Chapter 113
The statue, its size and detail unsettling, sent a shiver down Xiao Xiao’s spine.
She stared at it for a moment, then, shooed away by the guards, continued her journey.
But as she rode, the scenery remained unchanged.
The Demon City, which should have been visible by now, was nowhere to be found, the path ahead shrouded in mist.
She had encountered this before – a ghostly illusion, a barrier, trapping her.
A voice, clear and familiar, spoke. “Traveling alone? Would you care for some tea?”
She turned, and as the mist dissipated, she saw a grove of magnolia trees, their blossoms fragrant. And beneath them, sitting at a table, pouring tea, was Qin Lingxiao, his demeanor elegant, his smile warm.
She knew he was possessed by the Dongyuan Emperor, but the scene… it mirrored their first encounter.
She held two talismans in her hand, her guard up, refusing to dismount. “What is it this time?” she asked, her voice laced with a dry amusement. “More other shore flowers?”
He chuckled. “Just… enjoying the scenery. Wei Feng loved magnolias. I cultivated these in the celestial realm. It wasn’t easy to… transport them here. Why dwell on unpleasant memories? Join me for some tea.”
“I’m in a hurry,” she said, her gaze fixed on him. “Please, let me pass.”
He smiled, waving his hand, and her horse stumbled, collapsing, as if drunk.
She leaped off just in time, avoiding being crushed.
But as she landed, he was beside her, his presence a tangible force, offering her a cup of tea. “Mortal tea… it might lack refinement, but it has a certain… earthiness… Try it. I picked the leaves myself.”
Her illness, her weakened state… she felt it acutely now, facing him.
She hadn’t even noticed him approaching. She was no match for him, not alone…
She glanced around. “Where are your companions?” she asked casually.
“Why spoil such a pleasant encounter?” he said, his smile widening.
His words, their suggestive undertone… she chuckled, her amusement laced with a hint of bitterness. He was observing her, his gaze lingering on her pale lips, her fatigue evident.
“You’ve discovered the drawbacks of being the Demon Saint, haven’t you?” he asked, his voice casual, his tone almost sympathetic. “Your power might have awakened, but you’re just nourishment for your people. But don’t worry. I can help you. I can save you from this affliction.”
She looked at him, her eyes narrowed. “How generous of you. And what price must I pay for your kindness?”
He stared at her, her defiant gaze, her sharp wit… she was so like Wei Feng.
He took a sip of tea, the bitter sweetness lingering on his tongue. “It’s not a price,” he said, his smile unwavering. “It’s enlightenment. I can cure you, even grant you immortality. But you have to leave Wei Jie. Stay with me.”
His words, their implication clear, their boldness… she understood.
But she remained calm, her smile a mask. “What miracle cure do you possess?”
He chuckled. “Divine power cores can replenish fortune. And your affliction can also be cured. A blood transfusion from someone with strong spiritual energy will restore you. Look at Prince Can. He was a withered old man. And now he’s thriving.”
“So you’re offering your own blood?” she asked, tilting her head, her voice laced with a mock innocence.
He smiled. “Finding a suitable donor is easy. I can help you.”
She laughed. “How? By stealing someone’s fortune, like you did with the Great Qi emperor? I’m curious… aren’t deities supposed to be benevolent? You’re worse than a common swindler!”
His smile faded. “The emperor offered his fortune willingly, as a sign of his devotion. I didn’t force him. And who have I harmed? They were all driven by their own greed, their own desires. I’ve lived far longer than you, Cui Xiao Xiao. I’ve seen the depths of human depravity. To become a god… it’s to transcend such weaknesses. As for the demons, they’re an abomination. To eliminate them… it’s a service to the heavens, a righteous act.”
She wanted to laugh. He had chosen a secluded location to deceive that foolish emperor, his actions hidden from the heavens, his punishment avoided.
And now that the emperor was dead… there were no witnesses.
As for his other crimes… he always had scapegoats, or he used Prince Can as his tool, his hands clean.
He was a master manipulator, his actions carefully calculated, his arrogance fueled by his divine heritage.
Seeing her mocking smile, he knew her thoughts. “Don’t judge me,” he said, his voice cold. “I’ll find criminals, sinners… their lives a worthy sacrifice for your survival. It will be their redemption. No one else can save you, Cui Xiao Xiao. If you refuse, you’re doomed.”
“Are you done?” she asked, her voice flat. “May I leave now? A dying woman like me wouldn’t want to taint your divine presence.”
He saw her defiance, her refusal to submit, and his smile vanished completely. “Wei Feng,” he said, his voice cold and detached, “you’ve been blinded by this mortal realm. You’ve lost yourself. I won’t allow you to continue down this path.”
He raised his hand, his fingers outstretched, a surge of energy gathering at his fingertips.
He wouldn’t let her return to Wei Jie. He would take her, whether she wanted to go or not.
Xiao Xiao, her guard up, sensing his shift in demeanor, reacted instantly, chanting a spell, summoning a wall of water, separating them.
“I’m not Wei Feng,” she said, her voice firm, her eyes meeting his. “And I don’t need your salvation.”
He scoffed, her pathetic attempt at resistance amusing. “You’re weak, Cui Xiao Xiao. Your energy is depleted. Do you think this childish display will stop me? Be obedient. I’ll take care of you.”
He struck the water wall, and it shattered, collapsing into a puddle at her feet.
Her tricks were useless against him.
She stumbled back, her face pale, shaking her head. “Stay away from me!”
He took a step towards her, and she, desperate, conjured another water wall.
But his patience had run out. He swatted it aside, ready to grab her.
But as his hand connected with the water, his expression shifted, his hand recoiling, as if burned. The water wall, in its final moments, had transformed, its surface now covered in sharp spikes, his palm bleeding.
And he smelled it – a faint, but unmistakable, scent of snake venom.
He looked down at his hand, the flesh turning black, his voice a low growl. “What have you done?”
Xiao Xiao, her fear replaced by a cold determination, smiled. “Wei Jie had to endure seven trials to reclaim his divinity. But you, a spoiled child of the heavens… you get to roam freely, manipulating events, your actions unchecked. That’s not fair, is it? So I decided to give you a taste of his first tribulation. Let’s see if you, a deity, can withstand the Broken Soul Snake’s venom.”
The Broken Soul Snake. Wei Jie’s gift when they first met. She had used some of the venom, but she still had plenty left. She had lured him in, letting him shatter her first water wall, but the second… it had been laced with poison.
Even the cunning Dongyuan Emperor had fallen for her trick.
He chuckled, trying to appear unfazed. “Do you think a simple snake venom can harm me?”
She smiled, her fingers playing with a talisman. “Don’t underestimate me, Dongyuan Emperor. You thought I was weak, my energy depleted, a plaything for your amusement. You were wrong.”
She activated the fire talisman, flames erupting from her hands, surrounding her.
Her aura, although weakened, still radiated power, her voice cold and steady. “My master… he wasn’t a talented cultivator. That’s why he created the Lingshan Talisman Sect. Our talismans don’t require immense power. I might be weak, but if you want to control me… you’ll have to fight for it. Let’s see if a mere talisman master can challenge a deity.”
The flames, transforming, shot towards him, sharp as arrows, their tips coated with venom.
She was no longer a novice. Her experiences, her battles against the Demonic Ghost Sect, had honed her skills, her understanding of talismans surpassing even Tang Youshu’s.
She could manipulate water and fire, shaping them at will, her connection to the elements a testament to her mastery.
He knew he couldn’t simply deflect those projectiles. The venom would spread.
He dodged, his movements swift, but he unconsciously used his divine power, accelerating the venom’s spread. A searing pain shot through him, his face contorting, his body collapsing, his graceful demeanor gone.
This venom, the venom that had driven Wei Jie to the brink of madness… it wasn’t ordinary. And he, although a deity, was still bound to Qin Lingxiao’s mortal body.
He felt the pain, its intensity overwhelming, his body writhing on the ground.
He tried to escape, his soul attempting to flee, but there was no Guiding Light, no path back to the heavens. He had to find another vessel, and quickly. He saw Xiao Xiao’s horse and entered its body.
But before he could even adjust to his new form, a Soul-Binding Talisman, activated by Xiao Xiao, struck him, sealing his soul within the horse.
He was trapped, immobilized.
And Qin Lingxiao, his soul returned to his body, gasped, his body convulsing, the pain, deep and agonizing, overwhelming him.
Xiao Xiao, having no antidote, offered him a Calming Pill, a gift from Grandmother Wei. “This will suppress the venom temporarily,” she said.
Qin Lingxiao, his face contorted in pain, gritted his teeth. “How… how could you do this to me?”
She shrugged. “It was the Dongyuan Emperor who attacked me. If you want revenge… he’s in the horse. I can lend you a whip. Besides, you always wanted to prove yourself against Wei Jie. Well… you’ve experienced his first tribulation. Make good use of it. Perhaps… you’ll even surpass him.”
Her words were cruel. But compared to the Dongyuan Emperor, Qin Lingxiao hated Wei Jie more. He swallowed the pill, suppressing his pain, then, summoning his sword, charged towards the horse.
But before he could strike, several Demonic Ghost Sect disciples appeared, blocking his path. And Prince Can, emerging from the mist, his smile cold, said, “Cui Xiao Xiao, we meet again.”
Qin Lingxiao, his energy disrupted, the pain surging, collapsed, his body wracked with spasms. He focused on calming his soul, suppressing the venom.
“I have… matters to attend to,” Xiao Xiao said, taking a step back, her gaze fixed on Prince Can.
He chuckled, his disciples flanking her, blocking her escape. “Don’t be hasty, Cui Xiao Xiao. If I achieve immortality today… then all is well. But if not… I might need you… to negotiate with Wei Jie.”
She glanced at his disciples, their aura dark, their scent… unpleasant. They were like Wan Lianshi, masters of poisons and curses.
She couldn’t fight them all.
She smiled, her voice carefully neutral. “I’m… honored… to witness your… ascension.”
His gaze, however, was fixed on the horse, his eyes gleaming with a strange intensity.
That horse… it contained a deity’s soul! If he could kill it, absorb its power… he would transcend his mortal shell, becoming an immortal!
He approached Qin Lingxiao, who, struggling against the venom, was helpless.
He took a small, black sword from Qin Lingxiao’s belt, its surface covered in runes, its aura dark. As he drew it from its sheath, it grew, its length doubling.
It was the Dongyuan Emperor’s sword, a gift to his former disciple. And Prince Can knew its true nature – it was the God-Slaying Sword, forged by the ancient deity Zhulong.
He knew that in the original timeline, Qin Lingxiao had used this very sword to kill Wei Jie.
And now… he would use it to kill the Dongyuan Emperor, to claim his divine power!
Ancestors of the Xia family, forgive me! This deity, this deceiver… he will die by my hand!
He raised the sword, his movements swift and decisive, striking the horse’s head.
A beam of light shot from the severed head, but a net, woven from blood, conjured by one of the disciples, caught it, trapping it.
Prince Can, his smile twisted, his eyes gleaming with a feverish intensity, approached the struggling light, his gloved hand reaching out, grasping it, then… he swallowed it.
He waited, his body trembling with anticipation, expecting a transformation, his form shifting, becoming that of the Dongyuan Emperor, his divinity claimed. And then… he would eliminate everyone present…
But nothing happened. He frowned, his confusion growing. Had he… made a mistake?
The sun, rising, cast its rays upon the earth.
And the statue, in the distant temple, its golden surface gleaming, its eyes, like mirrors, reflecting the sunlight, focused those rays upon the grove.
As the sunlight touched Prince Can, his hands, as if possessed, flew to his throat, his fingers tightening, squeezing.
He gasped, his face turning purple, his eyes bulging.
But even as he struggled to breathe, a cruel smile twisted his lips. “A mortal… stealing a deity’s power? You’re as foolish as your ancestors, their greed… a hereditary curse. I allowed you to live, and you betrayed me? This is… humanity… unworthy of compassion… despicable…”
A sickening crack echoed through the grove as his neck snapped, his body collapsing.
Xiao Xiao, witnessing this… betrayal… this unexpected twist of fate, shuddered.
Prince Can had believed those words, that inscription, about replacing Wei Jie, achieving immortality.
But in her master’s account of their past life, Prince Can had simply… vanished, his disappearance shrouded in mystery, rumors of his ascension spread by the Xia family.
But no one had actually witnessed it.
Now, hearing his dying words, she realized – the Dongyuan Emperor had manipulated him, using that inscription, a carefully crafted lie, to gain his loyalty, to turn him into a tool, a weapon against Wei Jie.
And Prince Can, blinded by his ambition, had fallen for it, turning against his benefactor, only to realize… too late… that he had been played.
The Dongyuan Emperor, his cunning undeniable, had chosen this location, this time, for a reason.
And the beam of light, escaping from the horse’s severed head, was returning to the temple. Xiao Xiao’s scalp tingled, a wave of fear washing over her. “Run!” she shouted, grabbing Qin Lingxiao, ignoring the Demonic Ghost Sect disciples, their confusion growing.
They reached the edge of the grove, and a giant, golden foot descended from the sky, crushing those left behind.
Qin Lingxiao, seeing the statue, animated, pursuing them, shoved Xiao Xiao forward. “Go! Reach the Demon City! I’ll hold it off!”
His actions, his selflessness… it surprised her.
Qin Lingxiao, usually cowardly, always choosing self-preservation… why was he sacrificing himself?
He chuckled, a grimace twisting his features, the pain from the venom evident. “When the Dongyuan Emperor possessed me. I was aware… I saw everything… our past life… I was just a pawn… manipulated by him and that treacherous prince. I know I’m no match for you… or for him. I’m going to die anyway… but at least let me die with some dignity.”
She had known him for a long time, this former leader of the Sword Sect. And now… she finally saw a glimmer of his true potential. But she couldn’t accept his sacrifice.
They were cultivators. Debts were repaid, favors returned.
She took out two Displacement Talismans, her latest creation. “Attach these to your feet,” she said. “They’re experimental. They haven’t worked before. But it’s our only chance.”
She closed her eyes, focusing her energy, chanting the activation spell.
The statue’s footsteps, heavy, thunderous, were approaching, but they remained still.
Qin Lingxiao, his panic growing, summoned his sword, ready to fight.
But as the golden foot was about to crush them, two flashes of light, and they vanished.
Her control over the talismans was still imperfect.
She had intended to transport them to the Demon City. But instead, they materialized inside the city walls, crashing into the hard-packed earth.
Qin Lingxiao, weakened by the venom, the impact adding to his pain, groaned, his body aching. “Just kill me Xiao Xiao. I can’t take it anymore…”
She saw the statue, its form a distant blur, approaching, and gritting her teeth, she grabbed him, dragging him towards the city gate.
The gate opened, and Madam Fu, leading the demon warriors, emerged, their gazes fixed on their Saint.
“Where’s Wei Jie?” Xiao Xiao asked, her voice urgent, grabbing Madam Fu’s hand.
Madam Fu pointed upwards, and they saw him, standing atop the highest wall, his silver armor gleaming, his long hair flowing in the wind, the Heaven-Punishing Sword in his hand, his gaze cold, his expression resolute, facing the approaching storm.
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