Chapter 122: Instant Demise

Qin Xuanxi stepped through the air above the clouds, a faint, lightning-shaped demonic aura flickering across her body. Having just ascended to the Primordial Supreme Profound Nether Realm and returned from the Primordial Demon Domain, she felt her physical form had yet to fully acclimate to this immense power. She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the golden Primordial Supreme seal on her pupils to fade completely.

Instantly, she sensed the presence of her disciple, Luo Yunshuang, located in the Leyu Mountains beneath her. Leyu Mountain was less than ten miles from Yan City; Qin Xuanxi could not fathom why her dear student would be there. Thinking back, she had been completely severed from the outside world during her three years in the Primordial Profound Desolate Demon Domain, and this was the perfect opportunity to interrogate her disciple about all that had transpired in the Profound Win Continent during her absence.

Qin Xuanxi descended abruptly from the clouds. At that moment, Luo Yunshuang was in a dense forest within the Leyu Mountains. She had arranged to meet Bai Ruoling there; if Bai Ruoling succeeded in her scheme to impersonate their master and rescue Senior Sister He, she would bring her directly to this spot so they could escape together. Once that was done, they could take Senior Sister He before their Eldest Senior Sister to claim the credit.

Suddenly, a black-clad figure appeared before Luo Yunshuang. It was Qin Xuanxi, wearing her Purple Fiend mask and clad in the Profound Abyss Nine Nether gown. Luo Yunshuang, however, mistook the person before her for her junior sister, Bai Ruoling, and immediately wore an expression of profound disappointment. "Why have you returned alone?" she asked. If her junior sister had returned solo, it meant the plan had failed and the Immortal Sect had refused to release the prisoner.

Qin Xuanxi, meanwhile, frowned slightly, thinking to herself, *I have been gone for a mere three years, and this rebellious disciple dares to address me with such a tone?*

Luo Yunshuang, at that moment, inadvertently caught a glimpse of her master’s shapely posterior. Greed flared within her; she thought she might as well enjoy a feel first—surely her junior sister wouldn't mind. With that, she swung her right hand toward Qin Xuanxi’s lower back.

Luo Yunshuang’s lightning-fast sneak attack naturally could not escape Qin Xuanxi’s eyes, but she was momentarily stunned. This rebellious disciple actually dared to grope her? Qin Xuanxi stood firm, showing no intention of dodging. Before Luo Yunshuang’s palm could even touch the fabric of her dress, a thunderous "Bang!" rang out. Luo Yunshuang was struck by a colossal force and sent flying, crashing through a dozen trees before falling heavily to the ground.

"Pfft!" Luo Yunshuang spat out a mouthful of blood. Her right hand, having taken the brunt of the impact, felt as if it had been scorched by a raging fire, waves of agonizing pain radiating from it. Her expression was one of utter shock; Bai Ruoling’s cultivation was far inferior to her own, so how could she possibly have caused such devastating damage?

Her pupils suddenly dilated. Could this be the true Master before her?

Qin Xuanxi, for her part, had not expected that her unconscious protective aura would be so terrifying after attaining the Primordial Supreme Profound Nether Demon Body. One had to realize that Luo Yunshuang’s cultivation was at the third level of the Primordial Spirit Demon Realm. The Primordial Spirit Demon Realm was the first of the "Three Realms of the Demon Venerable," meaning Luo Yunshuang already possessed the strength of a Demon Venerable; she simply felt that being the "favored disciple of the Profound Abyss Demon Venerable" carried more prestige than a formal title, so she saw no need to travel to Youyi Mountain to claim one. Yet, even with the cultivation of a Demon Venerable, Luo Yunshuang had been severely wounded by Qin Xuanxi’s unconscious aura.

Qin Xuanxi couldn't help but wonder: if Song Ye, a mere mortal, were to attempt a similar sneak attack on her body, would he not die on the spot? After all, Song Ye had such "prior convictions." He had once tried to touch her hand and "peck" her lips; although he had failed, he would surely try again. *I must immediately gain control over this demonic power and restrain this overbearing protective aura, lest Song Ye get injured when he wishes to make physical contact with me.*

*Of course, I do not do this because I desire physical intimacy with Song Ye…* Qin Xuanxi began to rationalize with herself. *Still, Song Ye and I are bound by a marriage contract; some physical contact is only reasonable. But having been away for three years, surely the boy hasn't gone and married someone else? Although Song Ye is honest and steadfast in his affections, he is, after all, a mortal. A mortal’s lifespan is but a few short decades; to them, nothing is more important than continuing the family line. If Song Ye thought I was dead and married another woman to have children, by now, they might already have a one-year-old… Actually, giving birth is not something I am incapable of, it is simply a bit difficult…*

"Master? Is it you, Master?" Luo Yunshuang stood before Qin Xuanxi, already a tearful mess. Her cry interrupted Qin Xuanxi’s thoughts. Seeing her weeping, Qin Xuanxi found it difficult to reprimand her for the attempted sneak attack. She smiled faintly. "Luo Yunshuang, in the three years I was gone, did you really think I had perished?"

"Master, you’re really not dead! That’s wonderful!" Luo Yunshuang, overcome with emotion, collapsed onto the ground and sobbed, forgetting entirely the pain of her recent injuries.

"Stop crying and guard me. I need to meditate here." With that, Qin Xuanxi sat down cross-legged. She needed to immediately circulate her techniques to allow her divine sense to fully master this Primordial Supreme Demon Body, ensuring she could control her protective aura at will to avoid accidentally harming Song Ye in the future.

***

Meanwhile, at the back mountain of the Fanyuan Sect, in a valley that served as the sect’s dumping ground for discarded items and corpses, the soil was saturated with blood; anything buried there would be consumed and digested within a short time.

Two Fanyuan Sect disciples arrived at the valley, each carrying large sacks filled with failed alchemical pills from the sect’s pharmacy that were meant to be disposed of. Suddenly, a dazzling black light erupted from the blood-soaked soil ahead. A moment later, an object broke through the ground, hovering in the air and radiating an increasingly intense black glow.

The two disciples stared, their expressions turning to shock. Was this not the Fanyuan Flower that belonged to the previous sect master, the Profound Abyss Demon Venerable? After the new sect master, "Qianxing Demon Venerable" Luo Ziyin, had taken power, he had ordered the withered Fanyuan Flower to be discarded as waste in this very spot. They had never expected that after being buried under this blood-soaked earth for nearly three years, it would not only remain unconsumed but was now blooming more vibrantly and brilliantly than ever before, as if it had been reborn.

The two low-ranking disciples looked at each other, unable to believe their eyes. If the Fanyuan Flower had bloomed once more, did that mean the previous sect master was not dead?