No matter what, he would never kill the innocent.
And even more impossible—he could never raise his sword against his own daughter!
Even if it meant death… he would never swing his sword at Qiyue!
After Ling Qi said this, Ye Youluo looked genuinely puzzled.
What was that supposed to mean?
He wanted her to save him… and at the same time, be able to kill him at any moment?
“Why?” Ye Youluo’s voice sank. “Why would you want to die by my hand?”
“Maybe… there will be a reason!” Ling Qi took a deep breath. Right now, it could only be considered a contingency.
For the sake of the world, for his women, for his child—he had to prepare for the worst.
Ye Youluo couldn’t understand. “I don’t have any enmity with you…”
“I said—maybe!” Ling Qi cut her off with a serious voice. “Maybe… if I don’t die, everyone else will. Including you. Including Chu Xinyue. Everyone!”
Ye Youluo’s blood-red eyes fixed on him, staring at his solemn expression.
A moment later, she said coldly, “Does this have to do with that so-called great calamity?”
“Maybe,” Ling Qi answered with a bitter smile.
“Can you stop saying ‘maybe’? Don’t forget—you’re a Supreme Limit Realm cultivator. Invincible. How could there be anything in this world you’re not certain of?” Ye Youluo’s gaze didn’t waver.
“I wish I could be sure too, but this… really is a maybe.” Ling Qi smiled and shook his head. “In any case—just help me.”
“Weren’t you the one who wanted to control me, make me do whatever you say?”
“Well, here’s your chance.”
“As long as you can help me survive and also be able to take my life at any moment—then I’m all yours.”
But hearing this, Ye Youluo frowned.
Yes, she did once want to control Ling Qi and make him serve her.
But now that he was offering himself like this, the interest was gone.
Her proud nature always sought true conquest—not obedience out of desperation.
After a long silence, Ye Youluo took a deep breath. “Even if I don’t understand your reasoning… since you insist, I can plant a poison seed in your body. It would require a specific trigger to activate.”
“But you are still a Supreme Limit Realm cultivator. Even with poison, it might be hard to kill you.”
“So this will take time. A long-term plan. Long-term dosing.”
“I can’t promise I’ll succeed—but I’ll try.”
Ling Qi’s strength was undeniable. Even with the most potent poisons, there was no guarantee she could kill him.
The man had a sword embedded in his body and was still alive—how could she claim to have the power to end him?
So she could only promise to do her best.
“That’s enough. I believe you can do it.” Ling Qi smiled.
When it came to medicine or poisons—no one knew better than her.
She could diagnose and treat. And she was the only one capable of what he needed.
“From now on, stay on the Demon Island. I’ll make arrangements for you,” Ye Youluo said with a soft smile.
“Thank you.”
Ling Qi gave her a faint smile and looked at her stunningly beautiful face.
Then he couldn’t help himself—he raised a hand to touch her cheek.
Ye Youluo grabbed his wrist and flung his hand away. “Keep your hands to yourself!”
She huffed and turned away.
But then she suddenly stopped and turned her head slightly. “By the way… do you know that the Snow Sect still has an old ancestor?”
Ling Qi’s eyes narrowed.
Snow Sect ancestor?
He really didn’t know that. Xu Qingxue had never mentioned it either, so she probably didn’t know.
“The so-called sacrificial ritual of the Snow Sect was created by that old ancestor to break through the Supreme Limit Realm,” Ye Youluo said. “Because of your appearance, his secluded cultivation was interrupted. So… he resents you.”
“He came to my island once. I sent him packing.”
“He’s strong. Not weaker than that demon dragon you killed the other day…”
Ye Youluo went on to explain everything about the Snow Sect’s old ancestor.
In short—another problem that needed to be resolved.
By telling Ling Qi, she was making sure he would take care of it.
Of course, with his current condition, that would have to wait.
After hearing all this, Ling Qi’s expression turned cold.
So the reason for that absurd sacrificial ceremony was that the old ancestor had lied to his descendants from the start?
Including Xu Qingxue—all the past Saintesses had been sacrificed just for his breakthrough?
Xu Qingxue was his woman. That old man had nearly cost her her life.
There was no way Ling Qi would let him off!
“I didn’t realize it at the time,” Ling Qi said with a cold smile. “I’ll go back to the Snow Sect and settle it. But I am curious—why did he come to your island?”
That ancestor belonged to a completely different era.
Why, after waking up, would he come all the way to Demon Island to see Ye Youluo?
What did he want from her?
Hearing this, Ye Youluo’s expression chilled slightly.
She hesitated, then said, “He… he wanted to dual cultivate with me. He needed a peak Heaven-Revering Realm partner to help him break through to the Supreme Limit Realm.”
Ling Qi burst into laughter.
So that old bastard had his eyes on Ye Youluo?
Then there was even more reason to kill him!
Ye Youluo… was his!
“Why didn’t you agree to dual cultivate with him?” Ling Qi grinned. “If he succeeded, you’d have a Supreme Limit Realm ally.”
Ye Youluo’s face darkened. “Then why don’t you go die instead?”
With a cold huff, she turned and left.
That bastard—how dare he ask such a question?
Didn’t he already know why she refused?
He was just pretending to be clueless!
Seeing her getting angry, Ling Qi quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. “Don’t be mad, I was just joking. How could someone like you fall for a man who relies on women to boost his cultivation?”
“Let go!” Ye Youluo tried to pull her hand back.
But Ling Qi didn’t release her. Instead, he pulled her in. Her red dress fluttered as he drew her into his arms.
“What are you doing?” Ye Youluo tried to resist.
But strangely, even though Ling Qi was so weak… she felt powerless in his embrace.
“A queen like you already has me—how could any other man compare?” Ling Qi held her waist with both hands.
“Shameless! Let go!” Ye Youluo glared at him with those blood-red eyes. “Don’t forget you already have a wife and child!”
“Which only proves how irresistible you are—stealing someone else’s man,” Ling Qi teased with a grin.
“Childish!” Ye Youluo gave him another glare.
Did he think she was like those men—proud of stealing other people’s wives?
“Since I’ll be staying on the Demon Island for a while, shouldn’t you arrange somewhere for me to sleep?” Ling Qi asked with a smile.
“Sleep wherever you want.”
Ye Youluo pushed against his chest with her soft hands—but for some reason, she couldn’t seem to push him away…
“Then I’ll just sleep here. But since there’s only one bed… guess we’ll have to share.”
Ling Qi smiled. “You can’t stay up all night, can you?”
“Don’t even think about it!” Ye Youluo huffed.
Just then, as the two were struggling, Chu Xinyue and Xiao Qian entered through the courtyard gate.
Xiao Qian was holding a rare herb with only one petal—a single, purple flower.
The moment they arrived, both froze in place, staring dumbfounded at the scene before them—Ling Qi and Ye Youluo in an obviously intimate embrace…
What the hell? Had their relationship progressed this far?
The mighty demon queen, the Sect Master herself—being hugged by a man?
Ye Youluo panicked as she saw Chu Xinyue and Xiao Qian.
“Let go of me!” she cried out and pushed Ling Qi away.
Oddly, the strength she hadn’t been able to summon earlier suddenly returned.
After freeing herself, Ye Youluo quickly took a few steps back, creating distance between them.
On her always cold and noble face was an expression never seen before—awkwardness and panic.
Damn it. This man always got handsy. Look what happened! Find the original chapter at g.com.
Good thing it wasn’t her own people who saw it—otherwise her reputation as Sect Master might have taken a hit…
Even though, truthfully, the entire Demon Sect really did hope she and Ling Qi would become a couple.
“Hehe… looks like we came back at the wrong time?” Chu Xinyue was the first to speak.
She already knew what kind of man Ling Qi was. Nothing about this surprised her.
Xiao Qian, meanwhile, pouted slightly, a trace of jealousy in her eyes—but she said nothing.
Chu Xinyue had already explained everything about Ling Qi to her.
No matter what he did—it was all understandable. All justified.
Still, the fact that this guy was able to act that way toward Ye Youluo was a bit shocking. If Ye Youluo hadn’t been willing, given Ling Qi’s current condition, he shouldn’t have been able to overpower her, right?
“Utter nonsense!” Ye Youluo shot a glare at Chu Xinyue.
It had just been a misunderstanding. Ling Qi was the one being pushy. Don’t go exaggerating things and twisting the story. She was definitely not willing!
“Yes, yes…” Chu Xinyue smiled and nodded.
Then she said, “The herbs you’re looking for are really hard to find. In half a day, we only managed to find one.”
As she spoke, Xiao Qian handed the flower with a single petal to Ye Youluo.
“As long as they’re gathered within ten days, that’s enough,” Ye Youluo said, accepting the herb and adjusting her expression. “I can at least guarantee his safety for these ten days. But if we still don’t have everything after ten days… then there’s nothing more I can do.”
With that, she turned and left, herb in hand.
When things got awkward, the best solution was always… retreat quickly.
After Ye Youluo left, Chu Xinyue stepped up in front of Ling Qi, raised a hand, and playfully gave him a thumbs-up, smiling. “Impressive.”
Seemed like things between him and her sister were progressing quite nicely.
Had he really managed to win over the demon queen?
Otherwise, how would you explain all that hugging?
“Sorry. We probably should’ve come back a little later. Looked like we interrupted something fun,” Chu Xinyue teased.
Had they waited a bit longer, wouldn’t Ling Qi and Ye Youluo have gone straight to the bed?
“My life’s in her hands right now. Of course, I have to sweet-talk her,” Ling Qi said with a grin.
“Oh? So you’re saying you’re not willing? That you were forced into using your charms?” Chu Xinyue laughed as she covered her mouth.
She made the move, and you were the innocent one?
Then how come you were the one hugging her?
“Flirt,” Xiao Qian muttered under her breath, but didn’t say anything more.
Ling Qi chuckled and shook his head, then said, “I’ll sleep here tonight. If you want to squeeze onto the bed with me, that’s fine too. I’m going to rest.”
With that, he turned and walked into Ye Youluo’s room.
Chu Xinyue and Xiao Qian watched him go.
It was obvious that Ye Youluo preferred solitude and didn’t like men around.
But somehow, Ling Qi received special treatment.
Not only was she willing to heal him, he could even sleep in her bed.
Ordinarily, no man would be allowed into this place at all.
As Ling Qi entered the room, Chu Xinyue let out a light breath. “I won’t get involved. I’ll leave you all be.”
With that, she turned and left the courtyard.
“I…” Xiao Qian pouted, frowning.
What did she mean ‘leave us be’? I wasn’t planning to do anything with him!
She looked toward Ye Youluo’s room for a moment, then also turned and left.
Even though she and Ling Qi sleeping together was completely normal…
This wasn’t her territory. It was Ye Youluo’s domain.
It was best not to mess around with Ling Qi here. If Ye Youluo got upset and stopped treating him, what then?
Besides, Ling Qi’s body was weak right now—he shouldn’t be doing those kinds of things anyway…
So forget it.
…
Elsewhere, at the Tianshan Snow Sect.
The Snow Sect was situated in a frozen, snowy world.
And deep within this icy realm was a place even more secluded and unknown.
Here, the cold was even more intense.
Endless glaciers and snow stretched in every direction.
Not a trace of life could be seen—only deathly stillness and cold.
It was like a frozen hell.
And in that very moment, a lone figure stood within this icy wasteland.
Clad in white, with long white hair—it was none other than the Snow Sect Ancestor.
He had ventured into this lifeless frozen world because he had always known there was a secret hidden here.
A secret no one else knew.
The Snow Sect Ancestor pressed forward through the blizzards, crossing glacier after glacier, until he arrived at a vast, flat sheet of ice.
Beneath his feet was semi-transparent frozen ground.
It was clearly a frozen sea.
He let out a cold laugh and clenched his fist.
Dark energy surged around his fist before he smashed it down onto the ice.
BOOM!!!
With a deafening roar, the world trembled.
Cracks spread outward in all directions from the impact point.
A massive pit burst open beneath him.
Without hesitation, the Snow Sect Ancestor dove in, using his fist like a drill, plunging downward through the ice.
Who knew how much time passed before he finally broke through the thick layers…
And entered a dim, deep blue sea.
He continued diving, lower and lower, until he reached the seafloor.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t dark at the bottom. Instead, it glowed faintly.
Strange corals gave off a ghostly light.
But their shapes were twisted and claw-like, completely unlike ordinary sea corals.
It looked… eerily similar to the Forbidden Demon Region.
This place was, in fact, a demon nest.
The Ice Sea Demon Nest.
One of the two major demon nests located in the human realm.
Here lived a demon king and an army of over a million demon soldiers.
Nearly a hundred Heaven-Revering Realm cultivators—an overwhelming force.
After reaching the seafloor, the Snow Sect Ancestor walked forward slowly.
Instantly, the shrimp and crab demons patrolling the depths sensed his arrival.
“A human?”
The demons were all startled.
A human had made it to their nest?
What was going on?
No human should even know this place existed.
“Who cares who it is? Kill them first!”
A squad of demon soldiers rushed forward without hesitation.
The Snow Sect Ancestor simply let out a cold laugh and waved his hand.
BOOM!
The entire group was blasted backward in an instant, dead on the spot.
But that action was like kicking a hornet’s nest.
Hundreds of thousands of demons poured out of the nest—creatures of every shape and size—swarming around him in the deep sea, encircling him at the entrance.
With his hands behind his back, the Snow Sect Ancestor showed no fear.
“Hmph. You barge into our domain and still act arrogant? You must have a death wish!”
The massive demon army roared in fury.
A lead demon let out a mighty cry.
The entire army surged forward, ready to tear the Snow Sect Ancestor to shreds.
“Stand down!”
Suddenly, a seductive voice echoed through the sea.
Immediately, the demon army split apart to make way.
From the depths of the nest, a sinuous figure slowly swam forward.
A snake-woman—half-human, half-serpent.
Her face was stunning, seductive beyond belief, with faint scales along her cheeks.
Her curvaceous waist swayed with every move, exuding a deadly allure no man could resist.
This was a natural-born temptress.
When she appeared, the surrounding demons bowed slightly and gave way.
She was clearly the demon king of this nest.
“Hmph. To have come here alone, and to know about this place—you’re no ordinary man,” she said as she approached the Snow Sect Ancestor, eyes scanning his body.
He was a peak Heaven-Revering Realm cultivator—stronger than most.
A half-step into the Supreme Limit Realm.
He was… not weaker than her.
“You’ve got guts. But even with your strength, do you really think you can walk out of here alive?” she asked coldly.
This was her turf, after all. Killing him here wouldn’t be difficult.
But the Snow Sect Ancestor only gave a calm smile. “Rather than kill me, I have another proposal for you.”
“Oh?” The snake demon’s eyes gleamed.
“We could make a deal,” he said.
“A deal? You, a human, want to make a deal with demons?” she laughed. “Don’t you think that’s absurd?”
The Snow Sect Ancestor didn’t argue. He simply continued, “I know the demon race has been preparing to invade the human realm for years—decades, even.”
“But you’ve never had the right opportunity.”
“And now, a Supreme Limit Realm has appeared in the human world. You have even fewer chances.”
“But… I can give you one.”
“I can help the demon race. All I ask… is that you capture someone for me.”
He knew he couldn’t take down Ye Youluo alone.
But with a demon king and her entire nest…
Overthrowing the Demon Sect would be easy.
“Interesting,” the snake demon chuckled coldly.
A human offering to help demons against other humans?
“Who do you want to capture?”
“Ye Youluo. The Demon Sect Master.”
“And what can you offer us in return?” she asked.
The Snow Sect Ancestor looked her in the eye and smiled. “I can give you… a Supreme Limit Realm.”
The snake demon’s pupils narrowed sharply.
All the surrounding demon soldiers were visibly shaken.
Could it be true…?
…
Back on Demon Island.
Ling Qi had only ten days left. Time was tight.
Thankfully, with help from Chu Xinyue and Ye Youluo—and the entire island—the eighteen required herbs were finally gathered by the ninth day.
At Ye Youluo’s courtyard…
Ling Qi was once again soaking in her private medicinal bath, shirtless.
The prepared herbs and various auxiliary medicines were lined up beside the tub.
No one else could recognize them, let alone understand their usage.
“Let’s hurry up. If we wait any longer, I might collapse completely,” Ling Qi said, his complexion pale.
The markings on his body had mostly turned dark red.
They had spread to his waist and arms.
His condition was clearly worsening each day. Without Ye Youluo forcing him to soak three hours daily, he’d probably already be unconscious.
Ye Youluo nodded softly, then waved her hand.
All the herbs floated into the air and plunged into the bath.
The water turned a blood-red hue as the herbs dissolved completely.
Ling Qi could feel subtle changes in his body—but it still wasn’t enough.
The medicine wasn’t strong enough yet.
“This next part will hurt. But no matter how much it hurts, you must endure three hours,” Ye Youluo said, then pulled out a beautiful flute.
As she placed it to her lips and blew…
A sharp, piercing sound rang out.
At that moment, venomous insects and poisonous beasts—crawling from the earth and flying from the sky—began to swarm the courtyard.
They surged toward the bath like they were following orders.
Chu Xinyue and Xiao Qian instinctively took a step back.
They had nearly forgotten—this demon queen’s master had once been a notorious poison doctor.
Poison was her true specialty.
But… could these things really save Ling Qi?
Toxic insects, snakes, ants, toads, centipedes—countless strange creatures flooded the blood bath…
And then forcibly pushed Ling Qi’s head underwater.
The swarm began to bite and sting him relentlessly beneath the surface.
“Hss…”
Every bite felt like agony—painful to the bone.
But… it was working.
The venom and medicine were seeping into his body, repairing his severely damaged system.
After a long time, Ye Youluo finally stopped playing the flute.
All the poisonous creatures vanished beneath the bathwater.
The surface boiled like a cauldron of blood.
“Is… is this really going to work?” Xiao Qian looked uneasy.
It looked like a soup made of every poison in the world—with Ling Qi as the main ingredient.
Could this really heal him?
“If not… you can treat him instead,” Ye Youluo said, glancing at Xiao Qian.
Xiao Qian pursed her lips and dared not speak again.
This demon queen really knew how to roast someone…
Ye Youluo then left the courtyard.
Ling Qi would now endure three hours of unbearable pain.
If all went well, the injuries in his body would be greatly suppressed—and his strength would recover.
Perhaps… even stronger than before.
Chu Xinyue and Xiao Qian looked at the boiling bath and sat quietly nearby.
For now… all they could do was trust Ye Youluo.
Outside, Ye Youluo had just stepped out of the courtyard when a subordinate rushed over. “Sect Master, there’s a situation. Something… has completely surrounded the entire Demon Island!”
Ye Youluo’s brows furrowed.
Surrounded?
Demon Island was massive. What could possibly encircle the whole place?
But from above, it was true—the blue sea had turned black around the island.
A vast swarm was gathering under the water, enclosing the entire island.
They were demon soldiers—millions of them—led by the Snow Sect Ancestor and the snake demon king.