Jiang Qi hadn't walked far when he came across a barrier.
The young girl in the air gradually revealed herself in the air.
Bian Qingxuan said coldly, “I wondered what it was. Turns out it's just someone wielding Zhu Yan’s spiritual power.”
“Bian Qingxuan?” Jiang Qi drew his sword, sneering. “Get out of my way, or I’ll kill you.”
“A useless thing relying on Zhu Yan’s power dares to speak such arrogant words to me. Since you know Zhu Yan, why don't you ask it if it would be afraid of me when it sees me in the Divine Realm?”
The tree shadows rustled, concealing the flicker of swords.
As the sun began to rise, Bian Qingxuan withdrew her divine weapon. Jiang Qi lay on the ground, gasping his last breaths.
Bian Qingxuan's shoulder was also covered in blood, and two bones were broken. She was also seriously injured. But she won in the end.
She had been lying in wait these past few days and had naturally overheard everything. Looking down at Jiang Qi, she said, “You hate Shi Huan? It’s a pity, even if the little peacock lied, Shi Huan ultimately sacrificed himself for all living beings. Even if your people were innocent, they indirectly killed 152 lives."
“Furthermore,” Bian Qingxuan paused, scoffing, “Shi Luoyi can't lie. She's very stupid. She can fight and kill, but she won't lie to you."
Jiang Qi coughed up a mouthful of blood, staring fixedly at her. “What… are you?”
Even with thirty percent of Zhu Yan’s spiritual power, he couldn't kill this person. He didn't even have time to get to Zhu Yan. How could he be willing to accept this?
As dawn broke, bathing the ground in light, Bian Qingxuan raised her hand. Her pale fingers snuffed out his last breath.
“Since you’re dying, I don’t mind telling you.”
“My name… is Qing Xuan.”
……
Bian Qingxuan didn't go after Jiang Qi’s fragmented soul. Without Zhu Yan’s power, it couldn't cause any trouble.
When she said this long-lost name, even she herself seemed a little dazed.
Long ago, in the Divine Hall, a woman wept with joy: “My child, Qing Xuan, was born with the seal of God. The High Priest divined that my child is the one who will lead our clan to revive and get rid of the sin. Qing Xuan, you will be the king of our Chifen clan." (Crimson Blaze Clan)
Dewdrops slid down leaves and fell to the ground. A flicker of self-mockery flashed across Bian Qingxuan’s eyes. She restrained all her emotions and stepped into the cave.
A young woman stumbled out of the cave entrance, falling towards her.
Bian Qingxuan’s hand reacted faster than her mind, catching the girl. The body in her arms was burning hot. Realizing who it was, Bian Qingxuan stiffened for a moment, then sneered and released her hold.
“What’s wrong with Senior Sister Luoyi? You look uncomfortable?"
Shi Luoyi slid weakly to the ground.
She felt terrible. After a night, the nine-tailed fox's evil seed had begun to take effect. There was not a trace of immortal energy in her body. The evil energy was even stronger than the one that possessed her in her previous life.
A vague pain pulsed in her dantian, but when she came to her senses, it was not completely painful.
Heat surged through her limbs and meridians, making her feel as if she were burning, a sensation more unbearable than being burned by true fire.
Shi Luoyi was very thirsty, so she ran out in a daze, wanting to find some water to drink. She realized she had bumped into someone and heard a voice—it sounded like Bian Qingxuan. But at this moment, demonic energy was intertwined in her body. She not only felt burning hot but, recognizing the person before her as her enemy, a surge of killing intent arose in her. She raised her hand to attack Bian Qingxuan.
Shi Luoyi felt someone holding her hand.
Bian Qingxuan sneered, “Even after falling into darkness, Senior Sister still remembers to hate me. Qingxuan is really touched.”
Bian Qingxuan lifted Shi Luoyi up, placing her hand on Shi Luoyi’s pulse. After a moment, the smile vanished from her face, replaced by a solemn look.
She had been outside these past few days. She had heard some of Shi Luoyi and Jiang Qi’s conversation, but sometimes she was busy setting up formations, and only caught snippets. She knew Jiang Qi wanted to feed Shi Luoyi a demon seed, but she did not hear what kind of demon seed it was.
The longer Bian Qingxuan felt her pulse, the uglier her expression became. “Idiot! He actually fed you the Nine-Tailed Fox’s inner core.”
Bian Qingxuan hadn’t expected Zhu Yan to have such a thing. She glanced at the horizon. Since she had killed Jiang Qi, Bian Lingyu should have killed Zhu Yan by now. She was seriously injured when she dealt with Jiang Qi, who had only 30% of Zhu Yan's spiritual power. Bian Lingyu was probably more seriously injured.
Shi Luoyi’s condition couldn't be hidden from him. If Bian Lingyu was still alive, he would soon come looking for her.
She had to take Shi Luoyi away from here first.
Below the cliff, like a rift valley, a cave was built here.
The Hengwu Sect was in the far north, but this was the Cliff of Repentance of a small sect in the extreme south.
A group of mountain spirits cleaned the house and respectfully withdrew. Bian Qingxuan glanced inside. Shi Luoyi had been unconscious for two days. She temporarily sealed the Nine-Tailed Fox’s inner core, but today the seal would weaken, and Shi Luoyi was about to wake up.
Bian Qingxuan knew that the safest place right now was the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons, but she was a god after all. The coldness and pride in her bones wouldn't allow her to associate with demons.
She had found this cliff, with a waterfall cascading below.
That flower spirit named Huixiang who accompanied Shi Luoyi was troublesome. Flower and wood spirits, though weak, had vast networks and could easily gather information.
Fearing a slip-up, Bian Qingxuan specifically chose this barren cliff. Aside from rocks and water, there was nothing here. It would be difficult for them to find her.
Bian Qingxuan sat cross-legged outside the cave, gazing at the waterfall and the cliff. A fierce wind whipped across the cliff top. Shi Luoyi’s current condition was dire. Jiang Qi had mistakenly fed her a strong dose. Even Bian Qingxuan couldn't remove the inner core. There was a 50% chance that Shi Luoyi would fuse the demon seed and become a demon. The other 50% chance... Shi Luoyi would not be able to fuse the demon seed and would die.
If she died, the Divine Pearl would be gone as well.
Bian Qingxuan frowned.
Perhaps Bian Lingyu would have a solution, but at this point, Bian Qingxuan couldn't let Shi Luoyi return. Originally, Bian Qingxuan had planned to use illusions to drive Shi Luoyi into darkness, but now she had no choice but to gamble on that fifty percent chance of survival.
Inside the cave, Shi Luoyi had awakened. The Nine-Tailed Fox’s lustful nature was taking control of her body.
Sealed to the bed by Bian Qingxuan, she incoherently whimpered in a delirious state.
Bian Qingxuan was initially meditating to heal her injuries, but all she could hear was the humming of Shi Luoyi. She tried to ignore them, to pay Shi Luoyi no mind. But after a while, her blood and qi flowed backwards, and her spiritual power failed to circulate, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
She stared at the blood with a gloomy face.
The Nine-Tailed Fox’s innate charm was even stronger than that of their Chifen clan. Before Shi Luoyi's voice stopped, her moans began to approach the meaning of pain.
Bian Qingxuan walked in with a cold face and gritted her teeth. “What are you whimpering about?”
The young girl's sash had been rubbed open by a large portion, and she was not quite awake at this time, looking at Bian Qingxuan with watery eyes and tears in the corners of her eyes.
The process of fusing a demon seed was excruciatingly painful. Others who successfully merged would fall into darkness, but Shi Luoyi was different. If she completely became a demon, the Divine Pearl would break through her body. Without the Divine Pearl, she would… die.
Shi Luoyi didn't know she was already trapped in a dead end. she didn't realise anything about it, she was just a cultivator who was about to step into Nascent soul stage. The inner elixir in her body was however of the thousands of years old Nine Tailed Demon Fox, she was controlled by the inner elixir and had already lost her consciousness. Seeing someone approach, and finding herself freed from the bindings, she pounced towards the person who had come.
Bian Qingxuan was tightly hugged by Shi Luoyi. She dragged Shi Luoyi towards the waterfall, sneering, “Soak in this. I… can’t satisfy you right now.”
She threw Shi Luoyi into the waterfall, the cascading water slamming into her face.
Bian Qingxuan watched expressionlessly.
Shi Luoyi seemed to sober up a bit in the cold water. She herself was tenacious in will and was still fighting the demon seed.
The waterfall's swift current washed away Shi Luoyi's knot of clothing, revealing the small lotus-pink garment inside.
The young woman appeared slender, her collarbones delicate as butterfly wings, but once she took off her outer clothes, her figure was undeniably voluptuous. Even through the undergarment, one could imagine the beauty it concealed.
Bian Qingxuan, snapping back to herself, realized she had been staring for quite some time. A feeling akin to angry embarrassment surged in her heart. She stepped forward and tied Shi Luoyi’s sash into a dead knot.
Shi Luoyi, still battling the inner core, didn’t recognize her and didn't make a move against her this time. The waterfall pounded against Shi Luoyi’s wounds, and perhaps because it hurt, she felt a little aggrieved.
Seeing that Shi Luoyi seemed to have lost consciousness, Bian Qingxuan was silent for a long time and pointed her finger at Shi Luoyi's forehead.
Spiritual power flowed from Bian Qingxuan into Shi Luoyi. The burns from the true fire in Shi Luoyi’s body slowly began to heal.
Gradually, the pain seemed to subside, and Shi Luoyi, exhausted, fell asleep by the waterfall’s edge.
Bian Qingxuan sat beside her, turning her back to continue healing her own wounds.
Shi Luoyi slept until afternoon, when the demon seed’s killing intent reawakened. Bian Qingxuan heard the rush of wind. Without opening her eyes, she caught the hand attacking from behind and pinned Shi Luoyi to the ground with one hand. "What are you doing? Believe it or not, I will tie you up like Jiang Qi."
Shi Luoyi was now filled with killing intent.
Her eyes were red with pain. Bian Qingxuan looked at her blushing face for a long time then sneered.
“Fine. Since you won’t live much longer…”
She summoned her divine flute, put it on her lips, and sent Shi Luoyi into an illusion where she could hack at stone figures.
After a while, she released Shi Luoyi from the illusion. The young woman was utterly exhausted, yet had a look of satisfaction on her face.
Bian Qingxuan knew that for today, the ordeal was over. She approached, intending to pick Shi Luoyi up, but as she drew near, a resounding slap landed squarely on Bian Qingxuan’s cheek.
Even though Shi Luoyi was unconscious, she still felt that the person in front of her was extremely annoying.
Bian Qingxuan’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, blood welling in her mouth. Bian Qingxuan laughed in anger, “Shi Luoyi!”
Shi Luoyi continued to stare at the waterfall, her gaze unfocused. If Bian Qingxuan hadn’t known that the girl was currently unresponsive, she would have almost thought she did it on purpose.
Bian Qingxuan said angrily, “Do you think I won’t hit you back?!”
She raised her hand, but didn't drop it. After a while, she spat out the blood in her mouth and took Shi Luoyi back with a sinister look.
Bian Qingxuan, taking advantage of her greater height, avoided touching Shi Luoyi as much as possible. She would never hug Shi Luoyi again. She still remembered that she had ended up in today's situation only because of her longing for that illusory embrace in the Sea of Delusions.
That moment of hesitation had cost her a millionfold.
A mistake she had made once, she would not make it a second time until she died.
The next day, Shi Luoyi regained her senses.
The inner core had become a part of her, and she finally gained some consciousness of her own.
She saw the rushing waterfall and Bian Qingxuan sitting at the cave entrance. She lay on a bed, covered with Bian Qingxuan’s outer robe. Shi Luoyi frowned, bundled up the robe, and threw it on the ground.
She couldn't understand how Bian Qingxuan had found her before, nor what she was doing now. She had never understood Bian Qingxuan’s motives.
Shi Luoyi's dantian was in chaos and her lips turned pale with pain. She looked at Bian Qingxuan at the entrance of the cave and felt powerless.
With great effort, she barely summoned the Shen Yun Sword from her body and prepared for a battle.
Bian Qingxuan looked back and saw her robe thrown on the ground. She coldly stared at it for a moment, then twitched her lips. “Put away your sword. You can’t defeat me.”
“How do you know if I don’t try?” Shi Luoyi responded hoarsely.
Bian Qingxuan sneered. Perhaps knowing that Shi Luoyi wouldn’t live long, she was no longer in the mood to play the role of a junior sister. “If I wanted to kill you, would you be able to live until now? Ten years ago…”
Shi Luoyi heard her stop, and frowned. “What happened ten years ago?”
“Nothing.” Bian Qingxuan said coldly.
Seeing that Bian Qingxuan had no intention of fighting with her, Shi Luoyi used her sword to prop herself up and walked out. Bian Qingxuan did not stop her but watched her coldly.
Shi Luoyi hadn't taken many steps before she touched the barrier.
She asked Bian Qingxuan, “What about you? What are you, and why do you hate me too?”
She had heard two stories of her parents’ generation’s love and hatred and was ready for the third.
Bian Qingxuan said indifferently, “Has Senior Sister Luoyi forgotten even her junior sister? I don’t hate you.” Facing Shi Luoyi, she could never reveal her true identity or name.
Shi Luoyi sat back down, maintaining her composure. She poked at Bian Qingxuan's barrier, knowing that she couldn't break it now, she didn't want to waste her energy.
The Untransformed Toad, Zhu Yan, the Sect Master, Bian Qingxuan…
It seemed that from the very beginning, Shi Luoyi’s fate had been a dead end. But what if it was a dead end? So what if she was weaker than them? In her past life, she had shattered herself like jade rather than let any of them have their way, and she wouldn't do so in this life either.
Soon, the Nine-Tailed Fox’s seductive influence began to stir again. This time, she was conscious. Thinking of Bian Qingxuan nearby, she gritted her teeth, remaining motionless. Her body was trembling, but she refused to let a single moan escape her throat.
She bit her lip so hard that it bled. The next instant, Bian Qingxuan gripped her chin.
She looked gloomy, thinking that Shi Luoyi wanted to commit s*icide. “Do you want to die?”
Shi Luoyi: "..." She didn't want to, but she couldn't talk to Bian Qingxuan. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, strange sounds would come out, so she could only let Bian Qingxuan misunderstand.
After an unknown amount of time, Bian Qingxuan moved. She held a crystal-clear flute in her hand, and her voice seemed to be squeezed out, with cold anger. “You can’t die! If you can’t bear it, go into the illusion. Inside, you can…”
She stopped mid-sentence, her face darkening, unable to continue. She simply stared at Shi Luoyi sinisterly.
She spoke of Shi Luoyi entering the illusion if she couldn't bear it, yet she stood blocking the way, as if she would kill Shi Luoyi if she tried to pass.
Shi Luoyi turned over, bit her wrist, and ignored her. Although it was hard to endure, she managed to endure it.
When the killing intent surged in the afternoon, it was easier to handle. Shi Luoyi didn't even suppress herself and slashed at the barrier and Bian Qingxuan.
Bian Qingxuan didn't know what was wrong with her and actually released her, put away the flute, drew her sword and fought with her.
This continued until the fifth day, when Shi Luoyi realized with horror that her eyes had turned into demonic pupils.
And her heart was filled with brutal murderous intent at all times.
She not only wanted to kill Bian Qingxuan, but she was also thirsty for blood. Jiang Qi was right. If she were still in the village, she would have eventually killed someone one day.
Her spiritual techniques were useless!
Shi Luoyi stopped moving. She even stopped fighting Bian Qingxuan. She was afraid that if she didn’t control her killing intent, she would turn into a demon even faster.
Over the past few days, she had guessed that Bian Qingxuan was keeping her alive, waiting for her to become possessed, as if anticipating something.
That evening, Shi Luoyi's transformation into a demon became more obvious. Demonic patterns appeared on her forehead, and her heart began to crave raw flesh.
A sinister demonic aura radiated from her, permeated with bloodlust. Even her eyes were losing their clarity.
But Shi Luoyi fought to maintain control, waiting for an opportunity.
Finally, as heat surged through her body, Bian Qingxuan opened the barrier, directing her to soak in the waterfall as usual, while Bian Qingxuan herself recuperated at the entrance of the cave.
Shi Luoyi glanced at her, then suddenly plunged into the water.
“Shi Luoyi! Stop!” Bian Qingxuan flew over and chased after her.
But it was too late. Shi Luoyi plummeted straight down the cliff, summoned the Shen Yun and pointed it at herself.
The Shen Yun Sword fell with her. At her command, it would seal her soul forever at the bottom of the cliff. Jiang Qi’s words reminded her of what her father once said, it was possible to seal a soul after a demon seed had taken root.
Performing these actions was incredibly difficult for Shi Luoyi. Her dantian throbbed with pain, but seeing the terrified, panicked expression on Bian Qingxuan’s face, she found it amusing.
When you treated me like an ant, did you ever think that you won't be able to control it?
Shi Luoyi wouldn't become the monster that slaughters babies as Jiang Qi said, nor would she let Bian Qingxuan have her way.
She only had one last way out, which was to merge with the Shen Yun Sword and become a sword spirit.
Perhaps she would never see the light of day again, or perhaps she would lose her consciousness entirely. But the Shen Yun sword was pure, forever destined to slay demons, and it would never acknowledge another master.
No one would be able to control her or force her to do anything against her will.
Just as the Shen Yun Sword was about to pierce through her body, a golden light suddenly shone brightly in the air.
With a clang, the Shen Yun Sword was knocked aside.
Shi Luoyi landed on a soft, broad back, with the sound of wind whistling in her ears. She opened her eyes and saw the silvery-white giant beast from her memories.
It was still covered in dirt, and this time it looked even more miserable. It knocked away the Shen Yun Sword, so its fur was stuck with blood. With Shi Luoyi on its back, it had no intention of turning back to fight with Bian Qingxuan.
Shi Luoyi thought that in these past few days, she had become numb to pain and wasn't afraid of death, she had even made plans to turn into a mindless and senseless sword spirit. But upon seeing it, tears flowed down from the corners of her eyes.
She shifted her position, and the spirit beast seemed to think that she was afraid and wanted to break free from it.
In desperation, it turned its head and tried to hold her in its mouth.
Shi Luoyi's face was covered with tears. When it turned around, she stretched out her hands and hugged it.