The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth - Chapter 35

“Master?!” Qiu Yi sprang from her seat on the platform, unable to believe her eyes.

“How did the Divine Venerable end up inside? Has that Nightmare Beast lost its mind?”

“Where? Where is she?” Disciples constantly stood on their tiptoes to catch a glimpse. The already crowded high platform grew utterly chaotic. Disciples sitting in the back rows who could not see clearly surged forward like a swarming hive, and even the Sect Leaders of the various factions leaned forward, craning their necks to watch.

It was only when the white-bearded old man spoke up to stabilize the situation that a semblance of order was restored.

“Everyone, please remain calm. Once you enter the illusion, there is no way out. Please take your seats and do not crowd!” the white-bearded old man shouted hurriedly, gesturing with both hands for the crowd to quiet down, though he too looked toward the archway in sheer astonishment.

Naturally, the ones who found it most unbelievable were those from the Yunji Sect. The disciples were too stunned for words, and the elders exchanged bewildered glances. Mei Chengsi gripped his teacup, his brows knitting into a tight knot.

“I also believe that Nightmare Beast made a mistake. Who does not know that Divine Venerable Chu Ling cultivates the Dao of Heartlessness? Furthermore, she has always kept aloof from worldly affairs. Even though she recently descended from Zixia Peak to become the Sect Master of the Yunji Sect, she usually never steps foot out of Jingshan Palace. How could she possibly have any connection to Ning Fuyi?” Elder Jingshan’s mouth remained agape for a long while before he finally spoke.

Elder Pingyao said nothing, but he untied a string of prayer beads and began rolling them in his hand, seemingly trying to force himself to calm down.

Meanwhile, a trace of amusement flashed through Elder Yuanming’s eyes as he looked toward Mei Chengsi, who had remained entirely silent.

“I shall go speak with the Holy Maiden of Zhaoyao. Choosing the disciple with the lowest cultivation was already embarrassing enough, but for a Sect Master to participate in this kind of farce, what absolute nonsense!” Elder Jingshan rose, intending to leave, but Elder Yuanming used his fan to hold him back.

“Elder Jingshan, do not be rash. This trial is merely for amusement; surely no one will take the outcome seriously. Besides, anyone with half a brain can see that the Nightmare Beast must have suffered a mishap. After all, the one who entered is Divine Venerable Chu Ling, so no one would dare spread rumors,” Elder Yuanming said with a smile, pressing Elder Jingshan back into his seat with his fan.

“But still,” Elder Jingshan muttered.

“Since we have come to Mount Zhaoyao, we must abide by the wishes of the Holy Maiden of Zhaoyao. Thousands of people are watching, so going back on our word now would be inappropriate,” Elder Yuanming continued, his smile-laden voice possessing a quality that naturally put people at ease. “Moreover, once the Zhaoyao Grand Tournament officially begins, who will even remember today’s little interlude?”

“What do Sect Master Mei and Elder Pingyao think?” Elder Yuanming turned toward the two who had remained silent.

Mei Chengsi kept a dark expression and did not speak, merely raising his chin slightly in agreement, while Elder Pingyao let out a sigh and slammed his prayer beads onto the table.

While countless opinions were being shared on the high platform, the interior of the illusion was completely silent. Chu Qingqiu understood what had happened in the very next instant, and as she and Ning Fuyi locked eyes, both fell into deep thought.

A faint point of light hovered overhead, allowing them to see each other, yet preventing them from seeing each other clearly.

Fortunately, it was dark enough here to conceal the awkwardness in Chu Qingqiu’s eyes. She simply waved her hand, calmly tossing away her tea.

“How could it be,” Ning Fuyi spoke up, but halfway through the sentence, the truth dawned on her, and she promptly shut her mouth.

It was highly likely because of the marriage contract. She turned her back to her, pretending to examine their surroundings.

What was the point of competing in this trial anymore when the one who had been dragged in was Chu Qingqiu? Ning Fuyi closed her eyes helplessly. No matter how powerful the Nightmare Beast’s magical abilities were, it probably could not even withstand a single strike from Chu Qingqiu’s sleeve.

She wondered what the people outside would think upon seeing that she had actually brought Chu Qingqiu inside with her.

The Nightmare Beast had yet to manifest, and the atmosphere remained heavily silent. In an effort to ease the awkwardness, Ning Fuyi struck up a conversation: “Deity, yesterday you,”

“It is of no consequence. However, regarding the matter of my injury, do not speak of it to anyone,” Chu Qingqiu stood serenely, keeping her eyes lowered as she spoke.

“Rest assured,” Ning Fuyi replied with a casual laugh, though she did not pry further. She then tested the waters, “Did I happen to do anything yesterday?”

Chu Qingqiu paused, her lips moving slightly in the shadows before she finally spoke: “You did not.”

That is good then. Ning Fuyi let out another sigh of relief, reaching up to touch the residual bruise at the back of her head.

Suddenly, the raspy voice of an old man echoed from the empty void. The voice was soft, yet incredibly clear, causing Ning Fuyi to instantly banish all other thoughts.

“What is feared is that which is torn within the heart and cannot be forgotten. All things flourish, and each returns to its root. Returning to the root is called stillness, which signifies fulfilling one’s destiny.”

“Return, return.”

The moment the final words fell, the darkness before their eyes abruptly dissolved. As if night and day were shifting and Yin and Yang were intersecting, a piercing light poured down from above. Ning Fuyi was forced to shut her eyes instantly against the glare. When she opened them again, she froze where she stood.

She found herself standing inside a familiarly grand hall. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, and a woman who always wore a smile was now half-kneeling on the ground. One of her hands propped up the hilt of a sword while the other clutched her chest, with fresh blood continuously welling from the corners of her mouth.

“Ning Changfeng,” Ning Fuyi murmured.

This was the very day Ning Changfeng’s celestial meridians had completely severed, and her heart had shattered, causing her to die right before her eyes.

A massive wave of sorrow and helplessness instantly engulfed her. The grief she thought she had long forgotten assaulted her mind. In an instant, she seemed to revert into that young girl who could only watch her mother die while remaining utterly powerless to stop it. Her chest felt as though it were churning, and a powerful wave of nausea left her incredibly dizzy.

Ning Fuyi broke into a cold sweat. She stood paralyzed, watching as Ning Changfeng’s delicate face was gradually overtaken by the blood flowing from her seven orifices.

“Ning, Ning Fuyi, come here.” Ning Changfeng extended a hand to call out to her, her face contorting with agony. Ning Fuyi’s body went rigid as she slowly moved forward and dropped into a half-squat.

Her voice felt as though it were swallowing bubbles, rendering her unable to speak clearly. Thus, she gripped Ning Fuyi’s hand and wrote a single character into her palm.

The overwhelming sorrow continued to consume her sanity. Enduring the urge to vomit, Ning Fuyi reached out to touch Ning Changfeng’s body, but someone suddenly pulled her up, and a figure identical to her crashed into her vision.

That young girl was weeping, crying so hysterically that her features were nearly obscured by her agonized expression. The two familiar tear moles beneath her eyes had turned a dark, bruised red.

“What am I supposed to do?” she wailed, blood also trickling from the corners of her mouth. “What am I supposed to do? She is dead, so what am I supposed to do?”

Her emotions seemed capable of transferring directly onto Ning Fuyi. Ning Fuyi suddenly felt a sharp pang in her chest, and her mind grew hazy as she merged with the grief-stricken girl before her, feeling as though she would soon transform into her completely.

“Please stay with me, I am so scared on my own.” The girl looked utterly pitiful. She suddenly reached out and grabbed Ning Fuyi’s hand, “I beg of you, please protect me.”

Ning Fuyi’s vision was a chaotic blur. Her perspective constantly shifted between that of the young girl and her own.

“Alright,” Ning Fuyi said.

Yet, the exact moment that young girl began to smile, the fist Ning Fuyi had been keeping tightly clenched suddenly snapped open. A dagger manifested from immortal energy appeared in her palm, and in the next instant, it plunged straight into the young girl’s chest with a glimmer of faint light.

A piercing shriek that threatened to rupture her eardrums echoed within her mind, causing a violent throb in her brain. Ning Fuyi furrowed her brows, pulling her head back slightly.

Within a split second, the screeching stopped abruptly. Total silence enveloped their surroundings, and Ning Fuyi snapped her eyes open. The pitch-black darkness settled upon her shoulders, so quiet that it felt stifling.

The agonizing sensations within her body vanished along with the scream, leaving her drenched in sweat.

Ning Fuyi let out a breath and wiped her face with her sleeve, with only a lingering trace of faint sorrow remaining in her heart.

If she had been the Ning Fuyi of her past life, she would likely have remained trapped within that memory. Fortunately, she had already endured far too much suffering; no matter how much she revisited it, she had long since become numb.

However, she lifted her hand to look at her palm. The character Ning Changfeng had written, when the tactile memories were pieced together, seemed to be the word “love.”

The illusion had drawn from her memories. Later on, those memories had grown blurred, causing her to forget that Ning Changfeng had once written such a word for her.

Ning Changfeng had never expressed love to her while she was alive. Why did she choose to write it when she was on the verge of death?

Unable to figure it out, she brushed the thought aside and turned to look at Chu Qingqiu. Chu Qingqiu happened to awaken at that moment as well, gently opening her eyes as the deep sorrow within them vanished in a flash.

It was as though the memory she had witnessed was nothing more than a trivial matter.

Then again, what kind of sorrowful memories could someone like Chu Qingqiu possibly possess? She probably does not even comprehend the meaning of sorrow, Ning Fuyi thought, turning her head to look into the void.

“What other tricks do you have?” Ning Fuyi called out.

“What is precious is that which is treasured within the heart and cannot be forgotten,” the old man’s voice echoed once more. “Return.”

The moment his voice faded, Yin and Yang intersected once again. Ning Fuyi narrowed her eyes to look, only to find everything before her utterly blurred. The scenes appeared to be covered by a layer of thin gauze, rendering her unable to make out anything at all.

Just as she was about to rub her eyes, the sound of the wind beside her ears ceased abruptly, and she was pulled back into the darkness.

What is going on? Has the Nightmare Beast run out of energy? Ning Fuyi felt somewhat bewildered.

Evidently, Ning Fuyi was not the only one bewildered; the Nightmare Beast, whose location remained unknown, was as well. The old man’s heavy breathing resounded, and he called out “return” once more.

As if a scene were replaying, the wind howled again, and the blurred scenery rolled past once more.

Then, it cut off abruptly yet again. Ning Fuyi stood in place with an unaltered expression, looking up into the void.

“Can you manage this or not?” she asked, furrowing her brows.

The Nightmare Beast grew infuriated. Consequently, black and white began to rapidly rotate before Ning Fuyi’s eyes, making her so dizzy that she simply closed her eyes and let the Nightmare Beast do as it pleased.

After a long while, when her surroundings finally fell quiet, she opened her eyes once more. She was still standing within the darkness, and the Nightmare Beast was clearly exhausted. It merely panted from above, no longer attempting to draw her into any illusion.

I actually wanted to see what my precious memory was, Ning Fuyi thought with a hint of disappointment. She turned around to strike up a conversation with Chu Qingqiu: “Deity,”

She stopped mid-sentence because she noticed Chu Qingqiu kept her eyes tightly shut, her body standing rigid in place. She was clearly still trapped within the illusion.

So, it was not that the Nightmare Beast had run out of energy, but rather something to do with herself. Could it be that I do not possess any precious memories? Ning Fuyi wondered. She walked over to Chu Qingqiu and discovered that the corners of her lips were actually upturned slightly.

Chu Qingqiu kept her eyes closed, her exquisite features looking as though they had been meticulously sculpted. Her dark brows resembled willow leaves, her eyelashes were long, and her lips were somewhat pale, adding a touch of cold elegance to her appearance.

Ning Fuyi’s heart stirred. Whether in her past life or this life, she had never seen Chu Qingqiu smile. What sort of memory could it possibly be to evoke a smile from her?

Since she could not enter the illusion herself, she could only wait for Chu Qingqiu to wake up. At first, Ning Fuyi did not think much of it, but as time trickled by, she began to realize something was amiss.

It had been too long. Chu Qingqiu had been immersed in her memory for half an incense stick of time, yet there was not the slightest change in her expression, save for the corners of her mouth curving upward even more.

“Deity?” Ning Fuyi said, furrowing her brows. She tentatively waved her hand in front of her eyes, but she received no response whatsoever.

Logically speaking, given Chu Qingqiu’s cultivation and mental fortitude, she should not be held captive by a mere illusion for this long.

“Chu Qingqiu,” Ning Fuyi raised her voice, attempting to snap Chu Qingqiu out of it, but no matter how she called her name, the other woman showed no reaction.

Although the white-bearded old man had mentioned that the Nightmare Beast would not harm anyone, remaining trapped within an illusion for too long carried inherent risks after all. A sharp glint appeared in Ning Fuyi’s eyes as she prepared to force her awake.

However, before she could even touch Chu Qingqiu, a sudden flash of white light erupted around them, dragging her consciousness inside.

A multitude of unfamiliar scenes materialized before her eyes.

There were only two figures within these images: a woman dressed in white, and a mass of dark shadow. The shadow’s build and appearance were obscured, but it seemed to be a woman, standing even taller than the woman in white.

Most of the time, they merely sat together, each attending to their own matters without any exchange of words. Yet, after countless such scenes flashed past, the nature of their interactions seemed to alter.

They began to draw closer to one another. The woman in white appeared to have a frail constitution, and the dark shadow would always silently lift her in a bridal carry, moving her from inside the house to the outdoors with careful and gentle movements.

Later on, such embraces became part of their daily routine. Whenever the woman was held, she was always incredibly quiet, and eventually, she would even lower her noble head to nestle within the dark shadow’s embrace.

Further down the line, they would occasionally share kisses, though it was always the dark shadow who took the initiative. Once the dark shadow departed, the woman would weep in silence.

Finally, a day arrived when a violent argument seemed to erupt between them. The woman smashed everything around them, yet the dark shadow remained entirely silent. It suddenly lifted her up and placed her onto the bed, and as their bodies drew close, the woman’s frame instantly went soft.

Ning Fuyi had certainly witnessed such scenes in her past life, but she would usually view them with cold indifference. None of those past instances, however, made her heart race and her face flush as intensely as the image before her eyes did at this very moment.

Chu Qingqiu was actually immersed in this kind of memory? Ning Fuyi’s gaze shifted slightly. It turned out that Chu Qingqiu was not truly devoid of emotion; she had actually experienced it before, and it was evidently deeply engrained in her heart.

She simply did not know what sort of extraordinary being that person was to be remembered so vividly by her, causing her to fall so deeply into the illusion.

Ning Fuyi lost herself in thought for a brief moment, but she snapped out of it immediately. Stepping into the scene, her toes tapped against the ground as she vaulted through the window. Grabbing the dark shadow to spin it around, the dagger manifested from her immortal energy plunged deep into the person’s chest.

The dark shadow let out a piercing shriek, and a powerful pulling sensation assaulted her at the same time, instantly shattering the imagery before her.

Ning Fuyi gasped as if waking from a massive dream, opening her eyes to the familiar, pitch-black world. At some point, she had gripped Chu Qingqiu’s hand; that hand was drenched in sweat, and it was violently wrenched from her palm at this moment.

Looking up, Chu Qingqiu had already awakened. Color had finally returned to her pale face, her red lips were pressed into a tight line, and her eyes were brimming with pure rage as she glared fixedly at Ning Fuyi.

Ning Fuyi had also not anticipated witnessing such a scene, and she hastily took a step back: “I did not mean to see it. Besides, if I had not pulled you out, who knows how long you would have remained trapped inside.”

“Rest assured, I did not see anything clearly,” Ning Fuyi added.

“Silence!” Chu Qingqiu snapped harshly.

Ning Fuyi understood her fury at having her past scrutinized by another, so she uncharacteristically refrained from arguing and helplessly shut her mouth. Just then, the old man’s voice resounded from the void once more, but before he could utter the very first word, the white bone staff at Chu Qingqiu’s waist suddenly soared into the empty space. Following a strange cry, his voice cut off abruptly.

Ning Fuyi shifted her body to maintain a safe distance, feeling a modicum of pity for that exotic beast in her heart.

Since you already knew who she was, why did you have to provoke her?

Meanwhile, outside the illusion, everyone sat upon the high platform, chatting idly out of boredom while occasionally glancing toward the archway. Unfortunately, the archway only displayed the visuals of the participants, rendering them unable to hear any sound or discern the exact nature of the illusions they had entered.

Nevertheless, it was far from uninteresting. After all, the reactions of each individual upon entering the illusion varied drastically: some burst into roaring laughter, some cursed at the heavens, and others wept bitterly on their knees, completely trapped within their memories. Within a brief span of time, a mere archway allowed them to witness the absolute spectrum of human emotions.

“Why is there not the slightest movement on Yiyi’s side?” Liu Wenzhu shielded her eyes from the sunlight, looking toward the archway with concern.

Yet, the moment her words fell, a massive boom resounded as if from the horizon. The rainbow-shaped archway shattered in response, and billowing black mist erupted from its center, surging in all directions.

The disciples scrambled to dodge amidst the clamor, while the Sect Leaders and elders sitting in the front rows hastily manifested barriers to firmly protect the high platform.

Twenty-eight disciples were thrown out along with the black smoke, tumbling onto the ground. Some had yet to awaken from their illusions, with tears still clinging to the corners of their eyes. It was only when the wind dispersed the black smoke that they opened their bleary eyes, looking in terror at the figure of Chu Qingqiu as she emerged from the darkness.

Everyone had only ever seen a cold and placid Chu Qingqiu; none had ever witnessed her looking this consumed by rage. Instantly, a heavy silence fell over the entire venue, and no one dared to speak.

The white bone staff spun through the air as it returned, landing steadily within Chu Qingqiu’s palm. Chu Qingqiu held a struggling, flailing little rabbit in her hand, which she tossed right in front of the white-bearded old man, who was likewise frozen in shock.

“Your beast,” she said. She then strode past the Peak of Zhaoyao, cleared the high platform, and walked straight down the mountain.

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, completely at a loss as to what had transpired. Ultimately, it was Elder Pingyao who spoke up cautiously: “Deity, the event has not concluded yet. You,”

“This deity is indisposed and shall take her leave first,” she said coldly, walking straight past the crowd.

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