Chapter 297: Bai Mao's Demonic Intent

Lu Xingzhou's Red Lotus Tribulation Flame is particularly specialized for dealing with this Ancient Sword.

Even though it has been dead for countless years, the "sins" it should possess are still there; and as long as one is human, no one dares to claim they have never made a mistake, so naturally, all fall under the judgment of the Red Lotus Tribulation Flame.

The judgment comes with a control effect, leaving the opponent unable to break free for a short while. Precisely because of Lu Xingzhou's cultivation, the purifying effect of the Red Lotus Tribulation Flame is hard to apply to the Ancient Sword; that is to say, even if sins are judged, you can do nothing about it, so there is no risk of accidental injury.

It made the Ancient Sword look like a homeowner tied to a beam, watching an intruder frolic before its eyes, and it was especially inappropriate for children.

The Ancient Sword struggled and struggled, its sword qi nearly scraping against someone else's tombstone, only to be beaten back by the tombstone's automatically triggered defense.

Ancient Sword: "..."

"People from the Tianyao Holy Land are quite cute; even elders are so adorable," Lu Xingzhou whispered, biting on Dugu Miss Qingli's ear.

Dugu Miss Qingli's face turned red with suppressed anger: "Let go!"

Previously, when she told him to let go, it was because she had been struck and lacked the strength to move; but now this rascal had made great strides in power, and she truly could not break free from his control for a short while. This made Bai Mao feel some panic; what if, in the future, when his power grew even stronger, the acting in the Tianshuang Kingdom truly became reality?

"I won't," Lu Xingzhou said. "If I let go, you'll stab me; I don't even know what I did to provoke you."

Dugu Miss Qingli said, "You provoke me everywhere!"

"Then let's provoke you even deeper?" Lu Xingzhou gently infused Water Spirit power into his right hand holding her wrist, activating the "Emerald Water Cleansing Dust."

Emerald Water Cleansing Dust is not merely a healing technique; it carries purification, pairing perfectly with the Red Lotus Tribulation Flame. Only, the purification of the Red Lotus Tribulation Flame leans toward punishment or transcendence, whereas Emerald Water Cleansing Dust is for washing, washing away your dirty things.

Since it can wash, naturally it can judge what problem she has.

Under his perception, there really was a hint of qi deviation, though not that severe... how to put it? Bai Mao was born with a cold heart and cold emotions; her cultivation was even "Moon Reflecting on a Cold River," the most clear-minded of sword hearts. Such a person originally rarely even felt emotions like "anger," and even if angered, it was only a slight wrath, but recently her irritation seemed to have accumulated quite a bit, gradually solidifying and refusing to dissipate.

And with her nature, once something becomes congealed and stuck, it is harder to disperse than for others, as if frozen and unable to melt.

Thus, in the perception of the Ancient Sword here, someone from our Tianyao Holy Land should not have such heavy malice... not because it considered her a traitor or spy, but because it believed she needed to be taught a lesson, which led to this battle.

If Dugu Miss Qingli's thinking had been a bit more normal, simply withdrawing would have sufficed; the Ancient Sword would not have pursued relentlessly, nor would it have intruded into someone else's burial grounds.

But Bai Mao happened to be a stubborn dead machine; she came to comprehend the sword intent of this sword and would not leave without results. The Ancient Sword did not possess strong thinking abilities either, similarly persisting until the lesson was successful; this was the scene Lu Xingzhou witnessed.

Had no one interfered, Bai Mao might truly have been seriously injured here.

Amidst Bai Mao's struggles, Lu Xingzhou quickly sorted out the situation and asked strangely, "Where did this accumulation of anger come from?"

Bai Mao struggled even harder—You have the nerve to ask; isn't all my anger caused by you!

"Don't move," Lu Xingzhou threatened, biting her ear. "Move again and I'll kiss you."

Bai Mao was too scared to move, yet still ground her teeth and said, "You dare!"

"We haven't kissed before."

"How many times do you have to say that line!"

After one sentence each, the air grew quiet again for a moment. Lu Xingzhou fell silent for a while, then spoke softly, "So your situation... is because of me?"

Bai Mao remained silent, not answering, effectively admitting it.

She didn't dare struggle anymore; she knew this rascal was truly capable of kissing her.

Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment; although there had been a little ambiguity between the two, they had never truly been in love. Being with her master was quite difficult to endure, but it couldn't be counted as something truly angering, could it? Even if there was some anger, why would it accumulate like this?

Perhaps there was a little jealousy?

Plus disappointment in her master being "obsessed with male beauty"?

Plus the acting of "raping" her?

Even if all piled together, was it worth it?

Plus... right.

Lu Xingzhou felt a slight chill in his heart: "Did your gaze with the Ice Demon leave some residual effect?"

Dugu Miss Qingli paused, and this time she herself felt a bit confused.

Indeed, after gazing at the Ice Demon back then, her emotions were not quite right; she originally thought it was because of the possibility that "she might be a demon incarnation," which unsettled her mind, and since this matter had no resolution in the short term, her heart felt somewhat empty. Her master noticed it back then too, telling her to enter seclusion early to concentrate her spirit and calm her mind.

Entering seclusion was clearly effective... but after coming out of seclusion, seeing Lu Xingzhou challenge Zhang Qingxiang under the excuse of "protecting Mr.'s reputation," why did she feel an uncontrollable anger and personally intervene to try to beat him?

Because of jealousy?

But during the battle, he did not dodge her attacks; instead, he input healing... Bai Mao's heart softened, her sword grazed past, and her waist was embraced again in front of everyone.

After entering the Ten Thousand Swords Tomb, she grew angrier and angrier; that emotion was truly hard to describe.

I arrived first? Yet now I look like I'm having an affair?

It feels like that.

Then I was dragged and beaten by the Ancient Sword.

Is this my own problem, or did the gaze with the Ice Demon trigger the demonic thoughts hidden in my heart?

Dugu Miss Qingli's body trembled slightly, and she spoke softly, "If it was triggered by the Ice Demon, does that prove... I am a demon incarnation?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "You are indeed fixated on this... but you truly don't need to be fixated on this."

"Why?"

"Even if you are related to the Ice Demon, it is merely the overflow of the Ice Origin; this is a different concept from a demon. It would be more fitting to say the concept of the Ice Prison Sect suits you better, namely the Lord of Ice, the Ice Goddess," Lu Xingzhou said. "Perhaps you do have a certain connection to the Ice Demon's true body, causing you to be affected after the gaze, but so what? You still have endless room for growth, while it is merely a dried bone in a tomb; when the time comes to face it, you will be the one to slay it with your sword. Could it be that you would fall into demonic ways instead?"

"I..." Dugu Miss Qingli stammered, "I have evil thoughts in my heart, which is why they were triggered. Therefore... I feel there is indeed a possibility I could fall into demonic ways..."

"What evil thoughts? Is it anger, or jealousy?"

Dugu Miss Qingli bit her lower lip, and only after a long while said, "Your Emerald Water Cleansing Dust has a purifying effect; just help me remove the evil thoughts, no need to ask."

Lu Xingzhou said, "I won't."

Dugu Miss Qingli: "?"

"Having anger and jealousy makes you more like a human," Lu Xingzhou said. "I never wanted you to become a block of ice."