After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 76

“If I don’t agree?” Zhou Zhixue’s eyes were red, and her voice was halting, one word at a time.

She stared intensely at Qin Qingyi, refusing to miss any flicker of evasion in her eyes.

“Am I that worthless in your eyes, Senior Sister? So worthless that you won’t even spare me a glance?!”

Her words were full of anguish, and she tightly clutched Qin Qingyi’s hand. Grief spilled from her eyes, and her voice was choked with sobs.

“No…” Qin Qingyi wanted to deny it.

But when she turned her head and clearly saw Zhou Zhixue’s sorrow, she fell silent.

“I didn’t mean that…”

She wanted to explain, but her lowered eyelids concealed her confusion. “I was just thinking… if you forget what happened today, perhaps it could clear the obstacles in your cultivation…”

“Then why didn’t Senior Sister ask for my opinion?!”

“What if I don’t want my memory erased? What if this isn’t an obstacle to me?!”

“Senior Sister, what if I already harbor feelings for you? What if this is what I willingly choose, and I embrace it?!”

In the end, Qin Qingyi couldn’t bring herself to erase Zhou Zhixue’s memory.

Perhaps it was a moment of weakness, or maybe the other’s eyes were simply too hurt, but Qin Qingyi ultimately couldn’t go through with it.

She fled down the mountain in a flustered and embarrassed state, completely missing the tears that slid down Zhou Zhixue’s cheeks behind her.

After descending the mountain, Qin Qingyi first encountered Xie Su and Hu Yu, who had returned to Hidden Snow Peak. After briefly confirming her safety, Qin Qingyi went to see Venerable Wen Qing, reporting her well-being and also informing her about the demonic seed in the Blood Pool of Black Water Cliff.

Upon learning of the demonic seed, Venerable Wen Qing pondered for a long time before saying, “A few days ago, your master saw something very similar to your description at Qidong Mountain, though there were some differences from what you said.”

Venerable Wen Qing recounted what she had seen and heard at Qidong Mountain in detail, finally summarizing:

“If your master is not mistaken, the situation at Qidong Mountain seems to have already completed the process of ‘seizing the body and reincarnating’.”

Qin Qingyi’s heart sank upon hearing this.

“If that’s the case, Qidong Mountain is extremely dangerous.”

The two talked for a long time in the room until late at night before Qin Qingyi finally emerged from Venerable Wen Qing’s room.

When she came out, the moon was high above Hidden Snow Peak. She pushed open the door and was about to step out, but the corner of a garment revealed at the doorway blocked her way. Pausing slightly, Qin Qingyi looked up and saw that it was Zhou Zhixue, and her expression softened.

Seeing the redness around the other’s eyes, Qin Qingyi instinctively asked with concern:

“Junior Sister, your eyes—”

“Senior Sister, please don’t block the way.”

Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhixue’s voice was cold and directly cut her off.

Qin Qingyi subconsciously moved aside, yielding a path.

As they brushed past, the unique icy, snowy scent belonging to Zhou Zhixue lingered for an instant before dissipating.

After the person walked inside, she instinctively turned around, wanting to say something, but the door was closed right in front of her.

Qin Qingyi blinked, lowering the hand she had intended to raise in greeting.

Junior Sister doesn’t want to talk to me.

This was the first time Qin Qingyi had such a tangible feeling.

It’s understandable.

The words she had spoken earlier that day were harsh enough to anger anyone.

It was only natural that Junior Sister didn’t want to speak to her.

Having figured this out, Qin Qingyi took a deep breath, turned around, and decided to leave.

It wasn’t that she was unwilling to accept Junior Sister’s feelings, but… Qin Qingyi clutched her chaotic heart.

Her expression was lost, and she nervously gripped her sleeve.

She really didn’t know if her feelings for Junior Sister were truly love.

Or were they merely simple camaraderie between fellow disciples?

Qin Qingyi truly didn’t know.

Standing under the eaves, gazing at the starry sky, she was overwhelmed by such a sense of helplessness for the first time.

She turned her head again and looked at the softly illuminated door inside. It was very quiet, unnaturally quiet.

Junior Sister probably has many things to discuss with Master. It’s not appropriate for me to stay here.

Thinking this, Qin Qingyi turned her head, lifted her foot, and left the place.

However, she didn’t know that after she turned and left, Zhou Zhixue, separated from her by only a door, finally released the hand pressing against the door panel and slowly walked toward Venerable Wen Qing.

She knelt down directly, bowing deeply with her head to the ground, yet she remained silent.

After a long while, it was Venerable Wen Qing who sighed and asked her, “Do you regret it?”

Zhou Zhixue stood up and shook her head, “This disciple does not regret it.”

Venerable Wen Qing pressed, “Even if she is still unwilling, and holds no personal affection for you, are you still willing?”

“This disciple embraces it wholeheartedly.”

Seeing that she was truly determined to pursue this path despite the odds, Venerable Wen Qing lightly chastised, “Foolish child.”

How could she not know of her young apprentice’s unusual feelings for her Senior Sister?

Moreover, with just a glance, she could tell that the two were intimately intertwined today, with their auras entangled, one within the other.

This certainly meant they had cultivated together.

Although she didn’t know the cause, seeing her young apprentice’s red-rimmed eyes and the Elder Disciple’s complete silence on the matter, she knew the outcome was likely not pleasant.

Zhou Zhixue kept her head lowered, her back straight, remaining still as a block of wood despite Venerable Wen Qing’s reprimands.

“Your master had calculated long ago that your fates were deeply entwined. I even tried to use means to separate you, but the more I intervened, the deeper your entanglement became.”

Zhou Zhixue remained silent.

Seeing that she was truly oblivious and showed no intention of cutting off the emotional connection, Venerable Wen Qing knew this was a tribulation she could neither avoid nor was willing to avoid.

She could only sigh heavily and wearily wave her hand:

“Fine, fine, let it be. Whatever stage you reach will be your destiny.”

“For now, you both should remain in the peak to cultivate. The situation at Qidong Mountain is complex. After your master investigates the situation, I will take you to eradicate the demons.”

Zhou Zhixue bowed deeply, “Thank you, Master.”

Consequently, for several days in a row, the disciples of Hidden Snow Peak practiced in seclusion within the peak.

Inside the room, Qin Qingyi lightly stroked the rusted sword left by the Immortal Venerable Wu Wang, infusing spiritual power into it. Immediately, the sword light flared brightly.

Qin Qingyi closed her eyes, sensing the things that emerged in her mind from the sword.

That was the Way of the Sword and the Sword Intent left to her by the Immortal Venerable Wu Wang—

The Way of the Sword and the Sword Intent of entering the Dao through killing.

Before falling into slumber, the Immortal Venerable Wu Wang told her that inheriting her legacy might be helpful to the current situation in the Profound Heaven Realm.

This made Qin Qingyi take notice.

A transcender from a thousand years ago, and the ancestor of her demon clan—although she didn’t know why the demon clan’s genealogy had no record of the Immortal Venerable Wu Wang, this didn’t prevent the Immortal Venerable Wu Wang from being an extremely powerful cultivator.

Qin Qingyi patiently comprehended the Way of the Sword left to her by the other party. This comprehension lasted for several days.

By the time she comprehended the first level of the Way of Slaughter, she was almost spiritually exhausted.

But correspondingly, her understanding of the sword had deepened significantly.

Not only that, even her strength, which had only advanced a few days ago, showed some loosening, subtly indicating another impending breakthrough to a minor stage.

This surprised her greatly.

However, with her spiritual power drained and her spirit utterly weary, Qin Qingyi was no cultivation fanatic, so she naturally needed to rest.

Resting, of course, also meant going out for a walk.

She had just stepped out when she encountered Zhou Zhixue.

“Junior Sister.” Qin Qingyi’s expression was a little stiff.

Zhou Zhixue’s expression was unremarkable, calm and distant: “Senior Sister, are you well?”

Qin Qingyi nodded distractedly in response.

After that, the two fell silent. Yet, Hidden Snow Peak had only this one path; no matter where she wanted to go, she had to take this road to leave Hidden Snow Peak.

Qin Qingyi didn’t know where she should go, so she thought about walking slowly to let Junior Sister go first.

But for some reason, as her pace slowed, Junior Sister’s pace also slowed. The two walked leisurely side by side on the same path, the silence between them somewhat awkward.

To be honest, she had been engrossed in cultivation all these days and hadn’t yet figured out how to face Junior Sister. Today’s meeting was somewhat sudden.

Her words that day were too harsh and must have hurt Junior Sister deeply.

Thinking of this, Qin Qingyi felt slightly apologetic and wanted to say something to make amends.

But after much thought, she couldn’t come up with a good topic.

Just as she was scratching her head and pondering what to say, a deafening rumble came from a distance. It was like the heavens were collapsing and the earth was splitting, and when the sound reached Hidden Snow Peak, it even caused the entire peak to shake, the earth trembling and making people fearful.

Feeling the vibrations beneath their feet, the two exchanged glances and simultaneously looked towards the source of the sound.

Yashan!

That place was already shrouded in demonic energy, but at this moment, the dense demonic energy was churning, blotting out the sky, looking extremely ominous.

In the next moment, the alarm of the Sword Sect also sounded.

The sound of the horn was calling the Sword Sect disciples to gather.

The two didn’t have time to worry about anything else and hurried to the training grounds, where they learned from the disciples who had just retreated from Yashan:

“The demons attacking and defending at Yashan have, for some unknown reason, produced an exceptionally formidable demonic general these past two days. They have launched more than ten attacks, seemingly determined to break through our immortal sect’s defense line. Each attack has been fiercer than the last, and we are almost unable to hold on.”

The disciple who retreated had minor injuries and was almost exhausted of spiritual power. He bitterly described the tragic situation on the Yashan battlefield to everyone:

“That demonic general is utterly ruthless. Anyone she gets close to is practically certain to lose their life. Dozens of immortal sect disciples have already perished at her hands. The morale on the immortal sect’s side is low, while the demons’ morale is high.”

“If any of you Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters have the strength to fight, please go and support Yashan. Otherwise, I genuinely fear that one day, we disciples alone will truly be overwhelmed by the demons, and they will charge directly into the Sword Sect.”

He had been sent back to recover from his injuries. Although not severely wounded, his dominant sword-wielding right arm was affected, forcing him to withdraw from the battlefield.

However, his desire to kill demons was strong, and every time he saw his bandaged arm, he couldn’t help but sigh in frustration.

After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

Since the Immortal-Demon Great War began, the strongest forces of all sects and clans were dispersed, heading respectively to the borders where the Profound Heaven Realm met the Human Realm and the Underworld.

Currently, besides the Profound Heaven Realm, the other two realms have been conquered by the demons. Counterattacking from these two points is also to gradually reclaim the Human Realm and the Underworld, rescuing the suffering compatriots in those realms, and restoring some of the collective strength to resist the demons.

Apart from the first batch of the strongest forces, another group of people remained in their respective sects to guard the sect and prevent the demons from launching surprise attacks that could lead to the destruction of the sect.

The Sword Sect had the largest number of people sent to the various battlefields. Anyone above the Golden Core stage, be it elders or disciples, were all dispatched to fight.

This resulted in a depletion of fighting strength within the Sword Sect. Even the Sect Master was sent to the battlefield in the Underworld, let alone other elders. Currently, only the Old Ancestor and a few scattered disciples remained to guard the sect.

Given this, the fighting strength that could be allocated to Yashan was minimal. There had been reinforcements after the Yashan seal broke, but as the situation at Yashan stabilized, those reinforcements gradually dispersed. Now, only the Sword Sect’s Chief Disciple, Feng Ning, and a multitude of disciples from various other sects were stationed at Yashan.

With such limited fighting strength against an increasingly powerful demonic race, the collapse of Yashan was only a matter of time.

Having clarified the current situation at Yashan, Qin Qingyi turned to Zhou Zhixue.

“Junior Sister, are you willing to go with me to support Feng Ning?”