novelraw Chapter 248 246: Ji Shenyun
Chapter 248 246: Ji Shenyun
"Damn it… COUGH COUGH… I rose from nothing, yet I never thought I'd fall to a little slip of a girl like you."
An old man whose legs had been blown off lay on the ground, clinging to life. He watched helplessly as the silver-haired, red-eyed girl approached like the grim reaper, dragging a Glazed Longsword behind her.
The old man wanted to offer a carefree smile and meet his end with grace, just like the ambitious heroes in storybooks who died with a dignified end.
But as Qing Yueqiu drew closer, he subconsciously began to recall everything since he had accidentally embarked on the path of Cultivation: all the hardships, the sorrows, the triumphs, the sweet taste of vengeance…
'Turns out, being alive is such a wonderful thing.'
The moment he thought about losing this privilege, an immense fear gripped his heart like a hand, draining every last drop of the quality called "courage" from his body.
"Give me a chance to live, little girl."
"I can give you all my assets, my legacy, my Magical Treasures!"
Faced with the Loose Cultivator's hopeful gaze, Qing Yueqiu's red eyes were like an ancient sea of blood, containing only eternal coldness and deathly silence.
"I'm not interested."
SQUELCH!
Qing Yueqiu's sword fell, and the light in the old man's eyes slowly faded to a vacant gray.
Seeing this, the other surviving Loose Cultivators understood that begging this White-haired Witch, who killed without batting an eye, would not earn them the slightest bit of mercy.
They launched desperate attacks, but to Qing Yueqiu, these flashy Magic techniques were less effective for killing than a single strand of Sword Qi.
It took barely a single breath.
The crystal-clear Glazed Sword was stained with blood. After Qing Yueqiu flicked off the droplets of blood, not a single person other than her was left breathing on the field.
Qing Yueqiu stared at the devastated battlefield, strewn with severed limbs and corpses.
Surprisingly, she felt no discomfort.
This was clearly the first time she had killed so many people, but perhaps her long history of fighting Demon Beasts in the Beast Fighting Arena had accustomed her to the sensation of a blade sinking into flesh and blood.
When killing these Loose Cultivators, she only felt as if she were cutting down some "Humanoid Demon Beasts."
There was no empathy to speak of.
'So, I've become this cold. It's nothing like how I am with Master… Or perhaps, this is my truest, freest self, revealed only when Master isn't around.'
Qing Yueqiu took a deep breath, feeling the Killing Momentum within her transform further. Her heart trembled like a great drum, and blood surged like a raging torrent through her delicate, graceful body.
Just as she was silently cultivating the Killing Momentum Secret Technique,
faintly, her Divine Soul suddenly achieved a moment of enlightenment, as if it had resonated with something.
Qing Yueqiu looked toward the depths of the Asura Race's Royal Palace Ruins. She could feel something there calling to her.
A power from deep within her bloodline was urging her to go and find something.
Qing Yueqiu instinctively realized something was wrong.
Her master had often told her to be wary of the "old grandpas" in ancient ruins who would seize the bodies of the young.
Cultivators with profound Cultivation are difficult to kill completely. Even if their physical bodies decay, they still have their Divine Soul Nascent Souls. And if their Divine Soul Nascent Souls shatter, they can still split off into countless remnant souls, clinging to life by attaching themselves to artifacts like rings.
Now that she was being called by some existence in this vast, ancient ruin, her first thought was that one of these "old grandpas" was making a move.
'Something's not right here. I should leave first.'
Qing Yueqiu's eyes flickered, and she began to slowly retreat.
[Don't… don't go…]
[The last surviving descendant of the Asura Race in this world… Though your bloodline is impure, my wait has not been entirely in vain. Help me, and I can give you everything you desire…]
An ethereal female voice echoed in Qing Yueqiu's Sea of Consciousness. The language was not one she knew, yet she could understand it perfectly.
Her red eyes narrowed. Judging from the voice, this wasn't an "old grandpa" but an "old grandma."
But regardless of what this thing was, Qing Yueqiu had no intention of chatting with it any further.
[Junior… I have the ability to see through the secrets of the Three Realms. You have been longing for him in your heart, haven't you?]
The female voice in her Sea of Consciousness sounded again, but it was fainter than before. It seemed this voice was expending a great deal of energy to transmit its thoughts and wouldn't be able to last much longer.
Qing Yueqiu didn't stop, continuing her retreat.
[Hehehe~ You don't have a chance~]
[He will never accept you… Your love will never be returned. You will die full of regret, never feeling his warmth, never living the life you desire. Hahaha~ Loneliness and cold are all that await you…]
The seductive voice did not let Qing Yueqiu go, rising and falling like a tide in her Sea of Consciousness, causing the killing intent in her eyes to steadily grow.
"Shut up!"
Qing Yueqiu stomped her foot, and a torrent of Sword Qi erupted outward, leveling the ruins within a hundred-meter radius.
[You've already tried, but you still failed… haven't you?]
[I can help you… This is your last chance…]
[Unless… you're content to give up…]
Qing Yueqiu tightened her grip on the Luminous Shadow Sword, warily scanning the dust-choked ruins around her.
"What are you? Don't think you can fool me with vague words!"
[You came to explore this place, yet you don't even know my name…? Heh, time truly is a curious thing. Even I have been forgotten by the world.]
The voice carried a trace of sorrow, as well as the world-weariness of reminiscence.
[Junior, first tell me, how many years has it been since the Asura Race was defeated by the Human Race?]
Qing Yueqiu pondered for a moment before replying:
"The war between the Asura Race and the Human Race is a legend from the Divine Desolate Era. The specifics can no longer be verified, but at least eight thousand years have passed since the end of the Divine Desolate Era."
[Over eight thousand years… That is a long time. It is understandable that you do not remember me.]
[My name is Ji Shenyun, the Emperor Monarch of the Asura Race from that era…]
"…Ji Shenyun?"
Qing Yueqiu murmured the name, finding it incredibly arrogant. How conceited must a person be to take such a name? It was as if she were declaring that the entire world owed her a measure of its "divine charm."
'Still,' she thought, 'for such a self-important person to be suppressed in these ruins for who knows how many ages… Judging from her weary voice, that prideful spirit has long since been ground away. It's almost poignant.'
"Ji Shenyun, what state are you in right now?"
Qing Yueqiu had to figure out how much power this ancient Female Demon had left. If she was too dangerous, Qing Yueqiu would even have to consider leaving the Kunlun Mountain Secret Realm early.
[I don't know… Right now, I am suppressed in a dual Hell of ice and fire. All I can see are alternating scenes of bitter cold and searing flames…]
"Then how did you contact me?"
[Through the connection of our bloodline…]
The voice in her Sea of Consciousness grew progressively weaker, as if it was on the verge of fading completely.
For some reason, a trace of anxiety welled up in Qing Yueqiu's heart.
"Ji Shenyun! How can I believe that you can give me what I want!"
"I don't want to use force, or curses, or threats! I just want him to fall in love with me, simply and naturally!"
[I… can change the world… I can form a contract with you, and you can wield my power… If you don't accept me, this variable… you will have no other chance…]