Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 83

Inside the Dead Spirit Abyss…

In the distance, the spatial rifts were gurgling and restless, looking as though they were about to erupt again soon. But Tantai Jing merely clung to Lu Xiaoxiao’s lifeless body, refusing to let go, hearing nothing else.

Fú Zhāo watched Tantai Jing’s heartbroken state and pleaded, “Regardless of anything else, we must leave this place first. A spatial storm could erupt here at any time. And if this continues… Xiaoxiao’s… body will easily… easily decay.”

The person she loved most had died right before her eyes, especially while saving her…

Seeing her beloved daughter in such pain, every tear Tantai Jing shed brought agony to Fú Zhāo’s heart. Her voice choked up, and she bit back many more words, not daring to speak them.

When Tantai Jing’s eyes finally showed a flicker of movement upon hearing that “the body would decay,” Wan Xuānr quickly stepped forward and said gently, “Yáoxiá Palace has an Ice Coffin that can preserve Xiaoxiao’s body for a thousand years without decay.”

Tantai Jing remained silent for a moment, then quietly responded, “Good.”

She carefully lifted Lu Xiaoxiao, her movements as gentle as if handling a fragile treasure. Lu Xiaoxiao’s body was already cold, her face pale as paper, but in Tantai Jing’s arms, she seemed merely to be asleep. Her fingers lightly traced Lu Xiaoxiao’s cheek, trembling slightly, her eyes hiding an indescribable pain and reluctance to let go.

Seeing this, the people around finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fú Zhāo and Wan Xuānr exchanged glances, both with a hint of relief. They were truly afraid that Tantai Jing might, in her moment of despair, do something irreversible.

Tantai Jing commanded the Cháoyuán Sword to gently cut the void. Instantly, a pitch-black rift appeared out of nowhere. Without hesitation, she stepped into the rift with Lu Xiaoxiao in her arms, and her figure quickly vanished from sight.

The others, seeing her departure, also followed her into the rift.

Lu Wanbai stood outside the Yáoxiá Palace, pacing frantically, her brow deeply furrowed, her eyes filled with anxiety. She never expected Lu Xiaoxiao and Palace Master Wan to secretly leave to rescue Tantai Jing without telling her.

A few mornings ago, she suddenly found Lu Xiaoxiao’s room empty, with only a hastily written note left on the table: “Senior Sister, don’t worry, we’ll be back soon.” Today, Lu Wanbai suddenly felt a surge of panic in her heart, as if something terrible was happening.

She was restless, her teacup in her hand nearly crushed. Finally, unable to bear the suspense, she rushed to the entrance of the Yáoxiá Palace to wait for their return.

Outside the palace gates, the cold wind howled, whipping her robes around her. Lu Wanbai stood on the stone steps, her gaze fixed on the distant mountain road, silently praying: “You absolutely must be safe…”

Wan Qingyi saw her distress, her heart aching. She stood beside her and comforted her softly: “Don’t worry, they will definitely be fine.” Unbeknownst to Lu Wanbai, Wan Qingyi’s own sleeve was being twisted to shreds in her grip.

“They’re back, they’re back! Isn’t that Demon Sovereign Tantai?” Bai Shitao excitedly pointed out the familiar figures in the distance.

“Someone seems to be injured.”

Wan Qingyi and Lu Wanbai rushed to meet Tantai Jing’s figure from afar. Upon closer inspection, they realized that the person Tantai Jing held was indeed Lu Xiaoxiao, but Lu Xiaoxiao’s face was pale, her arm dangling limply, like a withered leaf, completely lifeless.

Lu Wanbai took two steps forward, reaching out with a trembling hand, wanting to touch Lu Xiaoxiao’s cheek, but she violently pulled her hand back just as she was about to make contact, as if afraid of touching the cold reality. She looked up, gazing at Tantai Jing in disbelief, her voice hoarse and trembling: “No… it can’t be. Xiaoxiao just fainted, didn’t she? She’s just tired, right?”

She forced a stiff smile, but her eyes were full of pleading.

However, Tantai Jing merely looked at her in silence. A single tear silently traced a path down her cheek. Her long eyelashes drooped, veiling the light in her eyes. She shook her head. The gesture, though slight, struck Lu Wanbai’s heart like a heavy hammer.

Lu Wanbai was utterly devastated, staggering back two steps. She shook her head, muttering, “How could… how could this happen? Xiaoxiao is the most quick-witted person! How could she… She promised me she’d be back soon…”

Her voice grew softer and softer, eventually dissolving into silent sobs, and the world before her began to spin. Wan Qingyi quickly grabbed her, holding her tightly in her embrace.

“Wanbai! Wanbai!” Wan Qingyi urgently called her name, but Lu Wanbai had completely lost consciousness.

Everything around them seemed to have frozen, leaving only the low whisper of the wind in their ears. Tantai Jing still held Lu Xiaoxiao, standing still, her eyes vacant and despairing. Wan Qingyi held the unconscious Lu Wanbai, her heart heavy. Wan Xuānr and Fú Zhāo stood silently behind them. Wan Xuānr’s eyes were slightly red, her fingers tightly clenched around her sleeve, trying to suppress her emotions. Fú Zhāo hung her head, her brows deeply furrowed, as if contemplating something, but unable to speak.

The distant setting sun slowly sank into the mountains. The clouds in the sky were stained blood-red. The last ray of light fell on the eaves of the Yáoxiá Palace, the golden glow casting a desolate hue.

The wind blew gently, causing the bamboo grove outside the Yáoxiá Palace to rustle. A few fallen leaves were caught up, spun in the air, and then slowly drifted down.

After a long time, Wan Qingyi finally looked up at Tantai Jing, her voice low and hoarse: “Take her inside first. It’s windy here.”

Tantai Jing didn’t respond, only nodded slightly. She held Lu Xiaoxiao and slowly walked into the Yáoxiá Palace, her steps heavy and slow. Wan Qingyi, supporting Lu Wanbai, followed closely. Wan Xuānr and Fú Zhāo silently trailed behind. No one spoke; only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the empty palace corridor.

As the palace gates of the Yáoxiá Palace closed, the last ray of sunlight finally vanished below the horizon, and night quietly descended.

In Wan Xuānr’s room, the candlelight flickered faintly. The light cast on Fú Zhāo’s haggard face, revealing endless sorrow and heaviness that scattered in the dim light. “Little Jing’er refuses to come out. She only instructed people to send in a thousand-year Ice Coffin and won’t allow anyone else inside.”

Wan Xuānr’s heart felt empty, as if a chunk had been violently torn out. The path of cultivation was inherently arduous, with countless dangers encountered throughout one’s life. The capriciousness of life and death was normal. She had witnessed too many people fall while pursuing the Great Dao and had long since come to terms with death. But she never imagined Lu Xiaoxiao would be one of them.

At the very least, Lu Xiaoxiao should not have been one of them while she was still alive.

Fú Zhāo sat on the side, her eyes dark and unclear, like a bottomless cold pool: “She died because of me… I must find a way to bring her back.”

“Even if it means trading my life for hers, I will not hesitate.”

Wan Xuānr frowned and said, “What meaning is there in one dying and another living? Little Jing’er wouldn’t want you to do that.”

Fú Zhāo abruptly rose and walked toward the door. The darkness of the night enshrouded her as she quietly said, “Then I just won’t let her know.”

Inside the Yáoxiá Palace, Tantai Jing’s room was quiet and desolate. In the very center of the room lay a crystal-clear ice bed. Cold air swirled around it; even in the heat of summer, the bed radiated a chilling coolness.

Two young maidens lay on the ice bed.

They lay quietly side by side. One maiden was lying flat, her hands folded over her chest, her face serene and peaceful. Her ink-black long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, spreading across the ice bed and merging with the crystalline surface. Her eyelashes were long, casting a faint shadow in the candlelight, as if they might flutter open at any moment.

The other maiden lay on her side, her body slightly curled, her eyes never leaving the other person on the bed.

“Cháoyuán…” Tantai Jing’s voice was low and hoarse, almost inaudible: “Where did Lu Xiaoxiao go? You said she wasn’t originally from this world, that you summoned her. Then you definitely have a way to bring her back to me, don’t you?”

The Cháoyuán Sword, leaning against Lu Xiaoxiao, was dull and lifeless, as if it had lost all its spiritual energy. The sword trembled slightly, emitting a low hum, as if sighing. Its voice was deep and weary, carrying a sense of helpless resignation: “I tried… but it’s no use. Last time, it was because the spiritual essence of the Lu Xiaoxiao from this world had just been extinguished, and her physical body was undamaged. But now, though her body looks unharmed on the surface, the interior is severely damaged. So… alas…”

Its voice grew fainter, finally becoming a silent sigh. The light on the sword completely extinguished, as if even it had fallen into deep despair.

“And…” the Cháoyuán Sword paused, a hint of uncertainty in its voice, “we don’t even know if her spiritual essence is still alive.”

This sentence was like a sharp knife, plunging deeply into Tantai Jing’s heart. Her body trembled slightly, and the light in her eyes was completely extinguished. A single clear tear fell silently, dropping onto the ice bed, instantly freezing into ice.

She lowered her head, looking at Lu Xiaoxiao’s peaceful face. Her fingers gently stroked her cheek, feeling the icy coldness at her fingertips. Her voice was broken, filled with endless pain and reluctance: “Xiaoxiao… you promised me that you wouldn’t leave me, no matter where—be it the highest heaven or the deepest hell… How could you break your promise?”

Her tears fell one by one, hitting the ice bed with a faint drip-drip sound. Her fingers tightly gripped Lu Xiaoxiao’s hand, as if she could pull her back from the cold abyss this way.

The Cháoyuán Sword rested quietly beside Lu Xiaoxiao, its body slightly trembling, as if silently comforting Tantai Jing. The entire room fell into a deathly silence. Only the candlelight continued to flicker, light and shadow crisscrossing over the two faces.

Tantai Jing’s tears blurred her vision. She lowered her head and gently kissed Lu Xiaoxiao’s forehead, her voice barely a whisper: “No matter where you are, I will find you…”

Just as the Cháoyuán Sword was worried she might do something extreme and was about to speak words of comfort, a faint knock suddenly sounded on the door. It was followed by Fú Zhāo’s gentle voice: “Little Jing’er, please open the door. I have something to tell you.”

Tantai Jing’s body stiffened slightly. She looked up toward the door. A complex look flashed in her eyes. She seemed to dislike being disturbed, yet she couldn’t ignore Fú Zhāo’s voice.

After a moment of silence, she finally stood up slowly, walked to the door, and gently pulled it open.

Fú Zhāo stood outside, her face bearing a solemn expression. Her gaze passed over Tantai Jing and fell upon Lu Xiaoxiao on the ice bed. A flash of pain crossed her eyes, but she quickly masked it. She returned her gaze to Tantai Jing, her voice low and gentle: “Little Jing’er, I know you are distressed right now, but I thought of something that might… be able to help Xiaoxiao.”

Tantai Jing’s eyes brightened slightly, as if seeing a faint light in the darkness. Her voice was hoarse and urgent: “What is it?”

Fú Zhāo said deeply, “I once received a fortunate encounter, a secret technique regarding the ‘Return of the Spiritual Essence.’ Perhaps… there is a glimmer of hope.”

“No matter how difficult, I must try. Can you let me see that secret technique?” Her gaze was fixed on Fú Zhāo, filled with urgency and expectation.

Fú Zhāo gently shook her head, her expression complex and carrying a hint of helplessness: “This method was not recorded in any book, but was passed into my Sea of Consciousness. Furthermore, a restriction has been placed on this secret technique—it cannot be disclosed to a second person.” She paused, looking directly at Tantai Jing, “If you trust me, let me try to summon her spiritual essence back.”

Tantai Jing felt a flicker of unease in her heart, but she still nodded and said, “Then I humbly ask for Godmother’s help.”