Chapter 108: A Desperate Plea
The moment they landed at the Ejian Sect, the Ning sisters took He Rong to Luo Nianshang.
He Rong lay on her bed, her eyes open but unfocused, her mouth slightly ajar.
Fu Yuan, clutching He Rong’s hand, her eyes filled with anxiety, looked up as Luo Nianshang entered the room, a flicker of hope in her gaze.
Fighting back tears, her voice choked with emotion, she pleaded, “Ancestor, please save her.”
Luo Nianshang approached He Rong, circulating her spiritual energy through the girl’s body. Her expression grew increasingly grim.
She withdrew her hand, her voice grave. “Her soul is incomplete.”
Fu Yuan’s face paled, and she swayed slightly, then, her voice filled with a desperate hope, she repeated her plea. “Ancestor, please save her.”
Luo Nianshang, seeing Fu Yuan’s despair, her heart softening, said gently, “Calm yourself.”
She then turned to the Ning sisters, demanding an explanation.
Hearing about the attack on the Demon Palace, that Lü Qingyan and Bai Jingxue hadn’t returned, Luo Nianshang’s eyes narrowed.
She reinforced the seal on He Rong, then turned to leave, heading towards the Demon Palace.
Her movements were so swift that the Ning sisters, their voices filled with alarm, called out, “Ancestor, where are you going?”
Luo Nianshang glanced back at them, her voice calm. “To the Demon Palace,” she said. “To retrieve the missing soul fragment.”
Then, she vanished.
The Ning sisters exchanged a look, then Ning Kexin, hearing Fu Yuan’s soft sobs, approached her, settling down opposite her. She placed a comforting hand on Fu Yuan’s shoulder. “Don’t worry,” she said. “The Ancestor will handle it.”
Fu Yuan, her eyes filled with tears, nodded, her grip tightening on He Rong’s hand.
Jwan Jwan, who had been perched on Fu Yuan’s head, flew onto her shoulder, gently wiping away her tears with a wing.
Fu Yuan’s tears finally overflowed, spilling down her cheeks.
A single drop landed on the floor.
Rain began to fall, the water droplets sliding down the glazed tiles of the Demon Palace’s roof, collecting in small puddles.
The left envoy was soaked through, but she had no time to worry about herself. She was desperately trying to maintain the Demon Palace’s protective formation, but it was a losing battle. She could only slow down the inevitable.
The formation was strong, but this entity wasn’t human or demon. It was something… else.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, a surge of energy flowing into her, and she turned to see Lü Qingyan, then Bai Jingxue also placed a hand on her shoulder, their combined power strengthening the formation.
Seeing their faces, the left envoy felt a pang of guilt. She had invited them here, and now, they were facing this danger.
The Ning sisters had wanted to take them back to the Ejian Sect, but Lü Qingyan had insisted on staying.
Bai Jingxue wouldn’t have risked her life for a stranger. She had stayed for Lü Qingyan.
The left envoy smiled, a bitter smile.
She was happy that Lü Qingyan’s love wasn’t unrequited, but she also felt like she had become a burden to the little dog.
She took a deep breath, then sent a message through the Demon Palace’s communication network, her voice echoing through the halls. “The Demon Palace is under attack!” she shouted. “All demon cultivators, defend the formation!”
The demon cultivators, abandoning their tasks, rushed towards the formation, their combined power strengthening it.
The pressure on Bai Jingxue and the others lessened, and the shadows’ corrosive power weakened.
The rain, falling onto the shadows, was absorbed, leaving no trace. The world within the formation was vibrant, filled with life, while the world outside was a desolate wasteland.
Bai Jingxue closed her eyes, then opened them, her vision enhanced. She saw the right envoy, her body floating within the sea of shadows, her mind seemingly blank.
The shadows were filled with bones, some still partially intact.
“The right envoy is still alive,” she said, her voice filled with surprise. “Someone is holding her.”
The left envoy, hearing those words, her heart soaring, then her voice filled with a furious desperation, she shouted, “Lin Fuying, you lazy good-for-nothing! If you’re still alive, then wake up and fix this mess! If you don’t, I’ll resign! You’ll be buried in paperwork!”
The right envoy, her body drifting through the shadows, her brow furrowing, as if she were trapped in a nightmare, mumbled, “No, I don’t want to. I don’t want to.”
Die Ying, her arms wrapped around the right envoy, protecting her, smiled weakly, then her mind faltered, the insidious voice whispering in her ear, its words poisonous.
Her head throbbed, and she clutched her hair, her body trembling, then she bit her tongue, the pain momentarily clearing her mind.
Her face was pale, her body weakened. She hadn’t expected the statue to be this powerful, its influence even affecting her.
But it was too late for regrets. The shadows were devouring everything in their path. She had to stay awake, to protect the right envoy until the Demon Lord arrived.
The left envoy, seeing that the shadows showed no sign of retreating, her anxiety growing, cursed under her breath. “Idiot!”
Bai Jingxue’s expression was also grim. She and Lü Qingyan were at the Nascent Soul stage, a level of power that had once seemed invincible, but they were unlucky. They always seemed to encounter opponents far beyond their capabilities.
She felt her spiritual energy draining. She retrieved a bottle of Revitalizing Pills from her spatial ring, swallowing a few, then offered the bottle to Lü Qingyan.
Her energy replenished, she gritted her teeth, continuing to channel her spiritual energy into the left envoy.
The left envoy, feeling the surge of power, her heart filled with gratitude, knew that this was a matter for the Demon Palace. Bai Jingxue, a demon under the Sword Saint’s protection, had no obligation to help.
But she had not only helped, but she had also risked her life. She didn’t know how to express her gratitude.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Bai Jingxue knew the words were meant for her. “I’m doing this for Qingyan,” she said.
The left envoy smiled. “You truly love her.”
Lü Qingyan, unable to resist, her voice filled with a joyful pride, said, “Of course! Jingxue loves me more than anyone in the world!”
Bai Jingxue was about to argue, then she stopped, her silence a tacit agreement.
The rain continued to fall, blurring her vision, its coldness seeping into her bones.
Her consciousness wavered, and she shook her head, her jaw clenched, forcing herself to stay awake.
She opened her eyes to see a figure in red approaching, its familiarity a beacon of hope.
The Demon Lord, her expression grim, seeing the extent of the damage, drew her sword, flying towards the sea of shadows.
Sensing the presence of a powerful being, the shadows surged upwards, transforming into chains, their movements swift and aggressive.
The Demon Lord scoffed, channeling her spiritual energy into her sword, its silver blade igniting, its flames a vibrant red. She swung her sword, the flames and the sword energy colliding with the shadowy chains.
The chains shattered, and the flames, their momentum unchecked, plunged into the sea of shadows, but they weren’t extinguished. They ignited the shadows, their flames spreading rapidly.
The sea of shadows receded, the flames diminishing, the ground below finally revealed.
Bai Jingxue, her body weakened, collapsed onto the rooftop, staring at the Demon Lord, who had effortlessly resolved a crisis they had been unable to handle.
Lü Qingyan, seeing her shock, her heart sinking, knowing that Jingxue had been struggling with her own perceived weakness, now faced with this stark difference in power, worried that Jingxue would lose confidence.
She, also exhausted, her body aching, scooted closer to Bai Jingxue, her hand reaching out, her voice soft. “Jingxue?”
Bai Jingxue, still stunned, her gaze distant, thought for a moment, then she turned to Lü Qingyan, her voice filled with disbelief. “Qingyan,” she said.
Lü Qingyan’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m here,” she said quickly.
Bai Jingxue, watching as the Demon Lord effortlessly lifted the unconscious right envoy from the shadows, then captured the fleeing statue, her confusion growing, her voice strained, said, “If the Demon Lord is this powerful, how did the male lead even manage to… you know… and succeed?!”
Lü Qingyan, who had been mentally preparing countless comforting phrases, realized she had misjudged the situation. “Yeah,” she said, her voice echoing Bai Jingxue’s disbelief.
But this was easier to handle than her previous worries. She quickly joined in, her voice laced with a hint of amusement. “That original story was just trashy fiction anyway.”
The left envoy, overhearing their conversation, its words strange and unfamiliar, but seemingly related to the Demon Lord, her legs still trembling, approached them. “What are you talking about?” she asked.
Some things were best left unsaid. Bai Jingxue, not wanting to cause trouble, said vaguely, “We were just discussing the Demon Lord’s incredible power.”
As a devoted follower of the Demon Lord, these words pleased the left envoy. And Bai Jingxue had risked her life to help her maintain the formation. Her impression of Bai Jingxue had improved considerably.
She felt obligated to reciprocate. “The Sword Saint is also quite extraordinary,” she said.
Bai Jingxue found this strange. The Demon Palace and the Ejian Sect were supposed to be enemies.
She had a god’s-eye view of the story, so she had a favorable impression of both the Demon Lord and the Sword Saint, but the people in this world didn’t have that advantage.
She chuckled awkwardly. “The Demon Lord is indeed powerful,” she said.
While they engaged in this awkward exchange of compliments, the Demon Lord, the unconscious right envoy in one arm, the struggling statue in the other, had flown onto the roof.
She tossed the right envoy aside, then held the statue up, its face contorted in a furious snarl.
She was still angry. She had been too efficient in eliminating her rivals, creating a power vacuum in the Demon Realm.
But there was an advantage to that. It meant less trouble.
And since she had been a relatively peaceful ruler, the righteous realm hadn’t bothered her.
She had assumed she could finally relax, but she hadn’t anticipated this strange, unpredictable threat.
She tightened her grip, her smile cruel, and the statue’s expression shifted from anger to fear.
Small cracks appeared on its surface, and it reached out, its tiny hands pushing against the Demon Lord’s fingers, trying to pry them open, but it was useless.
It panicked, turning to Bai Jingxue, its voice a desperate plea. “Sister Jingxue, it’s me, Er Ya! Help me!”
Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan, hearing that familiar voice, their eyes widening, were stunned.
But Bai Jingxue, her senses sharp, noticed the statue’s lips curving into a cruel smile, then quickly relaxing.
Her face hardened. “You’re not Er Ya,” she said, her voice cold. “You’re the evil god.”
The Demon Lord, hearing those words, scoffed, her gaze fixed on the statue, her grip tightening. “You? A god?” she said, her voice laced with disdain. “There’s only one god, and that’s…”
A ripple in space behind her made her turn, her eyes widening in surprise as she recognized the newcomer.
Luo Nianshang stepped out of the rift, her gaze lingering on the Demon Lord for a moment, then her expression returning to its usual calmness.
The left envoy, her reaction swift, stepped in front of the Demon Lord, her gaze fixed on Luo Nianshang, her body tense.
Luo Nianshang, standing just outside the Demon Palace’s protective formation, pointed at the statue. “May I have that?” she asked, her voice calm.
The left envoy’s fur bristled. She assumed this strange statue was Luo Nianshang’s doing. She was about to protest when the Demon Lord spoke.
“Sure,” she said.
The left envoy stared at her, her jaw slack, then her shock intensified as the Demon Lord flew towards Luo Nianshang, landing gracefully before her. She held up the statue, her smile playful. “Give me a kiss,” she said, “and it’s yours.”
Silence fell, then the left envoy and Bai Jingxue simultaneously exploded with rage.
Only Lü Qingyan was smiling.
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