Chapter 12 Villain's Memories Are Like Knives
The vast expanse of blue water ripples, and celestial fish dart about.
Bang!
With a deafening roar, water splashed up and the cabin shattered into pieces.
A snake demon leaped up.
Upon seeing such a colossal demon, Xu Qingning's gaze turned icy.
It was as tall as ten people, with soft human skin hanging on its snake body. Three feet of green hair grew on the human skin, covering patches of eerie green light, which were pairs of vertical pupils.
It also emitted a foul odor of rotting flesh.
Hua Yuexi avoided it, exclaiming in surprise, "Human Skin Nightmare Serpent...how could it be here?!"
The "Human Skin Nightmare Serpent," as recorded in the "Records of a Thousand Demons," is a powerful demon that excels at devouring humans and creating dreams. When it appears, it tears apart people's bodies with its sharp fangs and corrupts their souls with its illusory eyes. It once appeared in the eastern suburbs of Dragon Pool and could kill a thousand people in an instant. Later, it was sealed by the immortal sect and imprisoned in the Demon Locking Tower.
But the question is, why did this "human skin nightmare snake" suddenly appear in the lower part of the Dragon Pool?
Bang--
The nightmarish fish's human skin and hair exploded in the wind, and white vertical pupils clung to its scales, piercing one's flesh and bones.
Hua Yuliu, Hua Yuexi, and He Yin drew their weapons.
"Miss Zhou, please don't come out!"
Zhou Fuling's face was deathly pale, and she gripped the railing tightly.
Xu Qingning's white tiger jumped onto her shoulder, while Hua Yuexi and Hua Yuliu set up a barrier and placed her on the deck.
This barrier took a lot of spiritual energy, but these two are kind-hearted... Xu Qingning could see that, and her opinion of the Hua siblings changed somewhat.
Zhou Fuling lay on the deck, surrounded by strange, surging forces beneath the ship. There was an unusual, malevolent power, not a nightmare fish, that also coiled around her.
Zhou Fuling frowned.
This matter may not be simple.
Bang!
Bang!!
Hua Yuliu's weapon slipped from his hand.
Hua Yuexi and He Yin also crashed into the ship's pillar.
Blood was flowing freely.
They were no match for the Nightmare Fish.
Zhou Fuling looked up.
At the critical moment, with a whoosh, the sound of a sword echoed across the lake!
A long sword, gleaming brightly, emerged from the water, its sword energy crashing down like a thunderbolt.
Boom—
"This is..." Hua Yuliu was dazzled. He could see that the formation of this giant array was the work of a peerless master.
Lightning struck the Nightmare Fish, sending rocks flying and the monster screaming as it burrowed into the water.
On the water, Xu Qingning had transformed back into human form, holding the snow-white "Eternal Brightness Sword," and came riding on the waves.
A streak of green light pierced towards Zhou Fuling.
With a clang, Xu Qingning's sword energy blocked the blue light.
A blue dart landed, releasing a demonic aura.
Zhou Fuling asked, "Senior brother... what is this?"
She could actually tell what it was.
Demonic Poison Dart. Demonic energy entwines the dart; once it enters the body, the ice sculpture melts into water.
If it weren't for Xu Qingning, she would have been hit by the dart and could have been branded as a person who communicates with demons. This would be severely punished in the Immortal Realm, and there would be no way to prove it!
"Mystic Ice Dart." Xu Qingning also sensed something was wrong, her face turning extremely grim. "...Someone wants to harm you."
His face turned cold.
His lips were pressed tightly together, and his gaze was like a cold sword, shooting in all directions.
He seemed to find it hard to believe that anyone would dare to do such a thing to Zhou Fuling.
His breathing also became heavier.
I can't imagine how things would have turned out if he hadn't come along.
Anger surged within Xu Qingning.
The sword wind grew fiercer, and the Nightmare Serpent hissed.
The monster's strange eyes emitted a green light, turning the water's surface into a mirror, and the sound of a phantom song drifted from afar.
This is……
"This is the Demon Realm!"
He Yin, Hua Yuliu, and the others were also stunned.
They never expected that Xu Qingning was also here.
...So how much did he just hear?
Hua Yuliu gritted his teeth, his gaze sweeping over Xu Qingning and Zhou Fuling.
Xu Qingning made a hand gesture with his left hand.
An icy blue array bloomed on the surface of the lake beneath his feet, and in the blink of an eye, the array, like a lotus, moved to the ground beneath them.
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Fuling, along with Hua Yuliu, He Yin, and others, stood on the shore, far away from the Nightmare Serpent.
Xu Qingning has vanished without a trace, leaving only a ripple, from which a hazy, eerie mist rises.
"Senior brother! Where is senior brother?"
Zhou Fuling pulled He Yin back.
"Xiao Ling... the young sect leader has probably gone to fight demons alone!"
"Senior brother!"
Zhou Fuling's voice was strained.
But in reality, she wasn't really worried.
She was thinking about a question.
The appearance of the Nightmare Serpent and the hidden weapons was too strange. Why did it seem like two forces attacked simultaneously and collided?
...
Xu Qingning fell to the bottom of the lake.
The lake water was icy cold, the ripples were strange, and the surroundings were an illusion.
Just as He Yin said, this place is the Demon Realm. The monsters all around are there to lure cultivators into the Demon Realm.
[Host, a friendly reminder: The quest item 'Snake Talisman' has appeared within 100 feet of your location.]
Please kill the Nightmare Serpent and find the 'Serpent Talisman' to complete the third quest in the "Is It Only Because I'm in the Mountain?" questline.
According to divine revelation, you will obtain clues about the villain during the completion of this mission.
...A clue to the villain?
He must calm his mind and furrow his brows.
Amidst the towering waves, he swam to the bottom of the water.
The lake water was icy and bright. A bright white Dharma seal appeared between Xu Qingning's brows, sometimes disappearing and sometimes illuminating the surrounding waters.
It also allowed him to see the underwater scenery clearly.
What happened?
Why are the corpses of several lesser demons floating at the bottom of the great demon's snake tail?
Judging from its breath, it seemed to have been eaten alive.
The Immortal Realm Pool is always heavily guarded, so why are there two groups of demons here?
He must calm his mind and focus his brows, using his spiritual energy to probe the demon's corpse.
A murderous aura suddenly attacked him.
Xu Qingning did not dodge; his longsword pierced the direction of the murderous aura.
A scream rang out, as if a colossal creature was struggling to break free from the celestial energy he had unleashed.
The stench of blood was overwhelming.
The state of Qingning remains unmoved.
The nightmare serpent collapsed. However, the malevolent energy also engulfed Xu Qingning.
【Host! 】
"...Just the Demonic Realm." Xu Qingning said coldly, letting the illusion engulf him. The demons have been killed; breaking through the Demonic Realm is all that matters.
...
"Xu Qingning, guess what this is?" The girl's voice was cold.
But the sound seemed to come from afar, as if from a very distant past.
When Xu Qingning opened her eyes again, it was pitch black all around her.
He shook his head. He couldn't see anything.
He tried to move. But his hands seemed to be trapped by something.
A cold, soft, spherical object rolled over his face.
A chill crept into Xu Qingning's mind, and he froze.
"Your companion's eyeballs. Hehe," the person opposite said.
Xu Qingning suddenly remembered when she had returned to a certain time, and fiercely raised her head.
His inner demons. Could this really be his inner demons?
Distant memories are like knives.
Blood stained his lips.
However, when the other party is about to escalate the humiliation, you must suddenly channel your spiritual power.
Bang!
He broke the chains.
They pushed the person to the shore.
She was a girl with dark eyes.
She laughed, her hair as black as algae, her dark green robes soaked with blood and water.
Xu Qingning's pupils dilated in shock.
A hundred years later, his inner demon was still her.
Indeed, the people he hated most were her and Kuang Yunchu.
The girl was chained by the throat, yet she smiled:
“Xu Qingning, your junior brother is dead. He clearly betrayed you and pushed you down. Why are you so sad?”
"He also told me about your family situation. Your father's name is Xu Lexun, and he doesn't get along with your mother. You now have a stepmother named Kuang Yunchu, who used to be your most trusted senior sister, but she married your father and betrayed you."
"...You're so pitiful, no one cares about you. Why don't you stay with me, and I'll take care of you? Isn't that better?"
Xu Qingning: "...I would rather die than look at you again."
"Disgusting stuff."
Their bodies sank into the flowing water. The girl struggled to lift her head, and Xu Qingning's fingers were stained with blood.
Xu Qingning's gaze was like a sharp, cold light.
He hated and loathed the person in front of him; he knew it.
A dragon's roar came from beyond the illusion.
He shattered the illusion with a sudden strike.
When he opened his eyes again, he was submerged in water, and the "Nightmare Serpent" stood before him.
The Changming Sword "trembled," stirring up countless waves, and Xu Qingning drew his Changming Sword to ambush the great demon.
puff--
The Nightmare Serpent was dissected. Its demonic body exploded.
A strange talisman floated out from its demonic corpse and then turned to ash.
Xu Qingning recognized him.
...A demon-summoning talisman?
Who released the Nightmare Serpent?
What exactly did what happened just now have to do with the villain?
His face suddenly turned pale.
[Congratulations, host! You have obtained the third item needed for the quest "Only Because I'm in the Mountain": the "Snake Talisman," and a clue about the villain... "Inner Demon."]
When Xu Qingning came ashore, his face was completely pale, as if he were still trapped in a nightmare.
Zhou Fuling suddenly ran over, somewhat surprised.
His face was extremely pale, and he looked somewhat lost and dejected. In the past ten years, apart from when I first met him when he was practically dead, I had never seen him like this since he recovered.
She rushed over to support him, and asked, "Senior brother, what's wrong?"
Xu Qingning felt cold all over.
Even though the troll was dead, Xu Qingning's heart sank into the cold.
The influence of his inner demons continued, and he felt as if something was dragging him back into the abyss.
"clue"?
Inner demons...
The villain and that...
Zhou Fuling stared at Xu Qingning.
His long, flowing hair was soaked by the lake water, his fair and handsome face was pale, and water droplets rolled down his blood-stained Taoist robe. I don't know what happened, but his former coldness has softened a lot, and he even looks a bit pitiful.
His pale, strong hand suddenly gripped her arm tightly.
Zhou Fuling was taken aback.
Xu Qingning lowered her eyes, seemingly in a daze.
It was as if her soul was no longer in the mortal world; only by holding her in one's hand could one alleviate some of the unease.
But then, as if suddenly remembering something, he silently withdrew his hand, his face pale.
He Yin exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master!"
Xu Qingning stood up indifferently, returning to normal.
Gradually, the barrier surrounding the Fairy Fish Pond receded.
Suddenly, the sounds of swords clashing erupted, and someone outside roared angrily:
"Thieves who released demons and ruined the Ten Thousand Mountains Banquet, surrender at once! The Immortal Sect has come to capture you... Wait, Young Master Xu, what are you doing here?!"
Xu Qingning: "Who do you want to capture?"
A note from the author:
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