Is it scary I actually think it's not enough.

"Soul-Severing Cliff?"

Behind Qin Hao, Su Qingyue, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. Her cold voice carried a trace of solemnity.

Qin Hao turned to look at her and asked softly, "Have you heard of this place?"

Su Qingyue nodded. "I have. The Soul-Severing Cliff of the Southern Region. Rumor has it that during the ancient era, a mighty figure at the Immortal King level fell here. Before her death, that Immortal King laid down restrictive formations, and ever since then, the Soul-Severing Cliff has become a forbidden death zone."

Hearing this, Qin Yuanqing hurriedly nodded in agreement. "This young lady is absolutely right. The reason I established the Heavenly Sword Sect right next to the Soul-Severing Cliff was with the thought that the greater the danger, the greater the fortune."

"I thought perhaps someone among our sect's disciples might be able to obtain the legacy of that legendary Immortal King. However, the malevolent aura at the bottom of the Soul-Severing Cliff is truly terrifying. Ordinary cultivators would die upon the slightest contact with it. Even I, with my Immortal Realm cultivation base, cannot stay down there for more than two hours."

After listening to Qin Yuanqing's words, Qin Hao nodded slightly. He secretly guessed in his heart that perhaps Xia Lingxi, with her foolish luck, had managed to obtain the inheritance by some fortunate coincidence.

With this thought in mind, Qin Hao said to Qin Yuanqing, "Take me to the Soul-Severing Cliff to have a look."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yuanqing's expression drastically changed. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Lord Imperial Son, you mustn't! The Soul-Severing Cliff is far too perilous. Your status is incredibly noble; if any mishap were to befall you, even ten thousand deaths would not be enough to atone for my sins."

Qin Hao glanced at Qin Yuanqing and said indifferently, "At the end of the day, it's merely the ruins of an Immortal King. Why should I, the Imperial Son, shy away from it?"

"Just lead the way."

Qin Yuanqing opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but meeting Qin Hao's calm eyes, he swallowed all his words back down.

Well, there was no persuading him. He might as well obediently lead the way.

The group soared into the sky and flew toward the rear of the Heavenly Sword Sect. The Soul-Severing Cliff was not far from the sect to begin with, and at their speed, it took no more than half a cup of tea's time to arrive.

Standing at the edge of the cliff, Qin Hao looked down at the scenery below and couldn't help but shiver. The malevolent aura at the bottom was oppressive, carrying a bizarre power that made one feel restless and uneasy just by looking at it for a few extra seconds.

Below the cliff, clouds and mist surged, concealing its unfathomable depths. The whistling of the wind passing through the gorge sounded like the wailing of ghosts.

Qin Yuanqing stood behind Qin Hao, pointing down the cliff as he spoke. "Lord Imperial Son, this is the Soul-Severing Cliff. According to Xia Lingxi's brother, Xia Yang, ever since Xia Lingxi entered the Heavenly Sword Sect, she had been muttering to herself that something at the bottom of the cliff was calling out to her."

"On the seventh day after joining the Heavenly Sword Sect, she disappeared. I ordered people to search everywhere, but we couldn't find a single trace of her. Therefore, I deduce that it is highly likely she entered this Soul-Severing Cliff."

As he spoke, Qin Yuanqing carefully observed Qin Hao's expression and carefully chose his words. "Lord Imperial Son, forgive my boldness, but the malevolent aura of this Soul-Severing Cliff is truly no trivial matter. Even an Immortal Realm cultivator like myself must make ample preparations before descending."

"Why don't you allow me to prepare some Evil-Warding Pills, formation arrays, and magical treasures for protection before we go down? It doesn't matter for me, but you, Lord Imperial Son, have a body more precious than gold. We cannot afford even the slightest mishap."

Before Qin Yuanqing could finish his sentence, Qin Hao raised his hand and interrupted him. "There's no need for such trouble!"

With that said, Qin Hao flipped his hand. In the next second, a pitch-black banner appeared in his grasp.

Qin Hao casually thrust the Soul-Devouring Banner into the ground. The flag fluttered without any wind, and the malevolent aura at the bottom of the cliff surged upward frantically, as if it had finally found its home.

"What my Soul-Devouring Banner loves most are souls. Its second favorite is exactly this kind of malevolent aura. Frankly, I even think the aura here isn't dense enough."

With the appearance of the Soul-Devouring Banner, Qin Yuanqing felt the surrounding temperature plummet drastically; even the air seemed to freeze.

He glanced at the Soul-Devouring Banner, and when he saw the ninety-nine Imperial Marks engraved upon it, his heart skipped a beat in shock.

"It's an Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon! For an ordinary Immortal King mighty figure, having a single Imperial Weapon would already be impressive. Yet the Imperial Son casually pulls out a supreme treasure of this caliber!"

"With your Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon, Lord Imperial Son, at this current speed, it will take at most twelve hours to completely devour all of this malevolent aura."

......

At the bottom of the cliff.

In the endless darkness, Xia Lingxi was curled up in a corner, her eyes filled with panic.

She didn't know how long she had been here. She only remembered that she had been cultivating perfectly fine in her courtyard when suddenly, she was brought to this place.

She tried to activate the soul brand Qin Hao had left on her to call for help, but the owner of that voice had used some unknown method to seal the soul brand within her body. No matter how much she tried to stimulate the soul brand, there was not the slightest reaction.

"Come, child. Cultivate the Dao of Ruthlessness. Only by combining your Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart with my Dao of Ruthlessness can its power be brought to its absolute peak."

"Sever your ties of affection, sever your attachments, sever everything, and you shall gain supreme power."

Xia Lingxi tightly covered her ears and shook her head vigorously. "No! I don't want to cultivate any Dao of Ruthlessness!"

The voice laughed, the sound cold and bone-piercing.

"You don't want to? Haha, do you think you can refuse me?"

"There are only two choices laid before you. Either become my successor and cultivate my Dao of Ruthlessness."

"Or, stay right here and sink into eternal damnation alongside me."

"Child, I won't harm you. Did you know that the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart was born for the Dao of Ruthlessness? With all seven apertures open, one experiences all seven emotions. Only by severing these seven emotions can this heart truly awaken."

"Do not abandon the great fortune laid before you for the sake of so-called feelings!"

Xia Lingxi shook her head forcefully.

"I don't want to sever my seven emotions. I have someone I like, someone I want to see, and someone I want to protect. I will never forget my feelings for them just for the sake of so-called power."

The voice fell silent. After a long time, she suddenly laughed.

The laughter was shrill and piercing, carrying endless mockery and venom.

"Someone you like? Someone you want to see? Someone you want to protect?"

"Hahaha... What naive thoughts! Did you know that back then, I was just like you?"

"For that man, I could give up everything. But when I truly laid down everything for him, what did he do?"

"He betrayed me, and with his own hands, he pushed me into this bottomless abyss!"

In the darkness, a phantom slowly condensed, and Xia Lingxi finally saw the other party's true face.

It was a woman dressed in a palace gown, her long dark hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her facial features were exquisite, but at this moment, her eyes were filled with venom and madness.

"Child, don't be foolish. In this world, the only person you can trust is yourself. Aside from yourself, no one else is worthy of your trust."

"Accept my legacy! Cultivate the Dao of Ruthlessness, sever your ties of affection. This way, you will never be hurt again, and you will never be betrayed again."

Xia Lingxi shrank back. "I won't do it!"

Being rejected once more, the woman's face darkened completely. "Fine, this is your own choice. I didn't want to resort to this, but since you refuse me time and time again, then I have no choice but to possess you and use your body to be reborn!"