After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 63

“Why was I assigned to your team?”

Bai Qiyue puffed out her cheeks, clearly unhappy.

She stood with her arms crossed, facing Qin Qingyi and the others, scrutinizing them with a critical eye.

The first battle between the cultivators of the Heaven Profound Realm and the Demon Race had erupted at Cliff Mountain, a thousand li away from Jianmen.

That location was the boundary between the Heaven Profound Realm and the Demon Race, a protective barrier built for the younger generation of the Heaven Profound Realm by the ancient Immortals, who had exhausted their cultivation and burned away their lives.

It was the most stable line of defense against the Demon Race’s intrusion into the Heaven Profound Realm.

For millennia, the three barriers—Cliff Mountain in the Heaven Profound Realm, along with the Sixteen Passes of Yan Yun in the Mortal Realm and the River Styx in the Ghost Realm—had ensured the peace of the Three Realms.

But in the past decade or so, the Mortal Realm and the Ghost Realm had successively fallen, leaving only the Cliff Mountain barrier in the Heaven Profound Realm struggling to hold on.

Now, even the Cliff Mountain barrier was riddled with holes, and demons occasionally slipped through the cracks into the Heaven Profound Realm.

Previously, the immortal sects had mostly minded their own business; as long as their own interests weren’t harmed, they often stood by, ignoring worldly affairs.

However, after the discussion among the Sect Masters and Elders that day, the horn of battle was sounded.

All available forces from the Hundred Immortal Sects quickly coalesced, united to fight the demons. The sects practically emptied their ranks, sending disciples in all directions to root out and eliminate the demons.

To ensure that every team’s strength was sufficiently balanced, all sect disciples were dispersed and then reformed into new teams, guaranteeing adequate combat power in each unit.

Bai Qiyue, by an unfortunate coincidence, was assigned to the same team as Qin Qingyi and the others.

The four disciples of Snow-Hoarding Peak, plus Bai Qiyue, made up a five-person squad.

Bai Qiyue was clearly displeased with the arrangement.

But no one paid attention to her.

The four disciples of Snow-Hoarding Peak were busy checking their supplies, ensuring they wouldn’t need extra replenishment, even if they encountered an emergency, for the next month.

“If you’re ready, let’s set off.”

As the senior disciple, Qin Qingyi proactively took on the role of the squad leader.

The other three nodded in agreement.

Just then, Feng Ning walked over. Seeing them ready to depart, she also nodded in acknowledgment.

“Are you all heading out too?”

Qin Qingyi nodded.

She looked past Feng Ning, her gaze sweeping over the few disciples behind her who were clearly at odds, their eye contact almost sparking flames. Qin Qingyi couldn’t help but wear a slightly schadenfreude expression.

“What’s going on?”

She pulled Feng Ning closer, glancing at the others as she inquired about the reason.

“Why are you leading them?”

In this team, aside from Feng Ning, who was a Jianmen disciple, the rest were from other sects.

If Qin Qingyi wasn’t mistaken, besides the bald Buddhist disciple cloaked in golden light, supposedly the reincarnation of a ten-lifetime benevolent soul, the person standing next to him was the Daoist heir of Kunwu Sect, who was most antagonistic towards the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple.

The other two female disciples were also constantly bickering. Qin Qingyi clearly remembered that disciples from those two sects always belittled and mocked each other when traveling. Forcing the two of them to team up now—wasn’t that asking for trouble?

Why was Feng Ning leading such a team?

Which ill-mannered person had put these people together?

Seeing the smile in Qin Qingyi’s eyes nearly overflow, Feng Ning looked even more helpless.

“Do you think I wanted this?”

As the squad leader, and not having the top cultivation among them, Feng Ning was truly exasperated with this team.

“If I could, I’d naturally prefer to stay in Jianmen every day, discussing the Dao and practicing the sword with Xiao Ying. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Feng Ning sighed deeply. She rubbed the Transverse Star Sword hanging at her waist, her eyes full of tenderness as her hand brushed the sword tassel.

“Then pray that this ends quickly. After all, won’t it be our turn next month? Just bear with it. Once we return, you can finally relax.”

Qin Qingyi patted her shoulder sympathetically.

As the most crucial barrier, Cliff Mountain was assigned to be guarded by the most elite disciples and elders of various sects. The task of guarding Cliff Mountain rotated. The first month was led by Feng Ning, and the second month would be by Snow-Hoarding Peak, led by Qin Qingyi.

While a month might pass quickly, a team like this might struggle to maintain peace for that long.

She could only hope they wouldn’t start fighting on the very first day.

Feng Ning sighed again, said her goodbyes, and led her team towards Cliff Mountain.

Seeing them leave, Zhou Zhixue finally walked up to Qin Qingyi and whispered, “Senior Sister, let’s go too.”

“Alright, we’re off.”

But before leaving, Qin Qingyi still looked at Bai Qiyue, who was sulking nearby, and asked, “Are you coming or not? If you’re not, go explain the situation to the Elder so I can find someone else for the team.”

Demon-slaying squads were grouped in fives. If Bai Qiyue withdrew, she would have to find another person to fill the void.

Seeing the urgency, Bai Qiyue reluctantly joined the group.

Hu Yu grinned at her arrival: “If you don’t want to go, you can naturally return to your comfortable nest in Medicine King Valley. Someone will always shelter you there. The demonic frontline isn’t as safe as you imagine. Everyone is likely to lose their lives.”

Hu Yu’s words were harsh, but they were the truth.

Qin Qingyi didn’t stop his rashness.

The destination for their team was none other than Blackwater Cliff, the very place Qin Qingyi had explored recently.

Others might not know the danger of the Blackwater Demon Den, but she was intimately familiar with it. A place where she had nearly lost her life was indeed fraught with peril.

Furthermore, after her previous visit, the alert level at Blackwater Cliff was likely even more terrifying than before.

If Bai Qiyue was genuinely afraid and didn’t want to go, she wouldn’t force her.

However, Qin Qingyi saw a few flickers of struggle on Bai Qiyue’s face, but in the end, she stepped into the formation: “I’ll go!”

Seeing that she had made up her mind, Qin Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief.

If possible, it was better for Bai Qiyue to be on their team.

Regardless, her status as the Saintess of Medicine King Valley was undisputed. Having such a powerful medical cultivator would significantly boost their strength.

Once Bai Qiyue was in place, Qin Qingyi immediately took out spirit stones and quickly set up a teleportation array.

Jianmen was too far from Blackwater Cliff. Flying all the way would not only be too exhausting but also a waste of time.

Others were already fighting on the battlefield, yet they would still be en route—that wouldn’t do.

Fortunately, she had left a marker at Blackwater Cliff last time. Now, all she needed to do was activate the teleportation array, and they could bypass the long journey and directly reach Blackwater Cliff.

Once the array was set up, Qin Qingyi also stepped in. The five people joined hands, standing in a circle.

Seeing the array light up, Bai Qiyue nervously closed her eyes.

She only heard Qin Qingyi’s voice: “Stand firm.”

Then, an intense feeling of weightlessness enveloped their bodies, followed by the sound of howling wind.

Bai Qiyue cried out nervously.

Hu Yu, beside her, was irritated by her shouts, but the wind was too loud, so he could only yell for Bai Qiyue to shut up.

Zhou Zhixue tightly held Qin Qingyi’s hand, pressing her lips together. She opened her eyes amidst the strong sense of weightlessness, looking at Qin Qingyi beside her. Her grip on their clasped hands tightened. Even though the tearing sensation made their bodies levitate and their clasped hands began to ache, she never let go.

But the fierce gale still scattered the five of them, sending them stumbling within the teleportation tunnel.

Zhou Zhixue watched the person about to slip away, her heart pounding. She subconsciously reached out to grab Qin Qingyi but couldn’t reach her.

“Don’t panic. We’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Don’t fight against this force; relax a bit, and you won’t get hurt.”

Qin Qingyi transmitted her voice to the others, and then she, too, followed the gale forward.

Fifteen minutes later, the weightlessness vanished, and the group landed on the grass.

However, unlike the others, who landed on their feet in a composed manner, Bai Qiyue’s body fell toward the ground. She had been too nervous in the teleportation tunnel and hadn’t adjusted her landing posture.

Fortunately, Qin Qingyi was quick enough to support her with spiritual energy. Otherwise, that fall alone would have hurt.

“Thank you.” After landing, Bai Qiyue blushed and thanked Qin Qingyi awkwardly.

But Qin Qingyi just waved her hand: “It was nothing.”

“We’ll be relying on you for healing later. Protecting the healer is our duty.”

Zhou Zhixue glanced at Bai Qiyue and said nothing, merely walking straight to Qin Qingyi’s side.

Bai Qiyue felt confused.

She had only said thank you, so why was this person looking at her with such a guarded expression?

She… hadn’t provoked her, had she?

The pampered young lady, Bai Qiyue, had completely forgotten the trouble she had caused others in the past.

Xie Su hadn’t spoken the entire way, but now that they had landed, his eyes were fixed on the Blackwater Demon Den not far away.

Hu Yu was the same. The usually most energetic person was now staring directly at the Blackwater Demon Den, just like Xie Su, his breathing heavy.

After a moment, Hu Yu turned his head to Qin Qingyi:

“Senior Sister, is that the demon race’s lair?”

His voice was a little hoarse, and his eyes were tinged with red as he questioned Qin Qingyi.

Qin Qingyi was startled at first, then, remembering Xie Su and Hu Yu’s identities, she sighed:

“According to my last scout, that is indeed one of the demon race’s lairs.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Su and Hu Yu had already drawn their swords, their spiritual energy surging, clearly looking like they were about to charge in and kill every demon they saw.

Bai Qiyue was startled, and Zhou Zhixue’s eyes widened in surprise.

They didn’t understand why these two had suddenly become so ferocious.

But Qin Qingyi knew, and because she knew, she felt even more compelled to caution them.

“I know what’s on both your minds—you want to seek revenge from the demon race. I won’t stop you, but you must also be mindful of limits. Don’t let yourselves be lost in there.”

Xie Su and Hu Yu were both children rescued by True Master Wen Qing from a demon lair. Their parents were killed by demons, leaving a deep blood feud in their hearts. Now, seeing the demon race, they were naturally filled with grief and hatred, desperate to kill every demon.

Qin Qingyi turned to look at the Blackwater Demon Den. Demon energy surged there, more horrifying than what she had seen a while ago.

She sternly said to the two: “Don’t lose yourselves in there. Remember to come back, or I won’t know how to explain to Master.”

The two nodded, then, without hesitation, immediately flew towards the area where the demon energy was surging, swords in hand.

Today was the day the demon race would pay its blood debt!

“What about us?”

Bai Qiyue was a little flustered, seeing that the team was suddenly short of two people.

“No rush. We have a different mission.”

Qin Qingyi raised an eyebrow and took out three sets of demon attire from her storage bracelet. She had stripped these off the demons she killed last time.

Distributing the clothes to Zhou Zhixue and Bai Qiyue, Qin Qingyi finally spoke: “Xie Su and Hu Yu will handle the frontal battle. We need to infiltrate the interior to explore what lies deeper within the demon den.”

Bai Qiyue picked up the set of demon-energy-shrouded clothes with two fingers, her face clearly showing disgust: “What is this trash? And you expect this young lady to wear it?”

Though Zhou Zhixue wasn’t as repulsed, her eyes held a hint of helplessness as she looked at Qin Qingyi. Holding the set of clothes, she said awkwardly, “Senior Sister, do we really have to wear them?”

She remembered last time they didn’t have to wear them.

But Qin Qingyi nodded gravely: “You must wear them.”

Not only did they have to wear them, but Qin Qingyi also took out a bottle of pills and gave one to each of them: “Swallow this.”

This time, Zhou Zhixue didn’t hesitate. She took it, put it in her mouth, and swallowed it without a second’s delay.

Bai Qiyue’s mouth twitched at the sight: “Aren’t you afraid it’s poison?”

With that, she looked at the pitch-black pill, which clearly radiated an ominous aura. She prepared for a long time but still couldn’t bring herself to swallow it.

Zhou Zhixue didn’t want to engage with her, but the next moment, she felt a burning sensation in her dantian, scalding her meridians and causing a subtle ache.

Her face turned pale with pain. Seeing this, Bai Qiyue cried out in alarm, becoming even more terrified and absolutely refusing to take the pill.

But in less than ten breaths, Bai Qiyue watched Zhou Zhixue gradually become engulfed by demon energy. Her eyes shifted from surprise to fear, and she finally huddled behind Qin Qingyi, trembling.

“She, how did she become a demon?”