A gleam of golden light flashed in Cheng Qian's eyes. He seemed to have come back to his senses from the great pain and without warning, he grabbed the hand that Yan Zhengming extended.

His whole body was still shaking, and between his brows there was a look of pain and an indescribable melancholy.

Cheng Qian closed his eyes, and the next moment, the frost blade that Yan Zhengming had kept behind his back suddenly flew out of its sheath, drew a huge fan shape in the air, and smashed towards the flower spirit on the side without mercy.

In a flash, Hua Ling wanted to dodge, but the angle of the frost blade was extremely tricky. If he dodged, the sword energy would inevitably affect the golden lotus.

Hua Ling had no way to avoid it, and he shouted loudly. The strange true energy that was cold on the outside but hot on the inside instantly formed a barrier with him as the center.

It was unknown whether this barrier was some kind of martial arts or magic weapon, but it could even withstand the strong winds in the secret realm of the Great Snow Mountain. It came into close combat with the sword wind of the Frost Blade, making a loud earth-shaking noise, and wandered back and forth in the depths of the North Sea.

The snow-capped mountains emitted an unbearable creaking sound, and the strong wind that had originally calmed down began to surge restlessly again.

Looking again, there are no leaves under the golden lotus, it is clearly bare!

It turned out to be a sleight of hand.

The Frost Blade staggered and flew out, but Cheng Qian reached out and pulled it into his hand.

At the same time, Hua Ling took several steps back, and the originally gray shadow seemed to sway unsteadily.

This sudden change was so sudden that it was hard to cope with. Yan Zhengming and the flower spirit spoke almost at the same time.

Yan Zhengming asked doubtfully, "Xiao Qian, what are you doing?"

Hua Ling roared angrily: "Are you crazy? This golden lotus is the Heart of the North Sea!"

"Heart of the North Sea... what does that have to do with me?" Cheng Qian whispered hoarsely. His expression was no better than before. His eyes were as dark as ink. He stared at the vague shadow of the flower spirit. His face was as dark as water. "Don't pretend. I dug this Ice Heart Fire in your hand out by myself in Zhaoyang City."

Wait...Ice Heart Fire?

Yan Zhengming: "You mean...he is Tang Zhen?"

As soon as the word "Tang Zhen" came out, the veins on the back of Cheng Qian's hand, which was holding the frosty blade, were exposed, and the tip of the sword gently scraped the ground, making a friction sound that made people's teeth ache.

Yan Zhengming was so confused that he asked, "What's wrong with you? Was that the painting spirit just now?"

"Thanks to Master Tang for giving me the painting soul, but now it has been released," Cheng Qian turned to him, and when his cold and deep eyes fell on Yan Zhengming, they finally softened a little. He looked at Yan Zhengming deeply, and suddenly said softly, "Brother, thank you."

This look seemed to have a thousand words in it, but Yan Zhengming had no idea what was going on. He instinctively waved his hands and said, "No... no need to thank me. Wait, this is all nonsense! You said this moth is Tang Zhen, and he gave you a painting soul?"

"His real body is the Soul Devouring Lamp. I guess he is just using his spirit to move around in the ghostly body frozen in the secret realm of the Great Snow Mountain." Cheng Qian slowly turned to the "Flower Spirit" and whispered, "Only the true owner of the Soul Devouring Lamp can put his spiritual consciousness into the infinite ghosts in the Soul Devouring Lamp, right, Brother Tang?"

When he said this, the "flower spirit" was silent for a moment, suddenly chuckled, and slowly appeared in the air.

First, the image of a lifeless girl emerged from the white mist. One could tell from her face and dull eyes that she was a ghost. Then, the ghost gradually lengthened, and her facial features slowly twisted and changed in the air, like a ball of mud. After several changes, it finally became a Tang Zhen.

Tang Zhen was exposed in front of him and almost failed. However, he was very shrewd and did not show his annoyance on his face. He smiled and said with his hands behind his back, "The so-called ghost way is originally the way of souls. If people who practice ghost way can only command a group of ghosts to bite the enemy, then what is the difference between raising ghosts and raising dogs? It's too low."

Yan Zhengming hesitated for a moment and asked, "You are the Soul Devouring Lamp, then what is Jiang Peng?"

Tang Zhen glanced at the leafless golden lotus and said in a slow and gentle voice, "Well, it's okay to chat with you. Jiang Peng is a ghost. The way of ghosts is broad and profound. The soul and the spirit can be refined, so why can't the body? People in the world are too rigid."

Yan Zhengming asked in astonishment: "Did you refine Jiang Peng's soul together with his body?"

Tang Zhen smiled and said, "That's not the case. Sect Leader Yan has probably heard that the Ghost Path is a kind of Demon Path, and neither can stain blood with their own hands, otherwise they will become slaves to killing intent. I just approached him during his travels, taking advantage of the relationship that we are old acquaintances, and I took advantage of the situation and fanned the flames. Jiang Peng voluntarily let himself be refined by the Soul Devouring Lamp, and until now, he still thinks that he controls the Soul Devouring Lamp."

Cheng Qian said coldly: "Han Yuan told me that the people at Tianyan deliberately gave Jiang Peng a set of so-called ghost cultivation techniques, and designed him to be introduced to the Soul Devouring Lamp and become a ghost cultivator... I felt strange when I heard it. How could someone as arrogant as the Third Prince be interested in Jiang Peng's qualifications? It turned out to be you."

Even though Han Yuan was possessed by Zhou Hanzheng's painting soul back then, that was a personal grudge between them and Zhou Hanzheng. They were disgusted with Tian Yan behind him at most, so when Wu Changtian came to visit him later, Yan Zhengming just said "beat him out" and did not intend to kill him.

If it weren't for the blood feud of Jiang Peng killing Han Yuan's entire family, Han Yuan would never have such a deep hatred for Tian Yan, and he would never have cultivated into a demon dragon to avenge Tian Yan, causing chaos in southern Xinjiang.

Cheng Qian: "You misled Han Yuan."

Tang Zhen smiled and said, "From Tong Ru to Gu Yanxue, Tian Yan has done a lot of good things. Even if I didn't add fuel to the fire, with someone as despicable as the Third Prince seeking his own death, how long can they last?"

Yan Zhengming suddenly remembered that when Bai Ji from the West Palace went to Qinglong Island to cause trouble, he did so under the pretext of looking for his grandson. At that time, someone said that there were people from the Ghost Dao on the island. He thought that was an excuse made by people with ulterior motives to force Island Master Gu. Now it seems...

Yan Zhengming suddenly said: "Master almost destroyed your Soul Devouring Lamp at that time, so during that time, you have been hiding near Qinglong Island!"

He said this without any beginning or end, but the three people present understood it.

Tang Zhen did not deny it and said, "I have studied the way of souls and spirits. More than two hundred years ago, I was ordered by my master to serve a senior who was about to die on Mount Mulan. At that time, I was young and energetic. After he died, I suddenly had an idea and used a newly acquired secret method to spy on the traces of his soul that remained in his body. I accidentally learned some of his memories. It turned out that this senior was a thorn in Tianyan's side... They were planning to take action against Tong Ru, who was too popular."

"I was too curious," Tang Zhen said, "My skills were just beginning to develop, and I was stuck at the Yuanshen level. I needed to go down the mountain to gain experience, so I informed my master and took a junior sister to Fuyao Mountain to wait and see the excitement."

Yan Zhengming continued, "I didn't expect that by chance, you didn't see the fun, but became the fun instead, and even cuckolded the demon king."

Tang Zhen laughed off his vulgarity and said, "Indeed, I didn't expect that I would not be able to return after I left. For so many years, I have searched all the clues in the world for this golden lotus leaf, and finally I found out that this golden lotus leaf must be fed with 'power' to survive. It must absorb the spirit of a person who has condensed the power of the world, and then it can finally wither and reveal its leaves. If Gu Yanxue had not died, then this 'power' would have fallen on him, the master of the world. Unexpectedly, because of that idiot Jiang Peng, I was injured by Tong Ru at that time, and Tian Yan was one step ahead."

"So Jiang Peng has always wanted to conquer the Northern Ocean." Cheng Qian said, "He really is doing his duty and wants to be fertilizer for your flowers."

Tang Zhen turned to him and said, "He had this obsession, but unfortunately due to his limited talent, he was not destined to be called 'Lord Bei Ming'. As a result, by chance, I met you whose soul was in the Soul Gathering Jade. Our experiences were so similar, so I intervened and saved you. Who knew that the Soul Gathering Jade, a spiritual object of heaven and earth, was different from the Soul Devouring Lamp. You actually survived the heavenly tribulation and refined your physical body. Cheng Qian, I see my own hope in you."

Cheng Qian looked expressionless.

Tang Zhen sighed, "It's unrealistic to expect Jiang Peng to conquer the Northern Ocean. When you told me in Mingming Valley that you were willing to go through fire and water for me, I planned to direct this 'momentum' to you. Who knew that after the Immortal Locking Platform, you would not hesitate to sacrifice yourself rather than see your senior brother die... Tsk, in the end, man proposes, God disposes."

Yan Zhengming said with a fake smile: "Oh, I'm so sorry, I accidentally occupied your toilet for composting flowers."

Tang Zhen didn't care: "Don't say sorry, the secret realm of the snow mountain is full of strong winds. Now that you are here, you can't get out without the protection of the Ice Heart Fire. Do you want to be trapped here with him, or give up your spirit and let me get the golden lotus leaf? I can promise that I will bring your precious junior brother out safely."

Cheng Qian stared at Tang Zhen with a complicated expression. Without waiting for Yan Zhengming to answer, he suddenly interrupted and said, "You went to great lengths to obtain the golden lotus leaf. Was it for Junior Sister? Tang Zhen, if you admit it, I will forgive you."

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhengming turned around and glared at Cheng Qian, thinking, "What? He promised to go through fire and water behind my back, but he has done so much trouble, and he can be forgiven just by saying something? This is ridiculous. What kind of magic potion did this Tang guy feed him!"

Tang Zhen seemed a little stunned, then he lowered his eyebrows and smiled submissively, "Yes, I did it for her."

Cheng Qian stared into his eyes, and only then did he see clearly that those eyes, which always seemed as warm as spring, actually contained only a mad emptiness.

"Since it's for her," Cheng Qian said word by word, "then dare to ask my little junior sister what her name is, when was she born, and when did she first appear in demon form and fly into the sky?"

Tang Zhen's face was like a mask. He didn't get angry even when it was exposed. He always looked at him with an impeccable smile.

Tang Zhen said, "My dear friend, let's not pretend to be affectionate and beat around the bush. I'm telling you the truth. Only mortals and ants, who are born and die in a day, would think about having descendants for generations. After attaining enlightenment and ascending to heaven, they will live as long as the heaven and earth. All things are the same, so what does it matter whether they are born in the same family or not?"

Cheng Qian: "Oh, I understand now. You want to use the Golden Lotus Leaf to wash away the sins of the Soul Devouring Lamp so that you can survive the heavenly tribulation and ascend to become an immortal?"

Tang Zhen corrected him seriously, "No, surviving the heavenly tribulation can only cultivate a semi-immortal body like yours. I also need those millions of souls - remember what I told you? With your current semi-immortal body, if you can practice in seclusion beside the ice pond for your whole life, you can achieve immortality. The ghost shadow to me is like the cold air of the ice pond to you."

The calamity of millions of resentful souls started with Tong Ru, and people had made countless guesses about who should be blamed.

Some say it happened during the war when Prince An started a rebellion, some say it happened during the war with the Southern Xinjiang Demon Dragon, and some say it happened because of Tian Yan's own mistakes...

No one expected that it would be Tang Zhen who would be responsible.

Yan Zhengming suddenly remembered what Li Yun said, that people like Master Mu Chun would be mentally disturbed after escaping from the Soul-Devouring Lamp, let alone Tang Zhen... he had basically become one with the Soul-Devouring Lamp.

The Soul-Eating Lamp had long since worn away his humanity. The sweetheart and beloved daughter for whom he once risked his life were now probably just strangers with whom he had some connection.

“Eternal life…” Cheng Qian suddenly showed a strange expression on his face, between a bitter smile and a mockery. He suddenly reached out to grab the golden lotus, “I will grant you your wish. I will pick this golden lotus leaf and give you eternal life—”

Yan Zhengming: "Be careful, don't touch..."

Tang Zhen disagreed and was about to say that the power of the world did not depend on Cheng Qian and he could not lure out the golden lotus leaf.

Unexpectedly, the moment Cheng Qian stretched out his hand, the petals of the golden lotus suddenly withered for unknown reasons, and a small leaf as long as a thumb grew out from the bottom of the lotus!

To Tang Zhen's shock, the golden lotus leaf curled up delicately, and before it could open, Cheng Qian ruthlessly pinched it off and held it in his hand.

But the golden lotus failed to devour his soul!