"Senior Sister! Why? WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?" Langtian shouted, his voice raw with desperation. He reached out to Shangguan Yue Ling, trying to pull her back from the brink of madness, trying to make sense of the chaos unraveling around him.
’Could she be under demonic influence too? Or worse... had she fallen into Qi deviation?’
It was all too possible. In the world of cultivation, Qi deviation was a perilous state. It’s when one’s Qi spiraled out of control, turning wild and unstable, consuming both body and mind.
’If that’s true... how can I bring her back? What can I even do?’
His heart pounded, each beat like a war drum echoing in his chest.
But even as he questioned, the voices within surged louder, and hateful whispers rising into a chorus that drowned out reason.
"Kill her," they hissed. "She wants to kill you, Bai Langtian. If you want to live, kill her now!"
And before he realized it, his hand had already gripped the hilt of his dàdāo.
A crimson arc of blade qi tore through the air, screaming toward Yue Ling.
But Shangguan Yue Ling didn’t flinch.
With calm composure, she raised a single hand and easily caught the arc between two fingers.
One graceful flick, and the energy dispersed like mist. It struck a nearby tree with a thunderous boom, cleaving the trunk clean in two.
"What...?" Langtian stared in disbelief.
"That wasn’t me..." he stammered, stepping back, pale and trembling as the truth sank in.
"Senior Sister, I’m sorry. That wasn’t me!"
It was the force inside him. The demonic presence buried deep within, the one that had taken hold of his limbs, acted on its own.
’If I’d known this would happen... I would’ve never eaten that cursed demonic wolf meat!’
His stomach twisted with regret.
A cry tore from his throat as his arm moved again, the dàdāo rising against his will.
"Senior Sister, I can’t control it!" he pleaded, voice cracking. "Please! Dodge! Quickly!"
The wind shrieked as the blade fell once more.
Another arc of blade qi erupted, but this one was larger, darker, its hue deeper, its edge crueler than the first one. A crimson wave thick with killing intent roared toward Yue Ling like a blood-soaked storm.
And yet... she barely moved.
Another subtle flick of her wrist, another gentle shift of her palm, the deadly force was deflected once again.
Langtian stood frozen, chest heaving, breath ragged. Every ounce of his will strained to resist the shadow clawing at his mind. His arms trembled, locked in a desperate struggle between soul and corruption.
Two fingers clawed to release the hilt.
But the other three tightened, refusing to let go.
"No," he gasped, teeth clenched. "No!"
But the inner demon won.
The blade swung again.
Another crimson slash tore through the air.
This time, Yue Ling did not deflect. She didn’t move at all. A faint smirk curled on her lips as the blade qi screamed toward her—
The force passed so close it nearly brushed her robe. Behind her, a tree exploded, its trunk shattered, wood splintering like shrapnel.
And just like that...
Langtian fought with every fiber of his being, but the inner demon’s grip was relentless. Again and again, it forced his hands to raise the dàdāo, unleashing arc after arc of crimson blade qi at Shangguan Yue Ling.
Though, by some mercy, most of the strikes went wide, because his subconscious still clinging to restraint, making the strikes less accurate. Even the few that came close, his Senior Sister swatted aside with effortless grace, barely lifting a hand.
With each blow, she advanced.
Step by deliberate step, she closed the distance between them, her presence as terrifying as a gathering storm.
Then, a metallic whisper scratched the cold air, as she drew her blades.
Now, the twin Yangling Blades gleamed in her hands, silver edges catching the red light with a deadly shimmer.
"Senior Sister..." Langtian gasped, his voice frayed, the dàdāo trembling in his grip.
She was only two steps away.
"Kill me," he pleaded, eyes wide with despair. "Please... I can’t control it anymore. I’ll hurt you."
"Pathetic," Yue Ling said flatly, her voice cold, devoid of warmth.
Langtian swung instinctively, another desperate arc aimed for her neck.
But she caught the strike between two fingers, halting it like it were a drifting leaf.
"You should follow the inner demon, Langtian," she said calmly. "Be like me. Stop resisting. It’ll be easier that way. The inner demon will grant you power. It will make all your wishes come true."
"What?" Langtian froze. His voice trembled.
"Senior sister, do you even hear yourself?"
The thought struck him like a blade.
’Is she serious? Has she lost her mind?’
’Who would surrender to the demon within? Let it seize their soul and drag them into madness and bloodshed?’
But the inner demon laughed, its voice a cold, slithering sound inside his skull.
Its whisper curled around his thoughts like smoke.
"Oh, Bai Langtian, how foolish you are...
"Accept me, and I’ll give you power. Strength beyond imagining. Everything you’ve ever wanted. I’ll make you stronger than anyone!"
"Or actually... ah... if you don’t want to kill that woman, then perhaps, I can also help you make her yours...
"You like her, aren’t you? You were having dirty thoughts earlier, weren’t you? A deep, dark desire... a craving, a lust over her body...
"Just embrace me, and I will make all of them into reality...
"Isn’t that such a good deal?"
"SHUT UP!" Langtian roared.
His voice cracked, his entire body trembling with defiance.
"Even if it kills me... I’ll never let you win! I WILL NEVER HURT SENIOR SISTER SHANGGUAN!"
His shout rang out like thunder.
Veins bulged as he poured everything into resisting. With the last of his strength, he hurled the dàdāo away.
The heavy blade clanged against stone, the echo shattering the silence.
Langtian stood there, chest heaving, eyes wide, blood pounding in his ears.
"Why?" Senior Sister’s voice then cut through the quiet, sharp and cold as the edge of her blade.
She stepped forward, her twin swords rising until their edges grazed his neck.
A thin, crimson line bloomed where the steel kissed his skin.
One flick, and his head would roll.
"You said you wanted to walk this path," she whispered, eyes gleaming with madness. "So why didn’t you listen to me? Don’t you want power, Junior Brother? Don’t you want revenge? Just let go, it’s the easiest thing to do!"
"Of course... I do want revenge," Langtian gasped, voice trembling as he fought the storm inside.
"But if it means losing myself... if it means hurting you... then I can’t. I won’t."
"I’m sorry... I let you down, Senior Sister."
His voice cracked beneath the weight of his choice.
He closed his eyes, bracing for death.
______________________
As Langtian spoke those words, declaring his defiance, a sudden clarity washed over his mind. The oppressive fog of the inner demon’s voice began to recede.
It did not scream or rage in protest. Instead, it laughed, a low, chilling sound laced with an unsettling satisfaction.
Langtian slowly opened his eyes, his breath steadying.
’If this is the end,’ he thought, ’I just want to see Senior sister Shangguan one last time.’
But to his astonishment, his Senior Sister was now smiling. Not with the cold, menacing edge he had feared, but with a gentle warmth. The wicked glint in her eyes had vanished, replaced by the familiar kindness he had always cherished.
"You did great, junior brother," Yue Ling murmured. "Now, have a good sleep."
As her words reached him, a sweet, mellow fragrance drifted to his nose.
He recognized it instantly.
’Dreamslumber Incense?’
Panic flickered through his fading awareness.
But it was already too late.
Langtian’s head drooped. His vision blurred.
His consciousness slipped away, swallowed by an enveloping darkness.