Chapter 76: Luring Her, the Three Sects' Conspiracy

Pei Jianshu's fingertip overflowed with vast righteous white radiance as he gazed into the depths of the forest.

"Roar!"

A ferocious, deep growl came from the forest.

"Hum!"

The Taiyi Divine Sword emerged with a hum, purple light brimming, sword intent abundant.

But neither Pei Jianshu's vast righteous aura nor Shen Qingli's Taiyi Divine Sword had any use.

A black-and-white streak of light had already shot out from beside Shen Qingli's leg!

Then, there was no afterwards.

That massive creature that had just appeared—the eighth‑grade variegated tiger—was motionless.

"What's wrong?"

The Xuan Envoy couldn't figure out what was happening; he seriously doubted whether he was truly a peak Xuan Venerable.

In the Xuanti Continent, he was a superpower towering over all factions; even against a Xuan Emperor, he had the strength to fight!

But since following the Young Master, what's with these Xuan Kings? Each seems sharper than him!

Before, he always thought that being a peak Xuan Venerable at just ninety‑nine years old was already not bad.

Even if he couldn't compare to the heavenly prodigies of the great powers of Sheng Long Tian, it wouldn't be far off.

But now…

He felt that before their own Young Master and this Shen Young Master, he was nothing.

"Thud!"

The sound of the variegated tiger crashing heavily to the ground left the Xuan Envoy even more unable to comprehend.

"What happened?"

"What on earth happened?"

The eighth‑grade demon beast just said it would fall and fell.

Shen Qingli, who could still see relatively clearly, felt her eyelids twitching…

Jiu Li, indeed a ninth‑grade demon beast.

It went up with a single claw, ripped open the variegated tiger's skull, pulled out its brain and ate it. Now it is licking its paw and grooming its fur, elegant and refined.

"See?" Pei Jianshu reminded coolly.

"Great." Shen Qingli praised.

Hearing that, Jiu Li immediately pitter‑pattered back, saying, "Right? Right? I'm super awesome!"

"Exactly." Shen Qingli bent down to pat its head, then summoned the Taiyi Divine Sword and dug out the demon beast's core.

"Give it to you?" Shen Qingli looked at Pei Jianshu; his heart stirred—then instantly turned cold.

"Although it's not as good as a ninth‑grade demon beast's, an eighth‑grade one is still fine; giving it as a betrothal gift won't lose face."

"This also counts as repaying you for the matter of Zhao Yue."

After saying that, Shen Qingli felt even more that it was okay: "The bones should also be useful—just missing the brain, no problem, I'll give them to you."

"But—" the Xuan Envoy began.

Pei Jianshu cut him off: "Eighth‑grade, she doesn't look up to it."

"So picky?" Shen Qingli retracted the Taiyi Divine Sword, "Then I can't help you anymore; farewell."

After speaking, she still threw the core, scooped up Jiu Li, and was about to leave.

"Your father's adopted son, from the Di Clan, right?"

Pei Jianshu's words once again made Shen Qingli halt her steps.

Pei Jianshu asked again, adding: "Don't you want to go see the Di Clan ruins?"

Shen Qingli tightened her grip on Jiu Li's hand: "No need."

"It's right in the Ten Directions Forest—really not going to look?" Pei Jianshu pressed.

Shen Qingli realized he seemed to know everything! It's no wonder, for Qingyun Realm is famed for its vast collection of ancient texts, so naturally it could find records about the Di Clan.

But even though she very much wanted to learn about A Jin's family and know his current situation, she didn't want to find out from Pei Jianshu.

"A Li, Sheng Long Tian may be small or large; we are peers, we will meet often in the future, impossible to never see each other again.

"Or perhaps you still have feelings for me?" Saying this, Pei Jianshu stepped to stand before Shen Qingli, looking into her eyes!

Shen Qingli raised her gaze, unafraid to meet his: "No need to provoke me; I just don't want to see that face of yours that reminds me of the Biyu Sect."

Pei Jianshu's gentle expression around his eyes cracked inch by inch, his demeanor instantly turning colder than before, with hidden undercurrents in his depths!

Jiu Li's claws instantly glowed faintly!

"Must it be so absolute?" he asked.

Shen Qingli nodded, "Better not see! Absolutely not see!"

Pei Jianshu laughed, his face turned pale, frightening the Xuan Envoy!

"Young Master, please calm down." The Xuan Envoy feared he might do something crazy.

Pei Jianshu was actually calmer than expected: "I've always wondered why? You also said, I'm not good to you, but not especially bad either. At least, we have no deadly blood feud."

"I think I made myself clear enough before." Shen Qingli didn't want to repeat.

"I also explained that everything I did was for your benefit. Even if you don't feel it, from my perspective I was helping you.

"After all, I don't know that Su Chacha's words are trustworthy at all. I also don't know that your birth mother isn't your real mother and treats you especially harshly." Pei Jianshu stated point by point.

"You're indeed not wrong, so I have never taken revenge on you." Shen Qingli admitted, "I just won't like you anymore."

"That in itself is the greatest revenge!" Pei Jianshu said coldly.

"That in itself is the greatest revenge!" Pei Jianshu said coldly.

「I'm actually quite strange. 」Shen Qingli said calmly, 「You never really liked me, even found me annoying clinging to you; now that you got your wish, what are you being awkward about? 」

「I don't. 」Pei Jianshu answered.

Shen Qingli raised an eyebrow, 「No? 」

「Not annoyed with you. 」Pei Jianshu was very clear about his own feelings, he said, 「If I were annoyed, I would have driven you away long ago and wouldn't let you follow. 」

「Then you also aren't annoyed with Su Chacha, so what's the difference? We're just fellow junior sect sisters. 」

「Different! 」Pei Jianshu's face turned pale, 「Not driving her away is because of you. 」

「Then I really didn't notice. 」Shen Qingli only found it funny, 「You're much more affectionate toward her than toward me. 」

「You're jealous. 」Pei Jianshu's expression eased slightly.

「I used to. 」Shen Qingli admitted, 「Each time, my heart grew a little colder; the more it happened, the completely cold it became. When love first buds, it's mostly impulse. Since impulse is gone, naturally there's no more heartflutter. 」

「Let's try again. 」Pei Jianshu unwilling!

But he doesn't understand; once missed, it's missed.

「Good books can be reread, and you'll always gain new insights. 」

「People don't want to fall in love again, because I can't return to that former state of mind. 」

Shen Qingli was well aware that although she appeared only seventeen, her state of mind was already like a light boat having passed countless mountains.

Those heart-pounding moments, those restless tossing and turning, have long been worn away by repeated chills of the heart and repeated escapes from death.

Shen Qingli stroked the fluffy Nine Li in her bosom, brushing past Pei Jianshu.

The night was vast and empty, her red robes fluttering as she went deep into the darkness, leaving no trace.

「Huh? 」

Nine Li lifted its head to look at her.

Shen Qingli, however, was gazing at the bright moon—no, the night sky.

In her mind, the pupil technique given by Shen Qingtong unconsciously surfaced.

The purple tint in her eyes completely faded; in her pupils, the whites disappeared, turning pure black like the irises.

Nine Li remained motionless, but its ears pricked up! It was listening to the surroundings, lest Shen Qingli be disturbed.

The tranquil mindset of "a light boat having passed countless mountains" actually resonated faintly with the dark power Shen Qingli had comprehended on Star Phenomenon Mountain.

They, never change.

Ten thousand years, a hundred million years…

Eternal and unchanging.

Even eternally unmoving.

But they are everywhere—in the universe, in the world, and in the forests of the ten directions.

Darkness, soundless yet moving—apart from Shen Qingli, hardly any living being can perceive it.

At the same time—

Forces from three sides, several dozen people, surrounded Shen Qingmo.

Shen Qingmo looked at them one by one, 「Hunyuan Sect, Zhao Fengyun. 」

Clad in green, Zhao Fengyun clasped his sword and nodded, 「Long time no see. 」

「The Three Holy Maidens of the Su Nv Sect. 」Shen Qingmo glanced left, 「Chen Nianci, Bai Piaopiao, Zhen Bijun. 」

「Brother Shen. 」The Three Holy Maidens of the Su Nv Sect all returned the courtesy, but it didn't hinder them from encircling Shen Qingmo.

「No need to think about stalling; this realm has been sealed by us with a secret art, specifically to prevent those of the Changshui Shen clan from sensing you. 」The black-robed youth who spoke plainly, lips red as if stained with blood, was precisely the Young Master of the Demon Sect, Mo Buyi.

「Shen Qingmo, today is your day of death. 」Zhao Fengyun declared judgment, 「After you die, I'll go look for Shen Qingli. If she's amusing, I'll cripple her cultivation, spare her life, and bring her back to the sect as a concubine—nothing wrong with that. 」