The three words “switch roles” remained on the tip of her tongue, unspoken, already completely sealed away with Qu Zhengfeng’s decisive and ruthless rejection. Jian Chou was genuinely choked up.
She looked at Qu Zhengfeng, unable to speak for a long moment.
Qu Zhengfeng met her gaze without the slightest guilt, then walked over to give instructions to the Mingri Xinghai cultivators.
The atmosphere in the hall became strangely silent for a moment.
Whether they were cultivators from Xinghai or Yashan, they had all been shocked and stunned by the two’s completely different attire from usual. Some even blushed and dared not look directly at Jian Chou after seeing her. Now hearing just this exchange between the two, they completely didn’t understand the meaning behind their words.
Were these two big shots speaking in riddles?
They neither understood the origin of this matter nor knew what kind of person the female cultivator Jian Chou was about to embody, so they were completely confused.
However, Jian Chou herself was extremely clear in her heart.
But the clearer she was, the more she understood what Qu Zhengfeng’s rejection just now truly meant.
Though thinking about it, it made sense—His Majesty the majestic Sword Emperor, and Qu Zhengfeng of all people, truly agreeing to her request would be the real dream.
So no matter how bold, it was just a thought.
The possibility of realization was truly too slim.
Jian Chou stood in place for a while, finally sighing and accepting her fate.
Before departure, she pulled out Little Marten, who was clinging to her side, and stuffed it into Fang Xiaoxie’s arms, saying: “The Extreme Domain is perilous, and this place is only temporarily safe. No one knows what changes might occur next. Though this marten is lazy and difficult, it does have some abilities. Let it stay here with you. You have an impulsive temperament and are competitive. While this was harmless within the mountain gate, you must be more careful in this Extreme Domain, acting cautiously. With it by your side, if the Sword Emperor and I don’t send messages, you absolutely must not leave the group.”
Little Marten rolled its eyes very obviously.
Fang Xiaoxie’s heartbeat had just calmed down moments ago, and the red flush on his face had just diminished somewhat. How could he have expected Jian Chou to suddenly speak to him?
Caught completely off guard, he fell into a daze again.
His heart pounded wildly in his chest as he foolishly hugged the little marten thrust into his arms, only managing to respond with acknowledgment. Even after Jian Chou had left, he still hadn’t recovered, his mind full of that radiant face of Senior Sister Jian Chou when she had lowered her head to speak to him…
“Youth’s recklessness, spring feelings just stirring.” Having clearly witnessed that scene, after leaving the stone chamber not far, Qu Zhengfeng thought for a moment and laughed: “Indeed, he’s reached the age of ‘knowing to love beauty and admire youth.'”
Speaking of Fang Xiaoxie?
After leaving the stone chamber, Jian Chou had already transformed to match the appearance of that female cultivator Lian Zhao. Her makeup was striking, and the wide, deep black robe only better emphasized her graceful figure, not to mention those snow-white bare feet.
Hearing Qu Zhengfeng’s words now, she slightly furrowed her brow.
Though she had just been speaking to Fang Xiaoxie, her attention had actually been on Little Marten. Remembering how this mysteriously-originated little creature had shown great might in the eighteen layers of hell, battling the Kui Ox, even if something truly went wrong, it should have the ability to protect the remaining people. She hadn’t paid much attention to Fang Xiaoxie.
Qu Zhengfeng’s words seemed somewhat harsh.
Jian Chou naturally noticed others’ reactions after she changed into this outfit and makeup, but in her view, they were all quite normal reactions, including Fang Xiaoxie’s—after all, her change was indeed quite dramatic.
She and Qu Zhengfeng were heading to the exit of the eighteenth layer of hell, which was where the eighteenth layer’s prison warden was located. That was the gathering place for conscripted ghost soldiers, where all the ghost cultivators should be waiting for Xiao Mou and Lian Zhao before departure.
Now passing through this wasteland, they walked in the opposite direction of the altar.
While walking, she brought up Fang Xiaoxie to Qu Zhengfeng.
“Your Majesty the Sword Emperor has long been in Mingri Xinghai and probably doesn’t know him.”
“This boy’s surname is Fang, and his given name is strange—’Xiaoxie’ (Little Evil). He’s a disciple Sect Leader Zheng took in some years ago. His talent may not be inferior to mine. Competitive, combative, and never admits defeat—he can be considered one of the outstanding figures among the many rising stars of the current Central Domain’s Left Three Thousand.”
“Each generation succeeds the last, old replaced by new.”
“I wonder what Your Majesty the Sword Emperor feels in his heart upon seeing him?”
These words actually held no malice—it was just Jian Chou’s spontaneous sentiment. But falling on Qu Zhengfeng’s ears, they naturally carried several traces of indescribable meaning.
Generation after generation, old replaced by new.
From him to Jian Chou, from Jian Chou to Fang Xiaoxie…
Deep in Qu Zhengfeng’s heart, there was still some ineffable sentiment. He glanced at Jian Chou, who now appeared as Lian Zhao, and didn’t answer her question, only falling into silence.
Wind blew across the wilderness.
Jian Chou listened to the wind’s sound and said nothing more, letting the wind’s howling replace the thousand words in her heart as they walked toward the prison warden’s office.
The closer they got to the prison warden’s office, the more her walking posture resembled Lian Zhao’s.
The seven parts of frosty coldness that had originally covered her face faded to barely one part remaining, replaced by a completely new, disdainful charm.
She walked through this eighteenth layer of hell with an air of seductive grace.
When Qu Zhengfeng had clearly refused, Jian Chou had already considered: though playing Lian Zhao made her feel uncomfortable all over, it actually wasn’t particularly difficult. This was because Lian Zhao usually had few friends, was enchantingly changeable, and had unpredictable moods. While lowly flattering might be difficult for her, when her temper flared, showing a cold face and displaying some domineering, unreasonable behavior wasn’t difficult at all.
The rest was just a matter of subtle facial expressions.
She didn’t need to be perfect—sixty or seventy percent similarity should be enough to avoid suspicion.
She was actually someone who pursued perfection and had always had excellent strategic vision, so naturally she wouldn’t delay important matters over such external trifles.
Qu Zhengfeng was certainly no exception.
Compared to Jian Chou, disguising himself as Xiao Mou was somewhat easier for him, achieving flawless impersonation. His features changed to become handsome, yet with sickly pallor permeated by gloom—extremely vivid.
At the prison warden’s office, the ghost cultivators had long been waiting impatiently.
Hundreds of ghost soldiers conscripted from the eighteenth layer of hell had gathered outside the prison warden’s office. Because they cultivated different techniques, their appearances were all bizarre and grotesque—they would certainly be frightening if seen in the human realm.
But this was the Extreme Domain, where everyone was accustomed to such sights.
“What’s taking so long? Why aren’t they here yet?”
“Grandpa’s getting impatient waiting.”
“I want to see what this woman looks like—is she really worth your infatuation?”
“As if you could sleep with her!”
“Haha, forget it!”
“To become her intimate companion isn’t easy…”
…
When ghost cultivators gathered together, especially those who had been punished in hell and carried deep sins, their conversations inevitably became unrestrained and unpleasant to hear.
Soon, it was all vulgar and obscene language.
The eighteenth layer’s prison warden was a pot-bellied fat ghost who had previously managed the first layer’s Ice Prison. Over the past decades, he had been promoted and would be able to leave the eighteen layers of hell to become a judge in the Eight Directions City with one more promotion.
Since ghost soldier conscription wasn’t his responsibility, he wasn’t anxious.
Now that the newly conscripted ghost soldiers were discussing the legendary “Lian Zhao,” he didn’t interrupt but listened with great interest from the side.
However, another female ghost cultivator from the Wuchang clan who had been sent to assist with this matter couldn’t bear to listen anymore.
Her name was Xue Yin, and she had been in the clan for nearly a hundred years.
Among the female cultivators of this generation in the clan, she ranked first in cultivation. But no matter what occasion she was mentioned, she could only rank second, relegated behind Lian Zhao.
The reason?
What else could it be?
Lian Zhao was devastatingly beautiful and skilled at dealing with men. Since quite a few ghost cultivators among the ten major ghost clans indulged in lust, so what if her cultivation was inferior? Today she could still be dispatched by the clan elders to conscript ghost soldiers with Xiao Mou for no reason, claiming great merit.
While she, who had real ability, could only assist from the side.
And now she had to wait here endlessly!
Years of dissatisfaction and deep-seated resentment had been suppressed too long. Even now, listening to these people’s discussions of Lian Zhao—whether praise or insult—she found it grating and disgusting!
Her reasonably pretty face was already slightly twisted.
Her cold gaze fell on the loudest among the newly conscripted ghost soldiers, listening to him boast about seeing Lian Zhao during selection—how charming her figure was, how seductive her face—as she gripped her Soul-Hooking Cord tighter.
But unexpectedly, before she could find an opportunity to explode, someone from the outer perimeter suddenly shouted: “They’re here!”
“Oho, ‘to die under peony flowers, even as a ghost one would be romantic’—if she could just look at me once, I’d willingly die!”
The loud-mouthed big fellow was still talking.
But the surroundings suddenly quieted, then the discussion became even louder, rising and falling like waves, and only then did he stop to look over.
It was indeed Lian Zhao and Xiao Mou returning.
According to regulations, after conscripting ghost soldiers, they were supposed to investigate the Heaven-Releasing Creation Array. It should have been a quick trip, but unexpectedly, they had been waiting for over an hour.
That Xiao Mou was just a consumptive ghost—nothing worth seeing.
But that female cultivator figure walking in front instantly captured everyone’s attention!
It was Lian Zhao.
After just over an hour of not seeing her, she seemed to have gained even more radiant allure than before.
The loose black robe couldn’t hide her enchanting waist. The red tassels on her ankles cast delicate shadows on her snow-white skin. Her originally seductive eyes now held an additional trace of cool languor that not only didn’t diminish her beauty but added a kind of hesitant, seemingly present yet absent charm to her entire face.
Her attitude completely ignored everyone!
Her frivolous gaze held a carefree indifference toward life. When the previously loud-mouthed big fellow met her drifting glance, his robust body immediately went limp, as if suddenly choked, falling into a near-death experience.
The tassels chimed softly as she floated past like a cloud.
Just casually passing through the crowd, all sound around her ceased.
Jian Chou walked effortlessly from the outer perimeter to the inner area, then glanced at Xue Yin, who had been sent by the Wuchang clan to assist Lian Zhao this time. Her gaze lingered momentarily on the hand gripping the Soul-Hooking Cord before she laughed lightly.
Her moving yet indifferent eyes revealed merciless mockery.
“Save your strength. You haven’t even reached the battlefield yet—injuring your hand first doesn’t matter, but having no one to feel sorry for you would be truly pitiful!”
“Lian Zhao, you!”
How could Xue Yin have expected her to speak such vicious words upon returning? Though not containing a single curse, it was like receiving a hundred slaps across the face!
For a moment, she was so enraged she couldn’t speak a complete sentence.
Seeing her like this, Jian Chou acted as if she had seen nothing, heard nothing, and hadn’t even felt the other’s sudden fury. She completely ignored the other party and walked lightly to the round, fat prison warden.
Her sandalwood lips curved in a smile like a blooming flower.
“Warden, the Wuchang clan’s ghost soldiers have been fully conscripted. We must now hurry to Ghost Gate Pass’s watchtower. I wonder, where is the passage token?”
That voice could truly penetrate one’s bones.
It wasn’t particularly sweet, even carrying a trace of weary indifference, but that thin thread of charm in the trembling tail notes seemed capable of stealing one’s soul.
The fat warden’s entire body shuddered, unable to look away, instinctively extending the token in his hand.
Jian Chou’s delicate white hand reached out to take the token, saying: “Thank you, Warden.”
Then she turned around quite naturally.
Behind her was Qu Zhengfeng disguised as the sickly consumptive ghost Xiao Mou.
At this moment, following the attitude toward Xiao Mou in Lian Zhao’s memory, she deliberately used a kind of teasing ambiguity and provocation, glancing at him with a smile at the corner of her lips: “Junior Brother Xiao Mou, shall we go?”
Just one glance.
Under normal circumstances, this would naturally be nothing, since she was playing Lian Zhao.
However, Qu Zhengfeng knew that beneath this disguised facade was Jian Chou, so something stirred in his heart, and he felt a thrilling impact that even made him momentarily dazed.
After a moment, he lowered his gaze, his pale, gloomy yet handsome face saying faintly: “Naturally, I’ll follow Senior Sister Lian Zhao’s lead.”