The Demonic Venerable’s Invitation

As the lead disciple of the foremost Holy Land of the Righteous Path, Feiluo was once asked a question by his younger sister.

“Brother, brother, if you were to encounter that wicked Demonic Venerable, who do you think would win?”

“Well, that’s hard to say. After all, that Demonic Venerable is a renowned powerhouse who has been famous for a long time, whereas I am still merely an unknown nobody.”

“Huh? Does that mean you’d lose, Brother?”

Feiluo still remembered how he, still so young at the time, had answered his younger sister.

“I’ll win!”

‘Win my ass!’

‘Feiluo wished he could go back to his childhood and thoroughly beat up his past self for answering with such confidence. Why did he have to act so tough? Was he trying to plant a death flag where there wasn’t one?’

‘Then he’d beat up his younger sister for asking that question. What a jinx! All those blessings spoken during New Year’s never came true, yet encountering a Demonic Venerable, such a catastrophic stroke of bad luck, actually manifested!’

At this moment, Feiluo was panting heavily, half-kneeling, propping himself up with his sword plunged into the ground, struggling to maintain his balance, lest he collapse from exhaustion.

Not far in front of him stood a young girl.

No, ‘young girl’ seemed a bit inappropriate. It would be more accurate to describe her as beyond a loli, yet not quite a maiden.

That loli-like girl was clad in a sweeping, wide-sleeved black immortal gown, her snow-white hair cascading down to her waist, her crimson eyes silently fixed on Feiluo.

She held a scarlet oil-paper umbrella aloft, as glistening snowflakes drifted down from the sky, only to instantly melt and vanish upon touching the scarlet umbrella.

Black clothes, white hair, crimson eyes, and that iconic scarlet oil-paper umbrella—undoubtedly, this was the Sect Master of the Blazing Spirit Demonic Sect, the Demonic Venerable Moxi, wanted by the Profound Spirit Holy Land!

‘So, I was just leaving the sect with the elders to complete a mission, how could I be so unlucky as to encounter this Demonic Venerable!’

Feiluo’s face twisted into a bitter expression.

‘It was well known that this Demonic Venerable had always held a deep aversion to people from the Holy Lands. While it didn’t escalate to the point of relentless pursuit across the world, anyone who encountered her would certainly face a grim fate.’

‘What?’

‘What kind of fate?’

‘Just look at those elders over there, and you’ll know.’

Moxi’s small face was set in a cold expression, her delicate and adorable features etched with frost.

Behind her stood several humanoid ice sculptures.

Upon closer inspection, it was not difficult to discern that these ice sculptures contained living people—or rather, people who had once been alive.

Each person had their mouth agape, their pupils contracted, as if they had witnessed a scene beyond belief.

‘They likely couldn’t comprehend that Moxi had slain them in an instant.’

‘Haha, look at these people, they’re so weak!’

‘They’re elders, yet they were instantly killed so easily by her!’

‘Unlike them, I, Feiluo, am still standing here perfectly fine!’

‘What does this mean?’

‘It means I, Feiluo, am stronger than these elders in the Body Fusion (TL Note: A cultivation realm where one’s physical body merges with their spiritual essence, greatly enhancing power and durability.) and Void Refinement (TL Note: A cultivation realm where cultivators refine their spirit and achieve a deeper understanding of the void, often leading to enhanced spiritual attacks and defenses.) realms!’

‘Ha! Ha! Ha…’

Feiluo forced a hideous smile onto his face, though it was more akin to a grimace of despair than an actual smile.

Soon, the forced upward curve of his lips inverted into a downward arc.

‘What the hell am I laughing at? How am I any better than them? The next one to be instantly killed will probably be me!’

‘Wuwuwu, I haven’t even had a chance to read the latest volume of ‘The Overbearing Spirit Sword Fairy Falls in Love with the Demonic Saintess’, and I wonder if my younger sister will burn it for me when she offers incense.’

‘Blast it, if I had known I’d encounter the Demonic Venerable, I wouldn’t have left the sect. I would have just rotted away inside the sect instead.’

As Feiluo’s mind churned with chaotic, wild thoughts, the frost on Moxi’s face melted away, replaced by a smile as warm as the sun.

She smiled at Feiluo, and then spoke: “You… do you want to join the Blazing Spirit Sect?”

‘Eh?’

‘What did she say?’

‘Join the Blazing Spirit Sect?’

‘Who? Me?’

‘Why is she suddenly inviting me to join the Blazing Spirit Sect? Isn’t that a demonic sect?’

‘Could it be that she saw how exceptionally skilled I am with fire-elemental spells, and thus developed an appreciation for my talent, wanting to recruit me into her sect?’

‘Hmm… that’s not entirely impossible.’

Feiluo’s jumbled thoughts were instantly consumed by Moxi’s invitation. He pushed the powerful analytical abilities of a Nascent Soul (TL Note: A cultivation realm where a spiritual ‘nascent soul’ or ‘soul infant’ forms within the cultivator, greatly enhancing their power and lifespan.) cultivator to their absolute limit, ceaselessly pondering the deeper meaning behind the young Demonic Venerable’s words.

Feiluo had already begun to fantasize that Moxi had taken a liking to him and was planning to forcefully drag him into the Blazing Spirit Sect. He was mentally rehearsing how he would righteously yet dashingly reject her when Moxi spoke again.

“Do you want to become my disciple?”

‘Become her disciple?’

Upon hearing the young girl’s words, Feiluo, who had just been harboring some small, cunning thoughts, preparing to feign joining the Blazing Spirit Sect and endure hardship, biding his time until the elders of the Profound Spirit Holy Land came to rescue him, froze solid.

‘Become the Demonic Venerable’s disciple?!’

‘How many lives would one need to dare play such a game?’

‘That’s the Demonic Venerable who is wanted by the entire Righteous Path, the number one on the wanted list!’

‘Countless Righteous Path powerhouses utterly detested the Demonic Venerable, yet they were too fearful of her immense power to make a move against her.’

‘If those people were to find out I had become the Demonic Venerable’s disciple…’

‘Hiss—’

Feiluo’s body couldn’t help but tremble, and he nearly toppled over because his grip on his sword wasn’t firm enough.

‘That fate is too terrifying; I dare not think further.’

‘No, I can’t become a disciple!’

‘Refuse! I must refuse!’

“No…”

No sooner had Feiluo uttered a single word than his vision was obscured by a petite figure.

‘It was Moxi!’

In the blink of an eye, or rather, before he even had a chance to blink, Moxi was already standing directly in front of Feiluo.

“You can’t refuse~”

Moxi smiled sweetly at Feiluo, whose pupils were wide with shock. That brilliant, beautiful smile was warmer than the spring sun, capable of melting hearts, yet to Feiluo, it felt colder than the depths of the northern winter.

“Wait—”

Before Feiluo could utter another word, Moxi raised her small hand, and her fair, delicate index finger touched the center of Feiluo’s forehead.

The moment he was touched, Feiluo felt as if a raging inferno had erupted within his body, leaving him dizzy and his limbs devoid of strength.

He swayed backward, collapsing under the pressure of Moxi’s finger. Just as Feiluo was about to make intimate contact with the ground, he was caught by a warm embrace.

His head rested on something soft and supple, seemingly a thigh.

In front of his eyes were small, budding hills, and the Demonic Venerable’s exquisite, beautiful face.

Feiluo’s consciousness was hazy, and Moxi’s clear yet gentle voice reached his ears: “We can discuss this after you wake up.”

“Now sleep, sleep…”

The young girl’s words seemed to possess a magical power, and Feiluo felt his consciousness continuously sinking, sinking…

The last image in his eyes was Moxi’s smile.

That smile seemed to contain many things, too many emotions to describe; he could only sense nostalgia, and perhaps the joy of a long-awaited reunion…

‘Could it be…’

‘She’s mocking me for being so utterly pathetic!’

‘Damn it!!!’

This was Feiluo’s final thought.

Then, his consciousness completely plunged into darkness.