Stealing an Immortal Back to the Demon Realm Chapter 61

This body wasn’t hers, after all. She couldn’t use it as naturally as its owner.
If the body’s owner insisted on fighting her to the very end, it would be quite troublesome.
After all, her soul had been separated from a body for many years. It was only thanks to her powerful cultivation from her previous life and a formation that she could barely sustain it.
Now that she had just regained a physical body, and her soul had left the magic formation, it wasn’t very stable yet.
Qing Wu didn’t want any further complications, so, just as she had promised, she retracted her attack.
Seeing that she had indeed stopped attacking Chu Xue, Shang Ningye sighed in relief.
Just moments ago, she had forcibly reclaimed her sea of consciousness, which had drained a lot of her mental energy.
The moment she relaxed even slightly, Qing Wu’s soul immediately regained the upper hand and took control of the body.
Their cultivation levels were worlds apart.
Shang Ningye could sense that this “Fairy Qing Wu’s” cultivation was likely even above the Mahayana stage.
She had likely been an old ancestor at the Tribulation Transcendence stage in her past life.
Although the attack just launched by the Tribulation Transcendence expert hadn’t used her full strength, it was still substantial.
Chu Xue had managed to dodge it by a stroke of luck.
However, the attack didn’t vanish. Instead, it slammed heavily into the space behind Chu Xue, a space sustained by spiritual energy.
This very space had been created by Qing Wu.
Those flickering specks of light were all her spiritual energy from her past life, bound together by a special formation she had used. This maintained the existence of the space and the indestructibility of her soul.
Now that her wandering soul had found a physical body, all the spiritual energy returned to its rightful place, and the formation vanished.
Just then, the space was attacked again.
After a devastating collapse, this pocket dimension completely shattered.
Chu Xue and the woman before her reappeared in the valley they were in earlier.
The demonic cultivators evidently hadn’t left. They were spread out, searching the valley for any sign of Shang Ningye.
One of them spotted the person and beast that had suddenly appeared and shouted.
“Over here!”
In moments, demonic cultivators swarmed in from all directions, unleashing countless streams of demonic energy from every angle.
Shang Ningye had a defensive magic artifact from Mu Qiuhan and could also use the surrounding plants to vanish instantly.
The demonic cultivators had been tangling with her for a long time before finally figuring out her weakness.
Only by surrounding her, with several people attacking simultaneously from different directions, would her magic artifact, unable to activate multiple times in quick succession, fail to block some of the attacks.
That was how the demonic energy had managed to strike Shang Ningye’s back moments ago.
Only then, while she was injured and unable to use her movement technique, could they capture her and deliver her to General Leng.
The demonic cultivators had expected another flawlessly coordinated attack. Who would have thought that before the demonic energy even came within ten feet of Shang Ningye’s body, it was scattered by a sudden, immense power.
The woman before them hadn’t even lifted a hand.
The demonic cultivators swarming her exploded one after another, like fireworks.
They turned into plumes of black smoke, their physical bodies vanishing completely.
The demonic cultivator farthest away died without ever understanding how the woman had done it.
He had only ever felt such an oppressive aura, born from a vast difference in cultivation, from their Lord, who was at the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Even General Leng was far inferior.
Had their Lord actually given his cultivation to this woman?
The demonic cultivator’s eyes widened.
He stared at Shang Ningye. His final thought before death was: No wonder Bai Zhan suddenly went back on his word.
So he already knew the Lord’s cultivation had returned.
The brothers following General Leng were likely doomed.
Qing Wu disposed of the dozen or so demonic cultivators as easily as chopping vegetables, then turned her attention to Bai Zhan in the distance.
“Another descendant of the Bai Clan?”
How interesting, she thought. I’ve only just obtained a physical body, and I’ve already run into two descendants of Bai Ze.
Qing Wu raised an eyebrow.
“If I make a move against him, you won’t object, will you?”
Shang Ningye’s soul in the sea of consciousness gave no reaction, so Qing Wu condensed a surge of primal energy.
Bai Zhan had already sensed that something was amiss.
As Qing Wu’s attack shot towards him, Bai Zhan dodged with incredible speed.
However, the immense force of it made his internal energy and blood churn violently.
A flicker of fear passed through Bai Zhan’s heart.
I’ve already broken through to the Mahayana stage, yet I still can’t withstand this attack?
How did this woman’s cultivation increase so rapidly?
Could she have encountered some incredible lucky opportunity?
Her cultivation was clearly already above his own.
While she was still observing him, Bai Zhan activated the magic artifact in his hand and vanished instantly.
Qing Wu hadn’t intended to kill him outright from the beginning.
Letting Bai Ze’s descendants die so easily? Wouldn’t that be too merciful?
She didn’t pursue Bai Zhan immediately. Instead, she casually scooped up Chu Xue, who was nearby.
As if she’d found something amusing, she smirked and tapped the spot between the eyebrows of the little ice crystal beast, which was baring its fangs at her.
“Why aren’t you running away? Hmm?”
Hearing that tone, Chu Xue wanted nothing more than to spit at her.
But alas, the body opposite her was also Shang Ningye’s.
Chu Xue fought back the urge to bite the woman’s finger off and turned her head away, ignoring her.
She could sense that Shang Ningye’s soul and this woman’s soul coexisted within this body.
If they couldn’t be separated, injuring this body would likely harm both souls within.
Qing Wu sensed Shang Ningye’s soul within the body vaguely starting to resist again. She stopped teasing Chu Xue and simply tossed the little beast onto her shoulder.
“No need to get agitated,” Qing Wu said, presumably to Shang Ningye’s soul. “I said I wouldn’t harm her, and I always keep my word.”
Chu Xue landed on Qing Wu’s shoulder and indignantly stomped her paws a few times.
Qing Wu ducked to avoid the pearly white paws, and in doing so, her gaze fell upon the fish pendant around her neck.
Unlike Shang Ningye, who knew little of such arts, Qing Wu instantly recognized another person’s soul within the fish pendant, and the protective ward made using that soul as a conduit.
Although the caster’s cultivation wasn’t very high, the complexity of the technique wasn’t something a cultivator of that level should have been able to master.
Qing Wu’s interest was piqued.
What is this? Who made it?
She reached out to touch the fish pendant but felt a sharp pain in her sea of consciousness.
“Don’t touch it!”
Seeing her reach for the fish pendant, Shang Ningye, despite the vast difference in their spiritual strength, forcibly slammed her soul against Qing Wu’s.
It looked as if she intended to drive her out of the body.
Qing Wu frowned.
Sparing that ice crystal beast was one thing; she had her own reasons for that.
But that didn’t mean she would allow Shang Ningye to control her every action from now on.
Ignoring the piercing pain in her sea of consciousness as their two souls violently collided, she pressed her hand firmly onto the fish pendant.
The fish pendant flickered with light.
A moment later, a voice came from within it.
“Are you alright? Why did you suddenly go quiet?”
The voice came through, sounding much weaker than usual.
Shang Ningye’s attention was instantly captured, and she stopped struggling against Qing Wu.
As long as she isn’t trying to harm Mu Qiuhan’s soul in the pendant, it’s fine, Shang Ningye thought.
She wanted to speak to Mu Qiuhan but realized the body was still under Qing Wu’s control. Unable to utter a sound, she had to give up.
Qing Wu heard Mu Qiuhan’s voice and knew she was the owner of that wisp of soul.
This was the person who had tried to shield Shang Ningye with her own being, the one Shang Ningye was desperate to protect.
Curious, Qing Wu decided to probe the other person’s condition.
“You’re injured?” she asked.
The person on the other end fell silent for a moment.
“No. I just encountered a small problem during my cultivation. I’ll be fine after resting a bit.”
Her breathing was unsteady as she spoke, as if she might lose consciousness at any second, yet she was blatantly lying.
Qing Wu let out a cold scoff.
Mu Qiuhan was unaware of what had transpired on Shang Ningye’s end.
But she heard the cold scoff from ‘Shang Ningye’.
She must be dissatisfied with my answer?
Could she have already figured it out?
She thought for a moment and decided to admit it, though she deliberately downplayed the severity.
“Yes, I sustained a minor injury, but it’s nothing serious. Has the seal on Chu Xue been removed? When will you return?”
Qing Wu really didn’t want to listen to the woman forcing herself to sound cheerful and pretend everything was fine.
She worried that if the woman on the other end couldn’t keep it up, the soul inside her own mind would panic and truly fight her to the death.
After a moment’s thought, Qing Wu said into the pendant, “Focus on your recovery. I’ll return once I’ve dealt with the Bai Clan’s matters.”
Then, she stroked the fish pendant and severed the connection.
Mu Qiuhan’s internal energy and blood were surging violently. She had forcibly suppressed it just to speak with ‘Shang Ningye’.
The moment the connection through the fish pendant was severed, she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Your Majesty!”
Mu Qiuhan waved a dismissive hand at Chu Yue and Wu Ling, who rushed forward to check on her.
“I’m fine. You administered the antidote promptly; the poison is mostly neutralized.”
“Make preparations. I’m going to the Yao Realm.”
Wu Ling frowned, an unreadable emotion in her eyes.
Seeing Wu Ling looked like she was about to argue, Chu Yue reached out and stopped her.
“Your Majesty, I’ve just applied medicine to your abdominal wound. You mustn’t move for a while.”
When Mu Qiuhan remained unmoved, Chu Yue added, “Your Majesty, perhaps I should send a messenger to the Yao Clan first. It might not be wise to go so rashly.”
Mu Qiuhan shook her head.
“Send a messenger to the Yao Realm at once. We leave tomorrow, whether they reply or not.”
Seeing the disapproving looks on her subordinates’ faces, Mu Qiuhan explained,
“When I spoke with her just now, something felt wrong. I’m afraid something might have happened on her end.”
Wu Ling pursed her lips.
“What felt wrong? She sounded perfectly fine! You’re the one in trouble!”
Mu Qiuhan shot her a sharp glance.
“I ordered you to stay by her side and protect her, yet you took it upon yourself to return. You’ve certainly grown bold. Too bold to take orders now? Or perhaps you intend to follow Leng Yi’s example and rebel?”
Wu Ling wanted to argue that she was, of course, different from Leng Yi.
But she felt Chu Yue tug her sleeve.
She glanced at Chu Yue, who seized the moment to speak first.
“Your Majesty, you’re being rather unreasonable. You allow yourself to worry about her, but you won’t allow her to worry about you?”
“Besides, if you go to her injured like this, she’ll only be worried sick about you.”
Wu Ling saw Mu Qiuhan’s expression soften considerably.
Chu Yue gave a tiny, almost imperceptible smile.
“Alright, fine,” Mu Qiuhan relented. “Go and make the preparations. I’ll meditate for another half a day. We’ll set out tomorrow night.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Chu Yue acknowledged the order and dragged Wu Ling away with her.
Once outside the Demonic Palace, Wu Ling glared at Chu Yue.
“Why didn’t you help me stop Her Majesty?”
Chu Yue glared back, not to be outdone.
“And you call yourself Her Majesty’s trusted aide? Can’t you see? Our Lord is willing to risk her life for that woman. She can’t be swayed on this. Or do you truly wish to be punished for disobeying a direct order?”
“Sycophant!” Wu Ling spat.
Chu Yue laughed, exasperated.
“If I were you, I’d be asking for leave to go to the Yao Realm first and find that little spirit Her Majesty is so concerned about, instead of arguing with me here.”
“You’d better pray that little spirit returns safe and sound. If anything happens to her, your position as High Priest might just become mine.”