Bai Qiulanâs idea was, without a doubt, terrifying.
But for Chu Ling, there wasnât anything about it that she could accept or reject.
She wasnât a good person to begin with.
What unsettled her was Bai Qiulan herselfâdeeply, viscerally.
It felt like...
It felt just like...
A long-forgotten figure suddenly flashed into Chu Lingâs mind.
Zeng Shuiyue.
Truly, in Chu Lingâs mind, the images of Bai Qiulan and Zeng Shuiyue were beginning to overlap more and moreâbecoming that same false, pretentious facade.
How could this be?
Bai Qiulan, who had always been gentle, kind, and like an elder sisterâhow could she be this hypocritical?
Could it be that all that gentleness had been a lie from the very start?
"Chu Ling?"
Bai Qiulan looked at the silent Chu Ling, and her heart gave a jolt.
Had she said something too inappropriate?
"Master Bai, going by the name Scripture of Ultimate Yin for Virgin Maidens, itâs pretty clear this cultivation method can only be practiced by women. But the young master already purged the worldâmost of the demons and deviants have long since fled. Itâs probably not going to be easy to catch any female demonic cultivators." Chu Ling spoke slowly.
Bai Qiulan furrowed her brows.
"Thatâs true. Why didnât I think of that... There are fewer evil cultivators nowâwhich, of course, is a good thing for all of First Heaven. But even so, fewer doesnât mean none. There are surely still some left." Bai Qiulan said.
"Where?" Chu Ling asked.
Bai Qiulan frowned again. "I... canât think of any specific place off the top of my head."
Chu Ling didnât quite understand, but still considered it seriously.
After all, if someone else helped Bai Qiulan expel the Chaotic Yin Poison, it was better than Bai Qiulan always staring at her like a candidate.
Still, she couldnât think of where they might find female demonic cultivators.
"Forget it then. If we canât remember, we canât remember. Chu Ling, Iâm feeling stifled up here on this mountain. Would you come with me for a walk down below?" Bai Qiulan asked.
Chu Ling didnât feel there was any particular danger.
After all, Bai Qiulan had no reason to kill her.
The two of them left the Grand Dao Sect. Outside the sect wasnât exactly peaceful, but it was a bit freer.
Bai Qiulan led the way to a city some distance from the sect.
Inside the city, crowds bustled, shoulders brushed shoulders.
Shops lined the streets, and stalls were everywhereâa scene of prosperity and peace.
Bai Qiulan bought two sugar figurines and two candied hawthorn sticks. One in each hand, they looked for all the world like tourists enjoying a day out.
Chu Ling lowered her guard and let herself enjoy this rare moment of leisure.
"Master, that flowered hairpin is so pretty. Would you like one?"
Bai Qiulan smiled and nodded.
"Letâs each get one."
"Alright! I feel like itâs been forever since I last wandered around a city."
"I know what you mean. The stronger we become, the more removed we are from the common world. Coming back and seeing it again... it really does feel different," Bai Qiulan said with emotion.
As they wandered, both of them were genuinely enjoying themselves.
Then, a string of delicate, seductive voices reached their ears.
"Fellow Daoist, come on in and play~ Our Hehuan Pavilion just welcomed a new beauty with skin like snow and bones of jade. Sheâs dancing right now! In three days, weâll be auctioning off her first night..."
"Fellow Daoist, here we have Musk Bull-Fighting Pillsâjust thirty spirit stones per piece! Best of all, we offer free samples..."
"Fellow Daoist, what a strong physique, brimming with yang energy. Aah~ Youâre melting this little ladyâs heart. Please, come inside and help me soothe this aching soul~"
"Come on in, Dao Lord~"
The voices were seductive, silky as threads, sharp as bone-scraping hooks, cutting straight into oneâs soul.
The two of them stopped walking.
Bai Qiulan looked up. On the floors of the Hehuan Pavilion, women in colorful clothing walked about.
Their faces were stunning, their figures alluring.
Though the Yin-Yang Sect had long since been eradicated, the Hehuan Sect still existedâand without the Yin-Yang Sect siphoning from them, the Hehuan Sect seemed to have only flourished.
People came and went in a constant stream.
Chu Ling looked from the Hehuan Pavilion back to Bai Qiulan.
In that moment, she understood exactly why Bai Qiulan had brought her out today.
âDisgraceful and corrupt,â Bai Qiulan said quietly. âThe cultivation worldâs moral decay stems from people like this. The Dao of Yin and Yang is the purest principle of Heaven and Earth, yet these women parade it around as a cover for depravity. Lingâer, would you not call them demonic?â
Chu Ling nodded.
âI would.â
âThen letâs capture a few and test it.â
âAlright.â
No matter how powerful the Hehuan Sect was, its true elites were few.
And those assigned to Hehuan Pavilions were even weaker. If a Pavilion had even one Nascent Soul cultivator, that would already be impressive.
Against cultivators in the Spirit Severing or Tribulation Crossing Realm, they stood no chance at all.
Very quickly, a Hehuan Sect elder and the new courtesan with the snow-jade skin were both captured.
The two of them didnât return to the Grand Dao Sect.
Chu Ling silently observed as Bai Qiulan coldly threatened the two women.
She stood high above, accusing them of corrupting the cultivation world.
And what could the two of them do?
Bai Qiulanâs cultivation was far too strong. Just a single wisp of her aura was enough to crush themâfear seeped into their very souls.
To survive,
They began cultivating the Scripture of Ultimate Yin for Virgin Maidens.
Chu Lingâs head was spinning.
Waitâwasnât this technique known only to Yue Hongling?
So Bai Qiulan knew it too...
She watched as Bai Qiulan personally taught the two women, step by step.
The technique really wasnât difficult. After just six days, the Nascent Soul elder from the Hehuan Sect had successfully completed cultivation.
âLingâer, help me guard the area,â Bai Qiulan said.
Chu Ling drew a deep breath.
âAll right.â
At this point, she had already seen Bai Qiulanâs true nature for what it was.
Under Bai Qiulanâs command, the Hehuan Sect elder activated the Scripture of Ultimate Yin for Virgin Maidens. Chu Ling didnât know exactly what kind of cultivation method this wasâthose two didnât seem particularly evil. She could only hope they truly werenât.
And that this method wasnât fatal.
The technique activated.
The Hehuan Sect elder placed her palms on Bai Qiulanâs body.
In the next instant, she let out a horrendous shriek.
Her soul couldnât last even a single second. Under the flood of Supreme Yin energy, it was utterly obliterated.
Bai Qiulan had only just begun to release her Chaotic Yin Poison into the womanâs meridians when the opening vanished completely.
She opened her eyes and looked at the elder, now frozen into an ice sculpture.
Her expression went pale.
Other peopleâs souls... simply couldnât withstand it.
In that moment, Bai Qiulan became utterly desolate.
The final method she had come up withâone â§ NĐŸvĐ”Iight â§ (Original source) that had already crossed the boundaries of her moral compassâhad officially failed.
To survive the backlash of her Chaotic Yin Poison, only those like themâthose who had reincarnated, who had once reached Emperor-level cultivation, whose souls were incredibly tenaciousâcould endure the impact.
Chu Ling let out a long sigh.
âBig Sister Bai... please teach me the Scripture of Ultimate Yin for Virgin Maidens.â
Bai Qiulanâs vacant gaze shifted to one of disbelief.
âIâve made up my mind. Helping you purge the Supreme Yin Poison is indeed extremely painful... but the young masterâs ascension is fast approaching. Right now, all I want is to follow in his footsteps. No matter how much agony I must endure, if it helps me grow strongerâIâll accept it.â
In the end, Chu Ling had compromised.
Let this be... let this be her way of repaying Bai Qiulan for saving her life.