Chapter 195
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Chapter 195: Yóu Lìng’s Side Story
If parallel universes existed, if Mu Chen had not fallen into darkness after killing Xin Ming Zhu, if the Soul Clan had not perished, Yóu Lìng would surely be just Qing Yue, the pureblooded descendant of the Soul Clan, untouched by the darkness of the world.
After completing her coming of age ceremony, she would have taken Mu Chen as her master, dual cultivating the Soul Sword to become the young leader of the human race, the fifth inheritor of Heaven and Earth, rising with the wind and clouds, standing atop the brightest mountain to overlook the world’s splendor.
At that time, the heavens were engulfed in war, with the demon race fiercely attacking the human race. Unfortunately, after a deadly battle, the demon race’s Xin Ming Zhu died under the sword of the young leader of the human race, Mu Chen, shattering the infighting within the Tianwu Continent.
The upright young man in white wielded his sword across the land, breaking through to the Human King stage and entering the battlefield of the heavens, throwing himself into brutal fights for life and death.
With no master to pressure her, Qing Yue completely set herself free.
Under the vast skies of the Eastern Sea, the Shadow Strike lashed against the shores as malicious sea beasts destroyed human cities and slaughtered the human populace. Ming He, tasked by her sect, flew here on her sword; after slaying a sea beast with one sword strike, she encountered a pursuit from the Black Wind Alliance and the Alien Race Hunting Hall.
The sky was a brilliant blue, the ocean vast. The figure in blue danced through the surging waves, her long sword cutting through as blood droplets, thick and red, fell onto the sea, quickly dissolving in the rippling azure waters.
After her blue clothes became stained with blood, the sword cultivator’s figure swayed unsteadily. In the fierce battles, she grew more exhausted, seeming on the verge of collapse, when a white sword shadow swept from beyond the heavens, instantly annihilating the ruthless black-clothed pursuers.
The blue-clothed sword cultivator raised her gaze, meeting a pair of bright and radiant eyes. The owner of those eyes wore a sparkling white embroidered robe, a shimmering sword hanging at her waist, standing gracefully on the clouds, her gaze gentle and smiling.
This was the first meeting between Ming He and Qing Yue.
At that time, Ming He was a young talent from the Floating Cloud Sect in the Eastern Region, her sharp sword just beginning to show its brilliance, making her a target of pursuit by the Black Wind Alliance and the Alien Race Hunting Hall, yet she was fortunate to bear the future of the human race.
Qing Yue, at that time, was the master of the Star Lock, born of the Soul Clan and hailing from the Imperial Palace in the central region, deliberately hiding her identity for safety as the last young leader of the human race, the brightest star among the gathered constellations.
No one would have guessed that the two unparalleled sword cultivators who would later open up the heavens would so swiftly and sincerely get to know each other on the bustling shores of the Eastern Sea amidst a chase.
At this moment, Qing Yue saved Ming He’s life, and in the many future battles they fought side by side, Ming He also saved Qing Yue countless times. They stood under the same heavens, their sword tips pointing in the same direction.
Ming He sheathed the Jing Ying Sword, lifting her gaze to the extraordinary woman against the brilliant blue sky, noticing her delicate and gentle face, like a girl stepping out from the water towns of the south, contrasting sharply with the piercing cold of a sword cultivator.
This face held a deceptive quality, Ming He thought.
Qing Yue, of course, did not know what the sword cultivator below was thinking. She only gazed critically at the blue-clothed girl’s graceful features and pure aura, wondering in her heart: just such a sword cultivator makes the Qin Clan Young Master yearn for her day and night, with soul and heart entwined?
Qin Chu Yi liked Ming He.
This was what Zhan Qing Yi had told her.
Qin Chu Yi even asked her to take care of Ming He when she learned that she was sent on a mission across the five regions due to clan matters.
As Qing Yue thought of this, a deeper smile crept onto her lips, and she lightly descended from the flowing clouds, stepping onto the rising waves beneath her, casually stirring the tide with her toes, teasingly smiling: "Ming He, do you want to see your Senior Sister?"
Facing Ming He’s suddenly bright eyes, Qing Yue curved her lips, and a teasing smile unfolded on her gentle face: “I am an old friend of your Senior Sister. My name is Qing Yue. If you call me ‘Senior Sister Left,’ I’ll take you to Qin Huang Mountain.”
Ming He: “……”
“Senior Sister Left.” Ming He clenched her fists, some teeth-gnashing evident. In an instant, she saw through the self-indulgent and arrogant nature hidden beneath the girl’s gentle appearance.
All phrases like “clear skies and bright moon,” “gentle and upright,” and “the gentleman’s demeanor” had no connection to Qing Yue.
In this life, she was born into nobility, growing up in a world stained with blood, surrounded by battles yet still enjoying a semblance of peace. She had never experienced the heavy darkness of the world, filled with a passionate spirit.
Setting aside major principles and boundaries that should not be crossed, Qing Yue’s nature could be considered extremely wicked.
In the face of alien races, she was proud and reckless, truly a little tyrant, deciding her actions simply based on her likes and dislikes while ensuring that the big goals did not deviate.
She was vibrant, dazzling, clear, and even brilliant enough to outshine the sun and moon.
Such a fiery and passionate young leader, in fact, Fu Yao, Qing Long, Mu Chen, and many powerful human cultivators thought she was not steady enough, but that was perfectly fine.
The human race and this world have long been shrouded in a dark haze, enduring a suffocating oppression. Qing Yue, who fears nothing and would pierce a hole in the sky if it fell, is indeed a refreshing presence.
Thus, they indulged her, pampered her, unwilling to suppress her pride or dull her sharp edges, allowing her to grow into the bold and unrestrained figure she is today.
Of course, the pride of a sword cultivator and the restraint of a soul cultivator still remained within her.
When she roamed the five regions, she showed no mercy to the Tian Yan Tribe or human race traitors. Her long sword, cold and unyielding, had undoubtedly been stained with the blood of countless enemies. She even managed to uncover the location of the Black Wind Alliance’s headquarters and, alongside Ming He, who had come to support her, fought her way through. It was there that she encountered a fascinating woman.
This woman, dressed in pristine white, had an air of detachment, her gaze as calm as the Deep Sea. With silver threads in her hand, her mastery of formations was extraordinary, capable of summoning storms with a mere wave.
Qing Yue even thought she could rival Li Fusheng, the young master of the Sword Pavilion who had turned to studying formations.
However, no matter how formidable her formation mastery was, she was no match for the combined strength of Qing Yue and Ming He.
After all, the Sword Cultivator in Blue had comprehended the sixth realm of Swordsmanship while still in the Heaven Origin realm, and with Qing Yue, a once-in-a-millennia talent, they were confident they could take on anyone in the world, even if it was just the two of them.
As it turned out, the woman in white was no match for them.
Qing Yue knocked her to the ground and pointed her sword at her, her expression as indifferent as ever when dealing with outsiders and human race traitors. Inwardly, she pondered the angle at which to strike to drain all her blood before she died.
After all, she was a member of the Tian Yan Tribe, though it was unclear how she had come to practice human formations.
The woman in white lay in a pool of blood, her expression still cold and detached. One hand clutched at her own clothing as if murmuring to herself, or perhaps asking, “Qing Yue, do you know what hell is?”
Qing Yue certainly didn’t know. She had been born on the Tianwu Continent, where all she had ever known was hope and light. She fought alongside her companions, dreaming of the future. How could she know what hell was?
But she didn’t shake her head. Instead, she smirked and looked down at the woman in white, her tone casual yet laced with cruelty: “I am hell.”
She thought she was about to kill her, and wasn’t that what hell was?
Her voice carried a hint of impatience.
Her sword trembled slightly, unable to find the right place to strike.
The woman in white seemed momentarily stunned, but then something flickered in her eyes. Qing Yue couldn’t quite make it out, but she heard the woman speak in a low, steady voice, “I understand.”
As she spoke, her form dissolved into mist, vanishing from beneath the swords of Qing Yue and Ming He, as if it had all been nothing more than a game of cat and mouse.
That day, Qing Yue was so enraged that she leveled several mountains with her sword. Ming He eventually dragged her back to the Imperial Palace, where Fu Yao, the Lord, punished her by making her copy countless calming Buddhist scriptures.
Thus, the woman in white left a deep impression on her.
Their next meeting came after Qing Yue had broken through to the Human King stage and was swept away by spatial currents during a battle against the Tian Yan Tribe’s forces.
When Qing Yue opened her eyes, grievously wounded, she was disoriented, almost believing she had reached the shores of the underworld. But then the woman in white approached and asked, “What is hell?”
Qing Yue: “……”
She was lost in thought for a long time, her gaze turning inward to her meridians. Finally, she uttered a dry, hesitant phrase: “Did you save me?”
Just before being swept away by the spatial currents, she had been cutting down members of the Tian Yan Tribe with her sword. Now, she found that the one who had saved her life was a member of that very tribe. It felt surreal.
The woman in white nodded, her expression calm, but a flicker of curiosity and amusement soon appeared in her eyes. “I once asked you what hell is, and you said you are hell. So, what are you?”
What are you?
Qing Yue’s eyes twitched. She privately thought this woman might not be the sharpest tool in the shed. But when her gaze met those clear, black-and-white eyes, she fell silent for a moment, her emotions momentarily frozen.
“I am a human, the young leader of the human race in the World of Martial Arts. My name is Qing Yue,” she said, clenching her fists around the dagger Qin Chu Yi had given her, feeling a rare sense of uncertainty.
The woman in white nodded and said, “My name is He Lou Feng. I am of the royal family of the Tian Yan Tribe, the Fifth Prince of the Tian Yan realm.”
He Lou Feng paused, then asked, “Since you are human, why would you also be hell? I would very much like to see hell. Can you show me the way there?”
Qing Yue remained silent, yet a ripple of emotions stirred within her, leaving faint traces like a dragonfly skimming the surface of a tranquil lake.
She had heard of He Lou Feng, the Fifth Prince of the Tian Yan Tribe. Born without the Tian Yan eyes, she was exiled to the Tianwu Continent as a child and later returned to the Tian Yan realm, only to face relentless opposition. It was said that the Tian Yan Tribe’s clan leader had made her a shield, diverting all schemes aimed at the Third Prince.
Hell.
Wasn’t her own existence a kind of hell?
As Qing Yue gazed at the woman before her—a figure of unparalleled beauty, unmatched in formation mastery, and the architect of the Absolute Formation of Mist that had plagued the human race on the battlefield of the heavens—a subtle plan began to form in her mind. She blinked, her thoughts veiled behind a calm exterior.
“It’s possible,” Qing Yue said with a nod, “but that path is blocked.”
A faint smile curved her lips, and her eyes gleamed with a fiery intensity as she added, “The one blocking that path is the Tian Yan Tribe.”
He Lou Feng lowered her head in silence. When she looked up again, her gaze was clear and resolute. “Alright,” she said simply.
Thus began their alliance—though it was less a partnership and more a calculated deception on Qing Yue’s part, with He Lou Feng fully aware yet choosing to act with unwavering determination.
Time and again, when Qing Yue found herself on the brink of peril, a white shadow would appear by her side, as inseparable as Zhan Qing Yi was to Qin Chu Yi. Yet both knew that He Lou Feng was no shadow guardian, and Qing Yue, as the young leader of the human race, had no need for one.
What had begun as a union of convenience and calculation could not remain devoid of emotion, could it?
Of course not.
So, on countless occasions, Qing Yue would watch the woman beside her, her words caught in her throat, her fists clenched tightly to conceal the storm of thoughts within. In those moments, she finally understood the depth of longing that had once consumed Qin Chu Yi—a yearning that lingered day and night, entwined in soul and dreams.
In time, powerful allies like Mu Chen and Fu Yao, Qing Long and Qin Ling, fought alongside them, while Qing Yue, Ming He, Qin Chu Yi, Li Fusheng, Mo Xiao, and Ji Wu Xu joined forces to vanquish the Tian Yan Tribe’s army.
The long-awaited era of clarity for the Tianwu Continent had finally dawned. With the Tian Yan Tribe’s forces retreating from the battlefield of the heavens, the crisis in the World of Martial Arts was averted, and the land was once again bathed in the light of the sun, moon, and stars, its beauty restored.
On the day Qing Yue ascended as the leader of the human race, she stood in the dark forest beyond the Soul Clan’s territory, clad in resplendent robes. Before her stood He Lou Feng, her white garments fluttering as if she might vanish with the next gust of wind.
Qing Yue’s fists clenched and unclenched. The once proud and reckless young leader hesitated for what felt like an eternity before finally summoning the courage to speak. “There is no heaven here, nor is there hell. What I said back then… it was all a lie.”
“Here, there is only the vast human realm. Will you come?”
He Lou Feng gazed at her for a long moment, her eyes distant, as if glimpsing a cold, black figure from a memory long faded. Then, a faint smile touched her lips. “Alright,” she said softly, and took Qing Yue’s hand.
