Chapter 610 523: Nangong Jin's Repentance, the Way to Break the Deadlock (Part 2)

In the end, not only had her relationship with Brother Pei not come to fruition, but she lived in constant fear, terrified her lies would be exposed.

'What a joke...'

Nangong Jin now realized how laughable it had all been—all those years she had spent acting so aloof and righteous, looking down on that fake fairy, Ye Liyuan, with utter contempt.

She herself was just as much a fake fairy.

...

Nangong Jin shook her head, trying to banish the complex feelings of guilt from her mind.

She picked up the Celestial Extinction Sword and said to Pei Yuhang, her voice hoarse.

"Brother Pei, I know you must have many questions right now. Let me go bring Yueqiu back first, and then I will return and explain everything, okay?"

"I'll go with you! Yueqiu is my disciple. I can't let her remain in danger."

Pei Yuhang instinctively rose to his feet, but Nangong Jin gently pushed him back down.

"Brother Pei, don't try to act tough about this. Yueqiu chose to stay behind to cover our retreat, all so you could escape safely.

"If you go back now, wouldn't you be wasting all her efforts? At least after absorbing your Pure Yang True Qi... I still have some fighting strength left."

Pei Yuhang fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Then I'll leave Yueqiu to you, Jun— Jin'er."

...

...

Nangong Jin raced all the way back to the valley where she and Brother Pei had been living in seclusion.

The area had long since been ravaged by the battle between Qing Yueqiu and the Armored Ghost, leaving shattered mountains and a cracked landscape.

The Sword Qi and Sword Gang from the two Void Refining Powerhouses had cleaved the rolling mountain range apart, and the surrounding forests had been felled in great swathes, like a field of wheat reaped by a giant scythe.

Seeing the devastation from such a fierce battle, Nangong Jin's fingers unconsciously tightened at her cuffs.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the unease churning within her, and cautiously stepped into the ruins.

She needed to remain concealed, watching for any straggling soldiers of the Demon Race while searching for any sign of Qing Yueqiu.

「An hour passed.」

Nangong Jin searched every nook and cranny, but she found no trace of Qing Yueqiu.

She didn't even spot a single soldier from the Demon Race.

She bit her lower lip, forcing herself not to think about the worst-case scenario.

'Yueqiu has a powerful Physique, and her Divine Abilities are related to Moonlight. The night is her domain... She'll definitely be alright!'

'Maybe she's just been held up by the enemy and will be back in a little while.'

Nangong Jin took a deep breath and decided to wait where she was for Yueqiu to return.

However, as time slowly trickled by, that graceful, silver-haired figure never appeared, and Nangong Jin's heart grew increasingly anxious.

As the morning mist began to rise and a violet streak appeared on the horizon, her anxiety reached its peak.

Nangong Jin clutched her chest, her face turning deathly pale.

'I can't imagine... if I can't find Qing Yueqiu, or if something even worse has happened, how can I go back and face Brother Pei...?'

'It's all my fault... I'm the one to blame.'

'If I hadn't been so selfish, wanting to keep Brother Pei all to myself, I should have left the mountain with him long ago...'

'Then Brother Pei and I would never have been pursued by the Demon Race, and Yueqiu would never have been put in such danger...'

'It's all my fault... It's all my fault!'

'I have the highest Cultivation. I should have protected everyone... Instead, I was blinded by desire, so hopelessly naive.'

Nangong Jin powerlessly plunged the Celestial Extinction Sword into the ground, her voice a grief-stricken wail.

She was drowning in regret... Her own selfish desires had brought harm to them all.

WHOOSH—

The sound of something slicing through the air caught Nangong Jin's attention.

It was a raven, corrupted by Demonic Qi, its feathers shimmering with an ominous, violet-black sheen.

And tied to the raven's leg was a scroll of dark red paper.

With a flash of sword light, the raven fell from the sky.

As Nangong Jin bent down to pick up the letter, the moment she saw its contents, she bit her already pale lip, drawing blood.

"Before sunset, come to the place where the incarnation of the great Ox Demon Venerable fell... Or else, this commander will be sure to kill your companion!"

She crushed the letter in her palm.

Nangong Jin closed her eyes, her thick lashes casting a shadow beneath them.

When she opened them again, her dark eyes were churning with a monstrous rage, as if lava were boiling in their depths.

She shot to her feet, about to rush off to save her.

But just as her toes were about to leave the ground, her body suddenly froze.

Ghost-Back Mountain was saturated with Demonic Qi; there was simply not enough pure Natural Spiritual Qi for Nangong Jin to recuperate and replenish her Qi Sea.

'With my current strength, I'm weaker than even Yueqiu. How could I possibly fight a Void Refining Peak expert like the Armored Ghost?'

She wasn't afraid of death, but she was afraid of dying without saving Yueqiu, and even dragging Brother Pei down with her...

Nangong Jin had never imagined it. Since she'd first set foot on the path of cultivation, countless people had hailed her as a monstrous prodigy, the strongest talent the Dao Sect had seen in a thousand years. She never thought a day would come when she would despise herself for her lack of power.

'This must all be my punishment for my past selfishness, for wanting to keep Brother Pei all to myself.'

Nangong Jin closed her eyes. Drowning in intense guilt, she made a decision.

The current situation was not without a solution. In fact, the key to breaking the stalemate was in Nangong Jin's own hands.

Right now, on Ghost-Back Mountain, there was one person who could restore her power to its peak.

And that person was Brother Pei.

All she had to do was complement his Yang with her Yin... by offering up her Virgin Primordial Yin and drawing upon his Pure Yang Power.

Not only would it allow her to return to her peak, but Brother Pei would be able to return to his peak as well!

Together, as two Sword Cultivators at the Void Refining Peak, they could even contend with an incarnation from the Mahayana Stage.

Below the Mahayana, they would be unrivaled.

As long as she slept with Brother Pei... Nangong Jin would have the power to change everything!

'After I go back, I must immediately consummate my relationship with Brother Pei to regain my power... And I can't do it by deceiving him.'

'I have to confess everything to Brother Pei! I'll tell him about his past, and about all my own selfish intentions and schemes.'

'I've had enough of living this sweet life built on lies.'

Nangong Jin murmured to herself as she got up and headed back.

At the same time, she also steeled herself for the possibility that Brother Pei would be disgusted with her because of this and refuse to consummate their relationship...

If that happened, she wouldn't blame Brother Pei. After all, it was all her fault.

But even so, to regain her power, Nangong Jin had to be with Brother Pei...

Even if it meant knocking Brother Pei unconscious and forcing the consummation!

She would be wronging him, but this was the only way to save Yueqiu and Brother Pei.

After it was all over, she would leave Brother Pei and travel to the ends of the earth. There, somewhere he could never find her, she would atone for her sins with her life! It would spare him from blaming himself.

...

...

「Meanwhile, somewhere else on Ghost-Back Mountain.」

Covered in blood, Qing Yueqiu rested against a giant tree. She took out a few Elixirs and consumed them to recover her strength. The Luminous Shadow Sword hovered above her head, showering her with motes of Moonlight Essence to heal her wounds.

"Yueqiu, we're surrounded. If we keep fighting, you'll be in mortal danger, even with your superior Physique.

If you admit you don't have the Blood Skull Chalice that the Demon Race reveres, they should stop hunting you."

The Luminous Shadow Sword trembled lightly, clearly pained to see its master fighting so desperately.

Qing Yueqiu shook her head, her crimson eyes shining with resolve.

"I have to buy Master and Junior Martial Uncle Nangong time to escape... Besides, we've fought this hard already. Even if I admit I don't have the Holy Grail, those members of the Demon Race won't just leave."

"I just hope those from the Demon Race don't use some wicked scheme to lure Master and Junior Martial Uncle Nangong here."

The Luminous Shadow Sword was silent for a moment, then suddenly trembled and spoke.

"Actually, there is another way to break this stalemate. It would involve your Master and Nangong Jin..."

"I know."

Qing Yueqiu spoke softly, a hint of acceptance in her voice.

"As his disciple, I wouldn't object to a woman who genuinely cares for Master. But it all depends on whether Master is willing to accept Junior Martial Uncle Nangong... and whether Junior Martial Uncle Nangong can successfully win over my Master.

If they are truly destined for each other, then everything will fall into place naturally. It can't be forced..."