CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46 - ENTERING THE DEATH ZONE

The silence that followed Liu Wei’s disintegration hung heavy in the chamber, broken only by the faint hum of the suppressive arrays etched into the walls. Where the treacherous guard had sat moments before, only empty space remained—not even ash to mark his passing.

Elder Feng Lianhua’s pale blue eyes held no remorse, her expression as cold and pristine as fresh snow, but I caught the subtle tension in her jaw, the way her fingers trembled almost imperceptibly against her robes.

The ice queen had just committed herself to the most dangerous expedition imaginable, and we both knew it.

Mei Ling broke first, her voice a whisper of barely contained panic. "Husband... the Abyssal Demon Realm? That place is forbidden even to the great sects. They say cultivators who enter either never return or come back... changed. Corrupted beyond recognition."

Lin Yue’s warrior instincts kicked in immediately, her sharp green eyes scanning Feng like she was sizing up an opponent. "And you trust her? She just erased a man without blinking. What’s stopping her from doing the same to us once we’re in that hellscape?"

I leaned back in my cushion, studying Feng’s reaction. The elder’s composure was legendary throughout the cultivation world, but I could see the micro-expressions—the slight flare of her nostrils when Mei mentioned corruption, the way her pupils dilated fractionally when Lin questioned her trustworthiness. She was scared, though she’d rather die than admit it.

"Trust is a luxury we can’t afford," I said, my voice calm but carrying an edge that made both women straighten. "But necessity makes strange bedfellows. Feng needs what I can give her, and I need that demonic fragment. Simple transaction."

Feng’s eyes snapped to mine, a flash of something—anger? Desire?—flickering in those icy depths. "Do not presume to know what I need, Zhao Tianlong. This is merely... an exchange of favors. Nothing more."

The system chose that moment to chime in my head, windows popping up like unwelcome guests at a funeral:

[System Alert: High Tension Detected]

[Recommendation: Defuse situation through dominant display]

[Alternative: Exploit tension for corruption advancement]

[Current Harem Stability: 87% - Lin Yue showing protective instincts, Mei Ling displaying anxiety]

I ignored the system’s suggestions for now, focusing instead on the immediate problem. The Abyssal Demon Realm wasn’t some weekend camping trip—it was a pocket dimension created eons ago when the first demon lords fell in battle, their dying essence crystallizing into a twisted landscape of pure malevolence. The fragments of demonic power scattered throughout were coveted by dark cultivators and forbidden by every righteous sect, but they were also incredibly potent—capable of enhancing weapons beyond mortal limitations.

"The realm has three known entrances," I continued, pulling up memories from the novel’s lore. "The Crimson Tear in the northern wastelands, the Obsidian Gate beneath the Screaming Mountains, and the Void Rift in the Eastern Archipelago. All heavily warded, all monitored by sect patrols. How exactly do you propose we get inside without alerting half the cultivation world?"

Feng’s lips curved into something that might have been a smile if it weren’t so predatory. "The Immortal Sect maintains a research station near the Obsidian Gate. Officially, we’re studying the dimensional instabilities to prevent breaches. Unofficially..." She paused, her pale eyes gleaming with dark knowledge. "We’ve mapped the interior extensively. I have clearance to enter for ’research purposes.’"

"How convenient," Lin Yue muttered, but I held up a hand to forestall her objections.

"What about the void beasts?" I pressed. "The stories say they’re drawn to spiritual energy like moths to flame, and they don’t discriminate between righteous and demonic qi."

"The beasts are real," Feng admitted, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "I’ve seen the recordings from previous expeditions.

Creatures of living shadow that can phase through solid matter, poison-spitting wyrms the size of mountains, and worse things that defy classification.

The mortality rate for Nascent Soul cultivators is sixty percent. For anyone below that level..." She didn’t finish the sentence.

Mei Ling’s face had gone pale, her rose-glow skin taking on an ashen quality. "Husband, please reconsider. Surely there must be another way to—"

"There isn’t," I cut her off gently but firmly. "What I need, what we all need to survive what’s coming, requires power beyond conventional cultivation. The Immortal Sect won’t stop with one failed coup. Neither will the other enemies gathering in the shadows."

I reached out, taking both women’s hands in mine, feeling the familiar spark of our bonds—Mei’s 100% loyalty humming like a tuning fork, Lin’s 85% connection steady and strong despite her obvious concerns. Through our shared qi, I could sense their emotions: Mei’s terror warring with absolute trust in my judgment, Lin’s protective fury tempered by grudging acceptance of necessity.

"Besides," I added with a grin that probably looked more confident than I felt, "I’ll have the three most dangerous women in the cultivation world watching my back. What could go wrong?"

Feng snorted delicately, a sound that somehow managed to be both elegant and dismissive. "Your confidence is either admirable or suicidal. I haven’t decided which."

[System Notification!]

[Bond Stability Fluctuation Detected]

[Mei Ling: Anxiety Override Activated - Loyalty maintaining at 100%]

[Lin Yue: Protective Instincts Engaged - Bond strength increased to 87%]

[Elder Feng: Corruption progress advanced to 47% - Fear and desire creating cognitive dissonance]

The system’s analysis painted an interesting picture. Feng was caught between her cultivated ice-queen persona and the very human emotions I’d awakened in her.

Fear of the realm, frustration with her own needs, and underneath it all, a growing hunger for what I represented—freedom from the sect’s rigid control, power that came from passion rather than cold discipline.

"When do we leave?" I asked, cutting through the tension with direct action.

Feng blinked, clearly not expecting such immediate commitment. "The next research window opens in three days. The dimensional barriers are thinnest during the new moon, making entry safer—relatively speaking. But we’ll need to maintain the pretense until we’re inside. You’ll be my... research assistants."

Lin Yue barked out a laugh that held no humor. "Research assistants? Do we look like scholars to you?"

"You look like exactly what you are," Feng replied coolly. "Desperate people willing to follow a madman into hell for the promise of power. The perfect cover story."

I stood, my reformed body moving with fluid grace, and began pacing the small chamber. The palace bracelet on my wrist felt heavier somehow, as if it too sensed the gravity of what we were planning. "Three days gives us time to prepare. Feng, I’ll need detailed maps of the interior, information on the void beasts’ behavior patterns, and a list of known fragment locations. Mei, Lin—we’ll need to upgrade your cultivation as much as possible before we go in. The realm will test every weakness."

Mei Ling nodded eagerly, her scholar’s mind already working through the logistics. "I can research defensive formations, perhaps find some protective talismans in the sect’s archives..."

"And I’ll work on qi-infused arrows," Lin Yue added, her archer’s instincts taking over. "If we’re facing creatures that can phase through matter, maybe spirit-charged projectiles will have better effect."

Feng watched this display of coordination with something approaching surprise. "You work well together for such... diverse backgrounds."

I grinned at her, letting a hint of the Horny God’s Legacy seep into my aura—not enough to overwhelm, just enough to remind her of what waited at the end of this bargain. "We’re a family, Elder. That tends to breed cooperation."

Her cheeks colored slightly, the memory of our earlier encounter clearly surfacing despite her attempts at composure. "Family. Yes. How... touching."

The word family hung in the air, carrying different meanings for each of us. For Mei and Lin, it was truth—the bonds we’d forged through shared danger and intimate connection. For Feng, it was something alien, dangerous, a crack in the armor of solitude she’d worn for centuries.

As if summoned by the tension, the chamber’s arrays flickered, their suppressive fields wavering for just a moment.

In that brief gap, I felt it—something vast and hungry stirring in the distance, as if our very discussion of the Abyssal Demon Realm had drawn unwanted attention. The feeling passed quickly, but it left all of us slightly shaken.

"The realm knows," Feng whispered, her cultivated composure finally cracking slightly. "They say it calls to those who speak its name too often. Perhaps we should..."

"Perhaps we should finish this conversation somewhere more private," I suggested, letting my meaning sink in.

The ice queen’s eyes widened slightly, understanding the implication.

Three days to prepare, three days to cement our alliance before plunging into literal hell.

And I had very specific ideas about how to spend that time.

Her voice trembled, and I could see her thighs rubbing together as if she expected to get what she wanted.

I sighed, ’These perverted women... do they not know we will die in that place if we don’t plan well?’