I don't know how much time had passed. Just when Yaohua thought she was really about to die, the system let out a belch. "Okay, I've completed my task. Host, you're on your own from now on."
Then, it fell silent.
Yaohua silently thanked it in her heart.
Zhao Yue, perhaps tired from whipping, casually tossed the whip aside. She walked up to Yaohua, then used the tip of her shoe to lift Yaohua's chin. "Once the Heavenly Demon Seed awakens, no one can stop it. Where did that power on you come from?"
Yaohua naturally couldn't expose the existence of the system. Moreover, she didn't want to talk to Zhao Yue either. So she kept her mouth shut and pretended to be dead.
Immediately afterwards, she felt a tearing pain on her back.
Zhao Yue was stepping on her blood - soaked and scar - ridden back. She said fiercely, "It's Gu Songyue, isn't it? You must have obtained his magic treasure, which is why you have the power to suppress the Heavenly Demon Seed!"
Yaohua managed to force a smile. "Yes, I got his magic treasure. What can you do about it? I've already refined it into my life - bound magic tool. Only I can use it."
In fact, she had never seen any such treasure, let alone obtain it. She was just trying to deceive Zhao Yue.
But how could Zhao Yue fall into the same trap twice? She said sharply, "What, are you trying to use this non - existent treasure to buy your own life again? But I don't care whether you've obtained this magic treasure or not. Because as long as I burn you to death, this magic treasure will be useless!"
She stretched out her hand and shouted, "Come, take her to the Heart - Binding Prison. I'm going to sacrifice the flag with phoenix blood to break the Heavenly River Formation, release the Heavenly Demon army, and raze the Three Realms. By then, the treasures and beauties in the Three Realms will be at the disposal of the soldiers!"
Hearing this, greed glinted in the eyes of all the Heavenly Demon soldiers. Treasures and beauties were their insatiable desires and what they had been chasing all their lives.
Seeing that her plan had failed, Yaohua felt despair, and at the same time, she couldn't help but be puzzled.
Could sacrificing the flag with her blood really break the formation at the Heavenly River?
By the Heavenly River, the cold water roared against the shore.
A tall and pitch - black palace stood there. The plaque on it bore the three large characters "Heavenly Demon Mansion".
A mighty Heavenly Demon army escorted a prison cart across the Heavenly River and arrived at the backyard of the mansion.
There, an old well was emitting a faint red light. The water in it was as bright as blood, thick and stinky.
Just smelling the odor from afar, Yaohua almost vomited. "What place is this?"
"This is the Heart - Binding Prison. Once you're trapped in it, the Heavenly Demon Seed in your body will grow even stronger. By then, the demonic energy will fuse with the phoenix energy, which will be even more beneficial for breaking the Heavenly River Formation."
Zhao Yue stood by the well with her hands behind her back, her expression cold. "For the sake of your face, after this is done, I'll piece together your shattered bones and give you a whole body. You'll be buried with Chongming."
The aura of the well was extremely evil and terrifying. Yaohua had a premonition that if she fell into it, she would surely end up badly.
But now Zhao Yue didn't believe a single word of hers, so she sealed Yaohua's voice. Yaohua could only make whining sounds. Then, with her hands tied, she was thrown into the well.
Once inside the well, the blood seemed to have a life of its own. It coiled around her like snakes, and the sticky and stinky feeling clung to her skin and greedily drilled into her pores.
Yaohua was horrified to find that her dantian had also been invaded, and the poppy flower on her chest had bloomed to its fullest.
Pain spread all over her body. She stared wide - eyed, feeling her consciousness gradually being controlled by the Heavenly Demon Seed. Her eyes were filled with unwillingness.
No, she couldn't die, especially not in this way, allowing her corpse to become a sharp blade for destroying the Heavenly River Formation.
Once Zhao Yue destroyed the formation and released the Heavenly Demon soldiers, Chongming and the others would be doomed. All the people she cared about would die!
But no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't get rid of the gradually emerging killing intent and violence in her heart.
She could only shed tears of unwillingness. Was she really going to die here today...
Just then, she noticed a strange pattern on the cave wall that seemed to be shining a faint white light.
Could this be the formation that sealed this place? Could she get out if she cracked this formation?
Thinking of this, she endured the pain and swam towards it with all her remaining strength.
The moment she touched the white light, she heard a soft growl from a wild beast. When she woke up again, she was in a space filled with white mist.
"Where is this?" she asked in surprise.
Suddenly, a huge tiger appeared in front of her. This tiger was pure white all over and looked quite extraordinary.
It was lying on the ground, looking haggard. Its fur was dull and lusterless, and its voice was weak. "Are you the heir of the Phoenix Clan? How did you end up in the Heart - Binding Prison?"
"Thank you, senior, for saving me. May I know your name?" Yaohua quickly bowed.
The white tiger licked its paw. "I'm the only white tiger in the Three Realms. As for my name, it's better not to mention it."
However, a look of realization flashed across Yaohua's eyes. She had heard of the white tiger because of its special status. It was said that this white tiger had roamed the Three Realms for many years and was once a famous overlord. Later, it disappeared without a trace. She never thought that it had been captured by the Heavenly Demons and imprisoned in this prison.
The white tiger asked, "Have the Four Divine Beasts gathered?"
Yaohua was confused. "What do you mean, senior?"
The white tiger sighed and told her the whole story. "Zhao Yue is collecting the gods from all directions to draw the Four - Beast Formation, break the seal of the Heavenly River, release the Heavenly Demon army, and find the whereabouts of the Nine - Heavens Mysterious Demon..."
The Four - Beast Formation, as the name suggests, was to collect the Four Divine Beasts and sacrifice the Heavenly Demon Flag with their blood. Then, the ordinary - looking flag could release great power and break the seal.
The stronger the power of the Four Beasts, the stronger the power of the formation.
According to the white tiger, it had seen the scratch marks of the Dragon Clan and the Black Tortoise Clan in this well. Presumably, the strong members of these two clans had died. Only it, with its special natural supernatural power, was able to imprint its soul on the wall, create a small boundary, and escape death.
"Now that the Heavenly Demons have broken into the Celestial Realm, they should have obtained all the other materials for the formation. And I'm the last material." Yaohua murmured. "No, we have to get out of here as soon as possible and foil their evil plot."
The white tiger said helplessly, "With our strength, we can't break out of the Heart - Binding Prison at all. We can only barely stay a bit clear - headed. If you don't believe me, look. Your body outside has already been completely transformed by the blood in the Heart - Binding Prison. Even if you get out, you won't be able to control your body."
Yaohua couldn't help but feel desperate.
At this moment, the well cover of the Heart - Binding Prison was secretly opened. She heard a soft call from outside. "Yaohua? Where are you?"
A delicate and pretty face of a young girl appeared at the wellhead. It was actually Qingque!