Chu Xinyue’s words left everyone in the Demon Sect, including Xiao Qian, stunned and bewildered.
Sister…? What did that mean?
“Sister? Heh!” Ye Youluo chuckled lightly, then said calmly, “Am I supposed to take that as flattery? Trying to get close?”
Calling her sister? Quite the act.
People say you don’t hit a smiling face. She came in all polite, calling her sister—clearly trying to win favor.
Did she think being polite meant Ye Youluo would let her go?
“I’m not trying to flatter you,” Chu Xinyue said with a soft smile. “You really are my sister—my biological sister.”
“Absurd!” Ye Youluo sneered coldly.
She didn’t even know Chu Xinyue, how could they possibly be sisters?
Biological sisters, no less?
“My surname is Chu. Isn’t that proof enough?” Chu Xinyue smiled.
“You’re surnamed Chu—what does that have to do with me?” Ye Youluo said flatly.
“It has everything to do with you, because your surname should’ve been Chu too!”
Chu Xinyue smiled again and continued, “The former emperor—our father—had you with a woman from the common people, before he ever married. You took your mother’s surname.”
“After your mother passed, you were handed over to a poisonous physician—your master.”
“You never once returned to the palace. Not even when the previous empire fell.”
“Because you didn’t like our father. You didn’t like the Chu family or the empire.”
“And I… I grew up in the palace. My mother was the former empress.”
“That makes us… half-sisters. Same father, different mothers.”
“I’m not wrong, am I… Sister?”
Only Chu Xinyue knew these things.
She had investigated much about Ye Youluo—her origin, her life. She knew Ye Youluo’s past.
It was just that they’d never met before—two people from entirely different worlds.
One, the righteous heroine walking the martial world.
The other, the feared leader of the Demon Sect.
Two extremes—light and dark, irreconcilable.
And yet, they shared half their blood.
Ye Youluo’s brows furrowed slightly.
She had never told anyone about her past—not even her most trusted followers in the Demon Sect.
She only saw herself as the Demon Sect’s master.
As for titles like “former princess,” she didn’t care.
She hadn’t even cared when the empire fell. Why would she care about her supposed identity?
The moment Chu Xinyue spoke, everyone present was stunned.
So the terrifying sect master… was actually a princess of the fallen empire?
And so was Chu Xinyue?
Ling Qi grinned. This relationship… was interesting.
No wonder Chu Xinyue had said she was confident Ye Youluo wouldn’t harm her.
If they really were sisters, then of course Ye Youluo wouldn’t strike her own sibling.
“Heh. So you’ve done your homework. And I didn’t expect you to be a descendant of the former dynasty either,” Ye Youluo said.
She looked at Chu Xinyue’s extended hand, but didn’t take it.
“But… so what?”
Ye Youluo continued coldly, “Do you think I care about such a meaningless identity?”
“Do you think having this connection means you can just barge into my Demon Island?”
“You think just because we’re half-sisters, I wouldn’t kill you?”
“You think that being my ‘good sister’ who plotted with others to destroy my sect means I’d show you mercy?”
Indeed—so what if they were sisters?
She hadn’t forgotten that Chu Xinyue had joined forces with Jiang Ling to move against her.
“That wasn’t my intention!” Chu Xinyue sighed and withdrew her hand. “I never targeted you personally.”
“I can vouch for that,” Ling Qi chimed in. “She never had any hostility toward you.”
At the start, Chu Xinyue just wanted to retrieve her family’s inherited technique. She even planned to outmaneuver Jiang Ling.
But after Ling Qi showed up, everything changed.
She only maintained appearances with Jiang Ling’s group. She had no real intent to fight the Demon Sect.
“So you knew from the start who I was to her?” Ye Youluo looked at Ling Qi with narrowed eyes.
“Just found out,” Ling Qi shook his head.
Who would’ve thought Chu Xinyue had such secrets?
So in the end, she wouldn’t attack either side—neither Jiang Ling nor Ye Youluo.
She was truly neutral.
Just like Ling Qi himself.
“Then tell me… if I want to kill her right now, would you stop me?” Ye Youluo suddenly asked.
At that, the entire Demon Sect tensed.
If the sect master really made a move, they would follow without question.
But if Ling Qi acted, they knew they weren’t his match.
This… could get messy.
“Would you really strike your own sister?” Ling Qi chuckled.
“I’ve already said—I don’t care about such meaningless ties,” Ye Youluo replied coldly.
“Then go ahead. I’m too tired to help anyone right now.” Ling Qi shrugged helplessly.
Ye Youluo’s brows furrowed sharply.
Seriously? You could’ve at least pretended to intervene—given her a way out.
Instead, you say you won’t help anyone?
Are you a fool?
“Sister, he really is in bad shape right now. He can’t help anyone,” Chu Xinyue said again. “Right now, the one who needs help… is him, not us.”
“What do you mean?” Ye Youluo frowned.
“He might be dying.”
Chu Xinyue continued, “His condition… it’s worse than before.”
Ye Youluo immediately stepped forward.
She grabbed Ling Qi’s wrist and checked his pulse.
Her beautiful face darkened. “What did you do? Why is your body like this all of a sudden?”
By all reasoning, his body shouldn’t have deteriorated this quickly.
Even if he were wounded, it should’ve taken months—maybe even years—to reach this point.
“It’s a long story. But if you don’t help me, I might really be finished…” Ling Qi said with a bitter smile. “Can we sit down and talk?”
Ye Youluo let out a breath and released his wrist.
“Come with me,” she said, waving her hand before leaping deeper into the island.
She now had a valid reason to not fight Chu Xinyue—saving Ling Qi’s life.
Everyone in the Demon Sect let out a quiet sigh of relief.
No fighting—thank goodness.
If a battle had broken out, it would’ve been a disaster.
After all, both Chu Xinyue and Ling Qi were on par with their sect master.
Plus… now that they knew Chu Xinyue was the sect master’s sister, of course they didn’t want to see them fight.
…
On Demon Island, at Ye Youluo’s residence.
She brought the three of them to her private courtyard, then gestured to Ling Qi. “Get in.”
“Uh…” Ling Qi looked at the bath. “Isn’t this your personal bath?”
Her own exclusive bath, and she wanted another man in it?
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Ye Youluo glared. “If you want to live, do what I say.”
She had no obligation to save him.
But given their past—and the fact he was still useful—she’d help him.
Ling Qi smiled and nodded. He removed his shirt and stepped into the water.
The moment his body soaked in the warm spring, he could feel a strange medicinal energy rushing through him.
So it wasn’t just a bath—it was a medicinal pool?
One that greatly aided recovery and cultivation?
No wonder Ye Youluo liked to soak in it.
Ye Youluo watched from the side, frowning as she saw the void markings spreading from Ling Qi’s chest to his arms.
What on earth was wrong with his body?
Then she raised her hand and made a gesture.
Hum!
Various red flower petals floated up and scattered into the pool.
They weren’t just pretty—they were medicinal herbs, effective for both healing and cultivation.
The moment the petals hit the water, the medicinal energy surged explosively.
“For now, stay on the island. I’ll help stabilize you,” Ye Youluo said calmly.
Ling Qi’s condition was too unique. There would be no miracle cure.
Only gradual recovery.
“Thanks!” Ling Qi smiled. “You really are kindhearted.”
“Kindhearted, my ass!” Ye Youluo snapped, glaring.
“Stay in there. You’re not allowed out for three hours.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Ling Qi grinned.
Ye Youluo turned to leave. “You two—out.”
Right now, whatever Ye Youluo said, Ling Qi and the others had no choice but to obey.
Chu Xinyue and Xiao Qian both followed her out of the courtyard.
Once outside, Ye Youluo looked at Xiao Qian. “And who are you?”
“I am Xiao Qian, daughter of the Great Yan Empire’s border general. Greetings, Sect Master.”
She made no attempt to hide her identity.
After all, they had come sincerely seeking help.
“Great Yan Empire, huh?”
Ye Youluo sneered. “You’ve all got guts.”
One was the Martial Alliance Leader, another the daughter of an imperial general.
Both should be her enemies—and yet they came here with Ling Qi?
“Because we know you’re actually a good person,” Chu Xinyue smiled.
Ye Youluo was not a saint, but she wasn’t evil either.
She was proud, yes—but that didn’t make her evil.
Hearing that, Ye Youluo merely gave a cold smile.
“So what exactly is wrong with him?” She asked again.
Chu Xinyue explained everything—what had happened to Ling Qi in the Forbidden Demon Region.
When Ye Youluo heard it all, even she was surprised.
So that’s how he got those injuries?
And going back into the Forbidden Demon Region had made it even worse?
“Right now, Sister… only you can save him.”
Chu Xinyue added, “No one else can. Not even the Medical Immortal from the Great Yan Empire. For the sake of the world—for the human race—please save him.”
But Ye Youluo merely sneered, “The world? What does it have to do with me?”
Why should she care if others lived or died?
She had no interest in playing savior.
“If the lips are gone, the teeth get cold. If the demon race conquers the human realm, Demon Island will not escape either.”
Chu Xinyue said, “At the very least… do it for the sake of Demon Island.”
Ye Youluo fell silent.
That… was at least a valid reason.
After a moment, she said slowly, “This kind of wound is… unusual. All I can do is try to stabilize him, prolong his life. I cannot remove it entirely.”
It wasn’t even a normal injury.
Anyone else would’ve died long ago. Ling Qi was surviving only because of his cultivation.
What she could do for Ling Qi now was to strengthen his body’s ability to endure, allowing him to survive longer.
As for whether she could completely purge his injuries in the end—Ye Youluo wasn’t certain.
“Even that’s more than enough. As long as he’s alive, that’s all that matters!” Chu Xinyue said.
Better a miserable life than a glorious death. Even if Ling Qi had to live in a critically weakened state, he could still remain invincible under heaven, still deter the demon race.
“If what you say is true… then the demon race plans to launch their great calamity in three years?” Ye Youluo asked slowly. “But now that the sword is fully inside Ling Qi, and they can’t forge it anymore, would they still go through with it?”
“That…” Chu Xinyue hesitated slightly. “The Grand Diviner of the Great Yan Empire made that prophecy. Whether it ultimately comes true or not is uncertain.”
But so far, every prophecy had proven accurate. That diviner even died from revealing the heavenly secrets. So it likely wasn’t wrong.
If he were wrong, would he have been struck down by heavenly punishment?
Ye Youluo took a deep breath. If a calamity truly was coming, then for the sake of herself—and the Demon Sect—she should stop it.
She waved her hand and led Chu Xinyue and Xiao Qian to the sect’s apothecary. From a bookshelf, she retrieved a medical tome and handed it to Chu Xinyue. “There are eighteen extremely rare herbs listed here.”
“They all grow here on the Demon Island—deep in the mountains, or on sheer cliffs.”
“If you can find them within ten days, I can stabilize his condition.”
“And… I can make him stronger than he was before—when only half of the sword was in his body.”
“If ten days pass… I’ll be powerless.”
The Demon Island was a land rich with herbs. But given its vast size, finding these specific ones wouldn’t be easy.
Still, Ling Qi needed them. Desperately.
And there was no time to waste!
Chu Xinyue took the tome and nodded. “We’ll go now.” The source of this chapter is g.com.
She turned and left with Xiao Qian, heading straight into the mountains.
After they left, Ye Youluo let out a deep breath.
A moment later, she called, “Someone, come!”
“Yes, Sect Master!” A few guards entered.
“Send people into the mountains to search for these herbs. As many as possible,” she ordered.
The more people, the better.
If they could find all eighteen within ten days, she was confident she could stabilize Ling Qi’s condition.
So… time was short. She would lend him a hand.
“Yes!” The guards nodded and rushed off to pass down her orders.
Soon, the entire Demon Island began mobilizing to help Chu Xinyue and Xiao Qian in the herb search.
…
At dusk, back at Ye Youluo’s residence.
Ling Qi had been soaking long enough.
Ye Youluo stood beside the bath, watching him float in the medicinal pool with eyes closed.
Her gaze fell on the upper half of his exposed chest and toned arms.
“Tch…” she looked away a moment later, shaking her head.
This guy… he really did have a good figure.
“Reckless fool. Overestimating yourself!” she muttered.
He had the perfect path laid before him. An invincible Supreme Limit Realm cultivator—someone who should have been unmatched forever.
But no, he had to go get himself into this mess.
A flawless example of “you bring death upon yourself.”
Just because Supreme Limit Realm cultivators were invincible didn’t mean they were untouchable.
There were still powers in this world that could harm—even kill—one.
“What heroism? You think I wanted this?” Ling Qi slowly opened his eyes and met her gaze. “You’ve been staring at me for half a quarter-hour. Enjoying the view?”
Ye Youluo’s eyes snapped to him and then away in annoyance.
Enjoy your head!
“I was observing your condition,” she said coldly.
Ling Qi rose from the water and walked toward her, droplets still clinging to the defined muscles of his torso.
For any woman, this was a dangerous sight.
And Ye Youluo… was still a woman.
She instinctively stepped back, slightly flustered, turning her face away. “Put your clothes on!”
“You like looking, don’t you? Take a good long look.” Ling Qi grinned teasingly.
Ye Youluo stared at him in disbelief. Was he really flirting with her right now?
“Put your clothes on!” she snapped. “Your life’s in my hands now. You better behave!”
Right now, Ling Qi couldn’t fight. His body was a mess.
Honestly, if they fought now, she might even win.
Hearing her threat, Ling Qi gave a bitter laugh and nodded obediently. “Yes, yes, Your Majesty.”
As he pulled on his outer robe, he looked at her and asked, “Honestly… do I still have a chance?”
Ye Youluo let out a breath. “Nope. You’re doomed.”
“Uh…” Ling Qi chuckled awkwardly. “Be serious.”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “You’re deteriorating fast. If you’re not stabilized within ten days, you might lose all your cultivation.”
“And as your cultivation fades, you’ll no longer be able to suppress the demon sword inside you.”
“When that happens… you’ll die even faster.”
These ten days were his window—his last chance.
Ling Qi sighed again. “Then it’s a good thing we came straight to you, huh? There’s still a way, right?”
“If all the herbs are gathered in time, I can stabilize you and bring you back to your previous state,” Ye Youluo said.
“Even though that version of you was still injured, you were still unbeatable.”
At that level, even facing a demon dragon was easy. He was still the world’s most dominant force.
“Better than now, at least!” Ling Qi laughed. “If you cure me, I swear—whatever you need in the future, I’ll help you.”
Ye Youluo glanced at him.
You better mean that.
She had plenty of messes a Supreme Limit Realm cultivator could solve.
“By the way… where are those two?” Ling Qi looked around. “You didn’t really kill your sister and toss her into the sea, did you?”
“You guessed right. I fed them to the fish,” Ye Youluo said calmly.
“No wonder they call you the demon queen!” Ling Qi laughed, knowing she was joking.
Ye Youluo glared at him. “Now, tell me… what’s the deal with your sword?”
Her gaze shifted to the golden Heaven’s Sword resting beside the bath.
Anyone in possession of that sword had clearly earned Jiang Ling’s trust.
Ling Qi and Jiang Ling’s relationship… was deeper than she thought.
“What else? Jiang Ling can’t handle the demon race, so she left it to me,” Ling Qi shrugged.
“And now what?” Ye Youluo asked. “That sword’s in your body, so the demon race can’t forge it. They shouldn’t be able to threaten the human race anymore. Shouldn’t the so-called catastrophe be off the table?”
As long as Ling Qi was alive, the demon race wouldn’t dare move.
There was no one among them who could match the Supreme Limit Realm.
And the only sword that could harm such a cultivator was now inside Ling Qi.
So how could a calamity still happen?
At the mention of this, Ling Qi’s expression turned grim.
That was exactly the question that haunted him.
The demon race couldn’t start a calamity. But in his vision of the future… he was the one who did.
What did it all mean?
He didn’t know. He couldn’t be sure.
If he truly was the one who would bring destruction, then he’d rather die than harm the world—or his daughter.
“What’s wrong? That question really bothers you?” Ye Youluo noticed his troubled look.
Ling Qi took a deep breath. “My queen… could I ask you for a favor?”
“What favor?” she asked, frowning.
“I want to give you my life,” Ling Qi said solemnly.
Ye Youluo raised an eyebrow. “Your life’s already in my hands.”
“I mean… completely entrust it to you.”
He looked her straight in the eye. “I want you not only to heal me—but to be able to kill me if necessary.”
“With your medical skills… you might be the only one who can do it.”
Yes, that was his only solution.
As she treated him, she could secretly plant a deadly poison—or something similar.
If one day he truly turned into that nightmare version of himself from the dream… then Ye Youluo could end it all.
End him.