He didn’t dwell on it any longer; this matter wasn’t important for now. The pressing question was how he was going to escape.

Suddenly, the surrounding demonic energy surged and gradually transformed into grotesque monsters that landed on the ground, encircling him completely.

Bai Feng reached out to touch the jade stone given to him by the sect leader, feeling surprisingly calm inside.

‘These monsters don’t seem to possess any intelligence.’

He surveyed the creatures around him. They stood rigidly in place, motionless, like black sculptures.

At that moment, the monsters suddenly retreated to the sides, revealing a familiar figure before him.

Zuo Qiu stood amidst the monsters, raising her hand. The demonic energy floating above the ground instantly morphed into chains that wrapped tightly around Bai Feng’s legs.

But then she halted her movements, a seemingly friendly smile spreading across her face. “Don’t be afraid. Let’s have a little chat, shall we?”

“What do you want to talk about?”

Bai Feng glanced down at the chains binding his legs. They were tight but not impossible to break free from. It was just that…

He looked at the swirling demonic energy nearby. If he tried to escape, those energies would likely transform into new chains to bind him—no, it might not even be chains.

“To be honest, I’m not in control of my own actions either,” Zuo Qiu shrugged. “Half of the spiritual energy in my body has been tainted by demonic energy. I can’t even control my own body.”

“So… are you asking for my help?” Bai Feng narrowed his eyes slightly. “You don’t seem to be in a position to seek help.”

“No, while I admire your talent in formations, I don’t think you can help me break free from the control of Heilian,” Zuo Qiu shook her head. “I just don’t want to take the blame. If you’re going to hate someone, remember to hate that guy Heilian.”

“But you don’t strike me as someone who would feel guilty over such things. Besides, if you kill me here, neither the Tianjian Sect nor the Bai family will let you off the hook.”

Bai Feng couldn’t quite grasp her intentions. Was she stalling for time? Was she preparing some kind of trump card?

He discreetly used his Yin-Yang pattern to scan the surroundings but found no signs of gathering spiritual or demonic energy.

As for her words, it seemed she wasn’t willingly cooperating with Heilian, but it could also be an act for his benefit.

Zuo Qiu nodded with a smile, not denying it. “If possible, I hope you can leave a letter asking them to spare me and focus their attention on Heilian.”

“Are you joking?”

Bai Feng looked at Zuo Qiu. She was… well, being the child of destiny, she was quite attractive, but her thoughts were rather fanciful.

Was she trying to provoke his anger, hoping the demonic energy would take advantage of the situation?

“Of course not. I’m serious,” Zuo Qiu shook her head. “If you let me go, I’ll help you take revenge in the future. Heilian, and even the Zhongzhou Divine Lord, I swear I’ll destroy them.”

When she mentioned Heilian, a glint of malice flashed in her eyes, and Bai Feng could feel the hatred in her words.

He stared at her for a moment. It seemed she might indeed be coerced, or perhaps her acting skills were frighteningly good.

Since he couldn’t be sure of her true intentions, he might as well play along for now.

“Oh? So if I let you go, you’ll go after Heilian and even destroy the Divine Lord organization?”

“Ha, of course! I keep my word,” Zuo Qiu’s smile grew more amiable as she pulled out paper and a pen from her pocket. “Come on, write it quickly.”

Bai Feng took the paper and pen, looking at the eager Zuo Qiu. Suddenly, he ignited a flame, incinerating the paper and pen completely. “But I refuse! I don’t have that kind of generosity. Besides, even if I wrote a letter, the Tianjian Sect and the Bai family wouldn’t let you off so easily.”

“Ah, true!” Zuo Qiu sighed, seemingly unfazed.

Then her hand slowly rose, and she glanced at her raised right hand. “It seems Heilian is getting impatient. I thought I could stall until the elders of the Tianjian Sect broke through here! Sorry, Bai Feng, your luck is quite poor. Before you die, just pray that I can escape and take revenge for you.”

The chains on his legs began to creep up toward his upper body, and the surrounding demonic energy transformed into sharp blades. The demonic monsters also began to slowly close in on him.

Bai Feng showed no fear on his face. Instead, he looked up at Zuo Qiu and asked, “So you were just stalling for time?”

Zuo Qiu let out a cold laugh. “Of course! I don’t want to die. If you die here, I won’t survive either. I’ve exhausted all the methods I could think of, but they all failed. Heilian has no intention of letting me live!”

Bai Feng watched as Zuo Qiu drew her sword. After realizing that she was likely being coerced, a faint idea began to form in his mind. “What if I could help you eliminate the demonic energy in your body and break Heilian’s control over you?”

“Ha ha, how is that even possible?” Zuo Qiu laughed as if she had heard a hilarious joke. “Stop boasting! You know nothing about Heilian or the Divine Lord. If you could break Heilian’s control, I’d give you everything I have. No, if you really can clear the demonic energy from my body, how about I become your dog?”

“Why not give it a try?”

Bai Feng watched as blades and monsters lunged at him. Calmly, he snapped his fingers with the hand bound by chains, and instantly, a flame appeared beside him, quickly incinerating the chains, the flying blades, and the approaching monsters.

In the next moment, as if ignited by gasoline, the flames spread out after vanquishing the monsters, turning the sky a fiery red. The surrounding demonic energy seemed to encounter a natural enemy, scattering in all directions.

“What is this?”

Zuo Qiu’s eyes widened as a wave of fire surged toward her, causing her to fall to the ground. The flames suddenly halted before her, waves of heat crashing against her. She could sense the terrifying power of the flames, which seemed capable of burning everything, even causing the demonic energy within her to stagnate, no longer as active as usual.

“So, what do you think now?”

Bai Feng stood amidst the flames, looking down at Zuo Qiu.

---

Chapter 118: Zuo Qiu: Kill Me!!

When Bai Feng saw the demonic energy swirling around, he thought of the celestial fire that could destroy Heilian’s legacy. However, he hadn’t expected the celestial fire to suppress the demonic energy so effectively.

“Are you planning to use this fire to suppress the demonic energy in my body?”

A glimmer of hope flashed in Zuo Qiu’s eyes. If this fire could indeed suppress the demonic energy within her, she might be able to break free from Heilian’s control.

“No, I intend to eliminate it!” Bai Feng smiled as he took a step forward, the flames inching closer to Zuo Qiu.

“What do you mean?” Zuo Qiu’s face showed a rare hint of fear. “What are you going to do?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon.”

Bai Feng slowly approached Zuo Qiu, reaching out to grab her arm.

Zuo Qiu’s face turned pale with terror as she scrambled backward, but the raging flames blocked her escape. In an instant, Bai Feng pinned her to the ground.

“Don’t move! I can’t be responsible if I accidentally burn something important.”

Bai Feng pressed his knee against her, holding her mouth shut with one hand. Then, he summoned a strand of celestial fire and directly forced it into her mouth.

Zuo Qiu’s eyes widened in shock as her body thrashed about. As the flames entered her, her originally fair skin turned bright red, resembling a boiled shrimp.

She could feel the fire coursing through her body, entering her spiritual veins, even traversing every corner of her being, incinerating the hidden demonic energy.

But the flames also continuously burned her body, causing her unbearable pain.

“Ahhh! Stop! Please, stop!!!”

“Don’t move! What if I accidentally burn other important organs?”

Bai Feng pressed down on Zuo Qiu’s shoulders to keep her still, guiding the celestial fire to burn away the demonic energy within her. Fortunately, the celestial fire had developed a bit of intelligence; he only needed to control the general direction, while the finer details could be managed by the fire itself.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare to use this technique. If he accidentally killed her, it would be a real problem.

‘System, you never expected that the reward you gave me would turn into a bullet aimed at you, did you?’

Bai Feng felt a sense of satisfaction. The moment Zuo Qiu revealed she was under Heilian’s control, he thought of the fire control technique the system had given him, which included a method to manipulate flames within a body to burn away internal toxins or poisons.

Initially, he hadn’t dared to use this technique on himself due to its extreme danger. But once the celestial fire gained a hint of intelligence, the success rate increased significantly, giving him the confidence to give it a try. If it didn’t work, he could always stop midway and treat her in multiple sessions.