I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 713 [Side Story: Sworn Sisters (Part Four)]

The journey from the Cangling Sect territory to the Xuanying Sword Sect territory was long. Danxi and Ayu had been separated for fifteen years. Although she missed each other, she also felt a sense of estrangement. Instead of rushing on her journey, she followed the example of those ascetic cultivators and traveled on foot to experience the local customs and culture along the way.

That day, the summer thunder was fierce and the rain poured down. Danxi spent the night alone in a small temple in the forest.

The deity enshrined in the temple is of unknown origin and has a somewhat demonic appearance. It must be a minor mountain demon who did something good, which is why mortals built a temple for him and offered incense.

Danxi is a demon tamer. She has seen all kinds of demons and spirits in the sect since she was a child. She is not averse to demons. She even released the Lan demon Xuanhui that she had contracted to help sweep the dust off the small temple.

Boom——

The thunder was deafening, and a pale flash of lightning tore through the darkness. The temple door was suddenly kicked open, and a strong wind carrying the damp, cold air rushed in.

Two figures stumbled in and rushed in. Upon discovering that there were people in the temple, the two immediately became alert.

Danxi looked up and saw a middle-aged woman soaking wet standing at the door. She was panting heavily, one hand pressed tightly against her left shoulder, dark red blood seeping through her fingers, her eyes filled with fear.

Upon seeing Danxi, he instinctively hid the girl, who appeared to be about twelve years old, behind his back.

Unlike the women, the young girl only had muddy rainwater on her shoes, socks, and skirt; her hair and body were surprisingly dry.

The girl's face also turned deathly pale with fright, and she shrank behind the woman with fear and wariness.

Danxi keenly smelled the stench of blood, mixed with a faint... demonic aura.

The woman was a demon who had used illusion magic to transform into a human, and was actually injured, while the girl was a genuine human, a mortal.

"Deer Girl..." the girl's voice was barely audible, "Should we... leave?"

The deer-woman protected the girl and took a small step back. The Lan Yao Xuan Hui, still a wisp of pale golden mist, also stopped cleaning. An invisible vortex rippled slightly around it as it probed the intruder's aura.

"Traveling in a thunderstorm is dangerous. Please come in and take shelter from the rain."

Danxi's calm voice broke the silence. She took the initiative to get up and give up the campfire in front of her. She walked to a corner of the small temple away from the campfire, leaned against the wall, closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Xuanhui beside her also subdued the invisible vortex and quietly floated on Danxi's shoulder, like a silent, dimly lit lantern.

Lu Niang glanced warily at Danxi, who had her eyes closed, then looked at the still raging wind and rain outside the door, and finally gritted her teeth and said, "...Thank you."

The two entered the dilapidated temple and sat down. The warm firelight dispelled the chill from their bodies, and wisps of white steam began to rise from their soaked clothes.

Lu Niang carefully released her hand from the back of her shoulder, where the dark red bloodstains on the rain-soaked, white fabric were even more clearly visible.

The girl looked at her nervously, her eyes reddening, her small hands hesitant to touch her.

"Deer Girl, I'm sorry. If it weren't for saving me, you wouldn't have..."

"It's alright, it'll be fine on its own in a few days." The deer girl gave the girl a reassuring smile. "We'll dry our clothes and leave when the rain gets lighter. We'll find a safe place and live a secluded life behind closed doors."

"Yes, I won't get married. I'll stay with you, Deer Mother."

Inside the dilapidated temple, only the crackling of burning firewood, the torrential rain outside, and the occasional rumble of thunder remained.

Danxi appeared to be dozing, but in reality, her consciousness was subtly stirring as she silently probed and pondered.

Danxi thought the night would pass peacefully, and her feigned sleep gradually turned into a deep meditation, since Xuanhui was guarding her side anyway.

Before they could fully enter meditation, a sharp sword light suddenly tore through the rain curtain and pierced straight into the temple gate, accompanied by a clear and cold female voice.

"Death to the evildoer!"

The sword light was aimed at the deer girl, who was huddled beside the fire.

The girl screamed in fright, but the deer girl reacted quickly, disregarding the reopening of her shoulder wound, and suddenly shielded the girl with her body.

Danxi's eyes snapped open, a flash of cold light appearing in them. With a flick of her wrist, her long whip shot out like a venomous snake, precisely shattering the deadly sword light that was enough to behead someone.

The force exploded, sparks flew everywhere, and the already crumbling temple gate collapsed with a roar.

A woman appeared in the rain and mist. She was in her early twenties, dressed in a neat light blue outfit. Her dark hair was tied high under a headband. She looked heroic and valiant, yet she exuded a sharp aura that kept strangers at bay.

Rainwater slid down her pale cheeks, making her features appear even colder.

At that time, Danxi and Ayu did not recognize each other. They were only seven or eight years old when they parted ways. Fifteen years had long since sculpted them into different people.

"Why can't you just let us go?" Deer Mother cried out in heart-wrenching sobs, clutching her bloodied shoulder. "I've never hurt anyone!"

Ayu ignored her words, pointed her sword, and said resolutely, "Abducting someone else's child is to harm others! This demon is lying and deserves to be killed!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the sword flashed again, aiming straight for Lu Niang's heart.

The girl immediately rushed forward, her eyes brimming with tears, and cried out, "I went with Deer Girl of my own free will!" Ayu's eyebrows didn't even twitch, and her sword strike became even faster.

Danxi could no longer bear to watch. She rushed to Lu Niang's side, whipped her long whip again, and flicked away the sword light, sparks flying like stars in the rain.

"Who are you?" Ayu finally looked Danxi in the eye, her gaze sharp as a knife. "Why are you helping a demon who harms people?"

Danxi scoffed, "I just can't stand you! You young brat, how many days have you been cultivating Taoism? You think you can act like a chivalrous knight just because you have a sword!"

"Aiding and abetting evil!"

Ayu gave a low shout, drew her sword incantation, and moved with her sword, transforming into a blue shadow as she attacked.

Danxi was prepared, her whip flashing like a net as she met the attack. The two instantly engaged in a fierce battle outside the courtyard, their figures constantly intertwining in the torrential rain.

Seeing this, Lu Niang endured the pain, grabbed the girl, and staggered away towards the dense forest behind the temple.

Ayu was distracted and wanted to give chase, but Danxi whipped her even more fiercely, tightly binding her.

"I won't let you leave!"

"You! Bastard!"

Enraged, Ayu's swordplay suddenly became ruthless, holding nothing back. The sword light poured down like an icy river, each strike carrying a chilling coldness that even froze the raindrops into ice crystals.

Danxi felt pressured but remained fearless. With a slight thought, Xuanhui, who was guarding her side, silently spun, causing pale golden clouds to surge and wind blades carrying lightning to tear through the rain and blast towards Ayu.

A night of thunder and torrential rain is the perfect time for a storm demon like Xuan Hui to unleash his 'Wind and Thunder Technique'.

Sword light and whip shadows intertwined wildly in the night sky, creating a deafening roar.

Although Ayu's swordsmanship was exquisite, it was no match for the combined attack of Danxi and Xuanhui. Xuanhui summoned heavenly lightning, and a pale white bolt of lightning struck Ayu's sword.

She groaned, her hand split open, and the longsword nearly slipped from her grasp.

Taking advantage of the situation, Danxi launched a fierce attack, her long whip coiling like a python, suddenly binding Ayu's arms.

Ayu struggled to unleash her sword energy, but Danxi flicked the tip of her whip, using the force to fling her towards an ancient tree beside the temple.

"Stay put, you old bastard!"

The whip rope, as if alive, wound around the tree several times, binding Ayu tightly and suspending her in mid-air.

The dilapidated temple had long been reduced to ruins in the fierce battle, with its beams and pillars collapsed, leaving only charred wooden blocks mixed in with the mud.

Ayu hung from the tree, soaked to the bone, her hair ribbon disheveled, yet she still raised her head and glared angrily, "The demon has escaped, do you know the disaster that will ensue?"

Danxi put away her whip and stood up, forcing herself to swallow the surging blood energy. She saw that this girl was not very old, but her cultivation was similar to hers, yet she was exceptionally fierce. If it weren't for Xuanhui's help and the good weather, she really wouldn't be able to beat her.

Danxi took a few steps closer and sneered, "I didn't see any trouble, just a madman who can't even understand human language! Are humans necessarily good? Are demons necessarily evil? You didn't even ask about the reason for the incident, and just because the other party is a demon, you want to kill them all? Didn't that girl say that she followed voluntarily? Don't you know what respect is?"

Ayu struggled fiercely, but Danxi stepped on her sword, and the whip on her body suppressed the sword energy within her, making her more and more tightly bound the more she struggled.

Left with no other option, Ayu could only try to reason with Danxi.

"In ancient times, the human and demon races fought a great war, causing immense suffering and death. How many humans did the demons kill? As a cultivator, do you not know this? Demons are masters of disguise and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. How many demons cultivate by consuming human yang energy and blood essence? Do you not know this?"

"Besides, that girl is only a teenager. Can she distinguish right from wrong? She doesn't believe that her own parents would favor a demon, yet you still aid and abet it. If something happens to her one day, can you face your heart of cultivation?"

Danxi laughed, "Oh ho ho! You've got quite the mouth, haven't you? I think you've gone mad from cultivating immortality, haven't you? You say all demons are bad, so all of us demon tamers are fools, all of us are aiding and abetting evil? Besides, not all parents in this world love their children! Forget it, forget it, there's no point in arguing with you. Since you're quite pleasing to my eye, how about we make a bet?"

"I don't gamble!"

"Tsk! Why are you so stubborn? Do you really want me to kill you?"

"How dare you! I am a disciple of the Xuan Ying Sword Sect!"

"What? You're from the Xuan Ying Sword Sect?" Danxi was taken aback, then excitedly approached. "Do you know someone named Ayu? She might have changed her name now. She should be twenty-two years old this year."

After Danxi finished asking the question, she noticed that the expression on the person in front of her suddenly became subtle.

"Who...who are you? Why are you looking for her?"

Danxi chuckled, "I'm her older sister, her own!"

Ayu: …………

(End of this chapter)