Chapter 129: The Revelation
Life at the Ejian Sect continued as usual. The disciples, busy with their daily routines, were unaware of the looming crisis.
However, the sect’s protective formation had weakened. The elders, after careful investigation, had discovered the cause.
The Ancestor, to facilitate travel for her disciples, had moved two mountain peaks, inadvertently disrupting the formation. But only the Ancestor could move them back.
The elders had used a temporary solution to stabilize the formation, awaiting the Ancestor’s return.
Luo Nianshang, hearing this, hadn’t realized the consequences of her actions. Formations were delicate, easily disrupted. She moved the mountains back to their original positions, then instructed the sect leader to find a different solution for the disciples’ travel needs.
Having settled that matter, she remembered the two mortals she had brought back. She turned to see Bai Lizhao, her eyes wide with shock.
Moving mountains was a rather impressive feat for a mortal to witness.
Bai Jingxue, realizing her oversight, that she had inadvertently terrified Bai Lizhao, but also knowing that this display of power would convince Bai Lizhao of their abilities, smiled inwardly.
An inner sect disciple soon arrived to escort Bai Lizhao away. The sect leader seemed to have something to say, her gaze fixed on the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord, noticing her pointed stare, understanding its meaning, excused herself, her familiarity with her enemy’s territory surprising.
Luo Nianshang watched her go, her gaze lingering on the Demon Lord’s retreating figure until she was out of sight, then her expression hardened, the warmth in her eyes replaced by her usual coldness.
“What is it?” she asked, turning to the sect leader.
The sect leader bowed respectfully. “Ancestor,” she said, “while you were away, we investigated the underworld, but we couldn’t find a way to access the realm beneath it. Then, while cleaning out the library, as you instructed, we found a book… its story eerily similar to our current situation.”
Bai Jingxue’s eyes flickered. “Is it that storybook written by She Yuwei?” she asked.
The sect leader nodded, retrieving the book from her sleeve. “This one,” she said. “We followed its instructions, projecting our souls from our bodies, feigning death, and we were transported to the realm beneath the underworld.”
She still couldn’t quite believe it. The realm hadn’t been dark and gloomy, as she had expected. It had been identical to their world, except that time seemed to be frozen. Countless souls, encased in ice, floated in the air.
She had followed the book’s instructions, sealing her own soul, then she had drifted towards the Ejian Sect, realizing that time here was frozen, just before the Ancestor had descended the mountain and found the cat.
But they hadn’t stayed long. They had looked up to see the sky, as if painted on glass, a crack appearing, revealing another sky, darker and more ominous. A bolt of lightning, emerging from the crack, had struck them.
If they hadn’t reacted quickly, they would have been destroyed.
Luo Nianshang accepted the book, flipping through it, her brow furrowed in thought. She closed the book, sensing its aura, then her eyes widened in surprise.
The book’s aura was similar to the evil god’s.
She couldn’t ignore this. She read the entire book, her expression growing increasingly grim.
Having already discussed the situation with Bai Jingxue, she had a theory. She carefully closed the book, then vanished, reappearing in She Yuwei’s cell.
She Yuwei was asleep, her brow furrowed, her body curled into a fetal position, her voice a soft, tormented whisper. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I’m so sorry.”
She suddenly sat up, her eyes flying open, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
She saw Luo Nianshang standing before her, and she burst into tears, her fear of the Sword Saint momentarily forgotten. “You’re alive,” she sobbed. “It was just a dream. Thank goodness.”
Luo Nianshang could see people’s destinies, but She Yuwei’s, once clear, was now shrouded in mist.
It wasn’t just She Yuwei. Everyone’s destiny had become obscured, perhaps because of the evil god’s influence.
Luo Nianshang, seeing She Yuwei’s tears, her face a mixture of guilt, relief, and terror, asked gently, “What did you dream about?”
She Yuwei, under the weight of Luo Nianshang’s presence, struggling to compose herself, wiped her eyes, her voice trembling. “I dreamed… I dreamed we were fighting,” she whispered. “And I… I defeated you.”
“It was just a dream,” she continued, her voice regaining some of its strength. “Of course. Someone like me could never defeat you.”
Luo Nianshang remained silent, her gaze fixed on She Yuwei. She Yuwei’s aura was too similar to the evil god’s.
She crouched down, her voice soft. “What kind of ending do you have planned for her?” she asked.
She Yuwei, seeing her latest manuscript in Luo Nianshang’s hand, her blood running cold, her dream forgotten, knew she was in trouble. She was already under scrutiny. The elders had warned her repeatedly not to write anything that might offend the Sword Saint.
And now, she had been caught again. She had no idea what punishment awaited her.
She surrendered, her voice filled with a desperate plea. “Ancestor, I was wrong,” she cried. “I swear I’ll stop writing! I won’t do it again!”
She was about to raise her hand, to swear a solemn oath, when Luo Nianshang stopped her. “Answer my question first,” she said, her voice calm.
She Yuwei, her heart pounding, her voice trembling, confessed. “Only a god can kill a god,” she said. “That’s how it was in the past, and that’s how it will be now.”
Talking about her story calmed her nerves. If Luo Nianshang hadn’t been there, she would have been jumping up and down with excitement. Now, she simply sat there, her eyes gleaming.
“That’s the ending she chose for herself,” she continued. “The life she wanted.”
She suddenly realized how ridiculous she must sound. She chuckled nervously. “Ancestor, please believe me,” she said. “I’ll change. I’ll be good.”
Luo Nianshang patted her shoulder, her voice soft. “Then your dream won’t come true,” she said.
A cloud of icy mist enveloped her, then dissipated, Luo Nianshang vanishing.
She reappeared before the sect leader, interrupting her bow. “Find everyone with traces of the evil god’s aura,” she ordered. “And protect them.”
“Yes, Ancestor,” the sect leader replied.
Luo Nianshang examined her own hand, noticing a faint, dark aura, similar to the evil god’s, but weaker. It seemed to be growing stronger. Perhaps the evil god was planning something.
She had to return Bai Lizhao to Cang Xi. And she needed to discuss this with the Demon Lord.
Sensing the Demon Lord’s presence in the courtyard outside her residence, she suddenly remembered something she hadn’t confirmed yet.
She had always thought there was a similarity between the Demon Lord and her eldest disciple, Hong Ying. And now, with the Demon Lord’s impersonation of the Second Princess… she had a theory.
She closed her eyes, focusing her senses, and she sensed her disciples in the courtyard, and the Demon Lord.
Confirming her theory was simple. She simply had to use a specific command word.
She felt a sudden surge of anxiety. If her theory was correct, then why?
She had a possible answer, but she couldn’t quite believe it. It seemed too… convenient.
A more logical explanation, considering their opposing stances, would be that the Demon Lord had been spying on her, gathering information, perhaps even waiting for an opportunity to kill her.
She felt a mix of anger and confusion, her thoughts a jumbled mess.
She took a deep breath, reminding herself that her assumptions might be wrong.
She closed her eyes, her mind calming, then, after a long moment of hesitation, she whispered, “Still.”
The Demon Lord, unaware of the impending danger, had summoned her creations to the courtyard, wanting to examine them more closely.
She was in the middle of inspecting her two puppets when the sword-shaped mark in her sea of consciousness pulsed, and her body froze.
She saw Luo Nianshang standing there, her expression unreadable, and her heart sank, her mind reeling.
All her disguises, her puppets, were here. And she had just re-established her connection with her puppets, checking their functionality. They were all frozen now.
She could still speak, however, and she looked at Luo Nianshang, whose expression was growing increasingly grim, her voice a desperate plea. “What if I said they have nothing to do with me?” she asked. “Would you believe me?”
Luo Nianshang’s fists clenched. She had suspected Hong Ying might be the Demon Lord, but she hadn’t imagined that all her disciples were the Demon Lord.
Despite their quirks, she hadn’t given up on any of them. She had even personally forged their weapons.
But now, the truth was a brutal blow.
She relaxed her grip, her voice cold. “Was this… amusing?”
The Demon Lord shuddered. This wasn’t good. She had to escape!
But the “still” command had blocked her escape routes. Luo Nianshang’s every step towards her made her heart pound faster.
What do I do? I’m going to die! She didn’t want to die like this, humiliated and exposed.
But seeing the Demon Lord’s fear, Luo Nianshang stopped, her own expression softening, her voice laced with a quiet sadness. “Qiu Yingxi,” she asked, “do you think I’m stupid?”
The Demon Lord’s breath hitched. “No!” she exclaimed.
Luo Nianshang’s gaze met hers. “Then why?” she asked. “Why did you do this? Were you planning to kill me?”
The Demon Lord’s heart ached, but the words she longed to say were trapped in her throat. “No!” she choked out.
Luo Nianshang didn’t understand. She chuckled, a bitter, humorless sound. “Then why?” she asked. “Can you tell me, Demon Lord?”
The Demon Lord had never seen Luo Nianshang like this. She enjoyed teasing her, but she had never wanted to hurt her.
She closed her eyes, her voice barely a whisper. “Because I love you.”
Luo Nianshang’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What?”
The words, spoken aloud, seemed to have lifted a weight from her shoulders, and she repeated them, her voice stronger now, her eyes still closed. “I said, Luo Nianshang, I love you.”
Luo Nianshang, hearing those words clearly now, was stunned, her mind reeling.
The Demon Lord, feeling the “still” command release its hold on her, instantly transformed into a wisp of smoke, vanishing from the courtyard, not daring to look back.
Luo Nianshang, snapping out of her daze, was alone, surrounded by her frozen disciples.
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