89 - Douluo: Martial Spirit Blue Silver Grass

Reborn as the Villainous Senior Sister - Chapter 89 The ice lake was a natural hot spring, its divine waters constantly flowing and renewing, leaving no room for any impurities or filth to remain. Spring had just arrived, and although the air still felt chilly, a few wisps of mist rose from the lake, adding a touch of warmth to the scene. This place held too many painful memories from the past, so even though Jiu Ying bore injuries, she only stood by the lake at a distance, unwilling to undress and immerse herself in the water. "Senior Sister, aren't you coming in?" Fu Ling leaned over the edge of the lake, mist obscuring most of her flawless fair face, leaving only her bright, captivating eyes visible. Jiu Ying looked up and saw Fu Ling's two jade-like arms, with hints of pink, gently moving in the water, each motion pure and carefree. The same place, the same person, yet everything was completely different. A sense of wistfulness stirred in her heart, but she still couldn't thoroughly let go of the myriad of past pains she'd experienced. In response to the girl's inquiry, she could only shake her head. "My injuries aren't severe. You should rest in the lake. I'll keep watch outside." She kept watch for the entire night. During that time, a female cultivator brought two new sets of clothes, a white dress and a pink skirt, undoubtedly arranged by Gao Tian Lian's thoughtful care. Such ardent and proactive kindness only strengthened Jiu Ying's resolve to leave soon. As for the new clothes, she naturally did not accept them and left them on a stone wall outside the ice lake. At dawn the next day, she quietly left the Xuanyin Sect. It was so early that the sky was pitch black, with no hint of light. Fu Ling, still groggy, yawned incessantly during their journey. Her eyes wouldn't stay open, and she stumbled every few steps. With the darkness surrounding them, Jiu Ying worried she might fall, so she took the initiative to hold her hand, leading her slowly towards the Fuyang Sect. Interlocking fingers was something they had done countless times. Originally a simple action to express the closeness between martial sisters, after the events of the misty forest, it had silently taken on a different meaning. Walking beside Jiu Ying, Fu Ling felt the warmth in her palm and fingertips. Her drowsiness vanished instantly, replaced by a secret, sweet, and shyly joyful thought— Senior Sister was holding her hand again. She didn't understand what liking someone felt like or what it meant to be moved. She only knew she liked it when Senior Sister held her hand, liked it when she called her "Ling Ling," and liked every moment spent with her. Back at the Qingzhu Sect, she once asked Chun Xi about the feeling of liking someone. Chun Xi had replied that love was both sweet and painful, a pain unlike any other, aching when remembered, hurting even more when forgotten. Yet, despite the pain, it held an irresistible allure. Sweetness? Fu Ling thought, indeed, Senior Sister brought her sweet joy. As for the pain, she had yet to experience anything that made suffering feel sweet. Perhaps one day, when she felt such sweetness and pain from Senior Sister, she would know her feelings were genuine love. When that time came, should Senior Sister not say those words of affection, she would gladly express her heart to Senior Sister— After all, they would always be together. The love of a young girl was always so innocent and pure, even her fantasies about love were filled with beauty and longing. They had only been away for a few days, yet the world had grown increasingly chaotic due to the appearance of ancient demons. The reverse Cang symbol signified disease, the Drought Demon brought drought, the Plague Demon spread pestilence, the Feilian brought storms, and the Three Corpses stirred endless sinful desires in people's hearts. When Jiu Ying finally met Fang Yuan Qing, she learned that six ancient demons had escaped to various corners of the world, leaving disaster in their wake. "The ancient demons have entered our world, causing significant harm to the cultivation world. Torrential rains plague the west, drought the east; cultivators from both regions are suffering. Even demonic and monster tribes are affected. A few days ago, Lady Jiang and Lord Lin went to Wuhui Valley to subdue a demon, only to find it filled with demon corpses, all horribly dead, seemingly felled by an epidemic." With these words, Fang Yuan Qing sighed heavily, worry etched across her face. "The Jade Spring Hall has sent people to investigate the type of plague, but no results yet. If it's truly an ancient plague from the Plague Demon, both the cultivation and mortal worlds face a major catastrophe." Plagues spread rapidly, and finding a cure in a short time is extremely difficult. Though demons and monsters are the first to succumb, it won't be long before this spreads widely. Fang Yuan Qing's concern was not exaggerated. Fu Ling, listening on the side, also felt alarmed. She hadn't imagined the consequences could be so severe. Reflecting on the day they could've subdued all the ancient demons, only to be thwarted by two demonesses, she couldn't help but murmur resentfully, "Those two demonesses are to blame!" "Demonesses?" Fang Yuan Qing's expression changed slightly, puzzled. It was then that Jiu Ying recounted everything that had happened with the demonesses in the misty forest, also explaining how the ancient demons' powers had increased. Understanding dawned on Fang Yuan Qing, "The Sect Leader of Jinyin Sect did mention that ancient demons with only a fragment of a soul shouldn't trigger natural disasters. Who would've thought they'd absorb the power of their living forms, explaining the current situation." "Human greed knows no bounds. Now that demon plagues are rampant, I wonder if those two demonesses feel any remorse." Hearing this, Jiu Ying pressed her lips together, recalling how close she came to being bound to a demon, her voice turned colder, "Whether they do or not, once they released the ancient demons, it ceased to concern us. They brought this disaster upon themselves; let them resolve it. The immediate task is to subdue the Feilian in the west and the Drought Demon in the east." On this note, Fang Yuan Qing nodded and quickly recalled another matter. "Recently, there have been claims of seeing the celestial cultivator and dragon spirit in the cultivation world. It's unclear where the rumors originated from, but they've been taken seriously by the demon and monster tribes. Perhaps that's why they've been surprisingly well-behaved lately. With the plague raging, they lack the strength to provoke trouble. The Four Sects should send disciples to accompany you in subduing the demon this time." Celestial cultivator? Dragon spirit? Hearing this, Fu Ling's expression subtly shifted, sneaking a glance at Jiu Ying. Jiu Ying remained calm, showing no sign of panic, and agreed to the task without hesitation. After consulting with the Sect Leader, she decided to first take Fu Ling east to subdue the Drought Demon. As the most outstanding disciple of this Fuyang Sect generation, Fang Yuan Qing naturally accompanied them. In the east of the cultivation world lay a region called 'Dongshan Prefecture,' a place where spiritual energy was scarce and unsuitable for advancing in cultivation. While some individuals with extraordinary talent for cultivation resided there, the majority were average, untalented everyday folk. For this reason, Dongshan Prefecture, an unideal place for cultivation, was densely populated, home to low-level cultivators and numerous obscure sects. From their affinity with cultivation alone, they were nearly indistinguishable from mortals with unopened spiritual roots. Traveling through vast fields of wheat, Fu Ling saw countless people laboring diligently. Some used spiritual energy for planting, others applied magical means for watering, their actions so practiced it seemed they cultivated solely to aid in farming. For a moment, she thought she'd arrived in the mortal realm, for in her memory, cultivators valued cultivation above all, spending their days immersed in meditation—how could anyone spend all day tilling fields? Not only her, but Jiu Ying was equally surprised. Having lived two lives, it was the first time she realized there was such a harmonious, peaceful place within the cultivation world. Fang Yuan Qing had done her homework before arriving and knew a bit about Dongshan Prefecture's customs and social mores. Seeing Fu Ling's astonishment, mirth glinted in her eyes. "A century ago, before the mortal and cultivation worlds separated, many who couldn't cultivate lived here. They formed families and reared children with cultivators, and even after the worlds split and ceased to communicate, they didn't return to the mortal world. Offspring born of mortals and cultivators generally had poor cultivation talent. Besides, Dongshan Prefecture isn't conducive for cultivation. Over generations, it became a settlement for wandering cultivators. They are self-reliant, unconcerned with the Dao, abiding by the natural laws of life and death, living lives akin to mortal humans." Upon hearing Fang Yuan Qing's explanation, Fu Ling finally understood why Jinyin would have them begin subduing the Drought Demon here. The inhabitants of Dongshan Prefecture survived through farming. If the Drought Demon lingered long, the fields would soon dry out, inevitably shattering their peaceful existence. She looked up, suddenly feeling the sun's scorching intensity, noting the surrounding temperature had risen significantly. Jiu Ying noticed it too. The temperature here was unusually high, especially nearing noon, as if two suns shone fiercely, trying to evaporate all moisture from the world. Amidst the fields, a few healthy young men hurried home with buckets in hand, sweat drenching their foreheads and backs. Whether from fatigue or the unnaturally high temperatures, it was unclear. Watching the men disappear from view, Fang Yuan Qing's smile gradually faded, his voice growing somber. "It's the Drought Demon—only its presence can cause such a sudden temperature rise." Upon hearing this, Fu Ling furrowed her brow and took out the demon-suppressing staff from her robes. As expected, the red orb at its top was indeed glowing. Startled, she couldn't help but utter softly, "Look!" Fang Yuan Qing and Jiu Ying followed her gaze to where the jeweled tip pointed. It directed them toward the only river in Dongshan Prefecture, a river crucial for the sustenance of everyone in the region. This drought demon was hiding in the water! Jiu Ying took the demon-suppressing staff, her expression darkening slightly. At that moment, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief that they had arrived early; otherwise, the river, vital for the survival of Dongshan Prefecture’s residents, would have dried up under the demon's influence. Turning to Fu Ling, she instructed, "Prepare the Golden Light Mirror and the demon-suppressing talismans." Seeing her intent to immediately subdue the demon, Fang Yuan Qing hurriedly intervened, "It's not the time yet. I've received word from the Spirit Sword Sect, Xuanyin Sect, and the families of Si, Lu, and Su. They're sending help, and they should arrive by tomorrow." Fu Ling looked puzzled. Although the ancient demons had grown stronger, the drought demon was the weakest among them. She and her Senior Sister should be enough to subdue it. Why wait for Lin Yu Miao and the others? Noticing her confusion, Fang Yuan Qing looked slightly uncomfortable, unwilling to explain the entanglement of interests. However, Jiu Ying quickly understood. In chaotic times, it's easiest to become a hero. Just like Fu Xi back then, who became renowned overnight, revealing to everyone that the Qingzhu Sect, a small sect, existed. Initially, the four sects and eight clans were overwhelmed by demons and monsters, which is why they requested her help. Now that these creatures were plagued by disease, the disciples and heirs of these major factions suddenly had the time to come and lay claim to the glory of subduing a demon. Ultimately, Jiu Ying would still slay the demon, but who would receive the credit and fame was uncertain. The so-called righteous great clans, in truth, were more selfish than ordinary cultivators. If it were not for the ancient demon drought here tomorrow, but rather a notorious enemy from the demonic or monstrous tribes, would they still be as eager to assist? The answer was clearly no. What could've been handled simply was now unnecessarily delayed for another day. Inwardly, Jiu Ying smirked, a glimmer of amusement passing through her eyes. "In that case, let's wait for their arrival before taking action," she said. Since these large sects and families offered their help, she'd be very interested to see just how strong the individuals they send are. ※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※ Thank you to the lovely angels who cast powerful votes or nourished this story with nutrient fluids between 2020-11-05 21:23:52 and 2020-11-06 17:35:53~ Special thanks to the angels who threw landmines: Lan Yue, Passerby 1; Your support is greatly appreciated, and I will continue to work hard!