Chapter 37

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Chapter 37: Woman with Blood-Red Eyes

Ming He pondered this answer in her heart and confirmed it; with the appearance of the black cat, the next moment should be—

"What I do is none of your concern!" A cold, distant voice echoed from afar, arriving almost simultaneously with the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator being knocked off the altar.

This voice carried a chill that was even more piercing than that of the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator; it delved deep into the soul, chilling everyone’s heart with just a sound. It represented a power that was unreachable, far beyond what they could imagine.

It was also a strength that Ming He had heard of and seen before.

Ming He looked up and saw a woman with blood-red eyes and white hair gracefully descending through the void, step by step, as if she were walking on the very clouds, pressing down on the hearts of the surrounding cultivators.

She radiated a brilliance that obscured everything else; Ming He couldn’t glean much more through mere observation, yet she instinctively felt that the woman was powerful—stronger than anyone she had met, even an overwhelming force that the cave dwelling couldn’t contain.

Stronger than Qin Chu Yi, stronger than Ji Wu Xu, stronger than the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator, and even stronger than the senior Lin, who had forcibly summoned the cave with formations.

The woman with blood-red eyes and white hair exuded an aura of loneliness and disdain for the world, casting a glance at the crowd as if she were a deity looking down upon mere ants.

Her gaze, like blood, seemed devoid of emotion yet concealed countless depths, a profundity too great for someone of Ming He’s age to comprehend.

In a fleeting moment, Ming He quickly scanned her features, imprinting them in her mind; she was incredibly beautiful, a beauty unlike any typical standard, yet not the most beautiful she had ever seen.

She had encountered the bone-chilling, stunningly beautiful Qin Chu Yi, the graceful and unrestrained Lou Qing Shang, the captivating Ji Wu Xu who could ensnare souls with her looks, and the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator, whose every move resonated with the rhythms of heaven and earth…

All of them were exquisite in their own rights, luminescent, each with a unique beauty, but none could compare to the woman standing before her now.

Though her features were remarkable, they were not as refined as Qin Chu Yi’s or as enchanting as Ji Wu Xu’s; however, the aura she projected made her impossible to overlook.

A magnificent strength, intoxicatingly alluring, she stood atop the altar like a true deity.

But she was not a deity; Ming He was certain of this. Perhaps she stood in opposition to the gods.

Ming He gazed at the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator, whose mouth was stained with blood as she tightened her grip on her sword, directing it at the woman with blood-red eyes, and spoke in a low voice, “This is the dwelling of our ancestors. Since they sealed you here, now that the seal is broken, I will seal it again.”

If she could, she would also like to kill her.

"Just you?" The woman with blood-red eyes regarded the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator with scorn, "But how much strength do you truly have left?"

She seemed uninterested in the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator, her gaze sweeping over the altar until it found Ming He and Ji Wu Xu, who stood beside her, gripping the star-shaped spiritual artifact. She smirked slightly; perfect, the bait was all set.

The cultivators on the scene were entangled by blood-red vines, blood dripping down as they watched the woman with blood-red eyes in fear and despair. They opened their mouths in a plea for mercy, yet found their vocal cords too sore to make a sound, realizing the depth of her cruelty.

This realization deepened their dread; mercy was a lost hope as they looked toward the altar.

Atop the altar stood three others, likely among the few in this cave’s deep forest who had not been ensnared by the blood-red vines—the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator, whom they did not recognize, the woman in red they were unfamiliar with, and only Ming He.

She was an inherited disciple of the Liu Yun Sect, the one who had slain the Bloodhand Butcher, their beacon of hope.

Ming He met their eager eyes but felt no particular emotion herself; she focused intently on the black cat as it climbed toward the altar, adopting a submissive posture at the feet of the woman with blood-red eyes, looking up cutely and meowing, "Meow~"

"Friend, that woman is named Mu Xuan Ye, the Left Envoy of the demon race, sealed here by our ancestors. Now that the seal is broken and she has escaped, please assist me in sealing her once again," the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator said earnestly, bowing deeply to Ming He.

Mu Xuan Ye?

Ming He’s heart skipped a beat, an old sense of familiarity washing over her. The Left Envoy of the demon race—wasn’t she among the harem of the Dragon Hero, Su Yu?

Indeed, she was one of the concubines.

The harem of the Dragon Hero is where all the extraordinary and beautiful women of the Tianwu Continent are gathered: gentle and kind childhood friends, spoiled and pretty little Junior Sisters, cool and aloof Senior Sisters, wicked and fierce little demon girls, stunningly beautiful women… those are the defaults, and Mu Xuan Ye just happened to be one of them.

Ming He glanced at the blood-red-eyed woman towering above with an air of superiority, imagining her as one of the spellbinding beauties among the Dragon Hero’s harem, possessing profound cultivation while uniquely favoring that human, Su Yu. This line of thought did not sit well with her.

It wasn’t merely about age or status; it was just that no matter how outstanding Su Yu was, he shouldn’t be worthy of Mu Xuan Ye, who was better suited to stand alone in beauty.

How did she meet the male lead in the original storyline? It seems… it was also in an ancient cave dwelling, a secret realm?

Ming He, suddenly realizing, slightly parted her lips, unable to hide the surprise in her heart. No way? Did she steal the male lead’s spotlight?

Liu Yun Sect, ancient cave dwelling, Star Lock—if she hadn’t agreed to Qin Chu Yi, perhaps the cave exploration wouldn’t have begun. If it didn’t start, there wouldn’t be a role for Mu Xuan Ye, and naturally, she wouldn’t have broken the seal so quickly.

So the real time of this cave’s emergence should be twenty years later?

But that doesn’t make sense! How could Qin Chu Yi give up on opening the cave just because she couldn’t find a suitable candidate?

Perhaps in the original story, Qin Chu Yi was looking for Su Cheng Feng?

Ming He fell into deep thought, silently piecing together the logic. The Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator, seeing her silence, thought she was unwilling to help or was bothered by her previous actions. Hesitating for a moment, he lowered his pride and said, “Friend, if you are troubled by my earlier act of following you, I sincerely apologize.”

Ming He came back to her senses and looked at the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator, who bowed his head to express his apology, pondering about resealing Mu Xuan Ye. How could it be that simple?

Now she understood Mu Xuan Ye’s background, and she recalled the bloody events before Mu Xuan Ye’s sealing and the things she did after breaking the seal. If it weren’t for Su Yu, perhaps she would not have stood on the side of the human race at all and might even have become their enemy.

Could a cold-blooded character capable of such horrific deeds be sealed away by just her and the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator? She found it unlikely, thus hesitated.

Unfortunately, Ming He forgot that she already had a "record" with the woman with blood-red eyes.

"Snort—"

The woman with blood-red eyes, Mu Xuan Ye, chuckled at the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator’s words. She raised her delicate hand, and the next moment, Ji Wu Xu gasped as she couldn’t grab the star-shaped spiritual artifact, allowing it to fly from her grasp and land in Mu Xuan Ye’s palm.

Her hand was white and smooth, and the spiritual artifact shimmered, complementing her beautifully.

As Ming He watched the artifact soar, Ji Wu Xu in red attire was inevitably ensnared by the blood-red vines breaking forth from the ground, pulling her to the trunk and binding her, stripping away her freedom. For some reason, Ming He felt a hint of amusement.

Ji Wu Xu looked up and saw the smile curling at Ming He’s lips, gritting her teeth in frustration, also puzzled as to why the blood-red vines did not attack Ming He.

As for why the blood-red vines didn’t target the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator, she wasn’t foolish. After hearing the dialogue between him and Mu Xuan Ye, she realized the cave dwelling had connections to him.

Our ancestors’ cave dwelling runs deep in its origins; it naturally wouldn’t attack him, which was understandable.

But what was Ming He’s background? She was just an inherited disciple of the Liu Yun Sect!

Ji Wu Xu felt defeated, lowering her head, feeling as if she had experienced every failure of her life in this cave dwelling.

At that moment, Ji Wu Xu still didn’t know that the journey into the ancient cave dwelling was just the beginning.

Ming He was unaware of Ji Wu Xu’s thoughts; she only cast a cold glance at the tree before looking up at Mu Xuan Ye. The woman’s blood-red eyes openly displayed interest in her, resembling a researcher she had seen in her previous life, looking at a little white mouse ready for experiments.

It was even more mockingly amused than looking at the mouse.

Ming He’s heart raced for a moment as she looked at the star-shaped spiritual artifact glowing in her right hand, her eyes dimming. Ji Wu Xu could think of it, and so could she—the reason the blood-red vines didn’t attack the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator was that he had ties to the cave dwelling; however, she had no connections yet was not attacked, leaving room for only one possibility.

It related to the Star Lock.

What kind of connection could it be? Could it be—

Ming He recalled the moment she snatched the spiritual artifact from the black cat’s hand months ago, clarity striking her, “This friend…”

She looked at the Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator and carefully chose her words, “I can slay demons and remove evil; it is my duty.”

Ji Wu Xu: "…Does that mean demons don’t deserve human rights?"

“Only, I am curious, how confident are you?” Ming He thought. The Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator did not seem lacking in cleverness, so he shouldn’t attempt reckless actions…?

“Friend, I actually don’t have much confidence.” The Black-Clothed Sword Cultivator spoke honestly, “But with the seal broken and her escaped, I cannot imagine the chaos that may arise, so I must act.”

He dusted off the gray from his robe, wielding a sword that seemed to carry unfathomable cultivation in Ming He’s eyes. “Some things require actions regardless of certainty.”

“But you need not worry. Even if this cave dwelling came into being due to her machinations, limitations are just that; whoever comes here can only exert the cultivation of Spirit Guiding stage nine levels.”

So the cave dwelling only emerged because of Mu Xuan Ye’s tricks?

Ming He breathed a sigh of relief; that makes sense—this way, all discrepancies with the original storyline can be explained.

“Even though the only available cultivation is Spirit Guiding stage nine levels, you two shall not be my match.” Mu Xuan Ye casually remarked, her eyes focused intensely on Ming He.

“I have heard them say your name is Ming He.”

Who said that? It could only be those who knew her and had interacted with her—Su Cheng Feng, disciples of the Liu Yun Sect, Ji Wu Xu. In other words, whatever had transpired in this cave over the past half month, she was aware.

Ming He felt a chill. Her Breath Control Technique and jade pendant were powerless before her; it was the absolute suppression of cultivation.

“Ming He.” Mu Xuan Ye slowly spoke, “Do you know? This cave dwelling was opened for you.”