Holding the Sword to Carry Away Senior Sister (Transmigration) - Chapter 33

After Fu Yan steadied herself, she immediately scanned her surroundings. However, thick white fog stretched out in all directions; she could see nothing, and she couldn’t even sense a single trace of anyone else’s aura.

Just a second ago, Bai Yueli and the disciples from the various sects were right in front of her. In the blink of an eye, every trace of them had vanished.

“What is… this place?” Fu Yan muttered, gazing curiously ahead.

She quickly realized she had likely been forcibly pulled into another space. It was probable that every disciple in the village had encountered the same thing.

“Could it be a secret realm?”

In these xianxia settings, secret realms often appeared abruptly, usually accompanied by the birth of treasures. Fu Yan recalled that in the original novel, a massive Ancient Battlefield secret realm appeared halfway through the Grand Sect Competition of the Northern Region.

Though she didn’t yet understand where she was, staying put would be useless. She decided to explore, stepping forward cautiously to feel her way through the fog.

Suddenly, a faint, delicate fragrance wafted through the air. It was somewhat like flowers, yet different. The scent was intoxicating, making one want to inhale more deeply.

Just as Fu Yan stopped and her eyes began to glaze over, she snapped back to her senses. She immediately circulated the True Essence within her body and briefly sealed her nose and mouth.

This scent was wrong; it could make a person lose themselves in a stupor.

At this point, Fu Yan realized this was no secret realm. It was more like an illusion array. Clearly, besides them and the demon, there was another party involved back in the village.

An illusion array of this scale was complex and tedious to set up. If she was truly trapped inside one, it meant—much like Lie Yan’s Blood Sacrifice Array—it had been prepared in the village long ago.

However, if someone had laid an illusion array, the protagonist Fang Yu, who sensed the sacrifice array, should have theoretically seen through this one as well.

After pondering for a long time without success, Fu Yan decided to focus on finding a way out. She groped her way through the fog for an unknown amount of time until she sensed a familiar aura.

She paused. A second later, Shui Liuqing stepped out of the white mist.

Seeing Fu Yan, Shui Liuqing also paused, but she soon broke into a smile. “It seems Junior Sister Fu and I are truly fated!”

Fu Yan: “…”

At a time like this, Fu Yan naturally didn’t want to be anywhere near Shui Liuqing. Inside an illusion array, no one would know what happened. Moreover, Shui Liuqing was an expert in poisons; she could kill someone without a trace.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Fu Yan unleashed her Wind-Shadow Steps and bolted into the fog to the right.

Because Bai Yueli had been around previously, Shui Liuqing hadn’t had a chance to be alone with Fu Yan. Now that they had met here, she wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip. Her figure blurred as she gave chase.

In this fog, there was no sense of direction. Fu Yan ran blindly, but the distance between them wasn’t great; the other woman could follow her aura.

Glancing back at Shui Liuqing’s relentless pursuit, Fu Yan chalked it up to bad luck and pulled out a Hiding Talisman. The gray talisman burned in her hand.

In an instant, she reached her maximum speed and vanished into the white mist. Shui Liuqing was forced to stop, as she could no longer sense any trace of Fu Yan’s aura.

“A Hiding Talisman… lucky you,” Shui Liuqing spat, finally giving up the chase. They were still in a mysterious array where danger could appear at any time; she didn’t want to lose her own life over Fu Yan.

After running for nearly a hundred miles, Fu Yan finally slowed down. She looked back at the fog to ensure no one was following before sighing in relief.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of fighting ahead.

Since the Hiding Talisman was still in effect, she curiously crept forward. She stayed at a distance, afraid of being discovered. Soon, the scene ahead came into view.

In an open space, three figures were visible. Fu Yan recognized two of them: Chun Hua, the girl from the village, and the demon Lie Yan.

The person standing opposite Lie Yan was someone Fu Yan had never seen before, though he was clearly also of the Demon Race.

“So, you’re not dead yet,” Lie Yan sneered at the man, Qiu Lang, looking at him as if he were a tiny ant.

Qiu Lang stared back with a dark smile. “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. Not only am I alive, but today, you will die by my hand.”

Beside him, Chun Hua’s face was filled with anxiety.

“A mere low-level wolf demon. I could kill you once, and I can kill you twice,” Lie Yan said, completely dismissing him.

Qiu Lang laughed. “Lie Yan, what can you do to me in your current state? Do you know where this is? You are all in my illusion array. If I were you, I’d get on my knees and kowtow for forgiveness. Maybe then I’d let you live.”

“What?” Lie Yan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You set this illusion array?”

Lie Yan had sensed something was wrong ever since being pulled into the fog, but he had wondered who among the group had such ability. He hadn’t expected the mantis-stalking-the-cicada to have a oriole behind.

“Impossible! You think you can fool me? With your skills, how could you set such an array?” Lie Yan refused to believe it. To set such a trap and pull everyone in required Hedo-stage strength at the very least.

Fu Yan was also surprised. Initially, she thought the two demons were allies, but they were clearly enemies. Was this really Qiu Lang’s doing? She felt something was off.

“Hmph!” Qiu Lang sneered and raised his hand, his face contorted with malice. “In that case, watch!”

As he moved his hand as if controlling something, the fog surged and surrounded Lie Yan. Inside the mist, Lie Yan suddenly felt as if ten thousand soldiers were charging at him.

Fu Yan was shocked; Qiu Lang really could control the array. However, she noticed his movements were clumsy; it seemed he hadn’t fully mastered it.

This was a contradiction. If he had set the array, how could he lack full control? If he hadn’t set it, how could he control it at all?

“You’re seeking death!”

Lie Yan was enraged. Even though he had lost an arm to Wang Qingyang and was heavily injured, he ignored everything and tore through the fog, lunging straight for Qiu Lang.

Lie Yan’s killing intent was absolute; he held nothing back. If the strike landed, Qiu Lang would surely die. Qiu Lang was caught off guard—he hadn’t expected Lie Yan to break through so quickly.

Just as he was about to be killed, Qiu Lang suddenly grabbed Chun Hua and pulled her in front of him.

With a sickening squelch, Lie Yan’s claws tore through Chun Hua’s chest. Hot blood sprayed everywhere. Qiu Lang used the moment to leap back and reach a safe distance.

Chun Hua didn’t even seem to realize how she died. She stared at the figure before her with wide eyes and, as Lie Yan withdrew his hand, she fell straight to the ground. Blood stained her dress, blooming across the dirt.

“Useless trash!” Lie Yan spat at her corpse, as if he had merely crushed an ant.

Fu Yan, witnessing this, felt a wave of disgust. As expected of the Demon Race—utterly cold and heartless. Lie Yan was one thing, but Chun Hua had been working for Qiu Lang, only to be used as a human shield. Fu Yan felt no pity; the girl had betrayed her village for this demon—her death was her own karma.

Lie Yan lunged for Qiu Lang again. This time, Qiu Lang was prepared. He manipulated the array, and the fog became like iron chains, binding Lie Yan in place.

Qiu Lang delivered a palm strike, shattering Lie Yan’s protective True Essence. The fragrance in the air was forced into Lie Yan’s lungs.

“HAHAHA! Rot in this illusion for all eternity!” Qiu Lang laughed as Lie Yan’s gaze became vacant, his soul seemingly drained.

Fu Yan had intended to wait for them to kill each other, but seeing Qiu Lang control the array made her hesitate. As Lie Yan lost himself, Qiu Lang breathed a sigh of relief. “There are still so many human cultivators for me to pick off. Die quietly here.”

As Qiu Lang turned to leave, Fu Yan had a bold idea that made her heart race: she wanted Lie Yan’s Demon Core.

This was the perfect opportunity. Once Qiu Lang left, no one else would be here. If she acted fast, no one would ever know. It was risky—she didn’t know if someone else was watching or if the array allowed Qiu Lang to track her—but she couldn’t let such a chance slip.

In cultivation, opportunities always come with risks.

Just as she was about to strike, the unexpected happened again.

Lie Yan, who was supposed to be lost in the illusion, snapped his eyes open. His gaze was full of madness and spite. “If I, Lie Yan, am destined to fall here, you won’t leave alive either!”

His power surged threefold, his body inflating as if about to explode.

“Self-detonation!” Fu Yan realized what he was doing and was horrified.

Qiu Lang had no time to escape. He could only circulate his True Essence to protect his vitals as Lie Yan’s body erupted.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion was followed by a pillar of fire. When the dust settled, everything was silent. Fu Yan looked out to see both demons as mangled remains. The air was thick with the stench of blood.

Knowing the sound would attract others, Fu Yan didn’t hesitate. She dashed forward, ignoring the carnage to search for the cores.

Because Lie Yan had detonated his body, his core was shattered, its spiritual energy nearly gone. However, because Qiu Lang had used his final strength to protect his vitals, his Demon Core was perfectly intact.

Fu Yan grabbed Qiu Lang’s core just as she heard footsteps in the fog. She didn’t have time for Lie Yan’s remnants; she immediately dove back into the mist and vanished.

After reaching a safe distance, she inspected the core. She smiled, satisfied. Though Qiu Lang was only a Late Opening Light demon, a whole core was better than a shattered one.

As she probed it, she made a startling discovery: there was a trace of Qiu Lang’s soul still inside.

It was incredibly weak—any cultivator could wipe it out—but it was there. Qiu Lang had been cunning; as long as his soul rested in the core, he could eventually regain consciousness. He just hadn’t expected someone to steal it.

Fu Yan was about to erase the soul when she paused. How do I get out of this array? If Qiu Lang could control it, he must know the exit.

Instead of erasing it, she injected a sliver of her own consciousness into his soul. The weakened Qiu Lang couldn’t resist. Fu Yan began to sift through his memories.

She saw his past: bullied by his own race for being mediocre, he fled and was saved by Chun Hua. He then used her to turn the village into his “farm” to grow stronger for revenge. Then Lie Yan arrived, wounded him, and stole the village.

Fu Yan skipped the drama and searched for information on the illusion array.

She finally found it. The array hadn’t been “set” by Qiu Lang. It wasn’t even strictly an array—it was a treasure!

The illusion world was a self-contained space within a treasure, much like a storage ring has its own space. Qiu Lang had found it by chance and only mastered a tiny fraction of its power.

Fu Yan’s heart hammered against her ribs in excitement. If I can refine this treasure… then this world is mine!