Chapter Eighty-One: The Difficulty of a Mortal Heart (Part One)

"I saw her being very close to Ling Lu. Could it be that everything today was orchestrated by her?"

Ye Xiao nodded. "She and Ling Lu joined Qiongyun sixteen years ago, but due to the sect's rule of only accepting one female disciple every six years, Sui Qiu went to Shen Shui Sect instead. Despite the years apart, their relationship remains just as close."

I had always heard that the disciples of Shen Shui Sect were dedicated to healing and saving lives. The spells they practiced focused on strengthening the body and enhancing protection, never harming others. But this Sui Qiu...

Ye Xiao glanced at me and continued, "Among the spells practiced by Shen Shui Sect, there is one used for self-preservation called 'Face Changing'. This spell can be cast on oneself or others, and unless one is from the sect, even those with profound cultivation would find it difficult to detect."

So, Sui Qiu must have used this Face Changing spell to infiltrate some disciples into the sect, coordinating from within to weaken Moon Shadow Sect's defenses.

"Then how could she extract my cultivation and transfer it to Ling Lu?"

"Have you heard of 'Cuckoo Occupying the Magpie's Nest'? The spell 'Spiritual Water Borrowing Aperture' is even more domineering. It seizes another's foundational essence from the root, leaving nothing behind. This ultimate technique can only be used by the sect's principal disciples and can be used only once." After finishing, Ye Xiao coughed a few more times.

"Are you alright, Uncle?" I checked his pulse and found that his injuries, though not apparent on the surface, had deeply affected his spiritual roots, as if they were old ailments.

The old injuries had flared up due to the recent invasion of cold energy, but they weren't life-threatening.

"Have you decided what to do?"

Hearing Ye Xiao's question, I had already made up my mind, though my thoughts were scattered and I felt uncertain. "If I can learn the whereabouts of the Mirage Pearl from Quanyou, perhaps there's still a chance."

Ye Xiao agreed readily. "Then I'll seize the right moment to make a move. You take the opportunity to find Quanyou. But... you need to wait a bit." He sat cross-legged and began to circulate his energy, attempting to suppress his recurring ailment.

Quanyou was engaged in a fierce battle with Que Han, Ling Lu, and Sui Qiu. Strange lights flickered, causing the sky to change colors intermittently.

Sui Qiu's blue ribbon danced continuously in her hand, like a water snake diving into the depths of a river, disappearing into the night sky and then suddenly reappearing, striking Quanyou's shoulder fiercely. If one strike missed, she would attack from the opposite direction. Being a spiritual weapon, even if Quanyou grabbed it, it was hard to destroy, thus restraining his attacks and giving the others a chance to strike at his vital points.

With Quanyou's level of power, ordinary magical weapons couldn't harm him, but Que Han's true form was imbued with divine energy, granting him some divine power. As long as they severely injured Quanyou, he wouldn't be able to recover.

Amidst the flashing of blades and swords, several wounds appeared on Quanyou's body, staining his silver robe with irregular patterns of blood, and the stench of blood grew even stronger.

The metallic scent filled the hall, the corpses at our feet covered every blood-stained tile, and the crimson aura of resentment hung in the air like wisps of smoke, continually gathering around Quanyou. Eventually, it transformed into a swirling black demonic energy.

This demonic energy paralyzed everyone, rendering them immobile, and even Ling Lu and the others couldn't approach with their magical weapons.

Quanyou's eyes grew even redder. He raised his arm and threw his fan into the air, transforming it into a jade staff of deep green. He held the staff above his head, channeling his demonic energy into it. The staff instantly released dozens of beasts covered in scales and claws.

Three beasts with red horns charged at Ling Lu and the others, while the rest descended upon the remaining disciples who were immobilized by the demonic energy, tearing them apart instantly. The barely surviving disciples dragged their half-bodies, bleeding profusely, as if the entire Shenlian Hall would be submerged in blood.

One of the fierce beasts set its sights on me, preparing to pounce.

I drew a dagger from my waist, ready to seize an opportunity to slash the beast's neck. However, the beast, tainted with demonic energy, gave me no chance to maneuver and lunged straight at me.

There was a flash of sword light.

The beast, which had just been baring its fangs at me, now lay dead in a pool of blood, its head severed from its body. A sword blocked my front, and its wielder's arm trembled slightly. Then, I heard a few soft coughs as the person said, "The time has come."

Looking up, I saw the three mutated beasts entangled with Ling Lu and the others. They seemed to be struggling against the beasts, while Quanyou leisurely sat on the roof, channeling demonic energy and indifferently watching the fight between the three and the beasts.

The beast's claws pressed close, the sharp strikes falling heavily from all directions. Que Han barely managed to fend them off with his sword, not letting the beast advance an inch. At that moment, the beast leaped back and suddenly whipped its tail, sending Que Han flying several meters. He finally let out a muffled grunt, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

I watched anxiously, but I couldn't intervene.

Sui Qiu wielded two silk ribbons, keeping her distance from the beast, barely managing to fend off its attacks. Her hands were bloodied from the prolonged effort.

Ling Lu, on the other hand, was having a tougher time. She wielded a bone whip, creating a protective barrier around herself. The whip was studded with short, curved blades that unleashed wind blades toward the beast. However, all her attacks were futile against the beast's claws, which rendered them ineffective.

Seeing the beast raise its claw again, Ling Lu spun her bone whip, sending gusts of wind toward it. The wind blades only managed to knock off a few of the beast's hairs. The claw tore her whip apart and slashed at her face, leaving two deep gashes. She quickly summoned an ice lotus to repel the beast's assault.

A flash of cold light.

The beast in front of Ling Lu suddenly fell straight down, lifeless.

Que Han had already dealt with the red-horned beast at some point. Using his power, he sent Ling Lu to safety and then went to assist Sui Qiu. Together, they restrained the beast's four legs with silk ribbons, and Que Han severed its horn with his sword, killing the third beast.

After these three beasts were eliminated, Quanyou looked severely weakened, his face pale as he leaned on his jade staff. His eyes glowed even redder.

It seemed Quanyou's body was exhausted.

At that moment, Que Han thrust his sword at him. With a "ding," an invisible barrier blocked Que Han's sword energy.

Que Han frowned slightly, gathering his power. The Cold Spring Sword in his hand began to glow intensely, emitting cold energy and ice flows. Quanyou gritted his teeth, trying to reinforce the barrier, but it gradually cracked.

Suddenly, Ye Xiao appeared. He took a black pot from his robes and threw it between the two. The pot spun, absorbing the surrounding light and turning bright red before exploding, sending both Que Han and Quanyou stumbling backward.

Ye Xiao nodded at me and used his power to send me upward, giving me a chance to reach Quanyou.

"Senior Brother?" came Que Han's puzzled voice from a distance. "Why did you sacrifice your life-bound spiritual weapon to stop me?" From his voice alone, I could imagine how confused and pained he must have been.

But I had no time to help Ye Xiao explain.

I looked at the barely alive Quanyou and took out the Snow Lotus Pill that Hua Ying had given me, feeding one to him. He looked up at me, his eyes glowing even redder.

"Little Qingyue… why have your cultivation and artifacts disappeared? But it doesn't matter… this way, you can first become a demon." He smiled, pulling me into the hall and splitting the jade staff into four, creating a barrier around us.

I looked at him warily. "Quanyou, what are you trying to do?" Now, I had no ability to resist his transformation.

He still smiled charmingly, his bloodless lips moving softly. "To become a god, one must first become a demon."