Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 222 - 221: The "Den of Iniquity" of Xuanyuan City

Listening to Bei Lingyin's admonishment, Qing Yueqiu finally fell silent.

A moment later, she looked up again, her scarlet eyes filled with determination.

"I'm sorry, Sister Lingyin. I was being too naive before. I underestimated death and slaughter... but now, I'm ready."

Bei Lingyin met Qing Yueqiu's gaze. She could see the resolve in the young woman's eyes and understood that she had finally begun to awaken the nature of the Rakshasa Race within her!

A new Rakshasa warrior was about to be born.

"Yueqiu, let me ask you one more time. What do you want to do tonight?"

"I want to kill. I want to unleash myself through unrestrained slaughter... to vent all my pent-up frustration."

As she said this, Qing Yueqiu clenched her fists. She felt a buzzing in her ears—the sound of her own blood rushing.

If there had been a mirror, Qing Yueqiu would have clearly seen the look of anticipation and madness on her own face.

This was a savage, unrestrained side of her that she had never shown to her master.

"Good. Very good. Just what I'd expect from Sister Lingyin's dear sister."

Bei Lingyin waved, motioning for the younger woman to follow.

After a moment's hesitation, Qing Yueqiu asked, "Sister Lingyin, where are we going to kill tonight? Though I'm prepared to draw my sword, I certainly won't raise it against innocent fellow disciples."

Bei Lingyin rolled her eyes at that.

"Of course we aren't going after your fellow disciples. The Xuanyuan Dao Sect is teeming with experts; it's no place to be reckless and arrogant."

"I'm taking you to a place where you can kill legally."

As she said this, Bei Lingyin gave Qing Yueqiu a cryptic smile.

"Kill legally? What do you mean...?"

"The Beast Fighting Arena. You've heard of it, right? The Human Dynasties love to host games where animals and humans fight to the death.

Your Dao Sect has them too, of course. It's just that the combatants are humans and Demon Beasts, the fighting is far more intense, and it's a better spectacle. The amount of Spirit Stones the audience wagers on a single match is astronomical."

Qing Yueqiu was incredulous, instinctively refusing to believe Bei Lingyin.

"Impossible. Master told me that the Xuanyuan Dao Sect is a major sect of the Righteous Dao. We've always upheld justice in the mortal world, championed righteousness, and maintained peace. How could we possibly host something like that?"

Bei Lingyin couldn't help but scoff at Qing Yueqiu's naive words.

'This girl has all this power, but she's been so sheltered by Pei Yuhang. Her Cultivation is already at the Nascent Soul realm, yet she's still so naive about the world.'

'I wonder if Pei Yuhang is actually raising Qing Yueqiu as his own daughter, so reluctant to let her experience even the slightest trial of the mortal world.'

However, the thought of guiding such a well-behaved girl toward a crazier and more authentic path sent an indescribable thrill through Bei Lingyin.

'Someone as pure-hearted as Yueqiu would undergo a complete metamorphosis, body and soul, after cultivating Killing Momentum. I can't wait to see how Pei Yuhang will deal with the 'transformed' Qing Yueqiu!'

"Yueqiu, the Cultivation Realm has just as many cesspools of filth as the Human Dynasties. The only difference is that the Demonic Sects are open about it, while the so-called Righteous Sects do it in the shadows.

Often, the more noble and righteous a person appears on the surface, the more depraved they are in private. Once you've seen more of the world, you won't be so easily shocked."

"..."

Qing Yueqiu followed silently behind Bei Lingyin. Just as they were about to leave the Cold Palace Sword Mansion, she glanced back toward her master's courtyard one last time before resolutely quickening her pace to catch up.

Under a cold, misty moon, the hoarse caws of a few scattered crows echoed in the distance, making the night feel even more desolate.

The two aloof, silver-haired beauties traveled through the night via Sword Control, arriving in Xuanyuan City at midnight.

Xuanyuan City, known as the Daoist Sect's City of Eternal Night, was at its liveliest. The streets thronged with people, and the entire city was a blaze of brilliant, magnificent lights. To Qing Yueqiu, who had just arrived from the secluded Cold Palace Sword Mansion, the clamor was overwhelming.

For some reason, Qing Yueqiu wasn't surprised that a bloody, primitive Beast Fighting Arena would be found in the decadent, hedonistic Xuanyuan City.

Perhaps, back when she was a little beggar in the Capital City, she had already learned what it meant for the highest echelons of society to also be the lowest.

"Yueqiu, since this is your first time, I'll take you inside to show you the ropes and get you registered. After that, you can come on your own."

As she spoke, Bei Lingyin handed Qing Yueqiu a mask.

It was a white mask that concealed everything but the eyes, intricately inlaid with fine, transparent crystals. Under the refracted moonlight, the entire mask gave off a shimmering glow.

"What is this?"

"A den of iniquity is naturally a place for people to unleash their primal desires.

But you Righteous Sects have so many rules, and everyone has to pretend to be respectable during the day. That's why anyone who enters the Daoist Sect Underground Realm must wear a mask to hide their identity."

Qing Yueqiu accepted the cold, hard, crystal mask. She suddenly recalled something her master once said: "Sometimes, when a person puts on a mask, they are, in fact, taking another one off."

In other words—

'It meant that after she entered that dark underground world, every masked figure she would see committing sins of lust, violence, and greed could be a fellow disciple—someone she had talked to, someone who had helped her, someone she had laughed with over tea.'

Qing Yueqiu finally understood what Bei Lingyin meant by the "darkness of human nature." The realization was cold, suffocating, and utterly sickening.

'She could only hope... that her master hadn't been tainted by this filth. That he was still the noble, righteous White-clothed Sword Immortal she had always known.'

'If her master also had a mask to hide behind, Qing Yueqiu couldn't imagine what insane thoughts might cross her mind.'

"What's wrong, Yueqiu? Feeling unwell? If you don't think you're ready to step into the real world, I can take you back.

You can take a bath, go to sleep, and wake up tomorrow as your master's good little disciple."

"No, Sister Lingyin... I'm ready. Let's go."

"Good~"

Bei Lingyin took Qing Yueqiu's hand and led her into a dark alley.

At the end of the twisting alley stood a dilapidated stone lion statue. Bei Lingyin infused it with Spiritual Qi, and instantly, both of them felt a powerful tug, as if space itself were being pulled apart.

When Qing Yueqiu opened her eyes again, she was standing on a stone platform inside a Teleportation Array.

Waves of deafening noise and a kaleidoscope of colorful lights assaulted them from the end of a stone tunnel. Qing Yueqiu felt an instinctive aversion to the clamor.

Bei Lingyin, however, was instantly energized by the chaotic atmosphere. She spread her arms wide toward Qing Yueqiu, her face flushed with excitement.

"We've arrived. This place is called Xuanyuan Dark City. It holds the Dao Sect's largest pleasure quarters, casinos, and the Beast Fighting Arena. Most of the Dao Sect disciples who go missing don't die on training excursions—they disappear here.

Welcome, Yueqiu, to a truer side of this world. The law of the jungle that your master was too reluctant to teach you... Sister Lingyin will teach it to you instead~!"