The Awakening of Xierwei

How can you so nonchalantly command your subordinates to kill? A dozen lives… extinguished in an instant by your hands… Just how truly heartless are you?

Confronted with Ji Jie’s ruthless decisiveness, Ling Er found himself utterly bewildered. He was well aware that the Akatsuki Group comprised individuals of extreme malevolence, yet he desperately hoped Ji Jie would not descend to their level.

Should he attempt to spare Ji Jie’s life, he knew with certainty that the righteous cultivators would never assent.

“It’s not my heartlessness; it’s entirely your fault! If only you had killed me sooner, would any of this have transpired? Hahaha! You are responsible for their demise; every single death rests on your shoulders. From this day forward, I shall slaughter countless more, and each life taken will be added to your karmic debt. All of this… it’s a direct consequence of your crippling soft-heartedness… Heh~ha… Now, I offer you the chance to end me. Will you even manage to strike a fatal blow this time?”

In that moment, Ji Jie appeared nothing short of a demon before Ling Er, her derisive words like bone spurs embedding themselves deep within his very being, their roots burrowing into every fiber of his body and soul.

He was certain these harrowing words would fester into his inner demons, significantly impeding his future breakthroughs.

To conquer these inner demons, he would have to confront them head-on, vanquish Ji Jie, and only then could he truly embrace a new chapter in his life.

Yet, was it truly so simple? He found himself utterly incapable of killing Ji Jie.

“What are you still dithering about? You’re utterly useless!”

While Ling Er remained paralyzed by his soft heart, Ji Jie showed not the slightest regard for their past connection. Wielding the Blood Slaughter Sword, she brought it down in a swift, merciless strike.

‘Clang!’ In that crucial instant, Qing Zhuiyan materialized before him, deflecting the blow with a powerful punch that sent Ji Jie reeling. She had overheard the exchange between Ji Jie and Ling Er, and the reason for his hesitation was painfully clear to her.

The fallen below were all members of her own clan. With the Qing clan already in decline, each individual represented a vital resource; to lose so many in a single devastating blow ignited an explosive rage within her heart.

To witness Ling Er’s utter ineptitude, his hesitation even in the face of vengeance, was infuriating. The once majestic Senior Brother of the Carefree Sect had been reduced to such a pathetic state, and Qing Zhuiyan felt a profound sense of shame on his behalf.

Having intercepted the fatal blow meant for Ling Er, she angrily kicked him backward. Her gaze then flickered to Xierwei, who remained cowering behind a distant rock, paralyzed by fear and unable to act. With a voice brimming with intense displeasure, Qing Zhuiyan commanded:

“Xierwei, what in the blazes are you doing? Hurry up and kill them all!”

Xierwei, for her part, harbored no fondness for combat; indeed, it was more accurate to say she was terrified of it.

The moment Tou launched himself from her back, Xierwei was overcome by such terror that she dared not advance another step, retreating instead to a distant hiding spot.

Unable to bear witness to the fighting, and sensing Xiaobai’s swift massacre of many, she immediately cowered behind a rock, trembling uncontrollably.

Chastised by Qing Zhuiyan, she felt a profound sense of injustice and yearned to flee, her hands trembling so violently that she couldn’t even summon her Imperial Armament.

“I… Your Highness…”

“Still incapable? Enough! Surely you can manage to rescue the remaining survivors!”

Xierwei’s nature was inherently timid and prone to fear. A decade prior, during the demon tribe’s assault on her family, she had endured an indelible psychological trauma, which only intensified her aversion to human contact.

Despite her timidity, she possessed formidable power, boasting late Golden Body Realm strength. If she chose to unleash her full potential, even Heavenly Human Realm experts would appear as mere children before her, a testament to the utterly monstrous nature of her Imperial Armament.

“Just saving people… I…”

Xierwei timidly poked her head from behind the rock, reassuring herself that merely rescuing people would be a simple, straightforward task.

No sooner had she emerged, however, than she witnessed a person brutally slain by several ghastly, desiccated puppets. With a shriek, she recoiled instantly, burying her face in her hands, on the verge of tears.

“So terrifying! So terrifying! Father… Mother…”

****

“Er… the Blood Qi Pills are almost depleted. Stop absorbing so much!”

Above, Tou was being tormented to the brink of death by Xiaobai. Repeatedly drained of his essence, he was resurrected time and again by the Blood Qi Pills. Yet, the psychological ravages inflicted upon him were indelible.

He felt akin to a rat trapped in a cesspit, each attempt to claw his way out met with a fresh deluge of excrement, a torment beyond words.

Nevertheless, thanks to Tou’s involuntary efforts, Xiaobai managed to supply Ji Jie with blood qi five or six times in quick succession. As a result, Ji Jie’s current power surged, allowing her to directly confront even mid-Heavenly Human Realm experts.

Without resorting to the Blood Burning Art, she simply wielded the Blood Slaughter Sword, unleashing several streaks of sword qi with a series of ‘swoosh, swoosh, swoosh’ sounds, forcing Qing Zhuiyan to retreat a considerable distance.

Even with Ling Er having somewhat regained his fighting spirit, and despite their combined efforts, they found themselves utterly suppressed by Ji Jie.

“Retreat!”

This was undoubtedly the most prudent decision. No matter how much pride swelled within Qing Zhuiyan’s heart, she could not bear to watch her subordinates fall one by one before her very eyes.

Of the initial group of over forty, merely a dozen or so remained clinging to life.

“Xierwei! Stop gawking! We need to go, now!”

Witnessing Xierwei’s terror-stricken, cowering form, Qing Zhuiyan was overcome by a complex surge of emotions.

Her initial intention for this outing had been to temper Xierwei, helping her conquer her inherent shyness and fear of death. Now, however, it seemed an exceedingly arduous task lay before her.

Xierwei was so consumed by fear that she had lost all semblance of reason, capable only of cowering deeper into the corner.

“Damn it! You all fall back! I’ll cover your retreat!”

With Ji Jie and Xiaobai grinning ominously as they prepared to pursue, Qing Zhuiyan realized that attempting to flee with injured and incapacitated individuals would prove futile. Consequently, she resolved to remain and hold off the enemy, ensuring her subordinates’ escape.

“Your Highness! Allow us to remain! We swear to protect you to our dying breath!”

It was the opportune moment for the guards to declare their unwavering loyalty. Five or six of them stepped forward in unison, forming a resolute barrier before Qing Zhuiyan.

“What good would it do for you to stay? Hasten your departure with the others! Do not concern yourselves with me; I possess means of escape!”

Qing Zhuiyan’s voice rang out with its usual booming clarity. With a sweep of her hand, a Green-eyed Black Dragon manifested. Unlike the one Tou had defeated, this Imperial Armament possessed two abilities: Dragon Armor as its second, and Green-eyed Black Dragon as its primary.

Both abilities could be deployed in conjunction, and this iteration of the Green-eyed Black Dragon was not only several times larger than its predecessor but also encased in a formidable layer of hardened armor.

“Your Highness! Take care!”

Observing Qing Zhuiyan’s deployment of her ultimate technique, the guards understood that further intervention was futile. They promptly retreated, ushering the remaining personnel with them.

“Lead them to my master. She should have already reached Pinghu Town by now!”

Qing Zhuiyan instructed, tossing a token to a nearby guard.

“Wait!”

The blue token, etched with the black character for ‘Qing,’ was deftly caught by a pair of slender hands.

Ling Er’s countenance had taken on a peculiar cast. After a prolonged internal struggle, he resolved to remain and confront his inner demons. He was convinced that if he were to flee now, he would be plagued by sleepless nights for the rest of his life.

Tossing the blue token back to Qing Zhuiyan, his aura surged dramatically. The Cold Heart Overlord Spear in his grasp vibrated with a low hum, emitting faint wisps of chilling air.

Standing resolutely before everyone, he exuded an undeniable aura of heroic masculinity.

“Ji Jie! Today, one of us will perish!”

Majestic, resolute, and utterly domineering—this was the true Senior Brother of the Carefree Sect that Qing Zhuiyan recognized.

Thus, she, too, abandoned any thought of retreat. Her destiny was to lead the Qing clan in reclaiming their ancestral lands from the grip of numerous powerful families. To cower now would shatter her resolve, inflicting irreparable damage upon her mental fortitude.

“Not running, huh? Then prepare to die!”

Ji Jie wielded the Blood Slaughter Sword, sketching several stars in the air. Immediately, seven blood-red stars materialized around her, each incessantly unleashing potent, blood-hued sword shadows.

This formidable attack was the Blood Slaughter Sword’s imitation of Platinum Little Star’s ‘Star of Gold’ ability, manifesting an even greater destructive power.

The two below instantly felt sword shadows raining down upon them like a torrential storm. The massive Green-eyed Black Dragon, leveraging its considerable size, shielded them both behind its colossal form.

Qing Zhuiyan and Ling Er exchanged a swift glance, their battle strategy instantly solidified.

With the dragon serving as their vanguard, they soared skyward, rapidly closing the distance to Ji Jie.

This was the moment for their purported genius to shine. It was precisely why Ling Er held the esteemed position of Senior Brother in the Carefree Sect, and why none dared challenge Qing Zhuiyan’s claim as the Qing clan’s successor.

“Cold King Domain!”

“Dragon Transformation!”

The ambient temperature plummeted precipitously, and faint snowflakes began to drift through the air. Ling Er’s aura intensified, now capable of summoning the Cold Heart Overlord Spear at will within a twenty-centimeter radius around him.

Qing Zhuiyan, however, underwent an even more dramatic transformation: she became a dragon, far more formidable than her previous manifestation.

“Intriguing!”

Ji Jie’s expression turned grave as the Blood Slaughter Sword, hovering before her chest, visibly expanded and fragmented at an astonishing rate.

Each sword towered to the height of two men, totaling a staggering forty-nine blades.

“Blood Slaughter Formation!”

Clang, clang, clang!

The forty-nine swords launched themselves along incomprehensible trajectories, governed by an arcane rhythm. Once more, the two, alongside their two dragons and one individual, found themselves ensnared within the Blood Slaughter Formation.

Ji Jie’s power at this moment was truly overwhelming.

“Hehe! Sister Jie is absolutely incredible! It seems I won’t even need to lift a finger!”

Xiaobai, overcome with delight, nearly burst into an exuberant dance. However, nestled in Tou’s arms, she deemed it wiser to remain composed.

With a phantom grasp below, several blood-red pills floated into her hand. These were five or six Blood Qi Pills, freshly transmuted by Xiaobai’s forbidden arts from the humans just slain below.

She playfully tucked the pills into Tou’s hand, a knowing smile gracing her lips. “Little Tou! Sister Jie will expend a great deal of blood qi after unleashing such a massive forbidden art, so we’ll be relying on you! Hahahaha! With you by our side, we can use forbidden arts as much as we please! No need to worry about running out of blood qi, you can replenish it at any time, allowing us to experiment freely. It’s simply marvelous!”

There truly was a balance in the world, and Tou felt an intense dread towards this Xiaobai. She would resort to violence against him at the slightest provocation, utterly disregarding his feelings, a true little demon indeed!

Tou desperately wished to escape her presence! Ji Jie was his only hope for an opening; the girl seemed to obey her maid, and the maid, in turn, obeyed him. Once Ji Jie had subdued their adversaries, he would instruct her to give this impudent girl a proper lesson.

He would ensure she understood what a *true* demon was!

“Sister Jie seems to be faltering. Go on, quickly!”

Xiaobai suddenly appeared behind him with unnerving swiftness, forcefully pushing Tou towards Ji Jie.

Tou was immensely reluctant, but he knew he had to deal with the current opponents before he could even consider punishing Xiaobai. For now, he would endure Xiaobai’s urging and help Ji Jie recover.

Ji Jie, of course, was equally delighted at the prospect of engaging in intimate acts with Tou. In truth, her true objective was to bring Tou back and indulge in shameless activities with him daily.

“Your laugh is disgusting! Close your eyes!”

Though it wasn’t their first time, Tou preferred initiating kisses rather than being coerced into them by Xiaobai.

Simply put, Tou favored taking the lead and despised being passive.

‘I am the top, not the bottom.’

“Alalalalalala…”

Ji Jie suddenly convulsed as if struck by lightning, and three sword wounds eerily appeared on her body.

‘Wind!!!’

A tremendous aura of power descended from the mountain ahead. Tou, looking into the distance, realized that the source of this oppressive pressure was none other than his mount, Xierwei!

“Why! After all you did to me, why would you kiss another woman!”