Cure Worse than Disease

"…Young master, can you explain further?" Ye Wenying asked Shu Yidan with a stilled tone. She didn't believe that there existed a path for her survival, yet decided to hear him out due to his status.

"As I said, there still exists a path for you to enter Nascent Soul and survive. You are inflicted with the curse that is based on the Time Dao and the Karma Dao. Elder sealed the Karma Dao portion of the curse, so you have 33 years of life. If you want to break the Time Dao portion of the curse, you'll need to breakthrough to Nascent Soul. Unfortunately, all orthodox methods of breakthrough to Nascent Soul are impossible for you; you'll need to tread on the Demonic Path to survive." Saying this, Shu Yidan looked Ye Wenying in the eye.

"There are all kinds of demonic cultivation methods, but the only one that can allow you to survive is the highest of all Demonic Paths, the Path of Asura! This path will bring you utmost power as long as you are willing to pay the utmost price!

To start with, you'll have to refine your body in Nine Yin Eighteenth Hell Demonic Fire and Nine Yang Hell Court Demonic Fire, and fashion the 99 Asura Runic Scriptures on your flesh.

Your spirit and body and body will have to bear the utmost torment as the godblood of the Asura Race is cast into your human bloodline.

After the rune casting and blood exchange is complete, then comes the soul transformation. Your Seven Emotions and Six Desires within your body will go out of control, your anger and pride will surge to the heavens-"

"Wait no, young master, you don't need to favor me this much, 33 years of lifespan is enough for me!" Shu Yidan's description of the path that would lead to Ye Wenying's salvation was refused before he could even complete speaking it.

"…Brother Shu, that sounds like a fate worse than death. Even a thousand year lifespan with such deficiencies would be a curse." Feng Shiyao couldn't help but snipe at him.

"...Honestly speaking, it isn't as bad. We can get to cutting off the emotions of pride, rage and such in a year, and with some Buddha Sariras, the hell-like pain can be reduced to comfortable numbness. It wouldn't be too terrible." Shu Yidan's tone was a bit dull. He wanted to terrify the girl a little before revealing that it wasn't as bad, but he didn't expect to scare her off so hard.

When Ye Wenying fell into thought about the decision to make, Feng Shiyao asked for her.

"…But aren't there any better methods? Dual cultivation, for example?" Feng Shiyao couldn't help but click her tongue looking at Ye Wenying's disappointing figure.

"…Her body has 33 years of lifespan left. Not counting outside appearance

she is still fragile like a woman a few years away from her deathbed.

She has already hit the point of zero libido. Also, dual cultivation to breakthrough to Nascent Souls is only done by the White Lotus Cult – as their cultivation technique specifically refines their foundation to be able to breakthrough via that." Shaking his head, Shu Yidan licked his lips.

"Body possession? Weapon Spirit refinement?" Feng Shiyao thought of other options.

"Body possession techniques can only be done by Nascent Souls. A forceful possession will lead to disassociative identity disorder. And no, casting the live spirit of a human into a weapon will have you eat tribulation. That's a grave sin." Shu Yidan's warning got Feng Shiyao to shake her head again.

"…How about a normal Nascent Soul Pill? That Elder said she had a domain…" Feng Shiyao glanced at Ye Wenying and received a nod in reply.

"Nascent Soul breakthroughs can be done with Peak Golden Core cultivation base and a Domain-level comprehension. Her Peak Golden Core base is sealed, and 33 days of lifespan will run out in the timespan of a minute if she tries to breakthrough that way." Shu Yidan licked his lips. "This is a part of what it means by 'accumulating a good foundation'. The younger you are and the more lifespan you have accumulated factors into the quality of the Nascent Soul you'll congeal."

"…Didn't you waste like centuries of lifespan fighting that brat?" Feng Shiyao looked over Shu Yidan with a dumbfounded gaze.

"I currently have all my lifespan restored. That's what it means to have good resources." Shu Yidan smiled arrogantly like a profligate young master. "And no, stuffing these resources down Ye Wenying's throat won't work – the curse has barred lifespan replenishment effects on her body."

"…So, the only way to save her requires putting her through hell like torment, with the torment ending when she cuts off her emotions and severs the feeling of pain. Why is it like this?" Feng Shiyao asked for the mute Ye Wenying.

"…You have a good bloodline, so you won't have to go through that. I am descended from a Divine Transformation cultivator and have been cultivating the highest levels of techniques so I won't be forced into this either. Both of us can force our ways into Nascent Soul through less horrifying methods.

But Ye Wenying is a true grassroots cultivator, with no bloodline, no lineage and doesn't have a supreme technique either. No treasure, no fortuitous encounter, she has nothing that can save her. She has no option but to enter hell for salvation." Saying this, Shu Yidan looked the muted Ye Wenying for an answer.

There do exist people who have broken through Nascent Soul with a single breath of lifespan. That's supposedly how the quote "With a breath remaining, hope is immortal" originated from. But Ye Wenying had no destiny like that, no backing of the world and no protagonist aura. She would die. That's how it would go.

Would she have the determination to wade into hell to save herself? Shu Yidan didn't know what she would choose, but Shu Yidan would support her regardless.