Senior Sister Went Mad After My Fake Death Chapter 45

Not saying anything would have been better. The moment Zhi Zhi opened her mouth, her words seemed to have an attractive quality. The scattered, aimless wandering souls suddenly found a target and attacked them all at once.
Chang Xin, being the cultivator with the highest cultivation level here, frowned and flew in front of everyone, shouting, “Fall back!”
Before she could finish, a golden formation instantly rose from beneath her feet, isolating the reckless, flying souls. “Push them back first, let’s check on these cultivators.”
Jiang Chunai and the others nodded upon hearing this, woke the people on the ground, patted their shoulders, and asked how they were feeling.
One of the young female cultivators had red-rimmed eyes and said in a low voice, “We were sucked into the Ghost Gate, it was completely dark inside…”
“Then, these white demon souls came out of nowhere and chased us relentlessly.”
While condensing her energy and transferring her spiritual energy to soothe the female cultivator, Jiang Chunai asked, “So, you didn’t see the Nether Realm?”
That was strange.
They had just heard a cultivator say they had seen the Nether Realm. But the few cultivators who had been thrown out this time had only seen pure darkness.
Could it be that this Ghost Gate led to more than one place?
However, the current situation did not allow Jiang Chunai to think further. Chang Xin’s golden formation had blocked the wandering souls, which in turn had enraged them. They called for their friends, and thousands of white wandering souls suddenly flew over, fiercely crashing against the golden formation!
Chang Xin’s face was ashen. Her figure flashed and moved. What emerged from her hands was no longer just a golden formation, but waves of multi-colored energy, directly swallowing the oncoming souls!
“Quick, Senior Sister Chunai, go help Senior Sister Chang!” Zhi Zhi couldn’t help much. She walked a few steps to Jiang Chunai’s side and said seriously, “Leave this to me, I’ll take a look.”
“Alright.” Jiang Chunai nodded, held her long sword, and with a leap, she and Lan Xu were by Chang Xin’s side.
Zhi Zhi suppressed her pounding heart, which was like a drum, gathered her energy in her dantian, and slowly felt the changes in the weak female cultivator’s body on the ground.
She stroked the female cultivator’s smooth but mud-stained forehead and comforted her, “It’s alright, it’s alright. Although I’m not as powerful as my senior sisters, I can still protect you now.”
The female cultivator nodded with difficulty, enduring the metallic taste in her throat. Even though she had only seen a scene of darkness, it was as if something had been drained from her…
It was so uncomfortable. The female cultivator closed her eyes, waiting for treatment.
Zhi Zhi’s palm covered the female cultivator’s forehead, silently transferring her spiritual energy. But something strange happened at this moment.
She clearly felt a demonic energy in the female cultivator’s body clashing with hers.
Demonic energy? If you go into the Ghost Gate, will you accidentally get stained with demonic energy? Or is it that those wandering souls, who are still fighting with my three sisters, have demonic energy on them?
Zhi Zhi didn’t understand.
Not far away, Chang Xin, Jiang Chunai, and Lan Xu were fighting together, each using their skills to try to repel these frenzied attackers.
But for the three of them, the attack of thousands of wandering souls was too much to handle. They had no choice but to fight as they retreated.
Beads of sweat, as large as beans, now appeared on everyone’s face, dripping down one by one.
Lan Xu was the worst off. The beads of sweat on her eyelashes, along with her trembling, unstable steps, gradually rolled into her eyes.
She thought, she definitely couldn’t fall here.
Before they set out, she had boasted to Jiang Chunai that the two of them would be enough for Mount Xialian. But things had gone against her wishes. The current development was beyond her expectations.
…If it were just her and Jiang Chunai, the two of them might not be able to return to Yanqiu. In that case, she had to try even harder.
It was as if her feet had taken root, digging deep into the soil.
Blood seeped out, and the air was filled with a bloody smell.
Lan Xu was still holding on.
Chang Xin and Jiang Chunai both saw this.
Chang Xin asked in a low voice, “Chunai, do you have any other ideas? If not, we’ll have to retreat for now. There are other cultivators here. I hope they can help.”
“Lan Xu! Don’t push yourself!” As she spoke, Chang Xin also swung her sword, sending out a wave of sword energy that barely repelled the newly gathered souls, allowing her voice to reach Lan Xu’s ears clearly.
Lan Xu gritted her teeth and murmured, “I’m not pushing myself… I’m not pushing myself.”
Jiang Chunai was momentarily dazed, and a sense of guilt welled up in her.
What had she learned in Yanqiu? Ever since she had learned that her former self was a cultivator of the Bright Snow Sect, she seemed to have become even more lazy in her cultivation.
And the people of Yanqiu all treated her as a sister. Ever since Jiang Chunai herself had learned that she was originally a cultivator of the Bright Snow Sect, they had become even more open with each other.
They still praised her, but with an added prefix or suffix, saying that Junior Sister Chunai was worthy of having cultivated in the Bright Snow Sect—
But what had the identity of a Bright Snow Sect cultivator brought her? Besides the title, nothing else.
She looked at Chang Xin, Lan Xu, Zhi Zhi, and the few cultivators lying on the ground, but she couldn’t come up with any more moves to help.
Jiang Chunai bit her lip, desperately searching her memory, her sea of consciousness, for one or two useful moves…
But without exception, she had used them all. With a mixture of hope and despair, she used a few sword moves—
The white sword energy hit the oncoming wandering souls, like a clay ox entering the sea, with no reaction.
Jiang Chunai was dejected. In a flash, she turned and ran towards Zhi Zhi.
Since she couldn’t help Senior Sister Chang and Lan Xu, she would go help Zhi Zhi.
The wind howled. Jiang Chunai had only one strong desire in her heart: she wanted to become stronger.
How could she not regain her former strength? How could she be like this?
Her former memories might be irrelevant, but her cultivation was truly important.
If she was lucky enough to return to Yanqiu, she would definitely go and ask her Master to restore her former memories.
The moment Jiang Chunai arrived by Zhi Zhi’s side, a fierce gust of wind rolled up behind her. This gust of wind was infused with spiritual energy, almost blowing her off her feet.
“Awooooo!” The previously rampant demon souls seemed to be more affected by this gust of wind and actually started to howl.
Chang Xin and Lan Xu supported themselves with their swords, barely managing to stay on their feet, and only then did they see the source of the hurricane.
A sword came from the west, like the majestic sword energy of a vast mountain, bringing with it a fierce wind that instantly repelled all the wandering souls.
Outside the piercing light, a cultivator stood majestically.
A full head of black hair fluttered in the wind. She was tall and slender, her face calm.
The sword intent just now had been clear and pure, perfectly matching her own temperament.
Only then did everyone present let out a sigh of relief.
Chang Xin let out a big sigh, looked back gratefully, and at the same time, did not forget to tell Lan Xu, “I told you, with so many people gathered here, someone would surely be able to help.”
Lan Xu was of course happy, but she still had some doubts. “Her moves, does Senior Sister recognize them?”
“Recognize?” Chang Xin thought back, and after a moment, said, “Perhaps… hmm, I’ve never seen them.”
She paused for a moment, searching her memory carefully, but did not find a suitable answer.
Actually, she had seen such a clean, clear sword intent before. But that person, or rather, she could no longer be called a “person.”
She was so defiled, so demonic, that the clarity and purity of this world had nothing to do with her anymore.
The wandering souls let out a couple of “ow”s, as if hesitating. They looked at each other, as if making a final decision, and launched another attack!
However, the cultivator hovering high in the air, her robes fluttering, remained expressionless. She suddenly brought out that thin, soft long sword again.
Unlike the slenderness of a soft sword, she made a fewfeinting circles in the air, and the sword energy condensed into a verdant, deep giant dragon, its momentum like a rainbow, its attack dense, and in one go, it shattered all those wandering souls.
“Ahhh—” The wandering souls no longer howled, but instead let out tragic wails.
A few unlucky ones, who were in the front, were shattered by the wave of sword energy and directly dissolved into the thin mist floating in the air.
The thin mist, like rice paper, seemed to have become thicker.
They were scared, truly scared, and no longer had the courage to launch another attack.
…
“Fellow Daoists, are you alright?” The cultivator put away that thin, soft long sword, landed, and came to Chang Xin and Lan Xu’s side, asking with concern.
A smile immediately spread across Chang Xin’s face. She cupped her hands and said, “Thanks to the help of fellow Daoist. If it weren’t for you, Chang Xin would have died here today.”
The cultivator had a faint smile on her face and said, “It’s good that you’re alright.”
Lan Xu hesitated for a moment on the side, then also followed Chang Xin’s example and said, “Thank you, fellow Daoist, for your help.”
Hearing this, the cultivator turned her head and glanced at Lan Xu, a dark light suddenly flashing in her eyes, but it was gone in an instant.
“It’s nothing. I just heard there was a disturbance on Mount Xialian and rushed over, just to slay demons, cleanse evil, and restore peace to the world.”
Just then, Jiang Chunai and Zhi Zhi also came over and heard what the cultivator said.
Among the four of them, Chang Xin and Lan Xu were descendants of Yanqiu, and Zhi Zhi was just a spider. The only one who could have a deeper understanding of these words was Jiang Chunai.
Chang Xin was surprised. “It is truly our good fortune that fellow Daoist has such a heart.”
“But,” she quickly asked again, “may I ask which sect fellow Daoist belongs to?”
Seeing her clean, sharp sword intent and such a righteous speech, Chang Xin quickly thought of the three words “Bright Snow Sect.”
But why hadn’t she heard of such a person in the Bright Snow Sect?
The cultivator smiled and said, “I have no surname. My name is ‘Ping’an.’ I am from the Qingyang Sword Sect.”
Chang Xin suddenly remembered the verdant giant dragon and the sharp sword energy she had just drawn with her soft sword. It did fit the name “Sword Sect.”
Before she could ask again, Ping’an said, “These wandering souls will probably be back. When I came, I saw a group of cultivators. There is strength in numbers. Let’s go and join them.”
This was indeed a good idea.
Jiang Chunai also nodded in agreement, and the four of them naturally agreed to let Ping’an join their group.
One more person, one more ounce of strength. Besides, if Ping’an hadn’t helped just now, they might very well have been trapped in this maze of thick fog.
Even now, their group was still carrying those few injured cultivators, walking in this thin, thick fog.
“So your name is Ping’an?” Jiang Chunai blinked at her, her light, glass-like pupils looking warm at any time.
Ping’an returned the same gentle smile. “Yes, my name is ‘Ping’an.’ The same Ping’an as in ‘peaceful home’.”
“Then, did your family give you this name in the hope that you would be safe?”
However, Ping’an shook her head and said, “No, my family gave me this name in the hope that the person I like will be safe and sound.”
“Ah?” The others were surprised and intrigued by this answer and looked at each other.
Then, they naturally started to chat with Ping’an.
But Ping’an seemed to be a reserved, taciturn person. Like her appearance, she was a quiet and reserved, delicate female cultivator.
But out of politeness, she would answer all the questions they asked.
Lan Xu was not a talkative person to begin with, so after greeting her, she fell silent. Chang Xin saw that Ping’an was not very willing to talk, so she stopped at that. The only one left was Zhi Zhi, whose small mouth chattered non-stop, like pouring beans.
In the end, Ping’an was basically answering Zhi Zhi’s questions.
As for Jiang Chunai, she was just listening on the side, her mind wandering—she had been thinking that after she returned to Yanqiu, she would immediately go to see Master Yu Lingzi and hope that she could restore her cultivation.
She didn’t want to be a burden to everyone anymore. Her past identity was just an identity. Compared to the identity of a “Bright Snow Sect cultivator,” what she wanted more was the cultivation strength under this title.
While her mind was wandering, Ping’an was still answering Zhi Zhi’s various questions.
Ping’an said she had no surname. Since she was born, she hadn’t even seen her mother’s face and had later been sent to the Sword Sect.
Jiang Chunai suddenly came back to her senses. Hearing this, she suddenly remembered her own past and couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ping’an.
She said, “I was like you when I was a child, but I was a little better off than you.”
Ping’an, who had always answered Zhi Zhi with “oh,” “mm,” and “yes,” suddenly took up Jiang Chunai’s words. “Ah, what were you like when you were a child? Speaking of which, I don’t know your name yet.”
Jiang Chunai said embarrassedly, “Sorry, I was thinking about something else just now. My name is Jiang Chunai.”
Ping’an still had a pure, beautiful smile on her face. She just rolled the three words over her teeth. “Oh, Jiang Chunai. Which ‘Jiang’ and which ‘Chun’ai’?”
“Jiang is the Jiang of the great river,” Jiang Chunai explained patiently. “As for ‘Chun’ai’…”
How to explain these two words? The word ‘Chun’ was of course easy to explain, but how to explain the word ‘Ai’?
Just then, a memory flashed through Jiang Chunai’s mind.
…She seemed to be a little girl at that time, and a cold, noble woman was smiling and telling her that her name had a connection to someone.
“In the ancient marsh, the spring mist rises; from the high sky, the twilight kite falls…” she murmured, and out of nowhere, she said this sentence. “Chun’ai seems to be taken from this poem?”
Ping’an’s expression changed slightly. Her long, thick black eyelashes, when Jiang Chunai said the word “mùyuān” (twilight kite), trembled uncontrollably.
“Oh, this poem?” she smiled. “I haven’t heard this poem before.”
Jiang Chunai was very embarrassed. She quickly broke down her name into individual characters and explained them clearly one by one.
The poem she had recited out of nowhere, it seemed no one but herself understood.
She had really caused trouble for nothing. Next time she introduced herself, she should not use this poem. Jiang Chunai thought.
As the two of them were talking, the others naturally had nothing to say to them.
Zhi Zhi was a chatterbox. When Ping’an didn’t talk to her, she went to talk to the three cultivators next to her. These three cultivators had been thrown out just now and had fallen badly. Now they were being supported by them, limping along.
“Hey, sisters, what are your names?” she asked with great interest.
Among the few of them, she felt that she and Senior Sister Chunai were the most approachable. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be just the two of them who were chatting so freely with that Ping’an.
…Well, she was just a spider demon, and Senior Sister Chunai was human. It wasn’t strange that the righteous person Ping’an, who had helped them, liked Senior Sister Chunai more.
The three cultivators they had rescued were all surnamed Qiu. They were called Qiu San, Qiu Wu, and Qiu Liu, according to their seniority.
Zhi Zhi asked them how they had entered the Ghost Gate and how they had gotten out.
The three Qiu sisters then recounted everything one by one.
As it turned out, many immortal sects had rushed over upon hearing the news. Everyone saw the Ghost Gate floating in the air and had thrown some small things in to test it, but to little effect. So everyone had the idea of sending someone in.
Qiu Wu cried, “Yes, they said to send someone in to see, but they didn’t go themselves, they just ordered others to go. We were quite lucky, we actually came out.”
“Tsk—” As soon as her words fell, a strange sound came from behind them again.
Everyone reacted and immediately turned to look, only to see a group of three or five black miasma demons, limping and rushing towards them!
“Revenge! Revenge!” The bodies of the black miasma demons were made of black miasma. The moment they appeared, they dyed the surrounding air black.
The thin mist became thick again.
Chang Xin frowned and said, “Not good, the demons are out for revenge.”
“Are they demons from the Ghost Gate?” Jiang Chunai asked.
“No,” Ping’an replied with certainty.
Ping’an was so powerful, she must be a top master of the Qingyang Sword Sect. It was normal for her to be more knowledgeable. Jiang Chunai thought.
Those black miasma demons were after Chang Xin.
As it turned out, Chang Xin had previously participated in that demon-slaying journey and had also provoked hatred. Those small demon remnants had been driven away by Chang Xin, had fled to Mount Xialian, and had continued to cultivate diligently, hoping to come out one day to take revenge.
“As long as the green hills remain, there will be no lack of firewood,” the leading black miasma demon cackled. “Don’t you humans like to talk about this kind of logic? You’ve finally fallen into my hands!”
Zhi Zhi whispered, “Shouldn’t it be ‘to find something after a long search, only to get it by chance’?”
Jiang Chunai pursed her lips, causing Ping’an to turn and look at her.
Hmm, is that a funny thing to say?
Chang Xin looked at the black miasma demons with a blank expression. “Last time, your leader was still here. You know how you ended up. I’ll give you one more chance, I’ll let you go.”
“How could I leave!” the black miasma demon said angrily, but it quickly realized something was wrong. “You, how can you suddenly speak?”
It was shocked and immediately whispered to its subordinates.
This woman, when she had razed their lair back then, she was definitely mute!
How could she be cured of her muteness in just one or two years?
“Yes, I’m about to ascend. How can an immortal be mute?” Chang Xin threatened the miasma demon.
The miasma demon’s cultivation was low to begin with. This time, it was purely because it saw the Ghost Gate appear and thought it could get a piece of the pie and take revenge at the same time.
…But looking at the calm demeanor of its enemy, did she still have the strength to fight them?
The demons and the humans were in a standoff.
Jiang Chunai thought for a moment. Because she had just been talking to Ping’an and knew she was powerful, she took the initiative to go over and say, “Sister Ping’an…”
The words “sister” seemed too intimate. The two of them were too close. Ping’an’s eyelashes trembled, and a vein seemed to pop on her forehead. “What is it?”
“Those demons are probably not that strong, right? We need to get out of the mist first, so let’s not bother with these demons. Can you help us?” Jiang Chunai’s round eyes looked at Ping’an with great sincerity.
Of course Ping’an agreed.
The thin, soft long sword suddenly stabbed out. A vast sword intent cut through the sky, like the light of a jade pot turning, and in an instant, it drowned the path of the black miasma demons.
Another wail was heard.
Chang Xin turned her head in astonishment, her eyes meeting Ping’an’s. After a moment of daze, she said, “Chang Xin thanks you. If this continues, we at Yanqiu will owe your Qingyang Sword Sect a great debt.”
Ping’an smiled and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Even though it had been a long time since they had dealt with the chasing black miasma demons, Ping’an was still savoring the moment when Jiang Chunai had whispered in her ear for help.
The warm, moist breath spread out, like the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings.
Because those black miasma demons were after her, it meant that Chang Xin had been the one to drag everyone down.
So, for the rest of the journey, Chang Xin became much more active, explaining the whole story.
Zhi Zhi said, “So the immortal sects had already organized to slay demons and defend the righteous path back then. Why haven’t they recently?”
Chang Xin said, “Because the immortal sects are not united… they all have their own selfish motives.”
As she spoke, she also looked very carefully at Ping’an beside her.
She didn’t know what Ping’an was thinking. Her eyes were wandering, and she was just walking.
“Not united? No wonder,” Zhi Zhi sighed. “Look at that great demon king Han Xiao, how terrifying she is. No one has come out to deal with her! She even killed her way through the Wunian Sect and then sneaked into the Nether Realm, directly snatching the position of the Crimson Smelting City Lord. It’s simply lawless.”
Chang Xin nodded lightly and said, “Slaying demons and defending the righteous path is just a slogan for each immortal sect.”
She had just glanced at Ping’an, and her self-introduction was probably like that.
But Chang Xin saw that Ping’an had a calm expression, as if she had taken the sect’s teachings to heart. The rest of the conversation also turned to idle talk:
The so-called struggle and division between gods, humans, and demons had its origins in ancient times.
Among the ten gods formed from Nuwa’s intestines, one god, Chongji, wanted to unify the three realms. However, the other nine gods all had their own domains and were naturally unwilling to hand them over to Chongji, so a dispute arose.
But the dispute was initially limited to words. Chongji later became extremely domineering, taking the territory of the love-struck god, Xiangyi, by force, and then slowly expanding outwards.
Xiangyi was not concerned at first, and even when her territory was invaded, she did not inform the other gods. It was not until Chongji sent troops from her own territory and Xiangyi’s territory to attack the other gods’ territories that the gods realized what had happened.
The remaining gods united and fought several fierce battles with Chongji, finally defeating her. But out of consideration for Chongji still being a sibling, the gods spared her and still allowed her to have descendants.
“How should I put it, Chongji seemed to be very dissatisfied with the other gods’ ‘permission.’ She thought she was being looked down upon. Later, her descendants were passed down from generation to generation, probably in a way to preserve her essence, right?” Chang Xin shrugged. She had finally explained the ancient matters clearly.
Then came the discord among the immortal sects, each with their own selfish motives.
“After humans learned that they could cultivate to become immortals and ascend, the immortal sects and Daoist schools sprang up like mushrooms after a spring rain, choosing to reside on spiritual mountains and sacred peaks, establishing sects… look at the mist around us. The peaks of those spiritual mountains and sacred peaks also have so much mist. It grows with the wind and thunder, but it can never touch the clouds.”
For so many years, it was not heard that anyone had truly ascended to immortality, but rumors of falling into the demonic path came one after another.
“Slaying demons and protecting a region, the immortal sects all take this as their duty,” Chang Xin sighed in a low voice. “To seek longevity, to ask the immortal path, it’s easy to say, but who has done it?”
Jiang Chunai was silent.
No wonder the people of Yanqiu were always “criticized.” In fact, they saw things too clearly.
“Even cultivators who can open their meridians and cultivate are like this, let alone those mortals, who hold the beautiful dream of immortality, and spend their whole lives in vain, breaking their legs and necks, but in fact, they can’t even find where the immortal mountains are!”
Ping’an had been listening on the side, not saying a word, just as Chang Xin had imagined. The words in her self-introduction just now were probably just her reciting the teachings of her sword sect.
Perhaps this topic was too heavy. No one took it up. In the thick mist, no one was sure of the real path ahead. They changed the subject.
“But now, the immortal sects should indeed unite,” the injured Qiu San-niang said. “I think that demon king Han Xiao is indeed a target.”
“Although everyone has their own selfish motives, Han Xiao is, after all, a descendant of the evil god Chongji. Her danger is greater. Before the various immortal sects start fighting among themselves, she should be eliminated.”
On the topic of Han Xiao, there were many participants.
First, she was the supreme and noble head disciple of the Immortal Lord of the Bright Snow Sect. It was rumored that she had a natural sword bone, cultivated extremely fast, and was about to ascend, half a step away from entering the council of elders. She had a limitless future.
However, it was this noble head disciple of the Immortal Lord who had, on the day of her pact with the Wunian Sect’s young master, revealed her true snake form, opened a coffin, and risked being killed by the combined forces of the cultivators to take the coffin away.
“You say she’s already done enough to surprise people,” Zhi Zhi commented. “She later went to the Wunian Sect to snatch a divine artifact. The Wunian Sect’s formation was not to be trifled with. After she snatched it, she went into hiding for a while.”
“In the end, she ran back to the Nether Realm. I heard she imprisoned the City Lord of the Crimson Smelting City. To destroy a city by herself, no matter how powerful a demon is, it’s not easy to do, right? I really don’t know what crazy things she’ll do next.”
Qiu San-niang said, “I heard she did it to resurrect her lover.”
“Who is her lover?” Qiu Wu-mei tilted her head.
“Uh, it seems to be that little junior sister whose coffin she opened at the beginning. But as for the specific name, I don’t know.”
The three Qiu sisters didn’t know, but Chang Xin, Lan Xu, and the others knew very well.
The junior sister in that coffin was now by their side.
Hearing this, Lan Xu let out a “tsk,” the sound of contempt so loud that it made everyone look at her.
Only then did she realize her voice was too loud. When she subconsciously looked back, she met Ping’an’s eyes.
—In her delicate eyes, there was a light like the cold moon and a lone star, like the flickering of a firefly in the darkness.
There seemed to be a very fine crimson-black line under her eyes, but Lan Xu blinked, and the line disappeared.
She thought she had seen wrong.
“When people are alive, you don’t cherish them. Why open their coffin after they’re dead?” Lan Xu’s words were already unpleasant. “And then snatching the Wunian Sect’s magical artifact, breaking into the Crimson Smelting City… why? Was it necessary?”
The words were harsh, but they made sense.
But it was the almost silent Ping’an who spoke up, “It was.”
Everyone: ?
“Anyway, if that little junior sister were alive, she wouldn’t give Han Xiao a good look,” Lan Xu said evasively. “This person didn’t like her when the little junior sister was alive. After she died, she opened her coffin and pretended to be deeply in love, going to the Wunian Sect and the Crimson Smelting City. What’s the point?”
But Ping’an said, “Why is there no point?”
Lan Xu narrowed her eyes, suddenly feeling that this delicate female cultivator had changed after killing the black miasma demons.
Could it be that those demons were not made of miasma, but of firecrackers?
This thought didn’t last long, because what Lan Xu said made a lot of sense, and the three Qiu sisters and Zhi Zhi all supported her.
But Chang Xin did not speak. After all, she had just relied on Ping’an to easily deal with those black miasma demons.
However, Ping’an suddenly had a tendency to bicker with Lan Xu. She decided to remain silent.
Ping’an saw that everyone supported Lan Xu. She choked for a moment, then just gave Jiang Chunai and Chang Xin a strange look and said no more.
I wonder what human tongue soup tastes like. It’s probably very nourishing for a snake’s body.
After all, you are what you eat.
“The compass is reacting, it’s reacting!” Su Yanchen shouted happily. “Look!”
Everyone followed her finger to the compass: the pointer was no longer shaking uncontrollably, but was pointing straight in one direction!
Su Yanchen was overjoyed. “It’s just ahead! Heaven bless us, we’ve finally found it. Everyone, are you ready?”
“Ready,” the other eight people said in unison.
The nine of them were known as the “Nine Sages of Mengling.” The formations they set up were capable of slaying gods and demons.
Last time in the Bright Snow Sect, the demons of the Covering Moon Sect had been utterly defeated by them—and their formation had only used thirty to forty percent of its power.
If not for concealing the truth, they would not have let a single demon from the Covering Moon Sect escape at that time.
“Um, is this thing really okay?” one of them asked.
Su Yanchen nodded with full confidence. “Don’t worry, Jianqing gave this to me. That’s Jianqing, you all know her little childhood friend… wasn’t she very familiar with Han Xiao at that time?”
“Although she’s not a disciple of Immortal Lord Yang Nian, she’s at least from the Bright Snow Sect.”
After Su Yanchen finished, she had just put down the compass when she saw, not far away, the thick fog breaking, revealing several shadowy figures.
—But when she saw who it was, Su Yanchen’s mouth fell open in surprise.
“Chang-Chang Xin, what is she doing here?”
Chang Xin, who was walking at the front, did not expect to meet the people of Mengling here.
She just swept her gaze, saw that there were nine of them, and that the leader was Su Yanchen, and then said in a low voice to the person next to her, “It’s the Nine Sages of Mengling.”
Although they were both immortal sects, Yanqiu and Mengling were not on very good terms.
So, Chang Xin quickly stopped and greeted Su Yanchen from a distance, “Daoist Su.”
Su Yanchen was holding a compass in her hand and was slowly approaching with the eight people behind her.
Jiang Chunai said strangely, “What are they doing?”
Lan Xu explained, “The Nine Sages of Mengling, when the nine of them use a formation together, it’s like a net that catches everything. They have beast formations, sword formations, immortal-slaying formations, demon-subduing formations… in short, they are famous far and wide.”
So powerful. Jiang Chunai was surprised. “No wonder they also came to Mount Xialian. Are they here to close the Ghost Gate?”
“Possibly,” Lan Xu said. “But the people of Mengling are not always righteous. Although they often call themselves the righteous path, what they do is not necessarily so. It was once rumored that they manipulated the results of the immortal sect competition… to gain a good reputation and famous artifacts.”
Jiang Chunai deeply agreed, remembering the encounter in the forbidden ground of the Bright Snow Sect that day.
At that time, Mei Shengchi had said that the people of Mengling were suspicious. Thinking of this, Jiang Chunai moved even farther away from these so-called Nine Sages of Mengling.
“Oh, Senior Sister Chang,” Su Yanchen approached with a smile, the compass in her hand reacting even more strongly, more violently. “Long time no see.”
There was no such rule or way of meeting in the immortal sects.
Besides… Chang Xin didn’t have a good impression of Su Yanchen.
Her face was grim as she said, “Please stop. We are currently trapped in a maze of fog. Can Daoist Su show us the way?”
“Show you the way? My compass has already pointed out the way,” Su Yanchen suddenly sneered and threw the bronze-colored compass in her hand into the air.
In just a moment, Su Yanchen gave the order, “Listen to my command, form the formation!”
The eight cultivators behind her immediately accelerated their hand seals and set up the formation.
Chang Xin’s brow furrowed. “Su Yanchen, what are you doing?”
She had seen Su Yanchen use a simplified version of this formation before. It was a killing formation.
Using a killing formation on them as soon as they meet?
The smile on Su Yanchen’s face did not change. “Senior Sister Chang, have you lost your mind in this thick fog? You can’t even tell that a demon is mixed in with your group?”
Zhi Zhi was shocked. “What, what demon?”
“I’m talking about that woman,” Su Yanchen’s slender fingertip pointed at Ping’an. “How did she get into your group, out of thin air?”
Zhi Zhi covered her mouth. She suddenly remembered the strange feeling she had caught when she was transferring spiritual energy to the three Qiu sisters just now.
There seemed to be demonic energy remaining in their spiritual meridians, and they had been thrown out of the Ghost Gate…
In fact, all along the way while she was supporting them, Zhi Zhi could faintly feel that demonic energy pulsating: because she was also a demon, her perception was stronger than her few senior sisters.
Chang Xin’s face was ashen. No matter what, Su Yanchen should not have used a killing formation on them without saying anything!
She had seen clearly just now that the eight people behind Su Yanchen had already prepared their hand seals before they even got close to them!
They had no intention of negotiating at all!
Su Yanchen smiled as she watched the sword formation form and said with a grin, “Alright, since Senior Sister Chang is indifferent, then leave it to us at Mengling. Slaying demons is what we at Mengling should do.”
“Better to kill by mistake than to let one go,” she shouted sternly, signaling to activate the formation. “First, force her to reveal her true form!”
Jiang Chunai was struck by these words as if by lightning. She turned her head and saw the delicate female cultivator’s skin peel away, revealing an even more beautiful and elegant face.
Her long eyes were bright, her nose high, her thin lips moist.
But under her eyes, there was a crimson-black line. When she looked up at her, those lines were hidden in the shadow of her dense lashes.
Jiang Chunai seemed to understand why Ping’an had been so hostile to Lan Xu’s words just now, and…
The previously taciturn Ping’an had only answered her.
“Ping’an,” Jiang Chunai looked at the female cultivator silently, “or should I call you Han… Xiao?”
She stared fixedly at that woman.
However, there was no time for the two of them to recognize each other. The Nine Sages of Mengling had already flown to nine positions, each holding a magical artifact, and set up the formation.
“First formation, Demon Extermination.”
Wind and thunder flashed at their fingertips, and a fierce wind, like a knife, scraped at everyone’s faces.
Chang Xin was horrified. “Su Yanchen, are you really going to bury us all here?”
“Better to kill by mistake than to let one go,” Su Yanchen looked down with cold eyes. “Besides, if I let you out, wouldn’t Han Xiao find an opportunity?”
Han Xiao had single-handedly shaken the hundred immortal sects. Her strength was not to be underestimated. The Nine Sages of Mengling setting up a formation was also a way of finding an opportunity. If they let Chang Xin go, then Han Xiao would very likely find a chance to come out. At that time, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Chang Xin gritted her teeth. On one side was the so-called immortal sect that wanted to kill them all, and on the other was the notorious demon king Han Xiao. It was truly a difficult choice.
Time was not plentiful. Waves of sword energy had already come from the suddenly erected sword pillars, followed by fists and feet. They could only dodge and scatter.
Lan Xu had originally thought that the main purpose of the sword formation was to harm Han Xiao, but she quickly realized she was wrong.
…The people of Mengling had no intention of sparing any of them. The waves of energy directed at Han Xiao were exactly the same as the ones directed at them!
Soon, Zhi Zhi vomited her first mouthful of blood.
“Senior Sister Chunai!” she sobbed, four streams of tears mixed with blood flowing from her eyes, a miserable sight.
Jiang Chunai was shocked and immediately swung her sword, creating a barrier to repel the wave of sword energy next to Zhi Zhi. “Don’t be afraid, Zhi Zhi!”
She didn’t know any Su Yanchen, and her memory of Han Xiao was not deep. She only knew that Zhi Zhi had been with her for a long, long time.
She had to protect Zhi Zhi.
However, the Nine Sages of Mengling did not give up their attack, but instead increased their intensity. Jiang Chunai soon couldn’t hold on.
Just as a ghostly blue fist wind, powerful enough to kill her, came at her, a wave of sword energy like brilliant golden flowing water deflected it, followed by a “pfft” sound.
It was the Mengling cultivator who had used the fist wind who had suffered a backlash.
Han Xiao instantly moved to Jiang Chunai and Zhi Zhi’s side. Just by standing there, she had an inviolable presence.
Chang Xin caught a glimpse of this from the corner of her eye and was shocked.
…She had originally thought that Han Xiao had completely lost her humanity, but the clean, clear sword intent just now was still the same as she had seen it at that time.
Or perhaps, Han Xiao had deliberately used this kind of sword intent.
“Follow me,” Han Xiao’s gaze suddenly sharpened. She raised her hand and cut off the sleeve of Jiang Chunai’s that Zhi Zhi was pulling, almost mercilessly. “Staying here, you will die.”
She would die, and they would die too.
“Let go of me—” Jiang Chunai suddenly felt a force lift her up. Han Xiao said nothing, but her eyes were filled with a dark light. In an instant, a black mist rose in the air, obscuring everything in the sword formation.
Su Yanchen was shocked. “Quick, quick, quick! Set up the formation, go straight to the fifth formation! Don’t let Han Xiao escape!”
However, the fist wind that Han Xiao had just deflected with her Twilight Kite sword had already broken an opening.
When everyone came back to their senses, they only saw a giant green-black snake soaring into the sky, leaving behind a black mist.
But the snake quickly transformed back into a human. Jiang Chunai probably preferred this appearance of hers.
Jiang Chunai was being held by Han Xiao, her heart beating extremely fast, like a chaotic spring thunder.
She suddenly realized the origin of “Ping’an’s” name.
She said she had no surname. In fact, Han Xiao had no surname either. Her person was like this name, like the long, cold night, icy cold.
But how had Han Xiao explained “Ping’an” just now?
Not that her family hoped she would be safe and sound, but that she hoped the person she liked would be safe and sound.
…Just like what she was doing now? Jiang Chunai suddenly shook her head, wanting to dispel this thought.
Her fellow disciples were still in danger.
Thump, thump, thump.
She heard Han Xiao’s heartbeat. With a casual glance down, she could see the snake scales and demonic markings spreading across Han Xiao’s chest.
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound was endless, like the morning bell and the evening drum, echoing through her many years of cultivation.
—But I have no memory of it, Jiang Chunai thought.
She looked up and met that pair of deep, unfeeling eyes.
What could not be denied was that Han Xiao had an extremely good facade.
Beautiful, strange, like that winter when she had lost her parents, that year of famine.
All snow, such beautiful, unfeeling, strange snow, had created such a face.
Han Xiao looked up again, her gaze only falling on the distance.
Thump, thump, thump.
Under such a cold, beautiful, and strange facade, how could there be such a hot, wild heartbeat?
Jiang Chunai closed her eyes. Perhaps, her former self had never thought this day would come.
Is that so? She couldn’t feel any more specific feelings.
She just felt that this cold face made her feel familiar, made her feel fear, made her afraid.
It was a desire that was deep in her blood and bones, that could not be removed.
Jiang Chunai suddenly opened her eyes, remembering the beautiful woman who had spied on her in her dreams.
And what Mei Shengchi had told her about the twin love gu.
There were evil cultivators in the world who raised love gu in the bodies of flower demons. If a cultivator killed one, they would be afflicted with the love gu. This gu worm fed on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. If it was planted in a cultivator’s body, it would parasitize the spiritual platform, unable to be removed, and create love, obsession, and desire out of thin air.
When the time came, the host of the gu worm would be constantly thinking of the other, their love and desire deepening.
With a twin gu, the two hosts had to have intercourse with each other on time, otherwise they would be unbearably hot, the love poison would spread, and their bodies would explode and they would die.
In a daze, Jiang Chunai wanted to let go and fall into the valley, but Han Xiao reacted extremely quickly, suddenly grabbing her slender wrist.
Her thumb rubbed back and forth, stroking the crimson-black lines.
Just like the crimson-black lines under Han Xiao’s dense lashes, they grew infinitely, thriving uncontrollably.