Chapter 39: Soul Devouring

  "Uh!!!!!!"

  The sudden surge of pain made Ling Chen feel like he had instantly fallen into hell. The physical pain, no matter how intense, he could endure without making a sound, but the pain that descended upon him was spiritual! It was as if countless needles and knives were stabbing and slashing his soul, the pain more brutal than lingchi or being torn apart by five horses... Ling Chen's hands tightly covered his head, screaming in agony, his body slowly collapsing onto the stone pedestal, unable to stand due to the overwhelming pain.

  What's going on!! Who can tell me what happened...

  Why is my heart so painful... painful to be torn apart, shattered...

  What on earth happened!!!!!

  The feeling of pain is persistent and intensifying every second, making Ling Chen's anguished screams more and more mournful. This is clearly a game world, where physical pain is supposed to be minimized, and all senses are adjusted for maximum comfort! Why is there such an excruciating feeling!! What is causing me so much pain... what wants to shatter my spirit!!

  "Oh dear, it's been so quiet for so many years, and finally someone has arrived. Let me see...it seems like they've also been asleep for a long time...Hmm? How can it be that this is just a young, powerless little brother?"

  In the midst of extreme suffering, Ling Chen was suddenly tormented by a hellish spirit when he heard a voice - a woman's voice!

  This sound was as ethereal as if it came from the edge of heaven, and when it reached his ears, even Ling Chen, who was in extreme agony, felt a numbness throughout his body, as if even his bones had softened slightly. Because this voice was really too gentle, anyone who heard it would thoroughly understand what it means to be gentle to the bone. The brief notes seemed to hook people's souls, like magic, stimulating men and women's nerves all over their bodies... and desire.

  He struggled to turn his face, using his nearly shattered spirit to control his eyes and look towards the source of the sound... The world in front of him was so dark, a darkness without any impurities. In such darkness, he should have been unable to see anything, but the figure of a woman appeared clearly in his line of sight, allowing him to see her body and facial features clearly, as if her body was completely isolated from this dark world.

  At the moment he saw her, Ling Chen's eyes, filled with pain, suddenly became momentarily dull.

  This was indeed a woman, seemingly in her twenties or thirties, yet also appearing to be only in her teens. She floated in the darkness, gazing at him with great interest. Ling Chen's gaze met a face that could topple cities, an absolute beauty beyond compare. This peerless beauty had delicate features, skin as white as jade, and slightly upturned pink lips like tender flower petals. Her curved eyebrows and phoenix eyes subtly conjured endless allure, causing one's heart to tremble with just a single glance.

  She wore a black dress that seemed to be night itself, but on her it was slightly tight, tightly clinging to her proud chest and buttocks, her prominent breasts and buttocks were all about to burst out, a black silk ribbon at the waist was lightly tied up, outlining a slender waist like a willow, her entire beautiful figure was revealed without reservation, presenting an absolutely perfect S-shape, anyone who glanced at it couldn't help but be stunned and lose their soul.

  She was a woman like an elf, she didn't have any action, but she released a dreamy and beautiful temperament that could make every man in the world go crazy. Even Ling Chen... was still in this spiritual state of almost collapse, when he saw her, his heart was uncontrollably turbulent, unable to believe that there existed such a woman who could release such a charming and seductive aura.

  "Who...are...you!!"

  He gritted his teeth, using an incredible willpower to prevent himself from making a sound of pain, and squeezed out three words with great difficulty from between the almost crushed teeth. Before entering here, he was certain that there was no living thing in this place... This woman, who is she? Has she been existing here all along?

  When she heard his question, the woman's lips curled up slightly, and with this smile, her face, which was already enough to charm the world, became even more enchanting, evoking an indescribable extreme allure.

  "Heh heh, to still be able to speak after being possessed by the spirit of the Heavenly Punishment Moon is truly unexpected for sister. Oh dear, such a handsome little brother, sister really can't bear to see you become a sacrifice, but it was you yourself who touched the Heavenly Punishment Moon, so even if sister wanted to save you, there's no way, and can only watch as you become the sacrifice of the Heavenly Punishment Moon... Having been here for so many years, the outside world should have forgotten about us too, and indeed, it's time for us to see the light of day again."

  That voice didn't sound like a young girl's, it was mellow and somewhat lazy, with a natural pride and charm that made Ling Chen's heart and soul involuntarily flutter, as if his very soul wanted to leave his body and follow the sound.

  This woman, if she had grown up in a chaotic world, would have been a seductress who could destroy a country or even a dynasty with just one smile.

  "You..."

  Who is this woman, he didn't know. The moon of Tianzhu... Could it be the black new moon that was tightly bound to his right wrist?

  Is the mental suffering I endure a result of its engulfment? Engulfment... does it want to annihilate, destroy my spirit?

  Then become its sacrifice!?

  What on earth happened!?!

  This is obviously a game world, so why does this spiritual sense of being cut off and pain feel so real and intense?

  If the spirit is destroyed... then, either be manipulated by others' spirits, forever becoming a puppet, or lose all consciousness, becoming a living but unconscious undead!

  The feeling of being consumed that my spirit has endured is not false... The player's entry into the game world was spiritual from the start! This thing called "Tianxuan Yue" (Heavenly Punishment Moon), it truly wants to consume my spirit!

  All of Ling Chen's will and beliefs were released, his struggles became intense in an instant... On his forehead, beads of sweat densely covered his body, as if he had just been drenched by a torrential rain.

  "Oh?" Ling Chen's sudden and intense spiritual resistance made the woman slightly surprised, and then her lips curled up, a pair of charming eyes rippling with a hint of amusement: "Little brother, such resistance will be punished by Tian Xuan's even more terrifying punishment."

  "Ahhh!!!!!!"

  The woman's voice had just fallen when Ling Chen let out a hoarse and mournful howl, as if it came from the depths of hell. His body could no longer maintain even a squatting position, and he rolled around on the ground in agony, clutching his head. Wherever his body rolled, sweat splashed onto the ground, wetting it in patches.

  "Ahhhhh..."

  "Ah... Ahhhhhh!"

  "Ah..."

  His screams were getting more and more mournful, so mournful that even the most ruthless person couldn't bear to listen anymore. The wails were so miserable that it was unimaginable what kind of pain he was enduring. His body and face had been completely distorted, twisted to a terrifying degree, and his voice was becoming hoarser in the midst of the misery...

  The girl smiled as she watched him writhing in agony on the ground, listening to the hellish wails by her ear, yet there was no hint of mercy on her breathtakingly beautiful face. Instead, it seemed as if she were appreciating a delightful painting. She smiled and spoke in a soft voice like the wind: "Little brother, the consequences of struggling are quite terrible. Now, all you have to do is close your eyes obediently, relax your mind, and let yourself fall asleep. You won't suffer anymore. Come on, listen to big sister's words, put down your resistance, relax your spirit, and you can sleep peacefully without any pain."

  "Ah———"

  Heart-wrenching cries of pain continued, and even the air seemed to tremble with a faint quiver.

  Just relax and fall asleep... won't be so miserable anymore... can be freed...

  As long as I can sleep, I won't have to endure this suffering that is thousands, tens of thousands, countless times more terrifying than death...

  …………

  …………

  No!! If my spirit collapses and is consumed... I will become a puppet, a living dead person!!

  At that time, who would take care of Ruo Ruo!! She only had me by her side, and with her weak body, how could she survive if I left?!

  I don't want to sleep... Nobody can destroy my spirit!!!

  Don't even think about it!!!!!

  "Ahhhhhhh!!"

  "Ah..."

  A whole minute passed, and Ling Chen's miserable howl had become hoarse to a terrifying degree. He no longer had the strength to roll over, his body convulsing in agony on the ground, but the painful wails never stopped. His body was shrouded in a circle of black smoke, yet it could not penetrate into his brain and body from start to finish.

  The faint smile on the face of the woman in black finally stiffened, her charming eyes narrowed, and a hint of imperceptible shock flashed deep within her pupils.

  Such torture, just a few seconds is enough to make a normal person completely collapse. Such pain has already exceeded the bottom line that humans can bear. Even if one's willpower is strong enough to defy heaven, their spirit cannot withstand it and will be instantly crushed.

  But for a whole minute, he was still struggling and resisting, and the soul power of Tianzhan Yue couldn't even penetrate a single thread.

  How can someone have such immense spiritual power!! This person...

  Her red lips opened, and her soft voice slowly came out: "Little brother, it's not good for you to be like this. No matter how strong you are, you can't defeat the Heavenly Punishment Moon. This will only make you suffer more."

  At the moment when her voice fell, she suddenly saw that Ling Chen's body, which was convulsing and screaming, had stopped. He... slowly opened a pair of eyes soaked with sweat... The black-clothed woman's gaze suddenly became turbulent.

  "I... have endured... the suffering and torture... you can never imagine those sufferings and tortures... not once could destroy my body and spirit..."

  "This little pain... is nothing at all!!!!!!"

  "Ahhh!!!!!!"

  The dark world suddenly had a slight tremor, and the black-clothed woman's face changed drastically.

  Ling Chen's eyes turned an eerie crimson black at this moment, and his thoughts also returned to that long-forgotten past in the turbulent dark world...