After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 39

On the Sword Sect’s Martial Stage, Zhou Zhixue defeated her opponent with a single sword strike, once again taking the top spot.

“Cangxue Peak versus Luoxia Peak, Cangxue Peak wins!”

The disciple acting as the referee turned around and added another mark to the slate belonging to Cangxue Peak.

Looking closely, there were already sixty-seven ‘Zheng’ (正) characters next to her name, meaning—

She had maintained a winning streak of over three hundred matches on this stage.

A burst of cheers erupted below the stage, shouting Zhou Zhixue’s name.

Yet, the person in question remained on the stage, her expression unchanged by the flattery. She focused solely on wiping her long sword, even though the sword itself was utterly spotless.

The crowd was used to this, watching as another unconvinced disciple stepped onto the stage, eager to challenge this “myth” who was always victorious on the martial stage.

Unfortunately, this disciple was also sent flying off the martial stage within ten moves by Zhou Zhixue, landing on the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust, just like those before him.

The cheers grew even louder.

After several more challengers fell, Zhou Zhixue stood on the stage, sword in hand, showing no joy at her victory. Holding her breath, she was as quiet as a statue.

The gale winds on the martial stage were fierce, yet they were extremely gentle as they blew past her robes, smoothing out the folds in her garments. The single red mole between her brows added a touch of life to this ice-sculpted figure, and her lowered gaze made her resemble a compassionate immortal.

Among the disciples below the stage, one who had recently joined finally couldn’t help but ask, “This Senior Sister looks unfamiliar, why have I never seen her before?”

The nearby disciple turned and eagerly explained, “You must be newly joined, right? This Senior Sister is from Cangxue Peak. She’s usually immersed in cultivation and rarely appears.”

“She’s quite a marvel. She only comes to the martial stage one day a month. You must have just joined last month, so it’s normal you haven’t seen her. You’re lucky to catch her today. She now has a record of a hundred undefeated battles on the martial stage!”

“That powerful?” The disciple expressed doubt, still puzzled, and asked, “Since she possesses such extraordinary talent, why have I never heard of her before?”

Currently, the geniuses nurtured by the major Immortal Sects have all made a name for themselves in the Xuantian Realm. According to common sense, a genius like the Senior Sister on the stage should be famous on the Xuantian Realm’s genius rankings.

The person next to him was busy admiring the figure on the stage and didn’t hear what he said clearly for a moment. Fortunately, the other party was truly curious and repeated the question.

“Why has this Senior Sister’s name never appeared on the genius rankings?”

The one answering saw the bewildered look on his face, immediately understood, and proudly replied:

“You’re looking at the Golden Core ranking, right? Senior Sister Zhou hasn’t been on that list since last year.”

“Senior Sister Zhou is the publicly acknowledged genius of the Sword Sect. She formed her Golden Core at ten, and last spring, Senior Sister Zhou advanced from the peak of Golden Core to Nascent Soul. Now, barely half a year later, she has already entered the mid-stage of Nascent Soul.”

“If you calculate carefully, Senior Sister Zhou is barely eighteen this year—Golden Core at ten, Nascent Soul at seventeen. Meanwhile, those few Immortal Sect geniuses making a huge stir in the Xuantian Realm mostly achieved Nascent Soul after fifty. Senior Sister Zhou was formerly the number one in Golden Core, and now she is the undisputed number one in Nascent Soul!”

The listener couldn’t help but exclaim, “With such a heavenly talent, the Sword Sect is set for prosperity!”

“That goes without saying.”

Zhou Zhixue on the stage naturally didn’t hear the discussions below.

She was counting how many matches she had fought.

Including the one just finished, she had fought nine.

One more match, and she could finish and go back.

This was a rule set by Venerable Wen Qing, who feared she would become too engrossed in cultivation, caring only about her realm and neglecting actual combat, thereby becoming a ‘paper warrior’ disconnected from the outside world, afraid she would possess great strength but only be able to unleash less than half its power.

To prevent her from being unaware of her own capabilities, she was required to come once a month and fight ten matches each time.

After ten matches, she would return to Cangxue Peak to continue her cultivation.

Only the last match remained today.

While she looked down, another disciple jumped onto the ring.

Zhou Zhixue looked up and saw it was an acquaintance.

“Senior Sister Feng,” Zhou Zhixue raised her hand in a greeting.

The person was none other than Feng Ning.

After the Sword Pavilion’s Trial of the Heart, Feng Ning was accepted as a personal disciple by the Sect Leader. A few years later, Feng Ning was now the Chief Disciple of Zhijian Peak.

In the Sword Sect, who wouldn’t respectfully address her as “Senior Sister Feng” upon meeting her?

“Please don’t be so polite with me,” Feng Ning was still hearty. She held the Hengxing sword she brought out from the Sword Pavilion, standing opposite Zhou Zhixue.

Zhou Zhixue looked at her, realizing it had been a long time since she had seen this Senior Sister of the same generation.

Since entering Zhijian Peak, Feng Ning no longer enjoyed the treatment of an outer disciple. As the personal disciple of the Sect Leader, her treatment was naturally different from the past; her food, clothing, and necessities were all the best.

However, Feng Ning herself was very restrained, never taking anything that wasn’t hers, not to mention that she also had to take care of a sickly younger sister.

Zhou Zhixue vaguely remembered the last time she saw Feng Ning, she was pushing her nominal younger sister to sunbathe in a place with good sunlight. That sister seemed to be interested in pharmacology, always carrying a persistent medicinal scent.

Even Feng Ning herself was inevitably tainted with a bit of it.

Just then, Feng Ning spoke again, pulling Zhou Zhixue’s nearly drifting thoughts back.

“I happened to have free time today, and seeing you on the stage, I couldn’t resist coming up for a spar.”

Feng Ning was still smiling, but Zhou Zhixue somehow felt that her smile bore some resemblance to Shangguan Yu.

Many people below the stage recognized Feng Ning, and gasps of surprise and anticipation for the two to fight broke out.

A match between strong competitors was naturally more interesting than a one-sided, overwhelming victory of the strong over the weak.

Seeing the cheers below grow louder, the smile on Feng Ning’s lips deepened:

“Let’s exchange a few moves, just to stretch our muscles.”

Zhou Zhixue frowned instead. “You are not my opponent.”

Although Feng Ning could also be called a genius—already possessing Golden Core strength during the Sword Pavilion’s Trial of the Heart—after several years, Feng Ning was currently barely at the peak of Golden Core.

Zhou Zhixue was already in the mid-stage of Nascent Soul; Feng Ning getting on stage to fight her was tantamount to seeking humiliation.

What she said was blunt, even somewhat hurtful.

Feng Ning, however, didn’t mind, and had already raised her sword: “Whether I’m your opponent or not, we’ll only know after we fight.”

Seeing the fighting spirit ignited in her eyes, Zhou Zhixue knew the battle was inevitable. She pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then suppressed her own strength to be on par with Feng Ning, before taking up the starting stance.

It was the first move of the Ten Thousand Swords to Dust—

Gazing at Mountains and Seas!

This move was not an offensive one, but a defensive one, a method of conserving energy while waiting for the opponent to exhaust themselves.

Seeing that she was indeed ready for the fight, Feng Ning’s eyes brightened, and she attacked with her sword.

Let her try and see if Junior Sister Zhou’s title of the number one in Nascent Soul was well-deserved!

“Pardon me, Junior Sister Zhou!”

Feng Ning changed her posture. She had wind-based abilities, focusing primarily on movement techniques, followed by sword techniques.

So, in the eyes of the disciples watching below, Feng Ning vanished the moment she finished speaking.

“Bang—!”

It wasn’t until the sound of metal colliding echoed that everyone looked towards the source of the sound, only to realize that Feng Ning had already flashed to Zhou Zhixue’s side.

The two separated after a single exchange.

Zhou Zhixue showed no change in expression, only twirling a sword flourish with her Changle sword.

Seeing her probing attack being lightly blocked by Zhou Zhixue, Feng Ning was not discouraged, even laughing and joking: “Junior Sister, you have great skill.”

Hearing that Feng Ning’s address to her this time didn’t include her surname, Zhou Zhixue frowned slightly and responded softly: “Senior Sister Feng exaggerates.”

She took up her stance again, the second move of the Ten Thousand Swords to Dust—Embracing the Stars and Moon.

This time it was no longer a defensive move, but a genuine offensive one.

Zhou Zhixue’s face was expressionless, and her voice was flat:

“Please accept my move, Senior Sister.”

As her voice fell, she controlled her sword to thrust forward, swinging the sword towards Feng Ning without the slightest personal emotion.

Feng Ning quickly raised her sword to block.

She held her breath and concentrated, her eyes never leaving the sword in Zhou Zhixue’s hand.

Then, the disciples below saw wisps of cold air析 out from the body of the Changle sword, and ice thorns bloomed with every step Zhou Zhixue took.

One move.

Two moves.

Feng Ning gritted her teeth, resisting Zhou Zhixue’s relentless offensive.

Damn it! She’s supposed to be ice-based, isn’t she?

How is her attack speed faster than hers, the wind-based one?!

Just as Zhou Zhixue’s attack arrived again, Feng Ning blocked with gritted teeth, her hand stinging from the shock. She couldn’t help but suspect, “Do you truly only have an Ice Spirit Root?”

Zhou Zhixue chuckled softly. When Feng Ning looked up, her face was once again devoid of expression.

“Since Senior Sister Feng has doubts, allow your Junior Sister to put on a clumsy display.”

With that, she swung her sword again.

This strike went straight for Feng Ning’s glabella.

At this instant, Feng Ning’s heart pounded wildly. Almost instinctively, the Hengxing sword protected its master, blocking the Changle sword just as it was about to pierce Feng Ning’s glabella.

The Changle sword struck the body of the Hengxing sword, and the overbearing Ice Spirit Root instantly climbed up the Hengxing sword.

In just a few moments, the cold air had reached the hilt.

The moment the cold air touched her hand, an excruciating pain radiated from her fingertips throughout Feng Ning’s body. She involuntarily held her breath, then reacted quickly, using her wind ability to escape.

Although she escaped the distance, the ice attached to the sword did not disappear. Feng Ning subtly moved her fingertips, but could not dispel the bone-chilling pain.

Not only that, the feeling of near-frozen solidification climbed up her meridians. In just two breaths, her sword-wielding hand became stiff. Although she could lift it, there was a very strong sense of sluggishness.

Truly terrifying!

“What a domineering Spirit Root!”

She couldn’t help but exclaim softly.

However, Zhou Zhixue did not give her a chance to catch her breath. While she was lamenting, Zhou Zhixue had already closed in on her.

This time, Feng Ning couldn’t dodge. The fierce attack struck again, and Feng Ning couldn’t help but close her eyes.

“The tenth move.”

“Senior Sister Feng, you have lost.”

The anticipated attack did not arrive. Instead, it was Zhou Zhixue’s emotionless words.

Feng Ning slowly opened her eyes, just in time to see Zhou Zhixue retract the sword that was positioned at her throat.

With the sense of danger gone, Feng Ning slowly let out a breath.

She could feel her frozen arm beginning to thaw, and looking down, the frost attached to the Hengxing sword had also dissipated.

This must have been done by Zhou Zhixue.

Feng Ning softened her expression, sincerely thanking Zhou Zhixue: “Thank you, Junior Sister, for showing mercy.”

She was indeed genuinely grateful to Zhou Zhixue for holding back, after all, the previous disciples had all been sent flying off the martial stage, looking quite disgraced.

While she lost, she was still standing intact on the stage, which was quite decent, no matter how you looked at it.

It wasn’t a terrible loss.

Seeing that a winner had been decided, the crowd below immediately grew lively again.

“Zhijian Peak versus Cangxue Peak, Cangxue Peak wins!”

The refereeing disciple loudly announced the victory, then completed the incomplete ‘Zheng’ character on the slate.

With ten battles completed, Zhou Zhixue also stepped off the stage.

Feng Ning had been waiting for her below for a long time, seemingly wanting to talk to her about something.

Even Feng Ning’s physically challenged younger sister was sitting in the “wheelchair” that Feng Ning had specially made, waving hello to her.

Thus, Zhou Zhixue knew that she had to go over.

“Let me tell you some good news.”

When she approached, Feng Ning winked at her, as if they were very familiar.

Zhou Zhixue wasn’t quite used to such familiarity and subconsciously stepped back half a pace.

As for the ‘good news’ Feng Ning mentioned, she didn’t really care.

In these years, nothing could truly be called ‘good news’ for her.

Zhou Zhixue lowered her eyes somewhat sadly, her fingers unconsciously stroking the Changle sword.

Fortunately, Feng Ning didn’t pay much attention to her silence, just continuing to speak to herself: “It might not exactly be good news, but I’ve been with Master recently and learned a few things.”

The Master Feng Ning referred to was the Sect Leader, Shangguan Yu, Venerable Yu Rong.

Her Senior Martial Aunt.

Zhou Zhixue thought distractedly.

“Master said that recently, the Demon Clan has been moving frequently, and the seal on Cliff Mountain has loosened, showing cracks. Many demons have secretly taken this opportunity to sneak into the Xuantian Realm.”

Oh, the Demon Clan again. What does it matter? Just kill any that come.

“Master has already summoned the various Immortal Sects to discuss plans, intending to use this opportunity to raise the banner and crusade against the Demon Clan. It seems that the Sword Sect disciples traveling abroad will soon be called back to the sect to collectively defend against the demons.”

Feng Ning was still rattling on, but Zhou Zhixue froze.

Calling the disciples back.

Then, will Senior Sister be coming back too?

Just as she was thinking, Feng Ning spoke the next sentence:

“Isn’t your Senior Sister also traveling abroad? It’s been nearly ten years, hasn’t it? She should be coming back this time too, right?”

As soon as her words fell, the sound of fireworks exploding rang out in the sky.

Everyone present looked up, and Zhou Zhixue was no exception.

When the fireworks burst open, they clearly displayed the Sword Sect’s emblem.

This red emblem flickered in the air for three breaths, then scattered completely like celestial maidens spreading flowers. Seemingly sentient, they flew towards the outside of the Sword Sect.

“Ah, it came even faster than I said.”

Feng Ning shielded her eyes with her hand, looking up at the sky, the other hand on her hip: “This is the signal flare calling back the Sword Sect disciples. In a maximum of three days, it will reach the disciples traveling abroad, summoning them back.”

Zhou Zhixue heard her heart pounding.

Senior Sister, will you return?