The Villainous Senior Brother Doesn't Want to Wash White [Transmigration] - Chapter 28

After escaping into the black gate of light, Meng Xingchen was led directly to the first secret chamber beneath the Sword Immortal Hall.

In his hand, the Clear Sword Heart was emitting a faint red glow.

Because the plot of the Secret Realm was continuing to progress, Meng Xingchen had found the Clear Sword Heart before the Fox Demon. Having searched for this heart for years, he was well aware that after nearly a thousand years, it had become extremely fragile. If he didn’t use it now, it would lose its efficacy entirely.

As soon as he arrived in the chamber, Meng Xingchen couldn’t wait to pull out the long sword he was carrying. However, before he could act, he felt a surge of sharp sword intent.

In a flash, Meng Xingchen instinctively dodged to the side, clutching the spiritual sword and the Clear Sword Heart.

A sword mark was left on the wall where he had just stood. He turned around and, as expected, saw Qi Ye in the chamber, his sword array fully deployed.

“It’s you.” Seeing Qi Ye, Meng Xingchen was only slightly surprised before saying calmly.

He had briefly encountered Qi Ye outside the Wanbao Pavilion, but because Qi Ye had kept a low profile throughout the journey, Meng Xingchen hadn’t targeted him at all. However, if Qi Ye insisted on following him to stop his plans, that was another matter entirely.

Qi Ye could see that Meng Xingchen only wanted to use the Clear Sword Heart to awaken his Dao companion. But if he succeeded, the next step would likely be destroying the Secret Realm. Qi Ye naturally couldn’t let him have his way.

At least… I must stall until Senior Brother leaves safely.

Qi Ye told himself this. Without a word, he raised his hand in a sword gesture. Sword light struck Meng Xingchen like a torrential rain, nearly shearing off a layer of the stone wall.

Under this intense barrage, combined with the injuries Meng Xingchen had sustained while fighting Liu Ningyun, his disguise finally failed. Several white tails accompanied by demonic energy slowly emerged from his body.

Clearly, Meng Xingchen was not a sword cultivator of the Meng family at all, but a species of demon beast very similar to a fox.

Perhaps it was for this reason that he had aided Ji Yanqing’s group in front of the Wanbao Pavilion. It was from that moment that the real members of the Meng family had been replaced by Meng Xingchen.

Despite Meng Xingchen’s identity being exposed, Qi Ye wasn’t shocked. Instead, he said quite calmly, “As expected, you are of the Demon Race.”

It was as if he had sensed Meng Xingchen’s identity long ago.

To have his identity seen through by two people in such a short time made Meng Xingchen feel as though he were losing face.il focused his gaze on Qi Ye and, seemingly sensing something, spoke up: “Isn’t your identity also quite complicated?”

“I won’t believe you.”

The expression on Qi Ye’s face didn’t change, and his voice was steady. He knew Meng Xingchen only wanted to take the Clear Sword Heart and leave; this was just an attempt to shake his resolve.

Realizing his plan to distract Qi Ye had failed, and seeing the light of the Clear Sword Heart in his hand growing dimmer, Meng Xingchen refused to let his efforts go to waste. After a moment of silence, he spoke again: “You like your Senior Brother, don’t you?”

The hand Qi Ye used to grip his spiritual sword tightened slightly.

Sensing this subtle movement, Meng Xingchen knew he had asked the right question. An enigmatic smile appeared on his face.

He said, “Is it really worth it to chase after him alone, when he doesn’t like you at all?”

This time, Qi Ye didn’t even waste words. His spiritual sword unsheathed directly, his mind set on continuing to stall for time to prevent the destruction of the Secret Realm.

“If you don’t believe me…”

Meng Xingchen knew Qi Ye was determined not to listen. He waved his sleeve, and an image of Ji Yanqing suddenly appeared in the secret chamber.

Qi Ye indeed saw Ji Yanqing following the passage outward with Liu Ningyun and Liu Ziyi. Right ahead of the passage was the exit of the Secret Realm.

Meng Xingchen continued to add fuel to the fire, trying to provoke Qi Ye: “Do you see? No matter how much you like him, the moment he has a chance to escape, he leaves you behind without hesitation.”

Qi Ye’s eyes dimmed for a fleeting moment, but he spoke coldly: “Even so, I do it willingly.”

Meng Xingchen: “…”

Finding that sowing discord was useless, Meng Xingchen bit his teeth and attempted to force his way out of the chamber. Along with his attacks, the demonic energy in the room grew denser. Unbeknownst to anyone, a trace of demonic Qi silently entered Qi Ye’s body.

Facing Meng Xingchen’s onslaught, Qi Ye’s defense was watertight. As the clash intensified, his defense gradually turned into offense, and his moves became increasingly fierce…

Suddenly, Qi Ye realized that his blood seemed to be growing hotter and hotter.

This sensation was somewhat similar to what he had felt three years ago.

Realizing this, Qi Ye’s movements faltered for a second. In that moment of distraction, he failed to notice a bolt of demonic light aimed directly at his face.

The light was incredibly fast, reaching his eyes in an instant.

It was impossible for Qi Ye to dodge completely. He could only recall his sword array at maximum speed, mentally preparing himself to be injured.

However, at that very moment, a defensive artifact appeared before him, narrowly blocking the demonic bolt.

A figure appeared by his side.

“Senior Brother.”

Seeing the person beside him, Qi Ye’s eyes widened, his calm tone betraying an irrepressible joy.

“Do you think I need you to protect me?” Ji Yanqing’s “villain persona” went online the moment Qi Ye called out his identity, and he immediately mocked him.

However, seeing that Qi Ye was unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had sensed that demonic Qi in the passage earlier. After weighing his options, he had ultimately chosen not to leave the Secret Realm with Liu Ningyun and the others.

After leaving the passage, the Yunjian Secret Realm was shrouded in darkness. Ji Yanqing had only been able to find his way here by relying on the Golden Light Retroactive Glazed Lamp. He had entered just in time to see Qi Ye, radiating demonic energy, about to be hit.

Without a second thought, Ji Yanqing had stepped in to block Meng Xingchen’s attack.

Qi Ye had not been deeply affected by the demonic Qi; the moment he saw Ji Yanqing, he returned to normal, his eyes sparkling with delight.

Therefore, even upon hearing the familiar mockery, the light in Qi Ye’s eyes didn’t dim. He replied, “I just felt that Senior Brother would definitely come to find me.”

Looking into Qi Ye’s eyes, Ji Yanqing suddenly realized that the “trust” Qi Ye had mentioned earlier wasn’t just a casual remark.

Though he didn’t know why, Qi Ye truly seemed to believe in him.

On the other side of the chamber, because of Ji Yanqing’s arrival, the Clear Sword Heart finally lost its last bit of light and turned to ash.

Meng Xingchen fell into complete despair. Losing the heart, combined with the destruction of the realm, meant his Dao companion would never recover her consciousness.

Meng Xingchen gently stroked the long sword in his hand, then looked up at Qi Ye with eyes full of hatred. He said syllable by syllable, “Why did you stop me like this? You have no idea how painful it is to lose the one you love!”

Qi Ye answered without hesitation, “Does loving someone give you the right to slaughter the innocent?”

Qi Ye was dressed in white, the sword intent around him glowing with a faint blue light. Even in this dark chamber, he looked like the moon over a clear pond, untainted by a speck of dust.

Meng Xingchen stared fixedly at Qi Ye. Looking at this youth who seemed to exist in a different world from him, he suddenly seemed to sense something. He broke into a fit of manic laughter, murmuring to himself, “Hahaha, interesting. Too interesting.”

Qi Ye merely watched him in silence, giving no response.

After a long while, Meng Xingchen stopped laughing and continued to address Qi Ye: “I look forward to it. I look forward to the day you end up just like me. No—perhaps you will be even more insane than I am.”

Not good! Listen to those lines—this Meng Xingchen is going to cause trouble before he dies!

Hearing this, Ji Yanqing sensed danger. He formed a hand seal to stop him, but a blinding light erupted from Meng Xingchen’s body. A crimson Demon Core shot directly toward Qi Ye.

Ji Yanqing understood—Meng Xingchen must have seen through Qi Ye’s identity. He was actually trying to force Qi Ye to demonize!

As the Demon Core entered Qi Ye’s body, the demonic energy on him flared up. He fell to his knees, his breathing becoming rapid as if he were suppressing something.

Qi Ye isn’t going to demonize again, is he?!

Ji Yanqing rushed forward and grabbed Qi Ye’s wrist, asking, “Qi Ye, how are you?”

The moment Ji Yanqing touched him, the thick demonic energy on Qi Ye gradually dissipated.

After a moment, Qi Ye looked up. His face was slightly pale. “I… I’m fine. There’s just an extra Demon Core in my body.”

Qi Ye made it sound simple, but anyone with basic cultivation knowledge knew that if a normal cultivator had an unrefined Demon Core in their body, they could easily be assimilated by it.

Moreover, Qi Ye carried half-demon blood. Under the influence of that core, he could demonize at any moment.

“The Secret Realm is about to collapse completely. Let’s leave quickly.”

At Qi Ye’s reminder, Ji Yanqing summoned the glazed lamp and led Qi Ye back to the passage. All along the way, he was thinking about the Demon Core inside Qi Ye.

Ji Yanqing’s original plan was to find an excuse to give the spiritual sword to Qi Ye after leaving the realm, thereby completing the mission and getting 300 Villain Points.

But seeing this, Ji Yanqing realized he couldn’t rashly hand the sword over.

The Fox Demon’s sword was a demonic blade. It could easily trigger the demonic Qi in Qi Ye. With that and the Demon Core, the probability of demonization was basically 100%, and the plot would accelerate tenfold.

Ji Yanqing obviously couldn’t do something that would completely break the main storyline.

But if he didn’t do it, the mission wouldn’t be completed, and there would be no Villain Points.

So, to complete the mission, he at least had to extract the Demon Core and temporarily suppress the demonic Qi in Qi Ye.

Ji Yanqing recalled the plot of Path of the Demon Immortal. Qi Ye had nearly demonized several times in the book. Ji Yanqing remembered that he relied on a Millennial Ice Stone, combined with a spiritual sword capable of suppressing demonic Qi, to finally gain full control over his demon blood.

That specific sword from the Hidden Heaven Secret Realm wouldn’t be available yet, so what Ji Yanqing could use now was the Millennial Ice Stone.

Of course, other materials and artifacts would be needed, but those weren’t big problems.

The only major problem was: that Millennial Ice Stone was currently in the Ji family—in Ji Yanhui’s hands.

Ji Yanqing’s mind raced, coming up with N ways to get the stone from the Ji family without meeting Ji Yanhui, while his feet didn’t slow down.

Finally, he and Qi Ye reached the exit of the Secret Realm. But at that moment, the passage shook violently.

Ji Yanqing realized things were going south. When he looked ahead, his heart sank.

The circle of light was shrinking rapidly; the exit was actually closing!

Just then, Ji Yanqing felt a wave of cold air. Everything around them seemed to be frozen, including the exit. The speed at which the light circle was shrinking came to a complete halt.

Seizing this chance, Ji Yanqing and Qi Ye used their last bit of spiritual energy to dash toward the exit.

The light before his eyes magnified infinitely. Ji Yanqing felt his body grow light. As the brightness faded, the surrounding scenery became clear.

He was currently outside the ruined temple where they had first entered the realm. In other words, he had finally escaped.

Ji Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn’t notice a figure appearing outside the Flying Star Carriage in mid-air.

He wore a moon-white robe, his features cold and his aura aloof, like an immortal from the Lunar Palace. The icy True Qi surrounding him had not yet dissipated; clearly, it was he who had just acted to stop the exit from closing.

Seeing the two people emerge safely from the realm, the man thought for a moment and moved his feet, walking toward them.

His pace was slow, but when he saw Ji Yanqing’s face clearly, the “Lunar Immortal” stopped dead in his tracks. His pupils even wavered slightly.

Recalling Liu Ningyun’s earlier account, the man suddenly realized something. His cold eyes stared fixedly at Ji Yanqing.

Liu Ningyun noticed his gaze and was curious about their relationship. But before he could speak, the Lunar Immortal asked him: “You said the cultivator who turned the tide several times in the Secret Realm… was him?”

His frigid voice was full of disbelief and contempt.