Chapter 1
The miasma blocked the sun, the sky and the earth were dark, there was no grass growing anywhere, only jagged dead rocks. The only thing that stretched before us was a river flowing westward.
By crossing this river, you can reach the legendary Fengdu City.
Zhao Shining swallowed the blood rising in his throat and looked behind him breathlessly.
No one chased her, and no one noticed her escape.
The biting cold wind blew her long hair away, and the black hair scattered on her shoulders merged into the boundless darkness. She bit the jade hairpin that tied her hair in her mouth, and the sweat on her forehead slowly dripped down her temple, but her body was trembling with extreme excitement.
As long as she crossed the Bitter Water River and reached the territory of Demon Lord Qi Bumian, she would be able to completely break free from Xie Linzhuo's control.
The Ku Shui River is bottomless, and the sound of the wind and the waves makes them whimper. Legend has it that countless souls who died unjustly are buried in the Ku Shui River. Their hatred is too great to allow them to cross the river and thus cannot reach Fengdu City to be reincarnated.
Zhao Shining took a tentative step towards the river bank. The faint whimpering sound suddenly became shrill, as if the wronged soul lurking at the bottom of the river was eager to claim her life.
Zhao Shining cried out in surprise and steadied his steps in fear, but the jade hairpin in his mouth fell into the muddy river water.
The hairpin turned into powder in an instant before it even touched the water.
Fortunately, it was a hairpin that fell. If it was a living person like her...
She shivered and her legs went limp.
Even so, Zhao Shining had no way out. If she returned to Changliu Mountain, Xie Linzhuo would know that she had escaped and would stab her to death with a sword.
Just like in a dream.
Zhao Shining did not give up and walked along the river bank for a long time. He looked up and saw a faint flame floating on the wide river surface.
As the fire got closer, she finally saw the small boat sailing steadily on the water. The boatman was wearing a straw hat and rowing slowly. The raging waves, carrying the roars of wronged souls, could annihilate everything in the world, but could not shake the small boat at all.
"Guests going to the underworld, please get on board quickly."
Zhao Shining didn't have time to think and jumped onto the boat docked on the shore.
Only after she was completely seated did she realize it and felt a chill down her spine.
Guests...?
Wasn't she the only one on the shore just now? Where did the "we" come from?
Is there something else on board now? !
It would have been fine if he hadn't thought about it at first, but now that he thought about it, he inexplicably felt a creepy and sticky feeling behind him, as if something was staring at him hungrily.
Zhao Shining tried hard to control her fear. She could only curl up her numb body as much as possible and spoke to the boatman.
"Boatman, can you row faster? I'm in a hurry."
She hurried to find the Demon Lord to surrender, and then betrayed the immortal cultivation world in a grand manner, and from then on became a demon cultivator who was unrestrained and committed all kinds of evil.
After Zhao Shining said this, she didn't know if it was an illusion, but the boatman seemed to glance at her.
The air around him condensed inch by inch, as if it had turned into a ball of solid ice.
"...living...people."
A hoarse and eerie voice suddenly sounded from behind. With the dim light from the bow, Zhao Shining could clearly see the shadow reflected on the surface of the boat.
It wasn't hers, but the other "guests" who were on the same boat with her.
The monster's neck stretched to an incredible length, like a winding snake body, with a human head on top. It kept making a "chuckling" sound and was getting closer and closer to Zhao Shining.
The stench of blood hit her in the face and she almost vomited. Her instinct for survival forced her to keep fleeing, but finally she had nowhere to retreat and crashed into the boatman's body.
The fishy smell dissipated a little, and she could faintly smell the fragrance of Yetan. She immediately grabbed the boatman's clothes tightly and refused to let go, with tears in her eyes.
"You better take care of your guests! They want to eat me!"
She was just a useless person in the Qi Refining Stage. After nearly ten years in Changliu, she had not learned how to exorcise demons or even fly with a sword. Zhao Shining had no dignity or pride as a cultivator, and Xie Linzhuo had never taught her these things.
"let go."
His voice was cold and hard, and the moment it spoke it frightened the monster that was lurking at her.
Zhao Shining also saw the situation on the boat clearly. In addition to the long-necked monster, there were three or four "people" sitting behind her.
The waves in the middle of the river gradually subsided, replaced by thick fog, a vast expanse of white that enveloped the boat.
She sensed that the boatman's skills were unfathomable, so she became more determined to hide behind him and simply held the corner of his clothes tighter.
"I won't let go. If I do, I'll be eaten immediately. I just need to get to the shore."
"There is no living thing in Fengdu City. Even if you get to the shore, you won't survive."
The boatman sneered and pinched the neck of the long-necked monster with his bare hands. With a gentle squeeze, the flesh and blood burst instantly, like a blood rain, dyeing the surrounding white mist red.
"Noisy." He said calmly.
The other ghosts on the boat all began to tremble.
There was no need for him to reprimand her now. Zhao Shining took the initiative to loosen the corner of his clothes. She also saw his murderous intention towards her.
Sure enough, the next moment, Zhao Shining's throat was also ruthlessly strangled by his magic energy. The thick magic energy wrapped around her neck, getting tighter and tighter.
Tears rolled down her eyes. The pain of difficulty breathing made her unable to speak, and she could only squeeze out a few words intermittently.
"You...can't kill me...my master...is...Xie Linzhuo..."
As soon as she finished speaking, the boatman suddenly let go of her, lifted his hat, revealing a young and handsome face.
I thought he was an elderly man, but he turned out to be a young boy who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.
The force that suffocated her suddenly dissipated.
Zhao Shining covered his chest and coughed continuously, his fair skin was dotted with a few drops of blood.
In the dim light, Zhao Shining saw his golden animal eyes.
"You...are Wanshu?"
She asked tentatively in a hoarse voice.
Wan Shu didn't expect that she recognized him, but he didn't admit it directly. Instead, he asked: "You just said that you are Xie Linzhuo's apprentice?"
His golden eyes were fixed on her, looking somewhat scary in the pitch-black darkness, and she couldn't help but think of Wan Shu's true form... It seemed like a ferocious black tiger.
Wan Shu is the black tiger raised by Qi Bumian and also Qi Bumian's most trusted subordinate. At a young age, he commands millions of demon soldiers in the demon world, and his reputation for cruelty spreads throughout the fairy world.
Zhao Shining was scared and a little regretful. If she had known she would encounter such an evil spirit, she would not have run away.
At least Xie Linzhuo doesn't have the habit of pinching people with his bare hands.
"Yes, I am indeed Xie Linzhuo's apprentice. I have restrictions placed on me by him. You will know once you find out."
Zhao Shining wiped the blood with his sleeve hastily, still a little frightened.
Wan Shu saw her timidity clearly and couldn't help but wonder how Xie Linzhuo could have such a useless disciple. With this doubt in mind, he reached out and gently touched her forehead.
A ball of white light slowly jumped out from between Zhao Shining's eyebrows, emitting a frosty chill and mixed with a strong sword intent.
Wan Shu wanted to crush the ball of white light, but unexpectedly the white light suddenly became brighter and made a sharp sword sound. He was actually bounced back several steps, and a bone-piercing wound was cut on his palm, and bright red blood gushed out.
Zhao Shining's heart skipped a beat. She had never expected that her master was so strong that he could even hurt Wan Shu.
This is her future boss. What will happen if she offends Tiger? How will she survive in the demon world in the future?
"My Lord, are you all right?"
Her concern was somewhat genuine; even though she was just sitting there and doing nothing, her expression seemed particularly painful and regretful.
In comparison, Wan Shu's anger was more genuine. When he was angry, his golden animal eyes were filled with flames, like jumping flames.
"You are actually Xie Linzhuo's disciple. Your master and disciple are really interesting. Your master came here during the day and injured my master, and you came here to seek death at night."
Zhao Shining then realized that Xie Linzhuo had come to Fengdu City to fight Qi Bumian. No wonder the barrier of Wuji Pavilion loosened for a moment, which gave her the opportunity to sneak out. Xie Linzhuo must have been injured.
"Since you want to die, I will grant your wish."
Wan Shu was about to attack again while speaking, but unexpectedly, the woman who had been timid just now rushed to his side and hugged his... legs.
"What are you doing? Men and women should not have physical contact. Don't you monks understand that?" He almost gritted his teeth to say this.
"Sir, who told you to kill me just because we disagree? I'm not here to provoke you, I'm here to surrender!"
"I have admired you since I was a child. I have heard a lot about your deeds. I hope that one day I can become a capable assistant to the Demon Lord like you! And add strength to the expansion of the demon clan!"
Zhao Shining's speech made his blood boil and he almost cried.
Wan Shu finally broke free from her and took a step back in disgust.
"The demon world doesn't accept traitors, so you better go die."
"But I know Xie Linzhuo's weakness! If the Demon Realm can take me in, I can help the Demon Realm deal with Xie Linzhuo. Lord Wanshu, do you really want to let go of this opportunity? Otherwise, you can take me to see the Demon Lord, maybe he will be interested."
Zhao Shining thought of the woman lying in the ice room of Wuji Pavilion, and the excruciating pain she felt in her dream when Xie Linzhuo pierced her heart with a sword. Hatred continued to surge in her heart.
This nightmare that has tormented her every night since she was ten years old will eventually be torn apart by her own hands.
"Lord Wanshu, I hate Xie Linzhuo even more than you do. As long as I can become stronger, I will kill him by any means necessary."
Wan Shu was still hesitating. He always felt that the woman in front of him was cunning and a liar. Keeping such a traitor with no bottom line would be a disaster.
Zhao Shining saw that Wan Shu was obviously getting annoyed. If his tail was still there, it would have been swinging around a long time ago.
His tail is definitely furry.
She was a little distracted.
Just when Wan Shu was still struggling, he heard the voice from his master.
"Bring her here."
