The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth - Chapter 28

Following his shout, everyone’s gaze converged upon the tournament stage once more. Inside the central barrier, thick smoke rolled, and several pitch-black cracks had been blasted into the stage itself. The young girl who had been struck down just moments ago had raised her head at some unknown point. Propping herself up with the long sword in her hand, she was slowly rising to her feet.

Her slender figure appeared as fragile as a weak blade of grass amidst the dense smoke and howling wind, yet she stood firm and resilient.

Chu Qingqiu’s movements froze. Her hand instinctively returned to the table, and she slowly sat back down.

Beside her, a disheveled Mei Chengsi had just been hurriedly and clumsily helped up by the Dharma Protector and Elder Jingshan. He wiped the tea from his face, thoroughly enraged by the humiliation he had suffered. “Deity Chu Ling, out of respect for your cultivation, I address you as Deity and advised you in good faith not to show favoritism to your disciple. Yet, you attacked me right in front of everyone! We are both sect masters, so what is the meaning of this action?!”

The moment his words fell, Chu Qingqiu’s voice drifted down as if from the heavens above. “Sect Master Mei, though we are both sect masters, I am also a senior who began cultivating centuries before you. Reaching out your hands so carelessly constitutes disrespect.

Secondly, no matter what, this Deity is a woman. Men and women should maintain proper boundaries; your casual attempt to touch this Deity constitutes a breach of etiquette.”

Mei Chengsi frowned upon hearing this. “But you used force to injure someone.”

“Thirdly,” Chu Qingqiu continued unhurriedly, acting as though she hadn’t heard him at all, “it is common knowledge that this Deity cultivates the Path of Serenity and despises being touched by others. Coming within half a foot of this Deity is an offense. Striking out in a moment of urgency was merely a standard defensive reaction.”

As she spoke, she turned around and raised her hand, vaporizing the moisture on her seat before saying in a perfectly nonchalant manner, “Sect Master Mei, please sit.”

These words made it seem as if nothing had happened at all. Mei Chengsi wanted to flare up again, but he feared Chu Qingqiu’s strength. His face flushed so violently that it became redder than when it had just been scalded.

Although Elder Jingshan beside him wanted to back him up, he dared not speak out against Chu Qingqiu. Thus, a heavy silence fell over the front of the palace. Ultimately, Mei Chengsi could only sit down heavily, wipe away the remaining tea leaves from his face, and force out a smile through gritted teeth.

Meanwhile, Chu Qingqiu’s gaze had completely focused on the stage.

At the same time, inside the massive semi-spherical barrier, the black mist before Ning Fuyi’s eyes gradually dissipated, revealing Li Chaoan’s thoroughly astonished face amidst the rolling smoke.

Although Li Chaoan hadn’t dared to truly deal a fatal blow, she believed that with the strike she had just delivered, Ning Fuyi should have long been knocked unconscious. Yet, the girl before her had not only remained conscious but had actually crawled back up.

Even though that slender body looked incredibly unsteady, it still left her deeply shocked.

The young girl’s pale face was now smeared with several streaks of ash, her cheeks were cut in two places, and her arms were covered in wounds. However, the eyes hidden beneath her long eyelashes resembled deep, dark pools of water, reflecting the remnants of the lightning above.

“My turn,” Ning Fuyi mouthed silently. Then, curling her lips into a smirk, she gripped the long sword tightly and held it across her face. She began chanting something under her breath, causing a colorless power to slowly coat the blade from hilt to tip.

Li Chaoan was instantly horrified. She could sense that the opposite girl’s originally meager immortal energy had surged astronomically the moment she stood up. Though it was still not quite equal to her own, it had become entirely unpredictable.

Daring not let her guard down any further, Li Chaoan raised her precious sword and gathered the power of lightning once more. Thunder rumbled overhead as dense clouds gathered, and lightning crackled violently within them. Moments later, a fierce bolt as thick as a bowl came crashing down directly toward Ning Fuyi.

Yet, a strike that should have been a guaranteed hit was effortlessly dodged by the young girl. For some reason, her speed had multiplied several times over. As she evaded the lightning, she chanted a mental incantation. Suddenly, the sky above her head was filled with flames. The raging fire incinerated the dark clouds, spreading down toward Li Chaoan with lightning speed like a scorching canopy that blotted out the sun.

It was exactly the same technique Liu Wenzhu had used that day. Li Chaoan hastily conjured a barrier to block the flames, and the scorching heat nearly singeing her eyelashes.

When the fire finally died down, Li Chaoan blinked rapidly to moisten her parched eyes, looking at Ning Fuyi in sheer horror.

“When did you learn fire-attribute spells?!”

As if she hadn’t heard a word, Ning Fuyi suddenly threw her arms wide open. Countless vines erupted from the ground, swiftly binding Li Chaoan’s feet. Li Chaoan hurriedly swung her sword to chop away the vines, but she never expected a violent gale to whip up at the exact same time. The dust blinded her eyes, and a heavy, hammer-like blow slammed into her chest. A metallic, sweet taste welled up in her throat, and she flew backward, crashing hard against the barrier.

This impact caused the entire protective barrier to tremble. The spectating disciples around the stage scrambled backward in fear, while the seated elders abruptly stood up, exchanging bewildered glances.

Chu Qingqiu’s fingertips gripped the edge of the table tightly, yet she did not move.

“Doesn’t Ning Fuyi practice water-attribute techniques? How can she unleash such raging flames and vines?” Elder Jingshan said in astonishment. “Sect Master, this matter is bizarre. I request that the Sect Master halt the match and investigate this clearly before proceeding.”

“Elder Jingshan, we are selecting individuals capable of participating in the Zhaoyao Grand Assembly. We have never restricted candidates to using only one type of attribute technique. If she can master multiple elements, isn’t that a good thing?” Elder Yuanming said with a beaming smile.

“Elder Yuanming, you know exactly what I mean. With her mere Mortal Realm cultivation, how could she possibly execute such advanced spells?!” Elder Jingshan’s beard twitched in anger. “Even though this is an internal competition within our sect, cheating is absolutely unacceptable.”

“The selection rules state that the use of hexes, hidden weapons, forbidden arts, and spiritual beasts is prohibited, and fatal blows are forbidden. Since Elder Pingyao did not detect any of these five violations, it cannot be considered a breach of rules,” Elder Yuanming said, casually unfurling his fan.

Mei Chengsi seemed to want to take action, but he didn’t stand up. Instead, he rested his hand on his chin, watching the scene with a sinister gaze.

On the other side, Li Chaoan had been thoroughly humiliated by Ning Fuyi’s assault. Fury surged in her heart as she suddenly leapt up from the barrier and tossed her precious sword into midair. Forming hand seals across her chest, her sword was instantly enveloped in crackling lightning, glowing a brilliant blue.

More and more blue light wrapped around the sword as it grew larger and larger. Once the accumulated power reached its peak, it lunged violently toward Ning Fuyi’s chest. This strike was delivered in a total loss of sanity; an ordinary opponent would either end up dead or severely crippled. Seeing that things were taking a turn for the worse, Elder Pingyao, who had been watching the match, suddenly reached out, preparing to intercept the blow. However, her pupils contracted slightly, and she temporarily halted her movements.

She saw that Ning Fuyi had also thrown out her long sword at some point, gathering lightning in the exact same manner. Furthermore, alongside the lightning, there were also roaring flames. For a moment, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and fire blazed across the entire tournament stage.

Before the surrounding onlookers could even react, a blinding glare filled the barrier. The disciples closed their eyes one after another, and Li Chaoan’s sudden shriek pierced the air. The moment the blinding light vanished, everyone was left utterly dumbfounded.

The thick smoke had thinned out. Ning Fuyi stood suspended in midair, her gaze cold and ruthless as she looked down upon her opponent from above. Meanwhile, Li Chaoan was already lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth. Her own long sword was pierced right into the hair bun atop her head. If the blade had been just half an inch lower, it would have ended her life.

“Match halted!” Elder Pingyao yelled hurriedly. She leapt onto the stage, waved her hand to shatter the protective barrier, and placed her hand on Li Chaoan’s neck to check her pulse. While her expression turned grim, she also breathed a sigh of relief.

“Someone come and take her for medical treatment!” she said urgently. Once the unconscious Li Chaoan was carried away, she turned to face Ning Fuyi, her expression complex as she prepared to scold her. However, Ning Fuyi suddenly dropped to the ground, her feet barely supporting her as she swayed precariously.

The exhaustion of overdrawing her immortal energy caught up to her rapidly. Ning Fuyi’s vision alternated between black and white, and Elder Pingyao’s words seemed to drift in through several layers of barriers, coming through in disjointed fragments that she couldn’t hear clearly.

Finally, her knees buckled, and she fell forward. Elder Pingyao, who was in the middle of her reprimand, was startled once again. She took a few steps forward and caught her, preventing her head from crashing into the ground.

Ning Fuyi was dreaming again. Every time she dreamed, it was almost always about her bittersweet life before she turned into a demon, or the agonizing pain of watching her friends and family die before her eyes. Conversely, she rarely dreamed about those hundred years after she became a demon; it felt like a dream that she knew happened but couldn’t remember clearly, passing by in a blur.

However, this dream was quickly interrupted by a repeating wet sensation on her face. She turned her head to dodge the agile tongue and finally opened her eyes.

The first thing that entered her sight was a large, fluffy head. The little white tiger was licking her face, smearing saliva all over it.

“Bailin,” Ning Fuyi said hoarsely, pushing Bailin aside as she rolled over and sat up.

The wounds on her body had vanished, and the dirt had been cleaned away. Her dress was still the green one, now as clean as new. The immortal energy within her body, which should have been entirely depleted, was functioning normally, and all internal injuries were completely gone.

Just as she stood up from the couch, she suddenly heard the sound of rushing wind past her ears. Countless flying feathers linked together around her to form a feather rope, swiftly binding her tight and dragging her backward like a gale.

Ning Fuyi gasped as her back slammed into a rosewood pillar. She was then tightly bound against it, with only her fingers able to move.

A figure materialized out of thin air before her. Dressed in a deep blue gown, the woman stood tall and elegant. The white bone in her hand had already transformed into a staff, gripped tightly in her palm. That peerless face was filled with rage and coldness.

“Deity,” Ning Fuyi said. She wasn’t surprised. From the moment she saw the white tiger, she knew exactly where she was. Thus, she relaxed her body and curled her lips slightly.

“Do not call me Deity!” Chu Qingqiu snapped, the myriad of emotions in her eyes melting into pure rage. “How dare you! To think you would dare to employ those crooked, unorthodox methods right in front of all the elders and disciples! Furthermore, if you had truly taken a fellow disciple’s life, and the four major sects joint-accounted you for it, not even Ning Changfeng could protect you, even if she were still alive!”

“It was merely a technique that mobilizes immortal energy and overdraws cultivation. It isn’t a forbidden art, nor did it break any rules. How is it a crooked, unorthodox method?” Ning Fuyi said nonchalantly. She pursed her red lips and looked away, avoiding Chu Qingqiu’s face.

This technique was something she had created herself in her past life, which was why no one in this lifetime knew of it, allowing her to exploit a loophole in the so-called “forbidden arts.”

“Rest assured, Deity. I am not that stupid, and I never intended to take her life. It was she who dealt a fatal blow to me first, and I merely taught her a lesson by giving her a taste of her own medicine.” Ning Fuyi grinned, though there was no warmth in her eyes. “Could it be that you also think that Li Chaoan is precious? Her injuring me is just harming a piece of trash, but my injuring her is ruining a genius of your Yunji Sect.”

The moment her words fell, a sharp gust of wind cut through the air. It was originally aimed at her face, but for some reason, it took an abrupt turn and slapped hard against her arm. Ning Fuyi’s body lurched to the side, and a burning pain flared up where she had been struck.

When she looked up again, those peach-blossom eyes were already less than a foot away from her. Rage had caused the corners of those eyes to turn bloodshot, so red it looked as if tears were about to fall.

“This Deity said, you almost cost your own life!”

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