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Chapter 61: The Center of Ten Thousand Ghosts.

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Shen Wanqing did not lead the group of demon generals to attack the Sealed Demon Cave.

Because doing so would inevitably attract the attention of the Heavenly Dao Palace, she was not very confident in engaging in a direct confrontation with the Heavenly Dao Palace, and she did not want to waste her energy on useless battles.

Furthermore, the area near the Sealed Demon Cave has a strong suppressive effect on demons and monsters, which would greatly weaken the strength of the demon generals.

So she divided her subordinates into many branches and created numerous disturbances in various areas of the Heavenly Dao Palace, diverting the attention of the cultivators. While they were defending the void, she left a small team to follow her and move towards the direction of the Sealed Demon Cave.

The range provided by the system is very limited, but theoretically, the closer they are to the Sealed Demon Cave, the stronger the attraction of the remaining soul of Xie Wuyan in her hands should be, and it should be able to successfully indicate the direction.

However, after searching for that area for half an hour, the soul remained completely unresponsive.

This is not a good sign.

To some extent, it indicates that Xie Wuyan’s aura is indeed gone.

The closer they are to the Sealed Demon Cave, the more the power of the demon generals is suppressed.

“The demon generals cannot continue forward.” Xuanniao transformed into its small form and perched on Shen Wanqing’s shoulder, looking ahead at the deep and bottomless black passage. “The killing aura on their bodies is too heavy. If they continue forward, even their souls will be devoured.”

“Devoured?”

“Yes, the evil spirits in the Sealed Demon Cave feed on souls that possess killing aura, so His Highness…”

“I understand.”

Shen Wanqing raised her eyes and looked at the pitch-black end, where a chilling wind surged from the abyss, rustling her hair in front of her forehead.

She reached out and released Xuanniao from her shoulder, saying calmly, “I’ll go alone.”

“Wait, Palace Master,” Xuanniao bit her sleeve, “Even with the powerful blood-burning technique, it can’t completely burn the souls of the ten thousand ghosts in the Sealed Demon Cave. Moreover, you can only stay inside for an incense stick¹.”

“What happens if it exceeds the time of an incense stick?”

“You will gradually lose consciousness and your spirit will be devoured.”

Shen Wanqing raised her head and looked into the depths.

The system couldn’t provide an accurate answer, and Xie Wuyan’s spirit had no response. Even the Heavenly Dao Palace seems to have a very weak defense against the Sealed Demon Cave.

Even Xuanniao, who didn’t want to admit the truth, had to acknowledge one thing.

That means Xie Wuyan is really dead, possibly already.

Everyone thought she would be in vain and never return.

Shen Wanqing nodded, her voice calm: “Hmm, I understand.”

Xuanniao hurriedly caught up, “Then I’ll go with you.”

Shen Wanqing didn’t even glance at him. She raised her hand, a flash of red light, creating a barrier that forcefully pushed Xuanniao away.

“Wait for me here.”

“I will bring him back.”

At the end of that mist was emptiness.

There was no light, no direction. They could only rely on intuition to keep moving forward, while the chilling wind gushed in from all sides as if it wanted to penetrate their very bones.

I’m not sure how long it had been, but Shen Wanqing saw a passage ahead. It resembled a stone well, and as she approached, she could instantly sense the overwhelming aura of slaughter, suffocating and oppressing.

This should be the real entrance.

Shen Wanqing closed her eyes and without much hesitation, jumped down.

The dense ghostly aura rushed towards her like a sharp blade, forcing her to summon a golden barrier to protect herself. However, the power was too brutal and overwhelming. In an instant, it shattered her protective spell.

“This is just the entrance. The deeper you go, the more terrifying the evil spirits’ cultivation will be,” the voice of Xuanniao suddenly sounded.

Shen Wanqing was taken aback. She looked down and saw Xuanniao poking half of its body out of the bone ring, “How did you get here?”

“While you were keeping me separate just now, I took the opportunity to quietly hide inside your bone ring,” Xuanniao proudly raised its head. “I am the most loyal divine bird, after all!”

As soon as it finished speaking, it saw a surge of ghostly aura approaching and quickly retreated back, but its voice could still be heard. “So, don’t worry, Palace Master. You can handle them easily as long as you don’t一”

Shen Wanqing understood.

So, she used her palm to create a small explosion, making a loud noise that caused the entire entrance to tremble.

As expected, the ghostly aura dispersed instantly in flames.

Shen Wanqing felt it was indeed quite easy.

Then Xuanniao fell silent for a moment before quietly revealing its head again. “…I haven’t finished speaking.”

“What else do you want to say?”

“…Just be more quiet with your actions, so as not to awaken other evil spirits.”

Shen Wanqing fell silent for a moment and said, “I think maybe they haven’t woken up yet.”

Just as the words were spoken, a loud “boom” was heard, and a huge stone on the stone wall fell heavily to the ground due to the earlier explosion.

At that moment, a faint light suddenly appeared on the surrounding walls.

It was a red light.

Then, in an instant, millions of red lights lit up.

Those were eyes.

Countless ghostly eyes, they lingered on the stone walls of the Sealed Demon Cave, their appearance unclear in the oppressive darkness, but like venomous snakes, they slowly moved, staring intently at this unexpected intruder.

Shen Wanqing asked, “Okay, they’re awake, now what should I do?”

Xuanniao withdrew its head into the bone ring and said, “Goodnight.”

…Indeed, it was a loyal little bird!

The Sealed Demon Cave had no clear direction, as if every inch was paved by those ghostly spirits.

A continuous stream of yin energy rushed towards her. Even if she tore those souls apart, there would soon be another one pouncing on her.

However, most of these evil spirits were just annoying and didn’t seem to have particularly high ranks. It seemed that because Shen Wanqing had some traces of Xie Wuyan’s aura, they didn’t dare to recklessly attack her.

Shen Wanqing took a deep breath and used her body as a source of fire, constantly creating crimson fire lotuses around her, burning a path of fiery red.

She walked deeper along this path, and along the way, ghosts and monsters kept attacking her, only to turn to ashes the moment they touched the sparks.

“Here comes someone who’s asking for death.”

“So noisy.”

“It’s strange. She has the same foul smell as that person.”

“She dares to barge into this place recklessly. She really doesn’t know her own fate.”

The surrounding voices were not loud. Those whispers were continuous, like curses lingering in people’s ears, making their heads ache.

Shen Wanqing caught the key words, stopped walking, and attempted to ask in a friendly manner, “Well, it’s like this. I’ll just stay for a incense stick’s worth of time, not disturbing your sleep. I just wanted to ask if any of you have seen a man with red eyes, black hair, a high nose, thin lips, and somewhat handsome, with a similar scent to mine?”

Upon hearing this, the group of evil spirits fell silent for a moment and then burst into wild laughter.

“So, you’re here to find that useless man.”

“You’re too late. He must have been devoured long ago. If you had come earlier, maybe you could have had a taste of his flesh.”

“But knowing all this is useless. Sooner or later, you’ll end up like him.”

Upon hearing this statement, Shen Wanqing remained silent. She lifted her hand to support her forehead, as if sighing, and then raised her eyes. Her once delicate and charming gaze showed no emotions at this moment.

She spoke in a soft tone, “I’ll ask again. Where is Xie Wuyan?”

“He’s dead.”

Those evil spirits became even more boisterous.

“Do you want to know how he died? It’s because he refused to be willingly devoured, so he could only be slowly consumed, watching his own body being eaten away until nothing was left.”

“If you had come earlier, maybe you could have witnessed his pitiful state of crying and wailing.”

Xuanniao remained silent for a while, then cautiously poked its head out and said, “Palace Master…”

Shen Wanqing lowered her eyes, her gaze obscured by long lashes, making it difficult to discern her emotions.

She remained silent for a long time, and suddenly, her lips curled up, her hand clenched tightly, as if she were smiling.

The fire beside her exploded in an instant, its yellow flames turning into a horrifying red, reminiscent of blood.

The surrounding evil spirits were instantly repelled by this powerful force.

“Wait… This is the same power as that person.”

Xuanniao leaped forward anxiously, saying, “If things continue like this, you will only die faster.”

In a fleeting moment, it seemed to catch a glimpse of Xie Wuyan from many years ago.

He, too, used this method, using his own body as a catalyst like a madman, ruthlessly slaughtering without any regard, as if life and death meant nothing to him.

Such a tremendous outburst of power attracted countless evil spirits lurking in the abyss.

Xuanniao suddenly realized.

Shen Wanqing seemed to believe in Xie Wuyan’s survival more than anyone else.

But she also couldn’t accept the fact that Xie Wuyan was already dead, more so than anyone else.

Perhaps she had been using hope to mask her despair all along.

Xuanniao has lived for hundreds of years.

While Shen Wanqing is just a young girl who hasn’t turned twenty yet.

It seems like a desperate battle with no hope of survival.

The flames will eventually be devoured by a constant stream of black energy, and Shen Wanqing will eventually be burned into smoke from the inside and out, just like Xie Wuyan, completely disappearing from this world.

The ghostly aura continues to hover, splitting into countless sharp edges, and then in an instant, it presses towards Shen Wanqing as if to pierce through her internal organs.

Shen Wanqing is feeling tired.

She lifts her head, closes her eyes, without shedding a tear.

However, the sound of the wind seems to gradually calm down.

The bone ring on her finger flickers with a faint purple light.

And at this moment, suddenly a purple energy accompanied by a tremendous force crashes heavily onto the ground, tearing apart and scattering those ghostly auras.

“His Highness!”

It’s Xuanniao’s voice.

Shen Wanqing’s eyelashes tremble slightly as she lifts her head.

Xie Wuyan stands in front of her, covered in blood, with not a single piece of unharmed flesh on his body. The blood flows down along his black hair and robe, dripping onto the ground.

However, his eyes hold no light, only a bloody red color.

As if a shell devoid of anything but a physical body.

“Xie Wuyan.”

Shen Wanqing’s voice trembled as she tentatively reached out her hand, wanting to touch Xie Wuyan’s body.

Xie Wuyan didn’t move.

Then, just as Shen Wanqing was about to touch him, he suddenly raised his hand and pierced it towards her chest.

Xuanniao widened his eyes, “His Highness!”

“Snap.”

However, that hand did not touch Shen Wanqing. Instead, it grabbed the body of the evil spirit behind her. His arm was covered in blood, scorching hot, and in an instant, he forcefully tore apart the evil spirit.

Xie Wuyan stepped back a few steps, suddenly laughed, his voice sounding like the most chilling demon in hell, and flames suddenly ignited beside him.

He was like a soulless, pure weapon, completely disregarding how severe his injuries would be, regardless of whether he would die, burning like a madman as he approached the approaching ghosts.

Until all the ghosts retreated.

No one dared to approach him.

Shen Wanqing looked at Xie Wuyan standing in the center of ten thousand ghosts, tears streaming down her face. She took a deep breath and walked towards him.

“Palace Master!” Xuanniao exclaimed, “His Highness, he has completely lost his soul now, completely out of control. He will kill you too.”

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1. Around 15-20 minutes . ↩︎

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Chapter 60: He Will Not Die.

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Shen Wanqing: “I feel like something is missing in our palace.”

Xuanniao, playing along, asks, “Palace Master, what do you think is missing?”

The term “Palace Master” came about like this.

Those demon generals who “voluntarily” joined under Shen Wanqing’s command initially addressed her as “Lord Demon” repeatedly. However, she was dissatisfied because the title sounded masculine, and as a delicate young girl, she didn’t want to be called that and risk ruining her chances of romantic relationship.

So she said, “If you really must address me, call me ‘Palace Master¹‘. It sounds similar to ‘Princess²‘ and gives a sense of respect.”

Xuanniao was initially reluctant. It was accustomed to calling her “damned woman,” and now suddenly being asked to change its speech felt undignified. That night, Shen Wanqing plucked a few feathers from its tail and transformed it back into its previous pigeon appearance, which made Xuanniao extremely furious.

The next day, Xuanniao started sweetly saying, “Good morning, Palace Master. Have you eaten? What did you eat?”

With this spineless lackey as a representative, it didn’t take long for everyone to start addressing Shen Wanqing as “Palace Master.”

Shen Wanqing: “Do you know a place with many high-quality treasures? Ideally, it would be great if we could each have one.”

Xuanniao: “Oh, I know. A few thousand miles south, there’s a Jinhu Mansion. It’s a sect specialized in forging, and they have a large treasure vault filled with their crafted treasures.”

Shen Wanqing understood.

So the next day, she reluctantly took a large group of unwilling demon generals to the Jinhu Mansion. She went straight to the point and said, “Here’s the thing. I’d like to borrow around a hundred or a thousand artifacts or similar items. Is that possible?”

The people at the Jinhu Mansion didn’t even listen and drew their swords, shouting, “You’re the demon girl who conspires with that Demon! Today, I shall uphold justice.”

“In that case, I’ll just take them myself, and I’ll return them to you in a few days.”

A few days later, a new post appeared in the <Anecdotes of the Martial World> section in the Cultivating Spirit Book:

“In broad daylight, such a thing happened! The treasury of Jinhu Mansion was ruthlessly looted, and the culprit was so brazen. Could she become the next villain to replace the Demon Lord from years ago?”

Comments:

“I am a disciple of the Jinhu Mansion myself. I escaped a disaster that day by being outside the gate. But according to my senior brothers and sisters, it was a bloodbath with bodies strewn everywhere. That witch was merciless and didn’t care about our pleas for mercy. She took everything away. It seems like the world is going to be restless.”

Shen Wanqing, upon reading this post, became furious and grabbed two feathers from the top of the Xuanniao’s head. “What a stingy person! I already said I would return it in a few days! I even left a loan note! And how did it turn into a bloodbath? I didn’t kill anyone. Instead, they even clipped the little fingernail of my family’s demon general!”

Xuanniao remained silent.

Another day passed, and Shen Wanqing asked, “Do you know where to find demons that are good for use as mounts? Our demon generals are all walking on foot, which is embarrassing.”

Xuanniao replied, “…There’s a place north of the Demon Realm called the Wildlands, but it’s owned by a very troublesome Underworld Tiger King. I suggest…”

Shen Wanqing: “I understand!”

So, the next day, she dragged a large group of despondent demon generals to the Wildlands. She came down in a very friendly manner, bowed, and asked, “You see, I would like to invite a hundred or a thousand cute tigers to ride for a while. I’ll return them in a few days, is that okay?”

Xuanniao covered its head with its wings, feeling a bit suffocated.

The Underworld Tiger King was clearly even more suffocated: “?”

The result was evident. How could the Underworld Tiger King endure such insolence? He directly led his cubs and pounced, engaging in a fierce battle with her.

The fight was intense.

In the end, Shen Wanqing also tamed the Underworld Tiger King and turned him into her mount. Later, she felt that having only tigers was too monotonous, so she combined land, sea, and air mounts.

She went to the Sea of Death and obtained the Inferno Turtle, went to the Void Realm and caught several Crimson Flame Birds. Finally, she created a zoo inside her palace and put these little turtles, tigers, and birds in there to raise them.

A few days later, there was another post in the <Anecdotes of the Martial World> section in the Cultivating Spirit Book:

“Unheard of before! The Demon Realm has been thrown into turmoil, countless demons have suffered this disaster. And the source of it all is none other than the witch who even the Demon Lord is willing to sacrifice for! What is her purpose in doing all this?”

Comments:

“This woman is deeply scheming, she must be planning to unite these demons and attack the mortal realm, slaughtering innocent people. Truly ruthless!”

Xuanniao glanced at the post, then looked at Shen Wanqing, who was playing fetch with the Underworld Tiger King not far away in the zoo, and fell into contemplation.

Then, a few more days passed and Shen Wanqing said, “I want to buy some new clothes.”

Xuanniao: “…Let me think. It seems there’s a Wangxian Pavilion on Beiqiu Mountain. Aside from anything else, I know there are many female cultivators inside, and the clothes and dresses are particularly beautiful. Moreover, each garment is infused with magical charms, making them like small magical artifacts.”

So the next day, Shen Wanqing went there and said, “I would like…”

The female cultivators at the Wangxian Pavilion: “Say no more, they’re all for you.”

In fact, initially, many cultivators were unwilling to accept her and secretly conspired to find a way to eliminate this witch and prevent future trouble.

However, Shen Wanqing possessed a powerful blood-burning technique, and the upper limit of this secret technique was very high. No one knew how much power it could unleash. Furthermore, nobody knew what secret techniques Xie Wuyan had left for her.

In addition, even with the many outstanding disciples, elders, and the sect master of the Heavenly Dao Palace, none of them were able to stop Shen Wanqing, so for a while, no one dared to act rashly.

Furthermore, the people from the Heavenly Dao Palace secretly hindered anyone who wanted to harm Shen Wanqing.

The reason is simple: no matter what, she is the only known person in the world with the potential to inherit the blood-burning technique. Unless it is absolutely necessary, the Heavenly Dao Palace still hopes to capture her alive.

But at the moment, no one has any certainty.

Because Shen Wanqing’s growth rate is very fast.

Xuanniao knew that Shen Wanqing seemed to have a bold and somewhat eccentric personality, but her methods were just as ruthless as Xie Wuyan’s.

And she did.

At first, the demon generals looked down on this girl, thinking that she was only flaunting her power by relying on the remnants of Xie Wuyan’s strength. But now, everyone just dares to obediently lower their heads and listen to her.

Even the Underworld Tiger King, who used to always quarrel with her, now lies next to her, acting cute and licking the palm of her hand.

Xuanniao finally realized why His Highness favored this woman so much.

It turns out that both of them are just the same kind of people!

And they even pluck feathers from the same place!

Shen Wanqing said, “Let’s go somewhere tomorrow.”

Xuanniao was already accustomed to such things and thought she was going to plunder something again. “Where to?”

“The Sealed Demon Cave.”

Xuanniao was stunned, looking at Shen Wanqing in astonishment. “Palace Master… How do you know the location of the Sealed Demon Cave?”

Shen Wanqing lazily stretched her waist, “That’s not important. What’s important is that you will have to explain to Xie Wuyan why there is a statue of you in front of his palace.”

Is this the reason she has been driving herself forward like crazy during this time?

In order to save Xie Wuyan.

Even if she knows what kind of reputation she will bear, does she truly not care?

Xuanniao suddenly realized that the curse on Shen Wanqing’s body seemed to have not been activated for a long time.

【Supporting Female Character System: Host, I must remind you. If you fail to accomplish the tasks assigned by the system within the specified time, we will enforce the measures as agreed upon in the beginning.】

“Do you think I can’t do it?”

【Supporting Female Character System: Sorry, host, the system does not have personal emotions. But based on the data analysis, the probability of Xie Wuyan surviving in the Sealed Demon Cave is less than five percent.】

“He is alive.”

【Supporting Female Character System: Why?】

“He promised me.”

. . . . .

“Is it really impossible to reinforce the sealing curse without the Solitary Light Sword? What if Xie Wuyan breaks through the Sealed Demon Cave again someday? Judging from his personality, he will undoubtedly go on a killing spree.”

“And, the recent actions of that woman… Could it be that she’s trying to find the Sealed Demon Cave and rescue Xie Wuyan?”

“No, he cannot come out alive.”

“Why?”

The Sealed Demon Cave seals the souls of countless evil spirits from ancient times to the present. It is a place of incessant slaughter, where they greedily devour other souls, ruthlessly tearing and gnawing at the souls of others to enhance their own power.

The most terrifying part is that anyone sealed in the Sealed Demon Cave, if their soul is not strong enough, their consciousness will gradually dissipate, and their memories will be gradually erased.

Souls that have lost consciousness are no different from dead souls. They have no beliefs or will to live; they can only passively endure being slaughtered by those evil spirits.

“When Xie Wuyan was sealed back then, his soul was strong enough, which gave him a chance to escape. But this time, in order to save that woman, he has almost exhausted his own soul. There’s no need for us to intervene; he will become prey for anyone to feast upon.”

“He will have his soul and body devoured by the myriad of ghosts in the Sealed Demon Cave, dying completely in that place.”

“Normally, he can hold on for a maximum of seven days.”

“But now, it has been so long that even our ancestor cannot sense any trace of him, so一”

“He should have died a long time ago.”

As the Heavenly Dao Palace said, the Sealed Demon Cave is such a place.

Every inch of the stone walls is covered in blood, and every crevice and cave is inhabited by malevolent spirits. Fresh flesh is torn apart, and souls dissipate in humiliation.

Xie Wuyan is deep within that place.

His limbs and body are tightly bound by chains composed of runes, his eyes shut tightly, and his entire body covered in blood stains.

An uninterrupted stream of black energy approached him, transforming into one ferocious evil spirit after another, gnawing at his body.

His body was gradually enveloped by countless black energy. It seemed that he was about to be completely consumed.

“Boom一”

Xie Wuyan opened his eyes.

His eyes were crimson, and the chains on his body seemed to sense his resistance, tightening in an instant.

The spirits went into a frenzy, stirring the entire Sealed Demon Cave into chaos.

No trace of divine light could be seen in Xie Wuyan’s eyes. It was as if only an empty shell remained, an unconscious madman who unknowingly tore apart the malevolent spirits approaching him.

The power of the talisman became stronger with each passing moment. The golden light overflowing from his body even affected the nearby ghosts. The chains tightened, as if they were crushing his remaining soul.

More than pain and torment, the most agonizing thing is a sense of complete darkness, without a future or a past, only emptiness and nothingness.

As long as he felt a slight exhaustion, his remaining soul would cease to exist.

But Xie Wuyan lasted much longer than anyone, living and dead, had anticipated.

He repeated countless moments of time in this deadly struggle, blood flowing down through his hairline, every inch of his skin a bloody mess.

“He shouldn’t be able to hold on for so long.”

“He reached this point, why is he still unwilling to let go and leave?”

Why, after all, was he unwilling to die?

Xie Wuyan knelt on both knees, but his back remained straight. A nightmarish murmur came from beside him, causing splitting headaches. The seals on his body tortured his nerves incessantly.

He doesn’t remember who he is.

Nor does he remember the reason for coming here.

But he seems to vaguely recall promising someone that he would definitely survive.

Xie Wuyan raised his head, blood flowing down his neck. He slowly stood up, and the sound of shattered shackles could be heard.

He has forgotten many things.

But he knows.

He won’t deceive her.

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The author has something to say:

It’s about to appear!

The little wild dog, Xie Wuyan! the little milk dog, Xie Wuyan!

I call him Wild Milk Dog for short.

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1. 宫主 (Gōngzhǔ) ↩︎
2. 公主 (Gōngzhǔ) ↩︎

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Chapter 59: Master of Palace Renovation.

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“Until that day, I finally learned the reason why the infamous Demon Lord, known far and wide, betrayed the Demon Realm and willingly faced the annihilation of the Underworld Demons…”

This is the most popular post in the category of <Anecdotes of the Martial World> in the Cultivating Spirit Book recently.

It vividly recounts the fierce battle that shook the major sects of cultivation a month ago, employing a narrative style reminiscent of a novel to repeatedly stir up emotions.

“He was originally a fearless and solitary demon, but unexpectedly, he met her, and from then on, the Vermilion Bird¹ takes flight, unstoppable.”

“For her, he willingly returned to the sealed demon cave, determined to break through the seal and protect her completely. And for him, she deviated from familial and moral obligations, becoming someone despised by the world…”

This post describes in this way the mysterious woman who captivated the heart of the Demon Lord:

“She possessed a beauty that could overthrow nations, like a banished immortal, with almond-shaped eyes full of affection. Just a glance from her would make one’s heart ache and pity. Her skin was as delicate as mutton fat, and her voice was as melodious as a valley oriole.”

Xuanniao peeking at the martial arts book bit down on the page and turned it over:

“Ever since the Demon Lord died for her, that scene has become her nightmare. Her heart gradually tainted with hatred, and she washed her face with tears day after day, her heart turning into ashes…”

Xuanniao fell silent for a moment and glanced at Shen Wanqing, the valley oriole whose heart had turned to ashes, not far away.

She stood in the center of the flower bed, hands on her hips, impatiently tapping her foot on the ground.

“I’ll count to three. Who exactly plucked my man-eating flower? If you don’t step forward voluntarily, I will cook all of you today and feed you to Xuanniao.”

“And how many times have I said it? Please don’t touch the flowers I have placed in the room as decorations. Who on earth fertilized the flowerpot on my desk?”

Her voice carried through a voice transmission spell, and the entire palace heard it loud and clear.

Xuanniao: Am I the kind of bird that eats anything??

But whether it was an illusion or not, it always felt like in an instant, every corner nearby was filled with a tense atmosphere.

The demon generals in the entire palace were all afraid of Shen Wanqing.

Although this person appeared to be a well-behaved and beautiful girl, the shadow she cast on these demon generals was no less than Xie Wuyan.

Let’s start with the time when Shen Wanqing had just arrived at the palace.

When she first arrived, she looked very disheveled, covered in blood, and the talismans made her gasp for breath in pain. Xuanniao had to drag her to the stone bed where Xie Wuyan used to rest a hundred years ago.

Then she slept like that for three full days.

Three days later, she woke up, put on her clothes without saying a word, walked around the huge palace alone, and then silently gazed in the direction of the window.

The scene was distressing at times.

Xuanniao was also distressed.

It felt that women have always been emotional and likely to give up on themselves, sinking into depression and eventually becoming completely helpless.

Xuanniao thought about it and realized it couldn’t be like that.

Although it was also very sad, right now Shen Wanqing was the only person with a hope of rescuing Xie Wuyan’s soul from the sealed demon cave. She must not be depressed!

So Xuanniao suppressed its grief and flew up cautiously, saying, “Miss Shen, His Highness…”

“I have a question,” Shen Wanqing interrupted.

“What’s the question?”

“You have such a large palace, but only one small window about the size of my head. It’s noon, and the light can only reach two meters in front of the window, everything else is dark. Whose brilliant idea was this design?”

Xuanniao: “…”

“And why is the bed so hard?”

“And not to mention, with such a large area, you only built one palace?”

“The lamps are all covered in dust and broken. Haven’t you cleaned the place in hundreds of years?”

Xuanniao finally had a chance to speak, “Well, you see, it’s just me and His Highness in the palace, so nobody cleans.”

“I see,” Shen Wanqing said.

So the next day, she went out and brought back a few odd creatures, throwing them in front of the palace.

“What are these things?” Xuanniao asked.

Shen Wanqing: “I call them Demon Generals.”

Xuanniao: “What’s the use?”

“Cleaning and improving the palace environment.”

Xuanniao exclaimed in fear: “How did you capture them?”

Shen Wanqing: “By convincing them with reason.”

Xuanniao glanced at the row of injured monsters and demons lying in front of them, and fell silent, deep in thought.

Under the stimulation of that fierce battle, Shen Wanqing’s cultivation advanced rapidly, and her mastery of the blood-burning technique became even more proficient. Not to mention the fact that she had a portion of Xie Wuyan’s spiritual power supporting her. If her opponent wasn’t particularly formidable, she could handle them easily.

At first, there were always some small fry provoking at the palace entrance.

Shen Wanqing killed a few, captured a few, and then pretended to release a few with a seemingly kind heart. When they thought they had escaped and were exhausted, she would snatch them back and let them run again.

Before long, no one came to harass the palace entrance anymore. It even attracted a small number of demons and monsters who surrendered.

Thus, Shen Wanqing commanded this group of “Demon Generals” to begin the palace renovation project.

First, a thorough cleaning was done. Then the palace windows were opened to ensure better lighting. The floors were paved with tiles, and various decorations were added along with fresh green plants.

Most importantly, the stone bed was covered with silk quilts and draped with gauzy curtains, and a few soft couches were placed.

Next, Shen Wanqing arrived at Xie Wuyan’s flower garden.

There, she discovered that she couldn’t name any of the flower varieties, and they had withered and died over the past century due to lack of care.

Xuanniao consoled her, “It’s normal. His Highness’ flower are precious and difficult to cultivate.”

Shen Wanqing asked, “How do you cultivate them?”

“It’s challenging,” Xuanniao pondered, “The specific methods are probably only known by the flower spirits who reside deep in the Younan Mountains, and they are particularly skilled at dealing with these plants.”

Shen Wanqing: “Oh, it’s simple, I understand.”

Xuanniao: …? How did it suddenly become simple?

So that night, Shen Wanqing left the palace.

After a few days, she returned with a flower spirit named Xiaohong, who had a tearful face.

Xuanniao: …

For some reason, it feels like this woman is becoming more and more like Xie Wuyan.

A few days later, Shen Wanqing discovered a small building behind the palace. She asked, “Who lives here?”

Xuanniao proudly raised its head and chest, saying, “It’s the harem.”

Shen Wanqing: ?

What is this? Say that again?

Xuanniao explained, “I built this for His Highness! Although no one has ever lived there, I felt that a powerful person like His Highness must have a harem.”

“You’re right,” Shen Wanqing smiled in agreement.

And then the next day, another group of fierce and ferocious demons, rough and powerful, with grim expressions, moved into the “harem” and Shen Wanqing said to Xuanniao, “Surprised? This is your harem now.”

Xuanniao: …Women are terrifying.

As time passed, it was inevitable that some demon generals speculated that Shen Wanqing was likely to occupy this palace and establish her own faction, completely replacing Xie Wuyan.

But Xuanniao knew that she wanted to see Xie Wuyan more than anyone else.

Shen Wanqing seemed to be busy all the time, busy with gardening, repairing the palace, filling the dried-up lakes and keeping fish in them, hanging lanterns on tall buildings, and even commanding the group of demon generals to do radio exercises for physical fitness every morning.

She seemed to have forgotten about Xie Wuyan.

But in fact, everything she did was for Xie Wuyan.

“What’s this?”

“A heater. Haven’t you noticed that Xie Wuyan’s body temperature is always cold? Having this will at least make him more comfortable.”

“Why is one pillow soft and the other hard?”

“Because I like the soft one!”

“Then why is there a hard one?”

“Are you still his closest companion? Don’t you know that he’s not used to soft pillows when sleeping? The hard one makes him more comfortable.”

“You go to bed early every day, so why are the lights still on at night, and those fancy lanterns outside?”

“I can see that you, this stupid pigeon, don’t understand anything about your master. Haven’t you noticed that Xie Wuyan doesn’t sleep at night?”

Xuanniao knew that everyone thought it was almost impossible for Xie Wuyan to be saved, and even if there was hope, it was too slim.

However, Shen Wanqing seemed to have been convinced from the beginning that Xie Wuyan would definitely come back.

She hung a plaque in front of the hall, carefully writing the words “Xie Wuyan’s Nest” and proudly showing it to Xuanniao, saying that it was called calligraphy.

But Xuanniao never had the heart to point out that she had written the character “nest” wrong.

The curse mark on her body would flare up every few days. Xuanniao had never seen such a curse technique before. It seemed comparable to the sealing curse on Xie Wuyan’s body.

Then one day, the curse mark flared up again.

At that time, Shen Wanqing was using the fragmented soul left by Xie Wuyan on the sword to search for the whereabouts of the sealed demon cave, but she could never accurately pinpoint the direction.

Finally, at a certain moment, a purple light surged in a certain direction, but it was brief, disappearing in an instant.

It was an opportunity.

But just then, the curse mark lit up.

Xuanniao had seen countless times the appearance of the black lotus-shaped curse mark when it flared up, like a tattoo. It seemed to be resisting and controlling her actions with all its might, not ceasing until she reluctantly stopped her movements.

However, this time Shen Wanqing did not stop.

Without blinking her eyes, she grasped a knife, heated it with fire, and then decisively cut into the spot on her shoulder where the curse mark was.

The blow was extremely ruthless, and blood gushed out in an instant, flowing down her shoulder.

【Supporting Female Character System: Host, you have deviated from the main storyline for over a month. Please return to the task progression as soon as possible.】

Shen Wanqing’s lips turned pale, beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead, her eyelashes trembled lightly, but she neither made a sound nor stopped the movement of her spiritual consciousness forward until she gouged out the curse mark on her shoulder.

【Supporting Female Character System: Please don’t resist in vain.】

“No one’s resistance is in vain.”

But in the end, she still failed.

There were too few remnants of his soul, making it impossible to guide accurately.

She coughed up a mouthful of blood and set the knife down.

The curse mark that had been cut off reappeared, clear as if carved into the bone, on her bloodied left shoulder.

Shen Wanqing closed her eyes and rested her head against the back of the chair, letting go of the knife in her hand and raising an arm to support her forehead.

Xuanniao cautiously spoke up, “Miss Shen, we…”

“Let’s play Flying Chess with me.” Shen Wanqing let go of her arm, straightened herself up, and opened her eyes. “I can’t sleep tonight.”

Xuanniao has seen His Highness play this seemingly boring game with her countless times.

Shen Wanqing had exceptionally good luck today, rolling sixes from start to finish, while Xuanniao had just left the starting point when her four pieces reached the end.

Xuanniao couldn’t handle it, “You’re cheating!”

“You’re just not good enough!”

“I don’t believe it! Roll the dice again!”

Shen Wanqing threw it again.

As expected, it landed on a six.

But this time, she noticed something unusual.

There was a faint purple light surrounding the dice, always present but very weak.

She was familiar with the source of this power.

It was Xie Wuyan’s spiritual energy.

The first time Shen Wanqing played chess with Xie Wuyan and got upset due to her own bad luck, he cast this little spell.

Whenever she used it, the dice would always land on the number she wanted.

A small spell that had no purpose other than to cheer up a little girl.

Shen Wanqing clenched the dice tightly, lifted her arm to cover her head, and pressed her lips firmly with her other hand, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

After all this time, Xuanniao finally saw her tears.

She didn’t cry when she dealt with those monsters and demons.

She didn’t cry when she resisted the curses and seals.

But because of this small dice, she cried like this.

She said, “I want to save Xie Wuyan.”

“I want to see him.”

. . . . .

【Supporting Female Character System: Host’s needs detected. In order to ensure task completion, I can provide a transaction information. Will you accept?】

---

The author has something to say:

Transition chapter, transition chapter.

Next chapter! I swear! In the next chapter, I will let the son come out!

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1. 红鸾 (hóng luán): It refers to the “Vermilion Bird” in Chinese mythology. The Vermilion Bird is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations, representing love, relationships, and the south direction. ↩︎

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Chapter 58: I’m not lying to you.

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At that moment when the morning sun burst out, it seemed as if the entire world was dyed in the same poignant and beautiful colors.

He walked towards the direction of that light, and it was hard to tell whether countless sparks were converging towards him or if every inch of his flesh and soul, like sparks, were dissolving.

It was an exceptionally splendid scene.

Poignant yet tragic.

Step by step, he approached the Bull-faced Python, and with each step, a lotus of fire bloomed around him, reducing the surrounding demons to ashes, even their souls.

The Bull-faced Python roared angrily, slowly lowering its head, with scorching lava flowing all over its body, locking eyes with him.

In an instant, it felt like witnessing a scene from countless years ago.

When facing the encirclement, Xie Wuyan seemed to display the same calm and chilling expression.

It was a formidable power that Shen Wanqing had never seen before.

She knew the consequences of forcibly breaking the seal spell.

His spiritual fire will extinguish, and his soul will be pulled back into the abyss that once imprisoned him for a hundred years, devoured by the demons of the sealed demon cave, gradually vanishing completely from the mortal world.

“Xie Wuyan!”

Shen Wanqing’s vision blurred, and the curse marks on her body felt like a taut net, tightly imprisoning her entire body, as if every blood vessel in her was burning.

She couldn’t see the surrounding scene clearly.

Couldn’t hear the sounds around her.

But she could sense the panic of the dark demons. The people from Heavenly Dao Palace were approaching rapidly, their voices filled with shouts and roars. Countless blood cranes flew out from their hands, almost instantly covering the entire sky.

“It’s him!”

“How is this possible? Wasn’t he sealed? How could he use—”

“Forced breakthrough of the seal, this demon won’t survive.”

“He’s probably here for the blood-burning technique, but unfortunately, he will reap what he sows.”

Xie Wuyan spread out a bloody scene under his feet, with his robe and black hair fluttering in the wind. The sealing curse had instantly spread throughout his body. Coupled with his enchanting gaze, he appeared as if he were a demon pulled out from the depths of purgatory.

She didn’t know how much time had passed.

The wind mixed with flying stones, and before her eyes was a mixture of red and white lights.

She propped herself up, her veins throughout her body seemingly on the verge of bursting, and she could see from the corner of her eye that the black incantation had crawled up to her arms.

Tears mixed with fresh blood fell to the ground.

She looked up, gazing in his direction.

The distance between them was great, yet in an instant, it felt as though they were within reach.

Xie Wuyan turned as if sensing something, looked into her eyes, and then smiled faintly.

He was a terrifying figure called a madman and a devil by others, but for some unknown reason, Shen Wanqing never felt afraid.

Light and shadow intertwined.

The scorching flames dispersed all the dark mist.

The sound of the wind gradually subsided, leaving only the gentlest wisp, passing through.

Shen Wanqing couldn’t see Xie Wuyan anymore.

She propped herself up with her hands on the ground, slowly clenching them, tears falling one after another, the meridians on the back of her hands particularly distinct.

Countless intersecting black and white shadows flew down from all directions, standing on the now calm ground.

They were disciples of the Heavenly Dao Palace.

More than before.

Because of the blood crane’s message, all the disciples of the Heavenly Dao Palace in the vicinity were summoned.

The reappearance of the former demon lord was no small matter, even the ancestors who were in seclusion were alarmed.

Several swords were pressed against Shen Wanqing’s shoulder.

She didn’t look up.

【Supporting Female Character System: Would you like to check the current progress of the mission and the optimal solution?】

“Is Xie Wuyan dead?”

【Supporting Female Character System: Checking the progress of the mission “Prevent Xie Wuyan from destroying the mortal world”. The progress is at 95% and can be completed without human intervention.】

Shen Wanqing slowly closed her eyes.

Due to Xie Wuyan’s forced breakthrough, his spirit was damaged, and he returned to the sealed demon cave.

Perhaps he would be sealed for a long time.

One hundred years, or perhaps a thousand years.

But according to the plot, it won’t take long. The Solitary Light Sword will be awakened, whether Shen Wanqing chooses to sacrifice herself or not, they can achieve it.

“Miss Shen, it’s truly fortunate that you managed to survive from the clutches of that demon.” Someone squatted beside Shen Wanqing, sheathed their sword, and gently patted her shoulder.

Shen Wanqing took a deep breath and stood up straight.

Her once lively face became incredibly hollow in that instant. No expression could be seen on her face, but tears streamed down her cheeks, revealing a despair on the verge of collapse.

The people from the Heavenly Dao Palace halted in front of Ji Feichen and Feng Yaoqing, tending to their wounds and restraining their movements.

“Miss Shen, you must have witnessed the power of the underwolrd demon,” the person standing beside Shen Wanqing, clearly holding a high position within the Heavenly Dao Palace, spoke.

His strength was immeasurable, and just by standing there, he exuded a suppressing aura.

The elder, hands behind his back, gazed at the chaos around them, speaking calmly, “The rate at which they grow is even faster than you can imagine. In three years, or perhaps even one year from now, every inch of this world will become as tragic as this.”

“I, too, hesitated and wanted to protect the ones I cherished, just like you all.” The elder’s tone was indifferent. “I thought I could do it, but I realized that when disaster truly strikes, no one can escape.”

“So what?”

“Miss Shen, I’m not trying to convince you. I’m merely stating the facts,” the elder turned around to face her, each word emphasized, “Your brother and friends were saved today purely by chance. Will they still be so lucky in another year or half a year?”

Shen Wanqing remained silent for a long time. She curled her lips, let out a low chuckle, and then her laughter grew louder and louder, her chest heaving.

“Are you trying to persuade me to die?” she asked with a smirk.

“This is not called death,” the elder corrected. “This is called making the right choice.”

The right choice?

Feng Yaoqing broke free from the constraints of Heavenly Dao Palace. The sword in her hand flew out, unleashing a sharp sword aura towards the elder.

She stood between Shen Wanqing and the elder: “You have no reason to take her away.”

“Miss Feng, you’re too young,” the elder said calmly. “Some things don’t necessarily require a reason.”

Shen Wanqing looked up at her.

As expected, under the interception of Heavenly Dao Palace, Feng Yaoqing, who was already heavily injured, couldn’t delay for long. She was quickly subdued, with numerous swords pressed against her throat, and forced to the ground.

【Supporting Female Character System: Host, the mission is about to be completed.】

“As long as I agree to go with Heavenly Dao Palace?”

【Supporting Female Character System: Yes. After the mission is completed, your consciousness will leave this world. We will select a suitable world for you to choose as a reward.】

“If I don’t agree, then what?”

The system took a long time before responding with a mechanical, icy voice.

【Supporting Female Character System: This system is a programmed system created based on the wishes of this world, designed to achieve the ultimate goal. It can only make the most appropriate judgments and choices based on the current situation. In order to avoid the collapse of this world, it hopes that the host will make the correct choices. If negative emotions arise in the face of the mission, the system will implement punitive measures, hoping that the host will carefully consider.】

Shen Wanqing closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and lifted her head.

The sky was hazy, like a gloomy day after a heavy rain.

There was no light to be seen, nor the end in the distance.

The Heavenly Dao Palace would not spare her.

The system did not exist for her either.

Suddenly, she felt unusually tired.

She had never had a choice.

Even the only person who had risked their life to pave a new path for her was no longer there.

Shen Wanqing seemed to suddenly understand why Xie Wuyan never cared about death.

Loneliness was scarier than death.

The elder glanced at Shen Wanqing and raised his hand to signal.

Two disciples from the Heavenly Dao Palace approached and held Shen Wanqing’s arms on both sides, speaking in a monotone voice, “Miss Shen, come with us.”

Shen Wanqing stood up.

Feng Yaoqing frowned and tried to break free by turning around, but a sword blade pressed firmly against her throat.

“Wanqing,” she asked, “do you remember what you once said to me?”

What did she say?

Shen Wanqing was pushed forward, and before her eyes was a formation formed by converging white light.

The wind suddenly picked up.

Many scenes kept gathering and intertwining before her eyes.

A woman sang in a pool of blood, leaning down to whisper to the baby in her arms.

“Do not become a sacrifice for anyone.”

Shen Wanqing lifted her head.

What did she see?

Xie Wuyan seemed to be standing within that white light, his figure merging with the halo.

He smiled and turned around, looking into her eyes, as if in that moment, no matter how terrifying the surroundings were, they instantly ceased to be so.

“From now on, you can go wherever you want to go.”

Shen Wanqing stopped in her tracks.

【Supporting Female Character System: Detecting the host’s emergence of rebellious task-oriented emotions. Warning! Warning!】

Shen Wanqing: “Let go of me.”

The elder’s expression darkened slightly, signaling to the people around to be on alert. “Miss Shen—”

Shen Wanqing lowered her eyes and swiftly created two sharp streams of air, moving quickly and fiercely. In an instant, she nearly severed the arms of the two Heavenly Dao Palace disciples who were restraining her.

A few cries of pain followed, and soon the people around reacted, preparing themselves in a poised formation.

“Be careful!” The elder reached out his hand to grab Shen Wanqing’s shoulder, but was separated by a burst of flames that appeared out of thin air.

Shen Wanqing tightened her grip on the bone ring in her hand.

It was given to her by Xie Wuyan before he left.

Xuanniao leaped out from it.

The two sharp arcs of air cut through Shen Wanqing’s arms and thighs, but instead of blood spilling on the ground, it continuously flowed towards Xuanniao.

“Boom一!”

The body of Xuanniao grew rapidly at an astonishing speed, and with a surge of immense power, it stirred up a cloud of dust and exploded loudly.

It became huge in an instant, with dark feathers and crimson eyes. It emitted a sinister aura that resembled Xie Wuyan’s, and its wings trembled and resounded, drawing responses from countless birds.

Although it lasted only for a brief moment, Xuanniao borrowed Shen Wanqing’s power and returned to its original form.

【Supporting Female Character System: Attention, host! Attention, host! Task progress regressing! 43%… 27%…】

“Don’t live for others anymore.”

Through Xie Wuyan’s soul, she could see that lonely memory.

It seemed like he had always been telling himself.

“You should be free.”

Shen Wanqing raised her eyes.

“I won’t let you control my existence anymore.” Her eyes were calm, her lips pursed, tears rolling down her cheeks and dropping onto Xuanniao’s back.

The black mark on her shoulder turned red in an instant, as if it was scorching enough to crush her bones.

“Miss Shen!” the elder shouted sternly. “What do you mean by this? Do you want to一”

“Whether the Solitary Light Sword can be reforged has nothing to do with me.”

“I won’t make sacrifices.”

“I want to save Xie Wuyan.”

【Supporting Female Character System: Mission progress regressed by 14%… 11%…】

“Are you crazy? That’s一”

Shen Wanqing: “I never make the right choices. I only make the choices I want to make.”

“Do you know how many people will die because of this?”

She remained quiet for a moment, then chuckled softly, her eyes filled with laughter, yet tears kept falling. “Have you forgotten? I’m also a monster who should never have lived in this world, feared and eagerly awaiting death by all of you.”

【Supporting Female Character System: Mission progress regressed by 5%… 3%… 1%】

The pain from the curse mark made her almost unable to stand.

But she forced herself to straighten her back.

“So, Xie Wuyan and I are the same kind of person.”

The flames turned the sky red.

She stood in the center of the gathering fire, just like Xie Wuyan once did.

In the instant the mission progress reached 0%, Shen Wanqing spewed out a mouthful of blood, finally unable to endure the pain, and knelt on the Xuanniao’s back.

Xuanniao flew up, but it was immediately surrounded by countless chains formed by spiritual energy.

“Even if you use the blood-burning technique, you won’t be able to escape.”

Several elders of the Heavenly Dao Palace, including the ancestor, were present. With Shen Wanqing’s current power, there was no way to break through this defensive line.

However, before the words could settle, a purple aura broke through the air and severed the chains that bound Xuanniao.

It was a sword.

Xie Wuyan’s sword.

In the next second, the sword shattered into countless pieces.

A semi-transparent figure emerged.

Shen Wanqing turned around and couldn’t help but choke with tears.

It was Xie Wuyan’s divine soul.

Even when he was about to dissipate, he didn’t forget to leave a strand of his divine soul in the sword.

“Boom一”

Accompanied by the fragmentation of Xie Wuyan’s phantom, a power that completely suppressed everything surged out, instantly overwhelming the power of the Heavenly Dao Palace.

“You can go wherever you want.”

“Trust me.”

“I’m not lying to you.”

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Chapter 57: So sweet, super sweet, sweet. [Happy].

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The pupils of the Bull-faced Python flickered with a blood-red light, precisely locking onto Xie Wuyan’s direction. Its massive body, with even the slightest movement, could cause mountains to crumble and the earth to split.

Its breath was scorching hot. While locking onto Xie Wuyan, its pupils narrowed into a red line, as if it were enraged.

“Does it recognize you?”

“Yeah,” Xie Wuyan replied, “We’ve had dealings before.”

Shen Wanqing asked from the bottom of her heart: “Really? Why do I feel like it’s behaving as if you killed its entire family and stole its eggs to fry and eat?”

Xie Wuyan fell silent for a moment, then glanced at Xuanniao by his side.

Xuanniao nervously moved back.

The Bull-faced Python.

This creature could be considered Xie Wuyan’s old nemesis.

Of course, for the Xie Wuyan of his prime, even dealing with a terrifying demon like the Bull-faced Python, which made countless cultivators tremble in fear, wouldn’t require much effort.

When Xie Wuyan had just escaped from the Heavenly Dao Palace, numerous demons and monsters coveted his body. Perhaps irritated by the constant stream of foolish demons seeking death, Xie Wuyan took a trip to the Demon Realm and effortlessly killed a large number of formidable demons.

In the process, he incidentally rescued Xuanniao with torn wings, caught in a trap set by the demons.

Xuanniao, born with the attribute of a sycophant, immediately noticed that this man was extraordinary. So it quickly latched onto his thigh, seeking favor and acting cute without retaliation, not responding to insults. Every night, it would sob and complain to Xie Wuyan about its own hardships.

Finally, Xie Wuyan, overwhelmed with annoyance, asked: “What do you want me to do for you?”

And then Xuanniao started complaining.

It said that it had been living peacefully in its own nest when suddenly a group of dark demons attacked it. Despite its desperate resistance, it was left dazed by a tail strike from a bull-faced python. Not only did it get beaten up, but its carefully built beautiful nest was also completely destroyed. And when it left, it mercilessly killed numerous nestlings with its beak.

Many of the Xuanniao’s kin perished, and among the casualties, it was the only survivor.

In short, it wanted Xie Wuyan to seek revenge for it.

Xie Wuyan found it troublesome.

Eventually, he couldn’t bear Xuanniao’s incessant sobbing and terrible singing by his side.

Xuanniao said, “Those were dark demons that have been cultivating for thousands of years. They are extremely dangerous, Your Highness. We need to be cautious in our actions!”

Xie Wuyan responded, “Oh.”

Then he flew into the bull-faced python’s nest.

There was a flurry of black, purple, and red lights flashing inside, and leisurely he flew out, casting a disdainful gaze at Xuanniao beside him.

Xuanniao: I was insulted.

However, the Bull-faced Python is a cunning old fox and escaped quickly.

But that didn’t stop Xuanniao from firmly holding onto the idea of relying on someone powerful since then.

However, it is also quite petty by nature, so after Xie Wuyan finished dealing with the Bull-faced Python, Xuanniao flew into someone else’s nest and made a mess of it.

Then, accidentally, it broke one of their eggs.

At this point, Shen Wanqing couldn’t help but interrupt: “Just one egg?”

Xuanniao: “Well… I broke a whole nest.”

Shen Wanqing: “…” You never cease to amaze me.

Anyway, from that point on, the Bull-faced Python and Xie Wuyan became mortal enemies.

For the next few hundred years, numerous dark demons were summoned repeatedly, launching attacks on Xie Wuyan’s territory time and time again.

And every time, they were beaten badly, then skillfully used their escape abilities to flee.

After hundreds of years of fighting, Xuanniao started to suspect whether the Bull-faced Python had dug an escape tunnel, otherwise, how could it be so proficient in escaping?

Although it is said so, the way the dark demon obtains power is extremely brutal, and the main source is to enhance oneself by devouring the power of others.

The level of greed in demons like the Bull-faced Python is even greater.

Although it cannot shake Xie Wuyan during his prime, its power is indeed growing rapidly. It constantly devours surrounding demons, and with each confrontation, it becomes stronger than before.

Moreover, it is easy to see that as one of the leaders among the demons, the Bull-faced Python is not easily killed. It has escaped several times from Xie Wuyan’s hands, and it definitely doesn’t rely on luck every time.

And now, it is obviously more powerful than any previous encounter.

However, Xie Wuyan has sealed off most of his power, and with the presence of the Heavenly Dao Palace, he probably has to restrain himself from using force.

This battle will definitely be extremely difficult.

The people of the Heavenly Dao Palace quickly sensed that something was wrong. They quickly gathered together and instinctively erected barriers to protect themselves. Then they anxiously said, “Elder, the Bull-faced Python is here. We can’t subdue such a demon on our own. Moreover, the Bull-faced Python never acts alone. It might bring even more formidable demons. We must leave as soon as possible…”

“Yes, we must take these people with us. If they die here, the matter of the blood burning technique…”

“No.” The elder glanced around, shook his head, and raised his hand to interrupt. “This is a good opportunity.”

“What do you mean?”

“Feng Yaoqing wants us to produce evidence of the blood burning technique. Now, the Bull-faced Python will force out that evidence.”

“But… if there are any mistakes, both Feng yaoqing and Ji Feichen will probably lose their lives. the Heavenly Dao Palace cannot justify itself to Xuantian Pavilion and the Ji family!” One of the subordinates seemed worried. “Moreover, there are still many villagers and towns near the mountain, and it is obviously out of control now一”

“The dark demons are causing chaos, and the Heavenly Dao Palace is doing its utmost to rescue, but unfortunately, our manpower is insufficient, so we are helpless.” The elder glanced at the younger generation behind him, his voice calm. “Do you understand? If you understand, then leave this place.”

“We just need to wait and see for the results we want.”

“Your Highness, the people from the Heavenly Dao Palace are gone.”

“They must be trying to force Miss Shen to use the blood-burning technique.”

“I know.”

Xie Wuyan’s gaze turned slightly cold, and he raised his hand to block Shen Wanqing behind him. His arm instantly covered in flames: “Step back.”

His voice was deep, inexplicably giving people a strong sense of security.

He clenched his fist, and a barrier of flames immediately appeared in front of him, forcefully pushing the Bull-faced Python back a little.

With its movement, the mountain shook and cracked, and the towering mountain seemed to be struggling to withstand the power of the dark demons, gradually collapsing.

There were some disturbances in the surroundings.

Shen Wanqing frowned and scanned the surroundings.

Countless pitch-black dots gathered at an extremely fast speed, continuously converging towards this direction along the ridge. Each one of them was a demon she had never seen before, but it was evident that they were more aggressive than the monsters and ghosts she had encountered before.

They were underworld demons.

They came in response to the summons of the Bull-faced Python.

Before she could react, the Bull-faced Python launched an attack at an astonishing speed, its body swinging heavily as its tail broke through the ground.

It was then that Shen Wanqing realized that this demon was even larger than she had imagined, and the waves it created could cause the mountain to collapse at any moment.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Xie Wuyan reached out and grabbed her back, pulling her towards himself and holding her tightly in his arms.

The Bull-faced Python let out a roar, a deep sound that seemed as if it could pierce through one’s skull, shattering the very soul.

Xie Wuyan’s grip tightened as spiritual energy gathered incessantly throughout his body.

Shen Wanqing noticed Xie Wuyan’s actions and reached out to touch his shoulder, trying to push him away. “No, you can’t一”

Before she could finish her sentence, Xie Wuyan pinched her acupoint, and her consciousness instantly faded away.

His pupils turned red in an instant, and an invisible barrier formed in front of him, isolating all the soul tremors caused by the Bull-faced Python.

“Why aren’t you using your power?”

“Xie Wuyan, it has been a hundred years since we last met. Have you become so weak?”

“Or is it that you, whose powers have been sealed for the most part, have now become nothing more than a coward who knows only how to avoid confrontation?”

The voice of the Bull-faced Python could only be heard by Xie Wuyan.

It laughed mockingly.

“You still underestimate me. If you continue like this, you won’t be able to protect anyone.”

At that moment, two flying swords flew past them, brushing against their sides. The collision of blue and yellow sword auras struck the Bull-faced Python’s forehead directly.

“Bang!”

The body of this demon was exceptionally tough, but despite not harming its essence, this attack forcefully pushed it back, leaving a shattered wound on its forehead.

“Leave with Wanqing.”

Ji Feichen woke up at some point, his lips devoid of color. He placed a hand on his still bleeding wound and stood beside Xie Wuyan, saying, “Go.”

Xie Wuyan looked at him.

At this moment, Xie Wuyan was filled with a strong sense of hostility. His eyes were blood-red, and the curse marks on his body were vividly visible.

Ji Feichen could naturally sense something was amiss.

However, he didn’t ask anything.

He knew that some things didn’t necessarily need a definite outcome, at least for now. He could tell that Xie Wuyan wouldn’t harm Shen Wanqing.

In fact, he would even hope for Shen Wanqing’s survival more than those hypocritical people.

“Don’t worry, we are well aware of what the Heavenly Dao Palace wants to do,” Feng Yaoqing stood by Ji Feichen’s side, “They won’t ruin their relationship with Xuantian Pavilion. If Wanqing isn’t here, they will reluctantly give up their plan and take action to save people.”

After saying that, she turned her head and spoke firmly, “Take Wanqing and leave.”

Xie Wuyan didn’t hesitate at all. He withdrew his hand that was holding Shen Wanqing’s waist and swiftly left.

At the moment Xie Wuyan turned around, the Bull-Faced Python let out a furious roar. Immediately after, countless dark demons rushed towards them with fierce killing intent.

Sounds of biting, the clash of sword qi against flesh, and the thunderous collision of powerful spiritual energy filled the air.

Finally, Feng Yaoqing’s heart-wrenching screams reached their ears.

【Supporting Female Character System: Ji Feichen’s life is fading! Ji Feichen’s life is fading! Host, please make sure to prevent this tragedy from happening. I repeat, please make sure to prevent this tragedy from happening!】

Shen Wanqing was awakened by a strong electric current in her head.

She opened her eyes, bloodshot from intense pain. Her chest trembled, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Turning her head, she saw Ji Feichen’s chest stabbed by the dark demon’s claws. Due to his body’s incomplete recovery, he weakly knelt on the ground, using his sword to support himself with great difficulty.

Feng Yaoqing may not have been wrong.

There was a high probability that the Heavenly Dao Palace’s plan would fail due to Shen Wanqing’s departure, forcing them to intervene and save people.

But this was only a probability.

Even the system couldn’t accurately predict the final outcome.

The system operated around the main characters, the male and female leads. They would not allow such a probable event to occur.

But Shen Wanqing knew.

If she went back, Xie Wuyan would likely expose his identity in an attempt to save her.

She didn’t want Xie Wuyan to die.

【Supporting Female Character System: System alert, system alert, red alert. The host must make a choice. If the host fails to make the correct choice within the specified time and complete the task assigned by the system, the system will take mandatory measures.】

“Put me down.”

Xie Wuyan remained silent.

【Supporting Female Character System: Five, four, three…】

“Xie Wuyan!”

【Supporting Female Character System: Two, one!】

Just as the countdown was about to end, Shen Wanqing felt a sharp and intense pain in her shoulder, as if a scorching knife had carved something onto her body.

The pain reached her bones and spread throughout her organs.

She lowered her gaze.

A black mark appeared on her shoulder, like a spell, causing excruciating agony.

Xie Wuyan noticed Shen Wanqing’s abnormality and quickly put her down, extending his hand to grasp her shoulder.

Shen Wanqing endured the pain that almost permeated her body. She pushed away Xie Wuyan’s hand and quickly gathered her spiritual power, creating a barrier to separate the two of them.

“I have to go back.”

Xie Wuyan looked at her with deep eyes and spoke in a low voice: “Shen Wanqing.”

“You must leave this place, Xie Wuyan.” Shen Wanqing looked into his eyes, intending to speak to him in a relaxed tone as she had done many times before, but her nose tingled and tears rolled down.

She lifted the corner of her lips and suddenly smiled, “You, even though I don’t know why, please stop risking your life to save me.”

Xie Wuyan just looked at her.

In his pitch-black pupils, her figure was reflected with utmost clarity.

Shen Wanqing trembled as she felt the forced seal imposed by the system spreading from her shoulder, permeating every inch of her body.

Her face turned pale, but she managed to control her trembling voice, “Xie Wuyan, I beg you. You promised me that you wouldn’t die.”

“Shen Wanqing.”

Xie Wuyan said: “Is there something controlling you?”

Shen Wanqing remained silent.

She stood up, turned around, took a deep breath, and looked in the direction of the Bull-faced Python, taking a step forward.

“Boom!”

That golden barrier was forcefully crushed.

Xie Wuyan reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her back.

Shen Wanqing didn’t have a chance to speak before Xie Wuyan held her chin.

He leaned in and kissed her lips.

Unlike every previous time.

It was a kiss without any tenderness.

It was a gentle and comfortable spiritual energy that continuously flowed into Shen Wanqing’s body, resisting and restraining the black curse mark.

“I have set up a palace in a place known only to Xuanniao.”

“There, you will have my protection, a completely safe place.”

“I won’t ask about what you don’t want to say, but from now on, you can go anywhere you want.”

“Do not live for others anymore.”

“Oh, and don’t let my flowers die.”

Xie Wuyan released his hand.

His pitch-black hair was lifted by the wind, his face was ashen, and a blood-red curse mark appeared on his forehead, from which bloodstains spread out.

Then, in an instant, it was covered in flames.

Countless cracks snaked from the ground where he stood, and then, like sparks, numerous flames rose from the underground.

The light of the breaking dawn merged with his figure.

“There is one more thing.”

Xie Wuyan turned around, looking at Shen Wanqing, his gaze unusually gentle.

He said, “I like you.”

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The author has something to say:

My favorite scene!

Why was it delayed for half an hour? Because I originally wanted to put the “sweet” part in the next chapter, but when I thought about how happy the readers would be when they read it, I couldn’t resist and wrote it into this chapter.

So sweet, so sweet, so sweet.

Rest assured, it’s a happy ending (HE).

Finally, the daughter is about to become Niu Gu lu一 Wanqing一The Great Demon King!

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Taw’s Note:

Why do I suddenly feel like something is flowing down on my face like a river, even though the chapter title and author said it should be ‘sweet’? (ಥ﹏ಥ)

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Chapter 56: Regard it as talk.

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There are many memories that, even if buried in the soil, will still break through and grow branches after countless washes.

Zhao Ping, in her early teens, was always the most reckless and audacious one. She rode through the capital in the most flamboyant colors, followed by a group of guards busy cleaning up the troubles for her.

Her Royal Highness Zhao Ping.

That was her name.

A name bestowed upon her by the Northern Kingdom.

And it would be her who would personally bring about the downfall of the Northern Kingdom.

On the day when the Southern Kingdom attacked the imperial city, Zhao Ping arrived at the Golden Dragon Hall.

Her father, who had always loved her dearly, sat on the supreme throne, with his crown scattered aside, his clothes disheveled, looking like an incredibly disheveled ordinary person.

“Zhao Ping, come here.” The emperor beckoned to her.

Zhao Ping walked over and leaned her head against his knee, just like countless times before.

In that moment, this revered emperor, the ruler of the realm, became like an ordinary father, affectionately stroking her hair.

If one ignored the sounds of war outside, such a scene would appear exceptionally tender.

“The person leading the troops here is Qin Zhihuan.”

Zhao Ping remained silent.

“It was you who gave him the city map, right?”

Zhao Ping remained silent for a long time, lifted her head, and looked into the eyes of the elderly man in front of her. “Father once told me that the well-being of the people is the foundation of a kingdom. I still remember those words.”

Both the internal and external affairs of the Northern Kingdom were in a state of decay.

The high-ranking officials of the court only cared about their own personal gains and engaged in deceitful schemes and hidden struggles. The Emperor was nothing but a puppet, barely maintaining a crumbling facade.

In the end, he could only helplessly compromise and be tainted with those people.

Loyal ministers were plotted against.

The soldiers defending the borders were summoned back and executed by their own hands.

Eunuchs prevented the emergence of any new supporters.

The ambitions of the Southern Kingdom were gradually expanding, and they could attack the city at any time, but the people of the Northern Kingdom were still killing each other.

“Qin Zhihuan, he’s aware of the ambitions of the Southern Kingdom.”

“Father, the court officials, who are neatly dressed and groomed, are well aware of it. However, they are unwilling to resist. They fear death, they fear defeat.”

“We hoped to wait for a savior belonging to the Northern Kingdom, but the Southern Kingdom will not wait. How long will it take for them to launch an attack? A year? Or tomorrow?”

“The Southern Kingdom’s slaughter will absolutely disregard the lives of the people and the soldiers.”

“Victorious battles lead to city massacres.”

“But if it were you leading the troops, you wouldn’t do such a thing.”

That’s why she made Qin Zhihuan take the map of the city and leave, to surrender to the Southern Kingdom.

This is an exchange.

“From today onwards, I am finally no longer Princess Zhao Ping.”

The emperor looked at Zhao Ping, his lips trembled, and after a long while, he reached out and gently brushed aside the hair near her ear.

He spat out blood.

As the ruler of a kingdom, he died for his kingdom’s downfall.

Zhao Ping watched her beloved father die before her eyes, crying bitterly until her hands were stained with blood.

The sound of war is approaching.

Zhao Ping stood up and took a deep breath.

She personally sacrificed the Northern Kingdom.

But as the princess of the Northern Kingdom, she also had to sacrifice herself for the sake of the Northern Kingdom’s sacrifice.

But Zhao Ping didn’t die.

Qin Zhihuan saved her.

He killed a small group of soldiers from the Southern Kingdom and took her away on a small path.

“Even if you help the princess of the enemy country escape, no matter how great your achievements are, the people of the Southern Kingdom will not let you go.”

“I will regret it if I don’t save you.”

Qin Zhihuan died.

Even with his extraordinary martial arts skills, it was difficult to escape from that chaotic battle.

When the cold arrows came, he shielded Zhao Ping with his body, with arrows piercing him all over, and blood staining his clothes.

“Her Royal Highness Zhao Ping.”

Qin Zhihuan: “I will definitely go through fire and water for you, without any hesitation.”

In one kingdom, there are numerous people, and countless events happen every day.

Many stories that occur in trivial matters are often inconspicuous.

No one knows how many people died in that battle.

Nor does anyone know who appeared there once.

The people from the Heavenly Dao Palace arrived there at that time.

“Our rules as cultivators forbid us from interfering in these grievances. But you possess something we desire.”

Zhao Ping replied, “I agree.”

“Don’t you want to know what it is?”

Zhao Ping bent down, wiping away the bloodstains from Qin Zhihuan’s face. Tears fell drop by drop, landing on the corner of his eye and trickling down his cheek.

“He shouldn’t have died here.”

“We need your soul and body.”

“Okay, but there’s one more thing, I hope you can promise me,” Zhao Ping raised her head, looking at the Taoist standing in front of her, and said, “Don’t let Qin Zhihuan remember me.”

“He has a broad future ahead and shouldn’t be held back by these matters.”

The Heavenly Dao Palace agreed to Zhao Ping’s request.

However, during the execution of the separation and sacrifice, something unexpected happened.

Because of the deep attraction and obsession between their souls, a part of Zhao Ping’s spirit was pulled into Qin Zhihuan’s body when it separated.

Although Qin Zhihuan doesn’t remember Zhao Ping, subconsciously, he uses his own body and soul to nourish Zhao Ping’s incomplete spirit.

This is also the reason why Qin Zhihuan’s constitution suddenly became extremely susceptible to attracting ghosts five years ago.

Naturally, the people of the Heavenly Dao Palace discovered all of this.

However, due to Zhao Ping’s memory loss, it was difficult to make her willingly undergo the sacrifice again.

So they set up a new scheme.

They used the power of Ten Thousand Demon Attraction spell to create chaos and once again make Zhao Ping sacrifice herself for the sake of the common people and Qin Zhihuan’s comfort, just like she did five years ago.

Zhao Ping indeed did this.

The white light gradually disappeared, and Shen Wanqing held onto Zhao Ping’s soul, pulling her back: “Don’t go!”

Zhao Ping’s eyes were empty, and she stumbled back like a puppet.

After a long while, she regained her senses, turned her head to look at Shen Wanqing beside her, and then said, “Thank you.”

Shen Wanqing was startled: “You remember?”

“Yes, when you touched me.”

“So一”

“The people from the Heavenly Dao Palace are nearby.” Zhao Ping turned around, glanced at Qin Zhihuan beside her, and smiled. “I know what to do now.”

She closed her eyes, and suddenly numerous sparks ignited around her.

In that instant, twinkling white lights appeared from all directions, and then those lights slowly approached in this direction.

“Step back.” Xie Wuyan pulled Shen Wanqing behind him, his eyebrows furrowed with vigilance.

Shen Wanqing: “What’s happening?”

“The people from the Heavenly Dao Palace have arrived.”

Feng Yaoqing also sensed that something was wrong. She settled Ji Feichen and then stepped forward, blocking Shen Wanqing in front of her: “What’s going on? How did the people from the Heavenly Dao Palace get here?”

In the moment when the white light approached, the golden barrier shattered with a loud crash.

However, before the monsters could rush in, a stronger and more powerful barrier slammed onto the ground, forcing all the demons to retreat.

Shadows, black and white intertwined, fell from the sky.

White robes with black patterns.

The emblem of the Heavenly Dao Palace engraved on their headdresses.

“Princess Zhao Ping, long time no see.”

“So, this is your doing.”

“No.” The elder in charge shook his head, stroked his white beard, and then slowly said, “Your soul is too easily entangled with demons. In another year or so, you would have ended up in this situation even if you do nothing. And before that, Young Marquis Qin would have been drained of his vitality due to the power of your soul.”

Zhao Ping remained silent for a while before calmly saying, “I will go with you.”

Feng Yaoqing furrowed her brows: “Princess Zhao Ping!”

“Five years ago, I shouldn’t have been here.” Princess Zhao Ping’s tone was calm, without a hint of disturbance, and she chuckled. “As an exchange, you will take care of the demons here, right?”

The elder said lightly: “Even if you didn’t make this decision, we would still intervene.”

Zhao Ping nodded and took a step forward.

“Your Highness.”

Shen Wanqing stepped forward and softly called out to her.

Zhao Ping turned around.

“Qin Zhihuan,he…”

“Don’t let him remember,” Zhao Ping raised the corner of her lips, smiling brightly. “It should have ended five years ago.”

After saying that, she turned around and walked into the Soul-Capturing Pouch in the Heavenly Dao Palace.

Shen Wanqing watched her leave.

In Zhao Ping’s memories, the scene she saw the most was a repeated segment.

The reckless princess startled a horse and was saved by a young man in a green robe.

The princess felt a stir of spring in her heart, but she still pretended to be proud to hide her embarrassment.

The young man was cold and arrogant in temperament, turned around to leave, but was held back by the princess grabbing his clothes.

“I am Princess Zhao Ping from the Northern Kingdom. How dare you, a mere fabric worker, not recognize me? And you dare to act so insolently in front of me?”

Qin Zhihuan laughed: “There are so many princesses in the world. Am I supposed to remember each and every one of them?”

This is the beginning of their story.

And also the final outcome.

“As for the situation with the Ten Thousand Demon Attraction spell, the Heavenly Dao Palace will naturally take care of it,” the elder waved his hand, gesturing for the people behind him to step back. “Now, Miss Feng, Mister Xie, and Miss Shen, let’s discuss the matter of the blood-burning technique.”

After speaking, he coolly glanced at Shen Wanqing’s injured hand.

Xie Wuyan’s gaze darkened, and he raised his index finger to signal Shen Wanqing to step behind him.

Feng Yaoqing: “I don’t know what the blood-burning technique is.”

“I thought at least Miss Feng understood the righteousness,” the elder’s tone was calm, without any ripples. “You’ve all seen it, facing such an attack, how powerless you are tonight.”

“So what?”

“This is just a village,” the elder said as he approached Feng Yaoqing, lowering his head to look at her. A strong sense of oppression inexplicably emerged. “What if it happens to a thousand, ten thousand villages at the same time?”

Feng Yaoqing opened her mouth but remained silent.

“Miss Feng, you know I am not exaggerating,” the elder said. “Without the Solitary Light Sword, we are completely helpless. Moreover, there is also the issue of not knowing the whereabouts of the demon lord. If the seal is completely undone, he is capable of destroying the Heavenly Dao Palace with a flick of his finger.”

Xie Wuyan raised his eyelashes slightly and glanced at Shen Wanqing behind him.

Shen Wanqing felt as if both of them were carrying a huge “danger” on their heads at this moment.

…Life is really not easy.

Feng Yaoqing turned her head to look at Shen Wanqing beside her, then faced the elder squarely, saying word by word, “I don’t know what ‘blood-burning technique’ means.”

The elder narrowed his eyes.

“The Heavenly Dao Palace intends to take Wanqing away, so they must give us an explanation,” Feng Yaoqing’s words were clear. “We can’t rely on those unfounded rumors and whispers, can we?”

As long as Shen Wanqing hasn’t used the blood-burning technique in front of them, the Heavenly Dao Palace will never have solid evidence.

They wouldn’t recklessly tear their faces apart like that.

“Miss Feng, do you know why the people from the Heavenly Dao Palace share the same belief?” The elder’s voice was heavy, each word hitting the heart like a hammer. “It’s because they all crawled out of piles of dead bodies during the resistance against the dark demons.”

“They witnessed the tragic scene with their own eyes and experienced countless sacrifices themselves. Miss Feng, you are too naive to think that you can win this brutal battle without any sacrifices.”

The elder asked, “Or perhaps, in your eyes, it doesn’t matter if tens of thousands of people die because of your selfishness?”

However, before Feng Yaoqing could speak, the ground suddenly began to shake violently.

It was stronger than any previous tremor.

The people of the Heavenly Dao Palace obviously hadn’t reacted yet. They exchanged glances and quickly reinforced their defenses.

But in just an instant, before they could even catch their breath, the golden barrier shattered with a loud explosion.

“Let’s go.”

Xie Wuyan grabbed Shen Wanqing’s arm and leaped into the air, landing on a tree branch.

The ground was lifted by a tremendous force, and houses and trees collapsed in an instant. Boulders rolled, and the entire mountain seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

The Bone Ring flashed, and Xuanniao flew out: “Your Highness! This is… the Bull-faced Python.”

Although only half of its body emerged from the ground, the monstrous creature’s enormous size was still apparent.

With the head of a bull and the body of a snake, it had blood-red patterns on its body. Even from a distance, one could feel the slightly warm aura emanating from it, as if there was magma flowing inside its body.

“How could a demon of this level appear here? Could it also be attracted by the Ten Thousand Demon Attraction spell?”

“No,” Xie Wuyan said.

The Bull-faced Python couldn’t be attracted by ordinary Ten Thousand Demon Attraction spell.

What brought it here was the blood-burning technique that Xie Wuyan had just used, which belongs to him.

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The author has something to say:

The Princess Zhao Ping segment! It’s a controversial plot! It’s normal to have controversies, and everyone has their own opinions, so there’s no need to persuade each other! Just like the previous embroidery maid plot, the Taoist’s actions were also controversial!

Originally, this was tomorrow’s draft, but I found that there were quite a few controversies in the comments, so I decided to release it all at once and provide an explanation!

Finally, I’m about to write my favorite plot segment!!!

My daughter’s mission progress is finally about to reach zero!

Let’s congratulate my daughter!

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Chapter 55: Choice.

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Feng Yaoqing stood up and swept a glance around.

The entire village was almost destroyed, with ruins and debris all around, and women and children crying out in heartbreak. Although Ji Feichen had tried his best to protect them, innocent people still lost their lives in the chaos.

The woman’s husband was already turning purple, the poison creeping towards his heart, and there was no time to lose. A little girl, about five or six years old, was kneeling beside him, crying as she clung to his arm, her tender voice making everyone’s heart ache.

Feng Yaoqing tightly gripped the only remaining spirit-replenishing pill in her hand, digging her nails into her palm until a few drops of blood seeped out.

Shen Wanqing: “Give it to me.”

Feng Yaoqing turned to look at her, her eyes red and a tear suddenly fell.

“Someone has to choose. If you don’t want to choose, I’ll help you choose,” Shen Wanqing said as she took hold of Feng Yaoqing’s hand, indicating for her to let go: “If you feel uncomfortable, don’t blame yourself. Blame me instead.”

Feng Yaoqing’s eyes were full of pain. She shook her head and opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. After a long time, she said softly: “How could I blame you?”

Shen Wanqing repeated: “Give me the spirit-replenishing pill. I got the pointed leaf, so I’ll choose.”

“They are innocent.”

“I know,” Shen Wanqing looked into Feng Yaoqing’s eyes and then reached out to pat her back in a comforting manner, “Everyone who died in this turmoil is innocent.”

“I can save him.”

“It’s not shameful to have selfish motives.”

Shen Wanqing knew why Feng Yaoqing was in pain.

For someone like her, the most self-blaming thing is not that she couldn’t do it, but that she could have done it.

Shen Wanqing knew that Feng Yaoqing would eventually choose to save Ji Feichen.

This has nothing to do with whether one is kind or not; it is everyone’s innate choice.

She just couldn’t forgive herself, couldn’t forgive herself for being so selfish and choosing to let another person die.

“But I will save Ji Feichen,” Shen Wanqing could feel Feng Yaoqing trembling, “He is my brother, my family, and I will choose him.”

Feng Yaoqing sobbed and lifted her hand to grip Shen Wanqing’s shoulder, as if wanting to push her away, but hesitated for a long time, and finally hugged her tighter.

“I shouldn’t have come here, I shouldn’t have come here.”

“You can’t save everyone.”

There are many things in the world that don’t have a correct answer or solution.

The demons slaughtered humans recklessly in order to survive. The Heavenly Dao Palace sacrificed a few lives for the survival of the majority. Ji Feichen and his team came here to save the world.

If you trace back this series of events, you will find that they form a circular chain, and no one can escape it.

In every story about disaster and redemption, everyone is innocent.

No one can save everyone.

Everyone has to make sacrifices.

Feng Yaoqing took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She clenched the spirit-replenishing pill tightly and remained silent for a moment before opening her eyes, standing straight, and stepping back one step.

Then she crouched in front of Ji Feichen, helped him up, and held him in her arms.

The woman next to her’s pupils shrank. She crawled forward and grabbed Feng Yaoqing’s arm, her entire body trembling with excessive grief. Her lips moved, but she couldn’t say anything. She knocked her head on the ground, crying and choking: “Immortal, please, Immortal.”

“I’m sorry.”

Feng Yaoqing shed tears that fell on Ji Feichen’s face.

She sniffled and pulled her arm away, without any hesitation, she put the spirit-replenishing pill into Ji Feichen’s mouth, her voice hoarse: “I’m sorry, I must save him.”

“Daddy!”

The child kneeling next to the man shouted in agony. The woman turned around and realized that the poison had already invaded the man’s heart.

The man was spitting out blood and it was flowing down his cheek, soaking the clothes of the child as well.

The woman quickly turned around and ran towards the man, stumbling and falling. The family of three hugged each other and cried together.

The sound of crying could be heard everywhere.

No matter how hard Ji Feichen tried, the number of people who died in this accident was still countless.

Feng Yaoqing endured the urge to turn around and look at the tragic scene behind her. After making sure that the poison in Ji Feichen’s body was gradually being expelled, she weakly leaned her head against his chest and burst into tears.

“Bang!”

The talisman covered in golden light was shattered forcefully. In an instant, it cracked into countless cracks and looked like it could break at any moment.

These groups of demons were impossible to kill. Based on this situation, even the Heavenly Dao Palace would have to dispatch a whole branch of their sect to suppress them.

Of course, if Xie Wuyan were to act without any scruples, these demons would naturally be no match for him. However, at that time, his identity would inevitably be exposed in front of everyone.

It is possible to escape if you want to escape.

But in this area, even the towns and villages at the foot of the mountain are probably not spared.

“Are these demons attracted to me?”

At this moment, a golden light suddenly gathered between Qin Zhihuan’s eyebrows, who had been sleeping in the rear all along. Then, a shadow flew out from his body.

Princess Zhao Ping’s face, which usually looked a bit delicate, showed a slight frown at this moment, with an expression that was all calm and composed.

Feng Yaoqing had already analyzed the reasons with Ji Feichen just now.

They also realized that the reason why the Heavenly Dao Palace was using the Ten Thousand Demon Attraction spell was probably not just for Shen Wanqing.

Because according to the principle, both the body and soul are necessary for the sacrifice in the sword furnace, but Princess Zhao Ping had sacrificed her physical body while still retaining her soul.

Therefore, the Heavenly Dao Palace would probably go to great lengths to find a way to obtain this missing soul.

Princess Zhao Ping glanced at the village behind her, which was full of ruins and debris. Her gaze lightly swept over Qin Zhihuan lying on the ground before turning her head. Her semi-transparent body floated up: “I understand. If I let them eat me, it should be able to make these demons leave, right?”

Her tone was very calm, and she looked completely different from the spoiled princess of last night. It seemed as if the idea of her soul being destroyed didn’t scare her at all.

Princess Zhao Ping didn’t even give anyone time to react. As soon as she finished speaking, she flew towards the crack without any hesitation.

When Feng Yaoqing reacted, Princess Zhao Ping was already close to the edge of the golden light barrier.

“Stop her!” Feng Yaoqing shouted, “These demonic creatures will fight among themselves for this soul, causing even greater chaos. If Princess Zhao Ping’s soul falls into their hands, they will become even more troublesome.”

Shen Wanqing quickly understood and turned around. She stepped on her sword and flew up, reaching out to grab Princess Zhao Ping’s soul.

However, at the moment her palm touched Princess Zhao Ping’s body, a white light suddenly appeared in front of her.

What is this…

Shen Wanqing lowered her head in astonishment and realized that the wound in her left hand had not completely healed.

The consciousness of the two collided strongly, and countless memories flooded in, causing even stronger repulsion than any previous reactions.

Countless images and sounds flickered in their minds like a revolving lantern, making their eyes ache.

“Your Highness!”

“Princess!”

“Princess Zhao Ping.”

“Ah Zhao.”

Finally, the speed of the fluctuating scene gradually slowed down.

“Your Highness, are you sure you want to hand over this map?”

“Um.”

“Does Your Highness want me to betray the kingdom?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t like watching lanterns at all.”

Memories surged.

It was Princess Zhao Ping’s twelfth birthday.

The scenery of the northern region is famous throughout the world, especially the lantern festival at night on the Huaihe River and lakes. The emperor had once dispatched countless craftsmen to construct numerous illuminated boats and lighthouses on the lake, adorned with countless exotic treasures and magnificent decorations.

On major festivals and holidays, the lanterns that have been arranged are lit up, and numerous high-ranking officials and aristocrats gather here to celebrate. The light from the lanterns is reflected in the water, creating a gorgeous and extravagant sight.

On the day of Princess Zhao Ping’s twelfth birthday, her doting father, the emperor, had a sudden idea and issued an edict seven days earlier, instructing people to rush to build a lantern tower specifically for Zhao Ping, as a gift for his precious daughter.

The emperor’s decree only required a few words, but it was the people who suffered the most.

Princess Zhao Ping was unaware of all this.

On her birthday, she happily ran up and down in her own lantern tower, enjoying the flattery of others. She was the most eye-catching princess, with no worries about food or clothing, and could get whatever she wanted with just a snap of her fingers.

It wasn’t until she sneaked away from her guards and took a boat to explore the night market that she accidentally got lost and stumbled into a secluded alley.

The alley was very dilapidated.

The air was filled with a foul smell, and there was black sticky dirt on the ground.

Princess Zhao Ping felt cold and tired, so she found a house with light and cautiously peered inside through the window.

She saw the thin and emaciated old man lying on the bed, gasping for breath.

She saw a shabbily dressed woman sitting under the lamp, squinting her eyes and embroidering flowers while rocking a cradle to soothe a crying child beside her.

Later, Zhao Ping saw many things in the Northern Kingdom that she couldn’t see before.

There were the parents and wife of the man who died while building the lantern tower, sitting in the house and looking out of the window at the magnificent Huai River not far away, their eyes swollen from crying.

There was a child who died of starvation and an elderly person who died of lung disease lying on a bed and had to be buried in a simple grass mat because they couldn’t afford a proper burial.

She used to think that the Northern Kingdom was good enough.

But later, she realized that only she was living a good enough life.

That day, when twelve-year-old Zhao Ping was found by the guards and taken back to her father the emperor, she hugged the lantern and cried loudly, tears mixed with snot streaming down her face, unable to stop sobbing.

The emperor tenderly stopped her by the shoulder and asked: “Who bullied you?”

Zhao Ping nodded, shook her head, then bit her lip and said with difficulty: “I don’t want to see the lanterns anymore.”

This is the most critical reason for the downfall of the Northern Kingdom.

The Southern Kingdom attacked and conquered the Northern Kingdom swiftly, with hardly any battles that caused casualties or wasted resources.

Because Princess Zhao Ping had paved the way for them long ago.

It was she who brought about the downfall of the Northern Kingdom and led the people of the Southern Kingdom into the imperial city.

“Only with the people of the Northern Kingdom can there be a true Northern Kingdom.”

“Even if I don’t surrender, I cannot stop the downfall of the Northern Kingdom. I will only make innocent people suffer more.”

“Perhaps this is not the right decision.”

“But I can only do this.”

“From now on, I am no longer Princess Zhao Ping.”

Princess Zhao Ping handed over the map in her hand.

Shen Wanqing saw the person standing opposite her, who took the map from Princess Zhao Ping’s hand.

It was Qin Zhihuan.

Qin Zhihuan knelt on one knee in front of Zhaoping and bowed: “Her Royal Highness Zhao Ping.”

“I will definitely go through fire and water for you, without any hesitation.”

---

The author’s note:

Changed the title of the princess!

The princess’s actions may not necessarily be absolutely correct, and I did not intend to praise this approach as the correct answer when writing about it.

Therefore, having one’s own thoughts is normal! Because many things do not have a single correct answer.

It’s just that based on her character and personality, she would make such a choice. If another person faced this situation, choosing to resist to the death for the sake of their kingdom would also be a valid option. It is normal to have choices, as well as agreements and disagreements.

---

---

Chapter 54: The Poisoning Diary of Xie Wuyan.

---

It’s about an hour or so before daybreak.

Another black cloud surged up, completely covering the sky, and the temperature around suddenly dropped. The sound of the wind rose abruptly, as if a storm was coming.

The ground shook violently, and clumps of dust and debris were raised, as if something was burrowing into the earth and spreading towards a certain direction.

The night of the full moon has not yet passed.

Although it’s unclear what method Xie Wuyan had just used, it’s obvious that with his current physical condition, he cannot easily use magic.

“Boom!”

Another violent tremor.

Thick and sturdy vines burst out of the ground, with a faint purple mist swirling around them, forcefully lifting up countless stones.

“Poisonous vines.”

The poison of the poisonous vines spreads rapidly, and if the antidote is not taken in time, it will quickly invade the heart in less than half an hour.

This doesn’t belong to the monsters that grow in this area, how did it get attracted here?

The antidote to the poisonous vines is not easy to prepare, and the group of people had no idea they would encounter such a monster here.

So don’t let them get close.

Xuanniao was very anxious: “There are a lot of poisonous vines coming.”

Xie Wuyan furrowed his brows slightly, reached out and placed his hand on Shen Wanqing’s nape, pulling her towards him. Then he extended his hand, gathering spiritual power at his fingertips, and the curse mark turned black in an instant.

“Wait!” Shen Wanqing noticed Xie Wuyan’s movement and grabbed his wrist, stopping him from the next action.

Without any hesitation, Shen Wanqing turned around and drew her sword. She took a deep breath, pricked her index finger, and drew a rune with her own blood before piercing it with the sword’s blade.

The spiritual power suddenly exploded, forming a circular barrier that pushed away all the vines that were constantly approaching. Every monster that touched the barrier would burst into flames in an instant, screaming and quickly retreating.

Shen Wanqing finally breathed a sigh of relief. She turned around and crouched in front of Xie Wuyan, continuing to tend to his wounds.

Xie Wuyan leaned his head against the tree trunk and looked down at Shen Wanqing in front of him, his lips slightly curled.

There was a little blood on her face, and her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, making her look like a particularly cute and obedient little girl who hadn’t grown up yet.

Unexpectedly, she had already learned how to protect herself.

“Why are you staring at me?” Shen Wanqing said unkindly as she tied another knot, then raised her head with pride. “When I read the book on spiritual cultivation, I didn’t just read about gossip and stories.”

Xie Wuyan laughed: “Yes, yes.”

“About an hour or so, the sky will be bright, and you can get a good rest,” Shen Wanqing confidently patted her chest, “I can support this barrier and prevent those monsters from breaking in. You can rest assured.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not possible.”

Xie Wuyan’s wounds were healing at a visible rate, but his complexion was still pale, and his voice was hoarse: “They were not only attracted here by the Ten Thousand Demon Attraction spell.”

“What were they coming here for?”

After finding that it was impossible to approach the barrier, the poisonous vines quickly burrowed back into the ground, connected to the demons and monsters on the side, and quickly moved towards a specific direction.

It seemed to be the direction of a village near the temple.

It was at this moment that Shen Wanqing noticed that that place was the center of all the demonic energy, attracting all the monsters to approach continuously.

With a loud “boom,” a green dragon formed by spiritual power broke out over the village, exploding in an instant and firmly piercing the ground, propping up a golden light barrier.

It was the power of Ji Feichen.

So these monsters were after Ji Feichen?

That shouldn’t be the case. Although the Ten Thousand Demon Attraction spell could attract monsters to come, it couldn’t control their minds. These monsters couldn’t have inexplicably attacked Feng Yaoqing and Ji Feichen.

“They’re after Princess Zhao Ping’s soul,” Xie Wuyan said, “For these monsters, a pure yin soul is the best material to nourish their own demonic power.”

Hundreds of demons and monsters continuously collided with the golden light barrier.

This level of defensive technique can be considered a relatively advanced spell. Although Shen Wanqing was able to successfully maintain a small safe area, she may not be able to withstand the attack of so many monsters. Moreover, it is obvious that Ji Feichen wants to protect an entire village, so it is clear that he is overwhelmed.

【Supporting Female Character System: It is detected that the male and female protagonists are in danger. Reminder: Due to the host’s inappropriate behavior, the mission progress has regressed. Frequent deviations from the main storyline may result in punishment from the main system.】

Shen Wanqing: “You stay here, I have to go help them.”

Hearing this, Xie Wuyan smiled, leaned back lazily, and put his hand on his knee: “What’s the matter? I have to let you protect me.”

“Exactly.”

Shen Wanqing replied confidently. She turned around, put her hands on her hips and began to lecture: “Special circumstances require special handling. Besides, it’s not embarrassing to let others take care of you occasionally.”

Xie Wuyan stared at her eyes, the smile fading from his face as he reached out and grabbed her arm.

“The Heavenly Dao Palace is just trying to force you to save them.”

“Well, but I still have to go.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure, maybe it’s because they are important to me.”

His eyes, which had already lost their red color, looked straight at Shen Wanqing without any evasion. From his eyes, she could clearly see her own reflection.

His eyes gradually darkened, as if he wanted to ask something, but in the end, he didn’t say anything and just let go of her hand calmly.

Shen Wanqing lowered her eyelashes, wanting to ask Xie Wuyan what he wanted to say, but took a deep breath and ultimately didn’t ask. She turned around and left on her sword.

After seeing her leave, Xuanniao cautiously approached and landed on Xie Wuyan’s shoulder. After a long while, he whispered: “Your Highness, you just used the blood-burning technique. Are you okay?”

Xie Wuyan: “I won’t die.”

Xuanniao hesitated to speak, seemingly not completely convinced.

Shen Wanqing didn’t see it just now, but Xuanniao saw it very clearly.

The fire used blood and flesh as bait and bones as firewood. It almost burned his already weak soul to ashes. If it weren’t for the blood of Shen Wanqing left on the body of Master Yici, it was very likely that he couldn’t control that power and would burn his soul to ashes.

Xie Wuyan hadn’t used the blood-burning technique for hundreds of years.

Back then, he was treated as a weapon of the Heavenly Dao Palace and was constantly burning himself as a sacrifice to resist the demons. Later, he was pushed into the sword furnace and used almost all of his power to burn his entire body before barely escaping.

Just twenty years in this world had already pushed his soul to its limit. If he used such a technique again, he could explode and die at any time.

The Heavenly Dao Palace knows this secret.

Because Xie Wuyan was sealed a hundred years ago, he has not used this secret technique. Even though his power could fully utilize the power of the blood-burning technique.

“Your Highness, you can’t use this secret technique anymore.” Xuanniao said anxiously, “If there is another time, it could be…”

“Hmm, I know,” Xie Wuyan stood up, “I said I won’t die.”

“But…”

“I’m not lying to you.”

He doesn’t lie to her.

Xuanniao finally breathed a sigh of relief, but as Xie Wuyan started to leave, it hurriedly followed and asked: “Your Highness, where are you going?”

“To save people.”

Xuanniao was puzzled.

Isn’t it already impressive that you, as a demon lord, can confidently say this word?

. . . . .

When Shen Wanqing arrived, the poisonous vines broke through the golden light barrier and attacked the panicked villagers directly.

A white figure swiftly passed through the air.

Ji Feichen’s sword flew out of his hand and forcefully cut off the thick vine, causing purple slime to splash out.

Without giving any breathing room, the poisonous vine quickly grew two branches and headed straight towards Feng Yaoqing, who was protecting Qin Zhihuan and Princess Zhao Ping.

“Ah Yao!”

Ji Feichen turned around and blocked the attack with his back.

“Crack一”

The vine pierced his bones, and the purple liquid quickly seeped in from the wound.

Ji Feichen sprayed out a mouthful of blood.

“Feichen!”

Feng Yaoqing turned around, and the blood splashed onto her face, but she didn’t care. She raised her hand and cut off the vine, then hugged Ji Feichen tightly.

When the monsters were about to tear open the golden light barrier, Shen Wanqing finally arrived.

Three talismans dispersed and reinforced the broken areas. The golden light barrier flashed, and the previously broken areas were re-strengthened. The monsters that were tightly gathered around were instantly bounced off.

But even so, they only gained a momentary breathing room.

Under the impact of the alternating demonic forces, the talisman could be torn apart at any time.

Shen Wanqing sheathed her sword and rushed to Feng Yaoqing’s side. She squatted down to examine Ji Feichen’s injuries and said: “The barrier won’t hold up for long. We need to leave as soon as possible. Sister Feng, do you have an antidote to the poisonous vine toxin that can be used to neutralize it?”

Feng Yaoqing’s eyes reddened slightly, but she responded quickly by helping Ji Feichen up: “You give him some spirit energy to slow down the toxin’s invasion, and I have two spirit-replenishing pills from the Xuantian Pavilion. However, they need to be taken with the venomous vine’s pointed leaf.”

Shen Wanqing turned her head to look at the venomous vine behind her and stood up: “I’ll give it a try.”

“No, let me do it. You take care of…”

“Among us, only you, Sister Feng, have medical skills. You need to stay and take care of Brother Ji’s injuries.”

Feng Yaoqing looked at Ji Feichen in her arms, bit her lip, and nodded: “Please.”

Shen Wanqing actually had no confidence in her ability to do it.

This type of poison was difficult to neutralize, and the crucial thing was that not all poisonous vines had pointed leaf. They usually only grew on some highly defensive and strong poisonous vines.

She glanced around, and among so many vines, the ones with pointed leaf were few and far between.

And there were only two spirit-replenishing pills.

So even if she was injured, as long as she retrieved the pointed leaf, she wouldn’t die.

Plants and trees are afraid of fire, although this vine is not afraid of ordinary fire, but if her blood is used as a lure, it can temporarily repel other monsters.

Shen Wanqing opened a gap in the golden light barrier.

The demons immediately sensed the movement and rushed to enter.

A talisman emerged from the gap and instantly ignited a wall of fire, forcing the group of monsters several meters away.

It’s time.

She located the poisonous vine with pointed leaf and jumped up.

But the vines with higher cultivation reacted quickly, quickly branching out into a net and rushing towards her.

A huge shadow loomed over her.

“Believe in your sword energy.”

Xie Wuyan’s voice.

Shen Wanqing was slightly stunned, pausing for a moment.

“Don’t get distracted.”

“You just need to locate the position of the pointed leaf and use your spiritual power to determine that area.”

His voice was very close, as if right next to her.

Shen Wanqing snapped out of her thoughts.

Xie Wuyan was teaching her, “You have to trust the power you possess. You will be fine.”

Shen Wanqing closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and chose to believe Xie Wuyan’s words.

She accurately located the position of the pointed leaf through the intertwined vines and tightly grasped the hilt of her sword.

Her spiritual power converged into sword energy, and in an instant, broke through the obstruction of the vines, creating a conical protective shield.

The pointed leaf were within reach.

Shen Wanqing cut them off, grabbed them, and put them back into her waist pouch.

However, as soon as she turned around, the vines quickly turned their heads and attacked her chest at an unavoidable speed.

“Bang一”

A black figure appeared in front of her, and Xie Wuyan lifted his hand to tear apart the vines, while the other hand held Shen Wanqing’s waist, holding her tightly in his arms.

As the sky broke and dawn approached, Xie Wuyan said: “You will be fine. I told you.”

Shen Wanqing was moved: “You’re very strong and cool, but your arm is bleeding and you’re poisoned.”

Xie Wuyan: ? If you can’t speak, then shut up.

The two returned to the golden light barrier.

Although it was not yet fully bright, the full moon night had passed, and Xie Wuyan’s seal had also weakened.

Unless Heavenly Dao Palace wanted to completely tear its face, there should not be too much trouble.

Shen Wanqing handed the pointed leaf to Feng Yaoqing.

Feng Yaoqing breathed a sigh of relief, pushed the pointed leaf to continue the fusion of the elixir, and then handed one of them to Shen Wanqing: “Quickly give it to Xie Gongzi to take.”

Before Shen Wanqing could take it, a woman covered in blood rushed over and threw herself at Feng Yaoqing, grabbing onto her trousers and pointing to a man nearby with red eyes: “My husband is dying! Immortal, please save him!”

Shen Wanqing followed the woman’s finger and saw the man’s pale face and a terrifying wound on his arm, likely caused by poisonous vines. The poison had already entered his body, and half of his skin was turning purple.

There were only two doses of the antidote, but three people were injured.

Without hesitation, Shen Wanqing took the antidote from Feng Yaoqing and immediately put it into Xie Wuyan’s mouth.

Xie Wuyan didn’t move, he drooped his eyelids and looked at her, the antidote was just resting between his teeth.

Shen Wanqing: “Take it.”

Xie Wuyan glanced at Feng Yaoqing and Ji Feichen before returning his gaze to Shen Wanqing’s face, raising his eyebrows slightly as if asking a question.

Shen Wanqing’s voice was flat: “Why are you raising your eyebrows? I told you to take the medicine.”

Xie Wuyan: …

He really doesn’t know how to speak.

---

The author’s note:

Shen Wanqing: I have grown up! I have become an A! I am fierce 1!

---

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Chapter 53: Why are you blushing?

---

Master Yici flipped his wrist and a blood-red paper crane appeared in his palm.

A blood crane.

Something used by the Heavenly Dao Palace to transmit information.

Shen Wanqing tightened her grip on her sword. She exerted too much force, causing fresh blood from her wound to trickle down the blade, re-moistening its edge.

Suddenly, a burst of flame ignited.

The sword flew out of her hand, narrowly missing Master Yici as it grazed his arm, leaving a painful wound. The fire quickly spread, burning his arm all the way down to his fingertips, turning the blood crane to ash in an instant.

Shen Wanqing couldn’t let the people of the Heavenly Dao Palace discover Xie Wuyan’s identity yet.

“Do you know what you’re doing now? Do you know how many people will die because of your selfishness?”

“There are so many people in the world,” Shen Wanqing replied, “It’s not like I have to manage every single one of them. It’s tiring.”

Master Yici covered his wound as blood continued to ooze between his fingers. He used his staff to support himself as he stood up, the energy that had been scattered by the sword earlier slowly gathering back together.

He stood up and released his staff. Countless golden lights gathered in his direction.

“Miss Shen, it’s not that easy to kill me.”

Shen Wanqing’s blood did enhance the power of the previous strike, but mostly because it caught the opponent off guard. In a frontal battle, it would not be able to harm the life of Master Yici, who had a higher level of cultivation than herself.

“Unless you want to use the blood-burning technique.” Although Master Yici’s arm was bloody and mangled, it looked like his spiritual power had already recovered by half, “Can Miss Shen use it?”

If she used it, undoubtedly she would fall right into the hands of the Heavenly Dao Palace.

Before Shen Wanqing could speak, the Zen staff heavily struck the ground. In an instant, golden light rained down like droplets, creating countless cracks on the ground.

The earth shook and countless golden lights converged into the shape of crescent-shaped flying blades, rushing towards her from the side.

The light was too bright, and Shen Wanqing’s vision was overwhelmed with white.

But she relied on her intuition to recall her sword, pressing her index finger against the blade and creating a barrier of gathered spiritual power.

The golden lights were fierce and unrelenting, repeatedly striking the barrier towards her, and the sound of the barrier cracking was clearly audible. It seemed like they were forcing her to use that technique.

The dark clouds surged and covered the moonlight, and in an instant, thunder rumbled.

The attack suddenly stopped, but before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the dots of light gradually gathered and then, in an instant, like a thunderbolt, struck towards Shen Wanqing’s direction.

She was not sure if she could block this attack.

“Boom一”

A black shadow appeared in front of her.

His ink-black hair fluttered in the wind as he fearlessly faced the light. Despite the blood stains on his arms, he still looked powerful and vigorous. He reached out and met the spiritual energy that had coalesced into a sharp blade, then broke it with sheer force.

A tremendous burst of power erupted, and Shen Wanqing was enveloped in a bright light. It seemed as if the power surged into Xie Wuyan’s arm like an electric current, blasting open wounds along his veins.

On this full moon night, Xie Wuyan was unable to use his own magic and could only take on this force. He was lucky to survive, but his arm was most likely crippled.

“Xie Wuyan!”

Shen Wanqing instinctively reached out to grab his arm.

“I’m fine.”

Xie Wuyan turned his body slightly, revealing only his crimson eyes that had turned red again from resisting the sealing curse. Before she could react, he grabbed her by the back of her head and pulled her close to his chest.

It was as if he deliberately did not want her to see his injuries.

“Xie Wuyan.”

“Don’t look.”

Master Yici did not give Xie Wuyan a chance to recover.

In his opinion, taking advantage of this demon being controlled by the sealing curse was a good opportunity to severely injure him.

However, before he could even make a move, in the next second, a force broke open a huge hole in his chest, crushing his organs.

Master Yici stared in horror at Xie Wuyan in front of him.

Xie Wuyan appeared unusually calm. His long sleeves and black hair, which had been flapping up and down due to the vibration of his spiritual power, had now drooped down, and the sound of the wind around them gradually quieted.

Xuanniao, who witnessed everything, flapped its wings anxiously and shouted, “Your Highness一”

Shen Wanqing heard the sound and looked up to see, but he was firmly held by Xie Wuyan at the back of her head and couldn’t move at all.

Master Yici: “How could this be? You clearly cannot use this technique anymore. If you continue to use it, you will definitely一”

“So what?”

“You are seeking death.”

“Shouldn’t I thank you for your concern?”

As if hearing a joke, Master Yici laughed, but he was too weak now, and his laughter was stuck in his throat, appearing especially eerie: “You will die, there’s no need for someone from the Heavenly Dao Palace to come and kill you. You will die by your own hands. Xie Wuyan, you一”

However, before a word could be said, with a clear sound of bones breaking, the voice of Master Yici abruptly stopped.

It seemed that he was killed by Xie Wuyan.

Shen Wanqing pressed against Xie Wuyan’s chest, wanting to lookj up, but was held back.

“Wait a little longer.”

His tone was full of exhaustion, as if he was holding back something.

Shen Wanqing couldn’t see his expression, but she could feel his abnormal body temperature, so hot that it seemed to burn her to ashes in an instant.

This was not normal.

Xie Wuyan’s body was always cold, and this kind of fiery temperature was the first time.

“Xie Wuyan, let go of me.” Shen Wanqing suddenly felt uneasy for no reason, and she raised her hand to push him away, but she was also worried about his injuries, so she stopped.

“I’ll count to three. Three…”

Xie Wuyan: “Be obedient.”

Shen Wanqing’s eyes reddened: “Why should I listen to you?”

But no matter how she protested and begged, Xie Wuyan did not let go.

After about a full quarter of an hour, Xie Wuyan finally lowered his arms: “Okay.”

His complexion seemed even paler than before, and his red eyes had returned to their original color. Apart from looking a little weak, he seemed to be no different.

The arm that should have been a bloody mess was also growing back at an unusually fast speed.

Shen Wanqing: “What did you do?”

Xie Wuyan laughed: “Why, do I have to tell you everything?”

Shen Wanqing felt inexplicably angry and turned to Xuanniao beside her, changing the subject and asked: “What did he just do?” She added a threat, “If you don’t tell the truth, don’t come to my room and mooch food from me.”

Xuanniao was dumbfounded and looked cautiously at His Highness.

Xie Wuyan squinted his eyes, as if warning him.

So Xuanniao said: “I’m blind.”

Master and servant were of one mind.

Shen Wanqing didn’t know who she was mad at, but she still couldn’t get angry at Xie Wuyan. She silently took out a bunch of trauma medicine from her pouch and applied it to him, then tied it up with a bandage.

“Who are you angry with?” Xie Wuyan looked at her, furrowed his brow, and chuckled, “You’re so fierce.”

Why is this person like this?

Clearly, he had suffered a serious injury, and yet he did something so dangerous without any concern. He acted as if nothing had happened and even joked around.

Shen Wanqing remembered what Master Yici had said.

It’s not a joke or a tone of despair, but a kind of ecstasy.

It’s like Xie Wuyan could really die at any moment.

Her nose became sour and suddenly she couldn’t control herself and a tear fell down her cheek.

Xie Wuyan frowned and suppressed the smile on his face: “Hey.”

Shen Wanqing didn’t say anything and lowered her head, silently wrapping the bandage around him.

Xie Wuyan lifted her chin, making her look into his eyes: “Why are you crying?”

“It’s none of your business.”

Shen Wanqing’s cheeks puffed up in anger, she sniffed and her eyes were still red, like an angry little kitten: “Do I have to tell you everything?”

After saying that, she turned her head and continued to tie the bandage for him.

The two of them fell into silence without any prior agreement, so quiet that even the sound of the wind seemed especially clear.

After an unknown amount of time, Xie Wuyan suddenly spoke up: “I won’t die.”

Shen Wanqing paused for a long time, but soon spoke nonchalantly as if she didn’t care: “Who cares about you.” She finished tying the last bandage and suddenly whispered: “You’re not lying to me, right?”

“Mhmm,” Xie Wuyan said: “I’m not lying to you.”

This seemed like a useless promise to hear, but it suddenly made Shen Wanqing’s mood slightly better.

As her mood improved, her hand became lighter as she finished the task, and then she tied a beautiful bow for Xie Wuyan. She then stood up and prepared to help him up.

Xie Wuyan looked at the very playful bow, fell silent for a moment, and suddenly reached out and grabbed Shen Wanqing’s arm.

“What are you doing?”

“I can hear.”

Shen Wanqing didn’t react at first and asked: “What did you hear?”

“Everything,” Xie Wuyan continued: “Earlier, I just hadn’t opened my eyes.”

Earlier?

Shen Wanqing briefly recalled what she had said earlier.

Wait a minute!

Could it be…?

Xie Wuyan: “I heard you say you like me.”

Shen Wanqing: social death.

She jumped back quite far, her cheeks instantly turning red. She anxiously blurted out: “It’s not that kind of like! There are several different types of like! What I meant was that I slightly like you more compared to ordinary people! It’s complicated, but it’s not like-like, so don’t think too much about it and forget it all!”

“Oh,” Xie Wuyan nodded, “I understand.”

He was convinced so calmly?

Shen Wanqing cautiously approached him: “You understand?”

“Mhmm,” Xie Wuyan reached out his hand, “help me up.”

Shen Wanqing couldn’t believe how obedient Xie Wuyan was being today. She was amazed for a few seconds, then walked over and took his hand, ready to help him up.

Xie Wuyan held onto her hand tightly and pulled her down.

With almost no chance to react, Shen Wanqing was pulled into his arms.

“Compared to ordinary people?”

“…Yes, wait a minute and relax a little bit.”

Before Shen Wanqing could finish speaking, Xie Wuyan impatiently interrupted her. He held her head with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, leaning down.

Even though there was still a sea of blood around them, occasionally punctuated by the howls of ghosts and monsters, at this moment, everything seemed quiet except for the sound of their hearts beating, as if nothing else could be heard.

However, as Xie Wuyan approached her lips, he tilted his head slightly and gently bit her earlobe.

His tone carried a mischievous smile, sounding lazy: “Why are you blushing?”

Shen Wanqing: Grass.

Next time something like rescuing someone happens, I’ll make sure to knock you out.

Xuanniao drove away the lonely ghosts and wild ghosts that constantly approached the two people, silently shedding tears in its heart.

You only care whether or not she blushes, you don’t care whether or not the bird is in pain.

---

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Chapter 52: System: Mission failed!

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Two hours ago.

After sending Shen Wanqing back to her room, Ji Feichen did not go back to his own room to rest.

He called upon Feng Yaoqing and cast a barrier spell near the house to prevent anyone from overhearing their conversation.

“Only the Heavenly Dao Palace has the Sword Furnace that can forge the Solitary Light Sword. Therefore, they are the only ones who are collecting the pure yin physique.” Ji Feichen got straight to the point, “And at this rate, I’m afraid they have already found the whereabouts of the Solitary Light Sword five years ago.”

Feng Yaoqing frowned: “So, if they find out about Wanqing’s identity, I’m afraid…”

“They will definitely act on it.”

Ji Feichen clenched his fist tightly and slammed it heavily on the table, causing the tea cup to shake and a few drops of hot water to splash out.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then said: “I’m sorry.”

“Why… apologize?”

“Amidst the epidemic of demons and plague in this world, I have witnessed countless innocent civilians suffering from this disaster along the way,” Ji Feichen opened his eyes, his hand veins protruding and his eyelashes trembling, “The demon of the underworld has already torn through the boundary and continuously invaded as it travels south. At this rate, within three years, those civilians are likely to…”.

The Solitary Light Sword is not only a weapon to seal Xie Wuyan, but a hundred years ago, it was due to its deterrence that the demons were unable to surpass the boundaries and were restrained in the demon realm, unable to cause chaos in the world of mortals.

However, since the power of the Solitary Light Sword gradually disappeared, the demons have also torn open the gap in the barrier.

Until now, there is almost no way to resist them.

“I cannot agree with the actions of the Heavenly Dao Palace,” Ji Feichen looked at Feng Yaoqing, “but I cannot think of any other solution.”

Feng Yaoqing’s tone was somewhat incredulous: “Wait, are you really going to一”

“In my entire life, I could never bring myself to send my own sister into the Sword Furnace,” Ji Feichen clasped his hands tightly together, his nails almost piercing his palms, “but until now, I realize how powerless I am. I cannot sacrifice Wanqing, but I also cannot persuade the Heavenly Dao Palace to come up with a better solution.”

“The Ji family’s motto is to take the world as one’s own responsibility and to be fearless in life and death. I promised you that I would always make the right choices and judgments for our ideals, without fear of any sacrifice,” Ji Feichen rested his head on his hand, his voice filled with exhaustion, “but I cannot do it anymore.”

Feng Yaoqing didn’t say anything. She crouched down and leaned her head against Ji Feichen’s knee. After a long silence, she whispered: “Then let’s forget about this.”

Ji Feichen raised his gaze: “Ah Yao?”

“From now on, mourning will only be mourning. There will never be any more people from the blood-burning clan in the world,” Feng Yaoqing looked up at Ji Feichen, “She will live well, and no one will ever know about this again.”

Ji Feichen’s eyes gradually turned red: “Thank you very much.”

After the isolation technique was lifted, Feng Yaoqing noticed that the jade pendant on her waist was emitting green light.

This jade pendant was a special communication device used by the Xuantian Pavilion. Under normal circumstances, it would not react. Only in the event of an emergency, the elders of the Xuantian Pavilion would communicate through it.

Perhaps it was because of the barrier spell just now that the anomaly was not detected.

She used her magical power, and gradually a line of golden characters emerged in the air一

【The Heavenly Dao Palace has learned of the identity of Miss Wanqing, please be careful.】

Although Xuantian Pavilion provided a reasonable excuse, the spy planted by the Heavenly Dao Palace inside had died, but it still couldn’t fool the people of the Heavenly Dao Palace.

Driven by the interests of the Heavenly Dao Palace, someone present at the time finally succumbed to the temptation and leaked the information from that day.

“About seven days ago, the Heavenly Dao Palace learned about what happened that night,” Feng Yaoqing’s face instantly turned pale, “However, only today did the Xuantian Pavilion learn about this matter.”

“Seven days…”

“It’s entirely enough time for the Heavenly Dao Palace to find us and set up a trap.”

. . . . .

An hour ago.

Xuanniao was very nervous.

Normally, it sleeps in the ring, and only when something big happens or its owner is in a bad mood, will it be taken out.

But now, it has been taken out for a whole hour.

And its owner hasn’t said a word, just sitting on the roof with their arms on their knees, looking at the scenery.

It’s a very relaxed posture, but the look on their face is cold.

Of course, if you ignore Xuanniao shivering beside them and the few feathers blown away, the scene is still very cool.

Xuanniao felt melancholic. It wanted to go back to sleep, but didn’t dare to speak first.

So, the two of them remained silent for a whole hour.

This is what they call the calm before the storm.

Finally, Xuanniao couldn’t bear it any longer: “Your Highness, why don’t you just hit me?”

…I have never heard such a strange request before.

Xie Wuyan gave it a cold glance: “What have you learned with Shen Wanqing?”

Xuanniao felt that His Highness mentioned that woman’s name too frequently, which was quite surprising.

However, it seemed that the meaning of the words was not to prepare to hit itself.

Xuanniao’s suspended heart finally fell. It affectionately rubbed against Xie Wuyan’s face, trying to act cute, but was impatiently pushed away by its owner.

Xuanniao felt wronged.

Since that woman appeared, I am no longer the only intimate pet of His Highness.

But this did not dampen its enthusiasm: “Your Highness, what are we waiting for now?”

Xie Wuyan: “We’re waiting to kill someone.”

“…” Why can you say something so terrifying so casually?

But as a qualified demon lord’s pet, Xuanniao had to show some composure. It suppressed its inner turmoil and asked calmly: “Who does Your Highness want to kill?”

“I don’t know,” Xie Wuyan frowned as if it was troublesome, “There should be a bit too many.”

Xuanniao: ?

Unable to calm down!

At this moment, there was a faint spiritual energy fluctuation in the dense forest in front of the temple, which could still be easily captured.

Immediately afterwards, countless forces rushed towards the location of the spiritual energy fluctuation from all directions, closely following the ground and constantly converging and rising.

Xie Wuyan stood up and leaped down from the rooftop, landing steadily on the ground.

He raised his hand, and Xuanniao opened its wings and followed, landing on his arm: “Your Highness, what was that just now?”

“Ten Thousand Demon Attraction.”

As the name suggests, it attracts demons from a radius of several hundred miles towards this location.

Someone must want to create chaos.

The dark clouds churned, blocking the moonlight.

The moon also seemed to be affected by this force, undergoing a change at a speed that was difficult to perceive with the naked eye.

Although the Ten Thousand Demon Attraction spell is powerful, it can only be used at night because it must rely on the power of moonlight to generate an aura that attracts demon creatures.

Xuanniao looked up at the sky and seemed to suddenly realize something. It quickly bit onto Xie Wuyan’s clothes with its beak.

“Wait, Your Highness! Tomorrow is the night of the full moon! Under the influence of the Ten Thousand Demon Attraction, it’s very likely that the full moon will come early. It’s too dangerous to go there recklessly! Besides, this could be a trap…”

“This is indeed a trap.”

“So we…”

Xie Wuyan didn’t hesitate at all: “Let’s go.”

They said, 341 people, each one is one in a million.

Where in the world can you find so many pure yin physique willing to sacrifice themselves?

Of course, there aren’t any.

People want to live.

The Heavenly Dao Palace knows this, so they will create an opportunity.

An opportunity that forces those chosen people to decide to voluntarily sacrifice themselves.

This is a common tactic used by the Heavenly Dao Palace.

In order to achieve their ultimate goal, sacrificing a little bit is nothing at all.

Even if the power attracted by the Ten Thousand Demon Attraction brings in monsters that destroy the entire mountain and potentially slaughter all the villagers inside.

They want to create chaos that neither Ji Feichen nor Feng Yaoqing can resist.

The Heavenly Dao Palace understands Ji Feichen and Feng Yaoqing well.

The two of them will not escape alone, they will certainly stay to seal the monsters attracted by the Ten Thousand Demon Attraction spell.

But with only the two of them, it’s undoubtedly a drop in the bucket.

The Heavenly Dao Palace wants to force Shen Wanqing to use her blood-burning technique to prove her identity, and then use Ji Feichen and others as bait to force her to comply in order to save them.

“Your Highness, you obviously know it’s a trap…”

“Shut up.”

Why help Shen Wanqing?

The trees in the secluded forest are dense, and the closer you get, the stronger the hovering demonic energy becomes.

Xie Wuyan stood firmly on the branch, countless monsters passing by him. The cold air blowing his clothes.

After Shen Wanqing was taken away by Heavenly Dao Palace, what would happen to her?

Heavenly Dao Palace Palace wouldn’t sacrifice her immediately.

Because they needed a bloodline that could continue the blood-burning technique.

She would be tied up in a dark and gloomy dungeon for ten whole months.

Her neck and limbs bound by chains, unable to see the sun, with only a window revealing faint starlight.

Neither alive nor dead.

In the end, all her edges would be ground away, longing for the final relief.

Just like himself many years ago.

This is the so-called “voluntary” sacrifice.

Xie Wuyan didn’t care about life or death.

Because from the beginning, he knew that he would definitely die.

When he came into this world, his fate was not his own to choose.

Shen Wanqing still had a choice.

As a lively person like her, she shouldn’t stay there.

She should be free in body and mind.

The sky is ablaze with flames.

Throughout the mountains, there were the howls of demons mixed with the screams of men and women.

The rain poured down on the soil, and blood mixed with the rainwater and flowed down.

Shen Wanqing saw Xie Wuyan.

The demonic energy gathered and circled in front of him, as if it was about to enter his body and take root in his flesh and blood.

Blood flowed down his forehead, arms, chest, and neck, all covered in reddish-brown bloodstains.

His eyes were tightly closed, and the sealing spell had already crawled to the corners of his eyes. It seemed that he had broken it forcibly several times, and his whole body was injured. It was as if at any moment, this body would break apart along with the sealing spell.

Master Yici stood in front of him, holding his Zen staff and pounding heavily on the ground.

In an instant, countless cracks appeared on the ground.

He had been hiding his true strength all along and was so skilled that he was able to deceive people like Ji Feichen.

“Sealing curse.”

“I never thought you would come to me looking for death.”

Master Yici’s tone was very calm as he raised his hand and pressed his staff against Xie Wuyan’s chest.

The reaction of Xuanniao was fierce in a matter of moments. It leaped out and rushed towards Master Yici with all its might.

However, with just a raise of his hand, Master Yici shook it away.

Shen Wanqing placed her hand on her sword at her waist.

And at that moment一

【Supporting Female Character System: According to the system’s comprehensive judgment, the probability of successfully sealing Xie Wuyan during this time period is 76% and is continuing to increase! Host, please seize the opportunity! The final task progress is continuing to increase at 56%…78%…79%…】

Shen Wanqing: “So, what you mean is that if I don’t stop or help this monk, Xie Wuyan will be successfully sealed.”

【Supporting Female Character System: Host, not only is he sealed, but according to the detection, Xie Wuyan is the key to achieving the HE ending in this world. Moreover, he also has a pure yin physique.】

“So?”

【Supporting Female Character System: Therefore, if you assist Master Yici in capturing Xie Wuyan, not only can the task be completed faster, but the host will also not have to die. Please execute this assistance task, Host.】

Shen Wanqing stood up, holding the sword at her waist.

She raised her eyelids and spoke calmly: “You said that I am the soul with the highest compatibility selected by the system. But before choosing me, did you do your homework and understand what kind of person I am?”

She drew her sword, holding her hand on the blade.

“Heavenly Dao Palace wants me to die for the sake of saving the world, but they never asked whether I am willing to die or not.”

She drew the sword from the hilt, all the way to the tip of the blade, until every inch of the blade was covered in blood.

She looked up at Xie Wuyan.

“You chose me to come here to complete the task, but you never asked if I wanted to do it.”

She had seen many different versions of Xie Wuyan.

Xie Wuyan imprisoned in a dungeon, Xie Wuyan pushed into a sea of fire, Xie Wuyan whose body was devoured by demons, Xie Wuyan who spent every night alone.

She probably had no choice.

But now she did.

It was an opportunity given to her by him.

She was not someone who considered the bigger picture.

“I won’t kill Xie Wuyan. I don’t want him to die,” Shen Wanqing said, “It’s my turn to choose this time.”

After speaking, she shook her wrist.

The sword flew out of Shen Wanqing’s hand and pierced directly through Master Yici’s body in an instant.

【Supporting Female Character System: Warning! Warning! Task progress is regressing! 77%…64%…52%…】

Shen Wanqing seemed to have not heard the alarm sound. She walked past the corpses of those monsters without looking sideways, and brushed past Master Yici, who was standing with a Zen staff pressed against his chest.

Then she stopped in front of Xie Wuyan.

“Miss Shen, he is…”

“I know,” Shen Wanqing turned her head. “You know too, right?”

“You…”

“So I will kill you.”

Master Yici’s expression became pained: “Are you also going to stand on the side of the demonic realm?”

Shen Wanqing: “No, I am simply standing on the side of the person I like.”

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