A Junior Brother’s Plea

Who am I?

Yu Qingxuan felt herself transformed into a small dragon, swimming freely through the vast ocean. Every shrimp soldier and crab general was merely her trivial prey.

Within her hazy consciousness, she perceived herself as the ocean’s sovereign. Any scaled demon or creature belonged to her, an extension of her dominion.

This innate sense of pride caused Yu Qingxuan’s entire being, body and soul, to swell with power.

She spent her childhood in this boundless ocean, then, upon reaching her youth, bid farewell to her dragon father and mother to embark on distant travels. Over several decades, she traversed the oceans encompassing the entire continent before finally venturing onto land.

It was on land that she encountered humanity.

Humans were embroiled in a great war with other demon races. As a member of the demon race herself, she naturally joined their ranks. However, these human cultivators were like tenacious plasters, seemingly impossible to exterminate. One group might be annihilated in one place, only for another to inexplicably emerge elsewhere the very next day.

Continuing her journey, she eventually arrived in the Northern Lands, where she received a devastating revelation: her parents had been slain in the ocean by human cultivators.

This news ignited an intense hatred for humanity within her. Yet, the demon race’s power had long since crumbled in that war; each faction now fought solely for its own kind. The former glory of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin races was but a distant memory.

For several centuries thereafter, she meticulously accumulated strength in the Northern Lands, slaying powerful human cultivators and razing human cities. But these accursed humans—why were they so impossible to eradicate?!

The demon race was gradually being devoured in the Northern Lands, human expansion seemingly unstoppable. At one point, she herself engaged in an earth-shattering battle with a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, suffering severe injuries that forced her to seek refuge and recuperate.

Perhaps fate had not abandoned her, for she discovered an extraordinary treasure: the Heavenly Fortune Water Palace. From then on, she remained near the Northern Lands, observing human cultivators, her heart seething with unwillingness.

Humanity gradually spread throughout the Northern Lands.

The remaining demon races crumbled, their forces scattered; some died, others were wounded. She refused to accept this.

‘Why couldn’t the demon races unite once more, returning to the glorious era when Dragons and Phoenixes ruled together? How magnificent that time had been!’ With this thought, an idea began to take root in her heart.

This idea slowly grew, eventually reaching an uncontrollable magnitude.

‘Why shouldn’t she emulate that formidable predecessor, uniting the demon races? But if humanity’s power dominated the Northern Lands, how could she possibly achieve such a feat?’

‘Interests. Yes, interests. Even among humans, true unity was often a facade.’

Qin Yan gazed at his Senior Sister’s arrogant and exaggerated smile, then turned his attention to ‘Xiao Miao’ behind her, who was fully channeling the Heavenly Dew Strange Water.

This version of his Senior Sister felt utterly alien to Qin Yan. Yet, at this moment, ‘Xiao Miao’ dared not allow even the slightest distraction.

Consequently, Qin Yan found himself unable to ask any questions.

“Master, you’re holding too tight, it hurts, meow~!”

It was at this moment that Qin Yan’s Xiao Li let out a disgruntled meow. Her tail was clutched firmly in Qin Yan’s hand, held with considerable force.

Snapping back to reality upon hearing her, Qin Yan quickly released his grip, gently placing Xiao Li on the ground before hurrying to stand before his Senior Sister.

He then sat cross-legged beside her, his gaze fixed on Yu Qingxuan’s face.

‘This is not my Senior Sister,’ he realized, recalling ‘Xiao Miao’s’ earlier words. Qin Yan reached out, taking Yu Qingxuan’s hand in his, holding it as if it were a precious jade.

“Senior Sister, I remember our first meeting……

“Senior Sister, there was that one time I was inexplicably chased and bitten by the sect’s immortal cranes.

We roasted and ate them together afterwards. You were punished by Shizun then, and I saw it all.

Senior Sister,

Your entire body was practically covered in injuries, not a single spot untouched. You said you clashed with someone in a secret realm and were ambushed. I took care of you for such a long, long time…

Senior Sister, do you still remember……”

Qin Yan rambled on, recounting past events between himself and Yu Qingxuan.

He didn’t know if this would work, or what purpose it would serve, but it was the only thing he could do.

The demon dragon ‘Yu Qingxuan’ was quietly recuperating when, suddenly, she heard a stream of chattering voices by her ear, though she knew not why.

The words sounded utterly unfamiliar, as if separated by an inexplicable barrier. The noise vexed her, stirring an unsettling turbidity within her heart.

“Damn it, who dares to mock this Venerable One so brazenly?”

Yu Qingxuan found herself on the verge of madness. In that instant, this secret realm, resembling a vast ocean, churned with tumultuous waves.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!”

Even after her outburst, the suffocating frustration within Yu Qingxuan remained unrelieved. An unsettling thought began to surface: ‘Am I still myself? Am I this dragon, or someone—or something—else?’

This sudden, inexplicable heart-demon was truly beyond comprehension.

“Senior Sister? What Senior Sister?! When the hell have I ever been someone else’s Senior Sister!”

It was precisely then that Yu Qingxuan seemed to sense the voice was saying something, yet she utterly failed to grasp its meaning.

‘No, that’s not right. I think I have been someone’s Senior Sister before. But who was it…?’

Yu Qingxuan fell silent. She felt as though her entire body and soul were tearing apart. This sensation was excruciating, a torment not only to her physical form but also to her very spirit.

She felt as if she had contracted some ailment, akin to modern-day schizophrenia.

“Senior Sister, if you truly become that demon dragon, then I’ll just go with Xiao Miao. After all, that girl is quite cute and actually listens to me, unlike you, who never pays me any mind…”

The inexplicable voice of a young man once again echoed in Yu Qingxuan’s mind.

At this moment, she was gripped by an inexplicable panic, a fear originating deep within her. She looked around frantically, as if searching for something, yet found nothing but water in every direction.

She felt as though she was holding her breath, unable to breathe in this water. She yearned to escape, but knew that doing so would inevitably attract the attention of cultivators from other races, thereby shattering all her plans.

‘Escape?’

‘Or not escape?’

These conflicting thoughts left Yu Qingxuan dizzy and disoriented. However, her body swiftly soared upwards, breaking free from this secret realm that resembled a vast ocean.

A feeling welled within her heart: even death would be preferable to losing that ‘Junior Brother’ of hers. Before death and her grand ambitions, all seemed like fleeting clouds; her Junior Brother was paramount!

Bursting out of the secret realm, she was met by an inexplicable brilliance. Was this… the sun?!

No, it was not. It was the pupils of Qin Yan before her, and she could perceive the sorrow that welled in his eyes.

“Junior Brother, you…”

Yu Qingxuan looked at Qin Yan before her, her heart filled with trepidation. Her Junior Brother had worried for her; she had actually caused Qin Yan to feel sadness and concern.