“Qu… Senior Sister Qu…”
Mu Qinghan’s eyes twitched.
She read it several times just to confirm she wasn’t mistaken.
So it turned out that her junior had completely fallen for her senior sister’s tricks and become her devoted follower.
She raised a hand to rub her brow, then took a deep breath.
Heh.
Ridiculous.
In all her years, this was the first time she had encountered something so… so… she didn’t even know how to describe it.
“That waste. The Imperial Court is really regressing, sending such a dead weight. How am I supposed to work with him?”
After calming down, she also realized that her earlier actions had been too impulsive.
But when she tried to talk to him, it had already turned into this…
“Sigh…”
She let out a helpless, deep sigh.
The only thing that comforted her was that she had probably stabilized Lin An for now, keeping him from saying anything careless.
But it wasn’t a long-term solution.
Who knew what he was thinking?
What if he was determined to serve the Imperial Court wholeheartedly?
Then her junior sister would be in trouble…
“Tch… what a pain.”
She grabbed her hair in irritation.
Just as she was trying to calm down and think of a solution, the floor beneath her suddenly shook violently.
Hm?
Mu Qinghan instantly refocused, her gaze sharpening.
She picked up her longsword and pushed open the door.
In the corridor, disciples were already running and shouting, “Enemy attack! Demonic Path raid!”
As she stepped onto the deck, everyone outside was already on high alert.
The disciples had drawn their swords, ready for battle.
Some of the lower-level disciples looked pale, clearly never having experienced such a situation before.
The Demon Extermination Assembly was held once a decade, and each time, new disciples were chosen to participate for training.
Mu Qinghan looked up, and her pupils suddenly contracted.
The originally clear blue sky was covered by a thick black cloud—a mass of demonic energy surging like a tide, blotting out the sun.
Within the black cloud, dozens of black flying boats were faintly visible, their hulls carved with ferocious ghost-face patterns, blood-red banners hanging from their prows.
But the most eye-catching figure was the one standing in the air at the front of the fleet—a middle-aged man with a face as sharp as a knife.
He wore a pitch-black cloak, his long hair loose, a bloody gleam in his eyes, exuding a strong fighting spirit.
He stood with his hands behind his back, simply floating there, yet it made many of the disciples below struggle to breathe.
“Demon Soul Sect Sect Master, Wang Zanghai.”
Mu Qinghan tightened her grip on her sword hilt, muttering the man’s identity.
Up in the sky.
Wang Zanghai didn’t even bother to glance at the Heaven Origin Sect disciples below.
All his attention was fixed on the woman not far away, whose aura matched his own—or even slightly suppressed his.
It turned out that Lu Mingyue had already arrived on the flying ship when the Demon Soul Sect appeared.
She simply floated there silently, her expression calm.
The high-altitude wind seemed to automatically avoid her, not even lifting a corner of her robe.
“Senior Lu, ten years have passed, but you remain as elegant as ever.”
Wang Zanghai cupped his hands, but his tone held no respect at all.
Lu Mingyue looked in his direction—maybe she saw him, maybe she didn’t.
She didn’t say a word.
“Heh,” Wang Zanghai showed no sign of anger, still speaking arrogantly.
“Now I have also reached the Ninth Layer of the Spiritual Martial Realm. I wish to test Senior Lu’s sword technique again. Please enlighten me!”
Hearing this, Lu Mingyue’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Though she didn’t care, this was not good news.
Unlike her calm reaction, the Heaven Origin Sect disciples below were stunned.
“The Ninth Layer of the Spiritual Martial Realm? He actually reached that level?”
“The last step before the Divine Martial Realm—a realm comparable to gods…”
Mu Qinghan was equally shocked, but she didn’t show it.
She only gripped her sword hilt tighter.
Of course, the one with the steadiest mentality among them all was Qu Hongling.
She had long known that her own Sect Master had broken through.
This operation’s main goal was to crush the righteous sects’ pride and make them realize that the Demons Rise and the Dao Declines!
Lu Mingyue didn’t turn around.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it landed precisely in Mu Qinghan’s ear.
“Qinghan, I’m leaving this to you.”
“Yes, Master!”
With that, Lu Mingyue and Wang Zanghai vanished from everyone’s sight.
With their level of cultivation, if they fought here, the spreading shockwaves would kill everyone on both sides.
Boom—
Soon, a thunderous roar came from above the black clouds.
That sound became the signal to begin the battle.
“Disciples who can fly, follow me to kill the enemy. The rest, rely on the ship’s defense formation to fight!”
Mu Qinghan gave the order, then turned to Qu Hongling and said:
“Junior Sister, make sure they don’t get into the cabins. Those inside are just servant disciples with no cultivation.”
Even so, she couldn’t help but have a fleeting thought.
If Lin An were to be killed by a surprise attack from a demon cultivator, then wouldn’t all her worries be gone?
“Alright.”
Qu Hongling agreed readily, without any reluctance.
Killing her own people gave her no mental burden.
It was just cover to help her hide her identity.
To a demon cultivator, this was no problem at all.
“Boys, form up! Those demon scum are about to board!”
The defense formation could block long-range spells, but it couldn’t stop people from boarding.
Qu Hongling charged ahead, her longsword rising and falling.
A demon cultist who rushed up was instantly beheaded.
Splashing blood landed on the deck, staining the disciples nearby crimson.
This scene made the new disciples who had never experienced such things understand instantly: this was a real life-or-death battle.
During a lull in the fight, Qu Hongling glanced toward the cabins.
Lin An was inside.
Although she was already eighty to ninety percent certain that he was their Holy Son, the remaining ten to twenty percent made her uncertain.
Her eyes flickered as an idea came to her.
What if I accidentally let one or two people slip in?
That would be perfectly normal, right?
If the Holy Son can’t even handle that, then he isn’t the Holy Son, and there’s no need for him to be one, right?
Amid the flashing blades and clashing swords, the woman in a red dress wove through the battlefield.
No one noticed the sinister smile on her face—both alluring and dangerous.
…
…
[When you open this pouch, it means you’re in trouble. I’ve prepared some things for you. If these still can’t solve it, I suggest you get on your knees and beg for mercy. Running definitely won’t work.]
Opening shot to the face.
The corner of Lin An’s mouth twitched.
“This Senior Sister Gu is really straightforward, huh.”
[Three disposable replicas of the Immortal Sword Blazing Sun. Just throw them at the enemy—they will track the target. Remember not to use them indoors, or the consequences are your own.]
[Also, don’t use them against Mortal Martial Realm cultivators. That would be too cruel. I’ve prepared a set of Spiritual Power Armor for you. It’s enough to deal with Mortal Martial Realm cultivators.]
[Some talismans and pills. Use them as needed.]
[And don’t waste them on others. They’re expensive!]
[Stay safe. Come back soon.]
[Gu Yingge.]
That was the end of the letter.
It wasn’t long, but Lin An could still feel Gu Yingge’s concern for him.
If the one who treated him best in this world was Aunt Yan, then the second best was probably this senior sister he had only known for a short time.
Just how lonely was she?
Lin An sighed softly, rubbing the orange-gold sword-shaped jade in his palm.
It felt warm and smooth to the touch, still slightly warm.
“Such a small thing is this powerful?”
Then his gaze shifted to the palm-sized cube beside it, covered in incomprehensible runes.
“Is this… armor? It can transform?”
To be honest, Lin An still didn’t have a clear concept of the cultivation world.
Fortunately, Gu Yingge had included an instruction manual for the Spiritual Power Armor.
Thud!
Suddenly, a noise came from the corridor.
Lin An went to the door and listened carefully to the commotion outside.
“Humph, not even a challenge. The Heaven Origin Sect is nothing special.”
“You’re no match for him. Fall back!”
Lin An tightened his grip on the pouch.
That was Manager Hua’s voice.
Had the Demon Soul Sect already broken in?