Are There Only Demonesses Left in the Cultivation Realm?

The moment the first drop of rain hit the earth, Upper Jade Capital began to tremble and shake.

Li Qingcao knew this was bad.

"Get out of Upper Jade Capital, now!!!"

It was already too late.

The black rain falling from the sky took root the moment it touched a Cultivator, entangling them completely.

The black energy was using the Cultivators as nourishment, absorbing their Power to break free from its own seal.

Even Li Qingcao, despite his immense Cultivation, was now entangled by the rooting black energy.

His vision went black.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in that rainy night from over twenty years ago.

It was from a time before he had stepped onto the Immortal Dao, when he was a beggar in the Mortal World.

This was his most dreaded nightmare.

The woman he loved had married into an Official Family, and he had been persecuted and forced to become a beggar.

This black rain would make people relive their most humiliating moments. If they couldn’t break free, they would be drained to death by the black energy.

Not far away, on the Stone Bridge beside Liuqing Lake, a woman holding an oil-paper umbrella slowly approached. The rain beat against her umbrella, but its strong ribs prevented the canopy from being destroyed.

The tips of the young woman’s embroidered shoes touched the water’s surface as she walked delicately up the stone steps.

Even with its world-drowning power, the black curtain of rain couldn’t so much as dampen the hem of the young woman’s robes.

This was because ever since the young woman began her Cultivation, nothing had been able to affect her state of mind.

Her heart was like a Glazed Mirror, unstained by the finest dust.

The National Preceptor, himself entangled by the black rain, watched this scene in disbelief. "Your Highness, what is this!?"

Su Youwan extended a hand, catching a single raindrop. The black drop made her skin look even fairer. "The rain of the Desire Demon. Someone has released the Great Demon. This is the rain it sent to gather Heart Demons and shatter its seal."

"The Great Demon? The Great Demon!?"

The National Preceptor only knew that the Demon-Suppressing Sword suppressed a Demon, but he had no idea the suppressed Demon was so ferocious. It could affect all of Upper Jade Capital before it was even fully unsealed.

He said in despair, "Our dynasty is doomed."

"Why?"

Su Youwan’s voice was as light as a feather.

Just as he was about to lose consciousness and be dragged into his nightmare, the National Preceptor said with all his remaining strength, "Upper Jade Capital will be destroyed! Our people... our people."

He was dragged into his nightmare.

Su Youwan stood on the long, bluestone bridge, watching the black rain fall. She leaped onto a wooden raft in the lake, her Step Shaking Hairpin trembling gently with the motion. "This rain only harms Cultivators, not the common people."

Just as mortals cannot be tainted by the Desire Demon.

Those without Cultivation would not be entangled by the black rain, nor would they become nourishment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

’What should I do?’

Lu Changyuan pondered the question.

’The black rain only drains those with Cultivation, so what about Xia Lianxue?’

The answer was right before his eyes.

Xia Lianxue was caught off guard and touched by a little rain, so she too was dragged into a nightmare. The black rain completely surrounded her, but it couldn’t harm her.

She was a Cultivator.

But she had no Cultivation.

She was caught in a loophole.

Lu Changyuan, on the other hand, was completely unaffected. He was even a little sleepy. No Heart Demon in this world could invade him.

The Supreme Pure Spirit Forget Immortal Technique circulated as Lu Changyuan placed a finger on Xia Lianxue’s forehead.

~~~~~~~~~~

「Beneath a black sun.」

Ice and snow stretched for a thousand miles, and a deep silence reigned for ten thousand.

Between heaven and earth, only an endless expanse of white remained.

These were rolling mountains, and also a frozen Hell of endless death.

’Where is this?’

Lu Changyuan knew he was in Xia Lianxue’s past, but he didn’t know which part of her life this was.

Someone came strolling over, leaving footprints in the soft snow.

The person seemed to be searching for something, but couldn’t find it. "Where is it? Where in the world is it?"

Lu Changyuan watched this scene, guessing the identity of the person before him.

It was Han Shui Master.

She wore an old-fashioned white robe that Lu Changyuan could never forget—the Daoist robe of Yuyue Immortal Palace. Yet, the edge of her robe was embroidered with the same Jinglian he had seen on Hanyi Master’s.

Han Shui Master suddenly rose up, searching for something in mid-air.

WHOOSH!

An icy wind suddenly blew as night fell silently, and unintelligible whispers howled in his ears.

"Silence!"

Han Shui Master drew her sword. With a single strike, she stilled the world. The wind ceased its howling, the mountains no longer stirred, and even the avalanches stopped.

Such was the might of Sixth Realm Kai Yang Power.

She walked on, seemingly oblivious, walking and walking and walking.

In the distance, a speck of starlight suddenly appeared.

Han Shui Master breathed a sigh of relief. "Found it!"

Countless stone statues suddenly appeared. Strangely, this group of statues had green faces, bared fangs, and hideous expressions, yet they were all kowtowing in the same direction.

A sound came from ahead—a vague, hair-raising, and completely incomprehensible speech.

"Snow Demons."

Han Shui Master saw them. In front of the countless stone statues, a group of Snow Demons were kneeling and worshipping something.

These Snow Demons were dying.

They kowtowed ceaselessly, over and over, until they died. Then, at an incredible speed, they petrified into stone statues.

SCRREEECH.

As if sensing Han Shui Master’s arrival, the Snow Demons leaped up and lunged, intent on devouring her.

With just one sword strike, the world became clear and bright.

Han Shui Master landed and walked to the stone monument that the Snow Demons had been kneeling before.

Before Lu Changyuan could get a closer look,

the scene before him dissolved into illusion, only to quickly solidify again.

～～～～～～～～～

Ethereal snow once again mercilessly covered the land. Another winter had come.

When Lu Changyuan opened his eyes, he saw a city blanketed in white snow. The city’s alleyways were pure white, and a cold wind howled past, stinging one’s face. But there was some warmth coming from the rice shop at the edge of the city. Looking closely, someone had lit a brazier, and warm air was drifting out from inside.

Someone spoke: "A few beggars froze to death in the north of the city."

"Shopkeeper, if they’re dead, they’re dead. Isn’t it like this every winter?"

"True. It’s better that the beggars are dead. At least they won’t be making a racket in front of my door anymore."

Immortals may not know spring or summer, but mortals know autumn and winter.

Lu Changyuan watched the rice shop’s shopkeeper and clerk. They were dressed warmly enough, and their words showed they no longer considered the beggars human.

The world had always been this way.

People say that Immortals don’t see mortals as human.

But when mortals gain power, or even just a little money, they too stop treating those beneath them as human.

"I’m buying all the rice in your shop. Distribute it to those beggars, and buy some charcoal to keep them warm. I am a True Inheritor of Miao Yu Palace. Don’t try any funny business."

Someone walked over and threw down a bag of something.

It was Xia Lianxue. She wasn’t wearing a veil. Her brows were soft and curved, like an Immortal in the snow.

A young woman said, "Senior Sister, why bother pitying mortals? Mortals have their own fate."

Unexpectedly, Xia Lianxue just shook her head. "I’ll just do what I can."

"Senior Sister, you have extraordinary talent, you’re incredibly beautiful, and now you’re this kind-hearted too. If the few male disciples in the palace find out about this, the rest of us will have no chance at all."

Xia Lianxue gave a helpless smile.

Of course, she knew she was beautiful. Ever since her coming-of-age ceremony, whenever she practiced her sword by the lake each day, many people would secretly watch her. There were many female disciples, but even more male disciples.

However, the female disciples would always chase the male disciples away before coming up to ask her about swordsmanship.

Her temperament was calm and detached, and she had no interest in matters between men and women, so she taught swordsmanship earnestly to everyone, regardless of whether they were male or female.

Another person said, "We never had a chance anyway. Of those male disciples, half of them are looking at Senior Sister Xue, and the other half are all looking at Senior Sister Yuehan."