words ignited a commotion in the hall.

Refine the Heavenly Return Pill on the spot?

This was an ancient formula that even the Elders had repeatedly failed to master.

Wang Hao was a once-in-a-century genius of Pill Peak, capable of refining high-grade pills at a young age and brimming with ambition.

His challenge was both a defense of Pill Peak’s honor and a high-stakes gamble.

If he succeeded, his reputation would soar, completely crushing this mysterious woman.

In Zhang Xuan’s deep-set eyes, a complex light flickered.

He remained silent for a moment, his parched lips twitching as he finally uttered a single word

Proceed.

This was both a show of dominance toward Zheng Qiuyu and a test.

A gamble using the future of Pill Peak’s genius to verify a terrifying truth.

Soon, array patterns lit up on the floor of the main hall.

A magnificent Crimson Pill Furnace, entirely scarlet and engraved with intricate cloud patterns, slowly rose from the ground.

The moment the furnace appeared, a scorching wave of heat radiated outward, revealing its extraordinary quality.

Wang Hao strode confidently toward the furnace, his face flushed with a feverish arrogance.

He turned back, glaring defiantly at Zheng Qiuyu.

Open your eyes and see what true Alchemy looks like!

Zheng Qiuyu didn’t even spare him a glance.

Her gaze bypassed the strutting Wang Hao and settled on the magnificent Crimson Pill Furnace.

Slowly, she shook her head.

The Pill Formula is the first problem, she said softly, yet her words made everyone’s hearts race.

But this furnace… is the second.

Under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Zheng Qiuyu continued to build upon her absurd claims with a matter-of-fact tone.

She cloaked her knowledge of metal fatigue, learned in a university physics class, in a mystical cultivation veneer.

This furnace has endured years of relentless high temperatures and spiritual power surges. Its inner walls are riddled with microscopic ‘spiritual power cracks,’ invisible to the naked eye.

I call it ‘spiritual power fatigue.’

It has reached its limit.

Forcing it to refine the ‘Heavenly Return Pill,’ a medicine with such violently potent medicinal power…

She paused, delivering her final verdict.

It will undoubtedly explode.

Nonsense!

Wang Hao was utterly enraged.

To claim the Pill Formula was flawed insulted the wisdom of Pill Peak.

To suggest the pill furnace was faulty was a blatant insult to Pill Peak’s most treasured artifact!

Veins bulged on his face as he abandoned further argument. His hands flashed through a series of hand seals, and with a thunderous roar, a torrent of blazing True Fire surged into the Crimson Pill Furnace.

A powerful energy surge erupted within the furnace, causing the cloud patterns etched into its walls to glow one by one.

Wang Hao’s expression remained focused as he cast spell after spell, methodically adding the prepared medicinal ingredients into the furnace in the correct sequence.

As the essence of each ingredient was refined and fused, the energy within the furnace grew increasingly volatile.

The furnace began to emit a faint, humming resonance.

The humming grew from a low drone to a piercing shriek, and the pill furnace began to tremble violently, as if some terrifying entity was about to be birthed within.

Everyone’s heart leaped into their throats.

Even the usually composed Elders leaned forward unconsciously, their eyes fixed on the center of the hall.

The fragrance of the pill filled the air, signaling its imminent completion.

The energy fluctuations within the furnace reached their peak.

Wang Hao’s face already showed the joy of success, though sweat streamed down his forehead.

Just then, Zheng Qiuyu’s cold voice cut through the air.

It was soft, yet it pierced through the roar of the furnace fire, ringing clearly in everyone’s ears.

Three.

Wang Hao’s movements faltered.

Two.

Her voice, devoid of emotion, sounded like the death knell struck by the Grim Reaper.

Wang Hao’s face turned deathly pale. He sensed the destructive force within the pill furnace, now on the verge of spiraling out of control. He tried to withdraw his hands, but it was too late.

One.

The final word had barely left her lips when—

BOOM—!!!

A deafening explosion, like a thunderclap from clear skies, pierced everyone’s eardrums.

The magnificent crimson pill furnace exploded with a deafening roar.

Countless fragments, mixed with violent shockwaves, surged outward in all directions.

The great hall’s protective formation activated instantly, a transparent barrier barely containing the destructive blast.

Even so, Wang Hao, who was closest to the furnace, was sent flying backward like a rag doll, crashing into a distant pillar before collapsing to the ground.

His body was charred black, his clothes torn to shreds. He coughed up a mouthful of bl00d before losing consciousness, a wretched sight.

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

A silence so profound that even the drop of a needle could be heard.

Everyone stared at Zheng Qiuyu as if she were a monster, their eyes filled with pure, unadulterated shock.

A prophecy.

A prophecy accurate down to the second.

This transcended the realm of Pill Principles, bordering on the miraculous.

Crack.

An Elder had accidentally crushed the armrest of his chair.

Zhang Xuan shot to his feet.

His gaunt frame trembled violently with overwhelming excitement.

His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the pile of shattered pill furnace fragments on the ground, then abruptly turned to Zheng Qiuyu.

In his eyes, terror, fanaticism, and disbelief intertwined, forming a complex web of emotions.

His lips trembled as he summoned every ounce of strength to force out, word by word, from the depths of his throat, the question that had been swirling in everyone’s minds but no one dared to ask

Who… exactly are you?