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Chapter 243 Leaping Over the Whirlpool of Fate (Part 1)
That face was so familiar... the ears were pointy too... only she'd become even more beautiful...

The combat suit... is probably a modified exoskeleton inherited from the time of the Hungry Shell, and that cape-like organ is wings...

So, this familiar-looking Cheng Kongyi is...

...Qingxia?
The spider's mind was in turmoil. Reason told it that its judgment was correct, but emotion vehemently refuted it. It made no sense. Qingxia was a lustful demon created by the benevolent mother herself, a noble lineage even in the Supreme Immortal Realm, equivalent to a Grand Mage's beloved disciple in the Spiral Tower.

Her life essence is worlds apart from those ordinary beings; the inheritance of those in high positions has predetermined her development path. Qingxia cannot deviate from the Dao path, and turning to other paths is futile. No matter what means she uses to ascend to point 4, she will inevitably become a plague demon. But in her current appearance, she bears no resemblance to a lustful demon; she's practically an Allied warrior!
"This is... this is absurd," the spider whispered. "Little Qingxia, are you hiding your true nature... just to appear respectable in front of your beloved...? This way of living is so pathetic...!"

"It's too early to draw conclusions now." Qingxia clenched her fist. "I'm going in, Uncle Spider!"

(—This is the first time she's ever called me "uncle" in her life!)

The spider let out a small scream in his heart; the fallen being's familial attachment made his hands unconsciously rub together. Qingxia smiled slyly; this was undoubtedly a despicable psychological tactic by the Desire Demon Clan, a trap aimed at the enemy's weakness!

Fortunately, the limbed spider still had many arms. He simultaneously formed hand seals with his other arms, drawing upon the power of the Dark Moon to create a gravitational turbulence around him. This was the best way to deal with flying attacks. The Plague Demon's primary killing move was always those vicious viruses; to fight it, the poisonous tide had to be dispelled first.

However, Qingxia's wings remained still, and there was no sign of the virus being released. After speaking, she leaped forward with all her might, charging forward bare-handed. Gravitational turbulence tore at her body from multiple angles, a terrifying force capable of shredding a level 4 alien beast. But Qingxia's speed did not diminish in the slightest; shimmering high-energy blood flowed through the veins within her combat suit, releasing a powerful energy field to neutralize the gravitational attacks. In a flash, she was beside the limb spider, her spinning kick striking like a battle axe!
The back of her foot struck the limb spider's abdomen, and the Fallen One's plump body deformed like a wave due to the immense force. Qingxia's attack did not stop; she used the force of her kick to spin in place and kick again. Just as the first wave reached the limb spider's face, the second kick had already arrived.

Then came the third strike, the fourth strike... Her excessive speed caused afterimages to appear all around the limb spider, and more than twenty spinning kicks came in less than a hundredth of a second.

"Immortal Technique: Vajra Whirlwind!"

The spider was sent flying with a deafening roar, tumbling and crashing through stone fortresses as it flew from the city center, a forest of black stones, to the city's outskirts, a landscape of blood and bones, before finally slamming into the outer wall of the Corpse Demon City like a cannonball. The force of the kick radiated from his body, leaving ripples that branded themselves onto the city wall. The towering, thick outer wall was thus dented in two or three concentric craters, and nearly a quarter of the wall shattered in the explosion!
Fragments of the city's corpses flew everywhere, and spider-like creatures slid to the ground, vomiting large amounts of foul blood. He had no time to complain; his first instinct was to examine his body, inside and out, to prevent the demon's fire-mark poison from entering. But it found no trace of invasion, and even his ghostly body remained unaffected; only pain relentlessly throbbed within him.

Qingxia's methods were utterly incomprehensible. This attack lacked any special effects, yet possessed extremely high destructive power. Its simple structure made it difficult to counter. This was…

Pure physical attack!
The spider couldn't hold back any longer: "What kind of magic is this! It's just hitting people!!"

"The fighting style of the Myriad Transformations Immortal Clan is Immortal Art," Qingxia said, clapping her fists together. "Therefore, my moves are Immortal Art!"

"No, no, you unreasonable child...!" The spider lay prone on the ground. "I won't let you near me again. Demon Castle Rebirth!"

Black blood spilled from his fingertips, transforming into hundreds of streaks that merged into the Demon City. The terrain of the Nightmare City shifted dramatically as a result; the rooftops of buildings melted and fused together, forming pale yellow canopies reminiscent of fat. Walls of bones rose erratically from the ground, dividing the space around Qingxia into a complex labyrinth.

Qingxia leaped up, using her extraordinary jumping ability to reach the top of the bone wall. The maze walls were covered with traction mechanisms and claw-like bone spikes, but these tricks were easily crushed by Qingxia's bone armor. She rushed towards the other side of the city like a hurricane, the so-called terrain completely useless against the mobility of the Skywing. Seeing this, the Limb Spider raised its hand, and the layers of bone walls pieced together at its will, their massive mass twisting and turning as it moved, like a long white bone dragon churning in the earth.

Qingxia sprang to her feet, dodging the bone dragon's impact. Her combat suit's wrists inflated like balloons, and the Xiaolong Qingkun Spear emerged from the bone armor. She grabbed the spear and slammed it down, shattering the bone dragon in a single blow. Behind her, a series of black flashes appeared, and thousands of bloodshot eyes sprouted from the city's ceiling, their pupils shooting out rotten black blood spears. That was the Fallen's most proficient form of contamination attack. While the Plague Demon's toxin manipulated living beings with external will, the black blood could assimilate enemies directly into allies.

Thousands of blood-red spears hurtled towards Qingxia's back. The Spider Lid secretly braced himself, preparing to dodge all attacks. Cheng Kongyi's speed was undeniably agile; such concentrated fire might not harm her. But he had another trap, and another after that. As long as he gradually gained control of the battle, even the Plague Demon wouldn't escape his demon city… Suddenly, the Spider Lid clenched his fist; his vision was engulfed by a blinding light. Thousands of black-blooded spears shattered, and brilliant flames rose from the ground, reaching the dome and causing the eyeballs within the demon city to explode simultaneously!

The "cloak" behind the girl billowed, and her thin, almost transparent wings stretched wildly in the storm, scattering stardust-like red dust—the very force that had initially shattered the illusion. She flapped her wings, soaring, and a crimson flash instantly pierced the demon city. It wasn't the light, graceful dance of a moth; it was the charge of a knight on horseback, a relentless, ferocious charge. She shattered the traps scattered throughout the city in one fell swoop, and before the spider could even react, her bone-white fist had already slammed into his face.

The wrist guard on Qingxia's side opened, and four folding bone claws unfolded and pierced in with her fist. The exoskeleton on her back, previously used to assist in combat, became a hidden weapon on her wrist after the transformation. Red stardust surged in with the bone claws, colliding with her spirit and causing a powerful explosion within the Fallen One's body.

"Immortal Technique: Rising Flame Strike of Mighty Force!"

The spider was blasted high into the air, flames erupting from its back as nearly half its body was destroyed by the intense heat, turning into charred dust. Its limbs writhed like a lifeless insect, and a long thread shot from its half-destroyed mouth, clinging to the ceiling and suspending it. Waves of pain washed over it, causing the spider to let out a bloodcurdling scream. Black blood churned at its wounds, attempting to repair its body, but with little effect. Its immortality had failed; even Qingxia's immortal magic had hindered the power of the black blood.

What kind of technique is this...? Back then, Vansalal and Chongming were able to defeat him by instantly shattering his regeneration potential with a burst of power. But Qingxia is far from reaching their level... So, is it a special kind of flame? Simple positive energy infusion wouldn't have this effect, and besides, she's a Sky-Bearer, not a Pure Flame...

Burning Night at Chenjun Palace?

“I see… so that’s your ‘poison’…” the spider murmured. “Little Qingxia, you’re really insane… you’re the only lustful demon I know who… uses ‘poison’ on himself!”

The essence of those dazzling sparks is actually the scales scattered from the wings, or rather, the fragments of flesh separated by the super-fast regeneration ability.

From the strands of her hair to the scales, every part of the Plague Demon's body is filled with deadly poison. Even after Qingxia's transformation, her essence remains that of a Plague Demon. With only a 4-point particle, she was originally unable to escape the path set by Ronghua Xian. However, the "poison" she developed changed the way she operates.

Qingxia's toxins can promote the intense and rapid division of living cells, providing powerful bodily functions by significantly boosting metabolism. She consumes energy extremely efficiently in this way, causing the scales to turn into flames during high-speed combustion. However, this reckless burst is also a heavy burden on herself, and even with her stats at level 4, she cannot sustain it for long.

Therefore, she used the Qi of a Thousand Autumns.

Or rather, she incorporated the Qi of a thousand autumns as a "life mechanism" into her transformed self.

By consuming the toxins, she triggers a "Thousand Autumns of Qi," using her increased willpower to fuel the toxins. This internal cycle of "blood" and "qi" is thus achieved, allowing her to fight to the bitter end as long as her fighting spirit remains undiminished. Her enemies, however, lack this ability; the Fallen are a race that gains immortality through stillness. When the toxins invade their bodies, the putrid black blood is also activated, and the spider limbs, now active again, can no longer heal their wounds.

“Incomprehensible…” The spider swayed in mid-air. “Do you think you can escape the heretical path by using such self-deceptive methods? Do you think that by doing this, you will no longer be a lustful demon?”

“Race is predetermined, but the way of survival is always determined by oneself.” Qingxia clenched her fist. “Even if I grow poisonous wings, I will fight in my own way!”

Upon hearing this, the spider shook its head and let out a soft sigh.

"You're so foolish, Qingxia," the spider whispered. "After everything that's happened, you still think... there's no such thing as 'yourself' left in this world!!"

(End of this chapter)