While scheming up ways to tease Lin Jiu, a sudden noise came from nearby. Wang Weizhi shifted his gaze and saw the body of a Wang family’s cultivator lift into the air. The man’s eyes widened in terror, but he made no sound before being unceremoniously ejected from the secret realm.
‘Hurting someone, huh? Useless fool!’ Wang Weizhi sneered inwardly, his gaze idly returning to the sandfall before him. The bright grains of sand cascaded from above, scattering light across the sandy platform before plunging into endless darkness.
Finally, his stiff, stone-like body regained mobility. Cracking his neck, he smirked mischievously and began inspecting the soulless shells around him one by one. He deliberately avoided heading in Lin Jiu’s direction—the most delicious treat, naturally, should be saved for last.
When he reached Qin Yunxi and Liu Qingyin, a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes. Extending his pinky, he wetted it with his tongue and then casually reached toward Liu Qingyin’s forehead.
“Let’s draw a turtle,” he said with a laugh.
Just as his fingertip was about to touch Liu Qingyin’s forehead, a sharp gust of wind swept diagonally across, forcing him back three steps.
Qin Yunxi stood there, sword drawn, coldly glaring at him.
“Well, well, Great Sword Immortal Qin,” Wang Weizhi said nonchalantly with a chuckle. “Your skill at playing dead is truly unparalleled. I went back and forth two or three times, yet I never noticed when your primordial soul returned.”
Qin Yunxi stepped forward, sheathing his sword coldly. “Show some respect and take your hand away.”
Wang Weizhi’s face carried a casual smile that did not reach his eyes. With a breezy tone, he replied, “Oh? And here I thought I was doing Great Sword Immortal Liu a favor, shooing away a pesky mosquito.”
“Wang Weizhi,” Qin Yunxi’s voice turned even colder. “Don’t think I don’t know—you harbor a deep hatred for Qingyin.”
Wang Weizhi’s expression faltered momentarily, his nicely-shaped brows furrowing for a slight moment before he chuckled dismissively. “Hatred? That’s a bit much. At most, I dislike her a little.”
Qin Yunxi’s tone remained icy. “Consider this a warning: don’t play tricks on us. Otherwise, I’ll make you wish you were dead.”
Hearing this, Wang Weizhi finally shed his flippant facade. He stared at Qin Yunxi for a moment before flicking his sleeves and turning away without another word.
His mood sank slightly. When he had entered the secret realm, the situation outside had been calm and peaceful, with no sign of trouble. But on the white jade platform, he had overheard his fellow clan members clamoring that the Wanjiangui Sect had slain twelve Great Sword Immortals of the Wang family. At the time, he had been skeptical. Now, witnessing Qin Yunxi’s attitude, he understood: the Wang family and the Wanjiangui Sect were on the brink of a full-blown feud. Otherwise, why would someone of Qin Yunxi’s status so recklessly accuse him of ‘deeply hating’ Liu Qingyin?
Although Liu Qingyin had once harmed his birth mother, Wang Weizhi did not hate her, let alone harbor grudges. Besides, no outsider could know the truth of the matter, and even Liu Qingyin herself was likely unaware that one of the devils she had injured was the wife of a retired Great Sword Immortal from the Wang family. At the time, his mother had indeed been gravely wounded, but his father had managed to find a spiritual medicine to save her, and she had long since recovered.
Admittedly, his earlier actions did carry a hint of venting his frustrations. Being caught in the act was somewhat embarrassing—his ears were still faintly red despite his outward composure. But beneath his calm exterior, his mind churned like a storm.
He stopped in front of Lin Jiu, his eyes fixed on her while his thoughts wandered elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Qin Yunxi had silently made up his mind—once Liu Qingyin returned, he would eliminate the defenseless Lin Qiu here and now, completely getting rid of the future trouble!
…
Lin Jiu watched Wang Weizhi’s figure gradually fade away, her expression becoming rather peculiar. “I could’ve helped you, so why run off so quickly?” she muttered regretfully to herself.
The black crow, perching on the jade pillow, had just parted his beak slightly to let out a low laugh when he suddenly bristled at her remark—’is she regretting not consummating with Wang Weizhi?!’
Flapping his wings, the crow lunged toward her and delivered a heavy peck to her finger.
But this time, Lin Jiu was prepared. She grabbed the crow in one swift motion, clasping him firmly between her palms.
“Caught you!” Lin Jiu laughed gleefully. “You little feathered creature, not only did you ruin my plans, but now you dare try to sneak attack me? Are you jealous of Wang Weizhi? Do you think you’re Wei Liang?”
The crow: “…”
Lin Jiu was also stunned for a moment, a self-mocking smile slowly tugging at the corners of her lips. “No, that’s impossible. How could Wei Liang ever be jealous because of me?”
The black crow stared at her, its tiny black eyes glinting faintly with a slight gleam.
“I wonder when Wei Liang will finally let me go,” Lin Jiu said with a troubled expression. “I don’t care about any of their affairs, nor do I want to know. All I want is to part ways with him peacefully… If Wang Weizhi is still willing to wait for me by then, that would be nice.”
The crow’s chest puffed up indignantly as it let out a series of agitated ‘caw-caw’ sounds, almost like sarcastic laughter.
Lin Jiu absentmindedly stroked its feathers, muttering to herself, “The more I think about it, the more it seems like the real key to passing this level is endurance. In such a harsh scenario, whoever can suppress their bloodlust and maintain their rationality the longest will emerge victorious. The next stage only has four spots, which means the extra people must be eliminated here. Liu Qingyin’s method of taking her own life was more of an exploit, using the loopholes in the rules to take a shortcut.”
She got up from the soft couch and started walking out. “Still, something doesn’t add up. By all logic, Qin Yunxi should be tailing me closely, watching my every move. Yet, so much time has passed, and he still hasn’t shown up…” She stuffed the black crow back into her embrace, her fingers lightly tapping her chin as a vague sense of unease crept over her.
‘What am I overlooking?’
‘Devil blood? The so-called elixirs?’
‘No, that wasn’t it.’ Lin Jiu silently shook her head. Huang Chuan was a legendary powerhouse, but he had died a long time ago, and all that was currently left of him was a wisp of a remnant soul, barely preserved by the True Illusion Mirror. Even in his heyday, he couldn’t possibly possess such heaven-defying power to easily transform people into devils and then back into humans.
If he truly had such power, he wouldn’t have struggled over the human-devil conflict in the first place, no?
So there was only one explanation—the body she was in right now wasn’t her real body at all!
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