Just as Ji Jiuying had guessed, Kamakura wanted Qingling to swallow the Demon Gathering Stone. Even if Qingling was unwilling, he would force her to swallow it, and the result would be the same.

Thinking that she had almost killed the young lady, Qingling felt extremely guilty. Then, thinking of Yingyue, whom she had seriously injured, Qingling grabbed Ji Jiuying's hand.

"Miss, how is Yingyue?"

Her reddened eyes stared at Ji Jiuying, her hands trembling uncontrollably, as if afraid of hearing something she didn't want to hear.

"Don't worry, he's fine. But you really went all out. This is the first time I've ever seen Yingyue so badly injured."

Upon hearing this, Qingling felt extremely guilty: "Has he returned to the Heavenly Realm now?"

Ji Jiuying nodded, a hint of disappointment flashing across her clear eyes.

“Silly Qingling, the place we are in now is the Heavenly Realm.”

Qingling suddenly raised her head, looking at Ji Jiuying in disbelief: "Is this the Heavenly Realm?"

"But I... am the Demon Gathering Stone, right?" Qingling quickly realized.

Ji Jiuying nodded. Qingling's feelings were very complicated. It turned out that the person hadn't lied to her, but the price was just too high... If she had known earlier, she would rather die than comply with that person's wishes.

As they emerged from the room, a group of people were waiting outside.

Qingling stared at the group of people in front of her for a moment, gritted her teeth, and slowly lowered her head.

It wasn't until Feng Lan stepped forward, took her hand, and smiled, that she realized, "You must be Qing Ling."

Looking at the person in front of her who looked eight-tenths like her mistress and was incredibly beautiful, Qingling quickly guessed who she was and nodded slightly: "Yes, Madam."

"Thanks to you for taking care of Jiu'er all these years."

"No, no, no, Madam, it is Qingling who should thank Miss. Without Miss, there would be no Qingling today."

Feng Lan looked at Qing Ling and smiled gently: "I know, I know everything. You and Jiu'er are not sisters, but you are closer than sisters. Today, I will take the liberty of adopting you as my goddaughter. Qing Ling, are you willing?"

Qingling looked at Fenglan in panic and quickly refused, "Madam, no! It is already a great favor for Qingling to be by Miss's side. How could I possibly be worthy of being Miss's sister?"

"Qingling, many things are two-way. It's true that I saved you first, but it's also true that you risked your life to save me later."

“Qingling, in my heart, I have always regarded you as my younger sister, and never as my maid. Since Mother wants to take you as her goddaughter, don’t go against her wishes!” Ji Jiuying also stepped forward to persuade her.

Feng Che and the others also stepped forward to offer their support and advice.

Qingling fell silent. She was both unfamiliar with and longed for family affection.

When Feng Lan said those words, she was truly moved, but reality pulled her back to reality. Her extreme inferiority complex made her very clear that this family affection did not belong to her, and she dared not even dream of it.

"Qingling, shall we call each other sisters from now on?"

Looking into Ji Jiuying's clear eyes and sincere smile, Qingling felt inexplicably at ease.

"good--"

"Then Qingling will respectfully comply."

The joyful atmosphere made Qingling want to cry. Having these people in her life was enough!

After the family reunion ceremony, everyone discussed the rest of their journey.

"Siyu, where's Ayue?"

"He's gone to take care of some things, he'll be back in a bit."

No sooner had Si Yu finished speaking than Gong Mingyue returned.

More and more people gathered around the Lan family's residence. They had to leave today. Lan Mingyue was extremely reluctant to part with her daughter and granddaughter, whom she had just met, but for their safety, they had to separate temporarily.

Feng Che and Feng Wu planned to first find out where Kamakura was, while Feng Yu went back to the Feng family to gather information.

Ji Jiuying placed Feng Lan and Qing Ling into her spatial dimension, and together with Gong Mingyue and Si Yu, they headed towards the Nine Heavens Divine Palace.

The heavens of the celestial realm are changing silently.

After making arrangements for Feng Lan, Ji Jiuying went into seclusion in Mount Jiuhua to cultivate.

Meanwhile, various forces in the Heavenly Realm were searching everywhere for Ji Jiuying's whereabouts.

Lanxi woke up shortly after they left. To verify whether she was still afraid of sunlight, the first thing she did upon waking was to run to the courtyard.

Feeling the heat of the sunlight, Lanxi felt somewhat dazed and wanted to cry.

Lan Mingyang and the others were overjoyed; Xi'er's illness had truly been cured!

Lan Xi only wanted to find Ji Jiuying, but Lan Mingyang and the others stopped her, because the Nine Heavens Palace was not a place that just anyone could go.

However, in the dead of night, Lan Xi quietly left the Lan family, which successfully attracted the attention of the Feng family's shadow guards hiding in the shadows.

——

Nine Heavens Palace.

A suffocating sense of oppression filled the air. Qingling's gaze fell on the cold-looking man not far away. She felt that his dark eyes were like deep lake water, shooting out bursts of cold light and bone-chilling coldness. In an instant, she felt as if she were in an ice cellar.

It felt as if her very soul was trembling; it was terrifying! Qingling quickly lowered her head, puzzled at the same time.

Why would the Imperial Advisor suddenly seek her out?

I wanted to ask, but I didn't dare to speak.

The atmosphere remained oppressive for a long time!

"I think you should know very well why you are in the Heavenly Realm."

A flicker of light flashed in Qingling's eyes, a dark glint in them, as if the Grand Preceptor wanted to say something.

“You are now a demon. Anyone with a bit of strength can see through you at a glance. Have you thought about the consequences of seeing through you?” Gong Mingyue’s cold voice came.

Qingling lowered her head, biting her lower lip, carefully recalling every word Gong Mingyue had said.

If people were to discover she was a demon, they would surely fight tooth and nail to kill her. And if her sister were around, she would only implicate her...

This is something she doesn't want to see.

"Qingling begs the Imperial Preceptor for guidance."

Gong Mingyue glanced at Qingling with his deep eyes, and she was quite sensible.

"The fact that you are a demon cannot be changed. Although the Demon Gathering Stone in your body has been temporarily suppressed, it is only temporary. Only when it is completely transformed into your own power will you have no worries in the future."

"The only thing you need to do now is to change your current situation. Only when you are strong enough can you gain a foothold in this Heavenly Realm."

Yes, she is now a demon, and that cannot be changed!

The Demon-Gathering Stone within her body could devour her at any moment. If she couldn't even protect herself, how could she protect those around her? Only by completely devouring the Demon-Gathering Stone and transforming it into her own power could she protect those she wanted to protect and gain a foothold in this Heavenly Realm.

Gong Mingyue's expression was as cold as ice, without the slightest emotional fluctuation. He said, "If you want to become stronger, you should go back to where you belong! The Demon Realm is your battlefield."

Qingling suddenly raised her head and looked incredulously at the unfathomable man in the main seat!

Demon Realm.

Where she belongs!