Chapter 11: The Aftermath of Destruction

The dust settled.

Shen Zhaoqing knelt dazedly amidst the rubble, her entire being feeling as though her soul had been ripped away.

Gone.

All gone.

Her elegant courtyard was gone. Her creaky yet comfortable wooden bed was gone. Even the limited edition ‘Flying Maotai’ spirit wine, hidden in the rafters specifically to thwart Gu Chang’an’s surprise inspections, was gone.

Most importantly…

She had painstakingly gathered the meager spirit stones from sweeping, then carefully acquired those thirty-six jars of aged fine wine, bit by bit, from various wineries down the mountain. She had even dug a cellar with her own hands, burying them like cherished treasures, saving them for winter, for the New Year, and for the day she celebrated another century of her own tenacious survival.

They were… gone!

Not even a single intact shard of a jar remained!

“My wine…”

Her eyes grew warm, and she unconsciously murmured the words aloud.

“Couldn’t you have fought a little further away?!”

However, this sorrowful lament was mercilessly interrupted by several streaks of light tearing through the night sky.

“What demonic fiend dares to trespass upon my Qingyun Sect’s mountain gate!”

A furious roar, like rolling thunder, exploded. Several figures, their auras immensely powerful, descended from the sky, landing around the ruins. Leading them was an elder with white hair and beard, clad in a dark daoist robe, holding a horsetail whisk. His face was as calm as still water; he was none other than True Monarch Xuanqing, the Head of the Qingyun Sect’s Enforcement Hall.

Behind him followed several elders whose auras were equally unfathomable. Among them were the head of the Scripture Pavilion and the one in charge of the Pill Chamber—each a formidable figure whose mere stomp could send tremors through the entire Qingzhou region.

At this moment, the expressions on these grand figures were grimmer than the last.

Their gazes swept across the devastated Frostbright Courtyard, then settled on the two figures still locked in confrontation in mid-air.

They recognized Gu Chang’an’s ‘Grand Purity Sword Art of Emotionlessness’.

However, the overwhelming demonic might that stood against her, even subtly gaining the upper hand—a power pure, domineering, and brimming with destruction and slaughter…

“Myriad Blossom Blood Palace… Ling Shuangjue?!” an elder gasped, his voice filled with utter disbelief.

The Demonic Venerable of the Infernal Demonic Domain, one of the most formidable cultivators of this era, had actually… single-handedly stormed the Qingyun Sect’s main peak?!

Was this meant to ignite a war between immortals and devils?!

“Form the array!” True Monarch Xuanqing declared decisively, wasting no words.

At his command, several elders instantly dispersed, each taking their designated position. Their hand seals shifted, and pure, majestic sword qi surged skyward, weaving into a colossal net of light that enveloped both Ling Shuangjue and Gu Chang’an.

The Qingyun Sect’s Mountain Guardian Sword Array—the Seven Stars Demonic Lock Array!

Facing the encirclement by several experts of her caliber, a flicker of impatience finally crossed Ling Shuangjue’s exquisitely beautiful, almost bewitching, face.

It wasn’t fear she felt, but annoyance.

She turned her head, her blood-red pupils casting a final glance at Shen Zhaoqing, who was still deeply immersed in the monumental grief of ‘my wine is gone’ and unable to extricate herself. A smile of regret curved her lips.

“Little one, it seems I can’t take you with me today,” she murmured softly, her warm breath brushing against Shen Zhaoqing’s earlobe. “But, no matter.”

The moment her words fell, she flicked a finger.

“Whoosh!”

A thread-thin ray of red light, too swift for anyone to react, shot from her fingertip and embedded itself into Shen Zhaoqing’s wrist.

Shen Zhaoqing felt only a slight numbness on her wrist, as if stung by a mosquito. She looked down, yet saw nothing.

A ‘Red Thread Demonic Contract,’ forged from Ling Shuangjue’s innate demonic essence, had silently coiled itself around Shen Zhaoqing’s heart meridian.

“Next time, I’ll take you to the Demonic Realm to play.” Ling Shuangjue said playfully, pinching Shen Zhaoqing’s cheek.

With that Red Thread Demonic Contract in place, from then on, no matter where Shen Zhaoqing might be in the world, as long as she lived, Ling Shuangjue would instantly sense her location and safety.

Having completed all this, Ling Shuangjue released her hold on Shen Zhaoqing, straightened up at her leisure, and cast a disdainful glance over the Qingyun Sect elders below.

“Today, this Venerable merely came to retrieve what belongs to me. Since you all adopt this attitude, I shall temporarily leave my treasure here.” Her voice was not loud, yet it resonated clearly across the entire mountain peak, carrying an unquestionable dominance. “When I return next time, if even a single strand of her hair is missing…”

She paused, then continued, “Or if I hear any more gossip that causes her distress.”

Her blood-red eyes turned towards Gu Chang’an, whose face was as cold as frost. The smile on Ling Shuangjue’s lips grew even more sinister.

“Then this Venerable shall make these Seven Peaks of Qingyun, and everyone in your Qingyun Sect… pay with their lives!”

Before her words even finished, the black and crimson demonic flames around her erupted, violently tearing a rift in the Seven Stars Demonic Lock Array’s net of light!

She transformed into a streak of blood-red light, soaring skyward and vanishing instantly into the distant night.

She left behind only an utterly arrogant declaration, and utter chaos.

And a hapless soul whose home was destroyed, whose wine cellar was obliterated, and who had inexplicably been branded with the label of ‘property’.

****

The Demonic Venerable was gone, but the matter was far from over.

Or rather, for Shen Zhaoqing, the true ordeal had only just begun.

Following an urgent deliberation among the elders, a resolution was finally reached—one that made her wish to perish on the spot.

“Junior Niece Shen, you suffered considerable fright during this demonic incursion. The sect, acknowledging your innocence, has specially found a secluded place for you to recuperate in peace.”

True Monarch Xuanqing, the Head of the Enforcement Hall, stroked his white beard, announcing this to Shen Zhaoqing with a ‘kindly’ expression.

Shen Zhaoqing listened expressionlessly.

She understood this kind of rhetoric all too well.

‘Recuperate in peace,’ translated, meant ‘isolated investigation’.

‘A secluded place,’ translated, meant ‘a heavily guarded solitary cell’.

As expected, True Monarch Xuanqing’s next words confirmed her suspicions.

“Quiet Contemplation Cliff is where previous generations of our Qingyun Sect ancestors entered seclusion to comprehend the Dao. It is rich in spiritual energy and fortified with numerous arrays; ordinary disciples are forbidden from entering without permission. From today forward, you shall reside there. The sect will provide for all your needs.”

Quiet Contemplation Cliff!

She had heard of that place! It was located in the Qingyun Sect’s most remote back mountain, surrounded on three sides by ten-thousand-foot cliffs. There was only one path in and out, which was furthermore guarded by eighty-one layers of restrictions. It was said that even a fly attempting to enter would first need to be thoroughly identified and have its lineage scrutinized for three generations!

Excellent. It was surveillance of the highest order!

“As for your safety…” True Monarch Xuanqing said, his gaze shifting to Gu Chang’an, who had remained silent throughout, yet whose aura of coldness was almost enough to freeze the air solid. He sighed imperceptibly. “It shall still be personally overseen by Chang’an.”

Shen Zhaoqing: ‘…’

When under another’s roof, one must bow their head.

And so, Shen Zhaoqing, a victim who had just suffered the destruction of her home and the obliteration of her possessions, received no compensation whatsoever. Instead, under the guise of ‘protection,’ she was directly packaged and sent to Quiet Contemplation Cliff.

The environment at Quiet Contemplation Cliff was indeed as True Monarch Xuanqing had described—so tranquil one could hear their own heartbeat.

There was only a solitary stone cave, with a small platform outside. Beyond that platform lay a ten-thousand-foot abyss shrouded in mist.

Inside the stone cave, it was utterly bare; apart from a stone bed, a stone table, and two stone stools, there was nothing else.

Cold, hard, and utterly devoid of life.

Shen Zhaoqing stood at the cave entrance, the mountain wind rustling her robes. Gu Chang’an stood directly behind her, not moving an inch.

Since leaving the ruins of Frostbright Courtyard, she hadn’t uttered a single word.

“You…” Unable to bear the suffocating silence any longer, Shen Zhaoqing gathered her courage, intending to say something to lighten the atmosphere. “Senior Sister, the scenery here is quite lovely, isn’t it? Very suitable for contemplating life.”

“Mm.” Gu Chang’an responded.

Shen Zhaoqing turned around. Gu Chang’an’s brows were tightly furrowed, her gaze fixed on Shen Zhaoqing’s wrist, seemingly scrutinizing something unseen.

“Senior Sister?” Shen Zhaoqing instinctively flinched, shrinking her neck, and sat down on a stone stool. She held her wrist up high before Gu Chang’an. “Is there something wrong?”