Transmigrated as the Villain’s Sword - Chapter 67

Zhen Xuzi truly hadn’t expected it. However, looking at the seemingly triumphant sword before him, a sinister smile curled his lips. Before she could react, he gripped the hilt and violently wrenched the short blade out of his own chest.

Ling Chenyan was dazed until the moment she was pulled out. Staring at Zhen Xuzi’s eerie grin, a chill ran down her spine. She struggled with all her might to break free, but he held her in a death grip.

Zhen Xuzi mocked, “Surprised? I didn’t die.”

Ling Chenyan: “…”

As Ling Chenyan frantically called for Jinjin, the System’s explanation rang in her mind: [For those who have swallowed high-level Evil Seeds, the heart is optional; it is no longer their fatal point. The Evil Seed within the skull is the key.]

Ling Chenyan: [Why didn’t you say so earlier!]

By now, Zhen Xuzi had already squeezed her “lifeline,” and gathered spiritual energy was about to erupt.

Above them, the evil creature struggled to hold back Guan Luowei while shouting, “It’s too late, she’s going to die…”

The voice fell along with a deafening roar. Spiritual light burst forth from below, and dust filled the air.

The evil creature cackled, glancing at the ruins to mock them. However, when he saw the figure crawling with difficulty out of the debris, his laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by eyes trembling with madness.

The one crawling out was none other than Zhen Xuzi, who had been so close to succeeding. He was now in a towering rage; he didn’t know how many times it had been now—he was clearly on the verge of victory, yet at the critical moment, that sword always managed to escape.

He stared at the youth who had suddenly appeared, wanting to skin him alive. This time, he didn’t waste words and lunged into a melee.

The youth remained calm, possessing the air of a refined savior. He gave a contemptuous smile and turned his head toward the dazed silver sword behind him. “Get back. Don’t get in the way of my performance.”

Then he leaped forward, playing with Zhen Xuzi as if he were batting a ball around.

Ling Chenyan stared at the sudden appearance of Wenxin, her face full of confusion. “Jinjin, when did he get here?”

“Uh, he arrived the moment you reached the Lingxiao Immortal Sect, Sister.”

“Then why did he wait until now to help?”

“I don’t know either.”

Jinjin and Ling Chenyan stared at each other, both looking blank. Recalling the incident at Baibian Town, Wenxin also seemed to step in only at the critical moment when they were about to break.

Does this guy want to get my attention? Or is he trying to prove he’s stronger than Jinjin? Ling Chenyan felt she had stumbled upon the truth.

Divine artifacts can sense one another, so she wasn’t surprised he found them. However, she paused and said dangerously, “Jinjin, are you conspiring with him? Otherwise, why didn’t you give me even a hint about him?”

Jinjin: “Sister, you didn’t ask me.”

Ling Chenyan: “…” What a simple reason.

Looking at the sky where Guan Luowei was overwhelming the evil creature, and the ground where Wenxin was kicking Zhen Xuzi around like a ball, she rolled her eyes. “Jinjin, let’s go.”

“Where to?”

Ling Chenyan narrowed her eyes. “I feel something in the Lingxiao Immortal Sect that makes me extremely uneasy. I have to find it.”

She took one last look at the heated battle and stealthily flew off toward the direction she sensed. The way was eerily peaceful—so quiet it felt as if all the disciples had died.

Finally, reaching the spot where the sensation was strongest, Ling Chenyan first transformed into a tiny short-sword and hid behind a rock, looking at the heavily guarded area.

She couldn’t even tell what kind of building was being guarded. The Lingxiao cultivators were standing one by one like a human wall, surrounding the center so tightly that not a single gap remained. Men and women alike were pressed together; from a distance, it looked like a fortress made of human bodies. It was chilling.

Beyond the inner human wall, many disciples patrolled. Anything living that passed by was killed on sight.

As Ling Chenyan hid behind the rock, wondering what to do, she heard footsteps and the sound of two people talking: “Senior Sister, what exactly are we guarding here? It feels like half the disciples are here. The seniors aren’t even practicing anymore; they’re just standing guard. It’s so strange.”

Ling Chenyan looked up and saw a woman and a man who looked familiar. With the System’s help, she remembered them: Liu Su and Li Si, the pair she and Guan Luowei had encountered during their first infiltration mission.

Liu Su frowned. She had felt the sect was bizarre lately. She whispered, “Have you noticed Junior Brother Zhang Cheng has been very strange lately?”

Li Si nodded quickly. “Yes! He changed completely. He used to practice with me every day, but lately, he doesn’t practice at all. He just stands there with a cold face and doesn’t say a word. I suspect he’s been possessed.”

Liu Su stopped. “Senior Brother Li Xiu has changed too. He used to be the most gentle, but for the past half year, he’s been odd. And his sword… it vanished for no reason. It’s truly strange.”

Li Si shivered. “Senior Sister, do you think we’re the only two left who haven’t been possessed?”

Liu Su glared at him. “Don’t talk nonsense. Let’s go; it’s time to relieve Senior Brother Li.”

Ling Chenyan’s eyes widened when she heard the name “Senior Brother Li Xiu.”

Li Xiu wasn’t dead, yet his contract with Guyue had been dissolved. In a flash, she understood. For a sword spirit’s contract to break, either the master dies, or—the only other possibility—Li Xiu had voluntarily dissolved it.

Ling Chenyan wanted to hide the truth, but Guyue had already heard the entire conversation. Looking at the sword spirit who had floated out on his own for the first time, she tried to laugh it off. “Maybe it’s just someone with the same name…”

She glanced sideways just as Li Xiu walked out from the relief shift. She shut her mouth. Guyue also saw the somewhat haggard young man. Biting his lip, his eyes red, he prepared to rush forward.

Ling Chenyan grabbed him. “What are you going to do?”

The big guy’s eyes were as red as a wronged bride’s. “I want to ask him why he didn’t want me anymore.”

Ling Chenyan: “…” I know he’s sad, but that sounds like a wife confronting a husband who abandoned her.

She looked at the approaching youth. Li Xiu had lost his previous warmth; he was now gloomy and depressed, though his back was still as straight as ever.

“You can’t just rush up,” she started. “We have to…”

Before she could finish, the figure was already gone. It was Guyue.

Ling Chenyan: “…” This poor kid.

Li Xiu’s gloomy eyes flashed with surprise and a trace of hidden joy for an instant, before his face darkened the next second. “It’s you? You’re actually not dead?”

Guyue bit his lip hard. “Why didn’t you want me anymore?”

Even though he had been tossed into that stone forest like trash, he had always believed it wasn’t Li Xiu’s choice, but because he was being controlled. The backlash of the heavens was so heavy, yet he had endured it because he wanted to avenge Li Xiu. He had never made a sound while suffering the pain.

But now, the truth was before him. Guyue felt his belief collapsing.

Li Xiu looked at him coldly. “As a sword spirit, you should have been pure and righteous to protect us cultivators. But you degraded yourself by consorting with the Demon Race. You deserved the backlash. Why shouldn’t I have abandoned you?”

Guyue was speechless. He did have contact with the demons, but they weren’t as vile as Li Xiu described.

“Consorting? Just because he knows demons?” Ling Chenyan stepped out, unable to stand it. “Then your Lingxiao Immortal Sect must be a stink that lasts ten thousand years.”

Li Xiu’s gaze sharpened on her. “Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter who I am.” Ling Chenyan shot a look at Guyue before facing Li Xiu. “What did the demons do to you to make you hate them so much?”

Li Xiu narrowed his eyes. “Demons deserve to die. They are cruel and unreasonable. They’ve killed so many of our people. As the righteous path, we will never let a single demon go.”

Ling Chenyan looked at him like he was an idiot. She remembered from the Fengxiang mission that this guy was incredibly prejudiced.

“Oh,” she said coldly. “Didn’t your sect kill many demon disciples? When you kill, it’s ‘justice,’ but when they kill you, it’s ‘evil’? Wow, look at those double standards.”

Li Xiu’s face changed. “A hundred years ago, the demons slaughtered us. Is that not a fact?”

“The fact is that your beloved Master designed that whole incident.” Ling Chenyan wanted to broadcast the sect’s dirty deeds with a megaphone. “No way… you still don’t know?”

“You’re lying!” Li Xiu shouted. “My Master is righteous!”

“You don’t believe me?” Ling Chenyan’s eyes darted. “Ask your former partner. Guyue, tell him if it’s true.”

Guyue opened his mouth, but Li Xiu barked, “Shut up!”

Ling Chenyan smiled. “So you aren’t sure either. Because you’ve noticed the anomalies lately. The strange disciples, the odd things you’re guarding, and the Master who becomes more unpredictable by the day…”

She paused, her eyes sharp. “You’ve been guessing it too—that your Master is doing something that would shock the world…”

“I told you to shut up!” Li Xiu drew his sword, the cold tip pointing at her.

Ling Chenyan looked at the blade. With a flick of her finger, the sword shattered. She smiled. “If you don’t believe me, I can take you to see for yourself.”

Li Xiu stared at the shattered blade and the girl’s confident smile. The veins on his forehead throbbed. He had seen the anomalies, but he couldn’t believe his Master—who taught them to protect the world—would do such a thing. But looking at the girl’s certainty, a spark of rebellion rose in his heart.

“Fine. I’ll go with you.”

Ling Chenyan led the way, dragging Guyue along. Li Xiu followed toward the guarded area. Liu Su and Li Si were shocked to see him return with a girl. “Senior Brother Li, you…”

“It’s fine. Keep watch.”

They approached the human wall. The guards were expressionless, like mechanical dolls. “No entry.”

Li Xiu stepped forward. “It’s me, Li Xiu.”

The disciples remained blank. “No entry.”

Li Xiu wanted to say something, but Ling Chenyan stopped him. “Let me.”

Li Xiu’s eye twitched. They won’t even listen to me; why would they listen to her?

Facing his doubt, the girl slowly pulled out a handful of amber crystals.

A moment later, the ground shook. Li Xiu stared in horror at the rows of fellow disciples falling over, and then at the soul-spirits manifesting and then vanishing before his eyes.

“An… An… Ancestors?!”