Transmigrated as the Villain’s Sword - Chapter 16

At dawn, when the first rays of sunlight pierced the clouds and fell upon the town, the townspeople finally awoke.

Wang Er and the others hiding in the inn hadn’t slept a wink out of anxiety. Seeing that sunlight, they breathed a sigh of relief as if reborn after a disaster, followed by faces full of excitement.

Last night, not a single one of them had come to harm!

Everyone cheered. Just then, the inn’s door was pushed open. Wang Er hurried forward to celebrate and offer thanks to the group. A wave of stench hit him, making him stop dead in his tracks as he looked at the group entering.

Among them, the cultivators named Liu Su and Li Si were covered in filth, while Zhang Cheng and Li Xiu were still unconscious. Only the coldest-looking Cultivator Luo was clean, pristine, and untouched by dust.

Wang Er glanced at her, then hurried to assist the other four. “You’ve worked hard, Immortals. May I ask about the monster…”

Liu Su said, “The monster is dead. Send the pregnant women back home, but tell them to carefully avoid that black sludge outside. We will send someone to clean it up later.”

Wang Er nodded frantically, his face lit with joy. Behind him, some of the pregnant women wept with relief, scrambling to kowtow in gratitude.

Wang Er quickly stopped them; the cultivators looked like they were in rough shape, so they shouldn’t add to the chaos.

A moment later, the five gathered in a room.

Li Si looked at the filth on his body with utter disgust. “What happened here? Senior Sister Liu and I were scouting outside. Just as we were about to return, we heard a massive explosion, and then this foul matter started falling from the sky. The worst part is, even the Cleansing Spell is useless against it.”

Liu Su frowned as well, looking at the only conscious one, Guan Luowei. “Junior Sister Luo, what happened here?”

Guan Luowei’s expression was calm. “The monster attacked the inn. Senior Brother Zhang was knocked out by its miasma. Senior Brother Li exerted all his strength to kill the monster and subsequently lost consciousness.”

“Senior Brother Li killed the monster?” Li Si asked.

Guan Luowei nodded. “To be precise, it was Senior Brother Li’s sword spirit.”

Li Si and Liu Su looked surprised, turning their eyes simultaneously to Li Xiu’s sword spirit.

Li Xiu’s sword spirit: “…” I didn’t, I wasn’t, don’t frame me.

However, the group didn’t dwell on the topic. Liu Su looked at the unconscious Li Xiu and Zhang Cheng, checking their bodies with spiritual energy. She frowned. “Junior Brother Zhang is fine, but Senior Brother Li has sustained an injury. This wound is eerie and sinister; I’m afraid we can’t heal it ourselves. Fortunately, the trouble in Fengxiang Town is resolved. We will return to the sect immediately to let Master treat him.”

As she spoke, Liu Su popped two pills into Li Xiu’s mouth and continued, “Junior Sister, I’m afraid we’ll have to borrow your Wind-Riding Boat again for the journey back.”

Guan Luowei nodded. “No problem.”

After bidding farewell to the people of Fengxiang Town, the group took the boat and traveled day and night back to the sect.

Meanwhile, within the Lingxiao Immortal Sect.

A person sitting cross-legged on a bed suddenly snapped their eyes open. They vomited a large amount of blood. Their pupils gradually constricted to the size of pinpricks, replaying the events of Fengxiang Town like a revolving lantern.

If one looked closely, they would realize the perspective of this replay was that of the sinister mass of sludge.

A moment later, the person’s pupils slowly returned to normal. They spat out a name coldly: “Luo Yan.”

Guan Luowei’s group sparked a heated discussion upon their return—not for anything else, but because they smelled absolutely foul. Furthermore, they were covered in sludge, looking very unrefined.

Liu Su ignored the stares, hurrying with Li Si to bring the two unconscious men to Venerable Chenxu for treatment. Since Guan Luowei was a new disciple and was completely unscathed, they let her return to her quarters first.

Back in her room, Guan Luowei sat on the bed to meditate while pondering the recent events. Ling Chenyan, unable to stay still for more than a few minutes, tried to sneak out.

Just as she reached the door, a voice stopped her. “Where are you going?”

Ling Chenyan turned back, meeting Guan Luowei’s eyes which had opened at some unknown point. She said sheepishly, “Just going for a stroll.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Guan Luowei moved to get off the bed. Ling Chenyan was going to scam the little zither spirit; she couldn’t take her along! She said, “It’s fine, Master. I’m just wandering aimlessly.”

Guan Luowei gave her a half-smile. “I’ll wander aimlessly too.”

Ling Chenyan: “…Fine, then.”

“You seem…” Guan Luowei glanced at her and looked away, her expression indifferent. “…quite unwilling?”

Alarm bells rang in Ling Chenyan’s head. She blurted out, “How could that be, Master? I’m delighted! Let’s go quickly!”

Only then did Guan Luowei offer a satisfied smile and head out with the silver sword.

Ling Chenyan intended to gather news about the zither spirit, so she purposely walked through crowded areas. In her soul form, she wove through the throngs, eavesdropping on conversations. Eventually, she found that everything in the Lingxiao Sect seemed normal; there was no news of the Deceptive God Zither awakening a spirit.

Ling Chenyan was puzzled. Had that old man standing guard not noticed?

As they walked, a voice called out to Guan Luowei: “Junior Sister Luo.”

A gentle woman walked toward them, offering a smiling glance at the silver sword before saying to Guan Luowei, “Junior Sister Luo, so you’re here. I was just looking for you.”

Guan Luowei stopped. “What does Senior Sister require of me?”

“It’s Master who wants you,” Lin Qingwan said. “He said he has things to ask you. Follow me.”

Guan Luowei followed Lin Qingwan. They talked as they walked.

Lin Qingwan asked, “Junior Sister Luo, I heard you took the Fengxiang Town mission during your trip down the mountain?”

Guan Luowei nodded with a simple “Mm.”

“Oh,” Lin Qingwan thought for a moment and said, “No wonder Senior Brother Li and Senior Sister Liu were in such a state. I heard from other disciples that the monster’s techniques were treacherous and never seen before. I had planned to take the mission with Eldest Brother once his injuries healed, but I didn’t expect you to resolve it first.”

Lin Qingwan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned to look at Guan Luowei. “Junior Sister Luo, I heard the monster was killed by Senior Brother Li. Is that true?”

Guan Luowei nodded. “Yes.”

“Then Senior Brother Li is truly amazing,” Lin Qingwan said. “When he wakes up, I must ask him exactly how it happened.”

Guan Luowei didn’t reply further. Lin Qingwan also fell silent. They reached Venerable Chenxu’s cave in silence. Lin Qingwan stopped and said, “Junior Sister Luo, I’ll leave you here.”

Guan Luowei nodded.

Lin Qingwan looked at the silver sword again, saying with a smile, “Junior Sister Luo’s sword is truly excellent.”

Guan Luowei’s expression remained unchanged. “Senior Sister, I shall head in now.”

“Alright,” Lin Qingwan stood gracefully in the distance, waving her hand. “Goodbye, Junior Sister.”

Guan Luowei nodded. As she walked past, she glanced back at her. Their eyes met, and for a split second, Guan Luowei sensed a familiar aura from those eyes.

But in the next second, that aura vanished. Lin Qingwan smiled, her eyes curving. “Junior Sister, go in quickly. Don’t keep Master waiting.”

Guan Luowei nodded, feeling confused. The feeling was fleeting, almost impossible to grasp. Vaguely, she felt she had noticed something, but ultimately found nothing.

After Guan Luowei went inside, Venerable Chenxu only asked a few casual questions about the mission before letting her leave.

Ling Chenyan floated in the air, her mind on the little zither spirit, but looking at Guan Luowei by her side, she sighed inwardly.

Guan Luowei clearly had no intention of going back yet. After leaving Chenxu’s cave, she went to the Mission Hall and accepted a low-level task on Daoist Guize’s peak, intending to investigate.

Daoist Guize was stronger than the others; his peak likely had more restrictions. But since he wasn’t there right now, it was an opportunity.

Ling Chenyan, knowing she couldn’t sneak away from Guan Luowei, stayed by her side.

Daoist Guize’s peak had very few disciples, but almost every one of them was mysterious, just like Guize himself. Because the peak was low-lying, it rarely saw sunlight, making it cold and eerie.

Guan Luowei could sense at least a hundred restrictions, and that was just a rough estimate.

It seemed Daoist Guize definitely had secrets.

Guan Luowei’s task was to help harvest herbs in the medicinal garden. The one who received her was a white-bearded old man who seemed to be in a hurry. He gave a few instructions to finish before dark and hurried away.

Before leaving, he specifically warned Guan Luowei not to wander. Guize Peak was riddled with restrictions; one wrong step could mean death or injury. Many curious disciples had lost their lives here in the past, dying tragically. This was why missions on this peak were rarely taken.

Thinking a young girl wouldn’t cause much trouble if she just followed the rules and took her points, the old man left.

Harvesting herbs was simple for Guan Luowei. Ling Chenyan found it interesting and helped out.

The pair finished the task quickly. Just as Ling Chenyan was about to finish the last patch, her nose twitched. She suddenly smelled an extraordinary fragrance.

Involuntarily, Ling Chenyan followed the scent, forgetting even to tell Guan Luowei.

When Guan Luowei finished her work and looked up, she found the silver sword that should have been at her side was gone.

Ling Chenyan followed the scent to a narrow path. High peaks rose on both sides, with only this endless-looking path visible ahead. The scent leading her came from the source of that path.

Ling Chenyan hesitated. Her intuition told her there was danger ahead, but the scent was constantly luring her forward, like a demonic voice whispering in her ear, “Come… come quickly…”

Ling Chenyan floated forward uncontrollably. In the next second, a voice like a thunderclap snapped her awake: “Yinye, come back!”

Ling Chenyan snapped out of it, and the scene before her changed instantly.

The endless narrow path was gone. Before her was a bottomless abyss. Ling Chenyan instinctively took a step back. A pebble under her blade rolled off the cliff, vanishing silently in mid-air without even a trace of dust.

Ling Chenyan was terrified and turned to flee. Guan Luowei was quick, catching the lunging sword in her arms.

Ling Chenyan almost cried: “Ma-Master, what happened…”

Guan Luowei looked at the scene before them, her eyes reflecting deep thought. She asked, “Why did you come here just now?”

Ling Chenyan: “I… I smelled a very strange, wonderful scent, and then… I just walked here without realizing it.”

A strange scent?

Guan Luowei’s expression turned grim. She stared darkly at the abyss, a storm brewing in her eyes.

A scent that attracts artifact spirits?

In both her past and present life, she had only heard of one such thing: the Spirit-Awakening Pill, refined from Demon and Monster cores along with Soul-Clouding Grass.

The Spirit-Awakening Pill was the only pill in the world that affected artifact spirits. Though named “Awakening,” its actual effect was to cloud the spirit’s senses, making them unable to distinguish auras and feel a natural affinity for the person who fed them the pill.

This pill was fatally attractive to spirits, but because the materials were too difficult to obtain and could easily trigger wars with the Demon and Monster races, it was strictly banned in the cultivation world.

Yet today, why was it found on Daoist Guize’s peak?

What made Guan Luowei’s expression so dark was that the scent of the pill meant it had already been refined. This meant those demon disciples were likely dead.

In a flash of insight, Guan Luowei thought of something else: Daoist Guize had volunteered to guard the Deceptive God Zither. Could it be that this pill was intended for the zither spirit?

Did that mean the zither had already awakened its spirit?

Guan Luowei frowned. She remembered clearly that in her past life, the zither was eventually obtained by Lin Qingwan. It seemed that even with the help of the pill, Daoist Guize had failed to subdue the artifact.

The abyss was deep, hiding unknown restrictions, but news of the demon disciples might be down there.

Guan Luowei decided to jump.

Ling Chenyan hid in Guan Luowei’s arms in terror as they descended. The restrictions that looked terrifying to her were dispelled by Guan Luowei with a mere wave of her hand.

As expected, the Great Witch’s strength is even more terrifying.

At the bottom of the abyss.

Darkness swallowed everything; there wasn’t even a sound. Guan Luowei held the sword. Her Great Convergence cultivation allowed her to walk through the pitch-black valley as if on level ground.

Seeing the silver sword shivering in her arms, she pulled out a Night-Luminescent Pearl.

The area lit up instantly. Ling Chenyan saw a ground covered in white bones and broken weapons, interspersed with scraps of clothing. The stench of blood and rot filled the air. This place looked nothing like a cultivation sect; it was no different from hell.

Guan Luowei held the sword, the pearl floating beside her. She felt a thick demonic aura and followed it to a clearing.

Before her was a massive altar covered in blood and shredded flesh. From here, she felt not only demonic energy but also an unignorable, sinister coldness.

She had only felt this aura from the monster in Fengxiang Town, though the coldness here wasn’t as heavy.

She stepped forward and finally found traces of the missing demon disciples.

Ragged demon disciple robes covered the piles of bones, the fabric soaked to a deep dark red. Guan Luowei flipped a skeleton over and, as expected, found a large hole in the abdominal area of the clothing.

Their demon cores had been gouged out while they were alive; they were bled dry and then sacrificed. These disciples hadn’t suffered much prolonged cruelty; their deaths were uniform and efficient.

Guan Luowei took a deep breath. Looking down from above, a bizarre image was carved in the center of the altar. She studied it for a long time before realizing it was an eye—twisted, cold, and evil. The moment she recognized it, countless negative emotions surged within her.

Guan Luowei’s eyes turned red as she recalled the massacre of the Demon Race in her past life. Her eyes reflected a raging fire. On that day, the sky was filled with noise, and the Demon Realm was a sea of corpses. Blades clashed and pierced bodies; severed limbs were everywhere. Then the scene shifted to those hypocritical “righteous” cultivators.

“The Demon Race is cruel and tyrannical! Today, our Lingxiao Immortal Sect leads the way. We righteous cultivators shall fight the demons until death!”

“Until death!”

“Until death!”

Guan Luowei laughed. She threw her head back and laughed at the greed, calculation, and excitement hidden in the eyes of those “righteous” people. She slowly raised her sword.

Demonic energy erupted instantly, her killing intent reaching its peak.

Ling Chenyan saw something was wrong and called out: “Master! Master! What’s wrong?”

Guan Luowei didn’t answer, appearing trapped in a quagmire.

[Crap, Sys, what’s happening to her!]

[Bad news, she’s been pulled into a nightmare of her past,] the System said. [Wake her up, quickly!]

[How! I’m calling her and she’s ignoring me!]

[Make her feel pain or use a strong external stimulus!]

Ling Chenyan grit her teeth. She swung her body and sliced Guan Luowei’s palm. Blood splashed, one drop landing on the half-jade pendant at her waist before slowly vanishing.

Guan Luowei’s eyes cleared for a split second before turning bloodshot again.

Ling Chenyan: “…”

[It’s not working, Sys!]

[Do you know what a ‘strong strike’ means?! That scratch you made wouldn’t even break the skin if you were any gentler! Stab her! Use the blade to stab her!]

[Huh?]

Ling Chenyan froze. She instinctively wanted to follow the System’s advice but couldn’t bring herself to do it. In that short moment, the jade pendant at her waist suddenly emitted a mysterious glow. A man in green robes emerged from it and opened his palm toward Guan Luowei.

Ling Chenyan saw the man and tried to stop him, but found she couldn’t move.

She looked anxiously at the man, cursing internally: [Dog! Come at me if you have the guts, leave my master alone!]

The man in green ignored her, continuing to channel green light into Guan Luowei’s body. Miraculously, the red streaks in her eyes faded, and her gaze regained clarity.

Before Ling Chenyan could rejoice, the awakened Guan Luowei’s eyes turned cold. She gripped the sword, pointing the tip directly at the man.

“Who are you?”

The man in green stepped back and smiled at her. His form slowly dissipated, eventually turning into a green light that dove back into the jade pendant.

Guan Luowei’s body stiffened as if she had realized a possibility. Her expression as she looked at the jade was unreadable.

Ling Chenyan snapped out of it and hurried to say, “Master, are you okay?”

Guan Luowei lowered the jade and shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“That’s good,” Ling Chenyan breathed a sigh of relief. “You scared me to death just now. What happened?”

Guan Luowei’s eyes flickered. Recalling the moment of losing control, she narrowed her eyes. “The pattern on this altar is very strange.”

“What pattern?” Ling Chenyan prepared to float over and take a look. By the time Guan Luowei spoke, she was already above it. It was too late to stop her. She could only shout: “Close your eyes! Don’t look!”

Ling Chenyan blinked as she studied the pattern. After a moment, she said, “What is this drawing? It’s a mess. I could draw better than this.”

Guan Luowei: “…”

She helplessly pulled the reckless sword back into her hand, looking at her coldly. “You certainly are brave.”

Ling Chenyan smiled sheepishly.

Guan Luowei glanced at the pattern again. She had been caught off guard earlier, but looking closely now, the pattern felt unexpectedly familiar. She seemed to have seen it somewhere, but had forgotten.

Guan Luowei prepared to leave, but Ling Chenyan clung to her arm. “Master, it’s coming! That alluring scent is back!”

Guan Luowei’s expression shifted. She tucked the sword into her arms. “Which direction?”

Tucked in Guan Luowei’s arms, Ling Chenyan’s nose was full of her unique cold fragrance; for a moment, she couldn’t even smell the pill.

She dazed for a second before pointing. “Oh, oh, over there.”

Guan Luowei followed the direction for a long time, finally seeing a cave at the end.

Ling Chenyan swallowed hard. “The pill should be inside.”

Guan Luowei looked at the complex restrictions at the entrance. she didn’t plan on hiding from Daoist Guize anymore. Since he had killed so many of her disciples, she wouldn’t let him off easily.

It wasn’t the time to kill him, but she could destroy his restrictions, take his pill, and cause some chaos.

Elsewhere, an old man hidden under a black robe slowly withdrew the spiritual energy he was channeling into a cave. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when his pupils suddenly shrank. In an instant, he vanished from his spot.

Daoist Guize rushed back to the abyss, only to find his cave’s restrictions shattered and the pill gone.

“ROAR!” A shout filled with spiritual power echoed through the entire mountain. Several peaks on Guize Peak collapsed, and even disciples on other peaks could hear the incredibly angry roar.

Meanwhile, back in her room, Guan Luowei heard the roar and curled her lips slightly.

It was now certain that Daoist Guize was linked to the evil thing in Fengxiang Town. As for the Spirit-Awakening Pill, it was likely intended for the zither spirit. However, those who needed such a pill were usually either heinous cultivators or demonic/evil cultivators who couldn’t gain an artifact’s recognition. Daoist Guize was a member of the Lingxiao Sect; why would he need such a thing?

The sky grew dark. Since their return, Guan Luowei had been holding the half-jade pendant, demonic energy swirling in her hands as if she were doing something.

Ling Chenyan vaguely guessed that the man in green who appeared today was Guan Luowei’s father.

“Master, can I go out for a bit?”

Guan Luowei’s energy continued to swirl, but she opened her eyes. “Going to find that ‘little friend’?”

Guan Luowei had wondered who the silver sword would look for. Her acquaintances in the Lingxiao Sect could be counted on one hand. The only person she could go to was the “little friend” she mentioned on the night she vanished.

Now, who that little friend was was obvious.

Seeing Ling Chenyan nod, Guan Luowei didn’t stop her. She threw something to her. “Take this. It might be useful.”

She then cast a spell to hide the sword’s aura and let her out.

Ling Chenyan reached the Profound Crystal Cave quickly. This time, the familiar golden light didn’t arrive immediately. She called tentatively: “Jinjin? Jinjin…”

In the next second, the light arrived as usual, carrying her into a cave.

Ling Chenyan prepared to give Jinjin the good things she had collected, but found the little guy looking haggard. His gaze was wandering and filled with confusion.

He looked nothing like the refined and lively boy from before.

Ling Chenyan was startled. “Jinjin, what’s wrong?”

The zither spirit shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve been feeling very groggy lately. So sleepy.” He let out a yawn.

Ling Chenyan suddenly remembered the creepy old man guarding him. After this afternoon, she knew the man intended to harm Jinjin. His current state was likely his doing.

“I almost forgot!” Ling Chenyan remembered the item Guan Luowei gave her. she pulled it out and sprinkled some on the zither’s body, then asked the spirit, “Jinjin, feel better?”

Jinjin’s brow relaxed slightly, but he still twisted uncomfortably. “A little.”

Seeing his gaze becoming less clouded, Ling Chenyan took the bottle of God-Awakening Dew and poured it all over the zither. She didn’t care at all that the dew was a rare treasure of the world.

After a moment, Jinjin’s eyes finally regained their clarity. He looked at the woman and cried out happily, “Sister Yinye!”

Ling Chenyan nodded, then said solemnly, “You must be careful of that old man outside.”

“I know,” Jinjin said. “That old man smells so bad. And once his spiritual energy enters, I feel dizzy. I can’t even smell his stench anymore.”

Ling Chenyan understood. She handed him the remaining half-bottle of dew. “Keep this. If you feel groggy again, sprinkle some on the zither.”

Jinjin blinked his large eyes but pushed the bottle back. “No need, Sister Yinye.”

Ling Chenyan was surprised, but Jinjin continued, “I’ve already made up my mind, Sister Yinye.”

He blinked mischievously. “I want to go with you!”