After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 144

Qin Qingyi stood at the edge of the broken cliff, gazing at the abyss below, unable to regain her composure for a long time.

After a long while, Immortal Venerable Wuwang came to her side.

“Don’t look anymore, if you keep looking, you’ll be unable to leave.”

Immortal Venerable Wuwang advised her.

The time they had spent in this illusion had already been very long. If they didn’t take advantage of this moment to leave, she was afraid their souls would become increasingly weak.

She was just a wisp of a remnant soul, so she didn’t care about this, but the little fox had other things to do. The demonic god’s remnant body outside had yet to be found. If the demon race seized it first, it would be an eternal disaster.

Therefore, they couldn’t delay.

But Qin Qingyi’s gaze was still fixed on the abyss below, where she had asked the demon of the illusion to conjure the myriad illusions of the mortal world.

“Senior, do you think she will blame me?” Qin Qingyi murmured, her eyes glued to the illusion below.

To be honest, she didn’t know if what she was doing was right or wrong.

This abyss looked dangerous, but her Junior Sister wouldn’t die if she fell; she would only drop into a deeper illusion beneath.

This whole situation today was originally prepared by her for her Junior Sister, a scenario of breaking before establishing.

She had asked the demon of the illusion to conjure layer upon layer of illusions. Each layer contained the true essence of the ‘Taishang Wangqing’ (Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion) that Immortal Venerable Wugui had given her during the killing array.

It didn’t matter that her Junior Sister’s path of cultivation had deviated; her Senior Sister would help her correct it.

Immortal Venerable Wuwang was silent when she heard her question.

She also didn’t know if Zhou Zhixue would truly accept the little fox’s devoted kindness in this way.

Perhaps in the end, she would suffer the same fate as herself.

The two realms separated, life and death never to meet again.

The long-sealed past re-emerged in her mind, and Immortal Venerable Wuwang suddenly flared up. She turned and lightly sneered:

“It was your insistence to do this in the first place. It’s not like this Venerable didn’t advise you against it. Now you’re asking this Venerable this question.”

“Even if she resents you in the end, you deserve it!”

Qin Qingyi, however, smiled.

She deserved it.

She brought it upon herself.

If she resented her, she deserved that too.

But she had no regrets.

Just then, the female demon who had set up the illusion at the bottom of the cliff also crawled up, fawningly saying to Qin Qingyi, “Venerable, Immortal Venerable Zhou has already fallen into the first layer of the illusion.”

Qin Qingyi asked her, “What kind of illusion is that? And what kind of identity will my Junior Sister have?”

“It’s a mortal world illusion. Immortal Venerable Zhou will be born in a time of chaos in this first layer of the illusion.”

The demon of the illusion humbly flattered, “Immortal Venerable Zhou will compete for the throne in the chaos, and eventually become the ruler of the world and be revered by all people. When all nations come to pay tribute, Immortal Venerable Zhou will enjoy the ultimate taste of power in this world.”

Qin Qingyi felt slightly relieved after hearing this. This first illusion sounded not too difficult to bear.

“Will it get harder and harder later on?”

The demon of the illusion nodded.

“That’s natural. Since Venerable intends to temper Immortal Venerable Zhou, in these ninety-nine layers of illusion, Immortal Venerable Zhou will have countless different identities, perhaps a small street vendor, a minor city official, a noble lady from an official’s family, a street beggar…”

“The endings will also be different, sometimes satisfactory, sometimes regrettable, or sometimes consumed by hatred and unable to dispel resentment… Immortal Venerable Zhou will probably have to go through these ninety-nine identities before she can break free from the illusion.”

Seeing Qin Qingyi’s brow furrow tighter and tighter, the demon of the illusion’s voice gradually weakened. It was skilled at reading people’s expressions, otherwise it wouldn’t have survived until now after being discovered by Zhou Zhixue.

In its opinion, the first two demons were idiots; only it was smart, otherwise why was it the only one still alive?

However, wasn’t this illusion commanded by this Immortal Venerable Qin herself? Why did she seem not very satisfied now?

“Venerable?” The demon of the illusion asked cautiously.

Qin Qingyi didn’t speak, only furrowed her brow.

Immortal Venerable Wuwang saw through her little secret, reached out, and poked her: “If you’re worried, why don’t you go down and see? What are you still agonizing over here?”

“Don’t forget, once you leave here, it will be hard to see her again.”

These words sounded wistful, but Qin Qingyi knew that once she left this illusion, she would have to face the demonic god’s remnant body. It was hard to say whether she could survive then.

She made up her mind.

“Senior is right, I must go and see to be at ease.”

Qin Qingyi turned to the demon of the illusion: “Send me to her first illusion.”

The demon of the illusion naturally complied without question, presenting a small pendant with both hands.

Qin Qingyi took it casually and examined it closely. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that it was shrouded in demonic energy and was not an ordinary item.

“Why are you giving this Venerable this?” Qin Qingyi asked her.

The demon of the illusion honestly explained:

“The illusion prepared for Immortal Venerable Zhou is extremely special, and others are not allowed to intervene and interfere with the causality. However, since Venerable wants to see, you must hold onto this. This pendant can send you to Immortal Venerable Zhou’s side and also ensure you won’t get lost in the illusion. However—”

At this point, the demon of the illusion’s voice became heavier, as if to emphasize the key point:

“Venerable, you also cannot interfere with Immortal Venerable Zhou’s fate. Before the color of this pendant completely turns transparent, you must come out. Otherwise, if the demonic energy inside is exhausted, you will be trapped within, and this little demon will be powerless.”

Immortal Venerable Wuwang kicked it upon hearing this: “What do you mean ‘powerless’? Stop being an alarmist here. This Venerable will be guarding right here. If she can’t get out, this Venerable will kill you first to sacrifice for the war between immortals and demons.”

The demon of the illusion trembled for a moment, not daring to say more.

Qin Qingyi didn’t think much of it. She just smiled: “I will come out as soon as possible.”

Saying that, she looked at Immortal Venerable Wuwang: “Outside… I’ll trouble Senior to look after things.”

Calling it looking after, it was actually just preventing the demon of the illusion from making any small moves. With Immortal Venerable Wuwang guarding for her, Qin Qingyi had no worries.

Immortal Venerable Wuwang nodded: “Naturally. Go ahead, and come back quickly.”

Qin Qingyi composed herself, grasped the teardrop-shaped dark pendant in her hand, and then leaned back—

Plunging straight toward the illusion at the bottom of the cliff.

The wind roared, and the surrounding scenery shifted.

Qin Qingyi closed her eyes, without the slightest panic, allowing the sensation of weightlessness to engulf her.

Until the wind gradually subsided, and the feeling of her feet touching solid ground came.

Was this it, she had arrived?

Qin Qingyi slowly opened her eyes.

Snow, a vast expanse of white snow.

As far as the eye could see, the whiteness was so intense it almost stung her eyes.

——————

During the Great Cold season, Zhongzhou suffered a snow disaster rarely seen in a hundred years.

The roads were filled with fleeing disaster victims.

The snow, deep up to the knees, crunched with every step. Snow streamed down the trousers into the shoes and socks, quickly melting into water by body temperature, which was soon chillingly cold. Every step consumed the warmth in their bodies.

Many people stumbled and fell, and no matter how those beside them shook and cried out, they remained silent forever.

The north wind howled, turning the survivors’ tears of mourning for the dead into bone-chilling ice. The faint whimpers gradually faded, and the living wiped their tears, continuing their journey with grief in their hearts.

The cold wind was biting, and the roadside was littered with disaster victims who had frozen to death. Some still had a breath, their eyes half-closed, shivering against the snowdrifts, with one foot already in the Hall of the King of Hell.

A person wrapped in a cloak abruptly appeared in this procession of disaster victims. Unlike the surrounding ragged and sallow-faced victims, although her attire appeared modest, the dark cloak flowed with a faint radiance. One look was enough to tell it was not ordinary, yet these victims seemed to ignore her.

Another victim collapsed, and Qin Qingyi looked on with an expression of distress, wanting to step forward but suppressing the impulse.

Mortals had their own fate. As a cultivator, she could not rashly interfere; otherwise, entanglement with karma would be difficult to resolve.

Moreover, this place was an illusion.

Qin Qingyi remained rooted in place, looking around.

The surroundings were all refugees fleeing the disaster. Where was her Junior Sister?

The demon of the illusion said it would place her near her Junior Sister, but she had followed these refugees for two whole days without seeing her Junior Sister.

Could it be that the demon was cunning and had deceived her?

Qin Qingyi felt suspicious, but before she could ponder further, a tugging sensation suddenly came from her foot.

She looked down and saw a young girl. Just then, the girl also looked up at her.

Just one glance made Qin Qingyi hold her breath.

Looking closely at the girl’s face, the mole between her eyebrows was a vivid red, like dripping blood. Her phoenix eyes were black and bright, extremely focused when staring at someone. Although young, one could still tell the future gorgeous beauty she would grow into.

It was her Junior Sister.

Her appearance was not much different from when she first entered the Hidden Snow Peak of the Sword Sect.

Qin Qingyi’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

So, her Junior Sister was still young at this time.

No wonder she hadn’t found her in the past two days.

“Are you a celestial being?”

The young Zhou Zhixue stared intently at the person in front of her.

Qin Qingyi lightly smiled. She was wearing a concealing cloak, and the people around her hadn’t noticed her, yet she hadn’t expected to be recognized by her Junior Sister in the end.

“Why do you say that?” She crouched down, level with Zhou Zhixue’s eyes, and asked softly.

Zhou Zhixue looked at her, her voice soft but articulate: “It’s very cold, the snow is very deep, but you’re dressed so lightly, and you haven’t left any footprints where you walked.”

“So, the little girl dares to guess that you might be a celestial being from the heavens.”

Qin Qingyi was amused. The little one was very observant.

But she couldn’t admit it. There were so many refugees around. A little girl in tidy clothes appearing abruptly here had already attracted the attention of many with ulterior motives.

Qin Qingyi pulled the girl aside, using her cloak to cover the small Zhou Zhixue, isolating her from the sight of outsiders. Only then did she gently say, “I’m not any celestial being. I’m just an… ordinary person also fleeing the disaster.”

“I haven’t asked you yet. You are so young, why are you out fleeing?”

Zhou Zhixue blinked her eyes, understanding that she seemed reluctant to reveal her origins, so she didn’t press further. She obediently answered Qin Qingyi’s question: “I secretly ran out. They haven’t found out yet.”

“The house collapsed due to the snow disaster. My father and mother want to take me to the capital. Father said there are relatives in business in the capital we can seek refuge with, so we won’t have to suffer from hunger and cold then.”

As she spoke, the little Zhou Zhixue wrinkled her nose, seeming a little unhappy: “Father said that the world is not peaceful now. Although my family has a way to survive, we must be careful, or else if people target us, it will be difficult to reach the capital.”

Qin Qingyi nodded, indicating she understood.

So that was it. In this first illusion, the emperor was inept, the world was in chaos, the imperial court was aggressively undertaking large construction projects, and corvée labor was heavy. Under duress, people everywhere revolted. Her Junior Sister was also the leader of one of these rebel groups.

Now, her entire family was fleeing, not forgetting to give porridge to the common people along the way. Having walked this far, she had saved countless lives, which was a great merit.

Anxious shouts gradually came from the distance. Qin Qingyi listened closely. It was the Zhou family who had already discovered Zhou Zhixue was missing, thinking she was lost, and were searching and calling out for her.

Qin Qingyi looked at the little person hiding under the cloak with her, and said gently, “Your mother is looking for you. Go back quickly, or she will worry.”

Zhou Zhixue fidgeted, not wanting to leave.

Qin Qingyi looked at her with amusement and asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you acting like this?”

Zhou Zhixue looked at Qin Qingyi’s face and suddenly blushed: “Do you want to come to the capital with me? If you follow me, you definitely won’t go hungry.”

Qin Qingyi’s eyes curved, and her smile deepened: “Why should I go with you? Aren’t you worried I might be a bad person?”

Zhou Zhixue shook her head, her eyes sparkling: “You’re not a bad person. The first time I saw you, I felt you were a good person.”

Qin Qingyi regretfully shook her head: “Even if you say that, I won’t go with you. I have my own things to do.”

She could not interfere with her Junior Sister’s destiny. Even with this brief moment of companionship, she already felt the dark pendant in her palm heating up. The demonic energy was being rapidly consumed.

This was a warning to her that she couldn’t be too close to her Junior Sister.

Hearing her say she couldn’t, Zhou Zhixue lowered her head in disappointment, but then she looked up again, gathering her courage: “Then, can I know your name?”

Qin Qingyi patiently asked: “Why do you want to know my name?”

Zhou Zhixue blushed incredibly. She suddenly leaned in and kissed Qin Qingyi on the lips.

Qin Qingyi froze, then heard Zhou Zhixue say:

“I want to always remember you. When I grow up, I want to marry you.”