The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth - Chapter 1

Ning Fuyi’s wicked life had finally come to an end.

If one were to discuss the most notorious figures across the Six Realms, she believed that if she claimed second place, even a turtle demon who had cultivated in a latrine for ten thousand years wouldn’t dare claim first.

As the preeminent Demon Lord of the Six Realms, legends said she delighted in devouring raw human flesh and particularly loved sucking the marrow from bones. It was said that after every kill, she would reveal blood-drenched fangs and sink them deep into the body to absorb essence, fueling her heretical arts.

Legends claimed she harbored a deep hatred for her sect. After falling into the Demonic Path, she leveled the prestigious Yunji Mountain Sect single-handedly. She even snatched the corpse of her own mother, Sect Leader Ning Tian, from her ice coffin and struck it with hundreds of heavenly lightning bolts.

Legends further claimed she despised her mother’s “White Moonlight,” the revered Divine Venerable Chu Qingqiu. She allegedly used treacherous schemes to imprison the deity in a demon cave, subjecting her to a hundred kinds of humiliation and even gouging out the heart of the Divine Venerable’s beloved disciple right before her eyes.

And the final legend said that Chu Qingqiu, unable to endure more, finally pierced Ning Fuyi’s heart with a single sword strike, restoring peace to the world.

The rumors were too many to count. After hearing them so often, even Ning Fuyi started believing about thirty percent of them. Besides, some had a grain of truth. For instance, she truly did hate Chu Qingqiu; she hated her to the very bone.

She hadn’t always hated her. When she was just a young girl, she simply found the woman unfathomable. Chu Qingqiu’s heart was filled with nothing but the common folk, and just standing before her was enough to stifle a person with pressure.

That changed when her mother was dying. Ning Fuyi had knelt weeping at the Purple Cloud Pavilion for a day and a night, but even after her tears ran dry, Chu Qingqiu never opened the door. That was when the hatred began. Incident after incident, the resentment only grew thicker.

In the end, she simply went mad. She researched a formation to bring back the dead, slaughtered the cultivators who had invaded her demon cave as sacrifices, and kidnapped Chu Qingqiu to force her to witness it all.

Did Chu Qingqiu not love the common people? Did she not love her arrogant little disciple? Was she not always standing high above like a god? Ning Fuyi wanted to grind Chu Qingqiu into the dirt.

And she succeeded. That day, lightning crashed and thunder roared. Countless white streaks tore through the sky like sparks, illuminating a ground soaked in blood. Ning Fuyi stood amidst the corpses, fiddling with a bone-white jade flute. Her black robes seemed soaked in ink, remaining motionless against the howling gale.

The woman was bound to a filthy bronze pillar. Her usually spotless white robes were disheveled and drenched in blood. That face, which had once left the Six Realms breathless, was right before Ning Fuyi’s eyes, etched with suppressed humiliation and pity.

“Ning Fuyi, you are not beyond redemption. Stop this,” Chu Qingqiu’s voice trembled. Tears fell from her eyes, mixing into the filthy sludge.

Ning Fuyi was ecstatic.

“Weren’t you always cold-hearted? I begged you like that back then, and you weren’t moved at all. Why are you crying now?” Ning Fuyi laughed brightly. She hadn’t felt this refreshed in centuries.

“Is it because you feel guilty toward my mother? Because I killed your precious disciple? Or because I kidnapped you?” Ning Fuyi’s voice grew low and dangerous. She leaned in slowly, letting her breath brush against the woman’s face. Her fingers gently stroked the smooth skin, watching those eyes, usually as deep and still as an ancient well, gradually flush with red.

She never knew that watching Chu Qingqiu suffer humiliation could bring her such exquisite pleasure.

But pleasure is fleeting. Ning Fuyi had always known this. She activated the formation, and then came a blinding white light. Somehow, Chu Qingqiu broke free of her restraints and coldly thrust a sword through her.

The agonizing pain of her heart being pierced made her want to cry, but she suddenly felt a sense of peace. Death was nothing more than this. You can’t take anything with you; just let the floating life end.

Some fragmented dreams flashed before Ning Fuyi’s eyes, or perhaps they were scrolls of the past unfolding. Ning Fuyi felt the air around her solidify, wrapping around her so tightly she couldn’t even move a finger.

At first, the images were all of her. A lonely version of herself was either standing atop the peaks of the sun and moon playing the flute, lying in a demon cave catching the breeze, or wielding her wicked Emei Piercers to summon lightning to strike down the immortals who sought her life.

Then, others appeared in the pictures.

There was a man clad in battle armor, screaming at her to run before being crushed into powder in the next instant. There was a gentle woman, supple as a willow branch, smiling and calling her Yiyi before being turned to ash by a great fire. Even a small white dog that knew nothing but how to wag its tail was pierced through the body by a heavy sword.

Finally, the shocking images froze and dissipated. Ning Fuyi stared blankly ahead, hot tears flowing into her mouth, salty and bitter.

Wait, tears?

Ning Fuyi woke up with a start. She blinked away the moisture in her eyes as her vision and sense of touch slowly sharpened.

The first thing she saw was a pool of milky-white water. She was completely submerged in it, her long hair swaying with the hidden currents. She felt a needle-like stinging pain all over, followed by a bone-chilling cold seeping into her limbs. Ning Fuyi shuddered violently, only then realizing she was stark naked. Fortunately, the water wasn’t transparent, offering some modicum of cover.

Looking down, she saw two lotus-white arms wrapped around her waist. The touch was icy. Her back was pressed against soft skin, and through the wetness, she could almost feel the other person’s heartbeat.

She was actually being held in someone’s arms while soaking in the water.

Even though Ning Fuyi had been a Demon Lord for a hundred years, waking up to such an intimate scene made her lose her composure for a moment. Luckily, her self-control was strong; she could at least pretend to be calm.

She exhaled forcefully and turned around to push the person away. But the moment she saw the woman’s face, her calm evaporated. She couldn’t help but curse. She slammed a palm into the woman’s chest. The woman’s grip loosened, and she slid down with the force, washing up against the edge of the pool.

That person, clearly and undeniably, was Chu Qingqiu. She was the very same Chu Qingqiu who had just run a sword through her heart and lungs.

She was dressed in her usual strict, conservative robes. Aside from her porcelain-white neck, not a patch of skin was visible. However, the fabric was soaked through, clinging to her body and revealing a graceful silhouette that was never seen normally. Her face was terrifyingly pale, with only a trace of blood hanging from her lips.

The景象 left Ning Fuyi stunned for a while. Shouldn’t she be seeing the King of Hell? Why was Chu Qingqiu here? Did she somehow survive despite being stabbed through the heart with immortal power?

The biting water made her shudder again. Remembering she was undressed, she reached out, intending to conjure a set of robes. She struggled for a long time, but no robes appeared. She only succeeded in turning her face red from the effort.

“Where is my demonic energy?” she barked. She shook her wet, white hands forcefully, finally managing to squeeze a few wisps of immortal power from her fingertips. It was incredibly weak. After concentrating for a while, she barely managed to manifest a piece of cloth to act as cover.

Ning Fuyi hurriedly threw on the cloth and stepped onto the shore barefoot. Only after leaving the bone-chilling water did her body temperature begin to recover.

Now she was truly panicking. Whether one followed the path of Immortality or Demons, power was the only foundation. To have lost all her cultivation now was no different from being dead.

A surge of violence rose in Ning Fuyi’s heart. She narrowed her eyes at Chu Qingqiu in the pool. Regardless of what was happening, it was a fact that Chu Qingqiu had stabbed her. If she didn’t eliminate her now, there would be a disaster once the woman woke up.

After a moment’s thought, she leaned down, grabbed the woman by the collar, and hauled her onto the shore. Unable to summon her Emei Piercers, she used both hands to grip the woman’s slick neck, intending to squeeze the life out of her.

Chu Qingqiu remained motionless, though some color had returned to her face. Those heartless peach-blossom eyes were tightly shut, but her mouth moved slightly. Ning Fuyi stared at her full, blood-stained lips, momentarily dazed.

“Stop!” a sharp roar echoed from nowhere. Before Ning Fuyi could turn around, she was struck in the abdomen by a powerful force. With a groan, she was sent flying, crashing heavily against a pillar before rolling to the ground.

Before she could lift her head, a shimmering scimitar was pressed against her throat, halting her movement.

“You stubborn creature! The Master was kind enough to save you, yet you repay her with such ingratitude! Master is soft-hearted, but I won’t go easy on a piece of trash like you!” The newcomer’s voice was fierce. As soon as the words left their mouth, the scimitar swung toward her face.

Ning Fuyi had lost her demonic energy, but her body was still agile. She ducked quickly behind the pillar. The scimitar struck the pillar with a loud clang, leaving a deep white gash.

The attacker seemed determined to kill her, moving without hesitation. As the scimitar swung again, Ning Fuyi frowned. She focused her mind, dodging around the pillar while using her meager immortal power to manifest a sharp dagger. Taking advantage of a lapse in the attacker’s movement, she rolled to the side. Mid-roll, she grabbed Chu Qingqiu’s robes, and both of them tumbled back into the water.

“Master!” the newcomer shrieked, forced to a sudden halt. They glared at Ning Fuyi, who was now standing upright in the water, as if they wanted to hack her into a thousand pieces.

The woman in the water had her dark hair draped over her shoulders, making her skin look as white as a ghost. She held Chu Qingqiu’s shoulder with a mocking arm, while the glowing dagger manifested from immortal power was pressed against the heart of the still-unconscious Chu Qingqiu.

“If you move even a fraction, I’ll make your precious Master feel a fraction of the pain.” Ning Fuyi curled her red lips into an evil smile. Seeing the other person’s eyes nearly burst with rage gave her a flicker of amusement.

Ning Fuyi was beautiful, but she was simply unlikable. When she didn’t smile, she was cold; when she did, she looked strangely sinister. Clamping down on Chu Qingqiu like this made her look like a literal demon, her eyes terrifyingly dark.

Though she hated Chu Qingqiu, she had to admit the woman possessed an unparalleled grace. Lying in her arms with eyes closed, she looked like a fading beauty. It was just that normally, she was so high and mighty that ordinary people wouldn’t dare approach her.

The mica buttons on her collar were fastened all the way to the top. The more restricted she looked, the more it made one want to pry. In the past, Ning Fuyi hadn’t dared; now, things were different.

Thinking this, Ning Fuyi slowly lowered her head, pretending to sniff the fragrance at Chu Qingqiu’s neck. As the strands of hair from her forehead brushed against the skin, Ning Fuyi thought she saw a faint blush on Chu Qingqiu’s cheek.

“That is the Divine Venerable! Ning Fuyi, you’re insane!” The person on the shore stomped their feet in rage, nearly fainting.

“Insane?” Ning Fuyi sneered. She finally reined in her demonic temperament and looked closely at the newcomer’s face. Suddenly, she froze. A bolt of electricity shot through her entire body.

Qiu Yi? Was it Chu Qingqiu’s most beloved disciple, Qiu Yi?

Even though Ning Fuyi had seen many storms, she couldn’t snap out of it for a long time. Back then, Qiu Yi had looked down on her at the Yunji Mountain Sect. After she fell into the Demonic Path, Qiu Yi’s resentment only deepened. Initially, Ning Fuyi had spared her life out of pity, but Qiu Yi was relentless. In the end, she had even rallied the various immortal sects for a fight to the death. Driven to the edge, Ning Fuyi finally stopped showing mercy and killed her with her own hands.

Yet now, the person who had died was standing right there, her appearance and voice exactly as they had been.

“Ning Fuyi!” Qiu Yi’s shout interrupted her thoughts. Ning Fuyi’s expression turned serious. She pressed the dagger closer to the heart and raised an eyebrow at Qiu Yi.

“Where is this?” she asked.

“What kind of fool are you playing?” Qiu Yi tightened her grip on the scimitar. “The Sangu Cold Pond; would you not remember it?”

The Sangu Cold Pond. Ning Fuyi nodded slowly. This place was originally part of the Yunji Mountain Sect’s territory. Although the pond was freezing, it had miraculous effects for cultivators. Ning Fuyi’s mother, Sect Leader Ning Tian, had specifically designated it for Chu Qingqiu’s use.

After Ning Fuyi destroyed the Yunji Mountain Sect, she had blown this pond to smithereens. Yet now, the place had reappeared, and even the jagged rocks in the corner were exactly as she remembered.

Before she could figure out what was going on, the body in her arms moved. Her grip tightened instinctively, but she suddenly felt a faint breath brush against her ear. She looked down and met a pair of eyes shaped like peach blossoms. Chu Qingqiu had woken up at some point. She didn’t struggle; she just stared at her, unmoving.

As she stared, it seemed a glimmer of tears slid from the reddened corners of Chu Qingqiu’s eyes. For some reason, being looked at like that made Ning Fuyi feel dazed. Her right hand shifted slightly, only to have her wrist caught by two icy fingers. It felt like a thousand-pound shackle, and she was instantly unable to move.

“You and I have just formed a marriage contract,” Chu Qingqiu said calmly, lowering her eyes. “If you move to kill me, you will be violating the Celestial Laws.”

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