After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 84

“Rumble————”

A clap of thunder startled everyone awake.

Shangguan Yu looked up towards the sky.

After sensing the thunder clouds pressing lower and lower, with the tribulation lightning eager to strike, Shangguan Yu narrowed her eyes.

“No time left,” she muttered.

Just as her words fell, another bolt of tribulation lightning pierced the sky and landed directly on the True Master Wen Qing, who was suspended in mid-air.

Her white robes fluttered, looking so tiny beneath the lightning. With just one strike, she was knocked down from the air, like a white crane with a broken wing, crashing heavily.

“Shizun!!!”

Qin Qingyi could no longer restrain herself. Seeing True Master Wen Qing fall, she struggled to break free from Zhou Zhixue’s embrace and flew towards the spot.

But she was ultimately a step too late.

By the time she arrived, True Master Wen Qing had already crashed to the ground, creating a massive crater beneath her.

There was still some time before the next bolt of tribulation lightning fell, and Qin Qingyi quickly flew to True Master Wen Qing’s side.

True Master Wen Qing was woken by this heavy blow, but as soon as she opened her eyes, she gasped and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, staining her already filthy robes once more.

When the first bolt of lightning fell, she was still unconscious and completely unprepared, naturally suffering severe injuries.

The groggy True Master Wen Qing placed her hand on her lower abdomen, feeling her damaged Dantian and meridians, and forced a bitter smile.

She had miscalculated.

“Shizun!”

Qin Qingyi was extremely anxious. She rushed to True Master Wen Qing’s side and quickly fed a pill from her sleeve into the other party’s mouth.

Watching the pill take effect, the surging yet gentle medicinal power continuously repaired her meridians, and True Master Wen Qing’s complexion improved slightly.

She looked at the worried Qin Qingyi and sighed softly, “Why did you come?”

It was too dangerous here. The tribulation lightning could strike at any moment. Even she, when caught unprepared, would be severely injured, let alone her disciple, who usually wasn’t keen on cultivation.

“Hurry and leave. What if you get hurt?”

True Master Wen Qing’s gaze carried a hint of reproach. She reached out to push Qin Qingyi away. “Quickly leave, don’t stay.”

“Shizun, what exactly is going on? Why did you willingly allow the devil seed to parasitize you?” Qin Qingyi asked tearfully, kneeling in front of True Master Wen Qing.

She was referring to the scene in the spirit-recording stone, where True Master Wen Qing willingly approached the devil seed and allowed it into her body.

True Master Wen Qing was at a loss for words. She anxiously looked at the menacing thunder tribulation above, fearing that the lightning would injure Qin Qingyi when it struck, so she could only vaguely fob her off:

“This matter is hard to explain. You should leave first. I will tell you in detail after I pass the tribulation.”

But Qin Qingyi held onto her hand and refused to leave no matter how much she was urged.

True Master Wen Qing was momentarily furious but couldn’t bring herself to be harsh with her disciple.

Qin Qingyi was sobbing uncontrollably, her face still streaked with tears, yet she stubbornly refused to let go.

Shizun was severely injured and now parasitized by a devil seed. How could she stand by and do nothing?

If she could, she would rather take the suffering for Shizun herself.

Just then, Zhou Zhixue and the others, along with Shangguan Yu and the other elders of the Sword Sect, also arrived. However, due to the presence of the Ascension Thunder Tribulation, no one dared to move closer. Only a few disciples from Hidden Snow Peak and Shangguan Yu walked forward.

They understood why Qin Qingyi was holding onto True Master Wen Qing and refusing to let go.

“Shizun.” Zhou Zhixue also walked to True Master Wen Qing’s side, her eyes filled with unconcealed worry.

She naturally saw True Master Wen Qing’s partially demonized body.

“Come here.”

She was equally gentle and extended her other hand toward Zhou Zhixue.

Zhou Zhixue complied obediently.

True Master Wen Qing’s gaze scanned her two disciples. Seeing that neither of them was injured, she smiled contentedly.

“The two of you have worked hard guarding Mount Cliff.”

Qin Qingyi buried her face in her master’s palm, sobbing softly, while Zhou Zhixue gently shook her head, “It’s not hard, Shizun.”

But the next moment, True Master Wen Qing softly refuted her, “How is it not hard? Mount Cliff is bitterly cold, it must be the hardest.”

Zhou Zhixue didn’t argue further. She simply looked up, her gaze towards True Master Wen Qing filled with confusion, “Did Shizun choose this for another reason?”

Zhou Zhixue had lived and grown up on Hidden Snow Peak for over ten years and felt she understood True Master Wen Qing’s temperament. But this situation, sacrificing herself to the devil seed in exchange for a chance at ascension, didn’t seem like something Shizun would do.

True Master Wen Qing smiled and nodded, “Of course.”

Shangguan Yu also walked over and forcefully stuffed a magical artifact capable of warding off the lightning tribulation into True Master Wen Qing’s hand.

“Although I don’t know what you intend, I believe you wouldn’t put yourself in danger,” Shangguan Yu carefully instructed.

True Master Wen Qing merely smiled, didn’t refuse, and thanked her sincerely, “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

However, before they could chat for long, the rolling thunder clouds in the sky began to press down again. Seeing the momentum of the thunder clouds, True Master Wen Qing propped herself up with her sword.

Perhaps sensing the presence of too many unrelated people near the one undergoing the tribulation, the thunder rumbled non-stop, warning those who were not involved to leave quickly.

Qin Qingyi held True Master Wen Qing’s hand, reluctant to leave.

“Shizun…”

True Master Wen Qing looked at her, her voice still gentle, but the words she spoke were to drive her away:

“Alright, save the rest of the sweet talk for later. Wait until I pass the tribulation, and we can reminisce then.”

She spoke lightly, but everyone could clearly see the deep signs of demonization clinging to her body. Strands of demonic energy were constantly eroding her body, and the previous bolt of tribulation lightning had already damaged her foundation.

Before Qin Qingyi could speak again, True Master Wen Qing swept out with a palm force, sending Qin Qingyi and Zhou Zhixue into Shangguan Yu’s arms.

“Senior Sister, I entrust you to look after my disciples. Don’t let this reckless lightning tribulation hurt them.”

Shangguan Yu naturally agreed. She held the two of them with both hands, then threw out a silk brocade to wrap Xie Su and Hu Yu, who hadn’t had a chance to speak, and quickly retreated out of the lightning tribulation area.

“Shizun!!!”

Qin Qingyi’s eyes were teary, full of reluctance.

Zhou Zhixue turned her head to comfort her, “Senior Sister, don’t worry. Shizun will be fine.”

“Rumble————”

Just as they retreated from the tribulation area, the second bolt of lightning crashed down, illuminating half the sky.

The second bolt of lightning was more powerful than the first. Perhaps sensing the demonic energy on the one undergoing the tribulation, the second bolt of lightning carried a hint of punishment.

The Heavenly Dao of the Xuan Tian Realm was extremely repulsive to the demonic race, so it naturally had no kindness towards the current half-human, half-demon Wen Qing.

Fortunately, True Master Wen Qing was conscious this time and prepared. When she saw the lightning strike, she raised her sword to block it.

As the inheritor of the Carefree Sword, True Master Wen Qing’s strength was naturally not to be underestimated. Even though half of her body was now occupied by the devil seed, reducing her former strength to less than twenty percent, she was still a powerhouse of the current age. A mere lightning tribulation was not yet a threat.

Indeed, although the lightning tribulation was imposing, shaking the surrounding mountains when it struck, when the lightning dissipated, True Master Wen Qing stood calmly in place, not having suffered any serious harm.

She waved her sword towards the crowd from afar, indicating that she was fine.

Seeing this clarity, many people, including Shangguan Yu, breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that she was unharmed.

The subsequent lightning tribulation did not give True Master Wen Qing much rest time. Bolt after bolt struck down, often following closely before the previous one had completely disappeared.

Furthermore, because of the demonic energy on True Master Wen Qing, the lightning tribulation became furious when it failed to disperse the demonic energy. The thunder clouds in the sky churned, and the lightning bolts that fell were fiercer than the last, causing people to hold their breath in fear.

The crowd outside the tribulation area watched anxiously, fearing any further mishaps.

It wasn’t until all eighty-one bolts of lightning had fallen, and the rumbling of thunder reverberated through the sky, that the thunder clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, albeit reluctantly.

The lightning tribulation was over.

The crowd was greatly excited upon realizing this.

Because after the Ascension Thunder Tribulation, without exception, the Stairway to Heaven for Ascension should descend to welcome the ascended person who had successfully passed the tribulation to the Upper Realm.

In the past, the Stairway to Heaven for Ascension was broken, and no one dared to think about ascension anymore.

But now, True Master Wen Qing said she had found a method for ascension. Although this method currently seemed to involve significant self-loss and the risky action of sacrificing oneself to the devil, if she truly could ascend, once in the Upper Realm, what was there to fear from a mere devil seed trying to possess her?

It probably wouldn’t take much effort to make that arrogant devil seed vanish into thin air, utterly destroyed in this corner of the world.

Everyone was feeling fervent, just waiting for True Master Wen Qing’s next move.

But the disciples of Hidden Snow Peak didn’t think this way. For them, Shizun’s well-being was the most important thing.

Qin Qingyi was the most impatient, rushing forward first to greet True Master Wen Qing, who was slowly walking toward them.

“Shizun, are you alright?”

Her worried gaze swept over True Master Wen Qing’s entire body. Seeing that she was completely unharmed and had even healed her previous injuries under the lightning tribulation’s cleansing, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, when she saw the devil seed occupying half of Shizun’s body, her eyes couldn’t help but redden again.

Seeing her genuinely worried, True Master Wen Qing smiled.

She raised her hand and gently stroked her disciple’s ear, comforting her softly:

“Don’t be afraid. I’m fine.”

“A mere devil seed, I don’t take it to heart.”

She completely avoided mentioning her own predicament, only comforting her eldest disciple.

She knew the little fox’s temperament. She didn’t like to shoulder responsibilities, didn’t like to cause trouble, and usually just loved to sleep and wasn’t fond of cultivation. In the past, with her protection, it didn’t matter. But now that the Xuan Tian Realm was at war with the demonic race, she must have suffered quite a bit.

It shouldn’t have been this way, True Master Wen Qing was filled with pity.

When she picked up the little fox, she never thought of letting the little one endure too many hardships. The little fox didn’t like cultivation and didn’t want to suffer, and she always indulged her. At that time, she always thought that with her around, protecting her, the little fox would certainly not suffer.

But now—

True Master Wen Qing felt the completely refreshed immortal energy within her body. She knew that this immortal energy, which was infused back into her body after the lightning tribulation’s baptism, no longer belonged to this world.

Moreover, she had faintly sensed the Heavenly Dao’s targeting of her, and the call from the gate to the Upper Realm.

Even her body gradually felt an irresistible pull, as if it wanted to take her somewhere else.

She was about to leave.

Perhaps in a moment, she would have to leave this place.

Realizing this, True Master Wen Qing immediately dared not delay any further.

“Qingyi, calm down first. I have something to tell you.”

She had to quickly say what she knew, or else, there might not be enough time.

Tears shimmered in Qin Qingyi’s eyes, and her voice was laced with a choking sob, “Shizun, are you leaving?”

Before she could finish her sentence, gasps of astonishment erupted behind her.

“The Stairway to Heaven! The Stairway to Heaven has appeared!!”

“This method really can lead to ascension!!!”

“True Master Wen Qing has actually succeeded!!!”