Chapter 203: Little Junior Sister, You Died So Tragically!
“No matter what lies ahead, no matter how bleak the future, I will keep moving forward, because… I want to find my way home, I want to find the people I miss.”
For over a thousand years, Li Guijiao had never given up on finding the nine provinces and four domains, even if it was just someone like her, who had stumbled into the Ancient Demon Lands by accident, or even someone from the Demon Abyss.
In the end, she only dared to hope to see a living being, an artifact, or even a wisp of spiritual energy from the nine provinces and four domains…
But she found nothing.
The nine provinces and four domains occasionally had powerful demons exiled from the Ancient Demon Lands, members of the demonic beast tribes in the southern barbarian lands, but in the Great Thousand Worlds, there was no trace of the nine provinces and four domains.
Li Guijiao was cautious, knowing this secret was related to her safety, so she never revealed it.
After searching for so many years, from a little girl to a young woman, and then to an old woman in a sense, without finding a single clue, Li Guijiao had almost given up.
But unexpectedly… she had encountered her Little Junior Sister again.
“Little Junior Sister…”
Li Guijiao stood on her tiptoes—at least, this puppet of hers still had the appearance of a little girl—looked at Luo Xue with teary eyes, and said,
“You’ve also grown up… You’ve changed so much, even your white hair is gone…”
To discover the secret behind Luo Xue’s white hair, she had even created “Luo Xue Unit,” trying to find the truth through her appearance.
But she hadn’t expected Little Junior Sister’s white hair to disappear after she grew up.
What was worse… Li Guijiao could sense that although the current Luo Xue looked like a real person, she had actually become a wandering soul.
Could it be that Little Junior Sister… was already dead…
Thinking of this, Li Guijiao’s eyes teared up.
“Ahem… this situation is a bit complicated, it’s a long story.”
Luo Xue coughed lightly. She couldn’t explain the situation of the Sacred Soul in a short time.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make the best puppet for you,” Li Guijiao clenched her small fists, her expression determined. “Little Junior Sister, I’ll revive you! I even revived the White Tiger spirit! Although it was because her body still had some life force…”
“Oh, I knew you had a way… wait, I’m not dead, I’m really not dead!” Luo Xue immediately realized that Li Guijiao had misunderstood. After all, she was currently using Nangong’s soul body. “I’m just borrowing the soul body of a senior, temporarily using it as a vessel for my consciousness.”
“Really? This senior… is she the Nangong ancestor?”
Li Guijiao wiped away the tears from her puppet’s face. After the initial excitement of the reunion, she calmed down slightly.
Only then did she sense that the power within Luo Xue’s current soul body was the will of immortality that had caused the mutation in her formation runes.
So far, only the Nangong clan could control the will of immortality. Although this was a secret that even most clan members didn’t know, Li Guijiao, with the White Tiger spirit beside her, naturally knew these ancient secrets.
“Yes, Ancestor Nangong’s last wisp of consciousness is still dormant within this soul body. Don’t worry, she’s a good ancestor. The nine provinces and four domains are her small world.” Luo Xue said with a faint smile. “In a sense, we’re both her children—born from her world.”
Li Guijiao’s expression turned serious. After searching for so many years, she had gradually realized the true meaning of the nine provinces and four domains’ existence.
However, for the entire nine provinces and four domains to be just her small world… this ancestor’s strength was truly terrifying.
“By the way, did she… do anything bad in her later years…”
Li Guijiao suddenly blurted out this rather disrespectful thought, shrinking back slightly.
Even a slight mishap from an existence of this level would be disastrous…
There were many villains like this in the stories!
Even after coming to the Great Thousand Worlds, Li Guijiao still couldn’t shake her habit of learning from stories, which was why she had initially overestimated the combat power of this world…
For example, Li Guijiao had once thought that the Great Qin Immortal Emperor was at the Great Emperor Realm, but he was actually still trying to reach Saint.
“…To be precise, she passed away before her later years.” Luo Xue touched her nose, feeling a bit awkward about speaking ill of someone behind their back.
However, with Nangong’s personality, she probably wouldn’t mind.
She was just a stern elder, but actually quite easygoing.
“Then, Little Junior Sister, what about your body?” Li Guijiao asked curiously. “I remember you had white hair…”
Why was Senior Sister Li so obsessed with white hair?
Luo Xue twitched her lips and said, “That’s a more complicated story… it seems to be gone, I couldn’t find it—oh, there’s still one, in a coffin, at the bottom of the Sea of Withering.”
Her Eternal Withering Body was still dormant, and she didn’t know what would happen if it merged with her current Eternal Soul of Antiquity.
Whether they would destroy each other, or harmoniously merge into a being that truly controlled both immortality and withering, it was still unknown.
“You’re still saying you’re not dead, you liar… Wuwuwu, Little Junior Sister… Senior Sister will definitely bring you back…”
Li Guijiao started crying again. After so many years, seeing a familiar face, her emotions were hard to control.
“I’m really not dead, sigh, I told you it’s complicated.”
Luo Xue was helpless. She couldn’t even wipe away Li Guijiao’s tears now, so she waved her hand, trying to change the subject.
“What about you? How have you been? I heard you’re doing quite well in the Great Thousand Worlds.”
“Wuu… I’m… okay…”
Li Guijiao wiped away her tears again. She wasn’t usually this emotional, but she couldn’t help it.
“How many years have you been here?” Luo Xue continued. “I haven’t really kept track, but it should be a few decades, right?”
The last time she entered the dream, twelve years had passed in a daze.
And this time… another lifetime…
“One thousand three hundred and sixty-five years, and two hundred and three days,” Li Guijiao said softly. “If I don’t go home soon, I’ll forget… what the nine provinces and four domains are like, what the Peerless Summit Sect is like, what my Senior Brothers and Sisters, my Master and Martial Uncles… are like.”
The only one she hadn’t forgotten was Luo Xue.
This was the only thing that kept her going all these years…
“It’s… been a thousand years?”
Luo Xue’s eyes flickered, and she sighed.
Besides the distorted time flow of the dream, it had only been less than a year since she and Li Guijiao parted ways.
But Li Guijiao had already spent over a thousand years alone in this unfamiliar world…
Luo Xue composed herself and asked,
“By the way, Senior Sister, how did you come to the Ancient Demon Lands? Haven’t you found a way back yet?”
“I haven’t. As for how I got here… I forgot.” Li Guijiao scratched the back of her head, looking troubled. “I just remember that after we parted ways, I went in a different direction… and then I fainted.”
“When I woke up, I was already in the barbarian lands.”
“…I see.”
Luo Xue nodded thoughtfully. So Phoenix Venerable was still guarding the gate of the nine provinces and four domains, not letting humans leave this cage, which was also their cradle.
Li Guijiao had just stumbled in accidentally and couldn’t go back…
She didn’t know whether to call her lucky or unlucky. Something that so many Soul Transformation experts longed for, she had achieved so easily.
“What about you, Little Junior Sister, what… happened afterward?”
Li Guijiao looked at Luo Xue expectantly, hoping to learn more about the nine provinces and four domains.
She missed her sect, although her master always forced her to go out…
But the people in her sect, compared to the demonic beasts in the barbarian lands and the cultivators of the Immortal Dynasty, were all very good people.
Li Guijiao’s innate ability allowed her to see through the essence of souls. She had wandered for a while before building her underground cave, and this period had deeply shocked her young mind.
This was why, even now, she hadn’t left her cave for over a thousand years, only daring to use puppets.
“What happened… I don’t know much either, because after we parted ways, I went to the Blood Sea in the depths of the Demon Abyss, and then… I was dormant until recently.”
Luo Xue smiled wryly. “As for the truth about the nine provinces and four domains, I might know a little more than you. It’s just… the current situation… is very… complicated.”
She didn’t want to tell Li Guijiao about the post-apocalyptic world, it was too much to explain.
And she hadn’t even dealt with the matters of the nine provinces and four domains and the Ancient Demon Lands yet, let alone the connection between the post-apocalyptic world and the crashing celestial ships she had seen in the Sacred Soul’s memories.
“It’s fine, it’s fine, we can talk more when you come to my cave!” Li Guijiao seemed quite happy. “By the way, do you want to use ‘Luo Xue Unit’ for now? I just had the White Tiger spirit bring her over. It’s a puppet that looks similar to how you looked as a child!”
In Luo Xue’s current state, ordinary puppets couldn’t accommodate her soul. Only Li Guijiao could create a custom-made one.
Before that, the “Luo Xue Unit,” which resembled Luo Xue’s original appearance, would be useful.
Li Guijiao had originally brought the White Tiger spirit and the “Luo Xue Unit” to deal with the unknown powerful being. Since this powerful being was her Little Junior Sister, it saved her the trouble.
“Of course, but…” Luo Xue hesitated. “I heard that you’re… the leader of the southern barbarian lands, using ‘Luo Xue Unit’?”
Li Guijiao froze and stammered,
“Ah, ah… you know?”
The fact that she was using Luo Xue’s appearance… had been discovered by the real Luo Xue. How embarrassing.
“I know a bit, because I was Princess Xue in the Imperial Capital before…” Luo Xue touched her nose.
“Ah?” Li Guijiao was stunned. “So, the Princess Xue who escaped from the Imperial Capital recently… was actually you, Little Junior Sister…”
This news had spread everywhere, and Li Guijiao had naturally heard about it.
“Not really… but also kind of, sigh, it’s complicated to explain,” Luo Xue’s face was troubled. “In short, I was a fake Princess Xue, a stand-in.”
“…Little Junior Sister, your experiences are quite… interesting.” Li Guijiao said awkwardly.
“You too.”
Luo Xue’s eyelid twitched.
She hadn’t expected her inconspicuous Senior Sister Li, after changing locations, to become so successful, even single-handedly uniting the southern barbarian lands, which had been a headache for the Immortal Emperor for so long.
“But why is this city so quiet?” Luo Xue asked curiously. “I came here to find you, but I haven’t seen anyone…”
“Ah, because this is a garrison city, the troops are all in the barracks on the other side.” Li Guijiao explained. “The demonic beast tribes don’t have much experience in building cities, so I just used the model of the capital city of the Northern Zhou Dynasty in the Demon Abyss… basically, all the cities are based on this model… Adding a few more buildings doesn’t cost much anyway.”
“This century, it’s the Eagle Demon tribe’s turn to guard. They usually conserve their energy to ensure they can stay awake during wartime, so they don’t use the restaurants and other facilities here.”
Simply put, when there was no war, the Eagle Demon tribe basically just slept, which could be seen from the eagle demon guard at the city gate.
“Aren’t you afraid they won’t wake up?” Luo Xue asked.
“Usually, there are a few guards who wake up every few years for rotation, and during wartime, a special call can awaken all the nearby Eagle Demon tribes.” Li Guijiao said. “When I came, I told the guards on duty, and they went back to playing cards, so they won’t come here.”
Also, once inside the city, having obtained control of the city’s formations, Li Guijiao was the master of this place.
That was why she dared to discuss her secrets with Luo Xue so openly.
Otherwise…
She would have to use secret language, to avoid revealing anything.
Just then, Li Guijiao suddenly sensed something and looked up in a certain direction.
“It seems the White Tiger spirit has arrived… Her recovery seems to be going well. I thought it would take another half an hour.”
She turned to Luo Xue.
“Little Junior Sister, let’s go, we still have a lot to talk about on the way. The White Tiger spirit is trustworthy. She’s the spirit of an ancient divine beast. I’ve told her everything, except for the matters of the cave and the nine provinces and four domains.”
Li Guijiao paused, even her puppet’s face flushing slightly.
“Including… you…”
