Just as Nie Yinzhi's breath brushed against Gu Jiang's lips and she caught sight of his suddenly opened eyes, before she could feel triumphant, her world began to spin.
When she regained her senses, she found herself engulfed in some mysterious place, with cool liquid submerging her consciousness. Fragments of light danced in the water, creating a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of colors that held a dreamlike beauty.
Nie Yinzhi floated in the water, feeling utterly comfortable throughout her body. She let out a soft moan, not wanting to struggle at all.
Gu Jiang's voice came from outside the water, slightly muffled, "This is the Five-Colored Dew. It can heal anything, including the sword wounds on your soul."
What an amazing treasure!
"What about my physical body?"
As if hearing her question, Gu Jiang replied leisurely, "I will take good care of it."
He emphasized the words "good care" with a slight edge to his voice, carrying a hint of gentle threat.
Nie Yinzhi touched her wrist, where the curse mark's tendrils still bound her soul and body tightly.
Earlier, when she had attempted to forcefully kiss Gu Jiang, although the demon lord had always been quite acquiescent, what if he particularly valued his chastity?
Anticipating that Gu Jiang might become angry and lash out at her, Nie Yinzhi had the foresight to activate her "damage transfer" ability.
So even if Gu Jiang wanted to do anything to her body now, he would only end up hurting himself. Nie Yinzhi wasn't worried at all and continued to provoke him recklessly, "Brother, did I actually manage to kiss you just now?"
Before her lips could touch his, her consciousness had been pulled away. That moment had been so sudden and disorienting that it scattered her attention, leaving Nie Yinzhi unsure whether their lips had actually met.
What a pity.
Gu Jiang pressed his lips together, "You're quite bold in choosing how to address your elders."
Nie Yinzhi's consciousness floated in the Five-Colored Dew, which worked better than her two chests of spirit stones, immediately easing the dull pain in her soul. She pondered troubledly, "Then what would you like me to call you? Grandfather doesn't seem right, does it? The Demon Lord is so young and handsome."
Gu Jiang chose to ignore the troublemaker in the Five-Colored Dew. He moved Nie Yinzhi's sleeping body off himself and laid her flat on the couch.
Since she was a young lady, it seemed improper to leave her lying so carelessly. Nie Yinzhi would surely be angry when she woke up.
She usually took great care with her appearance. Even though there were only the two of them on Pill-Forming Peak, and he kept his eyes closed most of the time, she still made sure to keep herself looking beautiful every day.
Each time she would float into his vision like a flower, annoying but beautiful.
Tonight she wore a moon-white gauze dress with small embroidered flowers at the sleeves and hem. Her face was free of makeup, as fresh and lovely as a lotus emerging from water.
Gu Jiang hesitated for a moment before kindly helping her arrange her hair and clothes.
He lowered his gaze and pulled a gold-tinged red thread from his sleeve, threading it through a small bead containing the Five-Colored Dew, and tied it around Nie Yinzhi's wrist.
The bead sparkled with gorgeous light, and the thin red thread perfectly complemented her moon-white delicate wrist, looking so fragile that it seemed it might break with just a bit too much force.
Gu Jiang, without even realizing it himself, gentled his movements as he folded her soft, boneless hands over her stomach.
Nie Yinzhi's consciousness soaked in the Five-Colored Dew, but her connection to her body's senses remained intact, allowing her to feel his subtle movements around her.
The sensation was incredibly strange.
Gu Jiang barely touched her body directly, and she could only sense his movements through the friction of cloth against her skin, but this made her skin even more sensitive. It felt like ants crawling over her, creating an unbearable itch that spread to her consciousness.
Nie Yinzhi's consciousness curled up in the water, unable to scratch the itch, feeling indescribably uncomfortable.
Jing Chongshan originally didn't want her to stay on Bright Sky Peak, as it was too close to Pill-Forming Peak and was a crucial nexus of defensive formations. If any disturbance occurred or a battle with demons broke out, Bright Sky Peak would be the first to face danger.
But Xiao Ling refused to leave, not because she was attached to this former home, but because she wanted to see with her own eyes what would become of Nie Yinzhi.
Xiao Ling harbored complex feelings toward her replacement that she couldn't quite express. Initially, she had felt pity for her.
Nie Yinzhi recklessly sacrificed herself to summon the demon lord into the mortal realm, showing complete disregard for whether her actions might spark another great war between good and evil like the one ten years ago, potentially harming innocent people.
Having experienced that great war, Xiao Ling disapproved of Nie Yinzhi's actions, yet simultaneously admired her resolute determination.
In contrast, she herself always considered too many factors.
The presence of Little Pearl couldn't escape the spiritual perception of those powerful cultivators on the high platform, but the senior elders probably considered her harmless, no different from the cats and birds on Bright Sky Peak, and thus paid her no mind.
Xiao Ling saw everything that appeared in the round mirror.
She found it incomprehensible how Nie Yinzhi could be so at ease and intimate with such a bloodstained demon lord.
Xiao Ling couldn't help but recall when she was trapped in the Abyss of Death, there was also a protective presence by her side - Zhu Yan, a legendary fierce beast that showed inexplicable affection toward her for unknown reasons. When she fell through the void rift into the Abyss of Death, she awoke in its lair.
That fierce beast had probably considered her its possession. When Zhu Yan appeared in the mortal realm, it heralded great warfare, as it carried heavy bloodthirst and vengeful spirits.
Xiao Ling strongly disliked it.
At the front peak's high platform, disciples brought the personal files of the Cloud Scripture Sect master's direct disciples.
The Cloud Scripture Sect kept detailed records of inner disciples upon their entry, updating them annually to document their growth. Records for direct disciples were even more comprehensive.
The files contained detailed information about Nie Yinzhi's native place, background, parents, and relatives.
Nie Yinzhi possessed innate spiritual bones and clear meridians. She opened her spiritual aperture within three months of entry, and her cultivation proceeded smoothly afterward. She reached the Golden Core realm in just five years, truly demonstrating superior aptitude.
However, her sword technique practice was unremarkable, having only mastered the Green Sword Manual so far, which was a mandatory intermediate-level sword manual for Cloud Scripture Sect disciples. While this progress matched other disciples, it didn't align with her cultivation level.
Looking at her meridian records, Yan Yi understood that Nie Yinzhi wasn't suited for sword cultivation.
Yet even on an unsuitable cultivation path, she still achieved the Golden Core realm in five years, leaving many others far behind.
Aliali: 674aecfcc4f3f33ac49acb42
Liu Hua, another elder from Taixin Gate, enviously scratched his foot and couldn't help sighing, "She would have been excellent material for spell cultivation." What a shame she was picked up by the sword sect! If only she had joined Taixin Gate instead.
The damn Cloud Scripture Sect didn't even treasure her properly. During their time gathered at the Cloud Scripture Sect, they had heard some internal secrets, and although Liu Hua couldn't speak openly, he truly looked down on the sect master's actions.
He turned to look for Yu Yaoqing, but this fellow disciple had become completely invisible. The young master of Sunken Sound Pavilion respectfully held Yu Yaoqing's sleeve to mark his presence.
Liu Hua felt as though he had exchanged glances with empty air and lost interest, withdrawing his gaze.
The three senior elders of the Cloud Scripture Sect felt somewhat embarrassed. Finding nothing unusual in the records, they quickly had them sent back.
At this moment, Meng Jin arrived, guided by disciples.
Meng Jin's eyes had been slashed by Nie Yinzhi, and he now wore a silver-white copper mask that completely covered his face above the nose. The mask fit tightly to his facial contours, with simple eye shapes etched into it.
Though blind, he could extend his spiritual sense externally and move freely. His posture remained straight as he walked steadily to one side of the high platform and bowed deeply.
Yan Yi excused him from the formalities and, after inquiring about his injuries, got to the point, "Tell us in detail everything you know about Nie Yinzhi."
The little white bird left the front hall's eaves and landed on a small pavilion beside the high platform.