The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 89

At the bottom of the Pi Lingyun Valley, sealed by the [Heaven’s Gate Suppressing Evil Barrier], it hadn’t seen daylight for thousands of years.
The valley floor was empty except for shifting ghostly fiends. Despite being a valley, not a single blade of grass grew there, let alone anything else.
The air was filled with a suffocating pressure. Although the high and mighty seal couldn’t be seen, its soul-binding power could be felt.
A sharp, piercing scream shattered the gloom. Thousands upon thousands of ghostly fiends, as if awakened from chaos, rushed towards the blurred figure falling rapidly from the sky, their claws and teeth bared, moving like a tempest.
If these ghostly fiends, as dense as needles and as sharp as arrows, were to pierce Shi Qingqian’s Nascent Soul, even if A’Ling regained control of her body and channeled all her spiritual energy to Shi Qingqian, it would be difficult to repair the damage.
A’Ling’s eyes were fixed on the falling figure, her heart sinking with her descent.
She hated herself for being like a cripple now, only able to watch Shi Qingqian fall again and again, unable even to shout “Stop!” thousands of times in her heart.
A’Ling squeezed her eyes shut, which ached from keeping them open. She knew that if this continued, Shi Qingqian’s spirit would be severely injured.
She had to break free from this puppetry technique as soon as possible.
The screams in her ears grew louder. A’Ling concentrated all her spiritual sense towards her limbs. The only parts she could move now were her fingers.
Perhaps this was a breakthrough point.
“Be careful, and make sure you’re safe.”
Gu Jiangxue, worried about home, had no intention of staying long at Mystic Crane Mountain. Before leaving, she once again cautioned Gu Jingyang to be careful.
Gu Jingyang also had no intention of staying in the cave dwelling for long; she planned to rush to Pi Lingyun Valley that very night.
Gu Jiangxue did not stop her, only reiterating the need for caution.
This incident was clearly not simple, and someone was behind it. As long as that person wasn’t found, they were all in danger.
A wave of guilt surged through Gu Jingyang. She knew the outside world was no longer safe and that she should return to check on and protect the Gu family.
But for now…
“Mother is fine. Go do what you need to do.”
Gu Jiangxue saw the guilt in Gu Jingyang’s eyes and smiled as she gently tapped her head. “Although Mother’s cultivation is not as high as yours now, it’s not to the point where you need to protect me.”
Gu Jingyang knew Gu Jiangxue was trying to comfort her. She pursed her lips, trying to appear more relaxed.
She made this choice because, relatively speaking, A’Ling needed her more right now.
“Mother, you be careful too. If anything happens, send me a message immediately,” Gu Jingyang said seriously.
As Gu Jiangxue nodded in agreement, Gu Jingyang suddenly took a few quick steps forward, grabbing the turning figure of someone about to leave and pulling them back.
Lan Fushang hadn’t realized Gu Jingyang had company. Hearing that it was her mother, she knew she had come at an inconvenient time and was about to turn back when Gu Jingyang discovered her.
“I, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were busy,” Lan Fushang awkwardly apologized to Gu Jingyang.
Gu Jingyang raised an eyebrow slightly. “You came looking for me? Is something wrong?”
Lan Fushang quickly shook her head. “No, no. You guys talk. I won’t disturb you.”
As she spoke, she tried to leave but was pulled back by Gu Jingyang grabbing her arm.
Seeing Gu Jiangxue looking at them with a puzzled expression, Gu Jingyang directly pulled Lan Fushang in front of her and introduced them to each other.
“Mother, this is Lan Fushang. She’s a friend I made at Mystic Crane Mountain.”
Afterward, she turned to Lan Fushang. “This is my mother, Gu Jiangxue. She’s a demon slayer.”
Lan Fushang had already known her identity upon seeing Gu Jiangxue’s demon slayer attire. She looked so much like Gu Jingyang, both smiling with such bright and warm dispositions.
“Greetings, Auntie,” Lan Fushang said respectfully. After that, she didn’t know what else to say.
Gu Jiangxue looked closely at the person before her. This person wore a drab medical cultivator’s outfit, had an oval face, and long brows with phoenix eyes. She was indeed a bright and beautiful child.
There were no unnecessary adornments on her person. Her thick, dark hair was simply tied into a braid on one side with a Blue Cherry Grass.
Having lived for so many years, Gu Jiangxue could tell at a glance that this girl named Lan Fushang was also pure of heart.
However, the way she looked at her was a bit too intense.
She suppressed the doubts in her heart, realizing this was not the time for idle chat.
“You two talk. I’ll be going back now.”
This child visiting so late must have something important. Gu Jiangxue was also eager to return and started to leave.
Just then, the Phoenix Feather at her waist lit up.
Worried about something happening, Gu Jiangxue moved to the side to listen to the message.
Gu Jingyang asked Lan Fushang, “Your injuries aren’t healed. Why aren’t you recuperating in the cave dwelling?”
Lan Fushang glanced at Gu Jiangxue not far away. Seeing that she wasn’t looking their way, she said anxiously, “Pi Lingyun Valley is dangerous. I’m worried about A’Ling. I plan to go back and check. I came to tell you first.”
She had already packed her things and intended to leave now. She came to inform Gu Jingyang in advance.
Gu Jingyang frowned tightly. “Your injuries aren’t healed yet…”
Lan Fushang patted her chest. “I’m fine. This is just a minor injury. It’s not a problem.”
Gu Jingyang nodded and was about to say “Let’s go together” when she heard her mother’s Phoenix Feather message relay her father’s plea for help, his voice sounding very urgent.
She immediately walked up to Gu Jiangxue and listened to the message from her father together.
Longyin Town was attacked at night!
A group of giant beasts, with ox bodies and three tails, appeared from nowhere. They attacked from the south of the city all the way to the east. The Gu family residence was clearly located in the east of the city, and they likely couldn’t escape this time.
After listening to Gu Hongjue’s Phoenix Feather message, Gu Jiangxue said to Gu Jingyang, “Something might happen at home. I need to go back immediately to help. You take care of yourself.”
Gu Jingyang grabbed Gu Jiangxue, who was about to leave. After a moment of hesitation, she seemed to make a decision, turned to Lan Fushang, and said, “Fushang, I need to go home. You go ahead. I’ll come after I handle family matters.”
As she spoke, she quickly walked up to Lan Fushang and stuffed a Phoenix Feather into her hand. “If anything happens, send me a message. I’ll come find you right after I finish my family matters.”
Her cultivation was much higher than Lan Fushang’s. It wouldn’t take long to travel to the outer sect and return, and she might still catch up to Lan Fushang.
Lan Fushang immediately agreed. “Okay. I’ll let you know if there’s any news. You be careful!”
Gu Jingyang and Gu Jiangxue left Mystic Crane Mountain together and flew by sword to the sky above Longyin Town. They found the once prosperous and peaceful city now filled with ruins and scattered fires.
Even from the air, the strong smell of blood could be detected.
“How could this happen…”
Gu Jingyang stared in shock at what lay below, at the destroyed houses, the fires that hadn’t been extinguished, the burning pillars within the houses, the panicked citizens fleeing in all directions, and the startled, running poultry and livestock.
The cries on the streets mingled with the shrill calls of cats and dogs, filling the sky.
Was this still the Longyin Town of her memory? How could it have become like this…
Gu Jiangxue sighed. She had only briefly told Gu Jingyang that demonic beasts had been appearing and causing trouble in recent years, but she hadn’t elaborated on the specifics.
She also knew that the current scene was truly horrifying, like a dream, and a nightmare at that.
They were already actively helping themselves. The Gu family opened their doors every night to shelter the people on the entire street, and they defended against the Mutated Beasts that appeared from nowhere each night.
The eastern part of the city was relatively better off, mostly consisting of cultivators, who were always stronger than ordinary citizens.
Gu Jingyang flew by sword, looking at her hometown that seemed to have been baptized by war.
She saw that the restaurants and eateries she used to frequent were now just stumps of wood. She saw bodies of various sizes floating on the Serpentine Lake of Spring Ferry, the lake water a strange dark red under the night sky.
The surviving citizens on the streets stumbled around, searching for their lost loved ones.
Gu Jingyang suddenly spotted a familiar figure. She swooped down quickly by sword and pulled the person out from under the buried gravel.
“Miss Gu? Miss Gu?” Sun Juhao looked up in surprise at the person before her and then looked behind Gu Jingyang. “Where is A’Ling? Did A’Ling come back with you?”
As she spoke, the surprise in her eyes faded, replaced by panic. “Don’t come back! Please, don’t come back! There are demonic beasts!”
After A’Ling entered the inner sect, she had longed for the Crane Gate to open again every day. But then, one day, a group of ferocious demonic beasts began appearing in Longyin Town every night.
They destroyed houses on sight and bit people.
Sun Juhao was lucky. When her courtyard was destroyed, she was just hidden in a corner by a fallen door panel, which protected her from being eaten by the demonic beasts.
Since then, she had hidden in a corner every night.
But today, a group of larger Mutated Beasts had come. One of their feet could smash an entire house to pieces.
She had finally managed to crawl out of the pile of sand and dirt.
When she was suddenly pulled up, she thought she had been carried by a monster. Fortunately, after seeing Gu Jingyang’s face, she recognized her as the Gu family young lady who used to visit her home to find A’Ling.
Seeing that she was fine, Gu Jingyang took her towards the Gu family residence. “A’Ling has a mission in the inner sect. She can only come out after she’s done.”
She wasn’t telling the whole truth, to prevent Sun Juhao from worrying.
The time spent rescuing people along the way caused delays. By the time they reached the Gu family residence, the Mutated Beasts had already slaughtered their way to the Gu family gates on Sajin Street.
Gu Hongjue was leading the cultivators in resisting. When Gu Jingyang arrived, he was almost unable to hold on.
Never before had Gu Jingyang seen her father in such a disheveled and vulnerable state. In her rage, she unleashed a bolt of destructive light that, with the force of thunder, tore a massive crater in the earth, dozens of feet deep and hundreds wide.
The colossal creatures above all fell, letting out roars to the sky.
Gu Jingyang didn’t know if the cries were pure screams or calls to other Mutated Beasts. She flew to Gu Hongjue’s side and quickly examined him. Fortunately, they were all external injuries.
A flash of spell light erupted, saving him at the last moment. As it faded, Gu Hongjue immediately recognized the face of the person who had arrived.
“Jingyang, you’re back!”
Gu Hongjue’s eyes trembled with excitement, his emotions complex. There was the longing of a reunion, worry about the current situation, and the pride in seeing his daughter so powerful. The interwoven emotions left him speechless for a moment.
“Take the people inside.”
Gu Jiangxue didn’t give him time to dwell on his emotions. She directly handed the people Gu Jingyang had rescued along the way to Gu Hongjue, and then went with Gu Jingyang to deal with the ferocious Mutated Beasts.
Gu Jingyang also gave her father a smile, her smile carrying more reassurance. “Father, you take the people inside. Leave this to me.”
Gu Hongjue wanted to stay and help, but he knew that in his current state, being with Jingyang would be a burden. Seeing his daughter, whose aura was drastically different from before, Gu Hongjue nodded vigorously.
“Alright, you must be careful!”
As Gu Hongjue spoke, he led the frightened people towards the Gu mansion.
After everyone had entered, Gu Jingyang erected a barrier around the Gu family.
She gripped the Moonfall Sword, her expression solemn, her eyes filled with a murderous intent. She resolutely turned and charged towards the Mutated Beasts that had already climbed out of the pit.
In the darkness, spell light and sword energy, each more imposing than the last, fought from night until dawn.
Gu Jingyang finally slaughtered all the Mutated Beasts in the pit she had dug earlier.
Soaring into the air, her hazy vision finally focused as the gradually brightening sky appeared. Gu Jingyang closed her eyes tightly. Blood trickled down her forehead and seeped into her eyes, making the sky seem tinged with blood.
Enduring the stinging pain in her eyes, she ignited a talisman in her hand and threw it into the gust of wind, creating a “whoosh” as the talisman exploded in the air, turning into fiery orbs that plunged into the pit filled with Mutated Beasts.
With a “boom,” the vast, deep pit erupted in flames, casting a spectacular, rosy glow on the dim sky.
“We won! We won!”
Amidst the fervor, the cultivators who had fought alongside Gu Jingyang cheered together.
They had actually defeated these seemingly invincible giant beasts.
Gu Jingyang’s gaze followed the smoke and ash in the flames towards the distance. The areas not touched by the fire remained shrouded in darkness.
The Mutated Beasts, retreating with the rising sun, were disappearing into the gloom. They hadn’t truly won; they had only survived the previous night. Who knew what tonight would bring.
If the Mutated Beasts doubled in number tonight, could she still hold on?
Gu Jingyang looked at the sun, which seemed to be struggling to break through the daylight. What was happening? How could this disaster be stopped from spreading?
And A’Ling, she apologized inwardly with a heavy heart. She couldn’t put everything here aside to go find her for now.
She hoped A’Ling and Shi Qingqian could hold on.
I can’t hold on anymore!
A’Ling looked at the figure that had failed again and was falling. She knew Shi Qingqian couldn’t hold on any longer. This time, she couldn’t even dodge the ghostly fiends’ attacks.
Watching her figure rapidly descend, being buffeted by the ghostly fiends like a child playing with a ball, she was defenseless.
A warm liquid flowed from the corner of A’Ling’s eye. What was happening? A’Ling reached up to touch it. Was she crying?
Looking at her hands, stained crimson, A’Ling’s pain transformed into confusion. She had actually shed tears of blood.
Shi Qingqian’s heart sank with her descent. She had failed again. She looked up at the gradually disappearing sky. The barrier here, and the seal they had added later, could only be entered, not exited.
To get out, she had to find a crack in the barrier. She could break through the remaining seal.
The problem now was that there were too many ghostly fiends at the bottom of the valley, so many that it was suffocating. Even breaking through to the top of the barrier was difficult.
What Shi Qingqian found most baffling was that when they had reinforced the seal before, there had been many gaps visible, and she remembered their locations, but now they were nowhere to be seen.
She repeatedly broke through the sky-obscuring ghostly fiends to reach the top of Pi Lingyun Valley, but she hadn’t seen any cracks in the [Heaven’s Gate Suppressing Evil Barrier].
Had the barrier repaired itself?
How was that possible? If it could repair itself, what was the point of their five years of rune repair?
And why did the array manor with repaired runes suddenly collapse? Who was the eye hidden within the runes?
What was that person trying to do? Was A’Ling being controlled and made to jump also the work of the same person?
With so much effort, was it just to trap her and A’Ling in the valley?
Shi Qingqian couldn’t hold on any longer. She let her body fall, unable to muster any spiritual energy. She had decided to try and force her way through the barrier when she couldn’t find any gaps.
But the barrier was truly formidable, not much different from the barrier that had struck her down from Qiongdian Peak that time.
Shi Qingqian listened to the wind mixed with the screams brushing past her ears. She felt unwilling but helpless. Her spiritual sense was gradually dissipating, and she could barely control her Nascent Soul…
Her consciousness grew increasingly blurry, and the sounds of wailing grew louder. Shi Qingqian knew she was about to hit the ground. I’m sorry, A’Ling, she couldn’t hold on.
“No!”
A’Ling didn’t have time to rejoice at regaining control of her body when she saw the falling figure less than a hundred feet from the ground.
Without a moment’s delay, A’Ling took flight by sword, rushing towards the figure.
But as she got closer, the horror in A’Ling’s eyes intensified.
She actually saw Shi Qingqian rapidly shrinking as she fell.
When she caught her, looking at the “person” in her arms, A’Ling was so shocked that the tears of blood that hadn’t yet fallen from the corner of her eye dripped directly onto the eyelids of the “person” in her arms.
The blood grazed the protrusion on the eyelid, instantly bringing A’Ling back to that night of lightning and wind, when she had found a dying ugly dog by the river. It was covered in wounds, and its eyelids were torn in half.
What was happening???
A’Ling looked at the ugly dog in her arms. Where was Shi Qingqian? Why was her ugly dog here?
She suddenly looked around. Apart from the ghostly fiends, who were excitedly drawn by the scent, she couldn’t see Shi Qingqian anywhere.
The surrounding ghostly fiends, seeing the body that had been untouchable within the barrier suddenly appear before them, became as agitated as boiling water in hot oil, immediately becoming fervent.
All the ghostly fiends rushed towards A’Ling.
A’Ling summoned her Little Wandering, carved out a path, and protected the ugly dog in her arms, returning to Shi Qingqian’s Life Soul Barrier.
Holding the ugly dog in her arms, she looked at Shi Qingqian’s body, which was leaning against the ground. Her eyes were closed peacefully. Her pale face, in this dim “hell,” was like a lily emerging from the soil, so beautiful yet so fragile.
So, how could this be?
A’Ling looked at the ugly thing in her arms in disbelief. How could this ugly dog possibly be Shi Qingqian!
She recalled the dog’s gaze when she first picked it up. She had felt that gaze towards her was somewhat familiar. She also remembered taking the dog for treatment, and how Apothecary Mu Ling had looked at the ugly thing with a hidden awe mixed with worry.
She also remembered the various dangers they had faced together in her previous life, and how the clever dog had saved her time and time again.
A’Ling finally remembered that in her previous life, she had clearly seen the ugly thing enter Shi Qingqian’s residence, yet Shi Qingqian had denied having a dog.
Just now, she had also personally witnessed Shi Qingqian’s Nascent Soul shrink bit by bit into the appearance of the ugly thing in her arms after being injured.
And the scar on the ugly dog’s eyelid was a wound she had carefully tended to, day and night, personally treating it. She remembered the direction of the scar by heart.
It wasn’t a resemblance or anything else!
Shi Qingqian was this ugly thing in her arms!
How could anyone believe this? If someone had told her an hour ago that Shi Qingqian was the ugly thing, and the ugly dog was Shi Qingqian, she would have thought that person was crazy or deliberately trying to embarrass Shi Qingqian!
She understood now why, in her previous life, no matter how much she questioned, Shi Qingqian had consistently denied stealing her dog and refused to give her an explanation as to why she had clearly seen the ugly thing enter her cave dwelling, only to disappear without a trace afterward.
Oh, Heavens! A’Ling hugged the dying little thing in her arms, her entire soul reeling as if she had lost her three souls and seven spirits due to this unexpected development.
She slowly crouched down, kneeling beside Shi Qingqian’s body.
Looking at the beautiful face with its tightly closed eyes, A’Ling still found it all incredibly absurd, so absurd that she suspected she had entered a new dream. But she quickly dismissed the idea.
Even if she were dreaming, she wouldn’t dream that Shi Qingqian was her ugly dog.
The sounds of impact on the barrier, “bang bang bang,” jolted A’Ling, who was lost in shock. She turned to look. This was bad!
Due to Shi Qingqian’s soul injury, her Life Soul Barrier had also weakened considerably.
More and more ghostly fiends were gathering outside. If this continued, her Life Soul Barrier would eventually be broken.
A’Ling hugged the ugly thing in her arms. The most urgent thing now was to return Shi Qingqian’s Nascent Soul to her body.
Shi Qingqian was unconscious. A’Ling glanced at the Life Soul Barrier, which could only be withdrawn by the person themselves, and made a decisive move. She erected another barrier outside this barrier using her own Life Soul.
She placed Shi Qingqian’s Nascent Soul, cradled in her arms, back into Shi Qingqian’s embrace. Suppressing the flood of questions, she stood up again.
A’Ling looked back at everything in Pi Lingyun Valley. She could get out once, and she could get out a second time. Not only that, but she would also take Shi Qingqian out with her.
Her gaze was incredibly resolute, only softening with tenderness when she looked down at Shi Qingqian and the ugly Nascent Soul.
This time, it was her turn to protect Shi Qingqian.
A’Ling took a step back, drew her Little Wandering, retreated out of the barrier, and resolutely turned to face the ghostly fiends that had already become excited.
She took out a blank talisman, wiped away the yet-to-dry tears of blood from the corner of her eye, and quickly drew on it. A ray of light flowed through her hand. As the talisman ascended, a beam of spell light struck the center of the blood curse.
Instantly, with a deafening “boom” that could shatter eardrums, the talisman exploded in mid-air, scattering a large area of fiery sparks.
A’Ling faced the rising gust of wind, using herself as the eye of the formation, her blood as the core of the formation, and clutched her magical artifact.
With a strike in the air, the whip body, flashing with purple and gold light, whipped the scattered sparks into even more fervent flames.
A vortex of wind blades erupted around A’Ling, spanning thousands of feet. Carried on the gale, her spellfire instantly incinerated any ghostly fiend within a hundred yards, leaving nothing but ash.
In the gloom, countless ghostly fiends seemed to let out wailing cries as they fled in panic.
A’Ling closed her eyes tightly. After a few breaths, when the flames in her eyes subsided, her burning gaze refocused, looking into the distance.
Through the swirling dust, a silver silhouette was slowly searching for her against the black mist.
Wherever it passed, the ghostly fiends that had been fleeing in a panic now prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling.
A’Ling’s heart relaxed. It had indeed come.