As the colossal finger descended from the sky, every single thought in the minds of the surrounding Outer Sect disciples was the same: they would die here. Meng Li was also terrified by this horrifying effect, momentarily at a loss for how to react.
“Crap, this equipment might be a little too good…!”
Just as the giant finger was about to come down and crush everyone into paste, a large blue figure appeared in mid-air. Likewise extending a finger with a single tap, two terrifying forces collided. Two nearby mountain peaks were instantly shattered, collapsing into a landslide.
From various mountain peaks across the sect, dozens of figures also leaped into the air. The aura of each figure was extremely terrifying. Without exception, they were all Elders of the sect. After investigating for a moment and discovering the disturbance originated from the direction of Jade Candle Peak, they all flew back.
“I thought another sect had come attacking. Turns out it was Jade Candle Peak causing trouble. Disperse, disperse…”
“Looks like the disciples responsible for sect construction will be busy again~”
“Hah, speaking of which, I feel like the Vice Sect Master in charge of overall finances has even less hair now~ Hahaha…”
“AHHH!!! Two more mountain peaks gone!!!! ELDER LING!!!!”
……………
At this moment, some Elders within the sect watched the spectacle, while others howled at the sky. But without exception, seeing it was the direction of Jade Candle Peak, none of them took it seriously any further. Meanwhile, on Meng Li’s side, as the colossal finger in the sky was neutralized by another force…
Meng Li finally let out a long sigh of relief. She hadn’t expected this move to have such a powerful effect. However, the surrounding male disciples, the weaker ones, had already foamed at the mouth and collapsed unconscious on the ground. Only those with slightly stronger strength remained standing, their legs weak and trembling, rooted to the spot.
[26 Magic Arrays. One usage consumed.]
Just as Meng Li was marveling at the equipment’s power, a line of text suddenly popped up before her eyes, pulling Meng Li sharply back to reality. Seeing the prompt, Meng Li quickly used her Spiritual Power to investigate, discovering that indeed, one Magic Array was now missing.
“What! So… so such a powerful attack was a one-time use thing?!”
Meng Li instantly felt a gut-wrenching regret. She had actually used something so powerful as an experiment! Looking at the appearance of that move just now, it was most likely a technique used by Situ Xue, merely forged into the equipment.
“So, these 26 Magic Arrays are 26 attacks from Senior Sister…”
“Such a huge commotion, I wondered what had happened. I thought it was Junior Sister Situ, but to think it was Little Junior Sister instead~”
This sudden soft whisper appeared right by her ear. Before Meng Li could react, her entire body was lifted from behind, then pulled into an embrace. Feeling the softness against her back and the faint, elusive fragrance around her, Meng Li didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
“Ye… Senior Sister Ye!”
“Having not seen Little Junior Sister for so long, how I’ve missed you terribly! But it seems Little Junior Sister has been through quite a lot~”
Ye Qinglian’s originally slightly closed eyes slowly opened. Her sky-blue eyes shimmered like crystals. In Ye Qinglian’s perspective, although the Meng Li in her arms was physically intact, her soul was damaged far beyond a minor degree, neatly divided as if a part had been carved out by someone.
Ye Qinglian easily saw the problem but had no intention of asking about it. No matter how many pieces the soul was split into, as long as the one in her arms was one of them, that was sufficient.
“To think Junior Sister Situ actually gave you this Dharma Robe. No wonder you could unleash such power. That move just now made even me think someone had provoked Junior Sister Situ~”
Ye Qinglian held Meng Li in her arms, treading on lotus blossoms as she walked through the air. Meng Li only felt as if she had once again become a doll in the other’s embrace. As the surrounding Spiritual Pressure slowly dissipated, those male disciples finally slowly came back to their senses and stood up from the ground in a daze.
“However, using this item within the sect will cause significant trouble. Don’t use it next time, okay~”
“Senior Sister, I was just—!”
“Shh, no need to explain. It was because of them, right? Don’t worry, your Senior Sister knows how to handle these social matters too~”
Just as Meng Li wanted to explain, her mouth was covered. Ye Qinglian’s gentle voice swirled in her ear, her exhaled sighs making Meng Li feel her body go numb and weak.
“Then, Little Junior Sister, wait here for a moment. I’ll be done dealing with this very quickly~”
Set back down on the ground, Meng Li didn’t react for a moment before she saw Ye Qinglian, stepping with light, graceful strides on lotus blossoms, appearing in the center of the crowd. However, the crowd hadn’t yet snapped out of it and were still complaining to each other.
“Crap! I-I’m still alive! What happened? What the hell was that just now?!?!”
“Damn, wh-what was all that? Wasn’t she supposed to be a soft persimmon?!?!”
“I told you, the way the Boss ran off just now! It definitely wasn’t simple!”
……
As the group was still feeling fortunate about their narrow escape, an incomparably beautiful figure appeared in their midst. These Outer Sect disciples were momentarily entranced. With a slight lift of her finger, a jade zither radiating Spiritual Power slowly materialized before them.
“Everyone here seems to have had a small unpleasantness with my Little Junior Sister. Why not let me use this Spirit Jade Zither to soothe everyone’s minds and forget those unhappy memories~”
Seeing the weapon Ye Qinglian brought out, Meng Li’s eyes immediately went wide. That was Ye Qinglian’s bonded weapon! Back when Meng Li was in the game, she hadn’t just deceived her Senior Sister’s body; she had also pocketed the other’s weapon.
Perhaps due to her weapon, Ye Qinglian’s agility stat was always maxed out on her character sheet. Every time Meng Li deceived Eldest Senior Sister, it felt incredibly satisfying. She just didn’t understand why the current Eldest Senior Sister always seemed so profoundly scheming.
“Heaven-Observing Eye, Spirit Jade Zither! Seductive Bone Physique, Spirit Bird Voice! It’s her! She’s Ye Qinglian, the Eldest Senior Sister of Jade Candle Peak!!”
“She’s one of the Five Beauties of the Sect, the Spirit Sound Beauty!!”
“I-I can’t believe it! To actually see her in person!!”
…………
The previously dejected crowd instantly became energized, as if injected with adrenaline. Meng Li watched with a face full of black lines as those male disciples acted. If they were in the game, they would have been killed by her who knows how many times over.
“Oh my, it seems everyone has heard of me. But those empty titles aren’t really that important~”
“Ah, Sh-Senior Sister! I’m your fan! I-I joined the sect one term after you! I-I’ve always…”
“Oh my, while I’m very happy, it seems you’re standing a bit too close to me~”
“Eh?”
The male disciple before her hadn’t yet reacted when a heavy blow suddenly struck the back of his head. Ye Qinglian gently held up the zither in her hand and slowly opened her eyes. Although they were that brilliant sky-blue, a flash of red light appeared deep within.
Meng Li had thought her Senior Sister would use sound techniques to erase their memories. She hadn’t expected the other to directly swing the long zither in her hand! The square zither, crafted from profound jade bone, was incredibly hard. Even made as light as possible, it still weighed a thousand jin.
“Wh-what’s happening?! Murder! Someone’s been killed!”
“Don’t worry, you will forget everything that happened today. No nightmares, no lingering memories. You are truly so fortunate~”
[Spirit Art: Prison of Painted Ground]
Standing in the distance, Meng Li watched the scene before her with trembling eyes. Ye Qinglian, holding her jade zither, strolled through the crowd. Wherever lotus blossoms bloomed, screams followed. The crowd wanted to flee but were trapped within the barrier.
“One, two, three, four~ and seven or eight more~”
Ye Qinglian casually swung the weapon in her hand. The smile at the corner of her mouth was gentle, yet tinged with a hint of seductive charm. Meng Li had rampaged through crowds in the game herself, but even that was a censored version. Watching the disciples fall one by one before her…
Meng Li could no longer bear it. Her face filled with terror, she collapsed onto the ground. Fresh blood slowly dripped from the corner of the zither. Ye Qinglian turned around with a smile, not a single drop of blood staining her, while all around lay disciples strewn about in utter chaos.
“Oh dear, how careless of me. I actually forgot that Junior Sister is still so young and saw such a disgraceful act from me~”
“Shi… Senior Sister…”
“Rest assured, they aren’t dead. They’ve simply forgotten today’s events~”
Meng Li watched the other’s sophistry. The disciples were bleeding profusely. How could Meng Li possibly believe that Ye Qinglian hadn’t killed them? Back in the game, when she and the other had used sect disciples to refine banners, Ye Qinglian had always looked like she couldn’t bear it.
Ye Qinglian had been forced by Meng Li to become a villain. But now, the Ye Qinglian standing before her, with that gentle smile, showed no trace of the Ye Qinglian from the game.
“Shi… Senior Sister, wouldn’t using your sound techniques to erase their memories be faster…”
Meng Li swallowed hard. Though fear still lingered in her heart, she forcefully suppressed the trembling within and asked this final question. Yet, Ye Qinglian tilted her head with a thoughtful look, and then, with a beaming smile, answered the question.
“In that case, how would I get to see such an amusing reaction from Little Junior Sister~?”
……………
…
