35 Chapter Thirty-Five
I always felt like she had forgotten something very important.
The moonlight, as cold as frost, shone on the bluestone slabs.
This time, Shangqing achieved a great victory in the Demon Realm, not only defeating the enemy and bringing them to the brink of collapse, but also forcing them to hand over the former Great Demon Lord, Luyue.
Many outer disciples who were attending evening classes walked out of the hall, their long shadows falling on the bluestone slabs, and they whispered among themselves about the forbidden past.
"It is said that she once led the Demon Realm to almost conquer our Shangqing, and even took Xueji Sword Master away as his male concubine."
"Heavens! How could Sword Master Xueji, who is so powerful, be humiliated?"
"You're too young to know, back then Sword Master was still an array cultivator. It's said that when Sword Master Xueji was in the Demon Realm, she was very fond of him and even held a grand birthday celebration for him, but unexpectedly he died suddenly."
"It is said that this was all achieved by the Sword Master Xueji through hardship and perseverance. It is a pity that such a virtuous and upright person must have been greatly humiliated in the Demon Realm."
The disciple secretly sighed, after all, he had seen her from afar and thought she was amazing.
"We just don't know what she looks like; no disciple has ever seen her before."
"Who knows? We were waiting at the mountain gate to see what that demon looked like, but Sword Master Xueji used an array to bring her back."
Although everyone had heard of the previous Demon Lord's brutal reputation, they were still curious whether she really looked like the blue-faced, fanged demon described in the book.
"Why aren't you paying attention in your evening classes? What nonsense are you spouting here?"
Simiao looked at her whispering disciples with a serious expression. She had been gentle when she was under her master's care, but she had become more serious after taking over her position.
The catastrophe five hundred years ago was a disgrace to the Shangqing sect, and it was almost forbidden to mention it within the sect.
Upon seeing Elder Simiao, the disciples immediately fell silent, then lowered their eyes and dispersed, fearing that he would punish them.
Simiao's forced composure gradually faded after the disciples left, and her gaze turned towards the sect leader's hall.
That person has been asleep since arriving at Shangqing and has not yet awakened. The sect leader placed him on a piece of cold jade to protect his body, and he has remained motionless.
Perhaps they were all deceived; Lu Yue was already dead, leaving only his physical form in the world. The new Demon Lord probably toyed with them on purpose in order to save his own life.
Simiao still wanted to see that heinous Demon Lord again, but she always felt that he wasn't so bad. Otherwise, why would he have safely sent her seriously ill master back to Shangqing that year?
As Simiao gazed at the person on the cold jade, she couldn't help but think of the year she brought her master to Shangqing. It seemed that she, who was rumored to be wicked, was not such a bad person after all.
But he's definitely not a good person.
However, the fact that she once massacred the Shangqing is undeniable, so she has always been conflicted.
Before Simiao even got close to the palace, he could hear the noisy arguments inside.
"This demon, Lu Yue, has committed countless evil deeds. She killed all the disciples of my sect when I was young. I can never forget this blood feud. I will not be able to quell my hatred until I have reduced her to ashes."
"Why get angry? She hasn't woken up yet; she's just a corpse."
"Her being alive is an obstacle; do you really want to bring her back to life?"
"She has no inner core now, so even if she were alive, she would pose no threat to our Shangqing."
The usually mild-mannered Xie Shu rarely spoke so vehemently, and Master Erkong was so angry that he could only glare and leave in a huff.
This was not the first time the two had argued. This morning, Master Erkong, along with the elders, ordered the sect leader to hand over Luyue.
Fortunately, Xie Shu firmly refused and kept the person in his palace, carefully guarding him with an array to prevent anyone from damaging his body.
Simiao stepped into the hall, and Xie Shu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was her.
"You've arrived."
"Is she awake?"
"No."
Xie Shu turned and entered the secret chamber inside the hall. The dark and damp room was empty, with only a piece of cold jade displayed in the center. Countless red ropes were intertwined, and countless golden bells hung below them, which would suddenly ring if the person on the cold jade bed woke up.
This is to prevent the Demon Lord Lu Yue from waking up and causing trouble.
But it was obviously unnecessary, because her inner core was no longer there, so she posed no threat to the Shangqing disciples.
"You will stay with her tonight."
Xie Shu gazed at Lu Yue on the cold jade bed. A gilded mask covered her face, and her solemn and serious black robe had become somewhat dull and lackluster.
"Yes, Sect Master."
Simiao had been guarding her these past few days, fearing that Master Erkong would forcibly take her body away. Without the Demon Lord guarding the Demon Realm, many demons had descended upon the mortal world, causing endless trouble.
The disciples descended the mountain in waves, exhausted. Regardless of whether they were human, demon, or monster, a powerful venerable one was needed to maintain peace.
Simiao sat quietly to one side, and even though he knew she was dead, her soft breathing sounded as if she were asleep.
She remembered that Lu Yue's eyes were beautiful, as powerful, gentle, aloof, and intelligent as her master's. Having been by Wei Mengqiu's side since childhood, Simiao naturally learned a lot.
She raised her hand, seemingly wanting to remove Lu Yue's mask, but a sound came from the wooden door of the main hall behind her.
A cold wind, carrying a thin layer of snow, ruffled the man's dark hair as he silently entered the hall like a ghost. Xue Ji's usually pristine white robes were stained with blood, and a strong stench of blood clung to him.
He is usually very clean, and he came over in a hurry without having taken a bath.
Xue Ji stared intently at the person on the cold jade bed: "Why hasn't she woken up yet?"
Simiao shook his head helplessly: "Her inner core is gone, and her current state is only barely protecting her body."
Xue Ji's eyes remained fixed on Lu Yue on the cold jade bed. Her jade-like face remained calm as she said in a steady voice, "If I were to dig out an inner core for her, would she be able to awaken?"
“Junior brother,” Simiao’s voice rose, surprised that her junior brother hated her so much. She sighed softly, “Do you really have to bring her back to life and then torture her again? We cultivate the Dao to cultivate our minds and character. Why bring up the past? Besides, her cultivation has been completely dissipated, there’s no need to humiliate her any further.”
Xueji's expression was cold, and he remained silent.
He wanted to humiliate her, just as she had done to her years ago. For the sake of that so-called useless younger brother, she meticulously planned and schemed, deliberately getting close to disturb his mind and then feigning innocence as she left.
The devil is so wicked and insidious.
Xue Ji clenched her fists, turned and left without a word. It was just an inner core; she could obtain it by killing a demon with a thousand years of cultivation, but she needed to do it discreetly.
He wiped the remaining blood and dirt off his fingers, cleaned them with a white cloth, and then carried his sword down the mountain.
Xue Ji's fame has spread far and wide, and all the people who have met him are filled with gratitude. Every time they see him, they kneel and kowtow, calling him the Immortal Lord.
But he was not an immortal; that was merely a prestigious title bestowed upon him by the world. He possessed his own inescapable emotions and desires, and every night he was tormented by the unbearable past, leaving him battered and bruised.
Evil thoughts continued to grow, and they could no longer be suppressed.
So if I torture her in the same way, I might be able to resolve my inner demons, but I need to awaken Lu Yue first.
Xueji donned a veiled hat and traversed the bustling market in search of prey. At the same time, a gentle man's figure passed him by; he wore a bamboo-colored long robe, and his mild and harmless face gazed up at Shangqing in the distance.
They watched for so long that several children from the neighborhood gathered around.
The bolder child asked, "What are you looking at?"
The man smiled gently: "My mistress is missing. I'm waiting for her to return."
"Owner?"
The children stared at him curiously; the man was dressed in fine clothes, unlike the enslaved servants they usually saw.
"You can play with this; it's fate that brought us together."
Wen Ruo took out a delicate, translucent glass ball, from which a faint light shimmered. Seeing this for the first time, the children excitedly left.
He smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming with intense light.
What adorable children! To be able to touch the Venerable One's inner core is an immense blessing for you. However, you may need to pay for it with your lives.
Wen Ruo gazed into the distance with eyes full of admiration, knowing the time had come. He should have been properly welcoming the Venerable One's resurrection, but that useless Hu Mei had ruined everything.
Fortunately, he still had time to finish dealing with the miscellaneous items before welcoming back the true master of the Demon Realm.
As the moon rose above the treetops, its bright light gradually spread across the ground and also fell through the latticed window onto the woman's hair.
Lu Yue felt that she had slept for too long, and her whole body was sore and weak. She stiffly sat up slowly, then ripped off the heavy mask on her face. After opening her bright eyes, a hint of confusion flashed in her purple eyes.
Only then did she realize that she was in the middle of a formation.
The person guarding her looked familiar; Lu Yue recognized him as Wei Mengqiu's disciple. He seemed to have been without rest for a long time, as there were faint dark circles under his eyes. Even while meditating, he couldn't help but fall asleep.
With a gentle tap of her finger, Simiao closed his eyes and finally fell asleep peacefully. Luyue took off her heavy robe and draped it over him.
She slowly walked out of the palace gate, and only when she stood on a tall tree did she vaguely recognize that this was indeed Shangqing. Although she didn't know why she was here, it was clear that she couldn't leave this place now that she had lost her inner core.
She was no longer the Demon Lord, so why did the people of Shangqing want to capture her and go to such lengths to bring her back to life? It was utterly pointless.
Lu Yue was furious that the new Demon Lord was so useless, failing to even protect her corpse and wasting her inner core. Just as she was pondering how to kill Hu Mei, she heard a clear sword ring.
The voice sounded so familiar, as if I had heard it a long time ago.
Lu Yue lifted her foot, using her meager cultivation to support herself, and gently landed on a better treetop. Following the sound, she immediately saw a man practicing swordsmanship alone on the bluestone slab.
The sword flashed like a rainbow, the figure handsome and elegant. The long sword in his hand was like a swimming dragon, startling the thin snow on the ground into a flurry.
The moonlight of a thousand years later shines on the people of a thousand years ago, but they are long gone.
It's just a reincarnation; the foolish Taoist priest is long dead. But how come the Taoist swordsmanship hasn't changed in a thousand years?
As Lu Yue watched the familiar moves, it was as if she had returned to the dense forest that had nurtured her. She always sat on a high place watching the Taoist priest practice his sword dance, and the two of them silently accompanied each other for many years.
Unfortunately, he was too stupid, and he died a stupid death.
Lu Yue frowned suddenly, touching her aching heart, feeling as if she had forgotten something very important.
What is it?
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