Tempered by Tribulation into Stone

I knelt before the altar and reached for the Silent Stone. The moment my fingertips touched it, countless wails flooded my ears. They were all cultivators Gu Ci had refined into demon cores. As they died, every one of them had called my name. Gu Ci stood behind me, pressing my hand against the stone. He said softly, "The day you took the tribulation for me, I knew you'd come looking for me one day." He smiled tenderly, just as he had back then. But my life-bound magical weapon was lodged in his chest, still draining their souls. He hadn't died. I was the one who killed them so he could live.