Crush's Cold Senior Sister is Actually Childhood Sweetheart - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Want, Want Some Candy?

Who knows how much time passed. The surroundings plunged into complete darkness, and the last sliver of heavenly light vanished from between Ling Qi’s fingers.

The cool hand slowly moved away from her eyes. An Jin opened them; they were descending very slowly into a pitch-black forest. As far as her eyes could see, it was a gloomy, desolate forest, the sky and earth dim. The dark green trees in the forest created a strange atmosphere, their branches intertwined, appearing both twisted and oppressive.

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind, “Everyone’s here. Let’s go.”

An Jin turned at the sound. A woman in a purple robe stood behind them, accompanied by two other women and a man, all seeming to have been waiting for a long time.

“Ying Baizang, a disciple under True God Youhan. I’ll be leading the team this time.” The woman in the purple robe introduced herself concisely. Without waiting for a response, she walked directly into the depths of the forest. The woman in white beside her quickly followed, not forgetting to turn back and greet them, “I’m from Tian Mo Palace.”

An Jin was somewhat surprised. True God Tian Mo had clearly lost a disciple in the Demon Realm before; did she still dare to send someone this time?

And…

“Why are there no one from Jiuyang Palace?” It was agreed that each immortal sect would send two people, but the Emperor herself showed no indication?

“…Emperor Feiling currently has no disciples. She only ascended eight hundred years ago, and no new ancient divine beasts have been born during this period,” Ling Qi hesitated for two seconds, then quickly explained.

An Jin nodded. Only ancient divine beasts could become disciples of the Emperor, and only direct disciples of the Emperor could inherit the Emperor’s esteemed position. These basic rules were all taught in the introductory classes at Chongguang Palace.

The few of them quickly followed Ying Baizang, who was walking at the front. The forest was pitch black, the ground muddy, and every now and then, a few bats would fly out and toward their faces. Although respectfully referred to as “immortal cultivators,” these disciples were usually pampered in their sects and rarely encountered such harsh environments. Dark swarms of insects flew overhead, and some even shrieked in fear.

“If you feel you can’t go on now, there’s still time to retreat. But if you tell me you want to leave once we reach the Boundless Abyss, it won’t be so easy.” Seeing the person frozen in fear, Ling Qi frowned slightly and said.

“No… I can, I can go.” The person’s voice was still trembling, but they dared not linger any longer, shakily catching up with the main group.

An Jin was a little puzzled. Chongguang Palace’s status in the immortal realm wasn’t particularly high, and Ling Qi wasn’t the leader of this expedition, so why was that person so afraid of her?

At this point, Ying Baizang, at the very front of the team, also stopped and looked back, her eyes briefly meeting Ling Qi’s, and then they both nodded. What kind of secret conversation was this?

As An Jin pondered, she didn’t pay attention to the path beneath her feet and suddenly stepped on a pile of dry leaves. Immediately, a group of rodents scurried out from the leaves, scattering in all directions.

“Ahhhhh!” An Jin, caught off guard, stumbled back two steps. Just as she was about to fall, Ling Qi grabbed her. “Are you alright?”

“Do you want me to carry you?”

The rest of the team: …You didn’t say that just now.

“Ah, no, no, I’m fine.” An Jin, being watched by everyone, felt a little embarrassed. “I can actually—”

Before she could finish her sentence, a fierce gust of wind suddenly struck. In an instant, dry leaves and mud were swept up and whirled in the air, the gale howling, forming a giant vortex. The wind intensified at a visible rate, dead branches, fallen leaves,碎石土块, and even the rodents that had been scurrying around were all swept into the vortex.

Including Ying Baizang and Ling Qi, everyone drew their swords. Sword light flashed, talismans and spiritual artifacts were thrown out as if they were worthless. Even An Jin, who had just joined Chongguang Palace, imitated them, but in the end, they still couldn’t resist the force of the wind.

“Watch out!” Ying Baizang’s own body was already out of control, like a kite with a broken string in the fierce wind, but she still strained to yell at the others, “Grab onto the person next to you!”

“Ahhhhh, where are all of you!” Someone screamed in the wind, it was unclear who.

“Help me, pull me up!”

An Jin and Ling Qi’s wrists were tightly clasped together, but the raging wind seemed conscious, specifically tearing at their joined hands. Ling Qi felt An Jin slowly slipping away, trying to grab her with her other hand, but the wind grew fiercer and fiercer. She ultimately felt the other’s wrist completely break free from her grasp in the vortex.

Soon, all the shouts around them disappeared, and a deathly silence returned to her ears. The surroundings became chaotic, and the sand in the wind stung her eyes. An Jin dared not open her eyes, feeling her breathing become increasingly difficult.

After a long time, the howling wind in her ears gradually subsided. An Jin felt a lightness around her body, and she fell uncontrollably downward. She still didn’t dare to open her eyes, her whole body tensed, preparing for the impending sharp pain.

But the anticipated impact never came. Her body was caught by a very soft cushion. An Jin closed her eyes and waited for a while. After sensing no other sounds around her, she cautiously opened her eyes.

And met a pair of dark brown pupils directly.

She dazedly moved her gaze away. The next second, An Jin’s entire body stiffened. It was a giant turtle! This turtle was astonishingly large, about half the size of a sleeping chamber, its shell covered in various patterns. Looking up, this enormous creature was staring intently at her with an expression An Jin couldn’t understand.

An Jin quickly sat up and slowly backed away on the cushion. But at the same time, the turtle’s head extended, getting closer and closer. Finally, An Jin had nowhere left to retreat, hugging her legs against the wall. Yet, the turtle made no further move, only continued to stare at An Jin.

Somehow, An Jin perceived a very profound sadness in those dark brown eyes. She suddenly felt a pang in her heart, a sense of distress.

As if possessed, An Jin took out a piece of coconut candy she had bought in the mortal realm from her pocket. “Want, want some candy?” She was so nervous she stammered a little.

Only after offering it did she realize: how would a turtle eat coconut candy! She saw that she had held it out for a long time with no reaction from the turtle, and was about to retract her hand, but the candy was suddenly taken by the turtle, swallowed whole without even unwrapping it.

An Jin breathed a sigh of relief. Since it ate her candy, it meant it accepted her goodwill.

An Jin was always quick to make acquaintances. “Have you seen anyone wearing the same sect clothes as me? With long hair down to her waist, and who is particularly beautiful?” She believed that a turtle that had cultivated to this size could definitely understand human speech, and even if it couldn’t speak, pointing the way would be enough.

Seeing no reaction from the turtle, she asked again, “What about disciples from other sects? Or your Demon Lord… the most ruthless, terrifying one who kills without batting an eye.” An Jin deliberately added these two sentences, fearing the other party wouldn’t know who the Demon Lord was.

“Demon Lord?” A cold, slightly mocking female voice sounded. An Jin looked up, but it wasn’t the giant turtle that spoke, but a small black snake resting on the turtle’s back. The turtle’s size was too immense; she hadn’t noticed it before.

“Is that… how they refer to me out there?”

An Jin was startled. At this moment, the turtle stepped back, and An Jin suddenly realized that all her unconscious companions were lying scattered around the soft cushion she was on.

Except for Ling Qi.

“Where’s my Senior Sister?” An Jin grew anxious. Only now did she realize that this enormous creature before her was precisely the Demon Lord who had caused so much unrest in the Celestial Realm. She must have been blind to think the other party looked a little sad just now. “Where did you take her?”

“We?” The female voice was still cold, and now carried a hint of exasperation. “There’s no ‘we,’ only ‘me.’ Don’t you have any common sense?”

An Jin felt a little wronged at being scolded for no reason. Then she realized that Xuanwu, one of the ancient divine beasts, was originally a combination of a turtle and a snake. However, ancient divine beasts were always symbols of nobility, serving under the Emperor, and rarely appeared in the Demon Realm. That’s why she hadn’t associated this enormous creature with an ancient divine beast.

“I’m sorry, Lord Xuanwu,” An Jin apologized obediently, but she still remembered her objective. “Then, can you help me find my Senior Sister?”

The Demon Lord ignored her, only looking out of the hall. An Jin followed her gaze. A familiar figure, holding a sword, slowly walked in through the door.

“Senior Sister Ling!”

She excitedly stood up and ran towards her. The next second, with a dull thud, she was bounced back by an invisible barrier, falling to the ground.

“Give up. This is one-way visible glass, and it’s soundproof. You can’t hear each other speak.”

An Jin frowned at this. “Don’t think just because your divine power is strong—”

“What divine power?” The Demon Lord rolled her eyes. “I bought it on a mortal realm shopping app. Cost me tens of thousands of mortal coins.”

“…Tens of thousands?” An Jin’s eyes widened. “You got ripped off, didn’t you?!”

The Demon Lord glared at her again, annoyed, warning her to stay put and not run around. Then she walked directly through the transparent glass to the other side of it.

“Well, then, I guess it just proves that expensive things have their reasons…”

An Jin couldn’t get out, so she could only lean against the glass and watch. Although she couldn’t hear what they were talking about or read their lips, she could at least tell from their expressions whether the conversation was pleasant.

…

Outside the glass, the two were confronting each other.

“Release them.” Ling Qi’s voice was a little tired. “I can’t watch you kill anyone else in front of me.”

“I can not kill them, but you give me your divine bone, and then I’ll do whatever you want me to do, and I’ll tell you as much as you want to know.” The implication in her tone was very clear.

“Where am I supposed to get a divine bone for you? Do you think True Gods are flying around everywhere?” Only True Gods who have achieved ascension have divine bones. To obtain a divine bone, one must first kill a True God, or have someone willing to endure the pain of having their heart gouged out and bone carved out to actively strip away their divine bone. But this was almost impossible. Because everyone knew the cost of surgically removing a divine bone. Cultivation would be completely destroyed, rendering one a mortal, and after reincarnation, all memories would be lost, never again to be ranked among the immortals in this life.

“Isn’t Yang Chongguang one?” The Demon Lord’s voice was righteous. “What, suddenly can’t bear to part with her?”

“What ‘can’t bear to part with,'” Ling Qi refused to get entangled further. “I never agreed to anything with you.”

“Then why did you abandon the perfectly good Jiuyang Palace and go become Yang Chongguang’s disciple? Do you think life was too comfortable and you needed to find some trouble for yourself?”