Demoness's Art of Vengeance

“Zhang Shuyue, it looks almost as though you’re not afraid of death at all.” Jun Xiaomo coldly remarked as gave Zhang Shuyue a soulless gaze, almost as though Zhang Shuyue were no more than a dead person.

Zhang Shuyue paused midway through her shrill cackle and mocked back, “Afraid of death? You’re the ones who are going to die, not me. What do I have to fear? Do you know something? You Heavenly Peak disciples are already notorious among the rest of the spiritual cultivation world, and there’s already a huge bounty on all of your heads. Right now, everyone is vying for the opportunity to kill you to claim the juicy bounty. Where do you think you’re going to hide from all these people?!”

Jun Xiaomo had already expected an outcome like this, so Zhang Shuyue’s provocations did nothing more than tickle Jun Xiaomo, much less cast fear or dread into Jun Xiaomo’s heart.

Jun Xiaomo smirked, “So what? Zhang Shuyue, rather than spending all your time and energy worrying about whether we will be able to escape from our persecutors, why don’t you worry about whether you’ll even be able to see the light of day tomorrow?”

Zhang Shuyue wiped a streak of blood trickling out the side of her lips as she retorted, “Jun Xiaomo, do you think that you’ll be able to kill me just because your cultivation level is higher than mine? Let me tell you something – it’s no use. Do you think I’d do something as reckless as what I’d done today if I’ve got no life-preserving measures up my sleeves? As long as I remain here in this valley, there’s no way you’ll ever be able to kill me. You can try it if you wish. Let’s see whether you end up killing me first, or whether you end up expending all of the reserves in your body first.”

Jun Xiaomo raised an eyebrow quizzically, and a peculiar glint surfaced in the depths of her eyes.

She had never contemplated such a possibility before.

In her previous life, she had once heard others speak of cultivators who had modified the constitution of a valley by establishing some complex formation arrays and contraptions, thereby redirecting the vitality of the entire valley to benefit the cultivator and his people.

This way, as long as his people remain within the valley, they would be granted absolute protection – not only would their injuries recover more quickly, they would even be shielded from perishing even when they receive injuries which would otherwise be fatal.

In Jun Xiaomo’s previous life, Jun Xiaomo did end up personally avenging Ye Xiuwen by killing Zhang Shuyue when her combat abilities had risen to immeasurable levels. However, Zhang Shuyue had been outside of the valley at that time, and it hardly took much effort on Jun Xiaomo’s part to execute her. Thus, she had never expected Zhang Shuyue to possess such a powerful, life-preserving measure within the valley.

Jun Xiaomo squinted her eyes and sized up Zhang Shuyue once more. Then, in the next moment, she revealed a wicked smile on her face, “It’s good that you’d just reminded me of this. After all, I would be going far too easily on you if I’d let you perish just like that as well. Well then, since you’re not going to perish that easily, then I’ll let you have a glimpse of how exactly I’m going to turn the greatest asset, your life-preserving valley, into your greatest nightmare.”

Zhang Shuyue was slightly taken aback, before she began laughing uproariously again, “Jun Xiaomo, oh Jun Xiaomo, you must have hurt your brain from all those injuries of yours. Are you building castles in the air now? This valley was something that had been built upon by every previous iteration of masters and grandmasters. Who do you think you are? Do you think it’s something you can change just like that? Don’t blame me for not reminding you – if you even try to move a single bit of the hidden protective formation array, you’ll perish completely without a single trace!”

Jun Xiaomo continued to smile faintly as she looked down at Zhang Shuyue’s feeble performance, as though she were looking at a little clown dancing in her very palms right now.

Once Zhang Shuyue was done with her spiel and ceased laughing, Jun Xiaomo shrugged it all off, “Have you finished speaking? I guess it’s about time I make my move then.”

Zhang Shuyue was slightly taken aback, and she immediately glared at Jun Xiaomo with widened eyes.

I didn’t hear it wrongly, did I? Did Jun Xiaomo just say that she was going to “make a move”?

Zhang Shuyue thought that Jun Xiaomo had given up on making any form of moves against her. How could she have known that Jun Xiaomo was still going to attack her after all that?

Jun Xiaomo began to walk towards Zhang Shuyue in an imposing fashion once more. Then, with one arm firmly latched onto Zhang Shuyue’s neck in a vice-like grip, Jun Xiaomo leaned towards Zhang Shuyue’s ear and whispered, “I can let you live, but I don’t intend to let you live well. Didn’t you say that your master was bringing reinforcements over right now? I wonder if she’s willing to trade your life for our freedom, hmm?”

Zhang Shuyue’s eyes widened with disbelief. However, Jun Xiaomo’s grip around her throat was so tight that she no longer had the ability to refute Jun Xiaomo’s words.

“Hah, you’d really gone all out in your attempt to win Martial Brother Ye’s heart. Look at the clothing you’re wearing right now – how is that any different from the street callers in the mortal world?” Jun Xiaomo mocked contemptuously as she ran her other hand along Zhang Shuyue’s exposed shoulder, down her arm until she grabbed hold of Zhang Shuyue’s right wrist.

Zhang Shuyue’s body trembled as Jun Xiaomo did all these things, and goosebumps began to creep all over her skin.

These were borne out of both fear and fury. She feared the prospects of Jun Xiaomo tormenting her with a life that was worse than death, and she was furious by the fact that Jun Xiaomo was humiliating her with both words and actions.

Just then, a dark glint flickered across the depths of Jun Xiaomo’s eye, and her left arm tensed up suddenly. In the very next moment, a sickening crunch resounded in the otherwise still and quiet surroundings – Zhang Shuyue’s wrist was now broken.

“Ahh--!” Zhang Shuyue cried out shrilly as excruciating pain coursed throughout her body. A drop of tear instantly rolled out of her eyes.

Painful. It was incredibly painful. She had never expected Jun Xiaomo’s cultivation to be at such a level that Jun Xiaomo could break her wrist with just a simple tightening of her grip.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of the matter for Zhang Shuyue. With her grasp still on Zhang Shuyue’s wrist, Jun Xiaomo seemed to be sending a peculiar, foreign source of energy straight through her meridians and into her Dantian. At the same time, Zhang Shuyue could tell that this source of energy was incredibly destructive. Within moments, she felt as though every inch of her meridians and Dantian were being ripped apart and torn to shreds by this energy.

“What is this?! What are you doing to me?!” Zhang Shuyue bellowed at Jun Xiaomo. Her voice was now trembling in trepidation and dour in dismay.

She was not afraid of any form of physical torment that Jun Xiaomo could dish out on her. After all, as long as she remained within the valley, her injuries would undoubtedly recover in no time.

That said, her intuition told her that the destructive energy coursing through her meridians and Dantian right now were hardly a benign force, and it was not something that could be expelled very easily either. Most importantly, this force was harming the most precious parts to any cultivator – their meridians and their Dantian!

Jun Xiaomo chuckled coldly as she remarked, “Demonic energy. Have you heard of it before?”

Zhang Shuyue’s eyes instantly widened, and her pupils constricted, “You…you’re…”

“Haha, that’s right. I’m a demonic cultivator.” Jun Xiaomo whispered in a hushed voice as she continued to lock eyes with Zhang Shuyue, taking in every bit of fear, trepidation and horror surfacing in the depths of her eyes, “That’s something you didn’t expect, is it? When you lured Martial Brother Ye to this place, did you ever think that you’ll suffer such a tragic fate? Oh, that’s right, I’ve forgotten to tell you that this isn’t the end. As time goes on, you’ll only slowly begin to experience more and more of the demonic energy that I’ve just sent into your body at the latter stages of your torment.” Jun Xiaomo’s lips curled up into a vicious smile.

Having demonic energy coursing and clashing through a spiritual cultivator’s meridians and Dantian was an incredibly unbearable experience. At this moment, Zhang Shuyue was already experiencing so much pain that she could no longer respond to Jun Xiaomo’s provocations. If Jun Xiaomo had continued to grip tightly onto her broken wrist, the totality of the pain might even cause Zhang Shuyue to convulse uncontrollably on the ground.

“Ungh…” Jun Xiaomo’s keen auditory senses picked up a stifled groan that rang out from behind.

“Martial Brother Ye!” Jun Xiaomo glanced back, and Ye Xiuwen’s condition instantly threw her into a state of panic. She could see every single vein on Ye Xiuwen’s forehead bulging and throbbing as large beads of sweat percolated his head, dripping onto the mattress below ever so frequently. She knew at an instant that Ye Xiuwen was bearing with something painful within right now. After all, Ye Xiuwen’s eyes were so bloodshot that he could even easily be mistaken as a cultivator experiencing a demonic upheaval within his body.

“You vermin!” Jun Xiaomo slapped Zhang Shuyue’s face in rage, sending her face recoiling to the side as it instantly swelled up with tenderness. Jun Xiaomo bent down once more and glared at Zhang Shuyue with gritted teeth as she uttered, “If anything happens to Martial Brother Ye, I’ll skin you alive, sever your nerves and pluck out your bones until nothing is left of you!”

Zhang Shuyue glared back at Jun Xiaomo with hatred in her eyes.

In the very next moment, Jun Xiaomo mustered the true energy within her body, and lifted Zhang Shuyue with one hand, and sent a palm strike straight to her abdomen with the other.

Massive amounts of demonic energy instantly penetrated Zhang Shuyue’s Dantian, and copious amounts of blood spurted out from her mouth. At the same time, Zhang Shuyue flew back, through a window within the room until she struck the ground outside the courtyard outside.

As the demonic energy clashed about furiously within her body, it caused Zhang Shuyue so much pain that she had even begun to pray that she would simply black out and go unconscious. Unfortunately, she remained as wide awake and conscious as ever, and she could only lay there, glaring at Jun Xiaomo with immense hatred in her eyes as she continued to bear with the excruciating pain and agony.

Jun Xiaomo menacingly drew a line across her own neck as she took one final glance at Zhang Shuyue. Then, she shut the window and obviated Zhang Shuyue’s view of the inside of the room.

As soon as Zhang Shuyue discovered that the fiendish Jun Xiaomo no longer cared to bother about her, she bellowed with indignation, “Jun Xiaomo, I’ll make sure you get your just desserts once my master comes back!”

As she finished speaking, Zhang Shuyue attempted to stand up from the ground and retrieve a Transmittance Talisman from her Interspatial Ring so that she could relay another message to her master.

Yet, to her dismay and horror, no matter how many times she attempted to grit her teeth and move her limbs, she discovered that her entire body simply remained motionless, as though it had been shackled in place!

What in the world is going on?! What did Jun Xiaomo do to me?!

Zhang Shuyue was unaware of the fact that in the single moment when Jun Xiaomo sent her flying, Jun Xiaomo had also attached two talismans on her body – the first was an Awakening Talisman; while the other was a Petrification Talisman. The effect of each talisman lasted two full days.

Her intention was to allow Zhang Shuyue to remain fully conscious as she experienced the lingering pain that suffused throughout her body, as well as to prevent Zhang Shuyue from reporting any such incident to her master.

This was more than sufficient to overwhelm Zhang Shuyue with a sense of despair and despondence.

“Jun Xiaomo, I’ll never let you off that easily! Never!!!” Zhang Shuyue glared into the shadowy depths of the room as she bellowed with seething rage.

Jun Xiaomo chuckled coldly within the room. Then, with another flick of her sleeves, the room’s door shut as well, completely shutting out Zhang Shuyue, leaving her outside on the ground, all alone.

Outside the courtyard, the cherry blossoms outside of the courtyard continued to flourish with a radiant brilliance, and everything else remained completely still and silent.

This was supposed to be Zhang Shuyue’s uninterrupted moment of ecstasy to be shared and enjoyed with Ye Xiuwen in complete bliss, immersing themselves in the romance of the sea of cherry blossoms replete with the tranquility of the wilderness. This was supposed to be the perfect place for making love.

Yet in the end, Zhang Shuyue had found herself lying motionless on the ground in a completely tragic state, while Jun Xiaomo and Ye Xiuwen were locked in her room.

Had she just given her love rival her blessings?

As Zhang Shuyue contemplated these things in abject resentment, her eyes reddened with ever-increasing fury.