Wanxi Rebirth - Chapter 84

As the eldest daughter of a celestial sect, Qin Suoliu not only needed to be familiar with information about human forces but also had to understand major historical events of the demon clans, striving to know both herself and her enemy.

However, the memories of Qingning City were obtained from the souls of those demons.

Yue Tingxi had also seen those memories and, upon hearing the description, descended to the ground, releasing Qin Suoliu while transforming herself into human form.

The two held hands and walked briskly along the streets.

“Although Qingning City is a demon city, there are also many humans living and trading here. The two races interact frequently, and relations are generally harmonious,” Qin Suoliu said, looking around. “Perhaps because it is located in the remote northern regions, guarded by a powerful and virtuous demon, any disputes are resolved immediately. Hence, the city has long maintained a state of peace without interference from the outside world.”

“So that’s why it’s called ‘Qingning’?” Yue Tingxi asked, glancing at the nearby stalls. “But Qingning City likely no longer exists, right? Otherwise, how could we be seeing such a scene here in the resentment-filled Ghost Domain?”

Before this, Qin Yingguang had mentioned that Qiongqi was gathering resentment somewhere in the city, attempting to break the seal of the demon realm.

If Qingning City still existed and Qiongqi was not the city’s guardian demon, she would probably now be fighting the guardian demon to the death. If Qingning City had already fallen, and Qiongqi was indeed the rumored demon who devoured the city’s people, then this place was likely an illusion created to trap them and buy time.

“Indeed, we need to quickly locate the source or core of this illusion,” Qin Suoliu nodded.

However, Qingning City was vast, and finding clues without any leads was far from easy.

All they knew was the demon Qiongqi and the city’s guardian demon, so they decided to go straight to the “Hundred-Knowledge Pavilion,” responsible for managing information in the city.

“Guests want to see our city lord…” A feathered-girl clerk responsible for registration blinked her narrow eyes in concern. “I can relay the message, but the city lord is very busy. Please explain the matter in detail.”

This momentarily puzzled Yue Tingxi. As she racked her brain for a reason, Qin Suoliu spoke:

“My Dao Companion and I are pursuing a Tongyou Master who fled into this city, hiding within your city’s barrier. We have temporarily lost track of them, but they have committed heinous crimes and may quietly cause calamity here. We have no choice but to boldly request the city lord’s assistance!”

She then handed over a small dark green jade piece—a demon token separated from the Tongyou Master He Shen two years ago, kept within the Mustard Seed Ice Wheel and entrusted to Qingyu Shanren.

When the feathered-girl clerk’s delicate hand touched the jade, she paused strangely.

“…Alright, I’ll… notify them…”

Hearing the unnatural tone in her voice, Yue Tingxi immediately looked at the palm that had received the jade.

She saw small corpse-like spots spreading from beneath the jade, slowly, not yet reaching the otherwise clean arm.

After taking the jade, a human-looking attendant approached and guided them to the guest resting chamber.

“Are they also walking corpses?” Yue Tingxi asked as soon as she sat down. “How could a single demon token or a piece of information about the Tongyou Master make them sprout corpse spots?!”

“It could also be the illusion master’s stray thoughts,” Qin Suoliu speculated. “For instance, when creating the illusion, they realized their current ghost-realm identity. So even original citizens become processed walking corpses.”

She paused. “But neither the records nor the memories mention these details. I tested using the Tongyou Master’s information based on experiences from my previous life.”

In her previous life, after He Shen entered the Ghost Domain, he could lead other Tongyou Masters and a corpses’ army to annihilate the Qin family. Now, encountering the undead army near the ghost city “Flowers Blooming from Bones,” it was natural to associate the Tongyou Master with Qiongqi, prompting her to hand over the token.

Yue Tingxi nodded silently and pondered for a long while. “Would she really want to see us?”

“If not, we’ll barge in,” Qin Suoliu said. “Anyway, this trip isn’t about courtesy—just buy some time.”

When breaking barriers before, Lin Fengqing had fired forty-nine spirit-energy blasts! Along the way, they had killed countless skeletons and walking corpses.

“Hmph, young and low in realm, yet such audacity!”

Unexpectedly, just as Qin Suoliu finished speaking, a woman’s cold laugh reached them.

Startled, she instinctively activated her protective barrier, but Yue Tingxi reacted faster, shielding her into the inner chamber.

“Yue Tingxi!” Qin Suoliu pounded the chamber wall in panic. “You can’t face demons alone!”

“It’s fine. I actually wanted to chat with her one-on-one anyway,” Yue Tingxi said calmly, blocking the overwhelming wood-element spirit force descending from above.

The spirit force was extremely pure, even containing Great Ascension-level laws. Without Xie Zhi’s power of laws, Yue Tingxi didn’t know how she could have withstood it.

The female demon in front of her had striking vermilion phoenix-like eyes, with upturned corners and an expression full of impatience, her gaze icy cold.

“Take it off—the mask,” she said. “I have some patience for demons, but don’t be ungrateful.”

Yue Tingxi calmly removed the mask and unveiled her hair disguise, letting her snowy hair flow down.

“…What is your relation with Lingjian?” The woman’s next words stunned her.

“If I must say, that’s a false name I often use when disguised outside,” Yue Tingxi gathered herself and responded. “Was it once the true name of some demon?”

“Just a label. Truth or falsehood doesn’t matter,” the woman said lightly. “Just like you call me Qiongqi.”

Even though they expected Qiongqi to appear after seeing the token, Yue Tingxi hadn’t anticipated such a… strange situation.

Qiongqi’s appearance was fierce, but her hair and clothing looked casual. Black hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and she wore a long robe of calming moon-white, giving a sense of ease rather than threat.

After scrutinizing Yue Tingxi, Qiongqi said lightly:

“It seems you don’t know about Lingjian, but you are closely tied to this world’s laws and the Dao. I suppose you’ve come to stop me?”

“Not on orders. I simply came because our positions conflict, to see if there’s a third way,” Yue Tingxi explained. “I don’t want to see humans suffer from demons, nor do I want my homeland torn apart in the name of justice…”

“Then you should have killed the one who started the conflict,” Qiongqi said, pointing above. “Thousands of years ago, the demon disaster destroyed my most cherished home. Without that origin, later events wouldn’t have happened.”

Her words were veiled, but after speaking with Xie Zhi, Yue Tingxi understood—she was referring to herself being sent by the World Consciousness thousands of years into the past, manipulated to incite the demons.

By devouring cultivators, the fastest path to advancement, the demon disasters began, and demons were born.

“What I’m doing now is helping you, Yue Tingxi,” Qiongqi said calmly, calling this unfamiliar name.

Thousands of years ago, demons exiled to the demon realm remembered Bashe. If Yue Tingxi appeared, repeating past events could accumulate enough power to overturn the current Dao and reshape the world.

Qiongqi’s philosophy mirrored Bashe’s, but Bashe is Bashe, and she is herself.

“I cannot agree with your philosophy,” Yue Tingxi decisively shook her head. “Whatever you suffered is in the past. The two races are not in conflict now, and the world is at peace. Releasing demons will only return everything to chaos, with corpses and bloodshed. Innocent people from both sides will suffer…”

“That’s temporary, a necessary sacrifice,” Qiongqi replied. “And your words disgust me. ‘It’s in the past’? You, a mere hundred-year-old young demon, what have you experienced? What do you understand? And yet you dare speak of great justice?!”

She suddenly pushed forward, wind slashing like blades, accompanied by metallic ringing!

Yue Tingxi, always wary of a sudden attack, blocked it immediately but was still blown outside the Hundred-Knowledge Pavilion, crashing through a wall.

For a moment, she noticed the surrounding silence. It felt like falling into the deep sea; the street’s previous noise disappeared, leaving only a ringing in her ears.

“Yue Tingxi!!”

Qin Suoliu’s anxious voice echoed in her mind. “Snap out of it! We’ve entered an illusion again!”

Yue Tingxi had expected this, and with Qin Suoliu’s reminder, she regained clarity even faster.

“Please! City Lord!”

A pleading elderly woman’s voice came into her ears. “Our homeland has been attacked by demons. Several cities’ people have already been devoured! The immortals are useless! We had to flee north, but supplies are almost gone…”

…City Lord? Is this her current illusion identity?

After the elderly woman’s voice, Yue Tingxi heard more desperate pleas. Looking down the steps, she saw a group of people kneeling. From their patched clothing to their bundles, they were dusty and weary, seemingly refugees.

Before she could think further, a familiar female voice spoke:

“Stand up. I didn’t say no, but you humans arrived in such numbers. Even if houses were built immediately, it would take two or three days. I’m thinking how to arrange things so you’ll be comfortable in the meantime.”

That was Qiongqi’s voice?!

Soon, Yue Tingxi, with her soul-level perception, picked up a name repeatedly mentioned by the people—“Chuiyin”.

The refugees were calling this city lord, whose voice resembled Qiongqi, “Chuiyin.”

“Qiongqi is probably showing you her past,” Qin Suoliu guessed. “This demon… is different from the rascals I met in the demon realm, though I can’t specify how.”

Support