At the same time, the demonic qi around the girl vanished. It converted extremely smoothly into spiritual power, revealing her true form as a Dao cultivator.
She wielded the sword she’d picked up and attacked alongside the sword qi. With nimble footwork, she first shattered several blood pearls, preventing the demonic cultivators from regenerating from their wounds.
Her movements were incredibly fast, but the Body Integration Stage demon lord moved even faster. He instinctively pinched a spell gesture, only to realize instantly that he couldn’t cast it. In his shock, he yanked over a nearby subordinate to block the sword qi’s attack.
The subordinate let out a miserable scream and died on the spot.
Li Yin narrowed her eyes. This outcome wasn’t bad. The one who’d blocked the blade was Orifice Exit Stage.
Losing all spiritual energy was too horrifying—something unheard of even after centuries of cultivation. Sword qi attacks pressed in relentlessly after that. The Body Integration Stage demonic cultivator refused to believe it at first. He dodged one strike, then tried pinching another spell gesture. Only then did he realize it was real.
He wasn’t the only one. The other demonic cultivators had the same reaction—stunned, then gripped by terror.
“My cultivation…”
“What evil art is this…”
Whether Dao cultivator or demonic cultivator, without spiritual power, they were nothing but fish on the chopping block.
Before they could accept the bizarre situation, the high-grade sword qi slew the leading Body Integration Stage demon lord. The sword qi fully dissipated.
Now without that attack method, the girl—who had just converted demonic qi to Dao spiritual power—didn’t hesitate. Her figure flashed swiftly. Sword light gleamed repeatedly as she cut down several more.
Sword Sect techniques combined with Pill Sect skills struck straight at vital points.
In the eyes of the remaining demonic cultivators on the field, she seemed even more demonic than they were. Spiritual power and demonic qi converted seamlessly between her, and her strikes were ruthlessly efficient.
The high-grade sword qi had taken care of the higher cultivation ones. The rest were mostly on her level, save for one Nascent Soul Stage demonic cultivator clinging to life.
One minute passed.
Though the surviving demonic cultivators were utterly shaken, they counterattacked the moment their spiritual power returned.
Facing multiple foes, Li Yin threw up a hand to block. She deployed the high-grade defense cloak from the start of her journey, stopping all their attacks cold.
Each of her moves was measured. The Nascent Soul Stage demonic cultivator could tell she was only Golden Core Realm. After killing so many, her spiritual power had to be nearly exhausted.
That evil art from before left him with lingering fear, but it defied all reason. It had to be some ultra-rare secret art backed by a secret treasure.
Any cultivator with experience knew such freakish techniques came with massive backlash. She couldn’t possibly use it a second time anytime soon.
With the boss dead, he was now the highest cultivation among them. Greed flickered in his eyes. “Little girl, hand over that method from earlier. I’ll leave you a whole corpse.”
“That method from earlier? I have plenty of means. Which one do you mean?” The girl twirled her sword. She wore the cloak, her other hand hidden beneath it as she secretly gripped a small bottle of spirit dew. She spouted nonsense to buy time.
She had chained multiple skills together. A Golden Core Realm’s spiritual power was limited—it was just about depleted. She needed a chance to replenish it.
“Hmph, don’t play dumb. That demonic art of yours is unnatural. The backlash must be huge—your hands are shaking, and you’re still acting tough? Hand it over. If I’m in a good mood, I might even spare your life.”
His greed was immense. The surviving demonic cultivators closed in.
What a pity—they had no idea. There was no backlash at all.
The girl before them was a Player. She hesitated over whether to use another item.
She might need these items later to fight enemies or save her life.
It wasn’t that supplementing men lacked value. It was just that life came first.
The ownerless sword drew out a bit of sword intent from her. Sword intent gathered faintly at the tip. Even on the corpses of the demonic cultivators she’d slain, traces of the Player’s sword energy lingered and swirled.
Amid the standoff, no one noticed a golden rainbow streak across the horizon. It passed overhead in an instant.
Countless sword intents and sword energies swirled around him, condensing mid-air into a small golden sword.
Great powers were keenly perceptive. He sensed demonic qi below, along with what seemed like a Dao cultivator battling demonic cultivators. The small sword shot out swiftly to provide aid.
Yun Jian had merely struck casually.
That sword intent dove downward—a strike from Tribulation Transcendence Realm hanging in the sky. To the girl, it came out of nowhere. Suddenly, a blinding golden light flashed.
By the time the glow faded and she blinked, all the demonic cultivators around her lay dead. They had lost all breath, slain entirely by the abrupt golden rainbow.
Strangely, though, the small sword finished its task but didn’t depart. Instead, it flew toward the lingering sword intents scattered about. It tangled with them, resonating noisily.
The commotion reached all the way to the high sky. The black-robed Sword Venerable flew on his sword, but the long sword beneath him suddenly resonated as well.
His lifebound sword stirred, and the other sword stirred too.
The Sword Venerable’s expression tightened abruptly.
The golden rainbow, which had been flying away, immediately changed course and looped back.
–
Li Yin jumped in fright.
That radiant little golden sword was truly odd. It appeared out of nowhere and dealt with all the demonic cultivators around her.
She had assumed it was some kind-hearted great power who happened to pass by and do a good deed. But after finishing the job, the small sword circled through the air—then, it struck at her.
Caught off guard, she thought her demonic cultivator identity had been exposed. She instinctively raised a hand to block. The defense cloak’s spiritual light flashed, barely stopping the blow. Its glow dimmed.
Without deviation, the small sword slammed into the disguise treasure on her wrist. Amid the clash of spiritual power, it shattered her disguise for an instant, revealing her true appearance.
The sword intent came fast and left just as quickly. It withdrew in a flash, and her disguise stabilized once more.
Li Yin didn’t notice the momentary exposure. She regained her composure. The strange little sword was gone, and the surroundings fell utterly quiet. It seemed like no one was there.
The small sword’s attack on her felt like pure accident.
She waited warily for a moment. Still no movement. Only then did she tentatively let her guard down.
Strange.
Li Yin frowned. Why did… that golden little sword seem a little familiar?
She touched her wrist. The treasure felt completely normal.
After a brief hesitation and some adjustments, Li Yin set off again. But as she walked, she kept feeling something off.
It was like… someone was watching her.
The sensation of being gazed upon flickered in and out. She showed no outward sign of it. She changed directions several times, but that watched feeling lingered everywhere.
It wasn’t her imagination.
Someone was tailing her.
In a place she couldn’t see, the sword tassel swayed faintly.
It’s senior sister.
It’s senior sister.
It’s senior sister.
It’s senior sister.
……
No mistaking it. Though only a glimpse, that exposed true face was unmistakably senior sister’s.
Yun Jian’s hand rested on the hilt of the sword at his side—a habit common among sword cultivators.
Placing his hand on the sword hilt helped to calm the mind and focus the spirit, but this time, it had little effect.
Unnoticed by him, his hand gripped the hilt tightly, his mind still a tangled mess.
It was Senior Sister.
Sword intent resonance wouldn’t lie. It really was Little Senior Sister.
No, more accurately, it should be…
Senior Sister’s reincarnation?
He gripped the hilt, then released it, only to grip it again. Yun Jian stared intently at the figure below.
If it truly was Senior Sister’s reincarnation, then he had just missed the perfect moment to make his entrance.
No, that wasn’t right. In his haste earlier, he had been desperate to confirm her identity, and his sword intent had even struck at her.
Though it hadn’t injured her, it had certainly startled her.
He shouldn’t have done that. He really shouldn’t have.
Feeling like he had messed up again, the youth simply stared dazedly at the girl’s figure, not revealing himself.
He didn’t dare to show himself.
Back then, he had said the wrong words, angering Senior Sister. She had encountered danger partly because of him, so he didn’t dare to appear.
Then, Yun Jian recalled something else.
Rumors about him were known to almost everyone. They all knew he had been guarding Senior Sister’s chastity. What if her reincarnated self misunderstood?
He hadn’t yet figured out a countermeasure, and at this moment, his cultivation had become useless for helping.
But it wasn’t entirely useless. With the support mission ongoing, he cast out countless strands of sword intent to provide aid and pursue the demonic cultivators, while he himself stayed by the girl’s side to protect her.
Yet the girl seemed to sense something. Soon, her pace quickened as she hurried along, as if desperate to shake off whatever was following her.
Senior Sister.
Little Senior Sister.
Little Senior Sister, don’t be afraid.
Why was Senior Sister fleeing?
I won’t hurt you. I just want to protect you.
In the shadows, the sword tassel swayed back and forth, pursuing relentlessly.
Li Yin was certain someone was following her. She had no idea if they meant well or harm—the instinct felt strange. As she ran faster, too focused on that faint, elusive gaze, she failed to notice and stepped on a vine sprawled across the ground.
The vine suddenly lashed out and coiled around her. It turned out to be a tree demon. Li Yin swung her sword horizontally to block it, splattering some corrosive liquid from the vine. Before she could strike again, a dazzling sword light flashed through the air.
The sword light was sharp and brilliant. With a single strike, it not only cleaved the tree demon in two but also split the surrounding forest right down the middle.
The clashing sword intent and spiritual energy shook Li Yin, forcing her to retreat several steps.
Suddenly, her back pressed against something solid for support. A warm, rising chest pressed against her spine, steadying her body.
Behind her, the youth’s broad palm came down as well, firmly supporting her shoulder. It looked almost like he had grabbed hold of her. He even lowered his head to speak to the girl in his arms.
Li Yin heard a familiar voice rise beside her ear.
“This… little friend, you’re alright now.” The voice was low and, upon closer listen, quite gentle.
She turned her head to look, but instead of Sword Venerable Yun Jian’s face, she saw a white mask covering the face of the black-clad youth.
The mask hid his features, but he had forgotten to conceal his lifebound sword and sword tassel.
With one strike, he had cleaved the demon beast. Now the long sword sheathed itself, the sword tassel swaying.
Li Yin’s gaze shifted downward, and she recognized him at once.
This fool.
What was he doing?
Why was Sword Venerable Yun Jian acting like this?