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Chapter 65: Sword Stele
🕑 Added 2025-04-14 02:16:19 +0000 UTCThe sound of the zither echoed faintly in the Demon Palace.
Gu Baiyi sat in her seat, gazing at the figure veiled behind layers of white gauze, its outline faintly visible.
Dark blood mist engulfed the bed’s glass lamp, and the mournful, lingering howls of the ghost dragon filled the air.
The figure extended a hand, gently parting the curtains with a finger. Snow-white toes stepped over the phoenix petals, and one step after another, the figure walked towards Gu Baiyi.
Gu Baiyi narrowed her eyes.
Clearly, the person standing before her was a beauty, someone she was quite familiar with.
The beauty stood in front of Gu Baiyi, smiling as she gazed at her.
Her eyes lifted slightly, with a hint of teasing in them.
Then, the beauty extended a slender finger from her wide sleeves embroidered with plum blossoms, tracing it across the jade belt tied at her waist.
She gently teased the knot, loosening it inch by inch.
The jade belt fell to the floor, and the gauze robe slid from her shoulder, pooling at her feet.
The beauty’s expression remained cold as she stepped forward and cupped Gu Baiyi's face. With a smile, she said, "What’s wrong? Don’t you dare come closer, Junior Sister?"
The beautiful woman was right before her, but Gu Baiyi’s expression didn’t change. She let the beauty coil her arms around her neck.
Even when the beauty’s slender fingers climbed to her shoulder and traced the dark silver cloud patterns along the edge of her robe, Gu Baiyi merely furrowed her brow, her face betraying no emotion.
It wasn’t until those hands became more brazen, attempting to undo her clothes, that Gu Baiyi grabbed the beauty’s hand and spoke coldly, "Heart Demon, that’s enough."
"Enough?"
The beauty laughed softly, her fingers caressing Gu Baiyi's lips, her voice hushed as she said, "Lord of the Demons, did I not transform into the form you desire most... What’s the matter? Is it the clothes? If you're not satisfied, I’ll take one more off."
With that, her undergarments fell, pooling at her feet.
The beauty stood completely naked, her dark hair sweeping across her pale, rounded toes. She walked through the soft carpet, stepping out of the scattered clothes.
Her eyes shimmered, and she softly whispered to Gu Baiyi, “Are you satisfied now?”
Gu Baiyi remained silent for a long while.
After a moment, she said to the beauty, "Get out."
"Junior Sister, but this is your consciousness, where else could I go?"
Gu Xueyi’s face, now taking the form of Ji Rong, appeared, her voice innocent yet aggrieved. She smiled at Gu Baiyi and said, "Besides, you're still thinking of me. How could I leave?"
Gu Baiyi responded coldly, "Disgusting."
Gu Xueyi licked her lips and chuckled lowly. "Disgusting? You think I’m disgusting now, but as long as Ji Rong lives, you’ll never break through the eighth level of ‘Red Lotus’. Why don’t you stop resisting, hand over control of your body to me, and I’ll kill her for you."
"No need."
Gu Baiyi shook her head, her voice cold. "If anyone’s going to kill her, it’ll be me. I don’t need you making decisions for me."
At this, Gu Xueyi laughed aloud three times, the tears flowing from the corners of her eyes.
She pointed to her own face, laughing. "Gu Baiyi, I am your heart demon, so I have no physical form. In your consciousness, I will take the shape of the face you fear most, the one you cannot forget."
"Before, I transformed into the face of your past life, and now I’ve become Ji Rong. You say you can kill her?"
Gu Xueyi sneered. "You’re such a fool. Whether it’s this life or the last, you haven’t improved at all. You only deceive yourself."
Gu Baiyi’s expression remained unchanged.
The next moment, she drew her sword, Hanshui Sword, and thrust it through Gu Xueyi’s chest.
Gu Xueyi looked down at the sword piercing her heart, then raised her head, her face now resembling Ji Rong’s, and smiled at Gu Baiyi.
Blood poured from her chest, staining her gauze and soaking the phoenix petals.
She held her blood-soaked hands and said to Gu Baiyi, "Fool."
Gu Baiyi knew everything was just an illusion created by the heart demon, but as she held the Hanshui Sword, she still felt a brief moment of dizziness.
Gu Xueyi collapsed into a pool of blood, speaking as she did, "I am your heart demon, and we are one. Killing me is like killing yourself."
With those words, the heart demon vanished from Gu Baiyi’s sight, taking with it the lingering scent of plum blossoms in the Demon Palace and the noble elegance of the features that had once been before her.
Once out of her consciousness, the Demon Palace remained dark, though the cold plum scent had dissipated.
Changqing knelt at the foot of the great hall, her face pale as she stared at Gu Baiyi. Her expression was filled with fear, her hands suspended in the air, unable to produce a sound.
Just moments ago, she had witnessed the Demon Lord in meditation, when suddenly, his eyes had turned blood-red. Then, he had drawn the Hanshui Sword and thrust it into his own chest.
Even now, the silver sword dripped with blood.
Gu Baiyi returned to her senses, looking at the sword still embedded in her chest.
After a moment, she realized what she had done.
She frowned slightly, reached for the sword’s hilt, and slowly withdrew it.
The zither music ceased, and she was about to ask Changqing to continue playing, but she noticed a dark figure at the entrance.
The Demon Palace was empty, and Bai Yushuang stood at the door, smiling as she entered the hall.
She glanced at Changqing, still kneeling on the floor, and then at the blood on Gu Baiyi’s clothes.
After a moment, Bai Yushuang smiled gently and asked, "Baiyi, did this flower demon upset you?"
Gu Baiyi shook her head, replying, "It was my own doing."
The phoenix totem fluttered its wings, healing the wound on her chest.
Gu Baiyi looked at the totem, frowning slightly, and said, "Recently, I seem to have hit a bottleneck. My cultivation hasn’t made any progress."
Bai Yushuang smiled and said, "There's no need to rush when it comes to cultivation."
"Moreover, you're only twenty, and you're already at the mid-stage of Stepping on the Moon. Even that genius Jiang Fei from the Wanjian Sect didn’t reach the peak of Stepping on the Moon until he was forty. I doubt you’ll find anyone in the younger generation who can rival you."
"Let’s hope so," Gu Baiyi replied with a slight nod, then as if recalling something, she smiled and casually said, "Master, if I have no rivals among the younger generation, then what about the previous generation? When did the previous Demon Lord, Chu Changli, break through to Stepping on the Moon?"
Bai Yushuang's smile disappeared.
Her cool, distant eyes narrowed, and her expression turned emotionless as she said, "No one can compare to Changli. She was still under thirty when she died, yet she had already reached the peak of Desperate Realm."
"She never lost in her life, except for the final battle with Yue Qianqiu. What makes you think you can compare with her?"
The last words were spoken coldly, and Gu Baiyi, already aware that Bai Yushuang didn't truly care for her, was not surprised.
Bai Yushuang realized that she may have been too harsh with her words.
She smiled faintly and said, "But don’t take it to heart. They were the highest-level cultivators of the past century, and with time, you might surpass them. The priority now isn’t to improve your cultivation but to find the whereabouts of the Chixiao Sword as soon as possible."
Of course, the Chixiao Sword was what Bai Yushuang was truly concerned about.
Gu Baiyi found it somewhat ironic, but she kept her face impassive as she replied, "The people I sent out a while ago have returned. The scout reported that Mei He has been traveling all over the world for years, and his most frequent destination is the Bodhi Gate in Kongshan."
Bai Yushuang raised an eyebrow.
She hadn’t expected the seemingly detached Kongji to be involved in this matter, which showed just how significant Mei He’s influence was.
It was said that the immortal master Minghua had entrusted five swords to five major powers: the Divine Sect, the Demon Sect, the Wanjian Sect, the Tianyin Division, and the Bodhi Gate.
According to the High Priest of the Divine Sect, if the five swords were the key, then the blood of the Heavenly Demon would be the trigger to activate the formation and reverse time and space. That’s why the Heavenly Dao had summoned all sects to eliminate the Heavenly Demon and maintain order in the cultivation world.
Feng He and Mei He had already intervened in this matter, and with Kongji behind the Bodhi Gate, the fight for the swords was escalating, and it seemed a great war was unavoidable.
Bai Yushuang smiled slightly after hearing Gu Baiyi's words.
What if the cultivation world fell into chaos?
If Changli really could return, even if it meant sacrificing everyone, she would do it.
...
Qingluan Peak was the highest peak of the Wanjian Sect.
Half of it was governed by Gong Yu, with the Qiushan Residence and the Jixian Pavilion built there.
The other half was where the Sword Stele stood, separated by a barrier set by the Sword Saint, and disciples of the Wanjian Sect were not allowed to enter.
As per tradition, only the top scorer of the sect’s grand competition could view the Sword Stele.
However, a year ago, due to the Heavenly Demon issue, the sect competition was canceled. With Mei He absent this year, the competition had to be canceled again.
Gong Yu looked at Ji Rong, who stood before her. She coughed lightly and said, "The spot to view the Sword Stele has been vacant for more than two years, so I’ve called you here today to fill that vacancy."
Ji Rong recalled the memory of the Elder Gong from the original owner’s memories and then looked at Gong Yu, who appeared sickly and harmless. She was momentarily taken aback.
Goodness, she had just poisoned someone and now handed me a sweet date. You're something else.
Seeing that Ji Rong didn’t speak, Gong Yu calmly explained, "Whether it’s the sect’s assessment results over the past two years or your cultivation level, Changqin, this spot is yours without question. Now go in, don’t hesitate."
[Beep! Gong Yu’s favorability +20, Heart +10]
Ji Rong: "..."
What good is increasing Gong Yu's favorability? If I could beat her, I'd be the first to stomp her down.
But unfortunately, even though Gong Yu’s cultivation has dropped, a big shot is still a big shot.
At this moment, Ji Rong could only pretend not to know anything and replied, "Thank you, Elder."
Gong Yu glanced at the blood jade bracelet on Ji Rong's wrist, then nodded. One hand formed a seal and chanted a spell, while the other pressed against the barrier.
Where her palm touched, the water-like barrier gradually faded away.
Gong Yu stepped back, making way for Ji Rong, and said, "Changqin, go ahead."
Ji Rong felt a chill seeing Gong Yu.
Her face remained calm, but her legs were already tense and ready to move. In an instant, she quickly stepped forward.
As she neared the left peak of Qingluan Peak, Ji Rong turned back and saw the barrier rise again.
The mist swirled, and through the water-like barrier, she could only see Gong Yu’s pale, frail face.
Though the barrier separated them, Ji Rong could clearly see the gentle expression on Gong Yu’s face, as if reminiscing about something.
Gong Yu’s appearance was originally stunning, and when she smiled at Ji Rong, it reminded her of the fleeting moment she had seen her on the bridge in Yue City.
Ji Rong thought back to the illusion where she had encountered that woman on the Xuanhe Flying Immortal Bridge.
At that time, Gong Yu wore white, her eyes shining with vitality, nothing like the frail figure she was now.
As she thought of this, Ji Rong took a few more steps forward. Suddenly, she remembered that in the game settings, Yue Qianqiu seemed to wear red.
Before Yue Qianqiu’s death, Gong Yu favored white clothes, while Mei He preferred red.
Now, a hundred years later, the two seemed to have switched their colors.
