Master is Also Running Away from Marriage Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 27

After cremating the nightmare beast, Mu Ling surveyed her surroundings.

The black substance in the mirror flowed like dark clouds, obscuring the images within. Spiritual energy couldn’t penetrate it, and Mu Ling couldn’t find a way to free Lin Qingge and the Bai brothers anytime soon.

All around were pitch-black dense forests. Her powerful teammates were trapped in the Mirror of the Heart, and unknown dangers lurked in the shadows…

“Master will definitely save you.”

Though she knew Lin Qingge might not hear her, Mu Ling still spoke to the mirror before continuing to grope her way forward. She felt somewhat flustered inside, but since she was the only one who had emerged from the Mirror of the Heart, she had no choice but to press on. Perhaps finding the demonic cultivator who had secretly manipulated Liao Kun would solve everything.

The back mountain had been occupied by demonic cultivators for nearly half a year, serving as one of their strongholds. Many areas had been altered by them.

Strangely, most of the arrays and traps set by the demonic cultivators were designed to immobilize or knock people unconscious, none were lethal.

What was going on?

Mu Ling vaguely sensed something amiss, but it was just a hunch. She didn’t dwell on it, focusing instead on dismantling the traps and arrays. Fortunately, her skill in array-breaking was decent. Though the traps grew increasingly complex as she ventured deeper, it only fueled her determination!

The demonic cultivator who had laid these traps was clearly confident in his mastery of arrays, never imagining someone could thoroughly dismantle his endless schemes. When Mu Ling finally reached the end and found herself facing a canyon, she even felt a twinge of reluctance. After all, in all her years in the cultivation world, she rarely encountered a worthy opponent!

The demonic cultivator in the canyon, however, didn’t share her sentiment.

Dawn was approaching, casting golden-orange light across the canyon, though half of it remained shrouded in shadow.

The canyon bore obvious signs of modification. Four enormous pits had been dug at its corners, each holding a group of cultivators bound with Immortal-Binding Ropes. Some were awake, others unconscious. As Mu Ling approached, their lifeless eyes lit up with hope.

At the center of the four pits lay two black jade beds, holding the corpses of Lady Meng and Liao Mingxin both with their hearts removed.

The canyon’s entrance was narrow, flanked by towering peaks inscribed with golden runes. The glare made Mu Ling squint, but upon closer inspection, the runes looked familiar.

Wasn’t this?

Mu Ling pressed her lips together. The runes resembled those in the cave where Zhao Linglong had attempted to resurrect her husband in the back mountains of the Qingyi Sect. Could it be that this demonic cultivator genuinely intended to help Liao Kun revive his wife and son?

Her instincts told her it wasn’t that simple!

“I underestimated you!” The demonic cultivator glared at Mu Ling, his eyes filled with hatred. “To think the cultivation world harbors someone as formidable as you!”

Mu Ling frowned at him and was about to speak when a voice suddenly interjected from the side, “Young friend, are you a junior from the Qingyi Sect?”

Mu Ling turned toward the voice and saw a weary-looking middle-aged cultivator dressed in plain gray robes. He appeared to be in his thirties or forties by mortal standards, and though the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes didn’t make him seem old, they accentuated his smiling gaze, instantly putting others at ease.

This was Bai Mufeng!

“Uncle Bai, are you alright?” Seeing Bai Mufeng unharmed, Mu Ling felt a wave of relief and bowed slightly before asking in confusion, “Why did you guess I was from the Qingyi Sect?”

“Ah, don’t even mention it,” Bai Mufeng waved a hand dismissively, bracing his waist as he stood up. He pointed at Liao Kun, who stood nearby with a complicated expression. “I was fooled by this old man! I even went out of my way to help him find his son, only for him to betray me! That damned demonic cultivator captured me. Seeing that my cultivation wasn’t too shabby, he forced me to use my spiritual energy to sustain these barely-alive cultivators every day. Poor me! I’ve spent years hoarding my spiritual energy, and now it’s nearly drained. My energy’s exhausted, demonic qi clings to me. If you’d arrived any later, young friend, you’d have found nothing but my corpse!”

“As for why I guessed you were from the Qingyi Sect, it’s simple.” Bai Mufeng sighed mournfully. “The Bai Xu Sect has been in decline these past years! Aside from Bai Fengqing, who’s barely passable, the rest of the new generation are nothing but useless gluttons. They couldn’t possibly produce someone as outstanding as you.”

Mu Ling silently averted her gaze. Bai Mufeng seemed full of vigor, nothing like the frail state he described.

Meanwhile, the demonic cultivator had already lunged at her.

Mu Ling raised her guard to the fullest, silently giving Qingge more credit in her heart. Before coming here, for some unknown reason, Qingge had equipped them with numerous defensive talismans and artifacts. At first, Mu Ling had thought it unnecessary, but now she realized Lin Qingge had been farsighted.

Still, this demonic cultivator wasn’t even worth using those artifacts against. Mu Ling had noticed early on that he seemed severely injured, already at the end of his strength. She didn’t even need to summon her mermaid silk veil during the fight.

Mu Ling didn’t drag out the battle. Over the years, she had been influenced by Lin Qingge’s swordsmanship, making her fighting style increasingly efficient. In less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn, her blade was already at the demonic cultivator’s throat.

“Spare me, Immortal!” The demonic cultivator, seemingly terrified of death, dropped to his knees before Mu Ling. His pale, gaunt face peeked out from beneath his hood, as if he hadn’t seen sunlight in ages. “I know a secret about the Demon King! If you spare my life, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Give it a rest!” Bai Mufeng scoffed from the side. “Look at you! Scurrying around like a sewer rat. You were probably some insignificant lackey in the demon palace. How could you possibly know the Demon King’s secrets?”

His words seemed to strike a nerve. The demonic cultivator immediately shrieked, “If it weren’t for Yan Qi, with my foster father’s favor, I, Song Yi, would have been the Demon King of this generation! It’s all Yan Qi’s fault. ”

“Too weak to win, yet still mocking others. No wonder you ended up like this!” Bai Mufeng was clearly a master of verbal sparring, each word a dagger straight to the demonic cultivator’s heart.

Mu Ling, however, recognized the name Song Yi. In the original story, Song Yi had been sent by the Demon King to feign surrender to the immortal sects. But later, he secretly defected to the immortal side and was highly trusted by Bai Junhao. Yet, during the assault on the Demon King, he couldn’t even withstand two moves before being killed by the Demon King. Only then did everyone realize the Demon King had never trusted Song Yi in the first place.

So, Song Yi had long held resentment toward the Demon King!

“You’re spouting nonsense! My mastery of array techniques is unparalleled in the world! The old Demon King repeatedly promised to hand the Demon Palace to me. If it weren’t for that freak Yan Qi, who crawled out of the Snake Pit after having his meridians severed and killed the old Demon King, the Demon Palace would already be mine.” Song Yi seemed to have lost his sanity, appearing utterly deranged.

“Overestimating yourself.” Bai Mufeng was about to mock him further, but Mu Ling stopped him. She had no patience for the grudges between Song Yi and the Demon King. All she cared about now was freeing Lin Qingge from the mirror.

“Is this mirror yours?” Mu Ling pressed her sword another inch into the demonic cultivator’s neck as she carefully retrieved the Mirror of the Heart. “How do you release someone trapped inside?”

“Those in the Mirror of the Heart must find their own way out,” the demonic cultivator replied, his gaze shifting between the mirror and Mu Ling. “In fact, you’re the first person to ever emerge from it.”

Mu Ling frowned and pushed the sword deeper.

Panicked, the demonic cultivator suddenly blurted out, “I have a way!”

Without hesitation, he pointed at Liao Kun nearby, letting out a sinister laugh. “Kill him! Kill him, and it’ll work! He’s the one controlling the Mirror of the Heart.”

“Is there no other way?” Mu Ling looked at the pale, weakened Liao Kun with mixed emotions. He already seemed on the verge of death even if she didn’t act, he wouldn’t survive past the year. If Liao Kun were as wicked as Song Yi lying on the ground, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. But the truth was Liao Kun was also a victim.

Terrified by the sword at his throat, the demonic cultivator shook his head.

In the illusion, Mu Ling had witnessed Liao Kun’s life. Before the death of his wife and child, he had been a kind and diligent man, building bridges and paving roads, a truly good person.

Mu Ling’s brow furrowed. She couldn’t bring herself to kill him.

“Young lady, there’s no need to hesitate,” Liao Kun suddenly spoke up, smiling with his usual gentle expression, his eyes even carrying a hint of relief. “I’m grateful for the medicine you gave me earlier, but I’ve always despised owing favors to immortals. Let this worthless life repay you.”

“May we never be reborn into this cruel world again in our next lives!”

With that, Liao Kun grasped Madam Meng’s hand and slammed his head against her black jade bed.

The impact was so forceful that he died instantly.

Mu Ling hadn’t expected Liao Kun to be so resolute. Staring at his lifeless body, she froze for a moment until the Mirror of the Heart in her hand suddenly emitted a bright light. As she turned to look, she sensed an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy rushing toward her.

Instinctively, she dodged, but Song Yi’s palm strike still grazed her arm, sending her coughing up blood!

The previously timid and cowardly Song Yi had long shed his submissive demeanor. With a frenzied look in his eyes, he stood up as the bound cultivators around him let out agonized wails. Their spiritual energy was visibly being drained, surging wildly into Song Yi’s body.

Song Yi was breaking through at an unimaginable speed!

“How could you…” Mu Ling’s heart was filled with shock!

“This is the power of ancient texts!” Song Yi chuckled darkly as he saw the astonishment on Mu Ling’s face. “I risked my life to escape the Demon Palace after finding a method to transcend mortality and ascend to godhood in its ancient texts. I set up this treasure trove with great difficulty. Liao Kun’s blood was the key to activating the formation. Now, the spiritual energy of these cultivators will all flow into my body. Though absorbing their energy isn’t enough for me to shatter the void, unless the Demon King himself comes, none of you can stop me!”

“But the Demon King is in no position to save himself! The Demon King’s palace is empty. Yan Qi has always been cunning. I never expected the rumors of the Demon King’s severe injuries to be true.”

Song Yi reveled in the sensation of abundant spiritual energy, his words spilling out unchecked, when suddenly, two swords struck from the side!

At first, Song Yi didn’t take Lin Qingge and Bai Fengqing seriously, never imagining these two prodigies would venture into such a remote place. But once he faced them, he realized his mistake. Their coordination was flawless, their cultivation profound, their swordplay forming an impenetrable net that trapped him at the center.

Song Yi wanted to buy time. The longer he absorbed spiritual energy, the less of a threat these two would become!

However, Bai Junhao and Bai Mufeng had already begun pulling the trapped cultivators out of the pit.

Gradually, Song Yi found himself outmatched. He glanced at the cold-faced Bai Fengqing, then at Lin Qingge. Perhaps thinking a female cultivator might show mercy, he cast a pleading look at Lin Qingge only for her to drive her blade decisively into his spiritual core, killing him on the spot.

Song Yi collapsed in disbelief.

With the cultivator’s death, the contents of his spiritual core spilled onto the ground. A small booklet slipped out among the scattered items. Bai Junhao stared thoughtfully at the booklet, so absorbed that he didn’t even hear Bai Mufeng calling him.

“We could have kept him alive for interrogation. He might have had valuable information,” Bai Fengqing murmured, lips pressed tight as he looked at Song Yi’s corpse, oblivious to Bai Junhao’s distraction.

“He hurt Master.” Lin Qingge said no more, walking straight to Mu Ling’s side.

“You’re here!” Mu Ling looked up with a smile as Lin Qingge helped her to her feet. Lin Qingge’s aura was as cool and detached as ever, but there was something strange in her gaze that made Mu Ling inexplicably uneasy, almost afraid to meet her eyes.

Before Mu Ling could decipher that look, darkness swallowed her vision, and she fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.