When Ningning fell into Ziwei Realm, she had a dream.
The dream was blank, with only a very vague shadow of a young boy appearing. She couldn't see the man's face clearly, and only remembered the vague outline of his figure.
As the demon cultivators walked towards her step by step from the deep rift valley, the person standing in the front gradually overlapped with the one she saw in her dream.
Ningning didn't remember having seen him before, but what was certain was that this man must have left an indelible impression in her subconscious.
——Because now, she dreamed of him again.
Looking ahead, there was a vast desert of rolling yellow sand and curling white smoke mixed with demonic energy. She sat side by side with the man on the sand dune and when she looked up, she could see a distant, lonely moon in the sky.
A gust of wind blew hurriedly over, and the man turned his head to look at her, but his face was still blurry.
Ningning heard him say: "Look, this is the moon of... Every time I see it, I think..."
The sound of the wind and countless other noises filled her ears, completely drowning out his words. Ningning was confused and wanted to ruin the atmosphere by shouting, "The wind is too strong, I can't hear you clearly, what are you talking about?"
However, before he could utter a word, he suddenly felt a chill all over his body and opened his eyes abruptly.
She had encountered demon cultivators in the rift before, and should have been taken to their lair now.
Ningning tried to move her body, but found that her hands were tied with ropes. Judging from the material, it should be the famous Immortal Binding Rope, which prevented her from using any spiritual power.
Why did this group go to so much trouble to capture her?
I can't figure it out.
As a socialist young man who grew up under the nourishment of costume dramas, Ning Ning may not be able to attract many young talents with a song "Water Melody", nor can she be called a level 10 player in palace fighting, but she still learned a very simple and practical experience -
Keep a pocket knife in your sleeve just in case.
For example, now, that contraband metal item has become a god in her heart.
Ningning sat up crookedly from the ground, pretending to be an old monk in meditation, and looked around.
It seemed like she should take back what she said about the "demon's lair".
Because this place is so, so shabby.
This place can't even be called a "house", it's just a cave made of gravel, with beds and other kinds of furniture scattered inside. It looks of good quality, but it can't hide the cold nature of this place.
...Where was the huge, glittering, golden palace that she had imagined? Why does this place look like the set of a local drama from the 1980s? Ningning felt a little dazed, and even subconsciously slowed down the movement of cutting the rope with the knife. In the silence, she suddenly heard a few footsteps outside the door.
That group of demon cultivators should be back.
The footsteps were getting closer, so she stopped moving and looked up. The first thing she saw was a fair face.
The one walking in front was still the boy who looked exactly like the one in her dream.
This time there was a light in the cave, and through the flickering dim light, Ningning was finally able to see his appearance clearly.
Completely different from the imagined evil monks who were either arrogant or cold as ice, this man actually had a very well-behaved baby face, his black and round eyes were as soft as water, and there was no sign of aggression at all.
Ningning: ...
Maybe, probably, possibly, this is a black lotus with white edges and black spots. It looks harmless, but is actually cruel and ruthless?
The young man noticed her straightforward gaze and was slightly stunned at first.
Then her face turned red, she blinked hurriedly, and said with six parts of panic, three parts of guilt, and one part of shyness: "You, you woke up?"
Ningning: ...
This guy in front of me should indeed be a cute and charming villain, right? Where is the arrogance, indifference, contempt and disdain you promised me? We are both making pie charts, why are you so different from other villains?
"My Lord."
A tall and strong man beside him said in a deep voice: "You shouldn't use this attitude towards your opponent."
Master.
Ningning's head exploded again.
No way, this shy little boy who looks weak, innocent and innocent is actually the new monarch of the Demon Realm?
She had indeed heard that the demon clan was short of talent, and that both the Demon Lord and the Demon King had been defeated in the war, but this, this, this was a bit too much of a "talent shortfall", wasn't it?
She seemed to understand a little why she could no longer see the magnificent and splendid palace.
"She is a girl after all."
The young man smiled gently, and when he turned his head to look at her, he was still a little embarrassed as if he was guilty: "Miss Ningning, my name is Huo Qiao."
The plot was not what she had expected.
To be precise, very different.
Ning Ning nodded and said "hmm", trying to communicate with him normally: "Can I ask, what do you want to do by bringing me here?"
Huo Qiao lowered his eyes to look at her. After a long silence, he said in a gentle voice, "It's to kill you."
Good, very good. He said these four words without changing his expression, and finally he had some of the style of a demon.
He paused, as if he was considering his words, and added hesitantly: "You can hate us, but we will never let you go - if you want to beg for mercy, don't waste your breath."
This person is so strange.
Although he is cruel and ruthless, he looks gentle and kind. She has read so many novels and TV dramas, but has never seen such an easy-to-talk to demon lord.
You could say he was soft-hearted, but his words just now left her no way out and made it clear that he wanted to kill her.
He seemed to be standing in opposition to her, but also in an equal position. He gave her enough respect, but also told her without hesitation: "I will kill you."
The young demon king's attitude made Ning Ning's nervousness subside a lot. Hearing this, she leaned against the wall and asked curiously, "Why do you want to get rid of me?"
She was smart enough to guess what was going on, so she asked in an inquiring tone, "Because of Pei Ji?"
Huo Qiao answered the question irrelevantly and did not make any comment: "We will not torture you when we kill you, so you don't have to be afraid, young lady."
——Just the two words "kill you" are enough to scare people, okay!
"My Lord, why did you have to talk so much nonsense with her?"
Someone said disdainfully: "Based on the evil curse cast on her, she won't live long anyway. If we can give her a quick death, it will be considered a good deed."
Ning Ning didn't quite understand: "Curse? What curse?"
"There are many types of spells. We can only sense some of them, but we don't know the details—"
Huo Qiao wanted to explain, but while he was speaking, someone came in from outside the door and whispered to him.
Ningning couldn't hear what was said, she only knew that the boy smiled and looked down at her: "I should go now. Qingheng, you stay here and guard."
A tall man nodded quietly.
"Wait wait! I have one last question!"
Ning Ning saw him turn around and quickly raised her voice: "Have we two met before?"
Huo Qiao turned his head, and his pair of puppy eyes were shining brightly in the candlelight, like ripples on a lake.
"That's right," she felt like she was deliberately trying to strike up a conversation, so her voice became much quieter, "Speaking of 'tonight's moon'... or something like that."
Huo Qiao looked at her quietly, and suddenly smiled.
"We have never met."
The young man's voice was clear, and his smile slowly spread in the light: "But tonight is the fourteenth day of the lunar month, so you can look up at the sky later... The moon on the fourteenth day is very beautiful."
=====
Huo Qiao left in a hurry, leaving Ningning and the middle-aged man named "Qingheng" looking at each other in bewilderment.
She was still unclear about the strength of the demon camp, so she had to be cautious in everything.
The ropes that bound her hands were gradually cut. Ning Ning wanted to use her spiritual sense to test Qing Heng's cultivation, but her mind suddenly buzzed.
It turned out to be the system's voice.
[Qing Heng’s cultivation has reached the third level of Nascent Soul, so if he releases his spiritual consciousness, he will definitely be noticed. This man is good at using a long sword, but his weakness is in his lower abdomen, so he is not good at quick attacks. ］
The sound came without any warning. For Ningning, it was like seeing a dead person suddenly come back to life and dance like the third best radio gymnastics in the country.
Before she could react, she heard its voice again: "While he is at his ease, attack him with the Golden Snake Sword Technique immediately. Don't hesitate." ］
This was the first time it suddenly made a sound.
Ningning concentrated, held her breath, and gathered her consciousness, and soon understood its intention.
The demon's lair is full of dangers, and the system doesn't want her to die there.
But... why does it know so much about this demon cultivator?
This is not the question to think about now.
Because of the existence of the Immortal Binding Rope, Qing Heng did not have too many guards against her. Ningning followed the system's instructions and drew her sword in a moment.
She was so fast that before the man could draw his sword, he was knocked unconscious by the sword energy.
In the next moment, the dry and cold system voice reappeared in my mind: [Go out and turn right at the first corner. ］
It seemed very anxious and used an almost urging tone.
The cave where Ningning was located was actually underground. When leaving the cave, one could see many intricate and deep corridors.
The situation was urgent and she didn't have time to think too much. She just ran quickly according to the continuous prompt sounds.
[Turn right, enemy attacks appear. ］
[Le Xiu, who is good at playing the zither, trained his right hand. ］
[Concentrate your mind and hold your breath, enter the secret passage from the sand array on the left. There are Yuanying masters guarding this place, so remember to keep your tracks secret. ］
"How do you know so much about this place?"
There are many dangerous opportunities here. Not only are the demon cultivators waiting in various places extremely powerful, but the many forks in the road are dizzying. If she were to go alone, she would definitely not be able to escape even half the distance.
However, the system knows everything about the demon cultivators and terrain in the sand cave, and can be said to have the strongest golden finger in history.
Ningning ran wildly while jokingly asking it in her heart: "Are you the so-called incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, or the demon that once lived here?"
No response was received.
Or in other words, he got a completely irrelevant response: [The sword cultivator in front has a weak spot on his back. Use Taiyi Sword Technique to deal with him. ］
The "secret passage" mentioned by the system was not far away, and a demon cultivator holding a sword was guarding it.
Ningning still used a sudden and unexpected attack. The man reacted quickly, raised his hand and tried to fight back, but was beaten back step by step.
It didn't take long for the Star Mark Sword to point directly at the opponent's vital point, but Ningning did not exert any force.
She looked a little disheveled, with darkness in her dark pupils. She suppressed the sword energy overflowing from her body and made a gesture to keep quiet.
"Quiet."
Ning Ning said: "I have two questions for you."
=====
The system's instructions continue.
It had never spoken so many words at once, and the urgent and harsh mechanical sound made Ningning's brain dizzy.
She escaped from the intricate underground sand cave through a secret passage. She thought the warning sound would soon fade away, but suddenly she heard an extremely familiar ding-dong sound amidst the howling wind at night.
This is a sound that will only be played when the system issues a task.
Ningning’s first reaction was, that’s not right, according to the plot in the original book, has she ever done anything naughty here?
The answer is definitely “no”.
In the novel given by the system, this group of demon cultivators never appeared from beginning to end. The reason they went to the desert was to practice exorcising demons.
The scenes where Ningning appears are pitifully few, and she only appears in a few sentences in the whole story, because -
The fonts in her mind gradually took shape, and Ningning could clearly see the sentences given by the system.
[It is now late at night, and the sand ghosts are attacking in groups. For a moment, the sky is blocked out and the moon is dark, and the wind is howling.
Everyone was trying their best to resist. Ningning was extremely frightened. When she ran away in terror, she was unexpectedly swept away by the evil spirit and fell directly into the bottomless valley beside her! ］
[Ding Dong! ］
[You know what to do. ］
"Are you letting yourself go more and more?"
Ningning sneered at the last six words, and looking up, she saw a long, dark mark on the ground not far away.
I think the reason why the system was so eager to help her was not only to show her the way to escape from the sand pit, but also to lead her here on purpose.
The incident of falling into the valley has nothing to do with the evil behavior of the vicious female supporting role, but it shows an unprecedented urgency, which shows that the significance of this matter is extraordinary.
The tangled thoughts in my mind slowly turned.
Ningning already understood what was hidden under the valley crack.
[Go to the bottom of the valley immediately. ］
The pain in my brain gradually deepened, and the system said in a very cold tone: [Right away. ］
“This is the most critical step, right?”
Ning Ning walked forward and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I will do it naturally."
The other party was very cold and did not respond.
She didn't care about it. She walked to the valley crevice, drew her sword, and the moment she took a step with her right foot, she used the sword energy to control gusts of wind.
The sword energy was so strong that it greatly slowed down the falling speed. The white light illuminated the girl's pale cheeks. Ningning subconsciously clenched the sword.
We are getting closer and closer to the bottom of the valley.
She felt the bloody wind around her and took a deep breath.
Ningning's original guess was simple and straightforward.
There is no so-called "time travel". She is the "Ningning" herself in this world. She is reborn again and again in reincarnation, trying to change her inevitable death.
The first question she asked the demon cultivator was why he wanted to kill her on purpose.
The man told Ningning tremblingly that the demons wanted to lure Pei Ji into becoming a demon so as to break the Yin-Yang Microdust Formation, and her death was undoubtedly the best inducement.
According to this explanation, it seems that it can be understood that the system may be, as Bai Wu said, a guide she specially set up in her head in order to avoid a dead end.
As long as she keeps acting like a demon and doesn't let Pei Ji develop any feelings for her, she can prevent this sudden change.
But this logic doesn’t make sense.
Firstly, if she really had reincarnated many times and had memories every time, how could she have lost all her memories of the past in this reincarnation and not remember anything?
The more memories and experience you have, the greater your chances of survival. If she keeps rushing around in a confused manner like she is now, she might end up in hell at any time.
What's more, there have been so many life-threatening crises before, but the system has never given any warnings. Instead, it has been vague and covered up all information related to the evil cultivators.
It seems that it is more inclined to stand on the side of the evil cultivators than the righteous cultivators.
Second, if we want to stop this conspiracy, the method we can use is actually very simple -
As long as the elders were informed of the changes in the demon world in advance, and the major immortal sects were allowed to handle the matter, and Pei Ji was placed in the Xuanxu Sword Sect, with the strength of that group of demons, they would never be able to cause any trouble.
Thirdly, when she abandoned Pei Ji and ran towards Lingshu Immortal Grass in the secret realm of the Demon Refining Tower, she heard a cold laugh from the system very clearly.
There was obvious disdain and contempt in that laughter. If the system was really her own consciousness, it would never react like that.
Fourth, the most important point.
There is no way her identity as a time traveler could be false.
He Zhizhou also came from the 21st century. If she had been born and raised in the world of cultivation, how could she have fabricated a world exactly the same as the one he lived in.
It is obvious that computers, televisions, refrigerators and air conditioners are not objects that the ancients could have imagined.
Thinking this way, if we abandon this line of thought, there is only one feasible explanation left.
She and the "Ningning" who had been reincarnated countless times before are completely different people.
The valley was deep and white light was shooting out like sparks. Ningning restrained her sword energy and landed on her toes.
She smelled a strong smell of dust and moved slowly forward under the sword light.
At that time in Ziwei Realm, the sword spirit that turned into white mist told her that something suddenly appeared in her body, which might help her survive the death calamity.
Ningning naturally thought that the other party was referring to the system in her mind.
But she overlooked a very important factor.
The sword spirit naturally cannot sense the so-called "system". All she can perceive is everyone's spiritual consciousness.
Since there is "one more", there are two people's consciousness hidden in her body.
Ningning raised the Star Mark Sword and saw a scattered skeleton in the darkness.
"Something that suddenly appeared in her body" does not refer to the system.
It's clearly... her soul from another world.
Ningning remembered the second question to ask the demon cultivator.
About the curse on her.
The man didn't know much about it and told her hesitantly that this evil curse had been lost for many years and all they knew was that it was a spell to steal lives.
For some unknown reason, she was so young, but she had to bear unimaginable death and retribution. I'm afraid she will die soon.
Cause and effect.
Back in that little witchcraft shop in Luan City, the owner had accidentally revealed that the demons had a spell that could replace lives.
Ningning didn't think too deeply about it at the time, but now she thinks it is nothing more than a transfer of cause and effect, exchanging life for life.
Why did the system always just let her commit evil deeds without caring about the consequences?
Because as long as she has the intention to harm others and takes corresponding actions, she will naturally bear the consequences.
Why the "original" plot in her mind is incomplete and often inconsistent with the facts.
Because that person has been reincarnated several times, his memory of his first life has become extremely vague. If one wants to utilize the art of replacing one's life, one must probably base it on the original cause and effect.
Why do she and He Zhizhou both have systems whose functions conflict with each other?
Because her "evil female supporting system" is simply a fake, perhaps the source of inspiration is the "grindstone" created by He Zhizhou from the way of heaven.
The original "Ningning" died in the desert for unknown reasons. She reincarnated again and again to break free from the dead end, but the result went against her wishes and she could not escape her predetermined fate.
Finally, at some point, perhaps in the last reincarnation, she learned the method of replacing one's life - letting another soul bear her inevitable fate and cause and effect of death, and then taking over this body again after the former died.
It is that person who has reincarnated several times.
The person who talked to Bai Wu over and over again was that person.
The person that this game ultimately wants to save is also that person.
As for her, she was just a shield to allow that person to survive.
The whole story of "faking her own death" was all lies. Once she accepted the inevitable fate of death, there was no way she could survive.
Ningning continued forward and saw a yellowed old book beside the skeleton.
There was no writing on the cover, but she knew what it was.
Back then, the real "Ningning" fell here due to an attack by monsters, but fortunately she did not die. By chance, she found the remains of a powerful demon who had fallen many years ago.
And a secret book containing the method of backtracking.
Now she has found a way to go back, and the cycle of cause and effect has closed and ended.
What awaits her is only death.
"How many times have you been reincarnated?"
Ning Ning leaned over to pick it up, lowering her eyelashes: "You were once possessed by the devil in the reincarnation, so you are so familiar with the terrain of the devil's domain and every one of them, and that's why you are so close to Huo Qiao, right?"
A gust of wind passed by, like the mournful cry of a ghost.
"What should I call you? System?"
She wanted to chuckle, but she didn't have the strength to make a sound. She could only continue in her mind: "Or... 'Ningning'?"
No response.
Ningning didn't care and just curled the corners of her mouth slightly.
Perhaps she had been mentally prepared for this. When she finally knew the whole truth, she did not feel sad or desperate as expected. She paused for a long time and asked again in a very light tone, "After inheriting your fate, I will definitely die, right?"
The response she received was still a long and silent silence.
Suddenly, something in her heart moved slightly, and a gust of wind blew past her ears, making her earlobe itchy.
Ningning heard a voice.
It was no longer a dry and cold mechanical voice, but a soft girlish voice just like hers.
"……right."
Something in her heart suddenly settled down, and unexpectedly, she did not cry or get angry.
Ningning was silent for just a moment, as if a huge rock that had been pressing on her heart for a long time suddenly collapsed and shattered all over the ground. She actually breathed a sigh of relief and spoke in a more normal tone: "What about those dreams? About Huo Qiao... Do you like him?"
The voice answered irrelevantly: "I thought you had guessed everything and would not enter the valley crevice."
Ningning turned the pages of the book in her hand and squinted her eyes because of the dust blowing in her face.
The method of retrospection is that the soul born on the Yin year, Yin month, Yin day and Yin time can be driven by obsession when it is on the verge of death.
It’s a pity that this restriction is so strict. The original owner just happens to meet the requirements, but her birthday is far from it, so she cannot turn back time.
"If that happens, won't I be executed on the spot for violating the system's instructions? After I die, you won't have a shield to save your life, and you will most likely die too - do you think I will choose to die together with you?"
Ningning's tone was incredibly calm.
She was silent for a while, then raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Pei Ji is still in the Demon Clan's bureau."
In the endless darkness, the girl clenched the sword in her hand and finally laughed softly: "Even if I can't survive... at least he has to survive."
=====
"Escaped?"
Huo Qiao looked at the mess on the ground in the cave and heard Qing Heng blame himself: "She somehow broke free from the ropes, and her sword skills were too fast to resist. I, I didn't react for a while, and then-"
"No problem."
The young demon king just smiled and said, "Even though she has disappeared...don't we still have human puppets to use?"
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