How to Be the Perfect Junior Sister to a Reborn Villain - Chapter 25
Chapter 25
The village wasn’t large just a scattering of old, weathered houses arranged in a haphazard pattern.
It was eerily quiet. No barking dogs, no chirping insects. Under the dull gray sky, the silence pressed down like a shroud, heavy and suffocating.
A cold autumn wind swept through, lifting fallen leaves and dust into a slow spiral. The strange, sinister aura that hung in the air made the skin prickle and the heart grow uneasy.
Yan Jiuzhi drew his sword. With a flash of silver light, he dealt a clean, efficient strike
ending the mustached demonic cultivator’s life before the man could become a nuisance.
The cultivator didn’t even have time to scream before he fell to the ground, black bl00d seeping from his neck like spilled ink, spreading quickly across the dirt. His eyes bulged wide, full of rage and unwillingness even in death.
Yan Jiuzhi’s expression didn’t so much as flicker. To him, killing this man was no different from crushing a bug.
Li Xi turned her face away, forcing herself not to look at the corpse. She still wasn’t used to it.
It was the third body she’d seen today. These demonic cultivators were already grotesque when alive and horrifying when dead.
Her face was pale, her hands trembling slightly, but she straightened her back and forced herself to stay calm.
Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid, she told herself silently. They’re evil. They deserve this. I have to learn to be like Third Senior Brother cold and merciless toward those who harm others.
After several steady breaths, the panic in her chest began to ease.
The group moved carefully through the village, their footsteps light, searching every house and shadow.
Before long, they found two Foundation-stage demonic cultivators in a courtyard and, hidden deeper inside, a Golden Core cultivator.
So the mustached man had lied. There were still others here.
The two Foundation cultivators wore black robes, their faces tinged a sickly blue-green, a clear sign they practiced some kind of poison art.
Lin Shanlai gestured for Li Xi to retreat and stay back. Then, exchanging a look with Elder Gao and Yan Jiuzhi, he placed a detoxification pill under his tongue and charged forward, sword in hand.
The sword cut through the air with a sharp whistle, its tip gleaming coldly as it lunged toward the enemy.
The demonic cultivators reacted fast, drawing their corrupted weapons and meeting the attack head-on.
Though Lin Shanlai’s Golden Core had been damaged, he was still a sword cultivator—one who had comprehended sword intent. Defeating a Foundation cultivator was hardly difficult for him. With a single clean strike, he cut one down.
Yan Jiuzhi’s movements were like flowing water, seamless and precise. His blade pierced the second demonic cultivator’s heart in one stroke.
The moment they were done, he disappeared into the shadows, masking his presence.
The Golden Core demonic cultivator inside the house was alerted by the commotion. He stepped out into the courtyard, his eyes sweeping over the scene he corpses of his subordinates and the two cultivators who stood before him.
He let out a mocking laugh. “Two rats dare to ruin my plans? You’ll make perfect sacrifices for my altar!”
He raised his hand, summoning a sinister weapon. Poisonous mist billowed out, filling the courtyard in an instant it became a toxic swamp of death.
They had to finish this quickly.
Elder Gao and Lin Shanlai held their breath and slashed their swords through the air, dispersing the poison mist wherever it gathered.
The demonic cultivator sneered, forming rapid hand seals. The black mist gathered into two enormous serpents, their eyes glowing a ghostly green as they lunged with open jaws.
The serpents crashed into the sword qi with a deafening roar. Sparks flew as steel met venom.
But Lin Shanlai and Elder Gao’s swords were not top-grade weapons blades began to corrode, chips forming along the edges, their shine fading fast.
The Golden Core demonic cultivator pressed his advantage, his hands weaving faster, reshaping the poison into countless deadly forms that attacked from all directions.
Lin Shanlai’s sword arcs expanded, his movements filled with righteous, cleansing energy the aura of sword intent that naturally countered darkness. His strikes tore through the poisonous mist, weakening it bit by bit.
The demonic cultivator faltered, his attacks becoming uneven.
At that moment, while the two elders had the man’s attention, Yan Jiuzhi circled silently behind him.
He focused, unleashing spiritual sense on par with a Nascent Soul cultivator, locking onto the enemy in an instant.
He only needed to hold him for one breath.
The demonic cultivator froze mid-motion, paralyzed by the crushing pressure of a superior’s divine sense. Panic shot through him but before he could react, a blade pierced through his chest from behind.
Yan Jiuzhi’s spiritual sense and power flowed together, exploding through the sword. The force shattered the man’s heart with one devastating twist.
The demonic cultivator’s pupils shrank. He choked out a mouthful of dark bl00d before collapsing with a heavy thud.
Elder Gao quickly stepped forward and drove his sword through the corpse several more times. Only when he was certain the man was truly dead did he exhale in relief.
Li Xi rushed over, forming hand seals and casting her Rain of Purification technique.
Threads of silvery-blue spiritual rain fell gently from above, brimming with vitality. Wherever it touched, the poisonous mist hissed and dissolved, leaving the air fresh and clean once more.
They wasted no time. The group spread out to search the remaining houses.
Soon, they found about twenty children locked inside a room.
The children were huddled together, their faces tinged with blue, breathing shallowly. A trace of poison had reached them.
Li Xi’s heart clenched. She quickly formed healing seals, her palms glowing with soft, gentle light that spread over the children.
Gradually, the color returned to their faces, and their breathing steadied.
Still, she didn’t dare take chances. She carefully broke a pill into small pieces, feeding them bit by bit, then continued channeling spiritual energy to stabilize their bodies, afraid any lingering poison might cause lasting harm.
By the time she finished, she was drenched in sweat, her spiritual power almost completely drained.
Meanwhile, Elder Gao and the others discovered more than two hundred villagers imprisoned in nearby houses.
The demonic cultivators had prepared a sacrificial array throughout the village but thankfully, it hadn’t yet been activated. A narrow escape from disaster.
Most of the children were from this village or the nearby towns around Ang City.
Those who belonged here were quickly reunited with their parents, while the rest sat together, crying softly. Fear filled their eyes; even their sobs were muffled, as if too afraid to make a sound.
The village chief a frail old man with a hunched back led the villagers to kneel and bow deeply.
Thank you, honored immortals, for saving our lives.
Great benefactors thank you for sparing our families.
May the heavens bless the immortal masters!
Lin Shanlai hurriedly used spiritual energy to help them up, his voice gentle.
The villagers were shaken and weak from exposure to demonic energy.
After taking a spiritual replenishment pill and meditating briefly, Li Xi once again began healing those who were still poisoned.
Yan Jiuzhi, meanwhile, dismantled the sacrificial formation completely.
After discussing the situation, Lin Shanlai and Elder Gao decided to take the remaining eight orphaned children to Ang City’s lord for proper arrangements.
Li Xi, having swallowed several recovery pills, still felt drained. Her dantian ached, almost hollow.
Even so, she looked around the devastated village and couldn’t help saying softly, “We should purify the land again. If the fields are tainted with demonic energy, the crops won’t grow…”
But her voice trembled she could barely stand.
Yan Jiuzhi finished sealing the formation’s remains and quickly stopped her. Enough. You’re only at the eighth level of Qi Refining casting so many spells is already your limit. Any more and you’ll harm your foundation. We’ll come back tomorrow morning to finish it.”
Li Xi bit her lip but nodded obediently.
Too exhausted to walk, she let him carry her on his back as they flew toward Cloud Sky Sect.
The dark clouds had finally broken. The evening sun streamed through the sky, gilding the world in a warm golden hue.
The autumn breeze brushed gently past, cool and soft. Li Xi’s loose hair fluttered in the wind, strands brushing lightly against Yan Jiuzhi’s cheek ticklish, fleeting, and impossibly tender.