When Gu Baiqing woke up, he felt someone carrying him on their back, familiar body warmth, familiar aura.
Gu Baiqing couldn’t help but curl his lips, his arm brushing nearby against someone’s prominent Adam’s apple and taut jaw.
That person stiffened and stopped in his tracks.
“Master…” Mo Xuanli’s voice was suppressed and low. He had broken his promise again, nearly being dragged into the abyss of demonization once more, and this time at the cost of Master being injured.
When he regained consciousness and saw Master spitting blood, his robes at the chest soaked red, collapsing unconscious in his arms, he was nearly flayed alive by guilt.
He should have realized earlier that damage within the sea of consciousness was magnified tenfold in the real world. Back then, the battered-looking Master seemed not to have suffered much injury, but in fact, he had already caused enormous harm to Master.
Yet he still had to bear emotions that were on the verge of crushing him, resolutely doing what needed to be done, unable to vent immaturely.
Destroying the Demon God Crystal, and after being blasted away, carrying Master on his back to continue searching for the others, these were all things he had to do.
Heaven knew how much he wanted to hold Master and disappear directly, wanting to care about nothing at all.
“…I’m sorry.” He did not turn around, like a child who had made a mistake, not daring to face the injured party.
Suddenly, a warmth brushed against his earlobe, followed by a faint sting. Mo Xuanli shuddered all over and finally turned his head to look. At a moment like this, when he was grieving, why was Master teasing him? It instantly threw his heart into turmoil, as if Master never gave him the chance to sink into sorrow.
At this moment, Gu Baiqing was already smiling faintly, reaching up to cup his cheek and gently kissing him.
In this foul-smelling place, that kiss carrying the scent of cold plum blossoms was like guiding Mo Xuanli into a clean, refreshing world.
“Xuanli, you did very well. I’m very proud.” Gu Baiqing said leisurely.
Mo Xuanli’s pupils trembled, as if he could not breathe for an instant. He gently set the person down, then turned and held him tightly.
“Master, you’re spoiling me too much. I clearly didn’t do well, I clearly made mistakes. Don’t be so biased toward me. I’d rather you scold me.”
Gu Baiqing was somewhat helpless. He gently held him and patted his head. “I’m truly happy. I’m not being biased or deliberately comforting you.”
Mo Xuanli’s expression did not change, clearly unconvinced.
Gu Baiqing held Mo Xuanli’s dejected face and said, “Just now you didn’t see it, someone with Li Xiuran’s level of talent and righteousness, with even the God-Slaying Sword’s sword intent maintaining him, still nearly suffered deviation. Yet you actually held on until I arrived without fully demonizing. Think about it carefully, how difficult is that? Before I rushed over, I thought you must have already demonized and exposed your identity. But you didn’t. You were still holding on, still struggling.”
Gu Baiqing’s eyes couldn’t help but shimmer with light. He was genuinely surprised and delighted by Mo Xuanli’s performance. His little Mo-dog was clearly so hardworking and so outstanding, why did he always fail to believe that he had done well?
Did it really require not a single flaw at all to count as not having made a mistake?
He, as a Master, had never taught his disciple that way.
“After I entered your sea of consciousness, I understood what kind of power was tempting you. I believe the temptation you faced was absolutely difficult to resist. But even under such circumstances, you still held on. Aren’t you amazing enough? Given your constitution, even if you had compromised, I wouldn’t have had anything to say. Yet even when your sea of consciousness, under influence, attacked me, you didn’t strike with killing intent, you even gave me a chance to find you, allowing the spiritual-consciousness dual cultivation to go smoothly. You far exceeded my expectations.”
With just one kiss, the little Mo-dog was soothed, was there really such an easy-to-appease, such a well-behaved spiritual-consciousness entity?
Gu Baiqing also felt that he truly had been bold at the time. Perhaps it stemmed from his firm belief in Mo Xuanli, belief in the bond between the two of them, knowing that he would definitely be able to do it.
And little Mo-dog had never disappointed him.
The more Gu Baiqing spoke, the more gratified he felt. He cupped Mo Xuanli’s handsome face and rubbed it hard, the joy in his eyes practically overflowing.
Mo Xuanli listened dumbly at first, looking at his Master’s rare excited expression. At the beginning, he still didn’t quite dare to believe it, but gradually, he was bewitched by his Master, as if he had been fed some kind of mind-confounding potion.
He believed it. Especially when Master said he had withstood powerful temptation, Master hadn’t actually seen it, and he himself had never thought of arguing or proving anything. Yet it was like someone quitting an addiction being recognized for their unseen effort; at that moment, his heart was wrapped in sweet white clouds.
“Really?” Mo Xuanli asked cautiously.
Gu Baiqing looked at his puppy eyes, pitch-black and earnest, nodded seriously, his heart melting into a complete mess. Then he sincerely sighed, “It’s also my fault. At the time, I didn’t think it through, and I didn’t expect it to affect you this much. Otherwise, I definitely would have stayed by your side at all times.”
The situation back then had been urgent; he truly hadn’t thought that much. Now that he thought about it, it really made him break out in a cold sweat. Mo Xuanli might be the Primordial Demon; coming into contact with the Demon God Crystal left behind by the ancient Primordial Demon, wasn’t that basically walking straight into a trap? How had he not thought of that at the time?
Luckily, Mo Xuanli held on.
Mo Xuanli’s gaze trembled. He hadn’t expected Master to blame himself instead. Emotions full of love instantly surged out from within his body, clogging all his senses, leaving only one impulse.
With one arm, he pulled Gu Baiqing tightly into his embrace; with the other, he forcefully drew the back of Gu Baiqing’s head closer. A kiss filled with deep, profound affection followed, as if he wanted to merge the other into his own body, wrapping him in his love, protecting him.
How could he have such a wonderful Master? Whatever power the Primordial Demon offered, what did that even amount to? As long as he had one kiss from Master, nothing else mattered.
When they were almost out of breath, Gu Baiqing retreated a little, but Mo Xuanli, as if possessed, wanted to chase after him and continue.
Gu Baiqing said hoarsely, “Alright, it’s time to find the others. Be good…”
Mo Xuanli pressed his lips together, reluctantly burying his head into Gu Baiqing’s shoulder, like a child acting spoiled.
This was probably the kind of childish action only someone who was loved could make.
Gu Baiqing smiled and kissed beside Mo Xuanli’s head once more.
“Xuanli, you’re very good, truly very good. Next time, even if you don’t do this well, it’s fine. Remember, you have me behind you. I will never let you face danger alone. Believe in yourself, and believe in me.” Gu Baiqing’s heart brimmed with tenderness. He held Mo Xuanli and coaxed him again and again, until he finally soothed the little Mo-dog’s emotions.
Soon, a meowing sound came. Three Bean arrived carrying Ao Heng in his mouth.
Ao Heng had overexerted himself and entered a semi-hibernation state. He was placed into Mo Xuanli’s arms, one’s spirit beast recovers faster when staying with its master.
They still needed to continue searching for the others.
Because the Death God formation here had already lost its power, this palace was, to them, merely a dead object. Aside from dealing with the suddenly emerging, scattered demon clan members, there was no other danger.
Very quickly, they found everyone one by one. He Zixiao and Ji Chuling had already been severely injured earlier and were being carried by Qian Yue and Li Xiuran. Qian Yue’s injuries were also very serious, but he could still move on his own. Li Xiuran was in the best condition, because like Mo Xuanli, he had just broken through to mid-Soul Transformation. Not only that, the excess power overflow was so great that they were actually already close to the late stage. If their bodies could withstand it, they might even be able to absorb more. Perhaps with another opportunity, even the late stage could be broken through. This speed made even Gu Baiqing want to cry when he saw it.
As expected, this was the treatment the protagonists of the world deserved. If ordinary people knew one could break through this fast, they would sigh at the unfairness of the world. Sure enough, Half-Step Mad letting them come here definitely had a reason, this was the male leads’ opportunity.
However, the suffering they endured was also beyond what ordinary people could bear.
Nan Zhi’s condition was fairly good. Upon seeing Gu Baiqing, she first performed a salute, but she seemed distracted.
“I just sensed fluctuations in spiritual power outside. I think Water Curtain Prison must have already begun. We need to rush over,” Li Xiuran said. “Given our current situation, it’s not suitable to linger here.”
As soon as Li Xiuran finished speaking, Gu Baiqing heard the system issue a new task.
【Fourth Quest, Task 3: Successfully rescue the hostages, gain the trust of the immortal sects, and smoothly advance to late Soul Transformation. Key reminder: The formation’s power is immense. You need to stabilize your state of mind to avoid exposing your identity when impacted.】
Again?
Sure enough, this was a more difficult instance, tasks came one after another.
Gu Baiqing suddenly realized that coming to this part was basically about building Mo Xuanli’s reputation. Destroying the Demon God Crystal, recovering the fragments, and if they also rescued the people, then within the cultivation world, Li Xiuran and Mo Xuanli’s fame would be unmatched.
Two bona fide saviors.
Having just completed one task and clawed back the critically low points, Gu Baiqing was full of motivation. He nodded and said, “Let’s go. We’ll rendezvous.”
Just as they were speaking, Mo Xuanli instead grabbed Gu Baiqing.
Before Mo Xuanli could say anything, Nan Zhi suddenly clasped her hands and said, “Martial Uncle, you all go first.”
Gu Baiqing froze for a moment, then immediately reacted. “Yun Yue is here?”
Nan Zhi looked at the contract displayed on her wrist. Her sharp phoenix eyes flickered with resolute light. “She’s right here. I must take her home.”
“There’s someone else?” Li Xiuran said in surprise. “Miss Yun Yue?”
Gu Baiqing glanced at Mo Xuanli. He knew Yun Yue was very important to Mo Xuanli, and moreover, their Zixiao Sect had no reason to abandon any disciple.
This is bad, this mission is probably a bit dangerous. Forget it, no time to think about it, saving people comes first.
“Li Xiuran, you take everyone and leave first. We’ll find Yun Yue and then rendezvous with you. You… don’t need to wait for us. If it’s time to go, then go. We’ll think of another way to leave,” Gu Baiqing said.
Li Xiuran was also quite worried about Yun Yue and wanted to stay to help, but Qian Yue had been severely injured, and with two unconscious people in tow, there was no way to ensure safety. He could only nod in agreement. “Be extra careful. We’ll try to wait for you. Xuanli, you…”
“We’ll get there as quickly as possible,” Mo Xuanli nodded, then looked at the silent Qian Yue and said, “Qian Yue, I have something to say to you alone.”
Qian Yue walked over. He thought Mo Xuanli would talk about his identity, ask him to keep it secret, or something else, but instead he heard the word “incubus” come out of Mo Xuanli’s mouth.
Mo Xuanli was worried that if they couldn’t leave together, Qian Yue wouldn’t know the situation after returning.
He thought Qian Yue would go to save the incubus.
When Qian Yue heard about what the incubus had done, the indifferent expression on his face seemed to shatter in an instant.
A soundless word “fool” spilled from his lips.
Then he said a word of thanks to Mo Xuanli.
After that, the four quickly departed.
Meanwhile, Mo Xuanli and Gu Baiqing followed Nan Zhi, rapidly weaving through the half-destroyed ruins.
This time, the contract’s sensing was extremely strong, unlike before when it had been intermittent and vague. Nan Zhi was filled with excitement, after searching for several months, she finally…
Gu Baiqing was also carefully scanning the surroundings, preventing any sudden emergence of demon clans.
Mo Xuanli, however, had a slightly heavy expression, seeming somewhat distracted, pondering something.
Suddenly, amid a patch of ruins, Nan Zhi spotted a familiar figure. She instantly flew over, pulling the person out of the rubble.
“Yun Yue!” Nan Zhi looked at Yun Yue in delight. Seeing that she seemed to have hardly changed, she probably hadn’t suffered much. But her unconsciousness was worrying. “Xuanli…”
Among them, only Mo Xuanli understood medical arts.
Mo Xuanli also quickly stepped forward and took Yun Yue, carefully examining her.
His heart was tense, his hands even trembling slightly.
Even Gu Baiqing noticed that something was off with Mo Xuanli.
Suddenly, a powerful surge of demonic qi erupted out of nowhere.
Nan Zhi only felt the person in her arms suddenly move. In an instant, her chest was struck heavily, and on the other side, something pale red stabbed toward the intently examining Mo Xuanli.
By the time Nan Zhi realized what had happened and wanted to stop it, it was already too late. She had been flung away, crashing heavily onto the ground.
She could only watch helplessly as Yun Yue, who had just been weakly lying in her arms, held shattered pale-red crystal shards and plunged them into Mo Xuanli’s heart.
At this moment, she couldn’t see Yun Yue’s expression at all, only feeling that everything was illusory, like a mirage.
Gu Baiqing’s pupils shrank as he watched. Just as he was about to make a move, he saw Yun Yue’s movement freeze.
More precisely, it was the pale-red sharp crystal shard, it had only pierced a bit of flesh before being firmly caught by Mo Xuanli.
The crystal shard no longer had any chance to go deeper, only drawing a trace of Mo Xuanli’s heart’s blood.
If he hadn’t been prepared beforehand, Mo Xuanli could not have caught it.
So Mo Xuanli had already…
Yun Yue slowly lifted her head. A pair of dark-red eyes looked at Mo Xuanli with a smile.
“Even me, you were on guard against?”
Mo Xuanli’s pupils trembled, his eyes filled with unbelievable sorrow. Even when he had just stepped forward to treat her, he had been holding onto the last sliver of hope that perhaps he had guessed wrong.
And this stab, psychologically speaking, had long since pierced through his heart.
Countless moments replayed in his mind of getting along with Senior Sister Yun Yue at the Zixiao Sect. It could be said that aside from his Master, Senior Sister Yun Yue treated him the best. After his world had shattered, she was the first person to treat him gently, to let him see the warmth of the human world.
But… everything was fake.
“You are… the real spy hidden within the Zixiao Sect,” Mo Xuanli said, his voice trembling.
“Yun Yue?” Nan Zhi cried out in disbelief.
Yun Yue, however, leaned close to Mo Xuanli with a strange smile and said, “Still haven’t guessed it? Or is it that you don’t dare to guess, jinx?”
Mo Xuanli’s pupils shrank, his expression abruptly changing. In an instant, he seemed frozen in place, the blood flowing through his body gradually turning cold.
A ruthless glint flashed through Yun Yue’s eyes. Carrying spiritual power, she swung her arm, wanting to slash down hard with the shard, as if intending to rip Mo Xuanli open.
But behind Mo Xuanli was still Gu Baiqing.
In a flash of lightning-fast motion, Gu Baiqing had already wrapped an arm around Mo Xuanli and retreated, striking out with a palm. It was blocked by Yun Yue with the crystal shard, merely sending her flying backward, where she casually stopped in midair.
The crystal shard still bore Mo Xuanli’s heart’s blood. Yun Yue lowered her head to look at it, then flicked her wrist. The shard vanished, replaced in her hand by a whip made from the spine of a high-level demonic beast.
Accompanied by rolling black mist enveloping her body, a familiar dark-red long dress spread out, and her figure slowly rose into the air. A golden mask covered most of her face; the visible parts no longer resembled Yun Yue at all, instead seeming oddly familiar in another way.
When the black mist dispersed, her alluring figure, icy skin and jade-like bones, and powerful demonic cultivation were revealed. Even when facing both Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli, two top experts at the same time, she showed not the slightest panic. A mocking smile perpetually hung at the corner of her lips. And those dark-red eyes, as if a single glance was enough to make one’s heart tremble with an overwhelming sense of intimidation and allure.
Gu Baiqing held the dazed Mo Xuanli, staring at this so-called Saintess in shock. In his heart, he already roughly understood what was going on, the mixed-blood spy the demonic clan member in the forbidden land spoke of, someone with blood ties to the previous Demon Venerable, and Mo Xuanli’s reaction… yet he still found it hard to believe. Could it be that what Half-Step Mad had been trying to say before was exactly this?
“Who exactly are you! What did you do to Yun Yue! Why is this contract on, ” Nan Zhi charged forward madly to confront her, the heavy sword pointing straight at the Saintess.
The Saintess tilted her head, lowered her gaze to the contract on her wrist, then looked up at Nan Zhi and said, “Pity it can’t be undone. Troublesome. Nan Zhi, you’ve always been this impulsive. I told you long ago, be calm, be calm. Look at you now. If you’d been calm enough, you wouldn’t be here, suffering all this.”
Nan Zhi froze completely. The same tone, a different voice, she was Yun Yue? No… not Yun Yue?
“Y-you… who exactly are you…” Nan Zhi, who had always been firm and unwavering inside, actually appeared flustered at this moment.
“Your Yun Yue died long ago when she jumped off a cliff for a scumbag. I merely borrowed her identity to stay in the Zixiao Sect for a period of time,” the Saintess said slowly.
Nan Zhi staggered back a step as if she couldn’t hold herself up.
Before the cliff jump, she and Yun Yue could only be considered acquaintances; after the jump, their bond was what truly formed.
So she… had been befriending a demonic Saintess all along?
That gentle woman who looked after her everywhere, who accompanied her, was actually… the Saintess of the demonic clan?!
Nan Zhi’s world seemed to plunge into chaos. When the Saintess’s whip lashed over, she didn’t even react, and it was Gu Baiqing who used a spell to pull her back.
The Saintess seemed too lazy to bother with Nan Zhi any further and instead looked toward Mo Xuanli.
Seeing Mo Xuanli being well protected in Gu Baiqing’s arms, a flash of resentment passed through her eyes.
“Xuanli, do you still remember me?” the Saintess said softly, as if still using Senior Sister Yun Yue’s tone.
But to Mo Xuanli, it was as if he were hearing the soul-summoning tune of the god of death. His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
That was fear carved deep into the bones.
Gu Baiqing frowned slightly, holding Mo Xuanli tightly, summoning Morning Snow as he said to the Saintess, “Since you’re not Yun Yue, then killing you won’t matter!”
The Saintess said disdainfully, “Immortal Venerable Luofeng may indeed be formidable, but killing me so easily won’t be that simple. I’m not that weak. And… I merely want to reminisce a bit. There’s no need for you to be like this.”
“Reminisce? You infiltrated the Zixiao Sect for so many years, it was all for Xuanli, wasn’t it? What exactly do you want to do!” Gu Baiqing said coldly.
“Do what? Of course, for the sake of…”
“Master, let’s go…” Suddenly Mo Xuanli shuddered all over, grabbed Gu Baiqing’s hand, and reached out to pull Nan Zhi as well, as if fleeing, wanting to immediately take the two of them and escape this place.
The Saintess laughed mockingly. “What? You see your own Older Sister, and you don’t even recognize her?”
Mo Xuanli stiffened all over.
“Xuanli, I am your Older Sister Xuanyue.”
With those words falling, Mo Xuanli finally couldn’t hold on any longer and suddenly turned to look fiercely at Xuanyue.
“You’re not, she’s already dead. I saw it with my own eyes!”
“Oh? Is that so?” The Saintess slowly lifted her head, the red in her eyes brimming with killing intent. “That’s true… that Xuanyue… indeed died after being implicated, killed by her own younger brother!”
“Shut up!” Gu Baiqing instantly rose, a bolt of lightning striking toward Xuanyue.
Xuanyue swung her whip to deflect it, her gaze vicious as she looked at Gu Baiqing.
On what grounds… could the true culprit still be protected and cherished like this?
On what grounds!
“You’re protecting him? He’s a mixed-blood! His mother was the previous Saintess of the demonic clan, and he’s also the former Demon Venerable’s nephew, and you protect him? You’re a dignified Immortal Venerable Luofeng, have you gone mad! You should detest him and personally cleanse your sect!”
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