Chapter 38: The Master’s Sacrifice and the Disciple’s Awakening

It wasn’t merely a simple grant of usage rights for her self-defense; rather, these fangs were truly entrusted to her.

Should Su Qin perish, she would become the sole master of these fangs, without even the need for refinement rituals.

“Master…”

Barely a few hours prior, she had harbored such intense hatred for her Master, her mind consumed by thoughts of poisoning him.

Yet now, she profoundly regretted the folly of her earlier thoughts.

Her Master had transformed; the benevolent Master from her memories, the one who had held her and told her bedtime stories, had returned to her.

Her senior sisters were mistaken; her Master had never intended to use them as sacrificial offerings, nor were they mere tools to be casually exploited.

Even this very night, despite the certainty that bringing her to the Immortal Slaying Valley would cause him considerable, unnecessary trouble, Su Qin had still honored her wishes.

When confronted with such perilous circumstances, and overcome with fear and unease, it was her Master who thoughtfully shielded her senses and intercepted every attack.

Upon witnessing Su Qin shatter the valley with a single palm strike, she was truly captivated.

Such a powerful, gentle, and handsome Master would be impossible to find, even with a lantern in broad daylight.

Moreover, facing such an unforeseen crisis, her Master had even gone so far as to consider his posthumous affairs…

Crystalline tears traced paths down the maiden’s cheeks, as she clutched the cold fangs in her hand, feeling as if she were holding her Master’s cool fingers.

In their younger years, Su Qin had always treated them exceptionally well, and even then, she had discerned a distinct difference in the way her senior sisters looked at him.

That man had undergone a sudden, drastic shift in temperament only after they had formally embarked on their cultivation journey.

They were stunned, then probed, then attempted to appease him, but after being plunged into utter despair, they all succumbed to an overwhelming hatred.

Subconsciously, they had long taken Su Qin’s affection for granted, and such a loss was the most potent catalyst for hatred.

It was this very hatred that compelled them to cultivate desperately, making them realize that only they could truly rely on themselves.

Yet now, she understood Su Qin’s painstaking efforts.

“Master, why did you not simply say it aloud? Your disciple lacks your profound wisdom…”

Deep down, she knew that had her Master spoken these truths directly, she would have instead harbored suspicion.

Only by comprehending them herself could she truly release all her grievances against her Master.

Gu Yuhe’s cherry lips pressed together tightly, the knuckles of her delicate, pink fingers turning white from the intensity, as if an invisible hand gripped her heart.

Within the grand array, Su Qin gazed skyward, a flurry of images flickering through his mind.

“Ever since you left, life has become so difficult…”

It was over; his divine soul had grown so feeble that his demonic soul clone could easily latch onto him, sucking the marrow from his bones like a vampire.

Qi Ning clapped her hands, then let her hair fall loose, toying with his body as if it were a trophy.

“What a splendid physique, yet how unfortunate that it succumbed to demonization.”

Qi Ning swallowed hard, her slender hand caressing the firm body before her; had he not been a demonic cultivator, she might have truly considered a round of pleasure.

“Master, please, can you not leave…”

Gu Yuhe looked up at the moon, her eyes red-rimmed, her fair shoulders trembling with remorse.

“Yuhe will certainly compensate you, will certainly atone! You can do anything you wish to Yuhe! Even if I become your little… little dog, it’s fine! So… please don’t leave!”

Su Qin’s lingering aura on the fangs was as faint as a wisp of silk, and he gradually lost his dominion over these magical artifacts, whereupon ownership was transferred.

At the very instant of transfer, a crimson glow flashed across the pristine fangs.

“This is…”

Having become the fangs’ master, the young girl sensed their fervent craving for blood.

“It’s an opportunity!”

Gu Yuhe’s beautiful eyes widened in a mix of shock and delight, sweeping away her previous despondency.

Clutching the fangs, she without hesitation plunged them into her fair, lotus-root-like arm, and vibrant crimson blood gushed forth profusely, entirely absorbed by the surrounding fangs.

“Quickly, go save Master!”

Gu Yuhe urged anxiously; by now, her complexion had already grown somewhat pallid, and even her pink lips had lost their luster.

Having consumed the blood, the fangs transformed from their ivory-like white to a cold, lunar white, their aura surging dramatically as they streaked through the night with incredible speed.

After a whoosh of displaced air, thirty-six fangs arrived simultaneously at the ice barrier.

“…Hmm?”

Su Qin, sensing something, raised his eyes; he perceived the fangs, trapped within the icy barrier, trembling violently.

“Is this the anomaly of a magical artifact breaking free from control? Indeed, they have already surpassed high-grade profound treasures after all…”

Any high-level magical artifact, even without a spirit, possessed an innate pride, and being trapped within an ice barrier was clearly an unacceptable fate for them.

***

—Crack

A sharp crack jolted Su Qin from his reverie, and Qi Ning, slightly taken aback, withdrew her probing hand.

The cold, white fangs were half-embedded in the ice barrier, and cracks radiated outwards from the point of penetration.

“This is!”

Su Qin was astonished to discover that the fangs’ power was unprecedentedly formidable.

The thirty-six fangs struck in rapid succession, as if a monstrous maw was chewing a hole through the ice barrier.

“This is… vital blood essence?”

As a Blood Demon, Su Qin naturally sensed the fangs’ anomaly, and was even more surprised by their significantly more potent aura.

“The fangs can be used this way?”

There was no record of this anywhere; for some unknown reason, the Demonic Lord had never allowed the fangs to absorb human blood, and had even always suppressed their inherent will.

“Hmph, a dying struggle!”

Qi Ning dismissively raised a hand, and the breach in the water curtain sealed shut, even reinforcing itself somewhat.

Yet, with the keen intuition of a seasoned player, Su Qin caught a whiff of opportunity.

He still had two chances at resurrection unused!

The despair on the Demonic Lord’s face vanished entirely, and a renewed, soaring fighting spirit ignited within him.

“Fangs—come—!”

The one hundred and eight fangs emitted a joyful hum, streaking towards the two of them.

“Hmph, delusion!”

Qi Ning’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, a cold killing intent flaring within them, and she thrust her sword forward; his divine soul was now extremely weak, and there was no need to waver any further.

Moreover, this man gave her a very unusual feeling, and she could not afford to leave him any leeway!

She had to kill Su Qin before the fangs struck her; even if she sustained injuries, it wouldn’t matter, as she was going to switch bodies anyway.

The Clear River Treasure Sword plunged into Su Qin’s chest, and fierce sword energy violently tore through his body.

It was done!

Qi Ning’s face lit up with joy, but after seeing Su Qin’s expression, she visibly froze.

It was the exact same gaze as when they had first clashed—that unique blend of indifference and hurtful condescension belonging solely to the Demonic Lord.

The one hundred and eight fangs, under Su Qin’s resolute gaze, plunged into the Blood Demon’s body.

Energy that nearly warped space exploded with a loud bang, and Qi Ning’s pupils constricted to pinpricks.

***

—CRACK!

The giant, red-and-white beast maw abruptly snapped shut; Qi Ning immediately activated a spatial technique to retreat, yet was still a fraction of a second too late, and her right arm was a bloody mess, dangling limply.

Su Qin pressed his attack, but Qi Ning, having witnessed this move before, no longer approached, instead continuously evading using spatial techniques.

‘What a troublesome seasoned player!’

Su Qin cursed inwardly; this was precisely why he loathed contending with seasoned players, for these individuals were utterly cunning, never suffering the slightest disadvantage.

In this current situation, he couldn’t simply bite through the water curtain and escape; both knew his current state wouldn’t last much longer.

If he fled, that fellow would undoubtedly cling to him like a stubborn plaster, striking whenever an opportunity arose.

Su Qin shattered the water curtain’s barrier, commanding the remaining blood beasts to encircle him.

Qi Ning stood suspended in the air, her eyes filled with apprehension.

The two entered an awkward stalemate.

Had there been team voice chat, Su Qin would have long since unleashed a barrage of Sun Tzu-esque taunts (TL Note: “孙言孙语” (Sūn yán Sūn yǔ) literally means “Sun’s words, Sun’s language,” a playful reference to Sun Tzu’s Art of War, implying strategic, often mocking or taunting remarks in a competitive context).