After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 111

The five people were dressed differently and stood in three groups.

Shangguan Yu sized them up for a moment before calmly speaking, “May I ask the three Fellow Daoists why you appear at the place of my ascension? Did you happen to pass by, or have you been waiting here all along?”

Her direct question surprised the five of them for an instant.

It was not for any other reason, but because most cultivators who ascended from the Lower Realm would be wary of them, or even run away at the sight of them, not giving them a chance to explain.

The one before them seemed quite different. She appeared composed and showed no signs of panic upon seeing them. She was clearly no ordinary person, and having ascended six ranks right after arriving in the Upper Realm suggested exceptional talent. With both outstanding temperament and talent, the five exchanged glances, all sensing a certain fervor in each other’s eyes.

A genius like this would be a treasure no matter which faction she joined.

Someone spoke first, answering Shangguan Yu’s question: “Greetings, Fellow Daoist. We are not evildoers. Our presence here is due to a mission, and we did not deliberately spy on your ascension.”

Another person then explained, “Does Fellow Daoist know about the existence of the ‘Well Keepers’?”

Shangguan Yu shook her head.

She was not from the Upper Realm, so how would she know?

The person eagerly explained, “The Upper Realm has a total of one hundred and twenty-eight Ascension Wells. Cultivators ascending from the Lower Realm arrive in the Upper Realm through these ‘Wells’, just as you did, Fellow Daoist. Your ascension just now was through an Ascension Well, which brought you here from the Lower Realm.”

“However, these wells are formless and appear without any fixed pattern, showing up randomly. The so-called Well Keepers are a position established by our three races to welcome ascending cultivators, like yourself, Fellow Daoist. The Well Keepers are scattered everywhere, and whenever a cultivator ascends to the Upper Realm, we appear to help the ascending cultivator quickly understand the existence of the Upper Realm.”

“Most cultivators are completely ignorant of the Upper Realm after ascending and are unaware of the various heavenly and worldly rules. Our role is to inform the ascenders of rules they need to be aware of and help them avoid taking too many detours.”

Shangguan Yu nodded, signaling that she understood.

The five people before her did not possess particularly profound strength. Although she couldn’t discern their power levels upon first arriving, from their unconcealed auras and the lack of a highly profound Immortal Qi emanating from them, Shangguan Yu knew that these few people were not top-tier talents and their strength was only average.

They were probably not much stronger than herself; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been assigned the “Well Keeper” position, which was far from the center of power.

Having been the Sect Master of the Sword Sect in the Profound Heaven Realm for many years, it would be a discredit to her if she couldn’t see through these simple matters.

Thus, in just a few words, she thoroughly analyzed the strength and identity of the people before her.

However… did one ascending cultivator require five Well Keepers?

And with the Human, Ghost, and Demon races appearing simultaneously?

If the Well Keepers from all three races had to appear every time an ascending cultivator emerged, it would be a waste of manpower.

Her expression was too obvious, and the five people apparently realized this, showing slight embarrassment.

It wasn’t that they necessarily chose to stick together, but the location of Shangguan Yu’s ascension was simply too peculiar.

“May I ask Fellow Daoist’s name and race?”

Someone asked.

Shangguan Yu’s expression remained unchanged, and she replied, “My name is Yu Rong, and I am of the Human race.”

She only gave her Daoist title, and as for her race, no one saw through it, did they? If she said she was Human, then she was Human.

The five people exchanged glances again, and then the Human Well Keeper stepped forward and explained to Shangguan Yu:

“Fellow Daoist Yu Rong, please forgive our rudeness just now. It’s not that we wanted to make a big scene, but the location of your ascension is truly special. It’s at the boundary of our three races’ territories, and we couldn’t confirm which race you belonged to, which is why we all appeared together.”

The person explained apologetically.

“Under normal circumstances, although the Ascension Wells appear randomly, there is an unspoken, default rule: Human cultivators will inevitably appear in an Ascension Well within the Human territory, and the Ghost and Demon races are the same. In the past hundred years, there has never been a mistake. It is extremely rare for someone to appear so specially at the junction of the three races, which is why we were somewhat confused about you.”

“Now that we see Fellow Daoist has successfully ascended, and ascended six ranks in a single day, are you willing to go with us to the Human territory to meet the various Venerables?”

The Human Well Keeper smiled, showing goodwill toward Shangguan Yu. “Perhaps Fellow Daoist will meet many acquaintances there.”

The implication was that given her exceptional talent, she would naturally gain many benefits by going to the Human territory, and seeing an acquaintance would further enhance her favorable impression of the Human territory.

Shangguan Yu’s eyes twitched, and her mind brightened a bit.

It was likely because she was a Spirit Race member, which had long been extinct, that even the Ascension Well couldn’t determine where to send her, thus attracting the Well Keepers of the three races.

This was probably the reason why she heard them discussing the strangeness of her ascension location while she was meditating.

Now that she revealed her Human identity, the Human Well Keeper stepped forward, with a strong intent to recruit her in their words.

However—

Shangguan Yu spoke gently:

“I do have an acquaintance here, but I don’t know where the person is at the moment.”

The Human Well Keeper’s eyes brightened, and they eagerly asked, “Can Fellow Daoist tell us the name? Perhaps we know their whereabouts.”

Shangguan Yu’s eyes were filled with nostalgia, and she said softly, “She ascended earlier than I did; she is my Junior Sister, named Wen Qing.”

“I wonder where she is now?”

Unexpectedly, upon hearing the name, the person’s expression obviously froze. The smile they maintained on their face cracked slightly, and even the fervent look in their eyes dissipated a little.

This made Shangguan Yu feel a sense of doubt.

This person’s expression clearly showed that they knew her Junior Sister, but why the unusual reaction?

Could it be that her Junior Sister had already made a name for herself in the Upper Realm before she even ascended?

“Fellow Daoist? Do you know where my Junior Sister went?”

Shangguan Yu pressed, snapping the person back to attention.

“So you are Fellow Daoist Wen Qing’s Senior Sister,” the person said slowly. “Are you also a cultivator who ascended from the Profound Heaven Realm?”

Shangguan Yu nodded, “Exactly.”

The person’s smile was clearly hard to maintain.

“Truly, strange things happen every year, and this year is particularly abundant,” the Human Well Keeper murmured, twitching the corner of their mouth, and looking at Shangguan Yu with an expression that was no longer fervent, but rather curious and difficult to describe. “Another cultivator who ascended from the Profound Heaven Realm.”

Shangguan Yu narrowed her eyes, knowing that there must be reasons she was unaware of. “May I ask, Fellow Daoist, is there a problem with the cultivators who ascended from the Profound Heaven Realm?”

Since it was something she didn’t know, she definitely had to ask clearly.

The person glanced at her, then turned to communicate with their companions for a few moments, even including the Well Keepers of the Demon and Ghost races. After murmuring for a long time, they returned to Shangguan Yu with a complex expression.

“It’s alright to tell you. After all, it’s no secret in the Upper Realm.”

Shangguan Yu naturally listened attentively.

“The Profound Heaven Realm where you are from hasn’t seen an ascending cultivator for a thousand years. It has long been abandoned by the Heavenly Dao. By rights, it should have completely died out after consuming all its Qi in another thousand years. But we don’t know what secret method you all used, as cultivators ascending from the Profound Heaven Realm have been popping up like mushrooms after rain for the past half-year. However, the cultivators who ascend carry Demon Qi that is different from the Upper Realm’s, different from the Human, Ghost, and Demon realms, and also different from cultivators ascending from other Lower Realms. Being half-human, half-demon, it’s difficult to arrange a place for you all.”

The Well Keeper shook their head and sighed, sighing twice more as they looked at Shangguan Yu.

Shangguan Yu’s expression, however, did not change.

Although she hadn’t anticipated such a situation after ascending, she was well-experienced. Even unexpected changes didn’t overly affect her.

Since the person already knew about the changes in the Profound Heaven Realm, there was no need for her to continue suppressing her Demon Qi.

She released the Demon Qi that she had been suppressing since stepping into the Upper Realm. Instantly, the Demon Qi soared to the sky, and strange demonic patterns reappeared on her cheeks.

This startled the Well Keepers nearby, causing them to retreat several steps.

“The Demon Qi on you is heavier than on the others.”

She exclaimed, with a few more traces of wariness in her eyes, keeping a safe distance from Shangguan Yu.

This was completely different from their initial closeness to Shangguan Yu.

However, Shangguan Yu didn’t care about this. She was still gentle: “In that case, I suppose it’s not appropriate for me to go to the Human territory. But I wonder where my Junior Sister is, and where I should go to look for her?”

She now knew all the information she needed, so there was no need to continue negotiating with these few people.

Since her Junior Sister wasn’t here, she didn’t need to waste any more time.

But the person shook their head in response to her question.

“We don’t know where Venerable Wen Qing is.”

The person sighed: “She refused the Human race’s olive branch and left. Later, cultivators who successively ascended from the Profound Heaven Realm all, without exception, did not stay in the Human territory. It was as if they had made a pact; they all disappeared without a trace after leaving.”

Shangguan Yu frowned. After pondering for a moment, she asked again, “I wonder if there are other places to settle in the Upper Realm besides the Human, Ghost, and Demon races.”

The person shook their head. “Although the Upper Realm is vast, most places are not suitable for survival. The best habitats have long been divided up by the three races, and there is no other place for shelter.”

“Isn’t there the Barrens?”

Another Human Well Keeper reminded her from afar.

The person suddenly realized and said to Shangguan Yu, “Perhaps your Junior Sister went to the Barrens.”

Shangguan Yu repeated, “The Barrens?”

The person waved their hand: “That place is too desolate, and no one goes there. But if you can’t find your Junior Sister anywhere else, heading towards the Barrens might lead you to her.”

The other Well Keepers spoke up one after another to explain to her:

“That place doesn’t belong to any of the three races’ factions. It’s truly because the Immortal Qi there is too sparse and unsuitable for cultivation, so we call it the Land Abandoned by the Gods—a place abandoned by the Gods—so no one goes there.”

“And the Heavenly Thunder that falls there from time to time… who knows why there is so much Heavenly Thunder there, being struck by lightning all the time? Who would be willing to go?”

“But the ascenders from your Profound Heaven Realm are different. I have never heard any news of that group of half-human, half-demon cultivators anywhere else. Maybe they really are all in the Barrens.”

Shangguan Yu nodded. Now that she had a clear direction, things were easier.

The people were genuinely kind. Even though she held no value to them now, they were still willing to solve her confusion.

Shangguan Yu sincerely thanked them: “Thank you, Fellow Daoists.”

She truly understood social etiquette. In addition to verbal thanks, her actions were not ambiguous. She took out five bags of heavenly treasures from her Qiankun bag and presented them to the five people.

“A small, insignificant cultivation treasure from the Lower Realm. Please don’t be offended.”

The five people before her accepted the gift and suddenly became embarrassed, their voices becoming softer.

“Oh my, how can we accept this?”

Yet, their actions were quick to put the items away.

They had all seen it earlier; there were quite a few good things in those Qiankun bags. Although they were all brought from the Lower Realm, many of those items were rare treasures even in the Upper Realm.

The person before them was so generous, clearly an influential figure in the Lower Realm, and with such exceptional talent, they would likely be someone they would look up to in the future. Their attitude immediately became more cordial again.

Shangguan Yu just smiled and looked at them, asking one last question: “I wonder where I should look for this Barrens?”

Since she had arrived in the Upper Realm, she had to go and find her Junior Sister.

She had just ascended, and there were many things she hadn’t had time to understand yet. She needed to find the person to fully grasp her current situation.

Seeing her ask, the five people started talking all at once again:

“Head west and go straight. You should reach it in about half a day.”

“The Barrens is easy to find. You will see endless yellow sand; that is the edge of the Barrens.”