Upon the immortal gate shrouded in clouds and mist, a maiden slowly opened her eyes at the center of the Celestial Altar. With just a slight movement of her body, the chains upon her clashed continuously, producing dull, heavy sounds.
“So what if she was the number one in the Devil Sect? In the end, wasn’t she cut down by the Banished Immortal Lord with a single strike~”
“Hush, don’t speak of it. This Devil Venerable is said to be the Senior Disciple of the Immortal Lord of the Banished Mausoleum…”
“Ah! Really? Someone like the Immortal Lord of the Banished Mausoleum raised such a disciple!”
“Keep your voice down, keep your voice down! It’s said this Devil Venerable was born with a Devil Soul. Within this Yin Yang Immortal Sect, she slaughtered fellow disciples, severed their root bones, and was later expelled from the sect, becoming the current Devil Venerable!”
“Tsk tsk tsk…”
…………
The maiden bound to the Immortal-Binding Pillar listened to the gossip around her without any reaction whatsoever, allowing the crowd to spit upon her reputation. After all, nothing those people said was wrong. Harming fellow disciples, slaughtering the Righteous Path, killing others for their treasures—which of those deeds hadn’t she committed?
“It seems I haven’t committed the crime of deceiving my master and destroying my ancestors yet~”
The maiden muttered softly, then let out a self-deprecating chuckle. Immediately after, the surrounding discussion fell silent in an instant. As if sensing something, the maiden looked through her disheveled long hair towards a graceful figure in the sky.
“Shizun… you’ve come to see me…”
White robes like snow, silver hair like silk, fair skin, an appearance cold and beautiful. Merely standing there in mid-air drew everyone’s gaze. Yet even so, no one dared call her a fairy; there were only respectful calls of the title “Immortal Lord of the Banished Mausoleum.”
“Why did you leave the sect to become this so-called Devil Venerable…”
“Why… Yes, why indeed? This current appearance of mine has troubled Shizun now…”
“You! Ah, what use is saying this now? Ye Qinglian, is there still any regard for me, your Shizun, in your eyes…”
When the maiden heard that name, a few traces of light clearly flickered in her eyes. But it lasted only an instant before dimming again. Her whole body hung her head dejectedly, her expression unreadable.
Ye Qinglian also seemed to deeply detest her current state. Like a stray dog, tied to the Immortal-Binding Pillar, standing before her was her Shizun—the Banished Immortal Lord revered by tens of thousands, an existence that countless cultivation schools across the Nine Provinces Continent had to respectfully address as Immortal Lord. Yet she herself had become the Devil Venerable, cursed and reviled by all.
“To kill or dismember, just come. Disciple Qinglian will never cry out again…”
“Even you wish to leave me…”
“…”
Seeing Ye Qinglian in this state, Ling Qingyue felt an inexplicable, wrenching pain in her heart. The longsword in her hand left its sheath with a resonant sound. In just an instant, Sword Qi radiated in all directions. The onlookers surrounding them couldn’t help but be startled by this heaven-shaking Sword Qi, all forced to circulate their energy to defend themselves. One sword broke ten thousand laws. The longsword pressed against Ye Qinglian’s throat, the razor-sharp tip slowly piercing the skin. Even as fresh blood flowed down, Ye Qinglian did not open her eyes.
“Unfilial disciple… in the end, you are still my disciple. With just one word from me…”
“Unfilial disciple Ye Qinglian only begs for death under Shizun’s sword…”
Hearing Ye Qinglian’s words begging only for a swift death, Ling Qingyue had never wanted to protect someone so much. Even if it was just a look asking for survival… Ling Qingyue closed her eyes slightly, as if having made a firm resolution. She sheathed her longsword and slowly walked back through the air to her seat upon the high platform.
“Junior Sister, you really have raised a fine disciple, haven’t you? But even if she is your disciple, you can’t be soft-hearted~”
“Indeed, even if you are the head of the Five Peaks of the Yin Yang Immortal Sect, you cannot shield such a wicked disciple!”
Ling Qingyue listened to the words of the two middle-aged men in azure robes beside her. Although their appearances seemed slightly weathered, due to their cultivation, they only looked to be around thirty or forty years old. At that moment, a man seated in the main seat spoke up with some displeasure, his voice deep as he stopped the two.
“Enough! Do you two think the outsiders aren’t laughing at us enough already?! Ye Qinglian is a person of my Yin Yang Immortal Sect, but in the end, she is also Junior Sister Ling Qingyue’s disciple. Let Ling Qingyue decide for herself…”
“Senior Brother! Ye Qinglian not only fell into the Devil Path and defected to the Devil Sect, she also crippled my son’s root bone! Harming a fellow disciple!”
That man became more agitated as he spoke, to the point where he looked ready to fly down from the high platform and personally deal with Ye Qinglian. However, the moment he made the slightest movement, a foot-long cold gleam lay horizontally across his neck. The originally chattering crowd also instantly fell silent.
“I will deal with my own disciple…”
Ling Qingyue’s eyes were ice-cold. With a simple flick of her finger, the chains upon the Immortal-Binding Pillar snapped like tofu, all breaking with the sound. Clearly as hard as Black Iron, yet unable to withstand a single sword strike from the person before them.
“Ling Qingyue, what are you doing?!”
Ye Qinglian stared somewhat dumbfounded at the broken chains on the ground. She raised her head and saw that Shizun, who had been seated high upon the platform, was now standing right before her. Ye Qinglian looked at the familiar white robes and silver hair.
“Abandon all your Devil Arts and simply start over…”
“Is that so? Shizun… you’re truly so good to me…”
The cultivators seated in the surrounding viewing platforms all entered a state of full alert. Countless Spiritual Artifacts and Spell Formulas were brought forth. Outer Body Incarnations like giants instantly filled the entire execution ground. Numerous old monsters at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage simultaneously erupted with their spiritual pressure. Anyone who didn’t know better would think they were resisting Outer-Realm Devil Spirits, rather than judging a Devil Venerable here.
“Everyone, calm yourselves! Ling Qingyue is merely anxious for her disciple!”
The Sect Master of Yin Yang Sect, seated on the high platform, saw this scene. He hurriedly flew into mid-air, seeking to pacify the crowd. Yet at this moment, even though he was the leader of a sect, relative to him, which of the onlookers surrounding them was not an elite of the Cultivation World?
“That’s the Devil Venerable! If you release her, you make yourself an enemy of the entire Cultivation World!”
“Right! She cannot be released!”
“To think the supposed head of the Righteous Path is nothing but a scoundrel who shields the Devil Venerable!”
…………
The Sect Master of the Yin Yang Immortal Sect sat upon the high platform, listening to the curses surrounding him. Even though he was inclined to favor Ling Qingyue, he couldn’t help but clench his fists. Ling Qingyue swept a cold glance around. A terrifying killing intent, like knives, instantly swept across everyone’s bodies. The crowd that had just been clamoring instantly broke out in cold sweat. Several people, when they regained their senses, found they had subconsciously assumed battle stances.
“I felt like I was about to die just now. Is this the oppressive force of the Number One Sword Cultivator?”
“This Sword Qi scraped my skin raw…”
“If you want to fight, you fight. I can’t stay here any longer!”
………
Watching a few sect leaders with lower cultivation flee from the overwhelming pressure, terrified out of their wits, the ones remaining were all, without exception, geniuses of various sects and those old monsters. Ling Qingyue heard the clamorous threats around her. She directly flew down from the Celestial Altar, sweeping a cold gaze over the surroundings. Any one of those people taken individually was an existence capable of founding their own sect.
“So annoying. Perhaps I should just kill you all…”
Ling Qingyue somewhat annoyed drew her longsword. Seeing that foot-long white gleam, the noisy surroundings all fell silent. The agitators who had just been shouting loudly, even if they were elders in their own families, seeing that ice-cold gaze couldn’t help but swallow hard.
“Even if you’re the Number One Under Heaven, you cannot shield your disciple!”
“Th-that’s right…!”
“We are all top experts of the Cultivation World here! Could it be she alone can slaughter us all?!”
“Correct! Kill this many people, and even her, the Banished Immortal Lord’s sword will blunt!”
………
Ling Qingyue had never felt so utterly vexed. Yet then, she heard only the sound of a longsword piercing bone. Ling Qingyue abruptly spun her head back, only to see the disciple she had just steeled her resolve to protect had already fiercely impaled herself upon the longsword.
“Ye Qinglian!”
“Shizun, you treat me so well. How could your disciple let you be put in a difficult position…”
Ling Qingyue stared, somewhat stunned, as the other’s blood slowly flowed down the longsword. The warm liquid sensation on her palm made Ling Qingyue, whose body seemed perpetually frozen for years, feel a scalding heat.
“No! Wait! Hold on, Ye Qinglian!”
“I… was just going… to find Junior Sister Situ…”
Ling Qingyue watched her disciple collapse limply into her arms just like that. The light gradually faded from Ye Qinglian’s eyes. Even her breath slowly vanished. Ling Qingyue frantically felt for pills, hastily feeding them into the other’s mouth. Grade-9 Grand Revival Pill, Grade-9 Yang-Restoring Pill… One after another, incredibly precious pills were stuffed into her mouth as if they cost nothing. Just one alone could regrow flesh on white bone and revive the dead.
“No… don’t reject the pills? Don’t… don’t be like this…”
“Well, well, Shizun actually panicked so much over me. Don’t cry. That usually cold and aloof expression suits you better…”
Ye Qinglian looked at Ling Qingyue, who was so frantic she was nearly in tears. In front of outsiders, she was so cold and clear, yet now she was like a child, feeding pills into her mouth like candy. But for a person seeking death, even a Supreme Grade pill was useless.
“The physical body is already dead. As long as I preserve the soul… yes, as long as I preserve the soul…”
Ling Qingyue, flustered, pressed her finger to the other’s forehead. However, as a cluster of bluish-white soul drifted out from within her mind, Ling Qingyue seemed to grasp a life-saving straw. She wanted to embrace Ye Qinglian’s soul in her arms, yet the moment she touched it, the soul shattered like broken porcelain, scattering in all directions. Both Soul and Divine Soul were extinguished, without even a trace of origin remaining.
“Wh-why… be so cruel to yourself…”
Ling Qingyue stared blankly at the shattered divine soul before her. Clearly only a foot away, yet now it felt as distant as two separate worlds. At this moment, upon the high platform, those cultivators who considered themselves righteous and orthodox were all clapping and cheering.
“Some Devil Venerable! Nothing special after all!”
“As expected of the Banished Immortal Lord! Both Soul and Divine Soul extinguished, what ruthless means!”
“This Devil Venerable really was too pathetic. Not a single person from the Devil Sect even showed up~”
………
Hearing the joyful words around her and the incessant clapping of hands, Ling Qingyue felt her mind go completely blank. The surrounding praise and mockery now sounded so piercing. In just an instant, Ling Qingyue raised her head blankly, looking at the people around her. Whether it was some Sect Master, peerless genius, or some mountain-forest patriarch, Ling Qingyue’s cold heart began to waver. That unchanging Dao Heart showed cracks.
“Killing half… should be enough…”
Ling Qingyue muttered, her eyes hollow. Until a shattering sound came from within. Ling Qingyue’s Dao Heart shattered. Although the Celestial Altar was vast, everyone heard that breaking sound. They couldn’t help but look towards the Number One Under Heaven upon the altar.
“Hahaha! Ha! Dead! All dead! Xue’er, Qinglian, all gone! What Shizun! What Number One Under Heaven! Hahaha!!”
That day, a fierce, sharp Sword Qi slashed across the Five Provinces. That day, one sword and one white robe killed with madness and wept with pity. That day, the disciples of the Yin Yang Immortal Sect knew not what happened upon the Celestial Altar. Only a crimson rain of blood soaked the entire sect. From then on, there was no longer Ling Qingyue in this world. No longer any Banished Immortal Lord.
“Banished Immortal Lord, spare my life! The dead cannot be revived, please be more open-minded!”
A middle-aged man looked in terror at the white-robed figure standing before him. Ling Qingyue’s eyes were ice-cold as she looked at this middle-aged man—one of the three Yin Yang Immortal Sect Elders who had just pressured her into killing Ye Qinglian. But now, where was any trace of that Elder’s dignity?
“You want to live…?”
“Y-yes, yes! As long as the Immortal Lord gives me this chance, I will serve you faithfully, even as a cow or a horse!”
“Is that so…”
“Yes, yes! Just spare me this once!!!”
The Immortal Sect Elder before her, where was the dignity of a Tribulation Transcendence Stage cultivator now? He had thought his Peak of Tribulation Transcendence cultivation might still offer a fighting chance, but a glance at the mountain of corpses behind her… countless Favored Children of Heaven, bodies maimed, leaned to the side, mouths constantly wailing in agony. Even as blood flowed like a river, that foot-long white robe remained as pure and white as snow.
“Chances… when Ye Qinglian was tied there, did any of you give her a chance…”
Ling Qingyue’s simple, flat statement instantly made the elder, who stood above ten thousand, feel as if he had fallen into an ice pit. In her ice-cold eyes, he saw no killing intent, only the casual indifference of someone about to crush a bug.
“Y-you! Bastard! Don’t look down on me!”
【Dharma Idol: Unity of Six Harmonies!!】
The sect elder before her instantly clasped his hands together. Powerful golden Spiritual Energy erupted from his body. A Dharma Seal dozens of zhang high appeared behind the sect elder. A golden figure like a giant loomed above, looking down at Ling Qingyue before him.
“Ling Qingyue! No matter what, even if I die, there will be no place for you in this Cultivation World from now on!”
“Qinglian, was Shizun wrong…”
Ling Qingyue slowly closed her eyes, allowing the golden Dharma Idol before her to attack. Yet the imagined collision did not occur. The sect elder’s eyes widened in fury as he stared at the foot-long sword piercing his chest. No one had seen clearly what happened.
“Qinglian, you’ve gone to find your Junior Sister. What should Shizun do…”
Accompanied by a torrential rain of blood, Ling Qingyue calmly held Ye Qinglian, now already stained crimson by blood, in her arms. At this moment, as if she had lost her own soul, Ling Qingyue woodenly wiped Ye Qinglian’s cheek.
“Shi… Shizun…”
Ling Qingyue had already felt despair. But beyond the Celestial Altar, hearing that familiar light call, she abruptly jolted back to her senses. She turned her head to look behind her. That pink figure was still standing there.
“Meng… Meng Li…”
Ling Qingyue called this name somewhat blankly. Meng Li walked over from afar, gently embracing Ling Qingyue. Her gentle voice seemed to soothe the other, that already shattered Dao Heart.
“It’s alright, Shizun. You still have me~”
“Mm…”
…………
…
