Black Bellied Belle: Demon Lord, Bite the Bait Please

Ch. 281-290

Chapter 281: A Visitor in the Middle of the Night

The things this lass knows was much more than he thought.

Mo Jing Yu's gaze dimmed slightly and it was a long while before he opened his mouth to ask: "Then, what are you going to do?"

The corners of Qing Yu's lips lifted as she slowly turned to look at Mo Jing Yu. She then said in a scoffing tone: "The person those people are targeting is me. So, only if I turn up there myself would their attention be shifted away from Mother, and their guard would naturally be lowered towards her. That will then be the time that we'll have to depend on Father's skills to go save the damsel in distress."

After her voice fell, Mo Jing Yu's face looked a little surprised but his brows quickly knitted up. "You are going there yourself? How can I allow that!? Your Mother fell into danger because she wanted to protect you so how can you deliver yourself right into their hands? I cannot possibly agree to it."

Towards his objection, Qing Yu did not hold it against the man, but just arched up an eyebrow to say: "Since Father does not have a better plan than this, then we'll just do what I just said."

Although she had always been docile and obedient before her parents, but when it came to something that she had decided on, no one would be able to stop her.

Upon hearing that, Mo Jing Yu could not help but feel a little indignant but did not think it was appropriate to blow his top. He then turned to Lou Jun Yao who had not said a single word all this time and said: "And you agree with what the lass is saying? What she wants to do will put herself in harm's way as the Mind Free Peak is not a place that one can come and go as they please!"

Lou Jun Yao curved his lips up in a smile, his violet irises glinting with indiscernible mirth as he said in a low voice: "The place of legend said to be a divine realm of the gods, frankly put, is a place that no one has gone to before isn't it? Who really knows whether all those rumours are the truth or lies? Senior here was proclaimed to be Cloud Heaven's most highly skilled pugilist back then but is it because you were asleep for too long that you've grown to become timid and fearful?"

"You....." Mo Jing Yu felt a little peeved and indignant hearing those taunting words and did not want to vent his anger out on his daughter, so he threw Lou Jun Yao a fierce glare.

"A little kid like you had better not get too full of yourself. Just because you possess a little capability and you think you're above everyone else? What I said about the Mind Free Peak was told to me by your Aunt Lan herself. Tell me if that could possibly be untrue!"

"Oh?" Lou Jun Yao laughed aloud. "Why don't my Senior tell us more?"

Qing Yu nodded her head and piped in as well: "That's right Father, tell me more about the Mind Free Peak so that it will be easily to come up with a better plan after gaining a better understanding of the place."

"You two....." Mo Jing Yu's face turned an uglier shade.

Why does he feel as if he had been tricked by these two imps here? He said that the place was highly dangerous but the two of them were actually becoming more and more interested in the place instead!

He had clearly told Fei Er that he would not let the kids know anything about this, as the grievances of his generation should not be shouldered by these children.

Chapter 281.2: A Visitor in the Middle of the Night

But with the way things were, he really could not care so much.

Fei Er has already sacrificed too much for his sake and she has even put herself in such great danger. How could he continue to sit back and not do anything.

Even their young daughter was being so brave, so how could he continue to hold himself back like that?

In a certain territory in Cloud Heaven, a part of the still air suddenly contorted strangely before an enormous dimensional vortex appeared. A group of people came out from it and the portal disappeared in a heartbeat.

It was rather clear that it was a dimensional portal to Cloud Heaven but here in the lower realm, very few people knew the location of this tunnel.

In the lead, was a tall and lean man dressed in black robes.

However, the most striking thing about him was his head of silver hair that looked like snow, and his pair of dark green eyes that reminded one of a ferocious beast. His light pink lips were tightly pressed together, which gave his already cold and emotionless handsome looking face an additional tinge of iciness.

It was Qing Ye Li from the White Fens Lands.

The people following behind him were his closest aides that he trusted implicitly, the same group of people who had followed him to the Feng Family Manor back then.

A person from any place would more or less face some kind of obstacles when seeking to move on to a higher position as that was a path one would have to tread as they move towards greater power.

But it seemed to be an exception for Qing Ye Li and his group. When they went through the dimensional portal, it seemed like besides taking a slightly longer period of time, they did not encounter much danger or anything strange.

It was not known whether it was due to how well blessed their Young Lord was.

A petite sized young girl with two braids at the sides of her head then gazed with wide eyed curiosity as she surveyed the surroundings, before she turned her eyes to look at the expressionless looking man, asking in a crisp voice: "Young Lord, where will we be going from here?"

When the question came out from the young lady's mouth, the rest of the people in the group also cast a quizzical gaze onto the man.

"We'll find a place to rest our feet first." Qing Ye Li's eyes narrowed slightly, as he said in an indifferent tone.

"Leave that to me." Another tall and lean figure said as he thumped his chest. Looking for a place to stay was something he was best at and it was always the best one out of a hundred places.

Qing Ye Li did not say anything, his eyes gazing far into the distance. He had..... always known where that person had been.

But, he did not dare to stand before her again.

Because he was afraid that he would one day no longer be able to control the beast in himself, and come to hurt her.

Even if there was a way for them to be together forever.

He still did not want her to be hurt, not even the slightest bit.

Chapter 281.3: A Visitor in the Middle of the Night

He would never allow anyone to come to hurt her, even if it was he himself. That just cannot happen.

The expression on Qing Ye Li's face became gloomy for an instant.

But..... they have really not met for a very long time!

Night gradually descended.

Because of what happened to Qing Lan Fei, Qing Yu did not let Lou Jun Yao come over these days, but made him stay to accompany Mo Jing Yu, to prevent the man from trying anything in secret.

Qing Yu had also discreetly and openly tried to probe for information from Qing Luo Yan but it seemed like Qing Luo Yan did not know much about the Mind Free Peak as well, and neither did she know when the Mind Free Peak would come to open up.

Qing Luo Yan had only told her that when the Mind Free Peak appears, a strange phenomenon will manifest in the skies before it reveals itself.

That night, Qing Yu went to Qing Luo Yan's chambers again to hypnotize her to sleep before walking back to her place. On her way back, she bumped into Cang Jian whom she had not seen for a long time.

"Grand Priest, it's been quite a while since we've met."

Cang Jian had clearly seen her as well but the colour of his face did not look too good, merely stiffening the edges of his lips in a faint smile before walking away.

It was thought he did not know how to face Qing Yu anymore.

Thinking back to how he had pushed Qing Yu to Qing Luo Yan's side in order to save himself, he had not thought that Qing Yu would come out of it safe and sound, and even win Qing Luo Yan's trust and favour.

As of that moment, he was just a reject abandoned by Qing Lou Yan, a Grand Priest with an empty title, where all those people who had once fawned upon him to win his favour all the time had come to distance themselves from him after discovering his current predicament, some of them even secretly ridiculing and sneering at him.

However esteemed and highly regarded he was in the past, he had inversely become just as down and out now.

Seeing the man's figure slowly grow further, Qing Yu raised an eyebrow, the expression on his face indiscernible.

It was thought that what he was feeling right now must be even worse than death itself!

So used to a life of being revered by people everywhere, reduced to become someone that no one asked about in an instant. It was not just any ordinary disgust one would feel, but was the kind that was like a fish bone stuck in one's throat, stubbornly stuck and refusing to go up or down, but could not find anyone to vent out to.

Ha, how could all of that be enough at all?

From the moment that he turned traitorous, he was destined to come to a bad end. All of this was merely just a simple appetizer.

Continuing to walk to her quarters, the two attendant girls standing at the door bowed slightly to her. "Miss Yu Qing."

"Both of you can be dismissed. You do not need to be here to serve me. We are all in the same position so you do not need to be so respectful to me. I do not think I deserve it." Qing Yu said with her lips curved up in a smile.

Chapter 281.4: A Visitor in the Middle of the Night

"But....."

"If the Temple Lord asks, I will tell her all about it. You do not have to worry that any blame will fall on you." Qing Yu opened her mouth to interrupt the attendant girl's words. Although the corners of her lips carried the faint tinge of a smile, it could be felt that the young lady was not exactly a patient person. If they continued to persist in remaining here, the young lady might really become angry.

The two attendant girls exchanged a glance with each other and decided that they should just give up, immediately bowing as they retreated.

Hmph. Who knew whether they are here to serve her or to keep watch on her? Qing Yu scoffed contemptuously and then opened her room door before making her way inside.

Although it was already deep into the night, she did not feel the least bit sleepy, her heart still thinking about the Mind Free Peak.

Heard from Mo Jing Yu's mouth, it was said that the place was highly mysterious, where no one knew where the place was exactly. But they called people in that place celestial envoys, because they possessed mystifying powers that mortals did not have, and people who came out from the Mind Free Peak were all entities with power great enough to rock the world.

But they seldom came to appear before people, or one might say, in their eyes, all other places besides the Mind Free Peak were too plebeian or lowly, that might hurt their highly noble status and identity.

Even the highest leveled realm like Cloud Heaven was deemed to be completely worthless in their eyes.

Qing Yu's cultivation in her previous life had already reached semi celestial levels and in the world she was in back then, few were able to be a match for her. Back at that time, if she had survived her Heavenly tribulation, she would have been able to gain entry into the legendary void, the celestial realm, to become a pugilist holding true divine power.

And when that thought came into her mind, she could not help but feel that all of that seemed a little odd.

The Mind Free Peak and the divine realm of the Void, could there be any link..... between these two places?

"An intruder has infiltrated into the temple! Protect the Temple Lord! Everyone be on the highest alert!!"

A flurry of hurried footsteps suddenly interrupted Qing Yu's train of thoughts and she quickly snapped back to her senses, looking in surprise at the group of white-robed men passing by the outside of her window.

What happened?

Did she just hear that someone had managed to break their way in??

This damned place was filled with danger everywhere, the security so tight that not even a fly could fly in. That was probably because Qing Luo Yan had committed too many nefarious deeds and feared for her life, causing her to turn the Divine Temple into a stifling place like it was fortified with thick walls of steel.

And someone had actually managed to break into the place?

It wouldn't be Lou Jun Yao. That fella had always been able to make his way in and out without anyone knowing a thing, not a single trace of his passing has ever been detected.

And only people who possessed his level of cultivation was able to come and go as they pleased so freely.

So who could have broken their way in here?

As she was still contemplating on it, a soft noise suddenly sounded through her half open window, and a figure then came into her room without another sound.

That person had his back facing her, standing within the shadows where the dim candlelight could not reach, where only his very tall stature could be faintly made out, looking a little thin from the back.

Qing Yu arched up an eyebrow, but did not sense any evil intention coming from the person, and she could not help but laugh out softly. "You sir, are really rather bold to dare to come in here. Have you lost your way or did you come here to look for me?"

Chapter 282: Can Only Be Friends

She had just intended to make fun of the guy and did not expect to see the man's body stiffen for a moment, before he spat out three short words: "Look for you."

The voice was cold and clear, feeling strangely familiar.

Qing Yu was a little stunned for a moment as she stood frozen to watch the figure turn around slowly, and then come walking towards her a step at a time.

From within the shadows, his real face slowly came to be revealed.

Those dark green eyes that looked like a wild beast's, glittered exceptionally beautifully under the darkness of night.

Qing Yu's eyes flared wide, incredulity filling her face as she murmured in a soft voice: "Little Ye....."

It's really him?

Ever since the time at the Faint Mist Sect when he left without a word, she had not seen him again. She had thought that he had gone to search for Qing Tian Lin but even when Qing Tian Lin came to appear again after that, there hadn't been a single trace of this guy anywhere to be seen.

He seemed to have changed, different from the previous life, keeping many secrets that she did not know anything about.

Qing Ye Li looked at the young lady in front of her who had a surprised look on her face, speechless for a moment.

Actually, he had already intended not to see her anymore. But, with things having come to such a state, where he knew where she was, he could not hold himself back and still came here in the end.

But looking at her..... she did not seem to be keen to see him.

Qing Ye Li's gaze grew dim and he said in a low voice: "It's really nothing. I just happened to know that you were here and I just popped in to come see..... whether you are doing well."

Upon finishing those words, his footsteps shifted slightly as he sought to leave.

The expression on Qing Yu's face grew solemn as she took a few steps forward to catch hold of the man. In a rather displeased tone, she then said: "What? You think you can just come and go just as it pleases you? You vanished without a single trace for so long, don't you have anything you want to say to me? Or do you now feel as if there is no need to tell me anything as you are no longer my secret hidden guard and has decided to keep a far distance away from me....."

"I have not!"

Before she had even finished, Qing Ye Li's cold and expressionless handsome looking face suddenly showed a look of panic. With a flustered look, he looked at her and quickly said: "I will never want to leave you if you do not chase me away."

Qing Yu scoffed coldly. "When did you come to learn how to use deceitful words to deceive me like this? You went on to disappear for such a long period of time and refuse to tell me anything when you come here to see me, but said that you will never want to leave me. You are free to do whatever you want and I will definitely not want to interfere."

Her words were intentionally incisive and sharp and said in a fit of pique. She knew this fella's temperament only too well and if she was not harsh with him, he would never come to tell her anything.

Chapter 282.2: Can Only Be Friends

With that thought in mind, Qing Yu turned around to walk away, fully intending to ignore him. Qing Ye Li immediately became frantic and in a moment of panic, he actually hugged her from behind, his voice a little helpless as he said: "Little Yu, don't get angry! I did not want to hide anything from you....."

Finding herself hugged from the back, Qing Yu's eyes glinted sharply as she quietly tried to break free. "What right do I have to be angry with you? You and I have both been born into another world, so everything that happened in our previous lives do not count for anything anymore. You are now completely free to do whatever you want and there is no need for you to tell me anything."

"It is not like that at all!"

Qing Ye Li turned the young lady around and stared at her with his dark green eyes, his voice dead serious as he said: "No matter how much time has passed, Little Yu..... will always be the most important person to me. I will never hold any secrets against you."

"I just..... don't know how to tell it to you." The aura around Qing Ye Li seemed to turn highly depressed in an instant.

Qing Yu's brows furrowed deeply and she was silent for a while before she slowly said: "Just what could have happened to you?"

In the end, Qing Ye Li revealed everything to her, but throughout the entire process, he did not dare look into the young lady's eyes at all.

"Little Yu, I am actually..... not human, but just a werewolf that possesses human blood in me." Qing Ye Li's eyes were looking down, the expression on his face sad and gloomy. "It was all not just a coincidence that I grew up around a pack of wolves. It was because I am of the same species as them."

Speaking up till that point, he then laughed aloud in self scorn. "How could a person like me..... possibly stand right before you?"

The man's fair slender fingers suddenly covered over his face, his voice becoming hoarse, like it carried bitterness that no one knew about. "I am..... the one who does not have that right, not you."

It was not known how long had passed before a slightly cold hand came to grasp the hand covering his eyes, slowly pulling it down. The man's eyes that were green as fine emeralds sparkled with a clear reflective sheen like they had been newly washed, looking like he had just cried.

Qing Yu looked at him and then let out a sigh. "So, just because of that, you do not dare to come see me, and was unable to face me?"

Qing Ye Li did not say anything, his silence admitting to it.

The young lady suddenly stretched her hand out to grab his collar, pulling his body to bend down slightly before she reached a small hand up towards his head. She then mercilessly ruffled his head vigorously, like she was ruffling the fur of a little pet.

Qing Ye Li's face was stunned in surprise, unable to react for a moment as he stood there staring woodenly at her.

"Will you harm me?" Qing Yu suddenly opened her mouth to ask.

Chapter 282.3: Can Only Be Friends

He suddenly snapped back to his senses, and took a moment before he shook his head. "How could I possibly ever hurt you?"

This was someone he would seek to protect even if he would get hurt!

Qing Yu curved up the ends of her lips and then said: "Or shall I say, will you betray me? Or do things that's disadvantageous to me?"

"I will never do that." Qing Ye Li said in a resolute voice.

Qing Yu looked at him with her brows turned up in smiling arches. "So, what are you so worried about? So what if you are not human? Little Burrow is a snake and I like him a lot. Little Ye, you grew up together with me and you are a friend and companion I trust the most. So, we will never ever drift apart and become estranged, will we?"

Qing Ye Li's body had turned a little stiff. It was not known whether it was because of the young lady's words spoken without any restraint or it was because of the phrase..... most trusted friend.....

Friend.....

That's right. Just friends, They can only be friends.

That was enough.

Having made it clear with her words, Qing Yu went on to pour a cup of tea for him as she said: "Little Ye, you said that you came here to Cloud Heaven because of Mind Free Peak?"

"Mm." Qing Ye Li nodded slightly. "I promised my Father that I will help him bring something back."

"But isn't there a limit on the number of people that can go into Mind Free Peak? So people from the White Fens Land can go in there as well??" Qing Yu asked with a rather surprised look on her face.

The corners of Qing Ye Li's mouth tightened. "The limit holds no absolutely no meaning to powerful entities. As long as one has the power, will the Mind Free Peak really stop them from going in?"

"What you said sounds quite logical." Qing Yu said with a helpless smile.

Qing Ye Li held the tea cup in his hand, not drinking a single sip but merely narrowed his eyes, impossible to know what was on his mind. After a while, he then said in a soft voice: "You have to be careful....."

"Huh?"

Qing Ye Li's fingers holding the tea cup tightened slightly. "Regardless whether it's Cloud Heaven or Mind Free Peak, both of these two places aren't really that terrifying or dangerous to me. What I am more worried about is..... Qing Tian Lin."

Qing Yu's face that had been smiling suddenly became muted and restrained.

Qing Ye Li then continued to say: From what I remember, he is an utterly ruthless person who would avenge the slightest ridicule or humiliation suffered, where no one could possibly remain safely untouched after antagonizing him. I once went to find trouble with him in the White Fens Land before but he did not choose to retaliate back then, but endured it silently. What do you think that implies?"

"That he has something more important he is dealing with on his hands, and is unable to respond to your taunting." Qing Yu said in a contemplative tone.

"That's what I think as well. But hasn't what he wants the most all this time been you all along? Could he be prepping for a bigger and grander plot....." When that thought came into Qing Ye Li's mind, his long sharp eyebrows suddenly furrowed up as a feeling of unease crept into his heart.

"Don't overthink it." Qing Yu said reassuringly. "Maybe his focus isn't on me this time and that will be just great."

"But I believe that he will never give up on you. You are after all..... his most ideal and favourite puppet." Qing Ye Li almost spat out those words in contempt, pausing at every word.

Chapter 282.4: Can Only Be Friends

In the past, it was not known how many of their blood kin Qing Tian Lin killed in their clan because of Qing Yu. He was a stubborn and persistent maniac and he would surely persist in coming up with more horrifying deeds.

But the thing that made it more frightening was he had absolutely no idea where Qing Tian Lin was now.

An entire month ago, Qing Tian Lin was already not in the Feng Family Manor.

There was no trace of him anyway.

"All the things he did to me in the past, no matter good or bad, I have already repaid him with my own life back then."

Qing Yu's gaze stared into an empty spot, looking like her thoughts had drifted very far away. Her voice was soft as she said: "I am now a completely new person, who has a family I want to protect, and a partner that I want to be with forever. For their sake, I will not allow myself to end up like I did in the past."

"With Qing Tian Lin, I have already decided that I do not want to have anything to do with him ever again, but if he still has not given up, then I will have to..... end him with my own two hands." Qing Yu's eyes narrowed up dangerously, with a steely and resolute glint.

She had been on very good terms with Qing Tian Lin when they were very young, and hence they knew each other very well. Never had she ever thought that they would one day end up like this.

But the difference now was that Qing Tian Lin has changed, and so has she.

——

A part of the frost on the cavern wall suddenly melted like it had met with a strong blaze, slowly forming into tiny flowing rivulets of water that came to drip onto the sad and depressed woman's pale cheek.

One drop, two drops.....

Finally, the long lush lashes of the woman's closed eyelids fluttered slightly, before she slowly opened her eyes whose vision was still a little blurry.

She had remained in this place for too long and her body had turned cold and stiff, with numbness creeping upon her. She wondered what it was like in the world outside now, and how many days had already passed.

Maybe she should be more worried about herself instead.

The place was called the Flame Devouring Ice Demon, which was specially used to imprison traitors or prisoners who committed grave and heinous crimes.

Anyone who came in here, would have no chance of going out ever again.

With the starkly contrasting temperatures of both ice and fire in here, it was impossible for anyone to remain in this place for long no matter how high their cultivation was. Moreover, there's some kind of devilry at work in this place which silently eats away at a person's cultivation without them knowing, till they were reduced to a frail and completely useless weakling.

Qing Lan Fei's face was deathly pale, and slight traces of blood was caked on her badly cracked lips.

She had long been used to fasting in abstinence and it did not affect her all that much when there was no food or water there. But as her cultivation was deteriorating, she would soon become a normal regular human.

With her entire body being endlessly chilled by ice and roasted from the fiery flames at the same time, she felt like she was going to die.

Chapter 283: The Devilish Voice In The Dreams

But there were some things that she still could not help but worry. It was that lingering worry that allowed her to maintain her wavering consciousness.

Have those people started to move? Are her children..... safe?

A pair of white boots suddenly appeared in her line of sight. Qing Lan Fei was taken aback a moment before she raised her head up to look at the person. It was a rather young and pretty lady, who was at that moment looking down at her.

Qing Lan Fei's body was very weak and she could only remain lying on the ground, unable to even summon the strength to sit up.

But she seemed to know this lady, and her blurry eyes suddenly widened slightly when she saw the lady, quickly struggling as she tried to get up.

But the iron chains that bound her limbs were too heavy and she was unable to even sit up from the ground, the attempt only causing her wrists and ankles to bleed from abrasion.

"Senior, don't try to move!"

When the young lady saw what Qing Lan Fei was doing, she immediately held Qing Lan Fei down, her brows knitted up as she said in a whisper: "I came here in secret, and no one knows that I'm here. You do not have to worry."

For someone who was so spirited and suave, when had she ever suffer such torment before? This Flame Devouring Ice Demon, is truly such a cold bitter place!

With Senior stripped of her spirit power core and her cultivation in such a weak state, she will not be able to hold on much longer. No matter how strong her willpower is, her body will not be able to withstand it.

Qing Lan Fei tugged back the ends of her lips slightly, struggling very hard to attempt to put on a weak smile. "Ying Ge, it's been so long. You have not changed in the slightest."

Here in the Mind Free Peak, the only person who has not completely lost all humanity.

"Senior, you should not have come back." There wasn't the slightest hint of a smile on Ying Ge's face as her hands holding Qing Lan Fei's shoulders quietly infused the woman with spirit power, to help the woman drive away some of the weakness in her body.

Qing Lan Fei's brows creased slightly as she then said in a soft voice: "Stop that right now. If Master finds out, you will be punished."

Ying Ge did not pay any heed to the woman's words but kept her eyes closed and the transfer of spirit power through her hands constant. She suddenly came to ask the woman: "Is life out there good?"

Qing Lan Fei was surprised by the question, her gaze fixed on the young lady as her mind recalled back memories from a very very long time ago.

Ying Ge had been the same as her, already brought here to this place when they were still in their swaddles, but Qing Lan Fei had been luckier, fortunate enough to leave the Mind Free Peak when she was ten years old.

After that, although she still roamed between the two places, the Bright Moon Temple and the Mind Free Peak, she still enjoyed lots of freedom.

Ying Ge was the illegitimate child of a lowly female servant and her mother died not long after she was born. Master pitied the young child and came to take her in to keep by his side.

Because she was blessed with high intelligence, Master made an exception despite her lowly birth, and accepted her as a disciple.

Chapter 283.2: The Devilish Voice In The Dreams

The girl came in only just a few days later than Qing Lan Fei.

The two of them had grown up together from a very young age and they trained together. Ying Ge had always been very diligent and hardworking.

Because she was very much aware of her status and position, where it was destined that she would never be able to raise her head high here in the Mind Free Peak, hence she needed to make up for it with ten or even a hundred times more effort, before she would have to chance to stand above others.

She was a person of few words and she seldom revealed her emotions. It could be said that her personality was cold and distant. But Qing Lan Fei had never cared about the cold expressionless face the girl always put on, treating her like her very own sister.

Although Ying Ge had never said it out aloud, she actually remembered it all in her heart and she had always respected this Senior of hers. When Master decided to rid her Senior of her spirit power core and to throw her out from his discipleship, Ying Ge had then knelt there under the freezing snow for seven whole days. But that still did not change her Master's mind in the end.

Qing Lan Fei was forcibly stripped of her spirit power core and when the pain was so great that she was almost going to lose consciousness, she saw the icy cold Ying Ge who was never one prone to showing emotions cry while she embraced her.

That was the first time that Qing Lan Fei saw her cry.

Even when the girl met with an accidental mishap while cultivating and her meridians were severed which caused her to bleed from all seven orifices which very nearly took her life, the girl had not once complained about the pain, like she was a monster who was incapable of feeling anything at all.

But when she saw Qing Lan Fei looking almost on her last breaths before her eyes, Ying Ge cried like a little child, almost losing her voice, pleading again and again for her Senior to not die like that.

Qing Lan Fei had also cried. She just could not bear to leave this junior of hers who was as close to her as her real sister though they were not related by blood at all.

She knew that Ying Ge was not good at expressing what she felt in her heart with words but her feelings could be felt from her everyday actions that showed that the girl treasured her just as much as she did herself.

And when the time came for her to leave the Mind Free Peak, the eyes that Ying Ge had looked at her with had been highly conflicted, but seemed to be tinged with a strange bit of envy at the same time.

The last words she had said back then had been: "Senior, you must remain well. And, do not come back here again. Never ever again."

She seemed to be telling her, that they would never meet again.

Ying Ge wanted to go see the outside world so much, but she could not. It was as if there were invisible shackles that bound her body, trapping her, making it impossible for her to take a single step out of this place.

So when Qing Lan Fei was able to go out, Ying Ge's heart was actually filled with envy. But after many twists and turns over hundreds of years, she had still come back here.

Chapter 283.3: The Devilish Voice In The Dreams

It was not known how long had passed when Qing Lan Fei's face seemed to regain a sliver of colour. She looked into Ying Ge's eyes and said in a tender voice: "I felt that I have spent many happy years all this time. I have a husband who loves me more than his own life, and an obedient pair of children. There is nothing that is more blissful than that for me."

Ying Ge's eyes dimmed. "Do you know what it means when you're here in the Flame Devouring Ice Demon?"

"I know." Qing Lan Fei smiled weakly. "But I do not regret anything. Because I have experienced the most wonderful things in the world, and I have absolutely no regrets."

"If you die, what about your husband and children?" Ying Ge asked as her brows furrowed up together.

"I do not have a choice do I?"

Qing Lan Fei curved up the ends of her lips, and said in a slightly scornful tone: "Right from the start, they had never intended to let me off. They were just seeking to use the Flame element to develop an invincible and invulnerable human weapon. I might not be their best choice, but they really do not have a more suitable candidate than me."

"When Master spared my life back then, it must surely be because there was still some use left in me!"

Ying Ge clenched up her hands and remained silent for a long while before she opened her mouth to say: "I will try to think of a way to get you out of here."

Qing Lan Fei smiled and shook her head. "Do do anything foolish Ying Ge. To be able to see you again, I am already satisfied."

"Senior."

The pitch of Ying Ge's voice suddenly rose slightly, her eyes staring deeply into Qing Lan Fei's with a light that was never seen before, like it was hope that had been concealed behind many hidden layers, but was finally spilling out unstoppably.

"Do you know? I am really very envious of you, that you can be so brave to choose the life that you want for yourself, in spite of how hard it was going to be, and never once retreated from your choice.

"I think, Senior can really carry the hope I hold in me with you, to continue to live so happily forever."

The ends of Ying Ge's lips curved up in a smile, which really tugged at one's soul. "I will definitely save you from this place."

Upon saying that, she did not wait for Qing Lan Fei to respond but just turned around and left straightaway. But the sight of her departing back seemed to carry a strange resolve that made one feel uneasy.

"Ying Ge....."

Qing Lan Fei watched the figure that was gradually disappearing, and her fingers clenched up tightly as uneasiness rose in her heart.

——

"My good child, do not resist me, but give yourself up to me!"

At the end of that haziness, a voice seemed to be calling out to her gently, filled with a highly soothing power, that comforted one greatly, wanting nothing more than to sink oneself into that gentle tenderness.

Chapter 284: A Strange Change Happened

The next day, something big occurred in Cloud Heaven.

In the Five Great Powers' intersecting central border, a great number of corpses suddenly appeared. It included those of demonic beasts and also those of humans, all of them killed in mysterious ways, which quickly elicited a wave of panic among the people.

Quite a number of the people who lived nearby immediately asked to move into territories under the protection of the Five Great Powers, fearful that they might just die in the same mysterious ways like those corpses one day.

The incident quickly drew the attention of the Five Great Powers.

For so many years, the Five Great Powers in Cloud Heaven have maintained a unspoken sense of balance between the different mights.

Moreover, the day that the Mind Free Peak would manifest was soon to arrive and it was only natural that no one would intentionally want to shatter that peaceful balance. So..... by whose hand did this incident come to occur?

The Bright Moon Divine Temple was widely revered to be a place of holy divinity, the symbol of light and peace. Though the internal departments of the temple have strayed quite a bit from their initial maxim, at least on the surface, they were still thought to be sanctimonious by the people.

When such an incident happened, the Bright Moon Divine Temple could not possibly sit back on their laurels, and not do anything.

It had been a long time since they convened for a meeting under such serious circumstances and everyone came. The grand meeting hall was filled with a whole horde of people, black robes and white robes each standing on one side, spread out in neat uniform rows.

It was just as grandiose and massive an affair as the time when Qing Yu had seen when she first came here.

But the circumstances were now different. She had come here as a prisoner a few months ago, facing all kinds of strange and curious looks from everyone. Now a few months later, she stood high up looking down over the grand meeting hall, at a position right next to the most revered and respected woman, enjoying everyone's adulation.

Things today were totally different from before.

As the Grand Priest, Cang Jian had naturally come as well.

Even though he was no longer that highly favoured by Qing Luo Yan now, he had still basked in great glory for a period before. Hence, though everyone was privately gossiping about him, they did not dare to be too openly audacious about it.

Qing Luo Yan was seated behind heavy drapes on the raised pedestal like always, not revealing her face. Her svelte slender figure stretched out upon a divan, without saying a single word for a long while.

Till everyone starting wondering whether she had fallen asleep, the woman's gentle and melodious voice then suddenly rang out. The tone of that voice was the same as always, impossible to read the emotions behind it, where everyone was unable to sense the woman's mood at all.

"Regarding the appearance of corpses at the intersecting borders in Cloud Heaven, what are your views about it?

Chapter 284.2: A Strange Change Happened

Everyone below contemplated on it for a good while, before a lean figured old man in white robes at the back suddenly put on a wise look and muttered in a thoughtful voice: "Could it be Heaven's calamity....."

But the moment his words came out, scornful laughter broke out seemingly on both sides unbridled, like he had just told them a funny joke.

The old man seemed to realize that he had made a fool of himself and his face immediately turned awkward and embarrassed.

How could he not be embarrassed?

What kind of a moronic Heaven's calamity would occur right smack at the intersecting borders of the Five Great Powers? It was a highly prominent place of such great importance it was clear to see that that was the work by humans' hands alright? Someone must be attempting to incite some kind of provocation between the Cloud Heaven's Five Great Powers to stir up unrest and upheaval.

A young man in black robes then stepped forward to first bow respectfully towards the raised pedestal before he opened his mouth to say: "Temple Lord, I think that with something this strange that occurred so suddenly out of nowhere, instead of having all of us making all kinds of wild guesses here, why not we have the Grand Priest show us his capability by having him go investigate it, to get an affirmative answer for us all."

That was indeed a rather sound suggestion and many people there immediately indicated their approval, turning their eyes onto the group of people wearing the blue robes of a priest.

Standing in the lead, was Cang Jian himself who had remained quiet for very long. He looked as if he had lost quite a bit of weight, like he had not been able to rest well for many days.

People who were in the dark might have thought that he had been slogging day and night for the divine temple but the truth of the matter was actually because he no longer possessed the special powers of a priest and was feeling fearful and worried that he had lost favour with Qing Luo Yan.

Seeing that man suggest that they should have the priests go investigate into the incident with the corpses, Cang Jian's face immediately changed in shade.

His hands hidden within his voluminous sleeves tightened unconsciously and for some unknown reason, his gaze subconsciously turned to look towards the raised platform, at the young lady standing just outside the layers of curtains.

Seeming to sense the man's gaze on her, Qing Yu lifted her head and looked at him, before a faint smile slowly came to show on her face.

Cang Jian's heart could not help but to constrict for a moment. Would she..... really extend help to him?

Afterall, he had greatly praised and promoted the young lady before the Temple Lord previously, and that had led to her position of glory today.

Although that had brought trouble onto himself and he came to lose the Temple Lord's trust, this young lady must not be that ungrateful and forget the things he did for her or he will not let her off!

Cang Jian straightened his back, standing in his spot with a vicious glint in his eyes.

Fortunately, that young lady did not disappoint him.

As he stood there with his body tensed and his face grave, his mind almost about to snap, Qing Yu suddenly spoke up: "Everyone, all of us might have overestimated the severity of the situation here."

Chapter 284.3: A Strange Change Happened

The young lady's clear and gentle voice rang out within the vast hall, drawing countless pairs of eyes to her in an instant.

But in the very next moment, she was met with the bristling furious glare of a black-robed old man who hollered: "How impetuous! A little lowly attendant girl like you actually dares to speak critically in such an important meeting of the Divine Temple!? Is it because you think that winning the Temple Lord's favor gives you the right to be so arrogant and conceited?!"

That old man was a well-respected Elder in the divine temple who holds a rather high position. He was a person not prone to laughter and a man of few words, a stern and serious character who emphasized greatly on the hierarchy of rank and position, and the strict compliance to etiquette. To him, Qing Yu's actions here was clearly a case of insubordination, audacious conduct that overstepped her boundaries.

"Hold your anger for a moment Elder and maybe hear me out first before you decide whether to apportion blame onto me?" Qing Yu asked as she looked smilingly at the old man, seemingly not fearful of the fury showing on his face.

The black-robed old man was just about to open his mouth to chastise the young lady when the voice of the woman behind the curtains sounded out softly: "No harm hearing what she has to say."

Since the Temple Lord has already spoken, the old man could do nothing but hold himself back and acquiesced quickly.

"Yu Qing, let me hear what you think." Qing Luo Yan then said.

Qing Yu nodded her head slightly and then turned to the people below to say: "The Mind Free Peak is about to appear and I think I do not need to say anything more about it as everyone here is better informed than me with regards to this."

"Does this have anything to do with the incident regarding the corpses?" Someone then asked puzzledly.

"Let me finish."

Qing Yu looked at the person who spoke with a smile, and then continued on to say: "The Mind Free Peak is said to be a divine realm, and the high level of mystery surrounding that place is clear to see. No one knows when it will come to appear, and no one knows where it will finally show up."

"But since it is a divine realm, it is only natural that something unusual would accompany it pending arrival to exemplify its extraordinary status. And at this time when the MInd Free Peak is about to manifest itself, could a mysterious and incredible incident come to occur, or an unexplainable phenomenon happen to appear in the skies?"

"You mean....."

The people there were all not that stupid, and they were naturally able to decipher what the young lady was trying to hint at with her words, but what she said was really a liitle too incredible to believe.

"That's right. I feel that the appearance of the corpses could have something to do with the impending manifestation of the Mind Free Peak. Because of that, it caused a shift or fluctuation that affected some life forms, which then cost them their very lives, and not because of what many here are thinking, where someone is intentionally trying to stir up turmoil in Cloud Heaven."

Chapter 284.4: A Strange Change Happened

After Qing Yu finished speaking, everyone below was silent for a long while before the expressions of their faces were a little strange to see.

Because all of them felt that all that the young lady said sounded rather logical. If it was the Mind Free Peak, it could really explain that strange phenomenon. Afterall, nothing so mysterious has ever happened in Cloud Heaven in the past several hundred years.

They were all speechless for a moment.

In the end, it was Qing Luo Yan who suddenly laughed out softly before she went on to say: "You little lass, really has quite an extraordinary mind. To think that you have the exact same thoughts as this Temple Lord here. It looks like having you just be a mere attendant girl is such a great waste of your talents."

"The Temple Lord is too kind. I am merely making a wild guess here." Qing Yu lowered her head and said, her demeanor natural and unflinching.

The people below could not help but sigh inwardly at those words. Hearing the Temple Lord say that, it seemed to mean that she was going to bestow a special position within the Divine Temple onto the young lady. When that thought came to their minds, some of them just could not help turning to look towards the man standing at the lead among the group of men in blue priest robes.

Looks like the position of the Divine Temple's Grand Priest is now hanging by a mere thread!

"Since there is no objection from all of you, the matter is now made clear. From here, this Temple Lord will then decide on the candidates who will be going to the Mind Free Peak within the next few days, and you'll be informed of my decision when the time comes. I hope everyone will do your best to grasp this opportunity."

"We will not disappoint the Temple Lord wishes!"

After saying that, Qing Luo Yan then raised her hand slightly from behind the curtain veil. Upon seeing that, Qing Yu slowly went inside, and supported the woman as they left from the other side.

Everyone in the great hall started to disperse, and there was no lack of hushed whispers among the people.

"That little lass from the lower realm, is really riding high recently! To think that the Temple Lord trusts her so much!"

"You don't say! Although the Temple Lord often asks for everyone's opinion during every meeting, but doesn't she always insist that what she thinks is right? I have never seen the Temple Lord in such complete agreement with someone's opinion before."

"It seems like even the Grand Priest Cang Jian who has been by the Temple Lord's side for so many years did not manage to make the Temple Lord trust him that much and..... it looks like the Temple Lord has not summoned him recently right?"

"Shh..... Not that loud....."

Despite the hushed voices speaking in soft whispers, Cang Jian was not deaf at all. He has always been concerned with how others looked at him, so how could he not be paying attention to his surroundings at this time?

Upon hearing those words from the people around him, Cang Jian's face was cold and hard as he walked out from the great hall without a word.

But his hands within his sleeves were tightly clenched up, held so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands were bulging.

Did he just..... led the wolf right into his house?

Things have turned out like this due to his own stupidity.

Sigh..... He has been too careless. Since this Yu Qing did not know her own place, then she cannot be left alone.

Cang Jian's tall figure gradually disappeared from the sight of everyone coming out of the great hall. When he reached a place where no one was able to see him, the man's harmless and gently good looking face soon came to be tainted with an indiscernible tinge of malevolence that seemed to forebode an incoming storm.

——

It was night, the cold clear moon hung high up in the sky. A silvery white light pale as snow spilled into the house, a quietly beautiful and enchanting sight.

The young lady lay quietly, half her face buried in her soft beddings.

The silvery slanted rays of the moon cast into the room, and one could dimly see the other exposed half of the young lady's exquisite and flawless countenance in quiet and peaceful sleep, like an otherworldly fairy that had stumbled into the mortal realm.

From within the shadows, there was suddenly another presence, a pair of eyes deeply watching the young lady who was fast asleep

Chapter 285: Sneak Attack? Turn You So Ugly You'll Cry

The young lady was only thinly dressed as she slept, her long black luxurious mane splayed over her pillow. Asleep like that, she looked exceptionally innocuous and innocent, curled up in an unmoving bundle, which really melted one's heart to see.

At least for the man in the shadows who had secretly slipped in there, he stood there watching without blinking, his deep and beautiful violet eyes filled with tenderness.

Seeing a small hand of the young lady's sticking out from under the covers and remembering her cold body constitution that always could not stay warm, the man sighed softly to himself before he tiptoed lightly over, thinking to cover her properly with the blanket.

After he slipped her hand under the covers, he then discovered that she was really sleeping very soundly, surprised that there was no reaction from her at all.

Something didn't feel right.

Lou Jun Yao could not help knitting up his brows. The lass is always highly alert and guarded asleep or awake. How could she possibly be sleeping so deeply, completely unaware of her surroundings?

"Little fox?"

Lou Jun Yao stretched his hand out to pat her lightly on her cheek. There was still no reaction from her.

He then turned over the young lady who was sleeping on her side. It was only when she was facing him that he saw that the expression on her face looked unnatural. Although she looked to be sound asleep, her lips were tightly pressed together and when he looked more closely, there was a thin sheen of cold sweat on her forehead.

At that moment, though her body was in a state of deep sleep, her consciousness was however fully awake.

Just as she had expected earlier, she was drawn into a dreamy realm by that mysterious voice once again, but it was different this time. She was on her guard and she would not be so passive this time. She followed the voice to go seek out the person behind it, and was at that moment battling the person.

And her body was stiff and in such a state of nerves because she had sensed that someone had come close to her flesh body, and that was why her body was showing a defensive reaction. But after discovering who the person was, she then heaved a sigh of relief.

She had been worried that if she was not able to wake up for a good period from this, she might not be able to escape harm from any external danger.

Now that Lou Jun Yao has come and discovered that something was wrong, he will definitely remain right there by her side, so she did not have to worry about her flesh body coming to meet with any harm anymore.

As Qing Yu's body came to put down her guard, the man who was holding her tightly then felt the tensed up and stiff body slowly start to relax, the expression on her face becoming a lot more natural looking.

Seeing that, Lou Jun Yao felt a little surprised. It was probably a kind of spiritual connection as he came to sense that the young lady must be dealing with something very important at that moment.

He just waited quietly for the young lady to wake up, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on her, highly alert as he watched her closely.

Chapter 285.2: Sneak Attack? Turn You So Ugly You'll Cry

The person who was attempting to control Qing Yu within that dreamy dream was actually an adorable-looking young girl who did not seem any older than ten years old.

Although she looked to be just a little child, her voice sounded highly mature. At that moment, her face was pale, and a sliver of blood trickled down from a corner of her lips, her large eyes wide as she stared, looking completely shocked.

"How is it possible! How could you not fall under the control of my hypnosis!?"

Qing Yu scoffed contemptuously. "Using the same trick on me a second time? Do you know that intruding into someone's dreams is an utterly despicable and vile act? Or are the people from the Mind Free Peak just a shameless and reprehensible bunch?"

"What audacity! How dare you defile the Lord from the divine realm!?" The young girl immediately admonished in indignant anger. But very quickly, she suddenly seemed to realize something and she went to ask in a surprised voice: "How did you know that I am someone from the Mind Free Peak....."

How is that possible?

She has not revealed anything to the young lady at all so from where did this little pipsqueak here come to know it!?

Seeing the young girl's face looking like she had just seen a ghost, Qing Yu arched up an eyebrow and her wicked sense of humour kicked in. She said in a slow contemptuous voice, pausing at every word: "Not only do I know that you are from the Mind Free Peak, I also know that you people want to sneakily capture me without anyone knowing a thing, to use the Flame element in my body with its resurrecting powers to help you create a super invulnerable and invincible powerful fighter."

At that point, as if she still thought that all that information was not yet enough, she continued on to say after a short pause: "Those corpses at the Cloud Heaven's intersecting borders, if my guess is correct, it is probably caused by your very hands. That is because you were injured a few days ago, and you needed a great number of live souls as replenishment for you to make a full recovery. I wonder if everything I just said..... is correct?"

Qing Yu had just finished her words when the young girl fell back a couple of steps weakly, the expression on her face not only shocked, but was tinged with a bit of fear.

From her reaction, it could be seen that all that Qing Yu just said was correct and spot on.

It was also highly probable that her evil and devilish technique of cultivation through the devouring of live souls was prohibited in the Mind Free Peak, and that she was doing that in secret.

Hence, when she was mercilessly exposed by Qing Yu so thoroughly, the young girl suddenly became fearful.

In reality, Qing Yu's guesses had really not been all that far from the truth, but there was one point that she had gotten it wrong.

The Mind Free Peak was indeed trying to capture her, but not through such underhanded methods like this.

This young girl here had accidentally overheard the conversation of her higher ups and that was why she took her own initiative to come capture Qing Yu, in order for her to win merit, gaining favour and be tasked with greater responsibilities.

Chapter 285.3: Sneak Attack? Turn You So Ugly You'll Cry

But she had not thought that she would come to be defeated for the first time in her life, and was forced to reveal herself right at the second.

It must be known that what she longed for the most in her life was to be able to possess a normal body, a beautiful looking body that was compatible with that enchanting voice. So if she were to earn herself great merit, it would then be possible for her to ask the higher ups above to help her have her body reconstructed.

But it was feared that her wish was not going to come true.

Since this lass here has actually discovered her secret, she must then not be left alive, even though she will lose her chance to earn some merit. If her secret was exposed, she really did not dare imagine what kind of an end she would find herself in.

The punishment might turn out to be even worse than being sent into the Flame Devouring Ice Demon!

Thinking about that, a vicious and malevolent smile immediately rose up onto the young girl's adorable looking face.

Her enchantingly melodious and dreamy sounding voice was filled with chilling murder as she said: "Little lass, it is destined that you will meet with such tribulation. But you do not have to be afraid. I will not let you feel any pain. When those people died, their faces were still smiling so peacefully....."

Hearing that, Qing Yu curled her lips up in a smile, her long narrow eyes filled with a radiant smile. "But I am really curious what goes through your mind when you devour people's souls in their dreams. Oh right, you wouldn't know, because you have never seen what you look like yourself in there....."

Those strange words directed at her out of the blue caused the expression on the young girl's face to become shocked for a moment before she went on to say in a sarcastic tone: "Do you really think that playing such petty tricks will make me let you off just like that?"

"Petty tricks?"

Qing Yu arched up an eyebrow, a strange look on her face. She then moved her hand slightly, seeming to be holding something within her palm. She raised her hand up slowly and then revealed the thing she was holding inside.

It was a small and delicate little mirror.

"Why not we have a look at what you look like here?" The smile on Qing Yu's face deepened, and she turned the mirror to face the bewildered young girl.

"See, this is what you look like. Is it because you have not seen your own face for so long that you have forgotten who you are?"

Reflected in that mirror, was not any petite and adorable looking young girl at all.....

It was a face filled with horrifying pus filled boils, a monster too terrifying to look at, its body covered in hard brown grey scales, and with many hideous looking feelers waving menacingly about.

That was clearly a humanoid body but it really looked unbelievably horrifying. It could not be ascertained what species of monster it was, one that people avoided like venomous vipers and scorpions, its face disgustingly loathsome, absolutely frightful to even gaze upon.

"Arrgh~~ That is not me! That cannot be me! A monster! That is just a monster....."

Chapter 285.4: Sneak Attack? Turn You So Ugly You'll Cry

The young girl immediately lost her mind. She was completely overcome with fright, her hands covering her shaking head as she cowered, her footsteps retreating backwards as she recoiled in horror, seemingly unable to accept the fact that the image of herself that she saw reflected in the mirror could be so horrifyingly hideous.

She let out a shrill scream as she mindlessly clawed at herself, oblivious to the bloody gashes she was leaving on her own body, like she was trying to dig out the monster in her. As she attacked her own body, the monster in the mirror was also assaulting her mind, seemingly refusing to leave her alone.

In the end, it looked like she was unable to withstand it any longer when she gathered all her remaining strength into her palm, and she delivered a strike onto her forehead. Her consciousness was obliterated, and her entire being dissipated into nothing but dust.

Qing Yu looked at the mirror she held in her hand and shook her head, looking a little sympathetic as she said: "How inferior does she actually feel about herself? To never have looked into a mirror, but to still end up dying because of a mere mirror."

"Mistress, for someone who is as beautiful looking as a goddess like you will naturally not understand how much ugly looking people care about their own looks!"

A tiny voice suddenly sounded.

Qing Yu arched up an eyebrow, and seemed to have thought of something before she released the little toddler from the bottle.

The little toddler with a fiery red body immediately drew in a long and deep breath blissfully as if he had not breathed the air outside for too long, and then turned to look at Qing Yu with incredibly grateful eyes.

"Thank you Mistress for letting me out. I will definitely carry out my Mistress' tasks dutifully in future to make up for the wrongs that I committed in the past."

Qing Yu scoffed indignantly. "I am giving you just one chance because you came up with the ploy this time. If you dare to defy me again in future, I will turn you into a cultivated elixir."

The little toddler immediately looked fearful as he lifted his tiny hands to cover his mouth and shake his head vigorously. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare to do that anymore. I know now that that is Mistress' man and he cannot be eaten, cannot eat him....."

"Pfft." Qing Yu was tickled by his antics, and she decided to ignore him.

Up till that point, Qing Yu thought that it was time that she woke up. Otherwise, a particular man was going to worry himself to death.

Just as Lou Jun Yao's face grew grim and his body became stiff as a board, he then saw the eyelashes of the young lady in his arms flutter faintly, before she slowly opened her eyes. She has really woken up.

Upon seeing him, her lips curved up into a smiling arc as she called out tenderly: "Ah Yao."

Lou Jun Yao's breath caught in his throat for a moment, and he then seemed to clench his jaws, but did not say anything. He embraced her more tightly, his head buried in her shoulder, and he then said softly in an aggrieved tone. "Little one, you almost frightened me to death."

Everything had been good and well just before this. He had only not come to see her for a few days and she actually dared to just fall unconscious before him like this.

Looks like he had better come here every single night to see her.

Sensing the worry the man was feeling, Qing Yu stretched her arms out to hug the man, and said very gently: "I'm fine now. Mm?"

Chapter 286: First Time, Must Be Cautious

Feeling the young lady's arms curled around his waist to reassure him, the anger immediately drained out of Lou Jun Yao completely. He embraced her quietly for a while, and then released her slightly to ask: "What happened?"

Qing Yu curved up her lips in a smile. "It was nothing. Just a clown hidden up among the beams became impatient and tried to find some trouble with me, that's all."

With Qing Yu so highly favoured by Qing Luo Yan now, people in the divine temple just could not wait to fawn on her and butter her up, so no one would be so foolish as to try anything funny on her in here at this time.

Could it be.....

Lou Jun Yao's brows knitted up as he thought deeply about it for a while, before he then looked at her and said: "Someone from the Mind Free Peak?"

"Mm. But I have dealt with it." Qing Yu said with an eyebrow raised, but wasn't all that surprised that the man was able to decipher it so quickly.

Afterall, having already taken her mother away, their next target could only be Little Bei and her, but she had not thought that they would make their move so soon.

Upon thinking that, Qing Yu's furrowed brows deepened as she looked worriedly at the man. "How is Little Bei doing recently? Ah Yao, you must definitely help me keep a lookout on him. I worry that those people will suddenly strike, and Little Bei will be defenceless against them."

"You do not need to worry about him that much. He is not as useless as you think. You are just being overly protective of him here."

Lou Jun Yao squeezed the young lady's cheeks gently, and his thin lips parted slightly as he said: "As a man, he needs to grow up sooner or later. When I was his age, I already went through so much more. Although you are his elder sister, you cannot decide his life for him forever. He needs to walk his future path on his own, and nobody can help him with that. Do you understand that?"

Qing Yu lowered her eyes, and her voice was soft as she replied: "I understand."

Maybe in her eyes, Qing Bei would always be a small and weak child that needs her constant protection.....

Seeing the young lady suddenly fall silent and glum, Lou Jun Yao could not help but curve up the corners of his lips, and lifted a hand to raise her small delicate chin up. His devilishly handsome face suddenly leaned in, and he pressed his forehead up against hers gently, his gaze indiscernible as he looked right at her.

Qing Yu was taken aback by surprise, the expression on her face bewildered.

"I discovered something." Lou Jun Yao suddenly said, his tone of voice serious.

"What?"

"Although you haven't seen me for the past few days, you did not miss me even a tiny bit, but is being so concerned for that kid Little Bei instead." Lou Jun Yao said without showing any expression on his face. His eyes then became sad as he looked at her and said: "Have you..... started to tire of me?"

Lou Jun Yao's words were spoken mostly in jest, but it still carried a sliver of seriousness in them.

Afterall, the lass was becoming less and less passionate towards him compared to the beginning, and that made Lou Jun Yao unable to help himself but to develop self depreciating thoughts, thinking maybe he was not attractive to Qing Yu anymore.....

Chapter 286.2: First Time, Must Be Cautious

However, hearing those words from the man, Qing Yu became a little stunned at first, and her eyes then slowly curved into twin arcs, the corners of her mouth carrying a faint hint of a smile. "When did you start to like thinking up such nonsensical thoughts?"

"Are you saying that isn't the case?" The man's face suddenly looked a little depressed and indignant. "Then how are you going to prove that you still love me as much as the time when you confessed your feelings to me?"

"How do you want me to prove it?" Qing Yu could not help but smile to herself. This fella was being the prime example of a steady and mature person in self reproach just a moment ago but has suddenly turned so childish in a blink, which made her really not know whether to laugh or cry.

The instant her voice fell, she saw the look in the man's eyes change and he then held her down under the soft covers on the bed, his face barely inches away from hers as he looked at her with an indiscernible smile. HIs well defined fingers gently caressed the young lady's smooth cheek as he said in a low mesmerizing voice: "I don't care. You neglected me so much recently and I want it all paid back."

Upon finishing those words, he went straight for the young lady's soft luscious lips, dominating that sweet honeyed domain in a slightly punishing manner.

However, his ferocious actions did not seem to have frightened the young lady but came to receive a tender response from her. Her slender arm slipped smoothly around the man's neck, passively submitting herself to his fierce initiative that washed over her like a storm, not resisting him in the slightest.

Lou Jun Yao's pair of violet eyes immediately turned a deeper and more intense shade, gradually no longer just lingering on the young lady's alluring lips, slowly moving downwards, to gently take a bite on the young lady's soft supple neck.

"Mmm....." A low groan escaped out through the young lady's lips, a numbingly pleasurable sound.

She had already not been all that well covered while she was asleep earlier, and with all the tossing and turning around now, the state of her clothes were in a frightful mess.

The young lady's beautiful and deeply etched collarbone with her snowy fair skin came exposed, the enchanting curve just under her collar that drove one wild bewitching and inextricably drawing the man's gaze to it.

Without considering the young lady's alluringly mesmerizing countenance, it was as if every single part of her entire body had been exceptionally blessed by the creator, more beautiful than a painting, like even glancing at her one more time was defiling that greatest epitome of perfection and beauty.

However, that enchantingly exquisite prey, was at that moment passively lying just beneath his body, subjecting herself to do as he pleased.

In an instant, the man's usually lazy and nonchalant looking handsome face became awashed with thick and intense desire. Despite the many changes in the intensity of his eyes, he finally buried his head into the young lady's soft slender neck, panting a little depressedly, quietly trying to suppress the urge in him.

Qing Yu turned her eyes to gaze at the man lying on top of her, her luscious red lips pressed together in mirth and her voice tinged with an alluring raspiness just after the bout of intensely passionate exchange. "What's wrong?"

Chapter 286.3: First Time, Must Be Cautious

Hearing the young lady's heart stirring voice, Lou Jun Yao could not help but feel even more frustrated, and he said in a slightly admonishing tone: "Don't say anything."

Qing Yu blinked her eyes in innocence. "....."

What is going on with him?

His face was just looking like he wanted nothing more than to eat her up but he suddenly just stopped and was acting so helpless and aggrieved. Listening closely to his voice, she could even detect a bit of frustration in it.

In fact, she had not resisted or tried to stop him at all did she?

Even if he really did try to do anything, she might not come to reject it. She really loved him and she did not dislike being intimate with him. So if they were destined to be together, then what did it matter if they became a little more intimate with each other?

She wasn't really an ignorant young lady in her teens anymore, so she was very clear of her feelings for Lou Jun Yao.

Throughout her previous life and this, she had only loved just this one person.

She had not felt that kind of feeling even with Little Ye whom she had been closest to.

The feeling where she missed him, loved him, and wanted to possess him.

That's right, not just men would think to want to possess someone, women would similarly entertain thoughts of possessing another person.

Because when one loved another person too much, they would want that person to belong only to themselves alone.

Not to mention Lou Jun Yao's countenance, which even made Jing Yu instinctively think that the man had seduced his daughter with his beauty. That would naturally have to be extraordinarily outstanding good looks, especially those violet eyes of his. When they looked at you so tenderly, it was feared that no single woman would be able to resist them.

Though Qing Yu and him had been around each other for a long time, but when she unintentionally meets with the man's eyes, she would still find herself almost bewitched by them. Those eyes really possessed some magical powers that could capture a person's soul.

"Ah Yao....." Qing Yu's voice called out gently.

Seeing that the man did not respond, she ran a slender finger lightly over his broad back. She clearly felt the figure under her finger stiffen, like he was trying his very best to hold himself back or something.

"Are you..... feeling alright?" Qing Yu raised an eyebrow as she asked him in a soft voice.

Although she did not know very much about such things between a man and a woman, but there were certain parts of a man with strong urges that easily made them rash, and if they did not gain relief, it seemed like it wouldn't be good for their health.

Thinking about that, Qing Yu hesitated for an instant before she slowly opened her mouth to say: "Why not..... I help you....."

"No need." Without waiting for her to finish, the man immediately spoke out to refuse. His expression was emotionless as he turned to glance at her and said: "I will not let something that is supposed to be so wonderful to be given up to your hand. We still have a very long road ahead of us."

Hearing that, Qing Yu was first stunned for a moment, unable to react to the unspoken meaning behind the man's words. And when she was able to react, her face immediately turned red and she looked at him with indignant embarrassment. "How are you even able to spout such shameless words!?"

Chapter 286.4: First Time, Must Be Cautious

Lou Jun Yao raised an eyebrow, an innocent look on his face. "What is wrong with everything that I said?"

Wasn't what he said the truth?

Or was it.....

When that thought came into Lou Jun Yao's mind, the corners of his mouth suddenly curled up in a devilish looking smile.

"Little fox, tell me the truth here. Have you been frequently harbouring thoughts of doing more intimate things with me....."

"Shut up!" Qing Yu glared at him in indignance, pushing him away as she turned her head around, fully intent on ignoring the man.

This fella is really being too much. It was clear that she had thought it might be too agonizing for him to endure it and she was kind enough to want to help him. Doesn't he even consider that a young lady shouldn't be embarrassed like this?

How could he possibly say such things aloud?

No matter how much he wants it the next time, there was absolutely no possibility of it happening!

Seeing the embarrassed and bashful little thing before him, Lou Jun Yao could not help but laugh affectionately as he stretched his arm out towards her and pulled her into his arms. Plopping half his body's weight right over the young lady,, he then asked softly: "You're angry with me?"

Although Qing Yu was trapped under the man like that, she did not try to struggle, but just continued to ignore him.

Lou Jun Yao lowered his head to kiss the young lady on her cheek and said in a soft coaxing voice: "Alright alright. It's all my fault as I should not have made fun of you. Don't be angry with me will you?"

"I am not angry." Qing Yu harrumphed in an indignant tone.

Lou Jun Yao laughed softly. "I'm relieved that you're not angry with me. You must know that your father is already quite displeased with me and if I still go on to take liberties with you before I marry you, he will definitely not want to see me even more."

Upon hearing that, Qing Yu's brows creased together and she opened her mouth to say: "I will get my father to accept you. You do not have to worry about that as I will naturally not want you to feel aggrieved by that."

Those words moved Lou Jun Yao's heart, but he could not help but sense that something didn't sound right.....

On the other side of the MInd Free Peak, a strange phenomenon had appeared.

An invisible distortion twisted up in the air, and the sound of an explosion boomed before fading away immediately.

"What happened?"

Every single person from the Mind Free Peak possessed extraordinary powers that were closely linked to the very core aura in the Mind Free Peak. Hence, though the Mind Free Peak bestowed upon them unsurpassing powers, they were also intricately bound to the laws that existed in the Mind Free Peak.

And with that phenomenon that just happened, it seemed like..... someone from the Mind Free Peak had just died, so the core of their powers in the Mind Free Peak had similarly crumbled as well.

Chapter 287: Mastermind Behind Their Deaths Back Then

But the ripple in the core that signalled the death of one of them had come from very far away, and had not happened within the Mind Free Peak.

What..... does that really mean?

To think that someone among them in the Mind Free Peak has died all of a sudden in the world out there!

A woman who was taking a little nap suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes clear and pristine like ice shockingly beautiful. Just a brief glance into them, it seemed like one was gazing directly upon some boundlessly vast glacial plains, driving a chill deep into one's heart.

The person outside seemed to have heard the soft sound of movement inside and he came walking in slowly before greeting in a respectful voice: "Sovereign."

This dignified silver eyed woman, was the highest authourity here in the Mind Free Peak. No one knew where she had come from, a person shrouded in deep mystery and highly unfathomable. The reason how the Mind Free Peak had become the highest and unsurpassable realm throughout the entire lands was mainly because they had a ruler who held insurmountable power.

No one knew her name, but everyone only addressed her as the Hell's Sovereign.

The woman came down from her divan, and walked out through the door, her eyes gazing far into the distance. Her eyes were expressionless, and it was impossible to read her mood. The person behind her stood there submissively with his head lowered, quietly awaiting for instructions.

It was not known how much time had passed, so long that the person thought that the woman would not be saying anything else when he suddenly heard her voice.

"Bring back the culprit."

Her voice was emotionless, like she was incapable of feelings, so cold it penetrated right into a person's bones.

Upon hearing that, the person behind her suddenly felt a chill run up his spine, before he bowed respectfully and acknowledged immediately: "I will."

Sovereign had never cared whether these people in the Mind Free Peak lived or died, the only thing that she cared about was the benefit they brought her. Every single one of them belonged to her, and even if she were to abandon them, nobody is allowed to touch them.

It was clear that someone had overstepped those boundaries, and..... she is feeling rather displeased.

——

Regarding the incident with the dead bodies at the intersecting borders, the Bright Moon Divine Temple had already put out an explanation for it. That spot was where the Mind Free Peak would come to appear at, and it would happen very soon, within a period that nobody could possibly predict.

The Five Great Powers together with a good number of independent cultivators, including some reclusive hidden family clans have all started to activate their people, all of them moving towards the intersecting borders.

From the look of things, they were all intending to dig in and plant themselves in that place in wait, so that they would not miss the Mind Free Peak's manifestation.

Chapter 287.2: Mastermind Behind Their Deaths Back Then

A blinding group of people in bright glittery gold could be seen coming from afar as they walked, a highly conspicuous and eye grabbing colour, with a great ferocious looking eagle emblazoned prominently on their chests, the signature emblem that showed they were people from the Hunters Guild.

Upon seeing that, some of the people could not help but go hide themselves far away from them, fearful of bumping into them.

Although the Hunters Guild was among one of the Five Great Powers, they had won their position only very much later, notoriously pegged with a bad name, and could not be compared to the other several powers.

Although the Dark Lands was also known to be an evil unorthodox might, but they were a group of people with real capabilities. Between just the Hunters Guild's Zhuge Xiong and the Dark Lord Lou Jun Yao alone, there was already no way to compare the two of them, not to mention the fact that Zhuge Xiong was once Lou Jun Yao's subordinate, his cultivation a good way below that of Lou Jun Yao's.

Although the Dark Lord was arrogant and eccentric, who thinks nothing of anyone at all, he was however a lot more upright and aboveboard in his ways, while Zhuge Xiong's treacherous sly self was something everyone knew about. Moreover, the Hunters Guild's people were always loud and tried to maintain a high profile, like they were afraid that people would not know about them, making themselves a highly annoying and hated nuisance.

The surprising thing was that Zhuge Xiong himself was one among this group of people.

But looking at him, it was plain to see that the look on his face did not seem all that great. Having endured it the entire way, he finally could not hold himself back anymore but went on to ask the man beside him.

"Why do I have to come here with all these people? Who knows whether it's really true? Those guys from the divine temple are always up to their funny tricks and I'm sure you're well aware of that as well! Even without needing Qing Luo Yan to say anything, I know that those priests in that divine temple of hers are becoming more and more useless, so is it possible that they are really capable of divining where the Mind Free Peak is going to appear at? Maybe it is just some half baked explanation she has nonchalantly tossed out to deceive everyone!"

"Hoho. Better safe than sorry isn't it? I feel that whether what she says turns out to be true or not, we do not have much to do anyway do we? What harm can it cause when all we have to do is wait for a period and see?"

The man said in a soothing voice with a smile on his face, a stark contrast against the agitated and frustrated Zhuge Xiong.

The person who spoke was also wearing the Hunters Guild's uniform, the glittery gold a little gaudy looking. But worn on him, there was an indescribable kind of noble elegance, that gracefully handsome countenance exuding a sense of power.

This person turned out to be Qing Tian Lin.

Upon hearing that, Zhuge Xiong knitted his brows together and then said in a displeased tone: "That still doesn't mean that I need to come all the way here personally does it? I am the Hunters Guild's top boss and doing this is rather degrading to a person of my position and status."

Chapter 287.3: Mastermind Behind Their Deaths Back Then

Qing Tian Lin laughed scoffingly and went on to mercilessly expose the man's lies. "I think you're afraid that you'll feel embarrassed if you encounter people from the Dark Lands aren't you? Or could it be you're afraid you'll run into your previous lord from the past and feel inferior before him, causing you to lose face?"

Like he had struck the nail right on the head, Zhuge Xiong's face immediately changed.

Seeing that, Qing Tian Lin continued to laugh, not bothered by the look on Zhuge Xiong's face. "What is there to feel inferior about? That man is just slightly more fortunate than you in birth and a little luckier than you that's all. In everything else, the two of you are standing at the same starting point. He is the Lord of the Dark Lands and you are the boss of the Hunters Guild, both the reigning leaders of powers who hold their own in these lands, so neither one of you is lower or higher than the other."

Zhuge Xiong silently clenched his jaws. "But....."

"No buts about it. You must remember this. You must definitely go into the Mind Free Peak. Maybe you will find that you do not have to lower your head anymore after you go in there." Qing Tian Lin curled up the edges of his lips to say with a faint smile.

"I will definitely go." Zhuge Xiong said, his fists tightly clenched up.

Seeing that the man was no longer hesitating, Qing Tian Lin nodded his head and smiled as he continued to say reassuringly: "Maybe you will also come to see that attendant girl you previously met in the divine temple in the near future, and find some relief from all that missing you've been doing as well. Why do you persist in thinking of the unhappy things?"

When he heard those words, the expression on Zhuge Xiong's face underwent an obvious change. He had found himself thinking of that girl ever since he saw her for the first time. Looks like what one cannot have will always be the best.

"So what if I do see her again? She admires Lou Jun Yao so much that she was completely unmoved no matter how much goodwill I showed her back then." When Zhuge Xiong came to speak about that, his face could not help but to show anger and indignance. "Just because he has a mesmerizing-looking face, why must all these women be so shallow to become so besotted with his looks!?"

Qing Tian Lin's eyes darkened, shrouded by an indiscernible depth that stained those orbs. He then opened his mouth to say: "Admiration is just a fleeting emotion. When you become more powerful than that man, she will take the initiative to come win your favour. All women worship a man of power, and that is the norm."

Admiration?

He knew that that man had impure thoughts towards his Qing Qing but Qing Qing would definitely not fall in love with a man that easily. Her heart was colder and harder than anyone else so he was certain that she would not fall in love with anyone just like that.

But if she really were to betray him, he will surely lose his mind so completely that he might do something beyond his control.

Following at a distance behind the two of them was Xi Zhan Chen, who overheard everything that they said. He noticed the insidious look on the man's face and he could not help but feel a sliver of worry rise up in his heart.

Qing Tian Lin is a lunatic, and that was something he had known all along.

But his life was bestowed onto him by Qing Tian Lin so he had never ever gone against the man, willing to do anything for him, even if he had to give up his life.

Chapter 287.4: Mastermind Behind Their Deaths Back Then

But after meeting that young lady, that thought in his head was slowly and silently undergoing some changes.

In the beginning, he learnt how to hide the truth.

Then, he learnt the manner of things that he must not do, the kind of things he shouldn't speak about, subconsciously trying to protect that young lady, not wanting her to fall to any kind of harm.

Despite the fact that some of his actions now had made him a traitorous turncoat.

But he had already quietly made a subconscious choice deep in his heart. For her, he was willing to do things that might cost him his life. All he wanted was to see her be able to smile just as purely and guilelessly as always.

She would forever be the gentle and tender hearted one, who generously showed him warmth and concern without inhibition, to a person of unknown origins.

An angel.

He liked her, a liking that he only dared to keep buried deep in his heart, treasuring it carefully forever.

Qing Luo Yan who had been able to enjoy peaceful sleep for quite a long time suddenly woke up with a start on this night.

But what she saw in her dreams was not Qing Lan Fei's face, and neither was it her godly father's disappointed and forlorn looking face, but the face of someone she would never have expected, a person she had almost completely forgotten about.

It was the culprit who put a spell on her back then.

Originally, though she had felt rather aggrieved and resentful, she had never thought that she would turn into someone like this, a person that she herself was unable to recognize.

How could she possibly have the guts and courage to murder her own blood sisters, and commit such great blasphemy as to kill one's own father.....

None of that was a result that she wanted.

But it was not known from when it started, an invisible demon had suddenly appeared in his world, a ceaseless and bewitching presence in her mind and consciousness, that endlessly magnified the tiny speck of darkness that was in her heart initially.

Her entire world then began to be filled with that voice.

"What light and holiness? Only the forbidden dark arts will give you might and power. No one will dare to cross you, and they will all submit themselves at your feet!"

"Can't make it yours? Then destroy it so that no one can get it!"

"You only need to kill her and that man will be yours to have!"

"Disobedient? Then let him have a taste of the result of defying you!"

"Whoever dares to stand in your way to stop you, just have them all killed! Kill anyone who defies you....."

In the end, she turned to become a bloodthirsty demoness who lived to kill, her countenance that had originally been outstandingly pretty looking gradually becoming more and more devilishly seductive, her charming beauty irresistible, till not the slightest sliver of a goddess' divinity could be found on her anymore.

To the extent that though none of that was what she really felt in her heart, but she thought that that was what her heart wanted. In the end, all those events back then, while she drifted hazily in and out of all that muddle-headedness, had all come to happen.

And she would only come to feel so lost, everytime when she woke up from her dreams in the middle of the night.

Till now she was still unable to decipher why that person had chose to seek her out, and why that person would use her to oppose Qing Lan Fei and Mo Jing Yu so strongly.

Although she hated those two people who betrayed her, she had never really wanted to take their lives.

But this mysterious person had sought to directly end their lives.

It was probably because they were entirely innocent that the Heavens did not even want to receive them, and have revived them, letting them live again.

Chapter 288: Sowing Discord

This matter had been a thing of the past for a very long time.

If she did not dream of this person now, she would probably have forgotten all about strange happenings.

Qing Lan Fei was merely just another goddess among many others in the divine temple and it was only in the year that she turned ten that an enormous change came over her. Before that, she was just a spoilt and wilful fool.

What was it about her that was worth those people keeping such a close watch on her to the extent that they wanted her killed?

Wait a minute.....

The expression on Qing Luo Yan's face suddenly became startled as something passed fleetingly in her mind, so fast that she did not capture it.

Why hadn't she thought of it before.....

Qing Lan Fei before she was ten years old and after she turned ten, the difference in the girl was not just merely a world apart.....

No..... They were two completely different people.

But everyone including herself had thought that it was because of the incident that caused her to fall perilously ill that brought about the complete change.

But thinking back carefully about it, wasn't it a little too unbelievable?

At ten years old, it was not when one would still be blissfully ignorant but many parts of their personality and thinking would have been deeply etched right into their bones and no matter how they changed, it would not be that drastic.

Qing Lan Fei..... Could she have.....

Like she had just thought of something absolutely incredible, Qing Luo Yan's face turned pale and white, her irises in her eyes enlarged from shock.

That bout of illness from the incident back then had not just caused Qing Lan Fei insufferable trauma but had killed her completely instead!

And the completely different Qing Lan Fei who had appeared after that was just another person in substitution.....

What those mysterious people sought had always been this replacement Qing Lan Fei's life. Otherwise why would a mere brainless fool call for them to go to such great effort to make use of her to get rid of Qing Lan Fei?

This matter was something that happened several hundred years back but she had seen that mysterious person again now. Is this some ominous sign that something was about to happen again?

Qing Luo Yan got up and walked down from her bed, to look up into the pitch dark night sky outside the window, where a clear bright round moon hung quietly.

The moon that could be seen from the Bright Moon Divine Temple was mostly a full moon. That was because of its unique geographical position and some strange unknown reasons that allowed people from the divine temple to be able to see the moon in its most beautiful state, full and round that usually signalled good tidings.

But at that moment, the large rotund moon seemed to be lacking a small part of itself, seemingly cut off rather abruptly.

Chapter 288.2: Sowing Discord

Qing Luo Yan's limpid almond eyes reflected the beautiful moon and the look in her eyes turned a little strange. A lacking moon.....

Everytime the moon showed a lack, something big would happen.

Like back at the time when she lost all self awareness and killed her father and all of his old subordinates to completely take over the divine temple. She had thought all of that was what she wanted but it turned out that everything then had happened according to a certain person's plans.

She had always thought that Qing Lan Fei was pitiful and pathetic but she was actually the most pathetic one. Right from the beginning till now, she had never known that she was just a pawn who thought she was very successful.

Qing Luo Yan lips then curled up into a self-deprecating scornful smile.

She raised her hand and looked at her well maintained and fair skinned arm, her beautiful fingers like those of a budding young woman. Sigh..... How much blood had these hands been stained with!?

——

"Senior, you're awake."

Someone suddenly patted her cheeks lightly and Qing Lan Fei opened her eyes that were heavy with grogginess, to see the pretty faced woman looking at her with a concerned expression.

Seeing her stir awake, the woman then blew out a breath of relief before she stretched her hand out to stuff something into her mouth. It dissolved into effervescent air immediately in her mouth before Qing Lan Fei was able to react and entered straight into her abdomen.

Qing Lan Fei's rather hazy consciousness immediately cleared up a little. "That was....."

"Among all the things that Master gave me over the years I finally found something that's useful. Your body is now too weak and you will not be able to withstand this much longer. So let it nurse your body secretly without showing any signs on the surface." Ying Ge's melodious voice explained softly.

Hearing that, Qing Lan Fei's brows creased up slightly. "With you helping me like this, if you're discovered....."

"So what?" Ying Ge interjected, her face indifferent as she raised her eyes to look at the woman. "I am not about to stand back and watch you die before my eyes."

The look on Qing Lan Fei's face changed slightly and she moved her lips, like there was a lot that she wanted to say. But in the end, all that she could muster up was merely: "Ying Ge..... Thank you."

"There is no need for any thanks between us." Ying Ge replied.

"What's the situation like out there?"

Trapped in the Flame Devouring Ice Demon where she was not able to even see the light of day, Qing Lan Fei's cultivation and her willpower was slowly and constantly being chipped away, where she was no longer able to remember how many days it has been since she left, and how many days she had been in here.

Her first and foremost worry on her mind was whether the Mind Free Peak has made any move towards her children.

Chapter 288.3: Sowing Discord

"You have been here for an entire month and the Mind Free Peak..... might manifest before the people within the next few days. When the time comes, those who are qualified to come in will in turn become the Mind Free Peak's fresh blood. Sovereign will then personally pick a few of them to experiment with."

The so called fresh blood were just lives that would be turned into weapons.

Although they were perceived as the divine realm, people who came into the Mind Free Peak would not be able to receive any of the so called treasures or the secret manuals, but merely become the Mind Free Peak's most excellent experimental specimens.

Afterall, too many outstanding young youths have been selected all these years but none of them have been able to last till that last final step.

To be able to develop the most outstanding weapon, one must first undergo countless times of failure.

The Mind Free Peak has never once given up on developing the strongest weapon but that called for a lot of blood and countless lives to be paid in return for them to continue with that brutally cruel project.

But people in the world outside knew nothing about that at all and they all sought to come in here like moths to a flame.

The moment that first step was taken, there was no way back for any of them.

An overwhelming wave of sadness and panic suddenly washed over Qing Lan Fei deep inside her heart and she grabbed at Ying Ge's hand in a fluster. "Ying Ge, if the Mind Free Peak really comes to make a move against my children, will you please..... do all that you can to help them? I still carry the Flame element in my body and you can use my blood instead. It does not matter how much you take, but can you not hurt them? They are innocent....."

"Nobody has ever been able to change any decision once Sovereign has decided upon it."

Ying Ge lowered her head, her voice soft as she said: "That is the case when they sought to get rid of you, it's the same now that they seek for your children to take your place. The only reason they have not killed a traitor like you till now, is only because she feels that you are still of some use to her."

Ying Ge brushed off the dust that had caught on the hem of her dress before she stood up. "The only thing you can do now is to pray in your heart that they can turn misfortune into blessing and come out of this alive. Senior, you're already in such dire straits here and when that moment really comes, you might not even be able to save yourself, not to mention anything you can do for them."

Upon saying that, Ying Ge turned herself around and slowly walked away from there.

She continued to come see her for about an hour everyday after that and although Qing Lan Fei did not know it, most people would not be able to come here into the Flame Devouring Ice Demon at all. So why was Ying Ge able to come and go as she pleased, and it seemed like she was not really affected by the arduous effects of the place.

Maybe her cultivation had really grown over the past several hundreds years and that was why she was not affected by the place in the slightest!

——

"Has the enchanting view of the moon put the Grand Priest in such a good mood to come out to admire the sight instead of getting some restful sleep?"

At the end of the stone corridor, isn't the man dressed in a suit of blue robes standing with his head raised up as he gazed at the night sky the Grand Priest Cang Jian himself?

Chapter 288.4: Sowing Discord

Ever since he lost Qing Luo Yan's trust, he seldom showed himself before people anymore. Even when he came to encounter anyone, he would merely nod briefly in greeting, no longer his haughty and arrogant self, keeping a very low profile.

But meeting him this time, he did not try to avoid her.

Qing Yu curved up the corners of her lips as she walked slowly over to stand beside the man to gaze admiringly up at the full moon together and said with a smile on her face: "I heard that the Grand Priest has great powers of divinity and a mere astronomical phenomenon should not pose any difficulty to one of your skills. I wonder why is there suddenly a piece of the moon missing like that, are you able to determine what is the reason for that?"

"Don't you already know it?" Cang Jian asked in an emotionless voice.

"Know what?" Qing Yu raised an eyebrow to ask the man in return.

Cang Jian laughed scoffingly and turned around to look at her, a scornful expression on his face. "There is only you and I here now. Is there still a need for all this pretense?"

"What is the Grand Priest talking about? I am really getting more and more befuddled." Qing Yu shook her head and said helplessly.

"My priestly powers have been completely destroyed. Are you saying you do not know that?" Cang Jian's mouth split into a sinister smile. "From the time that I went to the Scroll Chamber to ask you about getting the manual on techniques for priest, you were already aware of that fact weren't you?"

"Is it?" Qing Yu blinked her eyes innocently. "If the Grand Priest did not say it, I really wouldn't have known! Afterall, your actions did not show that anything was amiss....."

"Ha!" Cang Jian seemed to be losing his patience, and there was not a single hint of a smile on his face anymore.

"Stop playing games already. I just want to ask you one thing."

"What is it?"

"What is the real cause of the Temple Lord's insomnia. Don't you think you should at least explain the real reason behind that to me?" Cang Jian said in a self depreciating voice.

Looks like there is some redeeming quality in the man at least. She had thought that it would be a long long time before he would come to react!

Thinking about that, Qing YU could not help but to put on a sweet beautiful smile on her face. "How dull. I have been discovered by the Grand Priest."

"It was really you that was up to no good!"

Cang Jian's eyes flared wide in utter disbelief. That such a frail and innocent looking little lass who looked so pitiful all the time, a weakling who was lucky enough to come here from the lower realms, would actually have the audacity to do something like this.

"Aren't you afraid that I will go tell the Temple Lord?" Cang Jian asked in a deep voice.

"So what if you do? Moreover, you wouldn't go tell her about it."

Qing Yu then said smilingly: "Doesn't the Grand Priest hold the slightest bit of hatred against her deep in your heart at all? That woman only thinks of you when you are of some use to her, and at other times, you are abandoned and thrown out like old shoes. Hasn't the Grand Priest learnt to see what kind of a person she really is from this incident? Then it looks like I have really worked so hard at this for nothing!"

Chapter 289: Early Summer Snow

Cang JIan's face turned white for an instant.

It was clear that Qing Yu's words had touched a sore spot in his heart.

To Qing Luo Yan, he was merely a pawn that was to be used, and had never once won the slightest bit of sympathy from her.

Despite how he had done anything he could for her without a single word of complaint for so many years, he had never once gotten her to look at him straight in his eyes. But he had never harboured any second thoughts about it before, and that was because he truly admired her right from his heart, holding her dear inside.

Regardless of how ruthless and vicious she might seem in everybody else's eyes, he was the only one who saw her lonely figure standing by herself under the night sky, looking so frail and helpless.

There were times that he thought that all her ruthlessness was just her way of protecting herself, and he firmly believed that he was at the very least still different from others deep inside her heart.

But now, he was suddenly no longer sure.

When someone who was able to help her better appeared beside her, she had not hesitated in the slightest to abandon him, not thinking of all that he had done for her before at all.

To the extent that she would have him killed without even blinking if his presence came to impede her way forward.

With that thought in mind, Cang Jian's heart sank deeper and deeper into despair.

Qing Yu looked on with amusement at the man's incessantly changing face before she went on to say with a soft laugh: "Looks like I do not need to say anything more as the Grand Priest's mind has all cleared up!"

Cang Jian's mind came to be pulled back to reality gradually and he then looked at the young lady with a gloomy face. "Just..... Who are you really? I fear to think that Yue Fen had not actually captured you back here to the Divine Temple by force but you deliberately let him bring you here!"

Qing Yu's eyes flashed with a glint as a corner of her mouth rose up slightly in a smirk, the smile on her face indiscernible.

"Moreover, the divine consciousness of the Scarlet Gold Fiery Phoenix that Yue Fen mentioned suddenly disappeared when you appeared. There has to be some mysterious link between you and the Scarlet Gold Fiery Phoenix." Cang Jian said as he stared sharply at the young lady, his words incisive and clear.

"What strange things is the Grand Priest talking about again? I don't know a thing about whatever phoenix you are talking about!" Qing Yu said with a shrug of her shoulders, the look on her face innocently puzzled.

Cang Jian scoffed disdainfully, knowing quite a bit of the young lady's propensity to act innocent, and went on to disregard her innocent looking expression before he continued on to say: "If this was about some other matter, you might be able to bluff your way out of it. But it is not possible that you will not know anything about a spirit beast that has attained the super divine beast grade like the Scarlet Gold Fiery Phoenix."

"In the Scarlet Gold Fiery Phoenix's entire bloodline, no matter whether in terms of cultivation or intelligence, they have far surpassed that of most humans. They are wild and highly untamable, extremely protective only of its Master. Its noble blood and its Heavenly blessed abilities has made it grow to become haughty and arrogant, never bowing its head to anyone but only to its Master."

Chapter 289.2: Early Summer Snow

Speaking up till that point, Cang Jian turned his gaze to look at the young lady. "Phoenixes are all able to resurrect and as the Scarlet Gold Fiery Phoenix stands at the pinnacle of them all, it could not possibly die so easily. But the moment you appeared, its remnant consciousness suddenly dispersed and disappeared. What do you think that tells us here?"

Qing Yu smiled at him. "What does it tell us?"

Seeing that she was still persisting in acting innocent and completely clueless, the contempt in Cang Jian's heart increased as he opened his mouth to say: "It tells us that there could only be two reasons for that. First, you are the Scarlet Gold Fiery Phoenix's Master, but that is not possible at all. Because everyone knows that this divine beast came to acknowledge its Master five hundred years back, and its Master was the godly lord's youngest daughter, but she has gone missing for a very long time and is nowhere to be found."

"Second, you and the Scarlet Gold Fiery Phoenix share some kind of special link, that made it trust you fully, or could it be....."

Cang Jian paused for a moment and then leaned in slowly towards the young lady. Right in front of her face that showed a faint indiscernible smile, he gave voice to the suspicion he had held for a long time: "That you are actually somehow related to the godly lord's youngest daughter, the Eleventh Goddess who disappeared from the Divine Temple back then."

"I had the fortune to see this particular goddess once in the past, and I must say that the young Miss Yu Qing's eyes really look startlingly alike to the Eleventh Goddess'....."

Previously, hadn't Qing Luo Yan transferred this young lady to serve at her side because she looked so much like that person in order to test her?

Unfortunately, after such a long time, not only had Qing Luo Yan not found anything suspicious about the young lady, she had come to trust her fully instead. When Cang Jian lost favour with Qing Luo Yan, he came to receive scorn and contempt from people who even tried to hit him when he was down. But he still managed to calm himself down and found that many things about the young lady did not seem right.

Just the single fact how a weak and frail young lady from one of the lower realms could come to fare so well in Cloud Heaven like a fish to water was already unbelievable enough.

He thought that after saying all that, he would see another expression on the young lady's face like panic or shock, and would lose her calm.

However, Qing Yu merely quietly waited for him to finish, before she reached her hands out to clap a few times, before saying to him with a bright smiling face: "I had thought that the Grand Priest was the best at deciphering such astronomical phenomenons in the night sky and would be able to predict whether it's a sign of blessing or calamity. Never did I expect the Grand Priest to possess such a fertile imagination as well, to come up with such a fascinating story, which makes me can't help but hold newfound respect."

The lifted corners of Cang Jian's lips that carried a tinge of mirth then froze in place, the look on his face suddenly looking horribly ugly.

It seemed like he had not expected that after being so blunt and straightforward with his words, that the young lady's face could still remain unchanged, and to blatantly deny everything. If he had not discovered clues and telltale signs before this, he would have been completely taken in by the young lady's exquisite acting here.

Chapter 289.3: Early Summer Snow

Cang Jian scoffed disdainfully and then said in a sinister voice: "Go ahead and deny it all you want. Just hope that you will be able to defend yourself so confidently when I come to bring out the evidence to prove it!"

"The Grand Priest can do as you please." Qing Yu replied with a smile, extending a hand out to show an inviting gesture.

Cang Jian's face turned dark as charcoal, and with a vicious flick of his sleeves, he turned himself around and left in a huff.

It looked like he was more than a little infuriated.

Qing Yu shook her head and went on to stride away as well. As she walked, she could not help but to lift a hand up to rub her chin thoughtfully, and mumbled softly to herself: "Have I done anything to give myself away at all? I don't think so..... My acting had clearly been flawlessly perfect....."

But it seems like this Cang Jian is not someone that's easy to deceive!

To think that he was able to sense that things were not what they seemed. She can only hope that she would not be exposed in front of Qing Luo Yan before the Mind Free Peak manifests itself.

Wonder how Mother is doing now.....

Qing Yu slowly raised her head up, to gaze at the moon hanging up in the night sky, a faint tinge of worry showing between her brows. She just could not help but feel..... that something bad was going to happen.

——

— Cloud Heaven's intersecting borders —

A good number of people have gathered here. People from the Five Great Powers except for the Bright Moon Divine Temple had their people present. The divine temple was afterall a place that felt a little mysterious to the people outside and they would naturally not send their people here in advance.

When night fell, it was exceptionally quiet everywhere, where even the sound of birds and insects were absent, just the occasional sound of hushed whispering voices.

In the tent, Zhuge Xiong was grumbling softly, his good looking countenance tightly creased up, the indigance he felt showing clearly on his face.

As the mighty top boss of the Hunters Guild, reduced to being made to sleep out here in the wilderness and in a crude and ratty tent such as this. He was even very nearly bitten earlier, by a low level spirit beast who must have been blind to know who he was.

And that had caused his already gloomy mood to grow more depressed.

It must be said that such trifling stuff should be handled by his subordinates but that man Qing Tian Lin just had to drag him along. If not for that irresistibly tempting offer made, he would never subject himself to endure such suffering.

Looking at the man's gloomy expression, Qing Tian Lin could not help but laugh out loud. "Come on, there are so many people here and you're not the only one. Moreover, it won't be just you as the leaders of the other great powers will definitely come here personally as well. For you to have come here earlier than them, wouldn't that allow you to familiarize yourself with the terrain better, so that we can think of ways to let us go in first?"

Chapter 289.4: Early Summer Snow

"What you said sounds reasonable." Zhuge Xiong said with her brows furrowed up, and the crease slowly relaxed as he continued to think about that.

On the other side, a group of people were leaning against a large rock to rest.

"Young Lord, you went to see that person already?"

A woman's raspy voice sounded that pulled back Qing Ye Li's faraway thoughts. He then turned his eyes to look at the woman standing behind him.

She had a tall and slender figure, her long hair covering half of her face. The exposed half of her face was sharp and beautiful, alluring and captivating, her incomparably jet black eyes seeming to glow under the night.

Qing Ye Li glanced at her and then turned his eyes away, before he said in an indifferent voice: "I did."

The Young Lord looks rather troubled. Are you thinking of that person?" The woman continued to ask in her raspy voice.

"So what if I am?" Qing Ye Li's eyes gazed far into the distance, and it was not known whether he was speaking to her or just mumbling to himself. "For me to be able to watch her like this now, it is enough for me."

"Everytime that person is mentioned, my Young Lord would always act so self inferior. It really makes me curious just what kind of a person she is, that could make my Young Lord react like this....."

"Of course you would not understand." Qing Ye Li interrupted the woman in an emotionless voice. "You do not even know warmth itself as you people from the snake tribe are born cold blooded. Compared to you, am I not a lot more fortunate?"

The woman was taken aback for a moment before a corner of her lips stiffened. Her tone of voice sounded a little strange as she said: "That's right. I will never be able to understand how that feels."

Seeing that Qing Ye Li was unwilling to say anything more about it, the woman was not about to continue asking to be snubbed, and so she went walking away to one side in silence.

Time trickled by and it seemed that late night came in the blink of an eye.

Qing Ye Li did not feel the slightest bit sleepy as he gazed at the several flickering stars in the sky when he suddenly thought of a time back in the past when he and Qing Yu took a trip out for rigorous training, where they lost their footing and fell into a very deep hole.

From inside that tiny gap, they could only see several dimly lit stars in the sky, the scene very much similar to now.

But everything has become different now, and Qing Yu was no longer there by his side.

The more he came to understand the gaping chasm and the many other obstacles between them, Qing Ye Li became more prone to reminiscing about the past. He remembered that it was a very very cold and snowy day when they met for the first time.

He suddenly felt something cold running down his cheek, one light fluttering speck, then two..... Qing Ye Li raised a hand up to wipe at his face, and discovered a pristine white frost on his fingers.

He was taken aback by surprise for an instant as he watched it slowly melt on his fingertips, not moving for a good while.

It was snowing.

Just as the season was going into early summer, the sky that just sent winter away a few months ago was suddenly snowing.

Chapter 290: Just Before Parting

The expression on Qing Ye Li's face was stunned as he stared at his own hand for a long while, looking like he thought that he was seeing things. Soon, he raised his eyes to gaze up into the sky and saw many white fluffy specks fluttering down lazily.

"What the hell? What kind of a goddamned weather is this!? How could it possibly be snowing!?"

Someone could not help but curse out loudly, though that still could not fully reflect the astonishment that everyone was feeling.

Upon hearing those words, some people who were still in their tents felt puzzled and they all came out one after another. When they saw the strange scene, they were so stunned they were at a loss for words.

Such a strange phenomenon had never been seen in Cloud Heaven before, the four seasons occurring very normally every year. Seeing snowfall at the beginning of summer was the first time it has happened.

And the devil's hand is always at play when things take such a strange turn.

Could it be.....

The snowfall was light when it started, but as time slowly trickled by, the snow at everyone's feet began to pile up till it reached around their ankles. Looking at the way the snow was coming down, it did not seem like it was going to stop anytime soon, but would instead become more and more intense.

"Are they..... trying to..... freeze us all to death here in this place?" Someone struggled to mutter, through chattering teeth.

"It is snowing only here in this place." A young lady's puerile voice piped out.

Someone turned to look towards that voice and saw a young girl who looked to be only about twelve or thirteen years old, a petite and pretty little thing with an adorable-looking face. But the look on her face was contrastingly mature and calm looking, not matching to one of her young age.

She stood on one leg high upon a large boulder, her eyes peering far into the distance as she pointed with one finger and said: "It's not snowing over there."

But everyone else's line of sight was a lot more limited and it was also late at night at that moment, pitch dark everywhere. The furthest they could see would only be just a few hundred meters at most and from what they could see, the place that the young lady was pointing at looked like it was also snowing, no different from where they were at.

"Look carefully Little Yan, is it really only snowing here?" The woman with half of her face covered by her hair looked at her and said.

Hearing that, the young girl turned to look expressionlessly at the woman, the tone of her voice tinged with a hint of displeasure as she replied: "My eyes have never been mistaken with what they see before."

Under the night's darkness, the young girl's large eyes actually looked like they were glowing faintly red, that carried a hint of bloodthirsty ruthlessness.

The young girl who was such a pretty and adorable little thing in the day seemed to change in personality at night, looking like a completely different person. It was feared that no one could have thought that such a harmless and adorable little girl would be someone who actually possesses dual personalities hidden in her bones.

Chapter 290.2: Just Before Parting

In the day, she was a pure untainted angel but would turn into a terrifying demon when night fell, reaping the lives of humans without a single ounce of mercy.

"It's true that it's only snowing here." Qing Ye Li then said indifferently.

People of the wolf tribe were born to prowl in the night and hence were able to see extremely well in the dark, their eyes able to penetrate a very far distance.

If Qing Ye Li who possessed the wolf tribe's blood was saying that as well, it was only natural that nobody would doubt it any longer.

Under the dim darkness of the night, the man's head of silver hair and his unusual pair of dark green eyes were exceptionally eye-catching. But no one seemed to have noticed when the man had appeared.

Logically, for such an outstanding-looking man to suddenly appear, it was not possible that it did not cause the slightest stir.

"Who is that man? That is a very unfamiliar-looking face." Someone rubbed at his chin and muttered softly.

"He is not the only unfamiliar-looking one. Those people beside him are all faces we've never seen before as well. My guess is that they are not from Cloud Heaven. Otherwise, how could we have never met a person with such a striking appearance?" Another person said, joining the conversation.

But the snow was falling more heavily now, and everyone was too preoccupied with their own things to pay Qing Ye Li and his group much more attention. They were all dressed rather thinly in this season and the people were all busy summoning up their spirit powers to resist the sudden bitter cold.

"Young Lord, what is your opinion?" A tall and lanky man opened his mouth to ask.

Qing Ye Li was silent for a while before he raised his head up to look up into the sky, a vast dark canvas. But something seemed to be changing with that darkness.

"The Mind Free Peak is probably going to appear."

It seemed like the snowfall at Cloud Heaven's intersecting borders did not affect any other place, making it look like they were places in two separate worlds.

Over at the Bright Moon Divine Temple, Qing Luo Yan only sent two people out to go see what was happening, portraying a placid calm towards the matter regarding the Mind Free Peak, like she was not anxious about it at all, and that everything was in control.

This night, Qing Luo Yan did not rest, but asked Qing Yu to accompany her for a walk.

Looking more closely at the moon tonight, it seemed like another part of it had quietly gone missing, but it was however exceptionally bright, lighting up the ground clearly while they took a leisurely stroll.

"Yu Qing, do you have any kin or family down in the lower realm?" As they took a slow walk, Qing Luo Yan suddenly opened her mouth to ask.

Although Qing Yu was surprised, she still managed to be calm and composed as she answered: "No."

What has this woman's mind managed to come up with again? Why is she suddenly asking her such a question?

Hearing that, Qing Luo Yan merely smiled. "It's nothing actually. Just thought that you look very much like another person."

Chapter 290.3: Just Before Parting

"The Temple Lord said the same thing when I saw the Temple Lord the very first time." Qing Yu replied.

"Yes I did. But I have been dreaming constantly of that person recently. Seeing much she looked like you, I just could not help thinking about her." Qing Luo Yan halted in her steps, and turned herself around to look at her as she spoke.

Qing Yu's eyes glinted darkly.

Is she..... testing her here?

Having led her to fall into those dreams, the woman would naturally see her mother often. But in order to gain the woman's trust, she had not made her dream anymore for a very long time. So, how could the woman possibly still continue to dream of her mother constantly?

Has she begun to suspect something?

Or could it be that Cang Jian would really rather have all the fish die then destroy the net, and have told Qing Luo Yan everything?

That is quite improbable. He would probably not exact vengeance in such a foolish manner onto himself.

Qing Yu thought through many things in just that one instant but her face did not change in the slightest, but just maintained a smile as she looked at the woman and said: "It just makes me wonder who is this person that you are thinking of so frequently."

"She is actually my youngest sister." Qing Luo Yan's lips stiffened as she opened her mouth to reply.

Qing Yu was a little surprised for a moment, never thinking that she would really reveal it to her. She had thought that the woman would just mention any name to casually brush her off.

Having mentioned that person, Qing Luo Yan seemed to lose herself in her past memories, the expression on her face suddenly softening and looking more tender. "When I was a child, my gift was one of the most outstanding among all my other siblings, and hence became exceptionally proud and arrogant, that also caused all of them to be highly displeased with me, making our relationship frosty and distant. I have ten other siblings but I was only closer to just this youngest little sister of mine."

"It could be because she was the one and only person who was not bothered no matter how harsh and cold my words were to her, she was the only fool who was still willing to be friendly to me."

"My other sisters could not stand me and they were always thinking of ways to bully and make fun of me, putting in all kinds of strange bugs and insects in my clothes, or making a horrible mess of them. When she saw that happen, she took all her own dresses and gave them all to me, before going on to get rid of all those ruined clothes of mine in secret, so that I will not have to see them."

Speaking up to that point, Qing Luo Yan could not help but to laugh softly, her gaze lowering slightly before she continued. "It was because she was afraid that I would be sad, though I do not care about such things at all. She always thought that I was rather fragile and pitiful, and would always try to be nicer to me."

"But she was clearly the youngest one among us, the one who should be required to be cared for the most."

Chapter 290.4: Just Before Parting

Qing Yu had come to know quite a bit about the past grievances between her mother and Qing Luo Yan from Lou Jun Yao's mouth but she had never known that the two sisters had actually been so close to each other once before.

But how did the two of them then become enemies who sought to take each other's lives in the end?

"I was similarly repulsed by my other siblings who put on a false sanctimonious and dignified front but would secretly do completely different things behind my back and so I became closer and closer to this youngest sister of mine. We were so close that there were no secrets between us, and we could even share everything we had with each other."

A twitch tugged at the corner of Qing Yu's brow, like she could almost guess what Qing Luo Yan was going to tell her next.

As she thought, Qing Luo Yan suddenly laughed softly when she spoke up till that point before she continued: "But in the end, no one could have thought that the two of us would fall for the same man."

Had it really been her Father Mo Jing Yu's appearance that caused the two sisters to turn from friends to foes?

Qing Yu could not help but sigh inwardly in her heart when she heard that unrequited love really brings one a lot of trouble!

But Qing Yu had never expected that Qing Luo Yan's words following that would turn out completely different from what she had imagined.

"I loved that man very much, and it could be said that my heart only had eyes for him alone. You will not understand how difficult it was for a person as haughty and aloof as me to be able to love someone. That was the case for me to come to love him, and to have grown to love her as well."

"The two most important people in my life were together, and that was while she knew that I was in love with that man, but she still got together with him."

"From that moment on, I began to feel that I hated her. She betrayed the close relationship that the two of us shared, and betrayed the trust I had in her. I told her that from then onwards, we will no longer be sisters, but just strangers in passing."

"I felt like I was very sad, and wanted to hide myself, to nurse my wounds quietly. But not long after that, I suddenly met a person. That person told me that I should not give up as that man belonged to me rightfully, telling me that I should go fight for him because I am in no way inferior to her at all, asking me isn't that right?"

Upon hearing that, Qing Yu felt a sensitive nerve tense up in her mind. She seemed to have just heard something that was highly crucial, something that could be linked to the entire truth behind everything that had happened in the past.

She could not help but clench her hands up tightly.

"It was as if I was cast under a spell when I decided to go make an attempt to fight for him. I had clearly known that man first and in terms of looks, cultivation and knowledge, I was in no way inferior to my younger sister, so it was only right that he should be in love with me."

"But I came to discover that I was wrong. When a person does not love you, it can only mean that he doesn't. No matter how hard I tried, he will never come to love me. He told me, that right from the start, the person he liked had never been me, and he told me to get out of his sight. I was completely heartbroken, and I decided to leave him completely."

But the mysterious person I met previously appeared all of a sudden, and gave something to me. He told me that I will only need to find a chance to use it on that man and he will then come to love me, and will only love me alone from then on."

"I struggled with myself for a while, but it was as if I was possessed when the feeling of wanting to have him became frightfully strong and intense. In the end, I really managed to make him fall in love with me."