After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 49

“You… why are you here?”

After a long while, Qin Qingyi finally found her voice. She looked at Zhou Zhixue, who was smiling reservedly at her, and asked dryly.

In fact, what she wanted to ask was why her Junior Sister showed no surprise or panic towards her, who was currently covered in demonic qi.

It was as if… she had always known about this.

How could this be right?

Moreover, why aren’t you staying put on Cangxue Peak? What are you doing here?!

It’s so dangerous here!

But Zhou Zhixue’s smile remained gentle and warm. She looked at her Senior Sister, who was clearly uncomfortable and desperately trying to conceal her demonic qi, and softly replied, “Master sent me.”

“Master said that Senior Sister might be in danger, so she asked Junior Sister to come and look for you.”

“Now that I see Senior Sister is unharmed, Junior Sister is also relieved.”

As she spoke, she walked two steps closer to Qin Qingyi, reaching into her sleeve as if to retrieve something.

Qin Qingyi didn’t know what she was up to, but now that her demon race identity was exposed, and the other party didn’t mention it at all, it couldn’t help but make her wary. Seeing Zhou Zhixue’s movement, she even thought the other was about to take action, causing her to be even more on guard.

She stared intently at Zhou Zhixue, demonic power gradually gathering beneath her feet, ready to flee at the slightest sign of trouble.

After all, the reputation of the Demon Race in the Profound Heaven Realm was currently not good. If Zhou Zhixue saw that she was a demon and wanted to eliminate her to “clean up the sect,” she would have no recourse.

She couldn’t possibly strike first. They were Senior and Junior Sisters after all. The other party might be able to draw a sword against her, but she couldn’t bring herself to harm a fellow disciple.

However, Qin Qingyi was clearly being overly cautious.

Because Zhou Zhixue showed no intention of drawing her sword from beginning to end. Instead, she took out a letter from her sleeve.

“Master entrusted me with this letter to be personally delivered to Senior Sister.”

Zhou Zhixue handed the letter over with both hands.

Although Qin Qingyi was puzzled, seeing the genuine seal of True Person Wen Qing and the inimitable Carefree Sword Qi on the letter, she didn’t doubt it.

She took the letter, and before she could unfold it, the letter automatically opened. Rows of glowing characters floated in the air, shimmering with soft light.

“The matter of Black Water Cliff is already known to me. There is no need to delve deep into the demon lair. Turmoil is imminent. Return to the peak with Zhixue quickly. Specific matters will be discussed after you return.”

Calling her back?

Qin Qingyi was surprised.

She had only been at Black Water Cliff for half a day, and the actions of the Demon Race within were still unclear. Why was she suddenly being recalled?

Also, the “turmoil” mentioned in the letter… what did it mean?

Could it be that a war was about to break out?

It shouldn’t be. Hasn’t the seal barrier not shattered yet?

Even if there were to be a fight, it shouldn’t be now.

But Master specifically told her to return—

She looked at Zhou Zhixue with suspicion. At this point, she couldn’t worry about the fact that the other party had discovered her identity and opened her mouth to ask, “What does Master mean by this?”

To her surprise, Zhou Zhixue shook her head, “I don’t know.”

“Perhaps… Master is simply worried about Senior Sister’s safety, and thus asked Junior Sister to come and meet up with Senior Sister.”

Zhou Zhixue slightly lowered her gaze.

She recalled a few hours ago when she went to find her Master.

Before she could knock on the door, Master opened it. Seeing her, Master didn’t show the slightest surprise, clearly having anticipated her arrival.

“Came to find your Senior Sister?” True Person Wen Qing asked.

Zhou Zhixue paused slightly, lowered her head, and assented.

After a moment, she heard True Person Wen Qing give a light laugh.

Zhou Zhixue didn’t understand the meaning and looked up in confusion.

It was then that a letter was stuffed into her arms, followed by True Person Wen Qing’s voice: “Your Senior Sister is currently at Black Water Cliff. If you want to find her, then go.”

Zhou Zhixue was stunned, about to ask why, after not seeing her for half a day, her Senior Sister was no longer on Cangxue Peak but had traveled thousands of miles to Black Water Cliff.

But before she could speak, True Person Wen Qing’s words arrived again: “If you want to find her, hurry up and go. If you get there at the right time, perhaps you can learn something else.”

“If you go late, perhaps you will only see her corpse.”

Hearing this, Zhou Zhixue’s expression instantly changed. She couldn’t spare a thought for anything else. With a “swoosh,” she stood up and walked outside.

If what Master said was true, and her Senior Sister’s life was at stake, she absolutely couldn’t delay for a moment!

The door closed again behind her. In the distance, she could still hear True Person Wen Qing’s quiet words: “Foolish child…”

Zhou Zhixue didn’t understand the meaning, nor did she have time to ponder True Person Wen Qing’s words. All she knew was that if she went late, her Senior Sister would lose her life. Her heart was anxious, wishing she had wings to quickly reach Black Water Cliff.

After several teleportation talismans, she finally arrived near Black Water Cliff.

But she couldn’t sense her Senior Sister’s presence.

Zhou Zhixue couldn’t help but panic. She spread out her divine sense, trying to search for living beings within a hundred miles, but she didn’t detect any spiritual power fluctuations.

However… she did sense demonic qi fluctuations?

And the silhouette looked exactly like her Senior Sister.

Zhou Zhixue didn’t dare to confirm rashly, lingering a distance behind Qin Qingyi to observe from afar. After confirming that this great demon was indeed her Senior Sister, it took her less than three breaths to convince herself.

Senior Sister is just a demon, not a devil. What’s there to be unacceptable about that?

Besides, perhaps Master knows that Senior Sister is a demon. Why should she be so surprised?

Moreover, although she couldn’t clearly remember her childhood memories since cultivating the Dao of Ruthlessness, she still remembered Senior Sister’s kindness. Senior Sister had taken great care of her. And those soft, warm, fuzzy touches in her sleep when she shared a bed with Senior Sister in childhood… Perhaps that was Senior Sister’s original form?

The more Zhou Zhixue thought about it, the more she felt it was fine. She calmly accepted that Qin Qingyi was a demon.

So what if she’s a demon? Senior Sister has never hurt her; on the contrary, she has been very loving and protective of her. Why should she be wary of Senior Sister?

However, Senior Sister’s gaze just now seemed to be one of caution towards her.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhixue felt a little hurt, but then she thought again: the Demon Race is struggling in the Profound Heaven Realm now. It was entirely normal for Senior Sister to be cautious of her. She ought to do something to keep Senior Sister’s identity a secret.

She thought this way, and she spoke this way: “Senior Sister is so wary of Zhixue now, is it because Zhixue has discovered Senior Sister’s true form?”

“If that is the case, Junior Sister can immediately establish a Heavenly Heart Oath: If I reveal Senior Sister’s true form, may Zhixue be plagued by inner demons, may my cultivation be stagnant for life, may Zhixue perish under heavenly lightning tribulation, and be unable to reincarnate.”

She was incredibly fast. Before Qin Qingyi could react, the light of the Inner Demon Oath flashed and disappeared beneath her feet.

In just a brief moment, the oath had been sworn.

“Hey… you—”

Qin Qingyi didn’t know what to say.

Her emotions were complicated. Although she was slightly wary of Zhou Zhixue, it wasn’t to the extent of needing an oath.

Even if her demon race identity were exposed, at most she would just return to the demon race, which wouldn’t have a big impact on her.

But for cultivators, establishing an Inner Demon Oath is related to future cultivation. Although there is no harm as long as the oath is not broken, cultivators now are generally taciturn, cautious, and avoid ill omens during cultivation, fearing that one wrong word might lead to some unforgivable karma, ultimately causing their cultivation to fail.

But looking at Zhou Zhixue, who had already finished swearing the oath and whose affection for her remained undiminished, Qin Qingyi ultimately said nothing.

Seeing her complicated expression, Zhou Zhixue instead chuckled softly: “Senior Sister doesn’t need to feel guilty about this. In the past, Senior Sister also swore an oath for Junior Sister, vowing to protect Junior Sister’s identity.”

“Besides, it’s just an oath. As long as Junior Sister doesn’t say anything, even a Heavenly Heart Oath can’t touch Junior Sister.”

Zhou Zhixue recalled that when she first arrived at the Sword Sect, this Eldest Senior Sister in front of her also swore a Heavenly Heart Oath to keep the secret of her identity as a descendant of the Human Sovereign.

Therefore, even though Zhou Zhixue is now the well-known rising star of the Sword Sect in the Profound Heaven Realm, a rare genius with a Sword Bone unparalleled in a hundred years.

No one connects her to the identity of a Human Sovereign descendant.

In the consensus of the various immortal sects and rogue cultivators in the Profound Heaven Realm, the lineage of the Human Sovereign had already been slaughtered by the Demon Race a dozen years ago, with no bloodline remaining in the world.

After hearing her say this, the self-reproach in Qin Qingyi’s heart was indeed slightly diluted.

She held True Person Wen Qing’s letter, her heart swaying back and forth.

If she returned to the peak now…

Qin Qingyi turned to look at the massive, dark mass of Black Water Cliff behind her, heavy with thick demonic qi. Her heart sank.

If she returned at this moment, she wouldn’t be able to explore the inside of Black Water Cliff.

She remembered the wolf demon cub that fell out of the demon cocoon she had sliced open not long ago and took a deep breath.

She also… wouldn’t be able to find out why a cub of her demon race appeared in the demon race territory, and what the demon race was doing with her demon race cubs.

Qin Qingyi even suspected that there was likely more than one such demon cocoon inside Black Water Cliff.

The demonic qi here was abnormally thick. The core of the formation she had destroyed was extremely large in its layout. If it were a normal-sized formation, destroying it as she had would have caused the entire formation to collapse and disappear long ago.

But she had destroyed nearly a hundred array cores, and the formation showed no sign of collapsing.

She estimated that there must be hundreds… or even thousands more such array cores!

And those demon cocoons likely numbered at least twenty!

If each cocoon contained a cub of her demon race, or human children… what exactly were the demon race plotting?

Thinking of this, Qin Qingyi’s heart pounded furiously.

She no longer cared about True Person Wen Qing’s words in the letter calling her back. She grabbed Zhou Zhixue’s wrist and asked, “Junior Sister, do you trust me?”

Zhou Zhixue was stunned, then softly replied: “Zhixue naturally trusts Senior Sister.”

“Then, Junior Sister, would you be willing to go with me and re-explore Black Water Cliff?!”

Zhou Zhixue frowned slightly: “But, Master called us back. If we defy Master’s order…”

She paused, then suggested: “Why don’t we come back to explore another time—”

“There’s no time!” Qin Qingyi interrupted her, explaining quickly: “I just encountered a bizarre demon cocoon in Black Water Cliff. After I sliced it open with my sword, a cub of my demon race fell out of the cocoon. The cub was already tainted by demonic qi and showed signs of mutation toward a demonic appearance.”

“I suspect there’s more than one such demon cocoon in this Black Water Cliff. If I don’t explore more, my heart won’t be at peace. Furthermore, I’ve already alarmed the demon race. If they are truly using cubs of various races for some unspeakable scheme, next time we come, they might take advantage of the time gap to move or conceal them further, and we will struggle to find them again.”

“But if we can investigate clearly this time, we can also give the Sword Sect a reason to gather the other immortal sects and launch a joint punitive expedition against the demon race! Doesn’t the entire Sword Sect only lack this one reason right now?”

Qin Qingyi said decisively: “So, this time we absolutely cannot listen to Master and return to the peak. Time waits for no one. If there’s a chance for a discovery, we absolutely cannot let go of this opportunity today!”

“Junior Sister, would you be willing to go with me?!”

Zhou Zhixue’s eyebrows furrowed increasingly with her words, and by the end, her face was solemn.

She met Qin Qingyi’s gaze and said gently: “Junior Sister is naturally willing to go with Senior Sister.”

“Zhixue has been sworn enemies with the demon race since ten years ago.”

Hearing this, Qin Qingyi’s heart was instantly set at ease. She countered by clasping Zhou Zhixue’s wrist and laughed: “In that case, it couldn’t be better.”

In Zhou Zhixue’s slightly surprised gaze, a continuous stream of demonic power was transmitted from Qin Qingyi to Zhou Zhixue through their clasped arms. The rich and powerful demonic qi began at the arm and gradually covered Zhou Zhixue’s entire body.

“This demonic power can last for about five hours. After all, we’re entering a demon lair, so it’s not good to use spiritual power. That would be no different from a firefly in the dark.”

Qin Qingyi explained.

“With the demonic qi as a cover, although it’s still different from demonic qi, it won’t be so conspicuous. Don’t easily use spiritual power unless it’s an emergency. You must remember that.”

Zhou Zhixue nodded.

Seeing that she was indeed covered in demonic qi, making it impossible to judge whether she was human or demon by mere perception, Qin Qingyi nodded in satisfaction.

“Let’s go.”

Zhou Zhixue followed behind Qin Qingyi, plunging into the Black Water Cliff demon lair.