novelraw Chapter 73 - 72: Yueqiu, You're Always Thinking of Someone Else When You Look at Me
Chapter 73 - 72: Yueqiu, You're Always Thinking of Someone Else When You Look at Me
The final match of the Sect's Grand Competition quietly came to a close.
Qing Yueqiu slowly exhaled a turbid breath and sheathed the snow-white light of her sword.
In an instant, a roar like a tsunami erupted. Countless cultivators leaped to their feet, cheering the coronation of the undisputed champion of the Dao Sect's younger generation.
But Qing Yueqiu herself remained expressionless, not a trace of victorious joy in her eyes.
Because… these opponents were all too weak.
They were far weaker than their real-world counterparts.
And besides… her victory had not been witnessed by her Master.
At that moment, Qing Yueqiu recalled something her little junior sister once said: "What's the point of all your hard work if the person you want to see it isn't there?"
'So this is what it's like,' she thought. 'Beating everyone in the Sect's Grand Competition, winning the glory of "champion"... it's all completely meaningless.'
What she had been fixated on wasn't the Grand Competition, but simply becoming a source of pride for her Master.
'My Master doesn't even exist in this world. What's the point of winning everything?'
As this thought crossed her mind, the surrounding cheers became harsh and grating to Qing Yueqiu, nothing but irritating noise. She just wanted them all to shut up.
"So annoying."
Qing Yueqiu had no interest in even attending the award ceremony. She stepped onto her Spirit Sword, formed a hand seal, and flew away using Sword Control.
As the silver-haired girl departed without a word, all the cultivators in the arena stared, dumbfounded. They couldn't understand what had gotten into the new champion. 'Could she have been so grievously injured during the match that she suffered a qi deviation and fallen into demonhood?'
Only one person, a White-clothed Sword Immortal, watched his nominal disciple's lonely figure disappear into the clouds, remaining silent for a long time.
He looked down, sighed with what seemed like a hint of regret, then stepped onto his Silent Sword and gave chase at an even greater speed.
Hearing the sound of rushing wind and sensing Pei Yuhang's Spiritual Qi fluctuations behind her, Qing Yueqiu stopped her Sword Control seal and waited in place.
Two breaths later, the white-robed Pei Yuhang caught up.
Qing Yueqiu glanced at the Silent Sword beneath Pei Yuhang's feet and sighed internally.
'He really isn't my Master... My real Master greatly respects his Sword Spirit's will. He would never step on the Silent Sword to perform Sword Flight.'
"My apologies, Palace Master Pei. Yueqiu was impulsive and brought you shame. I will return now and apologize to the seniors on your behalf."
Qing Yueqiu bowed with a calm expression, preparing to return to the Grand Competition grounds to accept her punishment.
But Pei Yuhang just shook his head.
His eyes were calm as he offered a gentle smile.
"Yueqiu, I know that when you look at me, you're actually thinking of someone else. Someone you feel closer to than me... Perhaps you aren't the reincarnation of some Great Power, but rather, you don't belong here at all.
Can you tell me about it? You're always searching for the Divine Sword Pavilion. You must be looking for a way to go back, right? But maybe the key to breaking this predicament isn't at the Divine Sword Pavilion."
"After I broke through to the Void Refining realm, my perspective on the world changed completely. I learned that whether it's causality or a timeline, there will always be a fated 'anchor point.'
It's possible that I am your anchor point, the reason you're trapped in this world."
...…
"Pei Yuhang, even though you're the anchor that keeps me alive."
"Don't think for a second that I don't dare to kill you. At worst, after Miaoyan kills you, I'll just kill myself.
After all, dying for love is the most beautiful way to go~"
As Shang Miaoyan spoke, she gently kissed Pei Yuhang's lips. Her own were ice-cold, only gaining a hint of warmth when they touched his skin.
It was as if she were a parasite of Pei Yuhang, unable to survive independently. Only by coming into contact with his life force could she live.
Therefore, she craved Pei Yuhang's passion.
Something she had never been able to obtain.
"But if I can never get Xiaohan's approval, then dying together with you seems like a fine choice, don't you think?"
Shang Miaoyan caressed Pei Yuhang's cheeks with both hands, the delicate pads of her fingers rubbing against his skin. But to her dismay, Pei Yuhang remained in meditation with his eyes closed, showing no sign of responding to her sincere yet crazed declaration of love.
Her last shred of patience was about to run out.
The illusion of a black-red lotus bloomed behind her, unleashing a torrent of incomparably violent resentment and killing intent.
Shang Miaoyan's hand shot out, tightly gripping Pei Yuhang's throat. The tender whispers of love on her red lips were replaced by a harsh roar.
"Pei Yuhang, it seems you really think I don't have the guts to kill you!"
"In that case... why don't you test me~!"
Beside the black-red lotus illusion, countless phantasmal crimson roses bloomed. Beneath the beautiful flowers were innumerable vicious, snake-like thorns that crept up Shang Miaoyan's arm and coiled around the Gloomy Blade in her hand.
As the Gloomy Blade was empowered by the crimson thorns, the mist of gray particles surging from its tip grew even more frenzied, nearly filling half the room.
Within the gray mist, a multitude of wailing skulls flickered in and out of existence. They seemed to be the spirits of those who had died by the Gloomy Blade, now screaming as they surrounded Pei Yuhang, who was pinned beneath Shang Miaoyan, as if welcoming the new unlucky soul to their big family.
'Shang Miaoyan, I thought you were just playing house with Pei Yuhang, but I didn't think you were actually insane!'
Bai Jingjing, within the Silent Sword, felt the terrifying surge of killing intent and realized things were going south. She immediately prepared to unsheathe the sword to protect its master.
'My life as a Sword Spirit is still tied to this piece-of-crap Sword Immortal, Pei Yuhang! How can I just watch Shang Miaoyan wreck him?!'
'At least help an innocent Sword Spirit like me break the contract with that trash master first!'
Bai Jingjing complained endlessly in her mind, but her actions were decisive.
In an instant, an extremely frigid Sword Qi clashed with the gray smoke of skulls. The cold air condensed into countless Demon Fox heads that bit and tore at the skeletal spirits, locking them in a fierce and inseparable struggle.
The collision between the spiritual qi aftershocks of two top-tier Magical Treasures was powerful enough to level half a city. Even the ship they were on, itself a decent Magical Treasure, was shaken to the point of CREAKING, its surface beginning to splinter with fine cracks.
"Hmph, a mere Sword Spirit without its master's control dares to act so arrogantly before me!"
Shang Miaoyan snorted coldly and activated her Saintess's superpower: wealth. With a wave of her hand, three Magical Treasures radiating a hazy divine light appeared in the air.
An Immortal Binding Rope swiftly wrapped itself around the Silent Sword, compressing its range of movement to within five meters and continuing to tighten.
Bai Jingjing used all her power to slash open the void, attempting to escape through a spatial rift with Pei Yuhang.
However, a clap of heavenly thunder, powerful enough to stun a Divine Soul, rolled through the air.
Bai Jingjing, inside the Silent Sword, was stunned by the divine sound from the Magical Treasure known as the Thunder Sound Pipa. For a moment, she was frozen for a full second.
It was precisely this one-second pause that allowed the Immortal Binding Rope to reseal the space and imprison the Silent Sword once more.
The next moment, a Mountain God Seal exuding a murky yellow aura descended, carrying the weight of a hundred great mountains as it pressed down on the restrained Silent Sword.
'Damn you, Pei Yuhang! You always say a Sword Cultivator only needs one sword and you never bother collecting other Magical Treasures. Now I'm getting ganged up on and I don't even have a single partner to help out!!'
Bai Jingjing cursed furiously as she clashed with the Mountain God Seal.
"Hmph, the lot of you can go fight outside. Don't disturb my time with Xiaohan!"
Saying this, Shang Miaoyan threw out a precious Qiankun Great Shifting Talisman.
As space warped, Bai Jingjing cursed in frustration. Ultimately, she failed to break through the combined obstruction of the three Magical Treasures and was sent away directly by the Qiankun Great Shifting Talisman.
Finally, all was quiet.
Shang Miaoyan once again turned her gaze to Pei Yuhang, who, like an ancient Buddha, sat with his eyes closed in deep meditation.