Jiang Xuezhi wanted to kill this impostor.
If he didn’t die here today, then she would surely be the one to die.
This was a demon, not a righteous cultivator, there was no reasoning with him. Even righteous cultivators refused to reason with her, so how could she expect a demon to show mercy? Impossible. Once he regained his senses, he would tear her apart, skin and bones.
Jiang Xuezhi knelt on one knee beside Ji Jiuchen. The wind lifted her disheveled long hair as she lowered her head, strands brushing against Ji Jiuchen’s cheek. His neck was broken, and he appeared close to death, but it was only an appearance.
Ji Jiuchen had cultivated for many years and possessed countless life-preserving techniques. There was no guarantee that the one she had subdued was even his true self.
Seeing someone from this angle was a first for Ji Jiuchen. Gazing up at Jiang Xuezhi as she slowly leaned in, he found himself lost in her beast-like pupils.
In that moment, he caught a strange scent, like the metallic tang of blood, yet not quite the same.
It invaded his senses and seeped into his bones, igniting a fervent excitement within him.
As the fatal strike descended, Ji Jiuchen’s body instantly transformed into an empty husk. Unsurprised, Jiang Xuezhi lifted her head and watched as a black mist drifted away from her side.
“It was just one of Old Demon Ji’s puppets!” Pojun exclaimed with relief. “Thank goodness he didn’t come in person. Let’s get out of here!”
Not his true self, merely a puppet, and yet it had exerted such immense pressure on her.
This body was still far too weak.
She needed to find a way to rebuild it as soon as possible.
Jiang Xuezhi stood up, staring at the empty husk on the ground before grinding it to dust under her foot in frustration.
What was that foolish divine artifact so happy about? If it wasn’t the real Ji Jiuchen, didn’t that mean they had let the tiger return to the mountains? Now, not only would she have to face pursuers from the Xuantian Sect, but also from the demon realm?
Still, the situation wasn’t entirely dire. Ji Jiuchen had not appeared in the world for a long time, and his sudden manifestation as a puppet suggested that his true form was likely restricted in some way, unable to appear.
In the original story, one of the main antagonists had always been his son, the young master of the demon realm, Ji Lingfeng. Ji Jiuchen himself only appeared as a silhouette at the very end of the book, implying that he could only manifest by that time.
So, the urgency wasn’t as great as she had feared.
After crushing the puppet’s husk, Jiang Xuezhi tidied herself up slightly.
Most of the magical treasures she had collected from the secret realm had been used to fight the demon lord’s puppet, and the few remaining items weren’t particularly suited for combat.
A magnificent robe, exquisite jewelry, and a handful of elixirs, Jiang Xuezhi took them out, counted them, and adorned herself with all of it.
The jewelry of the cultivation realm was marvelous; wearing it automatically styled her hair.
Golden phoenix hairpins and tassels rustled softly, quite cumbersome, but she didn’t mind.
She loved shiny things.
She also adored this splendid red robe, far more appealing than the Xuantian Sect’s dreary “black is supreme” aesthetic.
With this slight embellishment, she no longer looked quite so disheveled.
Po Jun hesitated, then spoke to her in her mind, “That outfit actually suits you quite well.”
Jiang Xuezhi remained silent.
She hadn’t forgotten how it had slandered her in her thoughts, accusing her of developing feelings for an impostor.
It had insulted the pure and untainted father-daughter relationship between her and Ji Jiuchen.
From now on, she refused to speak a single word to this thing. If she had a choice, she would gladly be rid of it.
Sensing the cold treatment, Pojun began to feel a hint of unease.
For some reason, a sense of crisis inexplicably arose within it, and it quickly quieted down like a chicken, not daring to make the slightest noise.
Jiang Xuezhi calmly rummaged through the Qiankun pouch she had snatched from the Xuantian Sect. Breaking the barrier inside by force had taken some effort, but she managed it with the help of the Snake King’s power.
After plundering all the spirit stones and treasures from the Qiankun pouch, the person who had just been destitute and desperate was now wealthy again.
Jiang Xuezhi discarded most of the Qiankun pouches, keeping only a small pouch embroidered with joy grass to hold the spirit stones.
Traveling light, she didn’t want to carry too much. The jade pendant she had taken from Shen Qingxian had become useless after being used once, so she tossed it to the ground without a trace of attachment.
After finishing all this, she left the scene. The people from the Xuantian Sect would soon arrive in pursuit. Xie Wangwu would not let her go after seeing the state of the secret realm, so she had to hurry and grow stronger.
Fortunately, becoming stronger was not difficult for her. She was most adept at crushing those who wanted her to never rise again, especially in adversity.
Not long after Jiang Xuezhi left, a figure appeared where she had just been standing.
The newcomer was dressed in snow-white robes, a light veil covering a bamboo hat, with long hair flowing in the wind.
He bent down, picked up the discarded identity jade token, and cleaned it with his thumb. The character “Xian” was carved on it.
To think it was retrieved so easily.
Used once, deemed worthless, casually discarded without a shred of attachment, it was truly unsettling.
Shen Qingxian had thought that retrieving the jade token would require some negotiation with Jiang Xuezhi. He never expected it to be discarded so disdainfully.
Recalling the scene he had witnessed from the shadows earlier, the Demon Lord Ji Jiuchen had actually appeared and sought out Jiang Xuezhi. Shen Qingxian had been too far away to approach rashly and was unsure of what they had discussed, but the situation was clearly unfavorable.
Ji Jiuchen’s puppet cultivation was at least at the Nascent Soul stage, approaching the Divine Transformation stage, yet Jiang Xuezhi had still managed to escape.
Shen Qingxian rubbed the jade token in his hand. It no longer carried her warmth, feeling cold, just like her.
Where exactly did Xie Wangwu and Xiao Jin find such a monster?
Something major was about to happen.
Shen Qingxian pursed his lips in thought.
If he could have remained detached before, that was no longer possible now.
He had to keep track of Jiang Xuezhi’s movements at all times.
Shen Qingxian brought two fingers together, locked onto the lingering traces of Jiang Xuezhi’s aura at the scene, and cast a tracking spell.
Inside the Sin City secret realm, as Jiang Xuezhi had anticipated, Xie Wangwu quickly discovered that the realm had been completely emptied.
The disciples of the Tian Yong Immortal Manor had not lied, the secret realm was indeed empty. The beasts inside were extremely agitated and difficult to deal with, a clear sign that their guarded treasures had been stolen and they were taking their anger out on others.
Xie Wangwu’s Nascent Soul cultivation had been artificially boosted by elixirs. Fighting one beast was barely manageable, but fighting a group was nearly impossible.
After narrowly escaping the secret realm with Lin Wanwan, he thought of Jiang Xuezhi, who had fled, and wondered how he had ended up with such a calamity.
He collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood incessantly. Seeing how badly he had been injured to protect her, Lin Wanwan couldn’t help but feel guilty.
Before she could say anything, Xie Wangwu suddenly grabbed her hand.
“Wan, do you know why I didn’t wait for your senior brother before entering the secret realm?”
Lin Wanwan froze, looking at him in confusion. “Wh-why?”
She had a vague feeling that something was off. The way Xie Wangwu was staring at her was strange, almost obsessive.
And indeed, he was somewhat obsessive at that moment.
Obsessively, he wished Jiang Xuezhi would immediately kneel before him, begging for his mercy just as she had in the past.
That useless woman was now causing him such a profound sense of crisis, it was nothing short of humiliating.
Severely injured, he needed a long time to recuperate. With Xiao Jin dead and few capable people left in the Xuantian Sect, the one he valued most was Lin Wanwan.
Recalling Jiang Xuezhi’s attitude toward Lin Wanwan, it seemed less twisted than her feelings toward the rest of them. She had even left behind spiritual medicine to treat Lin Wanwan’s injuries. Perhaps Lin Wanwan could be the turning point.
“Because your eldest senior brother was killed by Jiang Xuezhi,” Xie Wang said, enunciating each word deliberately. “I didn’t dare tell you the truth earlier, hoping you could enter the secret realm with peace of mind. We could discuss it after you emerged. You once thought I was overly fixated on Jiang Xuezhi, but that’s only because she and I share a deep-seated hatred, a feud that cannot coexist under the same sky!”
“She killed your senior brother and holds the secret of the Xuantian Sect’s forbidden techniques. If she rises to prominence and spreads this knowledge, both the Xiantian Sect and you will be cast into disrepute. You dream of entering the number one immortal academy, do you think they would still allow you to take the entrance exam then?”
Xie Wang understood Lin Wanwan all too well. He knew exactly how to manipulate her, and with just a few words, he left her in silence.
He gripped his youngest disciple’s hand, speaking with earnest sincerity, “Wan, I am severely injured and need time to heal. I won’t be able to capture Jiang Xuezhi anytime soon, so I must entrust this task to you. Your eldest senior brother has already met a tragic end at her hands. She has colluded with someone from the demon realm and was rescued by demons, you must be even more cautious…”
“Eldest senior brother was killed by her?” Lin Wanwan barely found her voice, asking hoarsely, “Eldest senior brother is dead?”
Xie Wang replied bluntly, “I preserved his body in ice. Once you see it, you’ll know I’m not lying. Wan, when we return to the sect, I will hold a funeral for your senior brother and announce to the world that Jiang Xuezhi is a traitor to the Xuantian Sect, the murderer of our head disciple.”
This was a preemptive strike, securing an unassailable position before Jiang Xuezhi could reveal everything. Even if Jiang Xuezhi tried to explain later, her words would be rendered powerless excuses.
Lin Wanwan understood exactly why her master was telling her this.
He wanted her to seal her lips and not reveal the truth.
He knew she was a good person, unwilling to wrong others, but this time the circumstances were different.
Her eldest senior brother was dead, killed by Jiang Xuezhi.
The future of the Xuantian Sect and her own destiny now rested in this woman’s hands.
It seemed they had no choice but to proceed this way.
Lin Wanwan was utterly distraught.
Seeing her expression, Xie Wang knew she had agreed. He immediately instructed her to take him back to the sect, using Xiao Jin’s death as an opportunity to announce Jiang Xuezhi’s betrayal.
In this way, Xiao Jin’s death wasn’t entirely in vain, at least it gave the Xuantian Sect a justified cause and made it impossible for Jiang Xuezhi to clear her name.
When Shen Qingxian received the news, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
His subordinate asked quietly, “Alliance Leader, about this matter…”
“Let it be for now. It’s an internal affair of another sect. Since they haven’t sought help from the Immortal Alliance, we won’t interfere,” Shen Qingxian instructed.
The subordinate bowed and left. Shen Qingxian held his identity jade token, meticulously repairing it.
In the demon realm, an endless sea of flames surrounded a black-and-gold coffin. Inside, someone abruptly opened their eyes, gasping for breath in ragged urgency.
Even after some time had passed, the overwhelming scent of rust still enveloped him. Ji Jiuchen’s emotions surged, and he found it difficult to restrain himself.
He was being affected by Jiang Xuezhi’s aura, a fact he, with his seasoned experience, was well aware of.
That woman, despite her youth, dared to provoke him so boldly. She truly had no fear of death.
But on the other hand…
Ji Jiuchen felt a long-lost rush of fervor, his mind growing muddled to the point of twistedly imagining: if she even dared to strike him, what else wouldn’t she do?
He firmly believed that if he let her live this time, she would undoubtedly achieve even greater feats when they met again.
She must not die so easily. When the day came for him to emerge, when they reunited, he would have to take care of her himself.
Lower Three Provinces, within the Desolate Province.
Jiang Xuezhi did not immediately leave after seizing her opportunity.
In fact, she had decided to linger here for a while.
The Desolate Province was fraught with dangers, but it also held countless opportunities.
With numerous secret realms, large and small, it was the perfect place to grow stronger.
The chaotic mix of people here also made it easier for her to conceal her identity.
Walking through a marketplace in the Desolate Province, Jiang Xuezhi watched the shifting lights in the sky, all of which carried accusations of her killing fellow disciples and betraying her sect.
Xie Wangwu had made his move.
She wasn’t the least bit surprised.
Jiang Xuezhi took out a spirit stone and handed it to a street vendor.
“What filling is this?” she asked casually.
Steam rose from the freshly steamed buns, one basket after another coming out of the pot. From afar, she had spotted them, and her mouth watered uncontrollably.
Her body, still at the Qi Refining stage, had not yet achieved the state of fasting. After battling, getting injured, and now hunger, Jiang Xuezhi had remained unfazed all along.
Only when she saw the buns did her saliva production increase slightly.
“Immortal Lady, these are meat buns made from fifth-tier demon beast meat! Not only are they delicious, but they also quickly replenish spiritual energy!”
The vendor enthusiastically praised his buns. “With just one spirit stone, you won’t be able to buy many.”
Jiang Xuezhi expressionlessly tossed out a few more spirit stones. Since it wasn’t her money, she felt no pressure spending it.
“Is this enough?”
The vendor beamed with joy. “Enough, enough! With so many high-grade spirit stones, you can take all the buns!”
“You said it.”
Since the vendor had offered, Jiang Xuezhi saw no reason to refuse.
She really did take all the buns.
With one in her mouth, several in her hands, and her Qiankun bag stuffed full, she set off, her entire being carrying the scent of buns.
Her attire was too flashy, her beauty too striking, making her stand out. Soon, whispers of doubt arose: “Isn’t that Jiang Xuezhi, the traitor from the Xuantian Sect? She looks just like the image in the memory stone.”
“She does resemble her, but her aura feels different!”
“Don’t overthink it. If it were really her, would she dare to walk around so brazenly? Wouldn’t she be afraid of being captured and turned in to the Xuantian Sect for a reward?”
“You’re right, but she really does look like her.”
Jiang Xuezhi overheard the murmurs from afar, quickly swallowed the last bite of her bun, and hurried toward the direction of the nearest open secret realm.