The journey to the Guixu Secret Realm shook the entire Tiangong Pavilion.
Shen Qingqiu, the previously unknown menial disciple, had miraculously returned alive from the seemingly inescapable deep-sea ruins with her "crippled" guard. Not only were they alive, but the guard's previously crippled right arm had transformed into a dark red heavy armor radiating ancient ferocity.
Tiangong Pavilion's main peak, the Divine Fire Hall.
This grand hall floated directly above the crater, its floor paved with transparent millennia-old mystic ice, through which one could clearly see the churning, roaring crimson magma beneath their feet.
"Kneel." On the high platform, an elderly man in a crimson-gold robe, with red hair and beard, sat cross-legged. Visible waves of heat swirled around him—the oppressive aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator at the Great Perfection stage.
Tiangong Pavilion Master, True Person Crimson Fire.
Shen Qingqiu stood in the center of the hall, her back ramrod straight. Seventeen stood beside her, his newly formed "Xingtian Grip" hanging limply at his side, fingertips twitching slightly, seemingly suppressing a violent impulse.
"Disciple Shen Qingqiu, I have fulfilled my mission and returned from the secret realm."
Shen Qingqiu's voice was clear and cold, neither humble nor arrogant.
Crimson Fire Master didn't look at her.
His cloudy yet piercing old eyes were fixed on Seventeen.
Like a greedy antique dealer eyeing a rare treasure.
Or like a crazed butcher eyeing a prime piece of meat.
"Come here." Crimson Fire Master raised a withered finger, pointing it at Seventeen from afar.
An invisible suction force instantly erupted. Seventeen's body slid forward uncontrollably a few steps, but he abruptly plunged his right arm into the hard, icy ground, forcefully stopping himself.
Sizzle— Sparks flew. Five deep grooves were carved into the icy ground.
"Hmm? Such a strong physique." The greed in Crimson Fire Master's eyes intensified. He suddenly flashed, teleporting to Seventeen's side, one hand gripping Seventeen's pulse like an eagle's claw.
[Warning: Illegal scan detected!]
[Firewall activated... Interception failed. Target's privileges: Nascent Soul (High-level Administrator).] Seventeen's pupils contracted violently. He wanted to retaliate, but Crimson Fire True Man's other hand was already pressed against his brow. A vast and domineering stream of divine sense (data) forcefully surged into his core codebase.
"No meridians...no dantian..."
"No heartbeat...no three souls and seven spirits..." Crimson Fire True Man's expression shifted from confusion to ecstatic joy, finally erupting into a chilling laugh.
"Hahahaha! So that's it! So that's it!"
He abruptly withdrew his hand, his gaze towards Seventeen no longer that of a person.
"This isn't human!" Crimson Flame True Man pointed at Seventeen, his voice trembling with excitement. "This is a **top-grade artifact spirit** with self-awareness! It's an ancient 'god-level puppet'!" The other elders in the hall gasped, their eyes blazing with greed.
In the cultivation world, the value of a top-grade artifact spirit far exceeds that of a city.
If it's a self-aware artifact spirit, simply erasing its original consciousness and re-establishing a master makes it a peerless divine weapon, unwavering and never betraying its master!
"Shen Qingqiu." Crimson Flame True Man turned around, looking down at Shen Qingqiu with an arrogant, condescending tone.
"You're lucky to have found such an ancient treasure. But with your mortal bones, you're unworthy of such a divine object. Keeping it by your side will only bring you death."
He flicked his sleeve, tossing out a purple token.
"Hand over this puppet to me. I'll make an exception and accept you as my last disciple, guaranteeing you a lifetime of wealth and honor." The air was deathly silent.
Seventeen stood rooted to the spot, his dark golden right eye flashing red.
He understood.
This old man wanted to "buy" him, like an object. Then he'd format his memories, turning him into a walking corpse.
He instinctively looked at Shen Qingqiu.
If… if it was for her wealth and honor…
If it was to let her survive in this dangerous world…
As a weapon, being traded seemed like a reasonable fate.
Seventeen's fingers loosened slightly, the light in his eyes dimming, revealing a heartbreaking stillness.
However.
"Heh." A soft laugh broke the silence.
Shen Qingqiu didn't even glance at the token on the ground. She raised her head, her golden eyes burning with a mockery more intense than magma.
"Old man, have you gone mad from practicing your skills?"
"Insolence!" the elders on either side shouted sharply. Shen Qingqiu ignored him. She walked up to Seventeen, standing between him and True Man Chi Huo. She was a head shorter than Seventeen, yet her figure appeared incredibly tall.
She reached out and, in front of everyone, tightly grasped Seventeen's cold hand.
"First, he's not a thing, his name is Seventeen."
"Second, he's not my slave, he's my lover."
"Third…" Shen Qingqiu raised her eyelids, her gaze like a knife, piercing True Man Chi Huo's face.
"Trying to steal my man? You dare ask?" True Man Chi Huo's face instantly darkened.
"You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences."
"Since you refuse to hand him over, then I'll take him myself. As for you… an ungrateful mortal, death is no excuse."
Boom!
The pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator erupted completely.
The entire Divine Fire Palace trembled. True Man Chi Huo said no more, forming a hand seal.
"Immobilization Spell! Spirit Binding Chains!" Countless golden rune chains appeared out of thin air, like venomous snakes, instantly coiling around Seventeen's limbs and torso.
[Warning: System Locked!]
[Action Module Paralyzed... Power Core Suppressed...] Seventeen struggled desperately.
"Roar—!" His Xing Tian right arm erupted with blinding red light, trying to tear the chains apart. But before absolute level suppression (authority suppression), his resistance seemed so futile.
Those chains weren't just binding his body; they were invading his system.
They were like countless probes, piercing his skin, attempting to modify his underlying logic.
"Qing...Qiu..." Seventeen roared in agony. He felt his memories being forcibly rummaged through and deleted by an external force.
Those memories of him and her watching the flowers at the Star Grave, those memories of her drawing talismans for him in the woodshed, were becoming blurred.
"Stop!" Shen Qingqiu's eyes were bloodshot. She tried to rush over, but was slapped away by another elder.
*Bang!*
She slammed heavily against the Xuanbing pillar, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Don't... touch her!"
Seeing Shen Qingqiu injured, Seventeen went completely mad.
Blood tears (coolant) streamed from his eyes, his core reactor overloaded, emitting a buzzing sound on the verge of explosion.
"Stubborn to the bone." True Immortal Crimson Fire sneered. He didn't want to destroy this perfect body.
"Throw him into the 'Divine Refining Furnace.'" True Immortal Crimson Fire waved his hand, coldly ordering, "Refine him with Samadhi True Fire for forty-nine days. Completely erase his mind, leaving only his fighting instincts. Then, I will personally refine him into an external avatar."
"As for this woman..." True Immortal Crimson Fire glanced at the fallen Shen Qingqiu with disgust.
"Throw her into the dungeon in the back mountain. On the day the puppet is successfully refined, use her blood to consecrate the flag and sharpen the new magic weapon."
"Yes!" Several Golden Core stage enforcement disciples stepped forward and dragged the heavily injured Shen Qingqiu to his feet.
Seventeen was hoisted by countless chains and dragged towards the enormous furnace burning with raging flames at the back of the main hall.
That was the Divine Refining Furnace.
A place specifically used to obliterate the consciousness of artifact spirits and reshape magical treasures.
In other words—a forced formatting factory.
"Qingqiu!!" Seventeen struggled in the chains, his gaze fixed on Shen Qingqiu, who was being dragged in another direction.
His hands clawed at the void, trying to grasp the hem of her clothes, but he could only grasp at nothingness.
Shen Qingqiu's mouth was full of blood, her vision blurred.
But she still managed to lift her head, looking at the man being dragged into the sea of fire.
She didn't cry.
She was laughing.
That laugh was shrill and resolute, yet carried an incomprehensible madness.
She activated [Overclocking Vision].
In her eyes, this invincible Divine Fire Hall, this Divine Refining Furnace suppressing Seventeen, was entirely composed of data.
As long as it's data, there are vulnerabilities.
As long as it's a system, it can be hacked.
"Seventeen…" With her last strength, she conveyed her final command to him through the unbroken spiritual link between them (the one she had established in the Ruins of Return).
[Listen, Seventeen.]
[Don't resist.]
[Let him refine you.]
Seventeen was stunned.
He didn't understand. If he didn't resist, his memories would vanish, he would forget her.
Shen Qingqiu's voice echoed deep within his mind, carrying a desperate ruthlessness:
[Ordinary flames won't burn you.]
[I want you to borrow his fire to melt away the incompatible impurities within you.]
[Endure. Hide your core deepest within.]
[Wait for me.]
[Seven days later, I will come to collect you.]
[At that time, we will not only smash this broken furnace, but also throw all the gods and Buddhas in to refine them!]
Seventeen looked at the red-clad woman being dragged into the darkness in the distance.
The madness in his eyes slowly subsided, replaced by an absolute, deathly trust.
Since she said to wait,
then he would wait.
He stopped struggling, letting the chains throw him into the raging flames.
In his final moments, consumed by the flames, he gave her a deep look.
He packaged that look, along with her name, and compressed it into the deepest part of the core code, locking it with countless layers of deadlock.
[System hibernation: Initiation.]
[Awakening condition: Shen Qingqiu's voice.]
Boom!
The massive furnace lid slammed shut, sealing perfectly.
Flames surged.
The Crimson Fire Immortal stroked his beard and smiled with satisfaction.
"Hmph, a mere puppet, daring to dream of love?"
"In this world, only power is eternal."
He didn't know.
What he locked in the furnace wasn't a piece of iron.
It was a nuclear bomb undergoing fission.
Deep in the dungeon.
Shen Qingqiu was thrown onto damp straw.
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, leaned against the cold wall, and closed her eyes.
In the darkness, her golden eyes slowly lit up.
Not for illumination, but for… connecting to the internet.
"The Heavenly Craft Pavilion…" she murmured softly, her voice as gentle as reciting a love poem.
"Since you enjoy playing with fire."
"Then I'll show you what a true—Industrial Revolution—is."
At that moment, thunder rumbled faintly outside the window.
A fire that would overturn the entire cultivation world had quietly begun to spread in their hearts.