After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 99

“I command you all to take an oath right now: swear allegiance to Qingyi as the Empress. Should you break this oath, you will perish, body and soul, and never enter the cycle of reincarnation!”

Qin Boruo’s words were too sharp, and for a moment, the hall fell silent; no demon dared to speak.

This was an extremely cruel oath. Cultivation was already difficult for the demon race. Although protected by the Goddess, a demon had to first cultivate a human form to stand on almost equal footing with the human race, then walk a more arduous path, and continue to cultivate diligently to earn even a sliver of favor from the Heavenly Dao.

Now, Qin Boruo demanded that the demons take an oath, one that promised eternal damnation—complete annihilation of the soul with no afterlife—should they break it. Naturally, this caused the demons to hesitate, and for a while, they could only watch and wait, afraid to be the first to step forward.

The demons looked left and right, noticing the same hesitation in their companions’ eyes, making them even more reluctant to speak. However, the silence did not last long before demons began to bow and kneel one after another:

“We shall obey the Empress’s command. We are willing to honor the Young Lord as the new Empress. Should we break this oath, we will perish, body and soul, and never enter the cycle of reincarnation!”

These were the demons most loyal to the Empress. Some had received the Empress’s benevolence, such as the Wolf Tribe. When Qin Qingyi exposed the schemes of the Devil Race and risked her life to bring back the corpses of the wolf pups, the Wolf Tribe swore eternal allegiance to the Empress and Qin Boruo. They made a solemn promise at the time: they would face a myriad of deaths if the Empress commanded it.

Others had their lives saved by the Empress, like Yan Li, who was either unprotected as a youth or whose whole clan was saved when Qin Boruo intervened during a Devil Race invasion. They, too, had long sworn loyalty to the Empress.

They were the first to kneel, holding deep loyalty and trust for the Empress. They kowtowed heavily, swearing their eternal allegiance to the new Empress at this moment.

Once some demons took the lead, the rest naturally did not hold out for long. They had no strong opposing stance, merely wanting to secure their own benefits and protect their clans. Seeing that the general situation was settled, they immediately stopped hesitating and knelt down one after another.

Before long, the hall was filled with kneeling demons.

“We are willing to obey the Empress’s words and honor the Young Lord as the new Empress.”

“Honor the Young Lord as the new Empress. Should we break this oath, we will perish, body and soul, and never enter the cycle of reincarnation!”

The collective voices of the demons shook the heavens, and there was no further dissent.

The radiance of the Heaven-and-Earth Heart Oath appeared sequentially beneath the demons, gradually converging into an extremely powerful white light. Then the white light dissipated, and the Heart Oath was established.

From this moment on, they would never betray the oath they had just taken.

To honor the Young Lord as the new Empress would become the commitment they must henceforth uphold and practice.

Should they break this oath, Heaven and Earth would not forgive!

Qin Boruo was naturally satisfied with this outcome. Seeing that no demon defied or questioned her decision, she let out a sigh of relief. Only then did she have the leisure to look at Qin Qingyi, who had been waiting by the side, unsure how to react just moments before.

“Qingyi, my child.” Qin Boruo sighed softly.

Qin Qingyi’s eyes were red, and tears were swirling in them, about to fall.

“Mother.”

Qin Boruo reached out, pinching her sleeve to wipe away her tears.

“Why are you crying again?”

“Mother is going to abandon me,” Qin Qingyi sobbed softly. “Just like Master, leaving without a word.”

“How could Mother abandon you?” Qin Boruo comforted her with great patience.

“Mother is about to ascend and has passed the throne to me. Naturally, she has already prepared to leave.”

She understood everything. Although she always seemed like she didn’t want to be involved in anything, she was not stupid.

Her mother’s injury healed miraculously, and now there was the Heavenly Tribulation for ascension gathering outside the Demon Realm. A change must have occurred during the days she was away, a change that urged her mother to leave.

Qin Boruo knew she couldn’t hide it from her. After a sigh, she still told her the entire story.

“The day you left for the Eastern Front, I received a message from the Sword Sect…”

On the third day after Qin Qingyi left the Sword Sect, the Sect was struck by the largest-scale Devil Race raid in history. This time, the Sword Sect could not withstand it; the Devil Race broke straight through, and countless Sword Sect disciples were killed or wounded.

Even Shangguan Yu was severely injured.

“Senior Martial Aunt was severely injured?” Qin Qingyi frowned.

The Sect Master, Shangguan Yu, was so powerful. Could she have actually been injured?

Qin Boruo only shook her head: “I don’t know exactly how she was injured by the Devil Race. She communicated with me, detailed the method to resolve the demonic energy in her body, and how to use the parasitic demonic seed for ascension, and then the communication was cut off.”

This was all that Qin Boruo knew.

“In the communication, she told me that she wanted you to return quickly. The Sword Sect is currently in turmoil, and with her alone, dragging a heavily wounded body, it is quite difficult to sustain.”

Qin Qingyi listened in silence, her brow furrowing tighter.

The crisis in the Demon Race had not yet been resolved, and now the Sword Sect had a problem. How could she, alone, manage both ends?

“The Sword Sect is not without other excellent disciples. At the very least, there are my three junior martial siblings. How could Senior Martial Aunt be so severely wounded?”

She still couldn’t figure it out.

But there was no time left for her to ponder these questions.

Fifteen minutes later, Qin Boruo stood atop the Demon Race’s Sky-Reaching Tower.

The top of the Sky-Reaching Tower had a platform, leaving enough space for several people to stand.

Qin Boruo stood steadily on it. Below the Sky-Reaching Tower, were gathered many high-ranking, influential Great Demons of the Demon Race.

They had assembled here to witness the Empress’s ascension, and—

The coronation of the new Empress.

A golden light flashed before Qin Boruo; the method of ascension, converged by demon power, was firmly carved onto the stone stele in front of the Sky-Reaching Tower.

“This is the Method of Ascension. Any capable being may take it.”

The demons remained silent.

The thunder clouds in the sky had gathered extremely thick; bolts of lightning were restless. Qin Boruo no longer hesitated and flew up, facing the lightning.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the part of the sky obscured by the thunder clouds once more.

The demons watched the tribulation at the base of the tower, awaiting the safe ascension of their Empress. Qin Qingyi was naturally among them.

Qin Boruo’s Heavenly Tribulation proceeded extremely smoothly. About half an hour later, the thunder gradually subsided, and Qin Boruo landed on the Sky-Reaching Tower once more.

Her entire body of demonic energy seemed to be purified by the tribulation; an extremely pure spiritual energy from the Upper Realm enveloped Qin Boruo. Just standing there filled the demons below the tower with envy.

The celestial music had begun in the sky, and the Heavenly Ladder slowly descended, welcoming the cultivator who had successfully passed the Ascension Tribulation. Qin Boruo knew her time was running out.

She waved her hand, and the jade token symbolizing the Empress’s identity flew out of her sleeve, hovering in mid-air, emitting a majestic golden light.

“My child, it is time to come up.”

Hearing her call, Qin Qingyi began to walk up, step by step, from below, her back straight and her gaze fixed ahead.

With every step up the Sky-Reaching Tower, the pressure gradually increased, starting from the Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment stages. Step by step, as Qin Qingyi reached the sixth floor, the pressure of the Soul Transformation stage slowed her pace.

Especially when she reached the end of the sixth floor and the beginning of the seventh, the pressure of the Half-Step Ascension Realm instantly forced Qin Qingyi to bend at the waist, nearly causing her to kneel on the steps.

“My child, hurry up.”

Qin Boruo’s voice urged from above.

The worried eyes of the demons also fell upon Qin Qingyi.

The Demon Race’s Sky-Reaching Tower would not offer any demon a chance to retreat, nor would it grant any demon special treatment or lower the oppressive force, even though Qin Qingyi was about to become the new Empress. At this moment, she was still pressed down by the power emanating from the Sky-Reaching Tower, unable to lift her head.

The pressure of the Half-Step Ascension Realm landed on Qin Qingyi, instantly forcing submission.

Qin Qingyi gritted her teeth, knowing she absolutely could not stop now. She supported herself on the steps with one hand, forcefully pulling herself up, then, enduring the pressure of the Half-Step Ascension Realm, slowly but firmly raised her head and chest, and stepped back onto the stairs.

One step, then another.

The oppressive force grew heavier and heavier, and sweat gradually seeped from Qin Qingyi’s forehead.

The hearts of all the demons were fixed on her, waiting for her to reach the top of the Sky-Reaching Tower.

One step, then another.

Halfway through the Half-Step Ascension Realm, Qin Qingyi was almost unable to sustain herself. Her face was pale, and the demonic energy within her body escaped outward, starting to resist the external oppressive force.

This gave her a moment to catch her breath.

One step, then another.

With a third of the steps remaining, Qin Qingyi’s spiritual energy overflowed from her body, taking over from the already exhausted demonic energy, continuing to support her walk upward.

Ten steps, nine steps…

With only three steps left, Qin Qingyi was utterly drained. Her body was swaying; when she tried to take another step, her legs were weak and trembling, and she seemed about to fall backward off the Sky-Reaching Tower.

“Young Lord!”

Yan Li watched anxiously from below. Seeing Qin Qingyi about to fall, she wished she could immediately fly up to catch her.

The other demons also looked worried, especially the Wolf Tribe. The two leading Wolf Demons, although in human form, had kept their ears and tails. Seeing Qin Qingyi nearly tumble, the two wolves’ tails urgently flicked, clearly extremely worried about Qin Qingyi’s predicament.

At this critical moment, Qin Qingyi suddenly threw out the ‘Remaining Blankness’ sword to brace against the steps behind her.

As the silver-white sword was drawn, a ringing sword-cry sounded. She used the sword as a crutch, supporting her body, which was already leaning backward. The blade was pressed and bent, and a moment later, it rebounded.

Qin Qingyi used the force of this rebound to regain her footing.

Seeing her successfully avert the danger, not only did the demons below breathe a sigh of relief, but even Qin Boruo, who had been watching her from above, let out a barely noticeable sigh of relief.

Every generation of Demon Empress had to ascend this Sky-Reaching Tower to prove that their strength was sufficient to lead the Demon Race. When she ascended the throne, she was of similar strength to Qingyi and found the climb equally difficult. Now, seeing her daughter successfully make it up, she was naturally extremely pleased and proud.

In this manner, Qin Qingyi supported herself with her sword, walking up step by step until she stood before Qin Boruo.

“Mother.”

Qin Qingyi gasped slightly, the joy and excitement in her eyes nearly spilling over.

“I did it!”

She had climbed the Sky-Reaching Tower before, but never truly reached the top. Being able to ascend to the summit now fulfilled a wish from her youth.

Qin Boruo did not speak, but the jade token belonging to the Empress, as if it had eyes, flew towards Qin Qingyi without anyone’s guidance.

The golden-glowing token stopped in front of Qin Qingyi, then circled her.

After three circles, the token stopped again. Qin Qingyi reached out to take it, and the token settled steadily in her palm.

“Congratulations to Her Majesty the Empress on ascending the throne!”

“Congratulations to Her Majesty the Empress on ascending the throne!”

Seeing that the Empress’s jade token had changed hands, the demons below the Sky-Reaching Tower naturally all submitted. One by one, they knelt down and began their congratulations.

“My child, you are the new Empress now. Mother can no longer help you. You must be careful in all your future decisions.”

“Demon affairs are numerous, and there is still the external threat of the Devil Race. Mother is sorry to you for pushing all these matters onto your shoulders.”

Qin Boruo looked at Qin Qingyi with lingering affection.

The Heavenly Ladder of Ascension had already begun to forcibly pull her body, urging her to leave this realm quickly. Even though Qin Boruo had countless reservations in her heart, she had no choice but to part with her child.

Qin Qingyi was naturally reluctant too, but thinking of all that had transpired before, she merely bit her lip with tears in her eyes: “Mother, please wait for me in the Upper Realm. Your child will certainly cultivate diligently from now on. When your child ascends, we can be reunited in the Upper Realm.”

Qin Boruo certainly agreed.

After this, Qin Boruo could no longer resist the pull of the Heavenly Ladder of Ascension. She reluctantly stepped onto the ladder and ascended.

Only Qin Qingyi was left standing atop the Sky-Reaching Tower, staring for a long time at the place where Qin Boruo had ascended and departed.

Until there was nothing left there.

“Master left, and now Mother has left too.”

After a long while, Qin Qingyi lowered her head and murmured softly.

“No one will stay with me forever. What you said was all false…”