Water droplets fell onto the surface, creating a faint ripple.
As Lin Xinyi sank into the water, all she could see were Qin Huaiyin’s cold eyes.
Those emotionless eyes were as frigid as the surrounding lake water.
‘That… she’s serious…’
After realizing this, Lin Xinyi wanted to cry out for help, but lake water poured into her mouth.
A feeling of suffocation surged in her heart.
She tried to circulate her spiritual energy, but a mouthful of water choked her, throwing her internal breath into chaos.
As Lin Xinyi struggled and looked toward the shore, she saw Qin Huaiyin standing by the lake pavilion.
A faint smile was gradually appearing on the other woman’s lips.
Lin Xinyi thought that she must be mocking her for struggling like a pathetic ant.
‘No… I don’t want this. I don’t want to die here like this…’
Lin Xinyi’s heart went cold, and the scene above the water became increasingly blurred.
Her consciousness grew muddled.
She saw Qin Huaiyin, standing in the pavilion, seem to say something.
Though she only saw the movement of the woman’s lips, she managed to read four words.
“Farewell, Master…”
Despair washed over Lin Xinyi.
The vast pool offered no sight of its borders, and a glance to the side revealed a bottomless depth.
A sense of helplessness filled her entire body.
‘Am I… am I going to die? Die in this tiny little pond…’
Lin Xinyi continued to struggle, but the more she fought, the further she drifted from the surface.
Eventually, her vision could no longer even blur the surroundings, and the sounds around her gradually faded away.
‘I!! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!’
She struggled relentlessly.
Even though she could not see or hear, and even though the light from the surface was drifting further away, she did not want to die in this nameless pond like an ant.
‘Damn it… I have no strength left…’
Lin Xinyi’s eyes grew heavy.
Just as she closed them, the last thing she heard was the sound of something breaking the water’s surface.
Like a lifeless corpse, she continued to sink into the depths.
Suddenly, a pale purple figure swam past her like a soaring dragon.
Her soft body was pulled into an embrace, followed by the touch of warm lips.
Qin Huaiyin’s golden, vertical pupils stared intently at the suffocated and unconscious Lin Xinyi.
She used her spiritual energy to protect the other’s heart and force out the accumulated water.
Simultaneously, she pressed her lips against Lin Xinyi’s, breathing air mixed with spiritual energy into her body.
“Don’t ever speak of seeking death so casually again, Master…”
As she dragged Lin Xinyi out of the water, Qin Huaiyin’s gaze became complicated.
At the same time, the dragon scales she had previously hidden began to surface.
Lin Xinyi seemed to regain a sliver of strength.
When she managed to open her eyes just a crack, she saw a blurry figure.
“Is this reincarnation? Why is it so exhausting this time…”
After Lin Xinyi muttered those words in a tiny voice, she fainted completely.
Qin Huaiyin did not understand the meaning behind those words.
She only looked at the soft body and the hair still dripping with water, which made the woman look even more alluring.
After Qin Huaiyin exhaled a breath of turbid air, the emotions she had been suppressing in her heart could no longer be controlled.
A captivating flush appeared on her face as dragon horns once again emerged from her head.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she turned and carried Lin Xinyi toward the Cave Abode.
“This is all your fault, Master…”
While Lin Xinyi was undergoing the trials of the grinding mirror, Bai Qianqian, wearing a black bamboo hat, slowly stepped onto the bow of a ship at a certain pier.
She looked at the place she had once called home, which now lacked even a fraction of the warmth found in that person’s embrace.
“Sister Luo… If I go this way, I should be able to see Master again, right?”
“I remember we flew in this direction back then. Why don’t you ask someone if this ship is headed for the Hidden Immortal Sect?”
“There’s no need, because I can feel Master calling me from this direction…”
Bai Qianqian tightened her grip on her hat.
Ever since Lin Xinyi left, she felt an increasing hollowness in her heart, to the point where she would involuntarily wake up with a start in the middle of the night.
“How long has it been since I last saw Master? I can’t do this anymore; I feel like I’ve reached my limit…”
Bai Qianqian began to miss that soft body she could touch upon waking, and the gentle kisses before falling asleep.
The more she thought, the more restless she became.
She could only tightly hug the spiritual sword the other had left behind.
The sharp blade had long been placed in its scabbard, but Bai Qianqian’s constant stroking caused the slightly sentient sword to vibrate faintly.
“Sigh, I really don’t understand you, little girl. If you had just stayed by her side back then, you wouldn’t have to endure this now.”
“Sister Luo, humans are selfish after all. We always want to have everything, so I don’t regret my decision back then…”
Luo Qingyao said nothing more after hearing Bai Qianqian’s answer.
She flew above the ship to feel the wind, watching the crowds of people coming and going.
She thought about how long it had been since she had seen such a lively scene.
After drawing her spiritual sword, Bai Qianqian wiped it repeatedly.
She didn’t know how many times she wiped it in a day, but with every stroke, Lin Xinyi’s figure flashed through her mind.
‘How much longer must I wait until we meet…’
Although she felt anxious, Bai Qianqian did not show it.
It wasn’t until the ship docked and she stepped out into the busy streets that she chose a place to stay under Luo Qingyao’s guidance.
Once inside her room with the door locked, Bai Qianqian lay on the bed, still murmuring Lin Xinyi’s name.
Watching her mumble, Luo Qingyao felt helpless but didn’t say much.
After all, such a deep obsession had both its pros and cons.
Ever since Lin Xinyi left, Bai Qianqian’s dedication to cultivation was incomparable to before.
It was almost as if she were using cheats.
“If you want to be able to talk to your master as an equal when you meet her in the future, you’ll have to properly improve your cultivation level.”
During the past year, although Bai Qianqian was supposed to be cultivating, she would often end up running back into the Grotto-heaven with Lin Xinyi to learn about human anatomy.
They would frequently play until midnight, giving Luo Qingyao quite a headache.
But now, no matter what she taught her, Bai Qianqian acted like an invisible learning machine, constantly filtering knowledge and even altering theories to better suit herself.
“Sister Luo, it seems I’ve already mastered the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Technique you taught me. Do you have any better techniques?”
Luo Qingyao was still worrying if such rapid cultivation would lead to an unstable foundation when Bai Qianqian, who had been walking ahead, slowed her pace and turned to ask her.
“You’ve mastered it? So fast? That was an Immortal-grade technique…!”
Luo Qingyao couldn’t believe it, but through their soul connection, she could tell the girl wasn’t lying.
Bai Qianqian didn’t say much more, her gaze merely shifting slightly toward the space in front of her.
In front of her was a series of panels that no one else could see.
The pale blue glow was clearly visible to her, but neither Lin Xinyi nor Luo Qingyao could perceive it.
It was as if this panel existed solely for her eyes.
‘Perhaps cultivation techniques aren’t that difficult for me…’
[Status Window]
Name: Bai Qianqian (997th Reincarnation)
Treasures: Supreme Bone, 3,000 Dao Seeds, Rebirth Ring (Immortal Venerable Remnant Soul)
[Techniques]
Spirit | Heartless Sword Intent (Grasped)
Spirit | Jade Maiden Dual Cultivation Record (Grasped)
Spirit | Danxin Jue (Grasped)
Immortal | Six Desires Heavenly Demon Technique (Grasped)
[Reincarnation Memories (Locked)]
[Traits]
[Lin Xinyi Specialization]
- When Lin Xinyi deals fatal damage to her, all memories will automatically awaken.
- When Lin Xinyi dies, all memories will automatically awaken.
- All physical attacks from Lin Xinyi are neutralized. (Not Unlocked)
- All spell attacks from Lin Xinyi are neutralized. (Not Unlocked)
- All attacks are neutralized when Lin Xinyi harbors hostile intent toward her.
- Can deal damage across realms when suppressed by Lin Xinyi’s cultivation level.
- Resistance to all of Lin Xinyi’s illusion-type attacks.
- Resistance to all of Lin Xinyi’s possession-type attacks.
- Will teleport to Lin Xinyi’s side if Lin Xinyi intends to flee and leave this world.
- When her realm exceeds Lin Xinyi’s, she will automatically level up whenever Lin Xinyi’s realm increases.
…99+ more
Bai Qianqian looked at the stream of information appearing on the transparent panel.
There were too many numbers to count, but she didn’t know what this thing was.
She only saw Lin Xinyi’s name appearing over and over.
Currently, Bai Qianqian had only one thought: to find Lin Xinyi.
That was all.
Luo Qingyao searched through her belongings for a long time before finally pulling out a jade slip.
She hadn’t intended to teach complex techniques so soon to prevent an unstable foundation.
“The Cultivation World is dangerous. You must have some life-saving means…”
As Luo Qingyao handed over the jade slip, a notification appeared on Bai Qianqian’s quiet panel.
As usual, only she could see it.
[Do you accept the “Chaotic World Demon Body Technique”?]
[3,000 Dao Seeds deciphering…]
[Original: By infusing the body with desires, demon sigils will cover the entire body. As long as desire is not extinguished, the demon body will not be destroyed.]
[Modifying…]
[Modified: By attaching desire to the body and forming a demon body outside the physical form with intent, the demon body will not be destroyed as long as the desire exists. The stronger the desire, the stronger the demon body. Allows walking through the void and fighting while lifting the sun and moon.]
Bai Qianqian looked at the information appearing line by line and didn’t hesitate.
After she exhaled a soft breath, this heaven-defying technique was already engraved in her mind.
“You… you little monster! In just an instant, you’ve already reached minor completion!”
Luo Qingyao spoke those words, but she couldn’t hide the excitement in her eyes.
After all, in the half a minute between the girl accepting the slip and opening her eyes, a demonic light had already surfaced on her skin.
“Sister Luo, are you really an Immortal Venerable? Why are all these demonic techniques…”
“Don’t worry about the details~”
Luo Qingyao scratched her head and gave an awkward smile.
Feeling Bai Qianqian’s eyes fixed on her, she turned her head away guiltily.
“The Immortal Realm isn’t that picky. What matters is how you use it. Anyway, with this technique, you’re at least invincible among those in the same realm!”
“It seems so, indeed…”
“Besides, who says an Immortal Venerable can’t practice demonic techniques?~”
“Is that how it is…”