Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 85

Lu Xiaoxiao’s body plummeted rapidly. The edge of the rooftop quickly shrank in her view. The wind whistling past her ears was sharp and piercing. Her long hair flew wildly in the turbulent airflow, lashing her cheeks with stinging pain.

She subconsciously opened her mouth to summon the Cháoyuán Sword, but instantly swallowed a gulp of cold air. She forgot that she no longer had spiritual power and that the Cháoyuán Sword was not in this world.

She turned her head to look down and could clearly see the firefighters near the air cushion, which hadn’t fully inflated, their eyes wide as they stared at her rapidly descending figure in the sky.

Is this really the end…?

Lu Xiaoxiao closed her eyes in resignation.

On the open ground within the Yáoxiá Palace, the fierce wind roared like an angry dragon, stirring up dust everywhere. On the ground, the complex array patterns shimmered with white light, connecting like winding, serpentine lines.

In the center of the array, Fú Zhāo’s face was ashen. She could clearly feel her life force being frantically drawn away by an invisible power. The sensation was like countless tiny needles piercing her veins, sucking away her blood, drop by drop. Her body began to tremble slightly, and fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

But fearing that others would notice her injuries, she gritted her teeth, desperately trying to maintain her standing posture. In her hand, she tightly clutched a pill that could briefly sustain her life, waiting to consume it once the array fully activated, so that Tantai Jing wouldn’t notice her failing body.

Watching the array beneath Fú Zhāo grow brighter, Wan Xuānr felt Fú Zhāo drifting further and further away from her. The pain in her heart was like being sliced by countless blades. Her eyes were wet, tears welling up, but she fiercely held them back.

The wind grew stronger.

The array was enveloped by an intense white glow. The white light was like smoke, like rain, like swords, seemingly ready to swallow the entire Yáoxiá Palace. The excessive brightness forced the surrounding people to cover their eyes, but Wan Xuānr’s gaze remained fixed on the gradually blurring, thin figure in the center of the light. Every flicker of Fú Zhāo’s shadow felt like a stab to Wan Xuānr’s heart.

A trace of blood leaked from the corner of Fú Zhāo’s mouth. She looked like a flickering candle about to be extinguished by the light… At this critical moment, Wan Xuānr’s rationality finally shattered completely.

She could no longer bear it. Her internal spiritual power erupted instantly, forcefully breaking through the array’s restraint. Her figure was like a flash of lightning, reaching Fú Zhāo’s side in an instant. She pulled her into her embrace, threw something toward Fú Zhāo’s feet, and quickly carried her out of the center of the array.

With Fú Zhāo’s departure, the intensely bright array suddenly dimmed, losing all its brilliance instantly, like a snuffed-out candle. The spiritual energy in the array patterns rapidly dissipated, and the runes on the ground gradually faded, as if they had never been activated.

The crowd was stunned by the sudden turn of events, their expressions of anticipation instantly freezing.

Lu Wanbai frowned, quickly stepping forward, her tone carrying confusion and a hint of blame: “Palace Master Wan, why did you do that? The array was about to succeed!”

Wan Xuānr tightly held Fú Zhāo, feeling her weak aura. Anger and grief intertwined in her heart. She looked up, her gaze covered in a thick layer of frost: “The ‘Return of the Spiritual Essence’ secret technique… is essentially a life for a life!”

“Whether Lu Xiaoxiao would have returned successfully, we cannot know, but Fú Zhāo… would definitely have died.”

“Even so, did you intend to go through with it?”

Her voice echoed in the empty Yáoxiá Palace, stunning everyone into silence. They exchanged glances, and for a moment, no one dared to speak again.

Tantai Jing stood at the edge of the crowd, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. She finally understood where the faint, unsettling feeling in her heart over the past few days had come from. It turned out that Fú Zhāo had long been prepared to sacrifice herself, and she had been kept in the dark the entire time.

She quickly walked to Fú Zhāo’s side, her voice hoarse and choked with sobs: “Godmother, why would you do this? Even if Xiaoxiao could come back alive, I would not want it to be at the cost of your life!” Her gaze was locked on Fú Zhāo’s pale face, as if seeking an answer in her expression.

Fú Zhāo struggled to lift her eyelids, looking at Tantai Jing with a gentle gaze. Her voice was weak, but every word was clear: “Jing’er, you are still young, and you have a long road ahead. As for me… I’ve lived long enough. If I can use this worn-out body to exchange for Xiaoxiao’s life, I will die without regret. What’s more… she died because she was saving me.”

The more Wan Xuānr heard, the angrier she became: “Even if Xiaoxiao returned, she wouldn’t want to see someone die for her. And wasn’t her initial intention in saving you for you and Tantai Jing to reunite properly?”

“This… but…” Fú Zhāo seemed about to argue, but she was interrupted by a sudden voice.

“Although I don’t understand what you all are discussing, Aunt Wan is right. Jing’er spent so many years trying to save you. There’s no way I could have watched you die by Yan Gengshen’s hand that day.”

“I just didn’t expect my cultivation to be so poor that I got sent right back home.”

Everyone had been steeped in the pain of the secret technique’s failure and the shock of Fú Zhāo’s attempt to trade her life for Lu Xiaoxiao’s. A dead silence permeated the entire Yáoxiá Palace. This familiar voice broke the silence, like a clear spring pouring into a dry riverbed, instantly waking everyone up.

“What are you all doing? Why the long faces?” Lu Xiaoxiao’s voice carried its usual lazy nonchalance, but it made everyone turn around sharply, like they had been struck by lightning, to look at the source of the voice.

Lu Xiaoxiao stood at the entrance of the Yáoxiá Palace, her brown curly hair falling casually over her shoulders, looking slightly messy. She wore a large, loose camel coat, the belt dangling at her sides. She appeared relaxed and unkempt, as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep.

Lu Wanbai’s eyes widened. She was so shocked she could barely speak: “You… how did you come back! And… why are you dressed like that?” Her voice was filled with disbelief, as if the Lu Xiaoxiao before her was a stranger who had suddenly invaded from another world.

Lu Xiaoxiao looked down at her attire, realizing she was still wearing the camel coat from the morning. A trace of embarrassment flashed across her face. She opened her mouth, trying to figure out how to explain, when a figure rushed toward her like the wind, slamming into her embrace.

The sandalwood scent she had missed so much instantly enveloped Lu Xiaoxiao.

Tantai Jing practically flung herself into her arms with such force that Lu Xiaoxiao had to take two steps back before barely stabilizing herself. Tantai Jing’s arms were tightly wrapped around her waist, as if trying to merge her into her own body. Her face was buried in Lu Xiaoxiao’s shoulder, her breathing rapid, her body slightly trembling, as if she hadn’t yet recovered from the recent terror.

Lu Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, then a gentle smile spread across her lips. She gently hugged Tantai Jing back, greedily inhaling the familiar sandalwood scent. An inexpressible feeling of security and joy welled up in her heart. She lowered her head and whispered in Tantai Jing’s ear: “Did you break through to the Integration Stage? Is Yan Gengshen dead?”

Her voice was soft but carried a hint of eagerness, as if seeking confirmation. Tantai Jing did not answer immediately, only holding her tighter, as if only this could confirm that the person before her had truly returned.

“But wasn’t the secret technique interrupted by Palace Master Wan? How did…” In the crowd, a disciple couldn’t help but ask softly, his voice full of confusion.

Wan Qingyi frowned upon hearing this, a trace of displeasure on her face. She coldly glanced at the disciple, her tone carrying undeniable authority: “Why are you asking so many questions? All that matters is that she’s back.”

The disciple, frightened by her gaze, quickly lowered his head, not daring to speak again. The others also fell silent, fearing they might anger the Young Palace Master.

“Xiaoxiao, I truly did not want a life for a life. I was the one who threw Yan Gengshen’s demon core into the array,” Wan Xuānr said.

Everyone was first startled by this, then suddenly understood. As an Integration Stage cultivator, even in death, the power contained in Yan Gengshen’s demon core was beyond what ordinary cultivators could compare to. The demon core, which condensed his life-long cultivation and spiritual power, was enough to replace Fú Zhāo’s life force and become the key to activating the array.

This had only been Wan Xuānr’s speculation, but in desperation, she had to take the risk. Fortunately, it had succeeded.

Tantai Jing gently pulled back from Lu Xiaoxiao’s embrace, her cheeks slightly flushed, a lingering trace of tears still in her eyes. Her voice was slightly choked but revealed a persistent concern: “Where did you go these past few days? I… we missed you so much. Do you know, I was worried every day, afraid something had happened to you, afraid you would never come back…”

Lu Xiaoxiao looked at her like this, feeling both heartache and warmth. She reached out and gently wiped the tear stains from Tantai Jing’s eyes, her movements as tender as if handling a fragile treasure: “I missed you too, and desperately wanted to come back to see you. Every day, every moment, I was thinking about how to get back to your side.”

She paused, her voice soft but carrying a hint of emotion: “The day the Hàoyue Bracelet struck my shoulder, I fainted. When I woke up again, I found myself back in my original world. There was no spiritual power, no cultivators, and no you. I tried many ways but couldn’t find the way back. Every day, I thought of you, of all the little things we shared.”

Her tone suddenly lightened here, and her eyes grew brighter: “Fortunately, thanks to Godmother, I was able to come back. This time, I absolutely, absolutely won’t leave you again. Because I realized that the place where you are is my home. No matter how familiar that other world was, without you, it meant nothing to me.”

Listening to her confession, the tears in Tantai Jing’s eyes welled up again. Her fingers trembled slightly, but she tightly held Lu Xiaoxiao’s hand, as if wanting to convey all her emotions through their clasped hands. Her voice was low and firm, carrying an undeniable promise: “I won’t lose you again either. No matter what happens, I will stay by your side and never let you face danger alone again.”

Their hands were tightly clasped, the warmth of their fingertips intertwining, as if their heartbeats were gradually synchronizing. Their eyes met, filled with unspoken tenderness, as if the entire world contained only each other.

Wan Qingyi stood to the side, watching the scene, a smile unconsciously appearing on her lips: “Finally, a happy ending.”

Lu Wanbai listened to the two speak, her mind full of confusion: “What original world?”

Lu Xiaoxiao’s expression froze. She looked at Lu Wanbai with a hint of guilt: “That’s a long story. Actually… the original Lu Xiaoxiao died a long time ago, the one from the Xuántiān Sword Sect. I was summoned by the Cháoyuán Sword from another world…”

“Another Lu Xiaoxiao.”