Chapter 689: The Girls’ Encounter

Chapter 689: The Girls’ Encounter

“Help from outsiders? What do you mean, Master? Could it be those cultivators who came over?”

Qin Dao gritted his teeth, having thought that Qin Shili would not only be disgraced but would also have to fight against her fellow cultivators, yet things seemingly weren’t unfolding as he had anticipated.

“I can’t say for sure who it is. I have a vague feeling that a powerful person might be assisting. The Xuanyun Sect isn’t just a bunch of nobodies; their sect leader is quite formidable, perhaps it’s him. I encountered Su Lingjiang previously; the Demon Spirit within him has vanished. I don’t know what he’s gone through. They were initially unable to control it, and later on, even less so. It’s possible someone from the Xuanyun Sect intervened.”

Wu Zhao stroked his long beard, clearly perplexed. After all, things like this rarely happened to him, and the emergence of two major incidents in quick succession was indeed concerning.

“So what do we do? If those who have fallen into demonic paths are fine, our power will definitely wane.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t think this is an easy matter. Otherwise, with so many people in the world succumbing to demonhood, it wouldn’t be so simple to save them. I want to see if it was the Xuanyun Sect’s leader who made a move or if there’s someone else behind this.”

Wu Zhao leaned on his cane and took slow steps forward, a pitch-black portal appearing in front of him as he walked through.

“Come with me.”

“Okay, Master.”

Saying that, the two disappeared deep into the forest.

……

Lin Nuo was on lookout, having not spotted anyone nearby, he turned to Qin Shili.

“Alright, you can leave now. I’ll be waiting for you to join me later.”

At this moment, Qin Shili had donned a cloak and a face-covering mask, just like before.

“I hope you’ll truly come to my aid and not just vanish.”

“I won’t disappear. Just make sure you don’t vanish either.”

“I won’t. I will definitely wait for you to arrive, just like now.”

“Seems like I’m the one searching for you, right?”

“I’ve been waiting for you all along, every moment. You just don’t realize it.”

Though Qin Shili’s tone was cold, her stance was unwavering, with zero pretense.

“Alright, enough chit-chat. Let’s go.”

Lin Nuo pointed out a path to Qin Shili, the same one he took when ascending the mountain, marked along the way, allowing a quick descent while remaining hidden.

Lin Nuo also gave Qin Shili a ring; it was a sensing tool that would guide him to her when they needed to regroup, ensuring he could find her.

Moreover, it could provide basic awareness of her spiritual and Demon Soul Power levels. If her Demon Soul Power flared up unexpectedly, he would need to rush to assist her to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Reluctantly, Qin Shili set off, while Lin Nuo continued to scout behind, ensuring no one would catch up.

……

Liu Shuqin rested in the cave for a while and noticed that the snowstorm had ceased outside, and the brilliant sun was shining down, indicating things had improved greatly.

“What’s going on? Did the Master find the source?”

Liu Shuqin stepped out of the cave, relieved not to be greeted by a raging blizzard this time—it made everything much simpler.

“Let’s go take a look. If we don’t make progress, we’ll regroup with the Master.”

With the fluctuations in spiritual energy being even weaker now, Liu Shuqin felt utterly lost regarding where to find the source.

Suddenly, she felt inadequate; what would a junior brother do? How would he search?

As she pondered, she walked past the frozen river and the trees that had been flattened by the storm but now stood upright again. Halfway up the mountainside, she noticed someone approaching from the side.

Who is it? A fellow sect practitioner? Or…?

Her nerves tightened, and she became alert; in the wild, one should always be cautious.

“What is this?”

Liu Shuqin turned her gaze and saw a girl in a light blue cloak stop in her tracks, a mask obscuring her face, with eyes glimmering like crystal.

The girl noticed Liu Shuqin as well; she had been regulating her energy, ready to freeze anyone who obstructed her, ready to eliminate them if necessary, just like Lin Nuo.

But seeing it was Liu Shuqin, Qin Shili chose not to attack.

Same sect; there was no need to fight unless absolutely necessary.

“You are… Shili?”

Liu Shuqin felt she looked familiar, even with her face covered; some features were still obvious—like her crystalline eyes, snow-white long hair, and an air of nobility that was hard to conceal.

Of course, she dared not make a definitive statement, relying solely on intuition. Yet, regarding Lin Nuo’s words, she could confidently conclude it was her, even if Lin Nuo was disguised very well.

Qin Shili hesitated, not responding, uncertain whether to reveal her identity.

She chose to remain silent and continued walking forward, ignoring Liu Shuqin.

“You must be Shili, right? What happened here? Do you know? Is it related to your Ice Spiritual Root…”

Liu Shuqin bombarded her with questions, but Qin Shili remained silent, refusing to reply.

Silence; avoid trouble and leave this place.

Liu Shuqin followed closely, eager to uncover more, perhaps Qin Shili held the key to the whole situation.

“Shili, it’s been a while! I haven’t heard from you. Just seeing you safe and sound makes me really happy. This place has had a snowstorm and is shrouded in Demon Qi; it’s an ominous area. If you were sent by Xuanyun Sect, we should discuss countermeasures together.”

Liu Shuqin was persistent, trailing behind Qin Shili, but now the only ally Qin Shili had was Lin Nuo. The more they knew, the more disadvantageous it would be for her; who knew if they might plot against her?

Having Liu Shuqin tailing her was certainly not ideal; it could attract other cultivators, making it inconvenient.

Then I won’t hold back.

Qin Shili raised her hand, immediately freezing Liu Shuqin’s legs in place, halting her advancement.

Suddenly using Spirit Technique; something was up.

Liu Shuqin quickly adjusted her energy flow, using her internal strength to shatter the ice encasing her legs.

Though Liu Shuqin was weaker than Qin Shili, she still managed to break the ice.

“Shili, what’s going on? We’re from the same sect. There’s no need for hostility.”

Yet, facing Liu Shuqin’s words, Qin Shili remained unyielding in her silence. Though she didn’t mind well-meaning people, at that moment, she didn’t feel any goodwill.

No matter how kind one usually is, if they can’t help in times of need, they’re just empty praise.

At that moment, she sensed a wave of Demon Qi approaching, and it felt all too familiar.

What is this?

In an instant, she saw a wizard leaning on a staff and a man following closely behind him.

She recognized them; they were up to no good.

“Things are indeed looking up. This is beyond my expectations.”

Wu Zhao paused and stroked his beard. His appearance seemed amiable, but his malice was unmistakable.

Qin Shili said nothing and drew her sharp Ice Sword, launching a strike toward Wu Zhao and his accomplice.

“Master, be careful!”

Qin Dao, standing behind Wu Zhao, quickly drew his blade and charged forward to intercept Qin Shili’s attack.

In a direct confrontation, Qin Dao was no match for Qin Shili. With her eyes blazing with fury, her strikes were swift and lethal, aiming for his demise.

“Step back; you’re no match for her.”

Qin Dao complied, hastily retreating, while Wu Zhao conjured a protective barrier to block Qin Shili’s blade.

“Little girl, aren’t you yearning to cultivate demonic power? We are your allies, not your enemies.”

“Stop the nonsense.”

Qin Shili was furious, wanting to slash at the two of them to vent her anger.