After Cutting Off Love And Emotions, I Was Pestered By The Demon Sect’s Enchantress - Chapter 28

Severing Affection (Part III)

Within the Guiyun Sect, there were four levels of secret realms, ranging from easy to difficult, provided for the sect’s disciples to undergo trials. Today, the disciple guarding the fourth level was Shi Su of Xiyin Peak. In a moment of sheer boredom, she lightly kicked the small pebbles around her.

The pebbles rolled forward a few paces, and Shi Su followed them. Suddenly, a pair of white boots appeared within her field of vision.

“Senior Sister Zhu?” She looked at the newcomer in astonishment, standing up straight inconspicuously to avoid being caught daydreaming.

Zhu Shengxi paid no mind to her small movements. She produced an authoritative command token and said with a calm expression, “Open the fourth level of the secret realm.”

The intricate patterns and the unique spiritual power within it identified the token as one symbolizing the status of a Hall Master.

Upon seeing the token, Shi Su nodded without hesitation. She immediately took out the Realm Stone and stepped forward to open the entrance. A surge of spiritual energy fluctuated in the surroundings as layers of restrictions vanished, and Zhu Shengxi stepped inside.

Fifteen minutes later, Shi Su slapped her forehead. she suddenly remembered that a few days ago, the Sect Leader seemed to have ordered that the four levels of secret realms within the sect were not to be opened recently.

This… She looked at the entrance of the secret realm with hesitation on her face. After a moment, she sent a transmission to the main peak.

In the main hall, Jiang Lixu burned the transmission charms one by one. As she read their contents, her expression grew increasingly solemn.

“Sect Leader, these are all messages sent back by the scouts we dispatched. The Demonic Cult has somehow discovered the connection between the scrolls and the seals,” Zhao Qicun stood to the side, adding information.

Jiang Lixu frowned slightly. “After Master passed away, no one else knew the details of this matter except for the four of us. How did the Demonic Cult find out?”

Shi Su’s transmission rang out at that exact moment. Jiang Lixu glanced at the content, and suddenly thinking of something, her expression became unreadable.

Observing her face, Zhao Qicun couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Sect Leader, do you know the reason behind this?”

Jiang Lixu remained silent for a moment, saying only, “We will discuss this matter later. I must go to the fourth level of the secret realm first.” With that, she pinched a spell and arrived before the entrance of the fourth level in an instant.

Seeing Jiang Lixu appear directly, Shi Su paused and explained the sequence of events to her.

“I issued an order previously that the sect’s secret realms were not to be opened,” Jiang Lixu said in a deep voice.

Twisting the corner of her robe, Shi Su whispered, “Senior Sister Zhu produced her command token, and I forgot for a moment.”

Jiang Lixu rubbed her temples and let out a helpless, soft sigh. That person had only rested for a few days; her injuries weren’t even fully healed, yet she had run off to the most dangerous fourth level.

Jiang Lixu took the Realm Stone from Shi Su. The stone acted as a key to open each level. She gathered spiritual energy in her palm, preparing to forcibly pull the person out of the realm when, suddenly, the surrounding spiritual energy fluctuated violently.

Looking up, she saw Zhu Shengxi slowly walking out of the secret realm, shrouded in an aura of slaughter.

The Chenque Sword was dripping with blood, which fell from the blade from time to time. Jiang Lixu stared at her fixedly, calling out tentatively, “Junior Sister?”

Seeing Zhu Shengxi in such a state, Shi Su was also startled and quietly retreated.

“Eldest Senior Sister, I am fine,” Zhu Shengxi anticipated her question and answered first.

Jiang Lixu’s gaze fell upon the Chenque Sword. She remembered that Zhu Shengxi used to cherish this natal sword above all else, yet now she allowed the blade to remain stained with blood.

Sensing that something was wrong, Jiang Lixu asked, “Junior Sister, why did you suddenly enter the secret realm?”

Zhu Shengxi sheathed her sword and said coolly, “I just went in to take a look. It so happened there was a thousand-year-old great serpent in the fourth level; I needed its gallbladder.”

Hearing this, Jiang Lixu understood; the blood on the sword belonged to the thousand-year-old serpent.

Zhu Shengxi said no more. After a brief silence, she walked straight away. Her direction was not toward Xiyin Peak, but rather seemed as if she were leaving the Guiyun Sect. Jiang Lixu called out to her with a furrowed brow, “You aren’t going back to Xiyin Peak to recover? Where are you going?”

Zhu Shengxi paused in her tracks but did not turn around, offering a simple explanation: “To handle some matters. I will return to the sect soon.”

Jiang Lixu: “The scouts sent by the sect transmitted word to me that the Demonic Cult has learned of the relationship between the scrolls and the seals. If you leave the sect now, there is no guarantee the Demonic Cult won’t strike in the shadows.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shengxi froze. The Demonic Cult… knew the scrolls were related to the Lin Yuan seal.

They had always kept the Master’s instructions close to heart and never told anyone else about this, yet now the Demonic Cult had somehow learned this secret.

As for exactly how the Demonic Cult found out, perhaps no one knew better than she did.

Zhu Shengxi’s hand holding the sword trembled slightly. She turned around stiffly, seeing the same certainty in Jiang Lixu’s eyes.

Now that the Demonic Cult knew these things, they would undoubtedly do everything in their power to obtain the scrolls, and the first step would be to eliminate the Guiyun Sect. If the Demonic Cult were to one day obtain the scrolls and awaken Lin Yuan, it was hard to imagine what kind of bloodbath would be unleashed upon the mortal world; all the efforts of their Grandmaster would go to waste.

Self-reproach, annoyance, and many other emotions flooded her heart. Zhu Shengxi lowered her gaze; at this moment, she didn’t even dare to look at Jiang Lixu’s expression.

Her Master had once praised her for her resilient character, saying she would surely be able to eliminate demons and defend the Path. Her fellow sisters followed her and believed in her, but now, because of a momentary lapse in judgment and misplaced trust, vital information had been leaked to the Demonic Cult. She had failed everyone’s trust and expectations.

“When I entered the sect, Master instructed me never to open my spiritual consciousness to anyone. I was possessed by a ghost and forgot Master’s teachings. To have caused the current situation… it is all my fault.” Zhu Shengxi’s voice carried a hint of agony.

Jiang Lixu did not want to see her wallowing in self-reproach. She walked slowly to her side and comforted her, “I am not saying this to blame you. The current priority is to heighten the sect’s alertness and guard the seal. We cannot allow the Demonic Cult even the slightest opportunity.”

Before she could hear the other’s reply, Jiang Lixu felt a pat on her shoulder. Immediately after, her body stiffened, and she found herself unable to move.

A Immobilization Spell? Jiang Lixu stared at Zhu Shengxi, her eyes flashing with disbelief. She could have easily seen through such a trick under normal circumstances, but she had never maintained any guard against the person in front of her.

Zhu Shengxi looked at her, an apology in her expression. “I’m sorry, Eldest Senior Sister. I must leave the sect now. I will explain to you later.” Having said that, she condensed a gesture to fly on her sword and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Their cultivation levels were similar, so the effect of the Immobilization Spell lasted only a few seconds. Jiang Lixu looked in the direction she had departed, speechless for a time.

Zhuoyan Mountain Range.

Zhinuo felt her way around slowly, meticulously organizing the newly made poison insects. Yue Xu stood by her side uneasily, fearing she might get hurt.

“How many times did the people from the Kunchen Sect come this month?”

Yue Xu snorted coldly. “Three times. Their Young Sect Leader’s Love-Severing Poison wasn’t completely suppressed, and only now are they starting to panic.”

Zhinuo shook her head slightly. “They took the Love-Severing Poison before it was fully prepared; they were too impatient.”

Yue Xu was about to respond when, suddenly, there was a knock on the door—neither heavy nor light. She glanced at the sky and wondered, “Who would it be at this hour?”

Upon seeing the person outside the door, Yue Xu couldn’t help but be stunned.

Zhu Shengxi’s face was pale and devoid of expression. Her hair was slightly disheveled as if she had rushed there in a hurry, but the indifference in her eyes and the blood-stained hilt of her sword added an air of lethality.

This did not look like the Zhu Shengxi she knew. Yue Xu asked tentatively, “Miss Zhu, what brings you here so late at night?”

Zhu Shengxi produced a small box and said tonelessly, “Inside is the gallbladder of a thousand-year-old serpent. Perhaps it will be useful for Miss Zhinuo’s eyes.”

Yue Xu took it and opened it; it was indeed a serpent’s gallbladder. She looked at the woman before her, confused. “What is the meaning of this?”

“I have come to request a poison.”

Inside the room, Zhinuo listened to her statement, frowned slightly, and refused in a low voice: “Miss Zhu, the side effects of the Love-Severing Poison are unknown and may be life-threatening. I’m afraid I cannot give it to you.”

Not expecting to be rejected, Zhu Shengxi remained silent. Yue Xu asked at the right moment, “Miss Zhu, do you want the Love-Severing Poison because you want to give up on a certain affection?”

After a long silence, Zhu Shengxi gave a soft “Mm.” Hearing her affirmative response, Zhinuo couldn’t help but ask:

“Is it absolutely necessary to give it up?”

What answered her was another “Mm.” Zhinuo thought for a moment and said slowly, “Actually, besides the poison insects, there is another thing that can also sever one’s feelings.”

Yue Xu’s thoughts aligned with hers, and she said hesitantly, “Sister, are you talking about…”

Zhinuo nodded. “Yes. But there is one thing: after consuming this item, what is severed is all affection, including the ties of your sect. Your heart will no longer have any fluctuations; you will be without emotion and without desire.”

“In that case, do you still want it?”

To be unable to feel any emotion… what did it matter? Her fellow sisters in the Guiyun Sect would still be her sisters. Even if she couldn’t feel the bond of fellowship in her heart, she would still choose to protect them. This point would never change.

The Demonic Cult would still be her enemy, and moreover, if she had no emotion in her heart, she would not be soft-hearted and could strike more decisively with her sword.

Zhu Shengxi did not hesitate long, answering calmly, “Miss Zhinuo, I have made up my mind. Give it to me.”

Seeing this, Zhinuo no longer tried to dissuade her. She felt her way to open the top drawer and took out a small brocade box. “This is it.”

Zhu Shengxi’s gaze fell on the box. She paused, reached out to take it, and upon opening it, found a medicinal pill inside.

“This item is called the ‘Emotion-Severing Pill.’ I created it after the Love-Severing Poison. Its effects are even more potent than the poison; it will strip away all feelings. Furthermore, once taken, there is no room for regret,” Zhinuo reminded her solemnly.

The red pill lay quietly within the brocade box. Zhu Shengxi gazed at it for a long time.

What was she hesitating for? When they met in the future, it would inevitably be with swords drawn against each other. This affection simply had no reason to exist.

Thinking of that person’s mocking tone and cold expression at the time, a wave of indescribable pain spread through Zhu Shengxi’s heart. Her sincere treatment had been met with nothing but exploitation and calculation—for what?

A voice at the bottom of her heart seemed to be constantly persuading her: take the Emotion-Severing Pill, forget everything, and eliminate demons alongside her sect members. That was what she should do.

Zhu Shengxi put away the box and said softly, “I understand. Thank you.” With that, she turned and left.

Yue Xu’s gaze was full of confusion. She said anxiously, “Sister, you just gave it to her like that? That Emotion-Severing Pill is not a good thing at all.”

Zhinuo sighed softly and said enigmatically, “Thoroughly letting go is easier said than done. I believe Miss Zhu will make the appropriate choice.”

“Stop speaking in riddles with me. What do you mean?”

Zhinuo pursed her lips and smiled faintly:

“Do you believe me? Miss Zhu… she will come back again.”