Just as the system said, no matter who it was, privately traveling through planes was considered a major taboo. That mass of demonic energy was, and so was Xie Jingci.
The passage created by it was not protected by the Heavenly Dao and could collapse at any time. If anything went wrong, Xie Jingci would not only be permanently stranded in another time and space, but she would also very likely suffer severe punishment from the Heavenly Dao, doomed eternally.
This was a gamble with a slim chance of survival, but she had to do it.
Miss Xie.
Although Pei Du did not know the ins and outs of the situation, he knew the trip was critical and said in a deep voice, I will go with you.
The system hurriedly interjected: No, no, no, my passage is a delicate flower and cannot withstand the ravages of so many people.
With Xie Jingci entering alone, it could already cause considerable planar fluctuations. If the number of people increased to two, I am afraid the passage would collapse before they even had time to return.
It muttered to itself, scanning the young man up and down: Besides, with the way you look now, it is already a blessing that you have not fainted directly. What use would you be over there?
From its understanding, as early as when he took that blow from Bai Wan, this kid should have been unable to bear the severe pain and passed out.
The demonic energy was not completely wrong about one thing; in some ways, Pei Du was indeed a bit crazy.
Although I do not know exactly what happened, you can go with peace of mind!
Meng Xiaoting knew nothing about the demonic energy and the system. Seeing the urgency of the matter, she did not ask much about it, patting Xie Jingci on the shoulder: We will beat Bai Wan to the ground.
Even without knowing the cause and effect, Meng Xiaoting would still choose to believe her unconditionally—this was the most basic tacit understanding of being a good friend.
Thank you.
Xie Jingci took a light breath, meeting Pei Du's bloodshot eyes: When I come back, I will tell you everything exactly as it is.
The young man looked at her deeply, his pupils as black as ink. Soon, his long eyelashes fluttered, and the chill in his eyes dissipated, turning into an imperceptible smile.
Mhm.
Pei Du said, I will wait for you to come back.
Time was of the essence. Xie Jingci quickly entered the vortex and disappeared.
While unknown undercurrents surged on her side, the Langya Mystic Realm was equally fraught with murderous intent.
Bai Wan's strength far exceeded everyone's imagination.
Her cultivation had reached the Soul Formation stage, separated by a massive chasm from the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages. The reason her previous ice arrows were destroyed by Gu Mingzhao in one fell swoop was because she had underestimated her enemy and only used sixty percent of her power.
As the lofty matriarch of the Pei family, she had always lived in comfort and under the admiration of countless people. Now, having her moves broken by a junior, she felt a surge of anger and swore to kill the group in front of her.
Especially Meng Xiaoting.
If she had not used the shadow-recording stone to record the scenes in the Guiyuan Immortal Mansion, Xiao Yu would not have ended up in such a state, begging for life and death to no avail.
For the suffering Pei Yu endured, she would make them pay back a thousand or a hundred times over.
The spiritual power of a Soul Formation cultivator spread out layer by layer, causing the leaves in the forest to agitate endlessly, setting off monstrous green waves.
Although Gu Mingzhao had managed to restore his former cultivation, he had almost completely forgotten his incantations. In his desperation, he could only manipulate his spiritual power to surge upwards, converging into a solid wall of wind.
Mo Xiaoyang drew his sword to block the thunder and lightning, speaking with some difficulty: Is this woman ever going to stop? Does she never feel tired?
They had been fighting for an unknown amount of time, and their spiritual power was slowly bottoming out.
However, Bai Wan's expression remained unchanged from beginning to end, her eyes filled with bone-piercing coldness, and her attacks did not stop.
This was the gap between Nascent Soul and Soul Formation.
If one were to compare carefully, they would find that whether in combat skills, experience, or weapons, the two were far inferior to her. As for the reserve of spiritual power, it was like a trickling stream meeting a vast river, a world of difference.
If they continued to defend blindly like this, once their strength was exhausted, the two of them would definitely be defeated.
Mo Xiaoyang had fought many battles in the Ghost Domain and quickly made a decision: I will take the left, you take the right. Surround her.
As soon as he finished speaking, a roaring flame appeared.
The fire blazed brightly, weaving a continuous stretch of red. The leading part slightly raised, actually having the momentum of a flood dragon lifting its tail, pouncing fiercely towards him, covering the sky and the earth.
Gu Mingzhao tried to help, but he was too busy taking care of himself.
Several ice arrows condensed in the air again, adding a violent murderous aura compared to before. The ice arrows paused in mid-air for just a brief moment, and in the next blink, several arrows were fired at once!
Clouds surged and winds flew, lifting thunder and lightning.
The oppressive force was unstoppable, freezing the air itself. Gu Mingzhao concentrated and gritted his teeth, gathering spiritual power in his palm. The white light extended like butterfly wings, crashing out to both sides, converging into a translucent white barrier.
The two opposing forces collided, bursting out with a blindingly fast light that made it impossible to open one's eyes. In the next instant, two shadows, one on the left and one on the right, suddenly attacked forward, aiming straight for Bai Wan's face!
Spiritual power surged through the forest like a river pouring from the sky. Clanging sword light, violent talisman intent, and streaks of spells flashed endlessly. At the height of the battle, one could only catch glimpses of three intersecting afterimages that could outshine the blazing sun.
Meng Xiaoting only had Golden Core cultivation. If she rashly intervened, it would only cause trouble for Mo Xiaoyang and the other.
She was a smart person. She had prepared the necessary pills and talismans, quietly waiting on the sidelines for an opportunity. Unexpectedly, the chance to strike did not come. Instead, a rustling sound came from behind her, a very strange noise.
Unlike the thunderous sounds of the battle, this noise was secretive and faint, accompanied by a low groan like a whimper.
She looked towards the sound and actually saw the Memory Spirit that should have been lying in the corner, devoid of life.
It had been cut open alive by Pei Du, but it had not died immediately.
Because the divine senses in its stomach had all escaped, the human faces on the Memory Spirit had disappeared. The place that had been cut open had not healed yet, looking very much like a pitch-black, slightly open rift valley, bizarre and terrifying.
Its body trembled incessantly, and Meng Xiaoting felt an incredibly strong anger, along with a ruthless murderous intent directed at her and Pei Du.
Oh no.
Her head throbbed. Bai Wan had not been dealt with yet, so why had this thing shown up too?
Pei Du had already been unable to hold on a long time ago. It was only after Xie Jingci left safely that he finally closed his eyes and fell into a coma.
Now the Memory Spirit was furious and coming in aggressively, and the only one who could face the enemy was her.
Is this reasonable?
If she really fought that thing, she would probably be torn to pieces by the enraged monster in less than ten moves.
Looking at the Memory Spirit's stance, it seemed to want to swallow Pei Du alive.
Meng Xiaoting braced herself and took a step forward, blocking him.
This was a true dead end.
If she faced the Memory Spirit, it would most likely end in a crushing defeat, while Mo Xiaoyang and Gu Mingzhao were also locked in a bitter struggle. Once their spiritual power was exhausted, they would die at Bai Wan's hands.
These two great threats were more formidable than the last. What kind of terrible luck did they have this time to have to face this...
Wait.
In a flash of inspiration, Meng Xiaoting's eyes flickered.
She, Mo Xiaoyang, and Gu Mingzhao had a deep relationship, but Bai Wan and the Memory Spirit... should not know each other, right?
The fierce battle not far away was still ongoing.
Bai Wan's murderous intent did not diminish in the slightest. Her use of the five elements spells was masterful, and wherever her fingertips pointed, boundless killing intent followed. In contrast, the two people beside her were already showing obvious signs of fatigue. Their attacks gradually slowed, and their movements were no longer as smooth and flowing as before, revealing a bit of haste and strain.
Would they all perish here today?
Mo Xiaoyang thought very seriously. Miss Xie had once said that regardless of whether they could retrieve their lost memories, once they left the Langya Mystic Realm, she would take them to the Number One Restaurant in the World for a grand feast. Poor him, he hadn't even tasted a single bite before he was about to meet his end in this place.
His thoughts ran wild. He felt that with death imminent, his last thoughts shouldn't be about gorging on food and drink, otherwise it would be truly pathetic.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly noticed a stir in his divine sense. Within his surging sea of consciousness came a familiar female voice: "Quick, quick, quick, dodge!"
...Meng Xiaoting?
Mo Xiaoyang momentarily distracted himself from the duel and discreetly glanced backward. After seeing the scene beside him clearly, he instantly gasped.
Meng Xiaoting was running wildly.
The pitch-black monster behind Meng Xiaoting was also running wildly.
He didn't know what method she had used to infuriate the Memory Spirit so much. As it chased after her in a humiliated rage, it looked like a puddle of flailing mud.
Gu Mingzhao had obviously also heard her telepathic message, and his movements paused.
It was getting closer and closer.
Bai Wan's five senses were incredibly sharp, and she quickly noticed the evil entity gradually approaching. The moment she turned around, Meng Xiaoting took a deep breath, darted to the side, and shouted at the top of her lungs: "Hold on! Backup is here!"
This dodging movement to the side had been planned by her for a long time.
But for the Memory Spirit, it was completely unexpected.
There was no Newton in the cultivation world, but fortunately, the glory of inertia lived on forever.
Its forward diving momentum could not be easily retracted. It watched helplessly as Meng Xiaoting swiftly dodged, while its body could only continue forward uncontrollably. And along this path led by Meng Xiaoting, at the very end... stood a woman exuding murderous intent.
Bai Wan frowned impatiently.
Meng Xiaoting's loud voice was truly attention-grabbing. The word "backup" had barely dropped when she looked back and sure enough, saw a black shadow diving towards her.
The black shadow was rushing in a hurry and moving extremely fast, obviously harboring the intent to fight her to the bitter end.
She couldn't help but sneer.
Just because it saw those two juniors get hurt, it got so angry it looked like it was going mad, even willing to risk its life to crash straight into her talisman?
Such emotions were ridiculous and childish, and she had always disliked them. She might as well kill it today as a sacrifice.
The Memory Spirit was very confused and bewildered.
It was full of question marks from beginning to end.
It had been desperately chasing a girl who spoke insolently. In a moment of inattention, it missed her. Just as it planned to turn around to continue catching her, spiritual energy suddenly erupted beside it.
This power was exceptionally formidable, as if trying to tear it into pieces instantly. The Memory Spirit looked up and realized it was the woman at the end of the path.
She was very strong.
Truly worthy of being the "savior" the girl spoke of.
Out of extreme anger, the monster's body began to tremble.
This group of people had stolen the treasures it had painstakingly collected for years, and now they shamelessly wanted to eradicate it completely. It was weak and alone, definitely not their match. To exact revenge, the only way was to fight to the death.
So what if she was a savior?
She still had to obediently fall by its hands!
In an instant, the wind rose, and as leaves fell, the two confronting figures exerted their power at the same time!
There was nothing more logical in the world than this.
Gu Mingzhao was dumbfounded, while Mo Xiaoyang laughed until he convulsed.
The enraged monster reached the peak of its frenzy, only wanting to completely devour the memories of the woman before it. It suddenly gathered its power, merging it into one hideous vortex after another.
With her murderous intent at its heaviest, Bai Wan's mind was only focused on a quick resolution. She also drew out vast spiritual energy, directly meeting its attack.
Unfortunately, compared to Pei Du, she did not have a system in her sea of consciousness to act as cover.
When her spiritual energy touched those vortexes, it unexpectedly couldn't break them in the slightest. Instead, she herself was sucked in by the vortexes, and a piercing pain came from her sea of consciousness.
Something... was slowly slipping away from her sea of consciousness.
What on earth was up with this monster?!
It had won.
Seeing the woman's eyes gradually lose focus as her knees gave way, dropping straight to the ground, the Memory Spirit couldn't help the wild joy in its heart, its round body trembling incessantly.
Unfortunately, this joy did not last long.
It had suffered a fatal injury at the hands of Pei Du and Xie Jingci. That strike just now had almost taken half of its life. Before it could leap into the air, a sharp pain spread from the top of its head, rapidly diffusing to every corner of its body.
It belatedly turned its head and saw an unremarkable, ordinary face.
The Memory Spirit didn't recognize this face, but it remembered this clear and pure immortal power.
Many years ago, when it was forgotten by everyone, it should have dissipated without a trace.
"Long time no see."
Gu Mingzhao grinned: "Farewell forever."
The moment the immortal power exploded, the monster was like a suddenly deflated balloon.
Not a trace of the spiritual energy used to fill its body remained, leaving only a thin layer of black veil that fluttered to the ground. Falling alongside it were several round clusters of light.
Knowing it couldn't survive in their hands, the Memory Spirit had simply acted out of desperation, turning into a mad dog that bit anyone it saw. It happened to encounter Bai Wan and swallowed an unknown amount of her memories.
Unlike its beloved pale gold divine sense, these clusters of light varied in color. There were light red, goose yellow, snow white, and even murky gray-black, symbolizing various memories that were boring, thrilling, joyful, or oppressive.
Mo Xiaoyang picked up one of them and observed it carefully: "What are these things? Could they all be Bai Wan's scattered divine sense?"
Gu Mingzhao, having narrowly escaped death, leaned against the tree trunk and let out a long sigh: "Holding someone else's divine sense, be careful not to get sucked into that memory."
"I actually hope I can look through all of these divine senses."
Meng Xiaoting smiled, carrying a somewhat mysterious implication, and slowly lowered her voice: "Aren't you guys looking forward to it? If we rummage through carefully, maybe we can find... the memory of when she conspired with Pei Yu to frame Pei Du."
She still carried many recording stones on her. Whether she could shock the entire cultivation world in one fell swoop depended on this.
The young girl pinched her fingertips slightly, frowning in some unease, and looked towards the near distance. The dust had settled on their side, but she didn't know how Cici was doing at this moment.
To be honest, Xie Jingci's state at this moment could not be called very good.
She had exhausted the spiritual energy in her body during the duel. Although she had taken pills to replenish it, everything required a gradual process. Hoping to instantly return to her peak state through pills was no different from a fool's dream.
As for the deep and shallow wounds all over her body, they were even more of a headache.
She wore a green skirt today, and against the pale sprout-like hue, the crimson bloodstains appeared exceptionally glaring. No matter which corner Xie Jingci stood in, she could instantly attract the sympathetic or shocked gazes of many people.
Especially since she was currently in an inn with people coming and going.
Xie Jingci had been to this inn before and retained a vague impression of it. She only remembered that it was built near the Ghost Mound and was named Junlai.
According to her memory, the Junlai Inn was a dilapidated and deserted place. Yet looking around now, she saw quite a few people gathered inside, with the sound of overlapping conversations filling the air.
A muscular young man tilted his head back, downed his wine, and let out a long breath. "Finally done! That guy won't be showing up again, right?"
"His meridians are severely damaged, and he took a combined fatal strike from all the major elders."
Another person took a sip of wine and said slowly, "If you ask me, a heinous villain like him should have been sent to the Immortal Alliance's dungeon to be properly tortured. Dying so easily is far too good for that demon."
"I heard they originally planned to lock Pei Du in the dungeon."
A scholar-like young cultivator chimed in, "Who would have thought he would actually jump off such a high cliff? Right below is the Bone-Eroding Land, the most dangerous place of all. He is completely finished this time; there is no way he survived."
Pei Du.
At the sound of that name, Xie Jingci's eyelashes fluttered.
"Strange to say, I keep getting this weird feeling. Compared to the last time we crusaded against him, Pei Du's cultivation seemed to have dropped."
Someone scratched his head. "It is indeed a bit strange that we won so easily this time. Somehow, I feel like he wasn't using his full strength."
"What's so strange about that? Do you think he would willingly come just to throw his life away?"
The muscular youth took another gulp of wine. "As the old saying goes, pride comes before a fall. The last time the righteous factions besieged him, he broke out of the encirclement entirely on his own. Since then, he must have become overly confident, believing himself to be truly invincible."
Pei Du would never think that way.
Xie Jingci quietly argued in her heart. The reason he lost so easily was likely because he had made a deal with the Heavenly Dao.
Thanks to the scattered bits of intelligence she gathered in the inn, she had finally pieced together the current situation.
Pei Du had fallen deep into demonic ways and had long resided in the Ghost Tomb. The righteous factions had previously attempted to crusade against him, but outmatched in strength, they could only retreat in a sorry state. This was their second siege. He lost very quickly, was struck by magical arts, and plummeted into the bottomless abyss.
More accurately, he fell into the Bone-Eroding Land, the most desolate and perilous area in the entire Ghost Tomb, a place regarded as a lair by evil spirits and wild beasts.
Xie Jingci had never set foot in the Bone-Eroding Land before.
Therefore, when she wandered around the Ghost Tomb for a good while and finally arrived here, she couldn't help but shiver.
Because it was situated at the bottom of the abyss, jagged and bizarre stone walls surrounded her in all directions. The layered rocks completely blocked out the sky and the sun, preventing even a single ray of sunlight from seeping through. Aside from the darkness, the only thing occupying her senses was a bone-chilling cold.
This was a common sight in the Ghost Tomb: desolate, lonely, and freezing. It was a place of near-certain death where one could rarely find a way out.
For so many years... Pei Du had been living in a place like this.
Xie Jingci unconsciously frowned. She condensed her spiritual energy, emitting a white light bright enough to illuminate the path ahead.
The Bone-Eroding Land was completely devoid of human presence. Once the silence reached its absolute peak, it felt like a thousand-pound boulder pressing heavily against her chest, making even breathing feel difficult.
There was no sound anywhere, and the air seemed to have stopped flowing. Amidst the empty, dark tide, her footsteps suddenly came to a halt.
In the pitch-black gloom, a sinister laugh rang out. "You found me?"
It was a voice identical to Pei Du's. Xie Jingci guessed its identity and replied with an equally indifferent smile, "What a coincidence."
It was the demonic energy that had been forcibly sent back to this world by the system.
It had been dead set on taking over a brand-new body to start life anew with a fresh identity. Thanks to her, not only had all its efforts been in vain, but it was also thrown back into this godforsaken, sunless place. To say it was furious would be an understatement.
"What are you doing here?"
Unable to figure out Xie Jingci's intentions, it displayed emotions of curiosity and confusion for the first time. "What, are you feeling guilty and want to stay here to keep him company?"
"And what are you doing here?"
Xie Jingci answered with a question of her own. "Not returning to Pei Du's sea of consciousness? Have you made up your mind to be a wandering ghost?"
Changing the subject usually meant denial.
The demonic energy let out a cold snort, its tone growing even more mocking. "If you aren't staying here to keep him company, then what did you come for? A word of comfort, a word of thanks? Do you think that is of any use?"
It smiled as it spoke, the hazy black mist brushing past Xie Jingci's cheek. "Aren't he and the Pei Du from your world fundamentally the same person? You like that Pei Du, so why can't you share some of that affection with him? Or is it that you despise his current situation and think he is too pathetic?"
"They are not the same."
Xie Jingci did not want to waste her breath on it and replied very quickly, "Feelings for one person cannot be divided and given to another."
Although the person in this world was also Pei Du, compared to the young sword cultivator who had lived and died alongside her, fighting shoulder to shoulder, there would ultimately be differences.
They were distinct individuals living out staggered roles. If she were to develop any inappropriate feelings for the Pei Du of this world, it would be irresponsible to any of the three of them.
The demonic energy's smile faded completely at some unknown point. "So you are unwilling to stay with him?"
It paused as it spoke, and after a very brief silence, it erupted into unbridled laughter, every sound striking her eardrums. "Did you hear that? Pei Du!"
Xie Jingci's heart gave a violent thump, and she abruptly looked up.
It was still dark all around, but from a secluded corner in the distance, the faint, metallic tang of blood drifted over.
She felt an unprecedented nervousness, her heart racing.
"This woman doesn't care whether you live or die at all, even though you sacrificed so much for her!"
The demonic energy laughed heartily, rapidly approaching the corner where he was. "You still have some strength left right now. Why not take this opportunity to make her stay here forever."
It was inherently vindictive and had not forgotten what Xie Jingci had done to it.
If she hadn't interfered, it would have long since occupied the other Pei Du's body, living as a chosen son of heaven, rather than returning to this dark abyss to linger on its last breath day and night.
Since she had ruined its plans, it would not let Xie Jingci have an easy time either.
This woman kept saying she wanted to go back, so it would do everything possible to trap her here, making sure she could never leave.
Pei Du had waited so many years, all for her.
Having experienced degradation, betrayal, and slaughter, his temperament was long different from before, having nothing to do with kindness. At such a moment, with the person he had yearned for over a decade suddenly appearing, there was no reason he would choose to let her leave.
Especially with it fanning the flames.
The Pei Du beside it made no sound.
In the thick, dark tide, Xie Jingci tried hard to make out his figure.
He stood in the corner, revealing only a blurry silhouette, taking a step back as if deliberately avoiding her gaze.
"You are so adept even at killing people. What is so hard about trapping her."
The demonic energy circled around Pei Du, its tone lowering. "You love her, don't you? To keep her by your side, you just need to use some necessary methods... You know exactly what you should do."
At this point, it chuckled softly. "Right, you still don't know. Actually, Xie Jingci also adores you. In that world, the two of them have already confessed their feelings to each other. The one who should be with her is you. You are just taking back what belongs to you."
It wasn't until these words were spoken that the figure in the dark suddenly trembled.
The demonic energy let out a barely audible scoff.
It was almost successful.
In this world, Pei Du was decisive and ruthless. To survive, he would point his sword at anyone. Love and romance were nothing more than another name for possessiveness. For Xie Jingci to face him was like a sheep entering a tiger's den.
If you like something, you must have it. There was no reason to hold back.
"Her spiritual power was weak just now. It was the perfect time to strike."
It said, "If you are willing, I can—"
The sentence abruptly came to a halt.
A flash of white light swept past, like a startled dragon in the darkness. The demonic entity was not wrong; Pei Du was indeed decisive and ruthless, willing to point his sword at anyone—and "anyone" naturally included it.
The white light reflected a frosty chill, and the incredibly sharp sword aura pierced through it in an instant, without a moment's hesitation. Right up until the moment of its death, the entity remained filled with shock and bewilderment.
Even Xie Jingci couldn't help but feel a little surprised when she saw the demonic aura violently dissipate.
Then came an increasingly intense sense of awkwardness.
"Um... thank you."
She tried hard to choose her words carefully. As she stepped closer, she caught a much thicker scent of blood. "Your injuries are very severe, aren't they?"
The people at the inn had said that most of his meridians were severed. Under such circumstances, forcibly channeling spiritual power would trigger unbearable, agonizing pain. That sword strike that had just slain the demonic entity must have drained the vast majority of his strength.
As she took step after step forward, the figure in the corner retreated once more.
And Xie Jingci finally realized the reason why Pei Du was trying so hard to hide.
Wherever she looked, aside from the horrifying bloodstains smeared across more than half the stone wall, there was also a surging, turbulent demonic aura that blended seamlessly into the darkness.
He had devoured the power of a demonic beast, which caused him to fall into the demonic path. The demonic energy within his body was not innate; it constantly clashed violently within his meridians, bringing about soul-crushing torment—just like right now.
The absolute extremes of black and red intertwined, evoking a sudden, inexplicable sense of dread.
The young man stood hunched over, trembling slightly, his right hand pressed tightly against the stone wall. Xie Jingci heard his hoarse voice, so raspy she could barely recognize his usual tone: "...It's frightening."
It sounded like a clumsy attempt at comfort.
Pei Du took a deep, heavy breath, suppressing the tremor in his words. "Miss Xie, don't look."
