The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth - Chapter 38

The moment her words fell, the sharp pain from the howling wind cutting against her face ceased abruptly. In its place came a gentle breeze like that of a serene forest. The edge of a robe brushed past the tip of her nose, and a crisp, cold fragrance washed over her, masking the heavy scent of blood that covered the ground.

The rabbit in her hands was still struggling wildly. Ning Fuyi slowly opened her eyes. What met her gaze was a piercing white light that gradually softened, turning into faint feathers scattering across the sky and drifting onto the shoulders of the person standing before her.

Chu Qingqiu stood with her back turned toward her. The white bone staff in her hand had transformed into a white jade rod. As she swept out a fierce gust of wind, all dozen or so disciples of the Guijian Sect were sent flying, tumbling across the ground one after another. The black smoke and bloody mist were instantly driven away as well.

Ning Fuyi’s breathing slowed down. She stared fixedly at Chu Qingqiu’s back, feeling somewhat dazed.

Shouting out for Chu Qingqiu just now had been an instinctive reaction. Only now did she find the time to think it over. This prayer bead had been given to her by Chu Qingqiu, so the appearance of the Nightmare Beast must have been Chu Qingqiu’s doing as well.

“Deity, Divine Venerable?” The disciples of the Yunji Sect, who were huddled into a ball on the ground, raised their heads. Having just escaped death, they were filled with profound surprise.

“Get up this instant,” Chu Qingqiu said coldly. She then traced the shape of a blooming flower with both hands in front of her chest, and thousands of silver threads shot out from her sleeves, boring straight into the minds of the Guijian Sect disciples. Several individuals instantly let out heart-wrenching screams as black smoke poured from their mouths and noses, gathering into a mass that attempted to flee into the dense forest.

However, the mass was struck and shattered by the suddenly airborne white bone staff, vanishing into nothingness.

Seeing that the demonic aura had been dispersed, the remaining disciples hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, their lingering terror unresolved. Two disciples from the Southern Courtyard had sustained severe injuries, and their companions were frantically supporting them.

“Thank you, Divine Venerable, for saving us,” Hong Ying said, dragging his heavy sword with lingering fear. “Why would members of the demon race manage to break into the Chaos Realm? I must notify the outside world immediately, otherwise more disciples will fall victim.”

Having said that, he untied the voice transmission jade token from his waist. However, the token that should have been shimmering with spiritual light was now entirely dim. No matter how much he shook it, it would not transmit any sound.

“Why is it like this?” Hong Ying froze instantly.

“What else could it be? The Chaos Realm has been sabotaged,” Ning Fuyi, who had been standing at the very back all this time, suddenly spoke up. She tossed the rabbit in her hand back into the prayer bead and wiped away the bloody mist that had splattered onto her face at some unknown point.

Hong Ying turned to look at her in surprise.

“What did these demons come here for? Logically speaking, this place is a sacred site. Ordinary demons can barely enter the mountain, so how could they break into the Chaos Realm?” Rong Jin, who had injured one of his legs, also walked toward the crowd with a limp. “Is it to seek revenge against the immortal sects?”

“If it were merely to seek revenge against the sects, they would just slaughter the disciples. Why would they need to seize the beast stones?” Hong Ying found himself thoroughly perplexed.

Ning Fuyi noticed that Chu Qingqiu had remained silent the entire time, keeping her eyes half-closed as if she were sensing something.

“These beast stones are merely fakes; they cannot be used for cultivation anyway,” one of the disciples remarked.

“But they can be used to open the Divine Fall,” Ning Fuyi suddenly interjected, drawing everyone’s eyes to her.

Upon hearing those words, everyone’s expressions changed drastically. Just as they were about to say something, the ground beneath their feet began to shudder violently, causing people to sway unsteadily and break into frantic screams.

Feng Ge suddenly pointed toward the horizon, shouting in absolute terror, “Heavens, look over there!”

They watched as the previously azure sky suddenly caught fire, as if rice paper were being ignited. Blazing flames erupted in all four cardinal directions. The areas that had been burned away revealed a pitch-black color, but that darkness did not resemble the night; it resembled death.

“The Chaos Realm is about to collapse!” someone shrieked at the top of their lungs. At the same time, the shouting of numerous voices echoed from within the dense forest. Clearly, disciples from other sects had discovered this cataclysm as well and were rushing toward the center in utter panic.

As the fire burned increasingly hotter, the once-lush dense forest also ignited into a massive blaze. The entire Chaos Realm shrunk at a terrifying speed, closing in around the crowd as if it intended to consume everyone alive.

The position where the Yunji Sect stood happened to be the center. Looking around, they could see a dense crowd of disciples running out from all directions, their faces entirely pale with panic.

“Divine Venerable, what should we do?” Hong Ying also lost his usual composure, his voice shifting in pitch.

“Stop shouting. Those people have already severed the connection between this place and the outside world. Tell everyone to use their immortal energy to halt the collapse of the Chaos Realm,” Chu Qingqiu suddenly opened her eyes, her voice perfectly calm. She abruptly soared into the air, her sleeves fluttering in the howling wind like a lotus scattering its petals.

Simultaneously, a brilliant white light erupted from her entire body, illuminating the remaining space of the Chaos Realm as though it were high noon. The flames that had been raging fiercely a moment ago were suppressed, and the speed of the burning slowed down abruptly.

“It is Divine Venerable Chu Ling!” someone yelled from amidst the crowded gathering. The disciples who had been consumed by terror a moment ago instantly let out a breath of relief. The despair on their faces temporarily vanished, and they obediently summoned their immortal energy instead, sending thousands of beams of light piercing into the void.

For a time, powerful immortal energy surged everywhere. The combined strength of the crowd formed a resolute barrier, temporarily halting the destruction of the Chaos Realm.

Ning Fuyi, who was busy picking up something behind the crowd, stood up and looked up toward the sky.

In truth, Chu Qingqiu had always been like this, as powerful as the sun and the moon, revered by all immortal sects, and deeply loved by all living beings under heaven.

The common people loved her, and her love was universal as well.

It was just that her gaze would never lock onto a single individual. That was all.

Once the Chaos Realm stabilized, Chu Qingqiu pursed her pale lips and suddenly summoned her white bone staff. The white jade rod transformed into a massive pillar, carrying a piercing white light as it thrust toward the sky, which had already lost all identifiable color.

As though it had pierced into the surface of the sea, a ripple expanded across the sky. Although it was small, it managed to force open a doorway leading to the outside world.

“We are saved, we are saved!” People in the crowd began to weep and offer prayers.

At the same time, a clamor erupted outside the realm. Dozens of sect leaders and elders, who were likewise attempting to open the Chaos Realm, stood suspended mid-air. Seeing that the sky, which had shown no movement for a long time, finally revealed a curved arc, they opened their eyes wide with intense excitement.

“Sect Leader Tang, it is Divine Venerable Chu Ling!” Zen Master Feiguang of the Kongming Sect nearly shed tears. He swung the staff in his hand forcefully, working even harder to tear open the rift that had finally appeared in the sky.

“Yes,” a lattice of veins popped up on Tang Wenshu’s elegant face. “Everyone, exert more strength!”

For a time, light flared magnificently both inside and outside the realm. Such a powerful gathering of energy disturbed the four Cyan Luans guarding the sacred mountain, and their sorrowful cries echoed through the heavens and the earth.

Finally, spots of light appeared on the bodies of several disciples, after which they transformed into points of light, leaving the Chaos Realm like falling stars to materialize abruptly upon the Peak of Zhaoyao.

Following that, more and more people departed from the Chaos Realm. The crowd inside grew scarcer until only a scattering of individuals remained.

Chu Qingqiu, however, still stood suspended mid-air. Her hair, which was usually never disheveled by the wind, looked somewhat battered at this moment. Due to the departure of the others, the light within the Chaos Realm gradually grew dim, leaving only her own immortal energy to support it. The fierce fires began to burn once more, closing in from thousands of miles to hundreds of miles, until finally, only a space of dozens of miles remained around them.

The last ones remaining were the disciples of the Yunji Sect. They supported one another, their bodies gradually becoming covered by the spots of light as they departed one after another.

“Hurry and leave!” Hong Ying and Feng Ge surged forward to urge the other disciples, and then looked toward Ning Fuyi, Rong Jin, and Liu Wenzhu. Their eyes flickered for a brief second before asking, “You three, why have you not left yet?”

“We are coming right now!” Liu Wenzhu replied hastily, reaching out to grab Ning Fuyi’s arm. Instantly, the spots of light began to cover them as well.

Feeling the warmth of the points of light, Ning Fuyi suddenly twisted her head to look toward Chu Qingqiu. She saw that she was still suspended mid-air, maintaining the exit door with one hand while preventing the demise of the Chaos Realm with the other.

However, she was clearly at the end of her strength. The speed at which the Chaos Realm was vanishing accelerated once again, and before long, only the fragmented land beneath their feet remained.

If one looked closely, it seemed that traces of blood were seeping from her pale lips.

“Ning Fuyi! What are you still standing there for? The Divine Venerable will be fine!” Rong Jin said, simply pulling her toward the circular doorway.

Yet, at the exact moment Ning Fuyi’s body was about to pass through the doorway, her arm suddenly twisted at a bizarre angle, allowing her to break free from his grip. Shoving the two of them out, she turned her body around and soared into the air, charging straight toward Chu Qingqiu.

She saw that Chu Qingqiu’s usually serene expression had finally shattered. She seemed to be shouting something harshly, followed by a violent roar that sounded like a sudden bout of tinnitus.

After that, the world plunged into absolute silence.

Splat, splat.

The deafening sound of dripping water echoed beside her ears. Ning Fuyi blinked her eyes and sat up abruptly.

There was a puddle of accumulated water where she had been lying just now. Water droplets constantly fell from above, which was what created the dripping sound.

The ground was slick and wet. Several night luminous pearls seemed to be embedded into the walls, emitting a faint light that kept their surroundings from being completely pitch-black. Ning Fuyi scrambled up from the ground and brushed down her tattered dress.

She appeared to be inside a massive stone chamber. To her left lay a stone pool spanning several yards across, but the pool was currently dried up. One could see five-colored gemstones embedded at the bottom, which bore testament to the former beauty of this place.

She had been to this place before. Ning Fuyi recognized it at a single glance: this place was the Divine Fall.

The Emei piercers were right here. A surge of intense excitement welled up in Ning Fuyi’s heart, though she immediately grew tense afterward, calling out softly, “Deity?”

“Chu Qingqiu?”

A rustling sound echoed from a corner of the stone chamber. Ning Fuyi ran over hastily and flipped over two stones, revealing a pair of hands covered entirely in dust. Her heartstrings tightened, and she waved her hand to sweep away the remaining rocks.

Chu Qingqiu was lying on the ground. Her exposed skin was covered in small cuts and scratches, and only her face remained relatively clean, though the corners of her mouth were stained with blood.

“Chu Qingqiu!” Ning Fuyi pulled at her forcefully, but she was violently swept aside by the other woman, who had suddenly moved.

“What are you shouting for? I am not dead,” Chu Qingqiu said in a low voice. She sat up slowly, turning her wrist to grip her white bone staff as if she intended to strike Ning Fuyi on the head. Fortunately, Ning Fuyi was quick of eye and swift of hand, her body retreating abruptly to dodge the strike.

“I came back out of kindness to save you, so what are you doing?” Ning Fuyi looked at the sinister white bone staff with lingering fear.

“This deity endured for so long precisely to allow you all to escape, yet you turned around to seek your own death. If you truly wish to throw your life away this badly, this deity shall fulfill your wish!” Chu Qingqiu’s pale face was flushed with anger. She raised her hand to strike Ning Fuyi’s head again, but she suddenly burst into a violent fit of coughing, forcing herself to prop up her body with the white bone staff.

Seeing blood staining those soft lips, Ning Fuyi hastily waved her hand to scatter a dense mass of beast stones from her prayer bead, holding them out for Chu Qingqiu to see with a helpless expression.

The shimmering beast stones were displayed right before her. Only then did Chu Qingqiu’s anger recede slightly, and her coughing grew less intense.

“According to the rules established by the Holy Maiden of Zhaoyao, possessing the highest number of beast stones can open the Divine Fall,” Ning Fuyi said. “If I had not come back to save you, did you intend to die alone within the Chaos Realm?”

“Furthermore, I was the one who called you over. Although I am not some saint, I am no craven coward either,” Ning Fuyi muttered, tossing those beast stones to the side casually.

Chu Qingqiu’s grip on the white bone staff tightened, and she averted her gaze: “I would not have died.”

“Right, you are mighty,” Ning Fuyi said as she stood up. However, after taking two steps, she turned around and found that Chu Qingqiu remained completely motionless in place.

Thus, she retraced her steps and dropped into a half-squat before her. She reached out her hands to support Chu Qingqiu’s shoulders, but Chu Qingqiu dodged her touch, revealing a massive patch of blood across her abdomen at the same time.

The piercing crimson caused Ning Fuyi to freeze instantly. Only now did she realize that the other woman had been enduring in silence all this time. To bear such a severe wound without letting out the slightest sound was incredible.

“You are injured?” Ning Fuyi furrowed her brows. She could not see the wound clearly, but she could see wisps of demonic aura drifting from the injury.

A demon followed us here? Ning Fuyi’s gaze instantly turned ice-cold. For a being to injure Chu Qingqiu to this extent, it was absolutely no ordinary member of the demon race.

Chu Qingqiu let out a soft grunt, then murmured that it was of no consequence, struggling to stand up while propping herself against the white bone staff.

Her pale, delicate hands were trembling, and her entire being resembled a lotus flower caught in a violent storm. Her frame was enveloped within her wide robes; on ordinary days, one would not realize it due to her sheer power, but now her slender fragility was completely laid bare.

A strange sensation arose within Ning Fuyi’s heart, as though she were trembling along with her.

Ning Fuyi watched her for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward. Her left hand slid past her shoulders, while her right hand pressed beneath her knees.

With a sudden burst of strength, she lifted Chu Qingqiu up into a full bridal carry.

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