Chapter 24: The Demonic Venerable’s Fury and a Sister’s Humiliation

“Ling Shuangjue?” Shen Zhaoqing was equally stunned.

She remained frozen in her stance, the bone hairpin still poised for a thrust. Its tip hovered mere inches from Qu Hanpo’s brow.

Then, before her very eyes, a bloody hole appeared between the scoundrel’s brows, and he toppled straight down.

Ling Shuangjue paid no heed to the terrified ants cowering on the ground. She descended gracefully upon a blood-red lotus, eventually coming to a halt before Shen Zhaoqing.

Less than three steps separated them.

A cool, crisp fragrance, subtly tinged with blood and the scent of an exotic flower, permeated Shen Zhaoqing’s nostrils.

It was pleasant, yet intoxicating.

The kind of intoxication that whispered of impending doom with a single whiff.

“Your hand,” Ling Shuangjue’s gaze fell upon Shen Zhaoqing’s hand, still tightly gripping the bone hairpin. Her voice remained cool and clear. “Does it hurt?”

Shen Zhaoqing instinctively glanced down.

From the excessive force she’d exerted, her knuckles were somewhat white, and a faint red mark had even been pressed into the web of her thumb by the hairpin’s end.

‘This… counts as pain?’

Before she could answer, Ling Shuangjue’s brow furrowed slightly once more.

‘Oh no, she’s going to kill again.’

Shen Zhaoqing’s heart skipped a beat.

As expected, Ling Shuangjue slowly turned her head. For the first time, her blood-red eyes truly regarded the surviving bandits of Black Wind Fortress.

“Those who harmed her,”

“Deserve to die.”

Her voice remained calm, yet it resonated with the finality of Death’s decree.

As her words faded, the Thousand-Bone Blood Lotus beneath her feet trembled violently!

Countless blood-red petals, as if imbued with life, erupted from the lotus platform. They transformed into a dazzling yet deadly rain of flowers, sweeping overwhelmingly towards the already panic-stricken bandits of Black Wind Fortress.

“Ah—!”

“Mercy, Demonic Venerable!”

“No—!”

Screams of agony, pleas for mercy, and desperate wails instantly echoed throughout the entire valley.

But all was in vain.

Those seemingly beautiful and delicate blood-red petals possessed edges as sharp as divine weapons. They effortlessly sliced through the bandits’ leather armor, tore their flesh, and pierced their bones.

It was a one-sided, almost artistic, slaughter.

Blood stained the earth crimson.

In mere breaths.

The once arrogant elites of Black Wind Fortress had all become spirits beneath the flowers, not a single one left alive.

A thick, nauseating stench of blood permeated the air.

Yet, the Demonic Venerable who had wrought this carnage remained utterly unperturbed. She turned back, her gaze once more settling on Shen Zhaoqing, her blood-red eyes regaining their previous, unruffled tranquility.

“It’s clean now,” she stated softly.

****

Meanwhile, the disciples of Qingyun Sect, along with Li Ruan’yan and her retinue, all remained frozen in place, utterly motionless.

Gu Chang’an, in particular, was rigid.

Leaning on her sword, she knelt on the ground, blood continuously seeping from the wound on her shoulder. Her gaze, fraught with extreme complexity, fixed upon the white-haired Demonic Venerable who stood before Shen Zhaoqing, having eradicated all threats.

‘It’s her…’

‘Her again!’

‘Why is it always this demon who appears whenever Shen Shimei is in the gravest danger?’

‘And I, her senior sister who vowed to protect Shen Shimei with my sword, can only watch helplessly as *she* comes to “rescue” her?’

A torrent of unwillingness, humiliation, and a jealousy she hadn’t even recognized herself, surged wildly within Gu Chang’an’s heart.

Ling Shuangjue seemed to sense her gaze, and from the corner of her eye, she finally spared her a fleeting glance.

The look seemed to convey: ‘Useless.’

Gu Chang’an’s face instantly paled further, and the knuckles of the hand gripping her Frostbright Sword cracked audibly.

Ling Shuangjue withdrew her gaze, no longer bothering with the insignificant background figures. Her attention refocused entirely on Shen Zhaoqing.

She took a step forward, extending a hand to brush away the dust from Shen Zhaoqing’s face.

Shen Zhaoqing instinctively recoiled half a step.

Ling Shuangjue slowly withdrew her hand, the curve of her lips deepening slightly. It held a hint of self-mockery, yet even more, an undeniable, possessive obsession.

“Hiding?” she softly uttered a single word. “Can you truly escape?”

“No,” Shen Zhaoqing offered a wry smile. “Just a reflex, a pure reflex.”

Sure enough, with the immediate danger averted, Shen Zhaoqing reverted to her most familiar, sycophantic demeanor.

“Release my junior sister!” It was Gu Chang’an.

Leaning on her Frostbright Sword, she advanced towards Shen Zhaoqing, each step arduous yet resolute. With every movement, more blood welled from her shoulder wound, blooming into vivid red plum blossoms across her pristine white sword robe.

Ling Shuangjue didn’t even bother to spare her a sliver of a glance from the corner of her eye, merely watching Shen Zhaoqing with amused interest.

“Your junior sister?” she scoffed softly, her voice brimming with undisguised mockery. “Are you even worthy? Were it not for this Venerable, she would now be a mere piece of rotten flesh among that pile, dragged down by a useless senior sister like you.”

“You…” Gu Chang’an’s heart twisted with pain at the barb, her qi and blood churning, nearly making her vomit another mouthful of blood.

She couldn’t refute it.

Because what Ling Shuangjue said was the truth.

It was she who had failed to protect her.

A wave of profound humiliation and powerlessness washed over her, making her sword-gripping hand tremble slightly. Yet, she still fixed Ling Shuangjue with a defiant stare, enunciating each word. “She is a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, my junior sister, Gu Chang’an’s junior sister. Whether in life or death, she is not for a demon like you to touch.”

“Oh?” Ling Shuangjue finally tilted her head lazily, her blood-red eyes darting to Gu Chang’an. “What if this Venerable insists on touching her today?”

Before her words fully echoed, her figure blurred. She completely disregarded Gu Chang’an’s sword intent, appearing like a phantom behind Shen Zhaoqing, a hand gently resting on her shoulder.

The icy touch, transmitted through her thin clothes, sent a shiver through Shen Zhaoqing.

“Don’t touch her!”

Gu Chang’an’s eyes were bloodshot. Disregarding her injuries, she forcefully channeled her true essence. Her Frostbright Sword let out a clear, ringing hum, and a condensed, frosty white sword qi, honed to its extreme, tore through the air, slashing directly at Ling Shuangjue’s arm!

However, Ling Shuangjue didn’t even spare the sword qi a glance.

*Buzz—!*

The Thousand-Bone Blood Lotus beneath her feet pulsed with a crimson glow. A single blood-red petal drifted effortlessly from it, soaring to meet the sword qi capable of cleaving mountains.

There was no earth-shattering crash.

The instant the petal touched the sword qi, that peerlessly sharp, frosty white energy vanished without a sound, as if ice and snow melting under the warm spring sun.

“Pfft—!”

Gu Chang’an reeled as if struck by a heavy blow. Her already severely injured body could no longer bear the strain. She violently spat out a large mouthful of blood, collapsing to one knee, her Frostbright Sword plunged into the ground, barely preventing her from falling completely.

The Void Return Stage and the Dao Integration Stage were but a step apart, yet the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.

“Senior Sister!”

“Senior Sister Gu!”

Several Qingyun Sect disciples cried out in alarm, wanting to rush forward. However, a single cold glance from Ling Shuangjue froze them in place, rendering them immobile.

Li Ruan’yan, who had been standing outside the battle’s periphery with an ever-changing expression, suddenly broke the oppressive silence with a charming smile.

“Demonic Venerable, please calm your anger, and Immortal Gu, do not be so impulsive. We are all here for this young lady; why must we resort to fighting and harm our harmony?”

She moved with light, graceful steps, slowly approaching. Her gaze, however, swept past everyone. “Speaking of which, today’s events all stemmed from a misunderstanding. Had it not been for my good-for-nothing niece, these villains from Black Wind Fortress wouldn’t have been drawn here, nor would it have troubled the Demonic Venerable and Immortal Gu to such an extent.”

“Wuxia, my dear child, what kind of behavior is it to hide behind others? Come here quickly, to your aunt.”