The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth - Chapter 18

As soon as she spoke, the beast’s roar ceased abruptly. It was replaced by the faint sound of fangs piercing flesh; the demonic beast seemed to have lost its life before it could even let out a whimper. A dense, metallic smell of blood followed, drifting through the cavernous canyon.

Ning Fuyi’s stomach churned. Just as she reached out to struggle, the person holding her suddenly let go and stood perfectly composed half a meter away.

As if she’s disgusted by me, Ning Fuyi thought. Even in her shock, she didn’t forget to grumble internally.

“Chu Qingqiu?” Ning Fuyi blurted out in surprise. She spun around and saw that the space where the demonic beast had stood was now empty. A much larger creature was crouching nearby, licking its paws with relish like a giant white cat.

Ning Fuyi had to admit that if this “white cat” weren’t twice the size of the previous demonic beast, its movements might actually be considered cute.

But when it bared blood-stained fangs with every lick, it was nothing short of terrifying.

Ning Fuyi retreated two steps, clutching her chest as her heart beat increasingly heavy. Ping’an, on her shoulder, finally snapped out of his petrified state and began whimpering as if his soul had been scared away.

The “white cat” slanted its gemstone-like hazel eyes toward Ping’an, then turned back and let out a burp filled with baleful aura.

Ping’an let out a soft whine, his legs going weak as he slid from Ning Fuyi’s shoulder. Ning Fuyi’s heart skipped another beat; she frantically caught him and was about to place him on the ground to check his condition when a cold voice spoke from a short distance away.

“He fainted from fear,” Chu Qingqiu said.

Ning Fuyi finally let out a sigh of relief, her heart finally steadying after its wild ride. She carefully found a clear spot to lay Ping’an down and wiped her forehead, only to realize she was drenched in sweat.

“Why are you here?” Ning Fuyi asked instinctively.

She never hoped for anyone to show up, yet someone had actually come to save her. And that person was Chu Qingqiu—making her feelings complicated and leaving her unsure of what to say.

The other side was silent for a moment before answering, “Passing by.”

Having said that, Chu Qingqiu walked to the side of the fierce “white cat.” Her delicate hand stroked its fur, and the “white cat” let out a soft whine. In a flurry of white feathers, it transformed into the size of a normal cat, proudly arching its tail as it lowered its head to sniff Ping’an’s head.

Passing by? The Ghost’s Eyes, a place filled with the bones of countless cultivators, was not a place one simply “passed by.” Ning Fuyi narrowed her eyes suspiciously but said nothing more.

Regardless, Chu Qingqiu had saved her. Ning Fuyi had to admit that although she loathed her, no one else was like her—just standing there, she made one feel safe.

Since a powerful leg had been extended toward her, she would condescend to embrace it. Ning Fuyi’s dark eyes flickered as she immediately began calculating.

The young girl’s shifting thoughts were all caught by Chu Qingqiu. Those peach-blossom eyes blinked slightly before she averted her gaze.

“And why are you here? Even those elders would lose their lives coming down here. You are a mere Mortal Realm—do you not know the danger of this place?” Chu Qingqiu rebuked with a frown.

“It’s not like I jumped down on purpose!” Ning Fuyi crouched to pick up Ping’an, muttering under her breath while suppressing her temper. “Who knew the Flying Eagle Boat would malfunction? And someone bumped me off…”

Before she finished, a chill blew through her heart. Looking up at Chu Qingqiu, she saw that the other’s gaze was equally unsettled.

In the heat of the moment, she hadn’t thought deeply. Recalling it now, if one could say a panicked fellow disciple bumped her on the boat, how could she have been bumped again while in mid-air, being held by Liu Wenzhu with no one else around?

Could it be that someone had done it intentionally?

Ning Fuyi held Ping’an tighter. In her previous life, she knew she wouldn’t have a contracted spiritual beast, so she had never come to Tongchuan, and this incident had never occurred.

Logically, she hadn’t turned into a demon in this life yet, so she shouldn’t have enemies. Who was behind this?

The shadows in Chu Qingqiu’s eyes shifted as well, but she soon regained her composure. She didn’t say much, changing the subject instead: “That was only a mid-level demonic beast just now, which could still be dealt with. But the demonic beasts in these Ghost’s Eyes are countless. If we encounter more powerful ones, even I would find it difficult to survive.”

“Sword-flight is impossible here, so we must quicken our pace to get out before dark.” Chu Qingqiu turned, her sleeves fluttering like clouds.

Seeing her “support” leaving, Ning Fuyi tucked Ping’an closer and ran to follow her closely.

“Which way?” Ning Fuyi asked, looking at the endless, jagged rocks ahead.

“There is a secret passage at the bottom of the valley that leads to Tongchuan. I placed a barrier at the entrance that only humans can pass through.” With every step Chu Qingqiu took, glowing white feathers sprouted beneath her feet, keeping her soles from touching the mud. Ning Fuyi looked down at her own muddy feet and couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.

“Where did a secret passage come from in this thousand-fathom abyss?” Ning Fuyi asked again.

Chu Qingqiu was silent for a long time. Just as Ning Fuyi thought she wouldn’t answer, she spoke leisurely, “I dug it.”

Ning Fuyi shivered, thinking that the Divine Lord was indeed valiant.

“Then why can’t you dig another one now? Why go looking for the old one?” Ning Fuyi asked tentatively.

At this, Chu Qingqiu looked down at her palm, then hid her hand behind her back. Her tone turned colder.

“I can no longer dig,” she said.

Just as I thought. Ning Fuyi lowered her eyes. Chu Qingqiu’s cultivation was damaged and couldn’t be restored, but she couldn’t ask directly how much of Chu Qingqiu’s strength remained.

She also wondered if Chu Qingqiu could hold out in this valley that drained immortal power at every moment. Ning Fuyi opened her hand behind her back; she couldn’t even summon half a bit of power anymore.

She could feel the baleful aura gradually eroding her body, making her steps increasingly heavy. Every joint in her body felt rusted; every movement was a piercing pain. But to her, this pain was a small matter, so she bore it in silence.

The two walked in silence for half an hour, each with their own thoughts. From time to time, bold demonic beasts would pop up, only to be swallowed whole by the “white cat” in its original form. It would then let out a burp and lazily transform back.

Gradually, Ning Fuyi realized it wasn’t a white cat but an extremely ancient divine beast—a White Tiger. However, this Bai Lin was still a cub. If it reached adulthood, it would be ten times more powerful than it was now.

This also made Ning Fuyi realize that she didn’t understand Chu Qingqiu at all.

Ping’an had not yet woken up, and his small body was becoming heavier and heavier. It reached a point where Ning Fuyi had to grit her teeth just to hold him. Her steps became erratic. Chu Qingqiu suddenly turned around, and Ning Fuyi stumbled, nearly crashing into her.

A white thread emerged from Chu Qingqiu’s fingertip and landed on Ning Fuyi’s wrist from a distance, as if investigating something. After a moment, she retracted the thread and spoke, “Bai Lin.”

As soon as she spoke, the white cat ran over with its tail held high and transformed back into a white tiger. With a sweep of its tail, Ning Fuyi landed on its furry back.

Chu Qingqiu isn’t as cold-hearted as she appears on the surface, Ning Fuyi thought. However, she didn’t have the energy to wonder why Chu Qingqiu’s personality had changed; without immortal power to protect her, the baleful aura had invaded her internal organs. It felt as if knives were twisting inside her, and her vision grew dizzy.

Before her face could fall heavily, her chin seemed to be supported by someone. The warmth of a palm transferred into her body, making her feel inexplicably at ease.

Ning Fuyi didn’t know how long she slept. Her dreams were dark and void of sun or moon. It wasn’t until she felt a wet, sticky sensation on her hand that she woke up with a start, facing the bucket-sized eyes of the white tiger and its barbed tongue.

No one would feel good waking up to such a sight. Ning Fuyi let out a yelp of shock, but a hand suddenly covered her mouth, stifling her words: “Be quiet, unless you want to attract fierce beasts.”

Ning Fuyi swallowed her shout. She tried to turn her head to look at Chu Qingqiu, but the hand pressed against her spine, preventing her from turning.

“Don’t look around,” Chu Qingqiu said coldly.

Ning Fuyi was confused. She was about to say something when she realized the immortal power she had lost had returned and was even more abundant than before. The baleful aura no longer affected her, and her entire body felt light as if reborn.

“Why save me?” Ning Fuyi asked obediently, without turning around.

“I promised your mother; naturally, I must fulfill it.” Chu Qingqiu’s voice sounded weary. “Feed this to Bai Lin.”

With that, a delicate finger slid across her palm, leaving a pill behind.

The pill emitted a herbal fragrance and had a refined luster; one could tell it was no ordinary item.

No matter how much of a scoundrel Ning Fuyi was, she knew what it meant to owe someone a life. Although she still didn’t like Chu Qingqiu, the woman had saved her multiple times, and she could no longer harden her heart completely.

She pushed herself up and walked toward the white tiger, leaping onto its back. As the white tiger opened its mouth to look up, she threw the pill into its mouth with lightning speed. The white tiger clearly didn’t like medicine and tried to spit it out, but the pill dissolved instantly upon entering its mouth, forcing it to swallow.

Having been sitting on the ground before, she hadn’t seen clearly. Now, looking out from her height, she sucked in a cold breath.

Dozens of fresh corpses now lay on the ground once filled with old skeletons. They were all grotesque demonic beasts; some still had un-dissipated baleful aura billowing from them in black smoke. Multi-colored gore flowed across the ground, emitting a powerful stench.

And the divine beast white tiger beneath her also had several deep wounds that reached the bone, its fur soaked with fresh red blood.

A great battle must have broken out while I was unconscious, Ning Fuyi thought. If even the white tiger was wounded like this, then Chu Qingqiu…

Ning Fuyi was about to look at Chu Qingqiu to see her injuries, but a white silk ribbon suddenly covered her eyes, blocking her vision completely.

“Don’t look. Walk over here slowly,” Chu Qingqiu said, her voice laced with a hint of irritation.

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