When the Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Meets the Unbeatable Protagonist | Chapter 70

Lin Ji knew that Meng Wanqiu would head to Jueyuan because he had encountered him here in his previous life.

In his past life, after he destroyed the Lingyun Sect, he broke out of the immortal gate and fled, being chased for a long time. He didn’t really know what the point of continuing to live was, but he also didn’t have the inclination to actively seek death. So, he hid here and there, and while doing so, he found that he was becoming stronger and his cultivation level was rising.

He had hardly seen Lu Xiaobai again, but occasionally he would think about how Lu Xiaobai would view him now. The last time Lu Xiaobai came to find him, he clearly stated that he wanted to uncover the truth for him, but Lin Ji had refused. The truth no longer mattered; he had completely fallen.

Lin Ji didn’t want to see Lu Xiaobai again because he knew that their next meeting wouldn’t be like before, just a competition; now they were sworn enemies, standing on opposite sides of righteousness and evil. He didn’t want to see the leader of the righteous path looking at him with disbelief, disgust, or sorrow. Whether Lu Xiaobai’s eyes held contempt for him or pity for a fallen friend, he couldn’t accept it.

Lin Ji had turned himself into a shadow under the sun, fleeing for the sake of fleeing. Later, he simply went to the Jueyuan ruins to train, indifferent to whether he could come out or not. He was just surviving like this, but he never expected to encounter Ling Yun Zunzhe in Jueyuan.

Outside, the demons were in chaos, and within the ruins, evil spirits and resentful souls appeared; both lives were following the same trajectory. Lin Ji didn’t expect that even in Jueyuan, he wouldn’t find peace. In a fit of anger, he first killed the evil spirits in Jueyuan and then encountered the Zunzhe, who was trapped by the demons and resentful spirits.

When Meng Wanqiu was exorcising the demons, the demon poison flared up, forcing him into a desperate situation. In his previous life, Lin Ji didn’t know that Meng Wanqiu was afflicted with demon poison; he only remembered that when he discovered him, the Zunzhe was already severely injured, still wielding his sword to fight against the demons.

Among the demons, there were naturally small minions, but there were also powerful demon beasts and demon kings. However, the Zunzhe’s sword light was flickering, dimming and brightening, indicating that his spiritual power was in a state of collapse. But how could a cultivator with collapsing spiritual power survive in Jueyuan? Lin Ji didn’t know how long Meng Wanqiu had held on; his body was severely damaged, covered in blood, with visible wounds everywhere.

Lin Ji didn’t have time to think much and rushed over with his sword. Meng Wanqiu’s eyes were hazy, and it took a lot of effort for him to recognize Lin Ji. Even though he had once admired Lin Ji greatly, after Lin Ji had destroyed an important branch of the Lingyun Sect, he couldn’t believe Lin Ji’s sudden appearance was anything but a chance to kill him.

But Lin Ji, filled with demonic energy, still wielded his sword to carve a bloody path for him, unceremoniously carrying him on his back. Meng Wanqiu was taken aback, while Lin Ji, experienced in evading pursuers, carried him to the place he had prepared for himself in Jueyuan.

There were restrictions outside, preventing the demons from entering for the time being. Lin Ji set Meng Wanqiu down and quickly rummaged through his storage bag for healing pills, shoving them into his mouth along with water. But the healing pills had no effect at all; Meng Wanqiu’s face was ashen, looking like he was on the verge of death.

Lin Ji was alarmed: “Zunzhe, how could this be?” He wanted to use his spiritual power to heal Meng Wanqiu, but as soon as he tried, it was all black energy. Lin Ji was a bit flustered; if he hadn’t fallen into demonic madness, he could definitely use healing techniques, but he…

At that moment, Meng Wanqiu regained consciousness, his spirit suddenly much better. He looked at Lin Ji, who was trying hard to save him, and despite the disheveled and worn-out appearance of the once youthful boy, he felt a pang of heartache.

Lin Ji was about the same age as Xiaobai; how could it be…

Meng Wanqiu looked at him: “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.” Lin Ji stood up: “I’ll go find some spiritual herbs to save you.” He hoped he could find spiritual herbs in Jueyuan or some healing magical artifacts; otherwise, it would really be hopeless.

But Meng Wanqiu raised his hand to grab him, “Lin Shizhi, could you please help me all the way and take me out… I still have people I want to see.”

He was talking about Lu Xiaobai. Now, his disciple was exorcising demons elsewhere, and he wouldn’t be able to wait for him here. Previously, due to his long-standing old injuries and the demon poison, the Sect Leader and his senior brothers had not allowed him to come out.

But now, with the demons rampaging, Meng Wanqiu couldn’t just hide in a safe place and watch coldly; he had already been a useless person for a hundred years. Now, relying on his own strength, he had to guard Jueyuan, preventing the demons from harming the world. But just when he happened to encounter the flare-up of the demon poison, perhaps it was fate that he would perish here.

That woman in his dreams, whether he saw her or not… it no longer mattered.

But Xiaobai was his only disciple and family; even if he had to leave, he should at least say goodbye to him.

Lin Ji gritted his teeth and carried Meng Wanqiu out of Jueyuan. He always remembered the kindness of Ling Yun Zunzhe, who had reached out to help him when even his own master wouldn’t.

Thus, even though he wasn’t very familiar with the Zunzhe, as long as the other party asked, Lin Ji would be willing to go through fire and water for him.

After they broke out of the ruins, Meng Wanqiu sent out a sound transmission talisman, and Lin Ji supported him as they flew towards the direction he indicated.

When Meng Wanqiu was afflicted by the demon poison, the demons sensed him and continuously injected demon energy into him; his meridians had already burst, and he had also suffered fatal wounds from birds pecking at him.

Meng Wanqiu endured in pain for an unknown amount of time until he sensed his spirit weakening again and couldn’t hold on any longer, so he had to let Lin Ji stop, his voice weak as a whisper.

He leaned against a tree trunk, holding his hands: “Just wait a bit longer; Lu Xiaobai will be here soon!”

When Lu Xiaobai arrived, with his strong spiritual power, he would definitely be able to save the Zunzhe!

Lin Ji felt a deep hatred for his own powerlessness again; now he could at most stop the bleeding for the Zunzhe, but he couldn’t do anything else!

But Meng Wanqiu raised his hand and ruffled his hair, and just one sentence made Lin Ji’s eyes turn red: “Earlier, did Lu Xiaobai tell you that he would take you as his disciple for me?”

“He actually told me, and I agreed.”

“If I were your master, I would never let you… end up like this.”

He didn’t know what had happened to Lin Ji, but from what he saw today and what he had seen in the past, he felt that Lin Ji’s nature wasn’t bad; he had just taken the wrong path and caused terrible consequences.

Tears rolled down Lin Ji’s reddened eyes, “I’m sorry, I can’t save you…”

Meng Wanqiu was so gentle: “It has nothing to do with you; it’s fate…”

“Please tell my disciple for me, I’m sorry I can’t accompany him any longer…”

Meng Wanqiu slowly closed his eyes.

But not long after, Lu Xiaobai arrived.

Lin Ji saw his lifelong rival in a state of hysteria and breakdown, crying bitterly, but he felt no joy in his misfortune, only deep sorrow.

Lu Xiaobai was as heartbroken as he had been on the night of the Lin family massacre.

He held Meng Wanqiu, calling out “Master” over and over until his voice became hoarse and his gaze hollow and numb.

“Master, let’s go home.”

It was unclear how long it had been, but Lu Xiaobai finally noticed Lin Ji as he carried Meng Wanqiu’s body away.

Lin Ji suddenly felt flustered; he looked at himself, would Lu Xiaobai think it was him…!

At that moment, Lu Xiaobai suddenly struck out at him, knocking him unconscious.

In his previous life, Lin Ji woke up thinking that Lu Xiaobai had misunderstood him, believing he would think he had caused Ling Yun Zunzhe’s death, and from then on, their relationship would be irreparably damaged, and he left.

In this life, Lin Ji thought about this and called himself foolish; why did he always think in extremes? He had fainted for three days in his previous life, waking up in a cave, and no one had discovered him during that time—why was that?

Lu Xiaobai, suddenly losing his master, was heartbroken and couldn’t care about him for the time being. Perhaps if he waited a bit longer, Xiaobai would come back to find him!

Lin Ji flew his sword in Jueyuan, searching in the direction of his memories.

He bore their hopes and his promise to Lu Xiaobai; this time, he absolutely couldn’t make a mistake!

“Master!”

Lin Ji shouted while searching, and finally, at the place where he had encountered Meng Wanqiu in his previous life, he saw him.

Meng Wanqiu was driving away the surrounding evil energy with his sword and, upon seeing Lin Ji, quickly said: “A Ji, quickly free me!”

Meng Wanqiu had been grabbed down into Jueyuan by evil claws and was about to use his sword when suddenly countless celestial silkworm silks surged from his body, wrapping around him.

Then he was like a silkworm cocoon, hanging on a dead tree at the edge of the cliff, unable to get out, only able to stand in place, using his sword’s spiritual power to disperse the surrounding evil spirits and resentful souls, having been stuck there for a while.

He didn’t dare to break free forcefully because this was Lin Ji’s magical artifact, and he was afraid it would harm his disciple.

Lin Ji saw this and smiled awkwardly, quickly responding: “Master, I’m coming!”

With a sword in hand, Lin Ji didn’t need to use hidden weapons; he hadn’t used Silk Fang Jin for a long time.

Then he discovered that Silk Fang Jin was more suitable for defense than for attack.

Lin Ji had secretly refined Silk Fang Jin a year ago just for this moment.

Protecting Meng Wanqiu’s “cocoon,” the inside was wrapped in soft celestial silkworm silk, preventing harm from the outside world. The outside, however, was made of hard ice needles; once danger approached, they would actively attack and clear the obstacles.

Lin Ji couldn’t just leave his master’s safety to fate; he wanted to rely on human effort to overcome heaven!

Lin Ji finally enjoyed a moment of joy in his power-up; he suddenly realized from studying the list of survivors from Yuqiong Island that he was the character who awakened first, having long since broken free from the control of the plot!

As an exception in the story, he used this unique power to save his master.

Lin Ji withdrew Silk Fang Jin, and Meng Wanqiu patted his shoulder, “When did you put Silk Fang Jin on me? I didn’t even notice.”

Lin Ji quickly examined him from head to toe: “Master, are you injured?”

Meng Wanqiu replied: “With such tight protection, how could I be injured?”

Lin Ji let out a heavy sigh of relief; thankfully, the trajectory of his previous life hadn’t been repeated.

Only then did he notice other abnormalities on Meng Wanqiu’s body, his gaze freezing for a moment: “Master, you…”

Meng Wanqiu looked at him with some trepidation: “What’s wrong?”

Lin Ji: “You look really good in this outfit.”

Meng Wanqiu: “…”

Meng Wanqiu had actually put on the crimson battle robe they had seen in the spiritual artifact library, looking radiant like a celestial being.

His entire aura was completely different from before; no wonder the people outside Jueyuan hadn’t recognized him at first.

Meng Wanqiu looked at himself and sighed in relief: “I thought you were referring to the demonic energy on me.”

… Right, the demonic energy?

Lin Ji’s whole body trembled; when he and Lu Xiaobai arrived, they had indeed heard that the master had been tainted by demonic energy, but he hadn’t believed it. Now, looking at it, he could indeed see traces of demonic energy seeping from Meng Wanqiu.

Meng Wanqiu saw Lin Ji getting tense again and comforted him: “It’s nothing; it doesn’t affect me much.”

He hadn’t lost his mind; the feeling of having demonic energy was much better than being afflicted by demon poison.

Lin Ji was puzzled by Meng Wanqiu’s behavior, which was so different from ordinary people, and quickly said: “Master, try to see if you can expel the demonic energy.”

Meng Wanqiu acted as instructed; in fact, he had already tried before. The existing demonic energy could be shaken off, but when he extended his palm to gather spiritual energy, the gathered spiritual power was still mixed with black energy.

Meng Wanqiu: “Perhaps I still have some shadows and obsessions in my heart.”

But his body seemed to have a natural barrier; the demonic energy could sense his negative emotions but couldn’t invade his heart to tempt him, only swirling around in his body.

However, because of his obsessions, the demonic energy entering his body would continue to multiply, making it impossible to completely remove it.

Meng Wanqiu speculated: “Could it be that having consumed spiritual blood is also useful for resisting demonic energy? Or is it because I was attacked by demon energy, and the two naturally repel each other?”

Lin Ji: “Let’s not talk about that; let’s get out first. Xiaobai is still waiting outside.”

As long as it didn’t harm his master for the time being, they could think of ways to expel the demonic energy slowly later.

The two of them communicated about the situation outside while wielding their swords, cutting down the resentful spirits and evil energy in Jueyuan.

Outside Jueyuan, Lu Xiaobai was holding up the barrier of Jueyuan by himself, using his spiritual power to reinforce any weak points.

Everyone had been suppressed by him for an unknown amount of time, and only then did Lu Xiaobai withdraw his pressure; the others had no strength left.

A disciple from Yuqiong Island, who had received blessings, apologetically said: “I’m sorry, we couldn’t stop them.”

Lu Xiaobai: “… It’s fine; you’ve already done your best.”

After waiting for an hour, the disciples from Peifeng Sect finally arrived.

He quickly instructed his fellow disciples to hold the barrier for the time being and prepared to personally head to Jueyuan.

At that moment, Lin Ji and Meng Wanqiu simultaneously flew up on their swords, passing through the gap back to the cliff’s edge.

Lin Ji had initially felt a bit excited, wanting to boast about his performance, but when he saw Lu Xiaobai standing there in a daze, looking at them, he froze.

His hair was a bit messy from the wind, his eyes were red, and there were tears glistening in his gaze as he looked at Meng Wanqiu.

Meng Wanqiu trembled all over, feeling a bit at a loss upon seeing Lu Xiaobai like this.

Lin Ji quickly walked over and hugged Lu Xiaobai, pulling him closer: “Take a good look; I brought your master back safe and sound.”

Right, Xiaobai had experienced the previous life, but was now burdened by the barrier, only able to wait helplessly; what kind of torment was that for him?

Meng Wanqiu also quickly ruffled his hair, “Master has cleared the demon poison; what could possibly happen?”

Speaking of which, Meng Wanqiu’s change in fate wasn’t achieved in a day; from the moment they picked wild thorn vines to find spiritual blood, his life had been gradually pulled back.

After a long time, Lu Xiaobai finally relaxed after examining him, a smile of relief appearing on his face: “Old man, you look much better in this outfit than in that dirty yellow one.”

Meng Wanqiu: “……” He still couldn’t help but complain about himself!

The three of them chatted in public, and just then, the instigator of trouble, the previously suppressed immortal leader, suddenly leaped towards the barrier.

The crowd gasped: “What is he doing?”

Lu Xiaobai raised his palm, freezing him in mid-air, but endless demonic energy surged from him, continuing towards the weak points, and the gap was suddenly expanded several times, with evil spirits and resentful souls pouring out.

Everyone was momentarily stunned, and then chaos erupted.

He really was that person!

With this immortal leader taking the lead, several other cultivators who had been possessed by demonic energy also flew up, seemingly having lost their sense of pain and awareness; no matter how they were attacked, it was useless, and they all went to destroy the barrier.

Lin Ji and Meng Wanqiu quickly tried to stop them, the three of them standing apart.

Still, some evil spirits surged out, merging with the demonic energy, completely dropping the pretense, and for the first time in front of the crowd, they let out sharp, chaotic laughter.

Demonic energy, evil energy, and resentful spirits shared the same origin; they could indeed be called evil gods.

The crowd panicked, and Lu Xiaobai waved his sleeve, injecting spiritual power into the person he had just suppressed: “Get up and fight!”

Cultivators from all sects joined forces to exterminate the evil spirits and fill the gaps.

Meng Wanqiu hadn’t felt such a strong sense of control and power over his body in a hundred years; the demonic energy didn’t affect his ability to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was increasingly absorbed into his body, and even he couldn’t control it.

A group of chaotic evil spirits suddenly became terrified, their screams rising and falling.

In the sky, the clouds gathered.

Everyone was stunned: “Could it be that the Zunzhe is going to break through at this time?”

Lin Ji sheathed his sword: “Why not?”

With the might of thunder, the most righteous energy of heaven and earth could instantly disperse all the evil spirits in this area without them needing to lift a finger; Lin Ji felt that the evil spirits choosing to surge out at this moment was quite unfortunate for them.

Lu Xiaobai’s eyes shone with brilliant light.

With the old man’s talent, he should have done this long ago; he even thought the breakthrough was late.

But seeing the demonic energy swirling around Meng Wanqiu, Lu Xiaobai paused, his expression ambiguous, as if contemplating what to do.

The thunder tribulation descended.

Everyone quickly retreated to the farthest distance, guarding with spiritual energy to prevent the evil spirits from escaping.

Meng Wanqiu raised his sword to draw the thunder into his body; every time the heavenly thunder struck him, he swung his sword, and wherever he passed, the evil spirits disintegrated.

This time, they couldn’t resist or escape; they turned into demonic energy and resentful spirits.

Once the thunder finished striking, the surroundings became much clearer.

One force entered the transformation of the divine.

Meng Wanqiu looked at himself, but why was the demonic energy still clinging to him?

He continued to swing his sword to drive away the evil spirits, but every time he swung, as long as it seemed to harm the surrounding wild grass and trees, Meng Wanqiu would promptly retract the sword energy, never missing once.

This led to him exerting more effort, swinging his sword several more times, but not harming the innocent was worth it.

Lin Ji finally fully understood the principle behind his master’s sword techniques.

Having recognized the vastness of the universe, he still cherished the green of the grass and trees.

The secret to retracting spiritual power was compassion and reluctance towards the living beings of the world.

With just one last sword, Meng Wanqiu completely concentrated his spiritual power on the sword body.

The evil spirits also merged into one, making a desperate final stand.

But at that moment, Meng Wanqiu suddenly felt a sharp pain in his body, his form faltering, but the evil spirits were already charging at him!

Damn it, the demon poison hadn’t been completely cleared, and it flared up at this moment!

Lu Xiaobai broke out in a cold sweat upon seeing this, and Lin Ji’s whole body trembled; they were about to act when the Silk Fang Jin on Meng Wanqiu was also about to be triggered.

A powerful surge of spiritual energy from nowhere dispersed the stubborn resistance, and the evil spirits and resentful souls of Jueyuan completely vanished.

Meng Wanqiu first caught a whiff of a unique fragrance belonging to a woman, and then he was embraced from behind.

The woman wore a veil, appearing from nowhere, gracefully moving to the front and taking him away from danger.

Meng Wanqiu’s eyes widened in shock, completely stunned.

It was those beautiful eyes, shining; it was that attire, like a celestial maiden from the heavens.

And on the woman’s red hair ribbon hung a string of small bells, the crisp ringing awakening long-forgotten memories.

Scenes from a hundred years ago instantly revived, and he remembered everything.

His heart raced like never before, like an old tree blooming, like withered wood meeting spring.

Meng Wanqiu suddenly felt that the hundred years of torment and loneliness were nothing; his cultivation and health had returned, and the figure he had longed for in his dreams reappeared.

It was as if he had never lost her at all.

The celestial maiden gently approached and whispered a few words in his ear.

“You seek me. Why do you always silently search for me? If it weren’t for a friend accidentally hearing and passing the message to me, how would I know?”

“I thought the Zunzhe had long forgotten me.”

The demonic energy that had been desperately trying to invade his heart instantly dissipated.

Lu Xiaobai was dumbfounded: “……”

Lin Ji, on the other hand, watched someone else’s story, silently holding the hand of the person beside him.