Into The Sea

Her bone-white hands tightened around the woman’s slender neck, slamming her to the ground. Wutong was startled and quickly called out, “Demon Lord!”

“Stay back,” Ji Xing said, looking at the woman pinned beneath her. She smiled, “Do you really think you can kill me with just this much strength?”

Ji Lingyue gasped for air, her eyes bloodshot and wide with fury. Her fingers dug deep into Ji Xing’s flesh, and blood oozed from the wounds. Ji Xing gave a dry cough, her face slowly turning red, but she still laughed freely.

“If you keep this up, I might think you’re reluctant to kill me.”

Tears of blood streamed down Ji Lingyue’s face as her body trembled violently. The faint golden light in her palms flickered like a dying candle in the wind, slowly becoming extinguished. At that moment, a cold breeze began to swirl around her, blowing her disheveled hair away from her face.

Ji Lingyue closed her eyes in despair, her back arching as she let out an agonized scream.

“Aaahhhh!!!”

The nearly unconscious mermaid heard the sound, her eyelashes fluttering open. Through her blurry vision, she saw wisps of black energy swirling into Ji Lingyue, almost engulfing her completely. Lan Wu stared in shock, her mind suddenly flashing back to many years ago when she first entered Haochen Mountain. She remembered the words she had seen on the first page of The Path to Enlightenment.

“The light and pure qi rises to form the heavens; the heavy and turbid qi sinks to form the earth. Those who draw in the pure qi enter the path of immortals; those who draw in the turbid qi become demons.”

Lan Wu’s eyes widened as she finally understood. “No…” she whispered, struggling to free herself from Yao Zhu’s embrace. She stumbled towards Ji Lingyue, “No…”

A trail of bloody footprints marked her path. Lan Wu coughed violently, her vision swimming as she collapsed to the ground. She pushed herself up, crawling desperately toward Ji Lingyue.

The chaotic energy around Ji Lingyue grew more intense. The golden light in her palm was gone, replaced by a thick black energy that burned Ji Xing’s skin.

Yet, she didn’t resist, staring into the woman’s red eyes, so similar to her own. “Yes, like that,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “Like that, you can… cough… you can kill me…”

Hot tears splashed onto Ji Xing’s face, but Ji Lingyue no longer wore an expression of pain. She grinned through her tears, trembling with a twisted, almost manic joy.

“Kill you,” she murmured.

Her long black hair whipping around her in the howling wind. Sinister demonic patterns silently crept up the back of her pale neck.

She tightened her grip on Ji Xing’s fragile throat, murmured again and again:

“Kill you…”

Suddenly, arms wrapped around her from behind, a trembling voice crying, “Ah Yue! Stop!”

Ji Lingyue ignored the plea. The swirling black energy enveloped them completely, cutting them off from the outside world. Lan Wu swallowed the metallic taste in her throat and clung to Ji Lingyue’s waist, trying to pull her away from Ji Xing. “Stop. You can’t…” she choked out, her voice cracking with sobs. “You can’t become a demon!”

Demons, in the eyes of humans, were darker and more evil than the demon race. Once one became a demon, their own kind would abandon them.

Her Ah Yue was a proud disciple of the immortal sect, a bright and righteous sword cultivator who had vowed to travel the world and vanquish demons. She couldn’t… she couldn’t fall into this abyss of eternal damnation.

Seeing that Ji Lingyue remained unmoved, Lan Wu’s agitation worsened her internal injuries. She clutched her chest, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

The hot, sticky blood splattered onto the Ji Lingyue’s shoulder, and a few drops landed on her rigid face. Ji Lingyue’s lashes trembled, and after a moment, she blinked, her red eyes slowly turning towards Lan Wu.

Lan Wu’s face was as ghostly pale, and her eyes were unfocused as she coughed up another mouthful of blood.

The strong, metallic scent of blood filled the air.

For the first time, Ji Lingyue’s body stiffened.

Her exhausted gaze locked onto Lan Wu, who, finally unable to hold on any longer, slumped, her body falling toward the ground. Ji Lingyue’s eyes widened, as if finally understanding. She frantically caught her, crying, “Lan Wu!”

Freed from Ji Lingyue’s grip, Ji Xing coughed violently. After a moment, she caught her breath and sat up, rubbing her neck as she looked at the two women clinging to each other.

Ji Lingyue had her back to her. The black energy around her had dissipated, and the demonic patterns on her neck were slowly fading. Ji Xing’s face darkened as she pressed her lips together.

“Lan Wu… Lan Wu…” Ji Lingyue called her name over and over, tears streaming down her face. She tried to press her trembling hands against the bleeding wounds on Lan Wu’s body.

Then, a powerful force suddenly dragged her away. Ji Xing bound her hands and conjured a thin needle that pierced Ji Lingyue’s dantian.

Ji Lingyue cried out in pain, realizing that her spiritual channels had been sealed.

Her red eyes glared at Ji Xing:

“You—you—!”

Ji Xing looked at the faint demonic energy that still lingered on her body, and the corners of her mouth twitched. “Forget it. I’m not in a hurry. Wutong.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Separate the contracted beasts and their masters as I suggested earlier. As for this mermaid, lock her up in the water prison. Make sure she stays alive.”

Wutong looked up, puzzled. “My lady, aren’t you going to stay and watch?”

“What’s there to watch? It’s boring.” Ji Xing glanced at Yun Chuhe, who was still sitting quietly. “Since Demon Lord Yun is staying behind, nothing will go wrong. I’m leaving.”

Wutong nodded. “As you command.”

When he looked up again, Ji Xing and the cultivator had vanished. He was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly looked at Yun Chuhe. “Demon Lord Yun…”

Yun Chuhe sighed. “Let’s begin.”

“Yes.”

“Wait,” she frowned, suddenly remembering something. She conjured a small white porcelain bottle from her palm. Wutong reached out and caught it, puzzled. “What is this for, my lady?”

“Give it to that mermaid,” Yun Chuhe said, glancing at Lan Wu. “Didn’t you hear? She mustn’t die.”

Wutong nodded. “Understood.”

Translation note:
Demon race are different from those in the demonic path.

Ji Lingyue was about to be come a demonic cultivator, which is worse than demons.