Chapter 80 She must return to the Demon Realm as soon as possible.
Ning Qi was assigned to the communal dormitory of the Huaguang Sect disciples. There were three rooms in a courtyard, with two people living in each room.
Although it couldn't compare to her detached house, the conditions weren't too bad, and she could accept it perfectly well.
Her roommate was a young cultivator named Zheng Yuzhu, who was only fifteen years old.
Ning Qi felt the name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had heard it before. Perhaps it belonged to a noble lady from a prominent family, but after asking the young girl, she received a negative answer and had to give up.
When it was her turn to introduce herself, she realized that she still didn't know the name of her body, so she quickly asked the system.
The system told her her name was Liu Qi.
Ningqi: Six or seven? Isn't that too perfunctory?
Fortunately, Zheng Yuzhu didn't suspect anything; her attention was entirely focused on her return from the Demon Realm, and she kept asking questions out of curiosity.
Ning Qi told her half-truths, saying that in order to become a disciple of the Huaguang Sect and join the team to save the sect leader, he had been lying in wait by the Demon God's side, all in order to rescue Yan Chongyan at a critical moment.
She herself felt nauseous talking about it, but the little girl looked at her with adoration.
"Wow, that's amazing! I want to go to the Demon Realm too, but they all say my cultivation level is too low and won't let me go. They won't let me take on any missions."
Ning Qi twitched her ears. "So, accepting the mission means I can go to the Demon Realm?"
“Yes.” Zheng Yuzhu nodded matter-of-factly.
"What kinds of tasks are there?" Ning Qi asked.
"There are many missions, and the failure rate is particularly high. There are missions like this one to rescue the sect leader and fellow disciples, as well as missions to assassinate specific demons. But the most common mission is to become a corpse finder."
"A body searcher?" Ning Qi asked again.
Zheng Yuzhu gave her a disdainful look. "Don't you even know this? It's about taking everyone's wish list and helping people find their relatives who have become zombies. Depending on their needs, some people kill them and bring back their remains for burial, while others take something from them to leave as a memento for the living."
The little girl became more and more upset as she spoke, “My sister used to be a corpse finder. She went to the demon realm to do a mission two years ago and never came back. I’ve always wanted to go find her, but they always won’t let me.”
Ning Qi could tell that her cultivation level was at the Foundation Establishment stage, and she really couldn't go to the Demon Realm; it was too dangerous.
“You can go in a few more years,” she comforted her.
Zheng Yuzhu wiped away her tears. "Sister Liu, if you go to complete a mission next time, could you help me find your sister?"
Ning Qi hesitated for a moment. She was indeed planning to take on a mission and sneak back to the Demon Realm, but finding a complete stranger was like looking for a needle in a haystack. So she said vaguely, "I...we'll see."
The little girl didn't insist; she put on her bag and went to class.
Fortunately, Ning Qi doesn't have any studies to attend to yet. Yan Chongyan said he would hold a grand initiation ceremony for her, allowing her to choose any master to become her disciple. The ceremony was set for three days from now, so she could wander around aimlessly during this time.
Since she was already there, she decided to make the best of it and go back to her own courtyard, then visit Xiao Sui's courtyard, and finally find a mission to return to the Demon Realm.
She returned to her courtyard while most of her fellow students were in class. She had expected it to be deserted, but to her surprise, it looked like someone lived there.
Just as Ning Qi was about to push the door open, it opened from the inside, and she and Xie Xiyue came face to face.
Xie Xiyue's pretty face was full of anxiety. She was slightly surprised when she saw her. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm just taking a walk," Ning Qi asked. "Why are you in such a hurry to go out?"
Xie Xiyue said anxiously, "Qianyu, I just realized that Qianyu didn't come back with us!"
Ning Qi's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and she quickly asked, "Is she also part of your plan?"
“Of course!” Xie Xiyue said, “We were able to enter the Demon Palace so smoothly because of the map she provided us!”
Ning Xi took a half step back in shock. No wonder they were able to find the dungeon so easily, and Yan Chongyan was able to come to her bedroom with such a clear purpose. It was all because of Qian Yu!
"Are you sure she hasn't come back?" She caught up with Xie Xiyue.
"Confirmed! I just questioned several cultivators who returned from the Demon Realm, and they said none of them saw Qianyu. She must have been held up by something and unable to evacuate the Demon Palace." Xie Xiyue's pace quickened. "What can we do? She'll definitely be in trouble if she stays in the Demon Palace!"
Ning Qi lowered her eyes, feeling a little flustered. No, Xiao Sui would not do anything to Qian Yu out of consideration for her.
But then she remembered the hurt look in Xiao Sui's eyes when she left. Would he hate her because of this? Would he hate her so much that he would kill Qian Yu?
Ning Qi felt she had to go back as soon as possible.
She didn't continue following Xie Xiyue, but went to the council hall and told the cultivators there that she wanted to accept a mission.
“Nameplate,” the monk said.
“…Not yet,” Ning Qi said. “The sect leader said he would hold an initiation ceremony for me in a few days.”
The man looked up at her and said, "Oh, you're the one who risked your life to save the sect leader. You're very brave."
Upon seeing that he had heard of him, Ning Qi immediately said, "So could you make an exception and let me accept the mission first?"
"No." The cultivator refused decisively.
Seeing that she couldn't take on the task, Ning Qi immediately went to find Yan Chongyan.
He was demonstrating swordsmanship to the Golden Core stage cultivators, and even Xie Xiyue was waiting on the side.
Ning Qi wished he could interrupt him, but finally waited until he allowed his disciple to practice freely.
Yan Chongyan walked over and asked them, "Is there something you need?"
“Qianyu hasn’t returned,” Ning Qi and Xie Xiyue said in unison.
Yan Chongyan frowned. "I will immediately send someone to the Demon Realm to find her."
This was a perfect opportunity, and Ning Qi volunteered, saying, "I'll go. I'm very familiar with the Demon Palace, and I'm also familiar with the Little... Demon God."
Yan Chongyan looked at her seriously, "No, after you save me, the Demon God will definitely see you as a thorn in his side. As soon as you enter the Demon Realm, he will kill you as soon as possible. I will never let you enter the Demon Realm again. Even if you join the Huaguang Sect in the future, you will not need to go to the Demon Realm to complete the mission."
Ning Qi: "..."
How did they completely block her escape route?
Xie Xiyue said, "I'll go instead. She works for me. It was my oversight that I didn't notice she didn't come out with me."
Yan Chongyan shook his head, "Now that you are a princess, it is not advisable for you to take risks frequently. I will find a suitable person, so you don't need to worry."
After that, no matter what they said, Yan Chongyan firmly disagreed with the two of them going.
Ning Qi walked back dejectedly. This had become troublesome. Not only was Qian Yu's fate unknown, but she herself could no longer return to the Demon Realm through the mission.
As she descended the mountain, she felt something following her. She turned around abruptly and saw a small black ball, smaller than the palm of her hand, floating in mid-air like a black pom-pom.
She immediately chased after him with delight, calling out softly, "Demon Group! Is that you?"
The little black ball flew a little higher.
Ning Qi reached out to grab it, "First digit? Second digit? Third digit?"
The little black ball wobbled twice and flew away, disappearing from her sight.
Why does it feel like the Magic Group is angry with her too?
——
Inside the pitch-black main hall of the Demon Palace, Xiao Sui sat on his throne, looking down at the people below.
With her hands tied behind her back, Qianyu was forced to kneel on the ground, restrained by two demons on her left and right.
One of them asked, "Demon God, what should we do with this spy?"
Xiao Sui gathered demonic energy in his hands, his eyes showing no emotion. "Make it into a corpse demon and throw it out."
Qianyu pursed her lips, looking as if she were ready to die.
At this moment, Zhizhi rushed in without regard for anything else, knelt down beside Qianyu, and pleaded for her, "Your Highness, please spare her. If Miss comes back in the future and finds out that you killed Qianyu, she will definitely become estranged from you... You certainly don't want to see such an outcome!"
"Miss?" Qianyu turned her head. "You mean that woman? What does she have to do with me?"
Zhizhi was extremely anxious, "You...you still don't understand?"
Asagao was stunned for a long time, "You don't mean... how could that be..."
Zhizhi stopped talking to her and kowtowed to Xiao Sui, "Please let Qianyu go. She didn't know the truth and did something wrong. Please forgive her this time."
Xiao Sui remained silent for a long time. Zhizhi's legs were getting numb from kneeling. She raised her head slightly and saw that his face was completely hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see his expression.
Only a low, husky voice, devoid of any emotion, came from above: "Do you think I would still care about this little bit of distance?"
Zhizhi didn't dare to speak.
Xiao Sui said, "The Demon Group told me that she has settled down in Huaguang Sect and has a good relationship with Yan Chongyan."
Zhizhi could sense that the demonic energy on his body had become very unstable, and the furnishings in the room were affected by the demonic energy, causing them to tremble slightly.
She suppressed her fear, knowing that if Xiao Sui wanted to, he could turn the entire main hall into ruins in an instant.
Xiao Sui chuckled, lowered his eyes, and muttered to himself, "It seems she really likes Hua Guangzong and Yan Chongyan. What should we do?"
He seemed to think about it seriously for a moment, then said casually, "Just destroy it all."
Zhizhi felt a chill run down her spine; the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It was too terrifying; the princess absolutely could not come back.
She mustered her courage and moved in front of Qianyu, thinking that even if Xiao Sui went mad and wanted to kill her, she could protect her.
Qianyu looked at her in surprise and tried to push her away.
Zhizhi stubbornly stood with her.
Xiao Sui's gaze returned to the two of them. "You don't need to be modest. If you want to die together, I can grant your wish."
A surge of demonic energy rushed towards them, and Zhizhi tightly closed her eyes.
Ning Qi suddenly woke up, still somewhat confused and unsure of where she was.
Hearing unfamiliar breathing beside him, he remembered that he was in Huaguangzong.
She sighed softly, wondering how Qianyu and Zhizhi were doing. Those demonic groups had clearly come to Huaguang Sect, so why wouldn't they take her back?
I have no idea how Xiao Sui is doing now, or if she's secretly crying.
Ning Qi remembered the system she had forgotten and summoned it, "Can I exchange my points for a teleportation array to the Demon Realm?"
"cannot."
Ning Qi was not surprised at all.
The system added, "But I can tell you how to get to the Demon Realm."
"Speak quickly."
"You can go to Yandu as a rogue cultivator to receive a mission from the Demon Realm. You will be given a teleportation array at that time."
Ning Qi stroked his chin. "That's a good method."
In the darkness, she didn't notice that Zheng Yuzhu in the next bed turned over and opened her eyes.
The next morning, Ning Qi made an excuse to go out for a stroll, took the practice sword from the sect, and flew to Yandu on the sword.
It was her first time flying on a sword, and she was surprised that she flew quite well, but the scene below made her frown.
The situation in the villages near Huaguangzong is still good; people still live there, and things are much the same as before.
But the closer they got to Yandu, the more desolate it became. The surrounding villages seemed to have all been abandoned, and the crops were overgrown with weeds. Occasionally, they would see a few figures, but upon closer inspection, they turned out to be corpse demons.
Upon reaching the outskirts of Yandu City, they found no place to settle, as the city walls were swarming with corpse demons, and several cultivators were shooting arrows from the air, killing them.
Ning Qi dodged the group, landed on the city wall, and showed the pass Yan Chongyan had given her.
Those people glanced at her a few times and quickly let her through.
Ning Qi couldn't help but ask, "What's the situation outside the city?"
The guards didn't even lift their eyelids. "Is this your first time in Yandu? It's like this every day. These corpse demons come here as soon as they smell human scent."
“But how come there are so many?” Ning Xi asked.
The guards looked at her with surprise. "You've been in seclusion for ten years and just came out?"
That's about right. Ning Qi touched her nose. "How did you know?"
The city guard sighed, "Then you must have had a good ten years. Now only Yandu, Youzhou City, Jinzhou City, and the five major sects have not been conquered by the Corpse Demons. The entire mortal realm is almost entirely inhabited by Corpse Demons. Ordinary people and cultivators are probably only about 30% of what they were ten years ago."
Another person exclaimed indignantly, "It's all because of that damned demon god! He's the one who made the mortal realm like this!"
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