After the Villain Was Reborn a Hundred Times - Chapter 9

Late at night, past three in the morning, when most people were deep in sleep—even cultivators, who usually maintain vigilance, were lulled into a relaxed state.

North of Plain City lay the Thousand Corpses Forest, a place exactly as its name suggested: a forest hung with corpses. The air was thick with the stench of death, so much so that even Demonic Cultivators passing by would cover their noses and flee.

At that moment, the forest was shrouded in mist. Suddenly, a brilliant golden light shot straight into the sky, accompanied by a deafening roar that shook the heavens.

The Spirit Abyss had opened!

The sound was so loud it woke the entire city.

Qingyun Inn

Wang Jinxue threw on a robe and rushed out, only to find Chanyue already waiting at the inn’s entrance, fully dressed and ready. She’d thought she was the first to react to the sound, but Chanyue had beaten her to it, and by a long shot.

If not for waiting for Ming Shuang, Chanyue would have already reached the Spirit Abyss. This woman was not to be underestimated.

Wang Jinxue smiled brightly. “Elder Chanyue, I’ll head out first.”

Chanyue nodded, her expression indifferent, as if her body existed without a soul.

Though Chanyue treated her with obvious coldness, bordering on disdain, Wang Jinxue instinctively sensed a strange danger.

Her priority was the Spirit Abyss. Wang Jinxue pushed aside the unsettling feeling and flew away.

Only after Wang Jinxue’s dark figure had vanished into the night did Chanyue slowly lower her gaze. Her hand, which had been tightly gripping her horsetail whisk, relaxed, revealing crescent-shaped blood marks on her palm—clear evidence of how forcefully she had gripped it moments before.

Demonic Lord… Demonic Lord… Chanyue raised her eyes again, her gaze empty and terrifying, devoid of emotion or desire.

Ming Shuang and Beiwu Dongruan emerged together. They nodded politely to Chanyue before hurrying after their Demon Lord.

With a calm expression, Chanyue also led Ming Shuang toward the source of the voice, riding their swords.

Before long, a crowd of cultivators had gathered outside the Thousand Corpses Forest, but none dared to enter.

The reason? The Demon Lord—a figure loathed and feared by all—was leaning against the tree closest to the Spirit Abyss, rapidly spinning a small dagger between his fingers.

Wang Jinxue smiled sweetly, but the dagger between her fingers spun faster and faster, making everyone uneasy. They feared that the Demon Lord’s temper might snap at any moment, sending the blade flying to kill someone.

Everyone knew that the Spirit Abyss remained open for only two hours, and it wouldn’t open again for five days.

Everyone wanted to enter the Spirit Abyss before the two hours were up, but Wang Jinxue blocked the entrance, leaving them helpless.

Chanyue and Ming Shuang arrived last. They were the only two from the Lingxu Sect.

Ming Shuang refused to even glance at Wang Jinxue. A red plum blossom seemed to burn in her chest, and when Wang Jinxue turned to look at her, she quickly averted her gaze.

Chanyue paid no attention to anyone, not even Wang Jinxue leaning against the Spirit Abyss gate. She stepped into the abyss with steady, purposeful strides.

A collective gasp rose from the crowd.

Truly worthy of being Elder Chanyue. She fears even the Demon Lord. Impressive.

Wang Jinxue smiled faintly. Though others might have missed it, she clearly saw Chanyue smile for an instant as she entered the Spirit Abyss.

A smile wasn’t unusual, but it was remarkable coming from Chanyue—a cold-faced Daoist nun, fearless and unyielding before gods and Buddhas. Why would she smile upon entering the Spirit Abyss?

Wang Jinxue sent a voice message: “Dongruan, follow Chanyue inside. Don’t lose sight of her for a single step.”

Dongruan nodded and took the first step inside.

Next came Wang Jinxue and Beiwu, followed by the scattered cultivators and sect members who managed to catch up.

The Spirit Abyss was a land of mountains, where thousands of peaks competed in beauty and tens of thousands of valleys hid clouds. The trees grew taller and healthier than anywhere else, soaring into the sky, their branches caressing the misty clouds that swirled around them. Strange flowers and exotic grasses flourished everywhere. The climate was warm and spring-like year-round, bathed in gentle sunlight and enveloped in ethereal mist. This was the true paradise of the mortal realm, a utopia beyond the world.

Chanyue stopped at a fork in the path. “Ming Shuang,” she said, “head straight west. When you see a stone tablet with a little fox on it, stop and look around. There’s a cave I prepared earlier where you can heal.”

“Yes, Master,” Ming Shuang replied, then asked, “Will you be coming with me?”

“I have some matters to attend to. I’ll return for you later.” Chanyue’s gaze remained fixed in the opposite direction.

Ming Shuang nodded and headed west.

Meanwhile, Wang Jinxue and Beiwu found a secluded mountain cave, removed its restrictions, and prepared to go into seclusion. The location was hidden and unlikely to be discovered, and the Demon Lord’s restrictions were impossible for anyone to break. It seemed perfect.

Wang Jinxue, worried that Beiwu might be influenced by her presence, set up restrictions in another nearby cave for her. Only then did she feel safe returning to her own.

However, before she reached her cave, Wang Jinxue’s keen senses alerted her to someone following her.

The Demon Lord didn’t hold back, sweeping her palm with a blast of overwhelming spiritual power. Most people would have been sent flying, coughing blood.

But her follower dodged effortlessly, even appearing right in front of Wang Jinxue and returning the strike.

This opponent was clearly formidable, at least her equal. Wang Jinxue grew serious—how had she not noticed this person enter the Spirit Abyss?

Realizing Wang Jinxue had seen through him, the stranger drew his sword and attacked.

He wore a veiled hood, layers of white silk obscuring his face. His worn white robes and left-handed swordsmanship marked him as a practitioner of a sect Wang Jinxue had never encountered before.

The more he tried to conceal himself, the more suspicious he became.

Both combatants were exceptional masters, neither gaining an advantage. The clash shook the earth and mountains, devastating the flora around them in the Spirit Abyss.

Wang Jinxue dodged a sword strike, only to face a palm strike that came even faster. This time, she couldn’t evade and was sent staggering back several steps, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Damn it!

“The Demon Lord is actually at the Pseudo-Spirit Transformation Stage,” the opponent said calmly, her voice devoid of mockery or contempt.

Wang Jinxue straightened up, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. Her other hand conjured a long whip crackling with crimson light.

“Even at the Pseudo-Spirit Transformation Stage, I can still take you down!”

Having previously held back her strength, Wang Jinxue now had to unleash her full capabilities against a true Middle Stage Spirit Transformation cultivator.

The battle intensified, becoming fiercely heated.

Meanwhile, Ming Shuang, who had been following her Master’s instructions to find the Little Fox near the Stone Tablet, noticed the commotion and abandoned her search to rush to the scene.

Cultivators’ senses are exceptionally keen.

Before she even reached them, Ming Shuang spotted Wang Jinxue, and her eyes widened. The Bixiao Sword unsheathed itself and plunged into the fray.

The Veiled Woman frowned at the sight of the Bixiao Sword. Her palm swept across the flower field, sending a shower of petals swirling into the air as she vanished.

“Are you alright?” Ming Shuang quickly steadied Wang Jinxue.

Wang Jinxue shook her head. The enemy fled immediately upon seeing the Bixiao Sword. Could she be connected to the Lingxu Sect?

It seemed Ming Shuang was quite wary of Wang Jinxue. The latter asked casually, “Why are you here alone? Where’s your Master? Did you sense something and rush to save me, abandoning your Master?”

Ming Shuang’s cheeks flushed slightly as she pressed her lips together. “No, of course not!”

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