Chapter Seventy: The Only Daughter of the Hidden Family

Jun Muxuan’s hand hovered awkwardly, unable to decide whether to place it or not. If he placed it, Gu Hua would see and surely remark that a prince of the realm was acting frivolously. While Jun Muxuan continued to mumble words of comfort to Ning Xue’er, he wrestled inwardly with his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Gu Hua, ever perceptive, had already left the area. From her recent observations, this place was shrouded in darkness—a site of extreme yin. Such terrain easily bred resentment. The amassed grievances here had grown to the point of blanketing the sky, suggesting many corpses lay beneath. The ghostly hand that had just attacked Ning Xue’er and Jun Muxuan was surely a manifestation of this resentment.

[Master! Forget caution—just unleash a sequence of “World Cleansing”! No matter the spirit, beast, or demon, everything will be revealed!]

Gu Hua was of the same mind. She closed her beautiful eyes, summoned her spiritual power, and formed seals with her hands. The lotus mark on her chest began to burn hotly—a resonance.

“Ancient gods of the primordial world, heed the command of the Six Directions!”

The wind rose, clouds surged, and a curtain of blue-black descended over the land. Resentful energy spilled forth, wailing souls cried out, and clusters of gray-black mist battered against Gu Hua. In a flash, she opened her eyes—black pupils pure and clear. Her lips parted, and she pronounced, “Cleanse. The world.”

At once, the spot where Ning Xue’er and Jun Muxuan stood was swept by chilling winds. Sensing something amiss, they turned to see a ball of black mist enveloping something, the interior obscured from view.

“Gu Hua! Is that you, Gu Hua? Can you hear us?!”

Cautiously, the two approached the black sphere. Ning Xue’er, curious about its nature, reached out to touch it, only to feel as if bitten by a venomous snake—her fingers turned a ghastly blue. Fortunately, Gu Hua had given them plenty of pills earlier.

Jun Muxuan broke a detoxifying pill in half, feeding one portion to Ning Xue’er and crushing the other to sprinkle over her blue fingers. The medicine quickly took effect, and her pale fingers gradually regained their original hue. Ning Xue’er withdrew her hand, marveling that—despite the sweltering heat and their strenuous activity earlier—she hadn’t sweated at all. Yet, near the black sphere, she felt a chill.

“Gu Hua must be inside. I saw her head this way. What should we do?”

Ning Xue’er was no ingrate, but she could think of no way to rescue Gu Hua; the world outside seemed utterly cut off from whatever was within.

Jun Muxuan drew Ning Xue’er into his arms, gazing at the black sphere before them. “Let’s combine our strength and see if we can break it open!”

They each took pills to keep their spiritual energy at full strength.

Within the small space, sweat beaded Gu Hua’s forehead, dampening her stray locks as she hung in midair. Though she had absorbed some of Chong Lian’s divine power, it was far from sufficient to wield “World Cleansing.” By chance, the obstructive energy she had inadvertently absorbed upon entering now gathered in her dantian.

“Ha ha ha ha~”
“Jie jie~!”
“You are not Chong Lian. You are merely her reincarnation. You are yourself—why strive to master ‘World Cleansing,’ Lian~”

Gu Hua’s eyes flickered beneath her lids, a voice whispering temptations in her heart, yet she could not break free.

Inside the space, Little Rascal was frantic. [Master’s luck is awful—how could heart demons emerge at a time like this!]

Bonegrass swayed its leaves. [Master had remnants of millennia-old obstructive energy within—this place’s darkness and resentment triggered the energy to coalesce in her dantian, thus birthing a heart demon.]

Shenling, not quite understanding the conversation, chimed in. [Master is so powerful—she’ll surely turn danger into safety!]

Shenling’s encouragement only deepened their anxiety. The outside world was now sealed off; only Master herself could break through the heart demon.

Inside the illusion, Lian had returned to the day her master saved her life. Snow fell heavily from the sky. Now, Gu Hua was Lian, retracing her old path, crawling step by step through the snowy field. Blood from frostbitten feet stained the white snow with blossoms of crimson, like plum flowers.

This was cold that pierced to the bone. She dragged herself beneath a wind-sheltered stone and curled up, waiting for the arrival of that god-like figure—her master, whom she never learned the name of.

A distant figure grew clearer. In the moment before she slipped into unconsciousness, she was scooped up into an embrace so warm it made waking seem undesirable.

Time seemed to rush by. “Master! Your disciple so wishes to know what you look like!”

The figure cloaked in black did not move. “Can you promise to remain with your master forever? If so, I will turn around.”

Lian pondered for a moment. “Forget it. Someday I’ll marry; I won’t be able to stay with Master forever.”

“Then how about marrying your master?”

“Marry… Master…”

Lian’s face broke into a silly smile. “Heh, if I marry Master… it’s not so bad…”

Outside the illusion, Gu Hua’s expression softened from pain to sweet laughter.

[No!]

Little Rascal watched anxiously from within the space. [The heart demon wants to trap Master inside the illusion!]

Bonegrass shook its leaves with concern. [We must believe in Master—how could she be deceived by a mere illusion? Master, don’t give up!]

[Master, don’t give up!] Shenling, realizing the seriousness, joined Bonegrass in shouting encouragement, though Gu Hua could not hear them.

Little Rascal fretted, powerless. [Master, you must persevere…]

Within the illusion, after Lian agreed, the face beneath the cloak smiled—though hidden, Lian saw nothing.

“Then let us marry. We shall be together for all lifetimes.”

With a wave of the so-called master’s hand, the scene shifted to a bridal chamber in the mortal world, red decorations everywhere, the room aglow with joy. Lian and “Master,” clad in wedding robes, sat face to face on the matrimonial bed.

“Master, did we really marry?”

“Yes.”

“Master” spoke gently, as if coaxing a child.

“But why does Master still wear a mask? Hmph, Master won’t let his disciple see his true face!” Lian’s pout brought laughter from “Master.”

“What does my little disciple wish to know?”

The voice was so tender it threatened to drown Lian.

“I want to know Master’s name… and your face!”

No sooner had she spoken than Lian snatched the mask from “Master’s” face.

As the mask fell to the floor, Lian’s hand paused mid-air. “Chong… Li…”

“Master” sensed something amiss. “Disciple, you—?”

Lian’s hand trembled, suspended, her expression one of disbelief. “Impossible, it’s not possible, how can this be…”

“Master” narrowed his eyes. “It seems you are not trapped by my illusion.”

Lian composed herself after a long moment, refusing to spare “Master” a glance. “What? I was a high god in my past life, my true form is the purest of spiritual beings. Did you really think your little tricks could cloud my vision?”