novelzi Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Nie Yinzhi woke up in an unfamiliar place. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling above, feeling momentarily disoriented, as if she had slept for too long and was caught in a lingering dream. However, the demonic energy coursing through her meridians quickly brought her back to reality. She sat up, and the sudden movement made her head spin.
Resting her head in her hands, she took a moment to regulate her breathing. She rolled up her sleeve and saw the faint golden curse mark still on her wrist. She formed a hand seal, summoning a golden sprout. The leaves on the sprout remained translucent, their edges blurring, neither fully formed nor completely dissipated, clinging to a fragile existence.
Nie Yinzhi tried to channel her thoughts into the leaves but felt nothing, as if she had tossed a stone into an empty well, with no echo in return.
She sat on the bed for a while, hugging her knees, allowing herself a moment of emptiness before pulling herself together.
—As long as she was still alive, then Gu Jiang must also still be alive. With this curse in place, no matter where he was, she would find him again.
Nie Yinzhi carefully touched the barely-there leaf, then stored it back into the curse mark. She got up and lifted the bed curtain, surveying her surroundings.
The room was spacious, exuding elegance and refinement. The pillars were carved with various patterns of auspicious clouds, and white mermaid silk hung from the windows. Moonlight poured in from outside, and she could hear the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. The air was fresh and damp, comfortable. It seemed she was no longer in the Ten Thousand Demons Cave.
The room was empty, and in fact, the entire palace seemed devoid of people. Layers of protective arrays were in place, making it nearly impossible for even a fly to enter.
Nie Yinzhi's spiritual sense swept through the arrays, and she realized they weren't meant to imprison her but to protect her. She guessed they were likely set up by Feng Hanying.
After confirming her surroundings were safe, Nie Yinzhi sat cross-legged and began to inspect her meridians and inner core.
When she had turned into a demon, her cultivation level had plummeted. Her meridians and bones had felt as if they had been shattered and then reassembled, as if her entire body had been reborn.
Now, demonic energy had fully permeated her physical body and spirit. Her cultivation level had risen layer by layer, and she felt as if she was on the verge of breaking through to the Transcendence stage, nearing the Great Ascension stage.
Nie Yinzhi now had a faint understanding of how Gu Jiang must have felt, standing above the masses.
She wondered what Gu Jiang had placed in the flame that had enveloped her primordial spirit. It definitely wasn't ordinary Blood Moon Shadow demonic energy.
Her meridians still held traces of the Five-Colored Dew. The seemingly inexhaustible pearl had completely shattered during her demonic transformation, all of it used to repair her body. Now, most of her injuries had healed, though she was still suffering from significant blood loss.
Nie Yinzhi raised her hand, and a wisp of Blood Moon Shadow gathered in her palm, swirling around her jade-like fingers. The demonic energy moved according to her will, slipping through the window crack and colliding with the protective barrier outside.
This should alert Feng Hanying that she was awake.
Nie Yinzhi summoned her spirit sword, and the white light of the Honghu (Swan Goose) immediately illuminated the surroundings.
The sword spirit perched on the hilt, tilting its head to look at her.
Nie Yinzhi rubbed its head and lifted its wing to examine the tips of its feathers, which had been dyed red by the demonic energy. "I'm sorry for staining you. Do you like it this way?"
The Honghu nodded repeatedly, lifting its tail feathers to show her the red ring at the end of its tail. It seemed to love its new appearance, chirping happily.
"Is this from the red leaf?" Nie Yinzhi ran her fingers along the red streak in the blade's seam.
The Honghu spun around, chirping incessantly, saying it had also left a mark on that annoying blade.
Since it was nighttime and the situation was unclear, Nie Yinzhi decided not to act rashly. Instead, she calmed her mind and began to sort through the information Gu Jiang had passed on to her.
Three months ago, the ancient demon-sealing seal on the Ten Thousand Demons Cave shattered, and demonic cultivators re-emerged into the world. What should have been an earth-shattering battle ended in heavy losses for the demonic cultivators under the new sealing seal. The righteous cultivators should have pursued their advantage, but unfortunately, when Han Jing ascended, a single thought was implanted into the consciousness of all cultivators.
In that moment, everyone experienced the sensation of ascension. After ascending, their souls and consciousness were assimilated by the Heavenly Dao, their physical bodies merging with the world, becoming a blade of grass, a tree, a mountain, or a stone—losing all sense of self. This was the complete opposite of what they had pursued: the path of immortality and becoming an immortal.
The revelation of the truth about ascension caused many cultivators to doubt their path of cultivation. Their Dao hearts wavered, and some even succumbed to demonic possession.
The demonic cultivators suffered heavy losses under the new sealing seal, and many righteous cultivators also experienced a collapse of their Dao hearts. With both sides in disarray, the great battle ended with much fanfare but little substance.
Nie Yinzhi lay unconscious, while Feng Hanying, with his keen sense of smell for his master's demonic aura, led his followers to this blood-moon-shadow-infested region.
Feng Hanying had a natural advantage in this area. The blood moon's shadow had tainted the spiritual energy of the land, rendering some immortal sects powerless. They either surrendered or retreated under the onslaught of the demonic cultivators.
Taking advantage of the favorable conditions, within just three months, the demonic cultivators had established a foothold outside the Floating Cloud River, securing a place for themselves.
Qianyun Cliff was adjacent to the Floating Cloud River, separated by the perilous Jiang River. On one side was a sheer cliff face that reflected sunlight like a mirror, while the other side sloped gently downward, housing the Three Palaces and Six Halls. Originally the outer sect of the Ancient Law Sect, it later came under the control of Taixin Gate. Now, however, it had fallen into the hands of the demonic cultivators.
Feng Hanying pulled an egg from his sleeve and tossed it to her. "Left by our master. It's a qilin egg."
[Wait, just like that, three months have passed???]
[Finally, it's Feng Hanying's time to shine! The battle armor looks amazing!]
[A qilin egg?? So... did the demon lord give birth to it??]
[Widow raising a child trope? I like it!]
[The demon lord really isn't bad. What a good husband, leaving such a vast territory behind. It's more than enough to support a harem of three thousand!]
[Doesn't this count as Nie Yinzhi leveling up, getting rich, and losing her husband? Plus, she has a capable disciple. It's perfect!]
[No! Gu Jiang can't just exit the stage like this. I want to see sweet romance!]
[What a pity. Feng Hanying is a mindless careerist. Otherwise, the "master's wife" trope could have been fun. *drools*]
[The demon lord's body isn't even cold yet, and you're already eyeing his wife! How shameless! The demon lord might just rise from the dead tonight to kill you!]
Nie Yinzhi's eyes lit up, and she eagerly cradled the qilin egg. She sent her spiritual sense into it, sensing the swirling aura of the Mystic Soul Sword. Her expression gradually cooled, and she tossed the egg back to Feng Hanying. "You hatch it yourself."
Feng Hanying: "...Isn't this your grandmaster?"
"I've already defected from the Cloud Scripture Sect."
"Fine, then I'll just find some beast to hatch it." Feng Hanying tossed the egg playfully. "Focus on recovering from your injuries and finding our master. Don't worry about the rest."
"What are you planning to do?" Nie Yinzhi had some idea of his intentions.
Feng Hanying raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I'm going to make a big move. Since the immortal sects destroyed the Demon City, I'll rebuild a Demon Realm right here on the territory of the Ancient Law Sect."