A world without glitz
"Remember, Shen Qingmei was killed by a monster in Luoan Town. It has nothing to do with you. From now on, you will be the only lady in the Shen family. You will live well until the end of this book. Goodbye, Shen Qingzhu!" Chen Ye looked at the agarwood chariot disappearing in the moonlight. It travels a thousand miles a day and will see each other again in a hundred years.
Seeing the person walk away, Chen Ye pulled out the ordinary tinderbox from his sleeve. The faint flame illuminated the girl's increasingly fierce eyes. A ripple finally appeared in those cold eyes, but it was only the calm before the storm. Chen Ye took a big bite of the fragrant toasted naan and slashed the tinderbox so hard that it burned his entire palm. The system was shocked from the inside out when it saw this scene on the electronic screen. Self-harm was not something that ordinary people could do. What kind of host had he matched with?
The blazing demonic fire mercilessly seared her delicate skin, threatening to devour her completely. The flames licked every inch of her flesh, the excruciating pain causing tears and sweat to flow like a flood. Yet, she gritted her teeth, refusing to utter a single cry. The system suspected Chen Ye must have worked part-time as a barbecue griller; otherwise, how could he have burned his right palm so perfectly?
If the feeling just now was like flames mercilessly scorching her skin, then the pain now was like her flesh and blood being stewed by high temperature! The scorching heat seemed to melt her body, and every bit of pain was like a sharp sword, easily peeling off her flesh and piercing her bones.
Chen Ye endured the excruciating pain, not daring to pause for even a moment. She gritted her teeth, exerting all her strength to continue trudging forward. Every step felt like treading on the edge of a knife, every breath like scorching in a sea of fire. Yet, she remained steadfast, unwavering in her new wounds, and hurried to the Yue Lao Temple.
The fires in the north and south were temporarily suppressed by the presence of guards, but those in the east and west grew increasingly fierce. The reason this raging fire of desire could burn so long was because it was both living fire and stagnant water. It spread where you couldn't see, leaving no room for respite.
Qi Yiwen was brought back to reality by Meimei. She arrived alone, sauntering out of the demonic fire, her crimson battle dress gleaming with the crimson glow of the flames. As moonlight filtered through the hollow soul bell dangling from her earlobe, Qi Yiwen finally saw her old friend's face. Her alluring face was bare of makeup, only the blood-stained flower ornament on her forehead stained with a hint of blood. Under the gaze of the crowd, Meimei descended to the eastern portion of the magic circle, where the fire was most intense. Those beyond the wall had never heard of this person. Their fleeting glimpse at the assembly had struck them as overly arrogant, their arrogance all too real.
With the Eastern Position vacant, the Western Position now attracted two new contenders. Although Xixi had arrived first, facing his defeated opponent, Xiao Xinyin, he naturally felt that this person was unworthy of being in the Western Position. "Since you're here to help, you should replace Yuxing. That kid is using up too much spiritual energy."
"I don't need you to remind me, I just think the scenery in the west is beautiful." Xiao Xinyin could certainly see the situation at the moment. Facing this evil fire, even the leader of Taixu Sect, Qi Yiwen, said nothing and closed his eyes, unable to believe the fact. He could only do his best and escape when necessary.
After being replaced by Xiao Xinyin, Yu Xing did not leave immediately, but took a short rest. He sat cross-legged on the ground, regulating his breathing and relaxing his body and mind.
After a while, Yuxing slowly opened his eyes, his mind recollecting the battle with the demonic fire. He realized that while the demonic fire was difficult to obtain, it wasn't something anyone could easily wield. Even someone from the Demon Sect who possessed such a powerful demonic fire must be someone extraordinary.
Yu Xing couldn't help but wonder, could it be that the master of this demonic fire, Demon Lord Xiaoxiang, had personally come to this Immortal Cultivation Conference? It was truly unbelievable that an old man with tens of thousands of years of cultivation would actually spar with these young people who had only lived for a few hundred years. Furthermore, the Immortal Sect and the Demon Sect were currently coexisting peacefully. Aside from some verbal friction and slander, it wasn't likely to escalate to war.
Yuxing began to look around and saw many familiar faces, all righteous people he could name. However, when his eyes fell on the woman in red in the east, his heart suddenly moved.
Yuxing hadn't paid much attention to this woman in red before, but now she gave him a strange feeling. She stood there quietly, like a blooming red lotus, beautiful and mysterious. Yuxing couldn't help but wonder, could she be the one from the Demon Sect?
The Demon Sect's behavior was truly baffling. One moment she set a fire, the next she put it out. What was she up to? Could she be dissatisfied with the Yue Lao Temple and so was doing this on purpose? The more Yu Xing thought about it, the more he felt something was amiss. The Demon Sect's actions were truly incomprehensible.
Yuxing was originally trying to regulate his spiritual power, but as his wild thoughts deepened, the spiritual power began to jump around randomly. He quickly pulled himself back on track, "It's not that I calmed my mind and eliminated delusions, it's because there is nothing to think about." The meditation mantra taught by the master was still very effective, and Yuxing felt that he was fine again.
Meimei had rushed to put out the fire, but seeing Qi Yiwen there, she felt relieved. She kept glancing at him, hoping he could find a way to put an end to the evil fire. She couldn't act rashly, at least not right now. The fire was temporarily suppressed in the Yue Lao Temple by the combined efforts of the four of them, but unfortunately, the stone statue that had been receiving incense offerings had already been consumed by the evil fire.
The two of them stared at each other through the gap. Qi Yiwen wanted to see what the Demon Sect Saintess was up to. She clearly had an easier way to extinguish the fire, yet she was still pretending to maintain the magic circle. Meimei understood Qi Yiwen's suspicion. After all, the fire was unusual, and Chen Ye was missing. Naturally, she became the primary suspect. The hero who had just shouted for arrests was now a suspect in Qi Yiwen's eyes.
"Still pretending?" Seeing Meimei had no intention of getting up, Qi Yiwen decided to push her away. He bit his lips hard, and a stream of blood immediately spurted out of his mouth. The blood splattered on his clothes, forming a shocking red.
Meimei was stunned by this sudden scene. She stared at Qi Yiwen's frail appearance with wide eyes, and a trace of doubt arose in her heart: "Could it be that the bad guy poisoned the sect leader? So that he can't even hold on to this point with such difficulty?"
As time went by, the light of the magic circle grew dimmer and dimmer, as if it could dissipate at any moment. Meimei finally realized the seriousness of the situation and could no longer sit idly by. So, she slowly stood up.
Qi Yiwen was secretly delighted when he saw that his little trick was about to succeed. Although his mouth was full of blood, he could not hide the smile hidden in the corner of his mouth.
Xi Xi and Xiao Xinyin, standing nearby, felt a surge of superiority when they saw their sect leader's precarious appearance, seemingly ready to collapse at any moment. They straightened their spines, determined to prove to everyone that they were even more formidable than the sect's recognized leader.
"Forget it, maybe the people here are too useless." Meimei's voice seemed to come from the distant East, with a hint of helplessness.
Her figure slowly rose from the east like the rising sun, emitting a dazzling light. However, the moment she stood up, the light suddenly disappeared, and she was replaced by a meteor-like descent, rushing straight towards the blazing fire.
Everyone stared at this scene in astonishment, only to see Meimei's figure looming in the fire, as if merging with the blazing flames. The ashes in the fire were stirred up by her fall, flying everywhere, making it difficult to see her specific movements.
Finally, when the dust settled, people could barely make out Meimei. She knelt on one knee, gently kissing the blazing flames like a succubus. The moment her lips touched the flames, the eerie flames, like a clinging demon, crawled up her body.
However, surprisingly, the flames did not consume Meimei. Instead, they seemed to be tamed by her, wrapping themselves around her body docilely. Meimei's every movement seemed so natural and smooth, as if she had known the demonic fire for years.
This astonishing scene undoubtedly revealed her true identity to everyone.
Rumor has it that a saint emerged from the Demon Sect, born from Hell and born with fire. Ever since her appearance, unrest has plagued the world, with many claiming she is unforgivable and guilty of every evil. However, only she knows that she is not from Hell, but rather an abandoned infant found by her master in the treacherous forest. Due to her physical condition, she was forced to follow her master in his demonic cultivation. From a young age, she knew her master was training her to protect Chen Ye. She knew of her special status, but remained completely in the dark. She was able to absorb the demonic fire because Chen Ye, in order to gather it, had kicked her down from the Fiery Desire, burning her countless times to create her current body.
Upon hearing about this, Master punished Chen Ye for the first time, though only by putting her in solitary confinement. From then on, apart from not bullying me, she began to act recklessly in this Demon Sect. She felt that Chen Ye was the true evil seed from hell, that the tears of others were merely tools to please her, and that she was merely a slave offering them tears. She had thought that Chen Ye was different after losing her memory, that the nature of an evil seed would not change, and she knew it but still believed her. He truly said to her, "Meimei, remember that the outside world will only remember your name. You and I will always be in cahoots, and you can never clear yourself of this."
The fire reflected in Meimei's eyes eventually died down. The blaze that destroyed Yue Lao Temple was finally ended by the very person who set it. But the incense offerings had long since vanished, and Yue Lao's stone statue had crumbled into rubble before it had even been etched in people's hearts. A demonic fire shook hearts, solidified their faith, and destroyed their only hope.
Meimei was left alone in the ruins, waiting to leave from the non-existent gate, when she realized that she had become a more eye-catching existence than the evil fire.
"Did you see that? She extinguished the demonic fire. Could it be that she is from the Demon Sect? What on earth is this person going to do at the Immortal Cultivation Conference?" The chattering voices broke the silence brought by the ruins.
"If you ask me, I think she's just trying to rack up the mission points. She's putting on a show. Did you see the ranking list on the corner? This person must have surpassed the previous number one and taken first place."
"I didn't expect I could create my own missions. But can people from the Demon Sect participate in the Immortal Cultivation Conference? They should participate in the Demon Cultivation Conference."
Meimei didn't see a familiar figure among the crowd, and her sequined dress no longer sparkled. "It's hard to be a good person in this world." Seeing herself being condemned by so many, Meimei couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes. As her eyes flickered, she pulled out a glass bottle from behind her. Her hair still held the ashes of the burnt-out fire. Amidst the ashes, a figure clutched the glass bottle in both hands and limped towards the crowd at the gate.
"This... this is the magical weapon my master gave me—the Nine-Revolution Glazed Bottle." Meimei always remembered how she had defended herself when she first took the blame for Chen Ye's actions. But as an orphan with no one to rely on, except her master, no one listened. "This... this is the only magical weapon in the world capable of absorbing demonic fire. I'm not an evil spirit, and I couldn't risk my life to absorb it." She refused to acknowledge her identity as a demon sect member because those immortal sects always accused them of crimes they didn't have, and she didn't want to be accused again.
Meimei had already devised a plan during her confrontation with Chen Ye, and during the struggle, she retrieved the magical instrument from her sandalwood box. All of this was done to repay her master's kindness in raising her, and had nothing to do with that evil seed. As for her master's request to spare her life, she now had to act according to her mood. The madman wanted to fight you to the death, yet you still softened your heart and considered the kindness of others. While the fire wasn't Chen Ye's most infamous act, as an accomplice, she naturally had no right to judge, but accomplices also had the right to make their own choices. At least the fire had finally stopped.
"The Nine-Turn Glazed Bottle can indeed absorb the demonic fire. Let me thank the young lady for saving my life on behalf of the Xi Mansion." Xi Xi walked out from the crowd on the left, and Xiao Xinyin followed behind her. The two nodded politely.
The residual heat from a fire was still making everyone feel uneasy, but a sudden breeze instantly blew away the fatigue in their hearts. However, they never expected that the breeze would bring the chirping of birds.
"The Holy Maiden of the Demon Sect, stop acting." A scream of pain quickly attracted everyone's attention, but the identity of the Holy Maiden of the Demon Sect in this sentence was even more terrifying than the demon fire.
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