Chapter 101: Previous Life
Luo Jinxiao nearly fainted from the overwhelming stench of blood. She held her breath and set up a sturdy barrier, dispelling the last wisps of demonic energy before striding through the door.
The interior was unrecognizable, a scene of utter chaos. Countless papers smoldered with sparks, floating in the air and drifting to the ground trailing smoke.
The Netherworld Diagram stood in the center of the hall, emanating a faint, eerie glow. It resembled a painted scroll, but the images depicted were twisted and horrifying.
It slowly rotated, oozing sticky blood and flesh. The nauseating stench of blood originated from within.
A red figure was struck by the shockwave and staggered backward. Luo Jinxiao swiftly rushed forward, catching Qu Weiyin around the waist and steadying her.
Qu Weiyin looked back at her, then raised her hand again. The Crescent Star Sword hummed, rising from the ground and returning to her palm.
“This thing has been nourished by blood essence for so long, it’s truly become grotesque. Everything else is gone, but I can’t destroy the core of the Netherworld Diagram,” Qu Weiyin said, clenching her fists tightly.
Luo Jinxiao looked at the Netherworld Diagram. The images on it seemed to writhe, as if alive.
Their entrance had surely alerted the entire demon palace, perhaps the entire demon realm. They didn’t have much time.
Luo Jinxiao raised her hand and conjured an ice shard, launching it towards the Netherworld Diagram. However, it was like hitting cotton. Her divine power was absorbed, vanishing without a trace.
This thing was truly strange.
The horde of demonic creatures amassed outside grew larger, and the barrier was on the verge of collapse. The Netherworld Diagram’s glow suddenly intensified, forcing Luo Jinxiao to squint. At the same time, a figure flew in through the window, followed by a sword hurtling towards her.
Luo Jinxiao swiftly raised Wujue to deflect the incoming blade. The force of the impact sent the attacker crashing to the ground. She turned back, only to be shocked to find that Qu Weiyin had vanished.
Could she have been absorbed into the Netherworld Diagram?
The diagram was gradually regaining its original form. Meanwhile, the barrier finally succumbed to the relentless onslaught of demons. Luo Jinxiao suppressed her worry, turned, and with a single stroke of her sword, cleaved them all into fragments.
As the demonic energy dissipated, a tall, thin figure appeared beneath the archway.
“It’s you,” Yu Gui’s face was filled with rage. His thin lips pressed tightly together as he stared at Luo Jinxiao with bone-deep hatred.
“Luo Jinxiao, you dare invade my demon realm!” He radiated a violent aura, his withered, pale hand rising to conjure a long, black blade. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you, and now you’ve delivered yourself to me!”
The sight of his ghastly face ignited Luo Jinxiao’s fury. A murderous intent surged within her as she tightened her grip on Wujue. “You can’t destroy the Netherworld Diagram, stop deluding yourself! She has become the Demon Lord, and only I, Yu Gui, am her sole confidant,” he hissed, each word dripping with venom.
Luo Jinxiao spat in disgust. Suddenly, she smirked, her features shifting before slowly returning to normal.
“Do you see clearly now?” Luo Jinxiao raised an eyebrow.
Yu Gui’s eyes widened in disbelief. He took a few steps forward, then abruptly stopped, his rage bringing a reddish tint to his eyes.
“It’s you?”
“Yes, it’s me. What about it?” Luo Jinxiao lifted her chin defiantly.
“No, that woman was clearly a demon! You’re lying to me!”
“Who would bother lying to you?” Luo Jinxiao said lazily, rolling her eyes. She held Wujue in her right hand while black smoke swirled from her left.
Unlike celestials, demons, and yao, who had to cultivate their powers, the power of the divine race was innate, its strangeness and wonder beyond the comprehension of others.
Yu Gui watched as demonic energy materialized in her hand. His pale eyes suffusing with blood as he clenched his fist so tightly he broke the skin.
“She knew all along? No wonder you so easily gained her favor.”
“You two conspired to deceive me?”
As Yu Gui spoke, the demonic energy within the hall intensified, swirling with thick smoke that threatened to consume everything.
“I actually believed her,” Yu Gui muttered through gritted teeth, repeating the same phrase like a madman.
“And you want to destroy my Netherworld Diagram? Delusional!” He suddenly roared hoarsely, and the demonic energy transformed into a ferocious dragon, circling the room before charging straight towards Luo Jinxiao.
Although Luo Jinxiao possessed demonic power, she didn’t dare underestimate her opponent. Wujue flashed in the air, weaving streaks of white light that coalesced into a long whip, colliding with the demonic energy. The resulting explosion ripped through the roof, sending red bricks flying.
Yu Gui, consumed by madness, attacked Luo Jinxiao relentlessly. But Luo Jinxiao, with her back to the Netherworld Diagram, skillfully evaded his every strike, preventing him from getting close.
They exchanged blows, the surrounding walls crumbling under the force of their attacks. Yu Gui was driven to a frenzy.
“It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t appeared out of nowhere, the Demon Lord wouldn’t have betrayed us!”
“Nonsense!” Luo Jinxiao retorted, her ebony eyes gleaming with firelight. “Qu Weiyin was never truly a demon, so there’s no betrayal! On the contrary, you repeatedly schemed to drag her into the abyss, you’re truly disgusting! If I’m not mistaken, it was you who manipulated the Shengsi Sect into invading the demon realm and slaughtering innocents, pushing Qu Weiyin towards demonic transformation and frame her for the massacre. You heartless scoundrel, you have the audacity to speak of betrayal?”
“Yes, it was me,” Yu Gui admitted, a cruel smile twisting his pale lips. “So what? This is the Demon Lord’s inescapable fate!”
“To hell with fate!” Luo Jinxiao was exasperated by his irrational madness. Just then, a sword thrust towards her from behind. With lightning-fast reflexes, she twisted her wrist, deflecting the blade and plunging Wujue into Qing Yi’s heart.
She had long forgotten the taste of killing. Now, the violent energy within her seemed to revive, making her appear as if born from hell itself.
Qing Yi died without a sound, dissolving into black smoke.
Meanwhile, inside the Netherworld Diagram…
Qu Weiyin stood in a vast expanse. Beneath her feet stretched an endless frozen wasteland, blending seamlessly with the cloudless sky.
She called out Luo Jinxiao’s name, then fell silent. She knew where she was and suppressed the rising anxiety within her.
Suddenly, a fireball plummeted from the sky. Qu Weiyin instinctively retreated. As the fireball crashed to the ground, scattering sparks, she realized something was amiss.
The demonic energy and the techniques used resembled those of her past self.
She looked up. Sure enough, her past self had appeared in the sky at some point. Just like now, she wore flowing red robes, the Crescent Star Sword in her hand emitting a soft glow. She faced a vast army of cultivators, surrounded and attacked by various sects.
Shocked, Qu Weiyin instinctively looked behind her. A figure in blue clothes had appeared, watching the sky in terror before turning to flee.
“Jinxiao!” Qu Weiyin cried out, reaching out to touch the figure, but her hand passed right through.
Something was wrong. This wasn’t Luo Jinxiao. The figure was young, slender, with a girlish appearance. This was…
The battle in the sky shifted. The woman in red slaughtered those around her, driven to the brink of madness. She roared with anguish, her cries filled with despair and sorrow.
She was like a hunted animal, pursued relentlessly with nowhere to hide.
Embracing death, she unleashed her remaining power. Countless fireballs erupted, engulfing the surroundings in flames and lightning, destroying everything in their path, including those who had inadvertently stumbled onto the battlefield.
Qu Weiyin watched helplessly as the young Luo Jinxiao, unable to escape, was struck by the largest fireball.
The slender figure disappeared amidst the smoke and flames, collapsing silently to the ground.
Qu Weiyin couldn’t believe her eyes. Her throat constricted, preventing her from making a sound. She tried to reach out, but her hand grasped only empty air.
Luo Jinxiao’s dark eyes stared up at the sky, reflecting the firelight, the fleeing figures on their swords, and the descending figure in red.
She was calm, strangely calm, as if death itself held little significance.
“Jinxiao…” Qu Weiyin murmured, her heart heavy with the realization that Luo Jinxiao’s past self had died at her own hands.
It felt as if a giant stone had been dropped onto her chest, a dull, heavy ache that stole her breath. Tears welled in her eyes but refused to fall.
She truly was a harbinger of misfortune. It seemed that Luo Jinxiao had been harmed by her from the very beginning.
At some point, all the surrounding scenery vanished, leaving only Luo Jinxiao’s bloodied body slowly rising, turning to face Qu Weiyin.
Qu Weiyin clutched her robes, staring in disbelief.
“Luo Jinxiao” suddenly spoke, her voice devoid of emotion. “Qu Weiyin, do you know what your weakness is?”
“In this world, the easiest thing to destroy is the heart, and yet it is also the hardest.”
“You are too weak.”
“You can’t escape it. Everyone around you will suffer because of you. Haven’t you noticed? You are the root of all sorrow.”
Qu Weiyin suddenly felt her heart sink to the bottom of a deep pool, waves of sadness and self-reproach threatening to overwhelm her.
She squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth, reminding herself that this was an illusion.
The real Luo Jinxiao would never say such things.
“Do you know what my final fate is?” ‘Luo Jinxiao’ continued.
“I will still die before your eyes. It’s all your fault.”
“No.” Qu Weiyin’s eyes flew open. This single sentence nearly shattered her entire defense.
Without realizing it, her eyes had filled with tears. She shook her head continuously, her mind in chaos, consumed by sorrow, dizzy and heavy.
Those words echoed in her mind, and a terrifying truth began to dawn on her.
If it weren’t for her, Luo Jinxiao wouldn’t have died.
And even before that, if she hadn’t succumbed to demonic cultivation and strengthened the demon realm, the animosity between immortals and demons wouldn’t have escalated to such a degree.
If she didn’t exist, wouldn’t this world remain peaceful and prosperous?
“But I didn’t want any of this,” she cried, her voice trembling. “It’s not my fault.”
“I never wronged anyone, yet everyone wrongs me.”
Why should she bear the blame for everything? Qu Weiyin suddenly roared, and as a single tear escaped her phoenix eyes, a golden light erupted, filling the world.
Pure spiritual energy, unmixed with demonic power, shattered this frozen space. The howls and screams of demons and the stench of blood gushed forth. The Netherworld Diagram was torn apart from within, its paper fragments falling, each piece continuously seeping bright red blood.
Like a dying creature.
Qu Weiyin’s body reappeared. Her legs buckled, and she fell backward. Luo Jinxiao, having just delivered a blow that left Yu Gui half-dead, caught her in her arms.
She held the trembling woman close, her voice filled with concern. “Junior Shishu!”
Qu Weiyin saw Luo Jinxiao’s face clearly and suddenly burst into tears. She dropped her sword, wrapping her arms tightly around Luo Jinxiao’s waist and burying her face in her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Jinxiao,” she sobbed.
The netherworld diagram really pulled a this you? 😭