Chapter 106: Extreme Deep Cold

Gong Tengfa sneered. "Ji Youfeng, you truly have worked out a fine scheme. Do you take Old Ding and me for children, thinking you can trick us into following you with a few sweet words?"

Ji Youfeng's words had made him restless and irritable, and his tone grew sharp and impolite.

But Ding Qin spoke up, "Master Ji, we follow your younger brother, Elder Ji, because he is the one in this world with the greatest hope of gathering the complete *Scripture of Great Calamities*. Only by following him can old fellows like us hope to glimpse the secrets of heaven and advance further. As for you, if I may speak plainly, you cannot even protect yourself. You have spent most of your life in this prison, and even now, you have barely managed to form a Nascent Soul. If you want us to turn coat, empty promises will not suffice. What do you intend to offer to convince us?"

Hearing this, Gong Tengfa glanced at Ding Qin in surprise. This ugly wretch usually kept to himself and rarely uttered a word; he had not expected him to be so level-headed now.

Faced with Ding Qin's questioning, Ji Youfeng did not fly into a rage. Instead, he said, "You do not know that I am far more generous than Ji Youyun. Take Elder Gong, for example. I once used the *Scripture of Great Calamities* to divine your fate. Your lifespan was near its end, which is why you abandoned your relatives and old friends to come to the Demon Refining Prison. Ji Youyun gave you a thirty-year Life-prolonging Pill, binding you to him more securely than any threat ever could. Do you really think that Life-prolonging Pill is precious?"

At this point, he gave a soft chuckle. "Heh, the demonic beast's soul within the Demon Refining Prison has absorbed thousands of years of spiritual energy. Aside from fueling the cultivation of Ji Youyun and yourselves, the remaining energy was fashioned by him into pills. A thirty-year Life-prolonging Pill is merely the lowest quality of elixir he refined. As for why he never gave you one of higher grade, I believe you understand the reason without me having to spell it out."

Silence fell outside the cell. Even Hongjian, who stood watch by the bed, could tell that Ji Youfeng's words had struck a nerve; Gong Tengfa was taking them to heart.

"Ji Youyun wouldn't carry so many pills on his person. Beneath this glacier lies an extreme cold, where the seawater is on the verge of freezing—the perfect environment for someone with his water spiritual root to refine pills. I can sense that somewhere nearby, there must be a secret lair he uses for alchemy. Well, gentlemen, if you are interested, I can find a way to locate it right now!"

This was indeed an immense temptation.

Gong Tengfa knew very well in his heart that if Ji Youfeng could truly find that place, it would not take much—just three or five high-grade Life-prolonging Pills placed before his eyes, and he would not be able to resist the temptation.

Furthermore, Ji Youyun possessed extraordinary arts and was keen-sighted. Once he and Ding Qin divided the pills, their only remaining path would be to betray Ji Youyun.

Thus, Ji Youfeng had no fear that they would turn against him after taking the goods.

"Master Ji, you are indeed a master of calculation," Gong Tengfa sighed. Even though he knew it was bait, he could not help but swallow it. At this moment, he realized more than ever why Ji Youyun feared his older brother so much.

He made up his mind, only to find that Ding Qin was even swifter. The ugly wretch had already spoken up before him, "Then we shall trouble you, Master Ji."

"Haha, we are grasshoppers on the same rope now. There is no need for politeness. In that case, you two should open the cell door. Elder Gong has consumed the pills from that place, so I must use you as a medium to locate it."

With that, Ji Youfeng instructed Hongjian to light the lamp. Obediently, Hongjian struck the flint to ignite the oil lamp, and light once again filled the cell. She saw Ji Youfeng suddenly flash her a smile, his eyes filled with the certainty of someone who had everything under control.

How wonderful. With Senior here, no matter how dire the situation, he always had the ability to hold up the sky, leaving her with absolutely nothing to worry about.

Thinking this, Hongjian returned a sweet smile to Ji Youfeng.

Just then, they heard Gong Tengfa say, "Very well."

The iron lock on the cell door clattered, sounding as if he was unlocking it. But after a single rattle, Gong Tengfa's movements halted. After a brief pause, he suddenly spoke in a sinister voice, "I nearly fell for your grand trap."

Beside him, Ding Qin asked in surprise, "What is it?"

Gong Tengfa sneered, his voice betraying a forced composure. It was obvious that the sudden realization had broken him out in a cold sweat.

Seeing that Ding Qin still looked bewildered, he gritted his teeth and said, "This Ji Youfeng is as cunning as a ghost. He almost tricked me into entering the cell. He is bound by the Gut-wrenching Chain, so his Nascent Soul cannot leave the cell. He has a metal spiritual root, and so do I. He claimed he wanted to use the *Scripture of Great Calamities* to find the alchemy lair, but he actually wanted me to deliver myself right to him, plotting to seize me and forcibly take over my body!"

Thinking of how incredibly powerful Ji Youfeng's soul was from cultivating the *Scripture of Great Calamities*, and how impossible it would be for him to resist, Gong Tengfa could not help but cry out inwardly at how close a call it had been.

He had nearly stepped into a death trap just now. Even now, he felt a lingering dread, and could not help but say hatefully, "Ji Youfeng, if I ever believe another word of yours, I will write my surname upside down!"

Only now, when Gong Tengfa exposed the plot, did Hongjian understand Ji Youfeng's plan. She looked at Ji Youfeng before her, her heart filled with complex emotions.

Having been taught by Ji Youfeng for so many years, she was no longer the ignorant girl of the past. She knew exactly what body possession entailed.

A Nascent Soul cultivator's soul would forcibly occupy another person's body, while the original owner of that body would fight back desperately. The process of possession was a battle of two souls; the victor remained, while the loser vanished entirely.

Even if the possession succeeded, one still had to deal with the new body's rejection. The slightest mistake could ruin all previous efforts. It was truly a dangerous and cruel endeavor. This was why Sun Yougong, after losing his body, had chosen to die nobly without ever entertaining the thought of seizing another's body.

But now, circumstances had forced Ji Youfeng to this point. Even so, his plan to possess Gong Tengfa had ultimately failed.

Having pulled back from the brink, Gong Tengfa would never fall for it again.

Just then, a sudden change occurred outside the cell.

Gong Tengfa suddenly shouted fiercely. Loud noises echoed through the stone door, and the stone cell shook violently. There were sounds of fighting, the clash of spells, and Gong Tengfa's occasional angry curses.

A fight had broken out outside, and from the sound of it, Gong Tengfa had been ambushed and suffered a significant blow.

The only people outside were Gong Tengfa and Ding Qin.

Without even thinking, Hongjian realized that Ding Qin, seeing that Ji Youfeng's plan had been exposed, had finally decided to act.

"You ugly wretch! So your act of having your true essence depleted was a plot all along!" Gong Tengfa panting heavily, his back against the cell door.

Hongjian clenched her fists. Two Nascent Soul experts were engaged in a life-and-death struggle nearby. She could neither see nor help them. She had not heard Ding Qin's voice at all, but fortunately, Gong Tengfa did not sound like he had the upper hand.

With a grave expression, Ji Youfeng shouted, "Open the door! I will fight with you!" The length of the Gut-wrenching Chain was just enough for him to get off the bed and approach the cell door. It was impossible for him to go outside and help Ding Qin, but once the stone door was open, Gong Tengfa's fear of him would surely affect his performance.

Ding Qin said in a muffled voice, "Save your true essence for the possession!"

Ji Youfeng was worried. In his memory, in terms of cultivation and techniques, Ding Qin was likely a notch below Gong Tengfa. Judging by the fact that he had failed to subdue Gong Tengfa for so long, his sneak attack must not have injured Gong Tengfa severely.

Gong Tengfa suddenly burst into a fit of wild laughter and shouted, "Ugly wretch, you still want to save him? Let's die together!"

Immediately following was an earth-shattering boom. The roaring sounds of spells outside stopped abruptly. The stone cell suddenly tilted and rolled; the oil lamp fell, and the flame flickered out.

Hongjian's heart leapt into her throat. It seemed the battle between Ding Qin and Gong Tengfa had been decided, but she did not know the outcome.

Just then, both she and Ji Youfeng heard the clear rushing sound of flowing water. The sound was right beside them, growing louder and more urgent, causing Hongjian's heart to turn cold. The stone cell had ruptured, and the seawater outside was rushing in.

Ji Youfeng asked urgently, "Ding Qin, how are you?" He heard faint breathing outside. Sending his divine sense through the wall, he saw in the darkness two figures collapsed on the floor of the outer chamber. The one who had already stopped breathing was Gong Tengfa. Ding Qin was covered in blood, his body squirming as he slowly stood up.

The adjacent outer wall had taken a heavy blow, cracking into a web of fine lines. Seawater was bubbling into the stone cell through those crevices, and in no time, it rose past their ankles.

Ding Qin coughed twice, staggering as he supported himself against the stone wall. Forcing himself to stand, he said, "Master Ji... I won't make it. I will open the cell door. Now that Gong Tengfa is dead, you must possess the young girl and escape quickly. In this life... I, Ding Qin, have finally done something of value."

Ji Youfeng fell silent for a moment, then said, "Ding Qin, I have shown you no kindness, yet you gave your life to save me... Do you have any unfulfilled wishes? I will fulfill them for you."

Ding Qin was already struggling to unlock the cell door. Hearing Ji Youfeng's words, he gave a faint, slurred laugh. "No, I have no unfulfilled wishes. In this life, for Ding Qin to die for a bosom friend... is no regret."

He finally unlocked the door but had no strength left to push it open. His body slowly tilted to the side, sliding down the wall to the floor, leaving a streak of bright red blood on the stone. With that, his breath ceased.

Hearing all of this, Hongjian stood dazed by the bedside.

Even when Ding Qin told Ji Youfeng to possess her to escape, she had no reaction.

Silence fell all around, broken only by the rushing sound of water. Only she and Ji Youfeng remained alive in the stone cell, just like every day they had spent together over the past twenty years.

Yet in truth, Ji Youfeng was pierced through by the Gut-wrenching Chain. If he wanted to escape this stone cell, his only choice was to possess someone and take a new body. Otherwise, once the seawater filled the cell, in this place where true essence could not be replenished, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would ultimately face certain death.

In other words, only one of them could survive.

Would Senior choose to possess her? Hongjian closed her eyes, forcing herself to think: *No, I have only just reached Foundation Establishment, and my cultivation has been delayed for a full twenty years. This is the deep sea beneath a glacier; with my level of cultivation, I would probably freeze to death before I could even reach the surface. In this situation, he clearly has a better chance of survival.*

The freezing seawater, carrying a bone-chilling cold, poured in through the small window on the door. It accumulated deeper and deeper, quickly submerging the four legs of the bed. The time had come when a choice had to be made.