Junior Sister is skilled in subduing demons.

Chapter 108 The Road Ahead is Lonely

Master Tianlei slowly rose and looked at the line of text on the stele.
Those once vibrant and energetic figures have now fallen into eternal silence.

Master Tianlei's hands trembled slightly as he cleared the moss from the stone tablet.

Shen Anzhi saw the sorrow and reluctance in Daoist Tianlei's eyes.

At this moment, memories flooded back to Master Tianlei.

a little,

Master Tianlei sighed deeply and stood up.

He knew he couldn't remain immersed in grief forever. More important things awaited him. He took one last look at Shen Anzhi and the inscription, his eyes filled with determination.

"Get up, this isn't entirely your fault." Daoist Tianlei helped Shen Anzhi up and continued, "Cultivation can't be achieved in one leap; it requires gradual experience. As a high-level demon exorcist, you need to develop comprehensively, including magical artifacts, main equipment, skills, spiritual power, and so on. You have a long road ahead of you; go do what you should be doing."

Shen Anzhi's eyes were brimming with tears. She knew that Daoist Tianlei was trying to comfort and encourage her, but she couldn't seem to get over this hurdle: "Daoist, it's all my fault. If the black python hadn't tried to use me to unseal the Wind and Thunder Tower, then..."

Master Tianlei looked sadly at the distant mountains. After a long while, he turned around, shook his head, and said, "Hehe, she will definitely use you. After all, the other people in the sect are quick-witted. If there's no one else to use, get up."

After saying that, Master Tianlei's expression suddenly relaxed again, but it was easy to tell that he was just pretending.

“Kui Ran has been very smart and mischievous since he was a child.” Master Tian Lei’s face was full of relief: “This is his tribulation, but also his destiny. To be honest, he doesn’t have many friends on the mountain, except for you.”

Shen Anzhi frowned, thinking to himself: How could I possibly be his friend? I've ruined him so badly.

"It's true, he said in his letter that he met a friend from the Sanqing Sect in Jingdezhen." Master Tianlei finished speaking, his face beaming with satisfaction. "He said you exorcised demons in Azalea Valley, slew the Buddha at the cliff carvings, and bravely ventured into another world..."

Listening to Master Tianlei's story, Shen Anzhi felt even more guilty. He had never thought much of Kui Ran, but he never expected that he was still the most important friend in Kui Ran's heart.

"Don't blame yourself. The celestial pendant contains what they wanted to say to you." After saying this, Daoist Tianlei resolutely turned and left.

Shen Anzhi looked back and saw that Daoist Tianlei's back looked particularly lonely and desolate, but his steps were firm and powerful.

Seeing this, he thought of a poor old man who had once lived like this.
That was Fan Jin, the first elder who was truly good to him. He once had several outstanding disciples, but they all died in battle. Now, his back looks very much like his back back then...

Celestial Phenomena Pendant.

This is a magical artifact that Kui Ran always carries with her. Shen Anzhi doesn't know exactly what it's used for, but it feels very magical.

He looked at the poem on the inscription and channeled his spiritual power into the Celestial Phenomenon Pendant.

The Celestial Phenomenon Pendant suddenly floated in mid-air, shimmering with light. Then, a cacophony of sounds arose around her, followed by the voices of Kui Ran and Kang Qing. These voices seemed to have been pre-recorded, swirling around her.

Kui Ran: "Hey, Shen Anzhi, don't be so sad. I won't blame you. You have to keep going, live well, and cultivate diligently. You will definitely become the most powerful ten-coin demon slayer in your dreams." Kui Ran: "I'm leaving now. I'm using my last bit of spiritual power to talk to you. Do you remember Uncle Fan? It was in this way that you saw him one last time. Remember, this is what growing up feels like. Don't blame yourself."

Kui Ran: "You won't need the horse-slaying sword, so I'll leave the demon-carrying gourd to you. Consider it me, Kui Ran, accompanying you on your journeys across the world. Also, I've found a powerful way to eliminate the black python. Snakes are most afraid of alcohol. If you capture its primordial spirit and soak it in alcohol, it will never be reborn."

Kui Ran: "And also, thank you for showing mercy to Kang Qing back then..."

Kang Qing: "Luckily, you only destroyed my demon spirit back then, otherwise I probably would have been gone long ago."

Kang Qing: "Anzhi, I once said I hated you, but hate is hate. You are a person with lofty dreams. The people of Jingdezhen still need you to save them. You must protect our Porcelain Palace. It is the result of eighty years of hard work by Sister Liu Yulin and the five of us sisters. If the Porcelain Palace is not destroyed, the prosperity of Jingdezhen will be restored. You can definitely do it..."

Kui Ran: "Anzhi, the world is a long and ever-changing place, but you will surely have your place."

……

Kui Ran and Kang Qing's voices were very clear and crisp, just like when they were standing right in front of me and speaking.

Finally, Kang Qing and Kui Ran's voices ended, and every word and sentence echoed repeatedly in Shen Anzhi's mind. That sense of loneliness was like a black hole swallowing Shen Anzhi's heart.

Shen Anzhi sat quietly in front of the inscription, his heart filled with complex emotions.

She used to look down on her friend Kui Ran and the porcelain demon Kang Qing, thinking that Kui Ran was not strong enough or decisive enough, and always looked at him with a bit of contempt. Kang Qing was also a demon.

"I never imagined it would end like this." Shen Anzhi sighed softly, his voice unusually clear in the silence.

After saying this, Shen Anzhi unscrewed the lid of the demon-slaying gourd, took a deep sip of wine, and then poured strong liquor down the stone tablet. Memories flooded back like a tide. "Only after you left did I truly realize your courage and responsibility. You and Uncle Fan were my best friends. As for me, I was blinded by my own arrogance."

Shen Anzhi gently stroked the stone tablet, as if touching Kui Ran's face. "You taught me a lesson with your lives, making me understand the true value of courage and friendship. I am truly lonely and afraid now. I feel ridiculous; the person and the demon I once looked down upon have now become the ones I cherish most. Isn't that laughable?"

Tears blurred Shen Anzhi's vision again. He took another sip of wine and continued, "But don't worry, I will carry your courage and move forward. I will use my actions to make up for my past mistakes."

A gentle breeze stirred as Shen Anzhi stood up and took one last, deep look at the tombstone.

She turned and left, her silhouette appearing resolute yet lonely in the afterglow of the setting sun.

At this moment, Daoist Tianlei had already gathered all his disciples at the Command Platform. Just now, they had cleared out all the demons that the Black Python had infiltrated into the Golden Summit in preparation for rescuing the Demon Emperor. Now they were about to rush to the aid of Sanqing Mountain.

"Reporting to Master, Elder Luo has led his men down the mountain to fight the monsters attacking the mountain gate."

"Master, our eldest brother has found the scattered disciples of the Sanqing Sect in Sanqing Mountain."

……