Your Disciple Will Stand by Your Side, Master

Whip shadows streamed like fire, sword shadows streaked like snow, and for a time, the Four-Eared Demon Monkeys could not draw near.

Then countless Four-Eared Demon Monkeys surged out of the maple forest.

Looking at the grotesque demon monkeys, Ning Xiang muttered, "They're all so hideous. I'd better take a few more looks at Iceberg Lu to cleanse my eyes."

Sword qi and whip lashes struck the demon monkeys. Ning Xiang's Golden Crow Brightflame scorched their fur, yet they seemed utterly incapable of feeling pain and charged forward without fear.

Lu Qingchen brushed a fingertip along the Canglang Sword. Light surged across its blade, and icy radiance poured down on the demon monkeys like frost. Wherever that cold light reached, the demon monkeys froze solid.

Two Nascent Soul Realm demon monkeys threw back their heads and howled. Their cries were so piercing they nearly blew the top off Ning Xiang's skull. Only her powerful divine sense spared her; another Core Formation cultivator might well have lost their mind under those cries.

A pair of slender, slightly cool hands covered Ning Xiang's ears.

"Shut off your hearing. Pay no attention to them."

Lu Qingchen transmitted a passage of pure, elegant music into Ning Xiang's ears.

Ning Xiang's mind gradually settled.

"Nine Shao Music?"

Lu Qingchen sounded a little surprised. "You know it?"

"I heard my father mention it."

Nine Shao was a composition passed down from ancient times that united music, dance, and poetry, embodying the utmost classical grace and propriety.

The original novel had mentioned a sect in the Northern Ten Continents that pursued the Dao through music and dance-the Nine Shao Gate. Its disciples were divided into music cultivators and dance cultivators. The Nine Shao Gate kept an extremely low profile and rarely ventured into the Cultivation Realm.

How did Lu Qingchen know Nine Shao Music?

Of course, this was hardly something she needed to dig up by the roots, so Ning Xiang stopped dwelling on it.

Gripping the Shattered Moon whip, she lashed viciously toward the demon monkeys. Golden Crow Brightflame wreathed the strike, but a demon monkey flipped out of the way. The whip's shadow slammed into the ground, gouging out a small pit. If she had to describe it, it was just big enough to raise a few turtles.

Ning Xiang said dejectedly, "It's not as powerful as Ming Old Dog's Soul-Devouring Whip. Looks like I'll have to become his disciple."

Lu Qingchen said nothing, but raised the Canglang Sword. His sword qi swept toward the two Nascent Soul Realm demon monkeys like startled wild geese soaring through the autumn sky.

Ice flowers crystallized inch by inch over the demon monkeys' heads until they were completely encased in ice.

Wow, so cool!

Was this a mutated ice spiritual root?

Ning Xiang was desperately envious.

Before she could offer a few words of praise, an ominous wind rose. The gale swept up maple leaves and sent them dancing across the sky, nearly obscuring everything before her.

Then a powerful demonic aura spread out.

A Six-Eared Demon Monkey stepped out of the sinister wind, fully two sizes larger than the Four-Eared Demon Monkeys.

Its cultivation was at the nascent soul late stage.

Ning Xiang grew wary.

When had such a powerful demon creature entered the Profound Heaven Sect? How had all those seniors in the sect failed to notice?

The Six-Eared Demon Monkey gave a chilling, sinister laugh and advanced over the frozen Four-Eared Demon Monkeys. As he walked, he extended his sharp claws and snatched at the air, sending the frozen Four-Eared Demon Monkeys on the ground flying toward him all at once. He plunged his hands through their bodies, ripped out their hearts and demon cores, and swallowed them whole.

The more demon cores he swallowed, the more powerful the Six-Eared Demon Monkey's aura became. Demonic qi flooded into his body, poised to erupt at any moment. Who knew how terrifying that explosion would be?

The maple leaves were already red as fire. Stained with demon blood, they looked even more eerie.

She couldn't let him absorb any more demon cores. Ning Xiang unleashed a talisman and poured heartfire into it. The talisman instantly scattered into pinpricks of flame, burning the Four-Eared Demon Monkeys' corpses on the ground to ashes.

The Six-Eared Demon Monkey raised his head, fixing his greedy crimson eyes on Ning Xiang as though locking onto prey he was determined to claim.

Ning Xiang tightened her grip on the Shattered Moon whip.

Lu Qingchen sent her a message: "Go, quickly. Your master will deal with him."

According to Ning Xiang's character setting, she absolutely could not abandon Lu Qingchen and run at a time like this. But she was afraid of dying! Besides, staying would only hold him back. She was just about to crush an Earth-Digging Talisman and flee for her life when that damned system's voice rang out-

[Ding. Side quest activated: block the Six-Eared Demon Monkey's attack for Lu Qingchen, then lie in Lu Qingchen's arms and say with a smile, "Master, as long as you're safe, your disciple can die without regrets." Time limit: fifteen minutes.]

If she hadn't been too busy to get into a hair-pulling fight with that damned system, Ning Xiang would have unleashed a torrent of curses. Did a female supporting character's life not count as a life?

She recalled the punishment that damned system had given her a few days ago after she failed the quest to mock Su Lang-it had cast an illusion on her, making everyone she saw look as eye-searing as a featherless Kakapo.

Ning Xiang shuddered. No, she had to complete this quest, no matter what!

"No, your disciple won't leave! Your disciple will stand by your side, Master!" Ning Xiang declared with ringing conviction. Holding her long whip, she stood before Lu Qingchen with an utterly fearless air. "Your disciple will protect you!"

Lu Qingchen had no chance to feel moved, for once again, he clearly heard Ning Xiang's thoughts.

[I'm so incredibly cool! I'll have to put this scene in my book later! But what do I do next? I can't beat him! Boohoo!]

The Six-Eared Demon Monkey was also baffled by the female cultivator's actions, momentarily unsure whether to charge.

Ning Xiang shrank back behind Lu Qingchen and gestured. "Master, after you. Your disciple will cheer you on!"

And so the following scene unfolded-

Lu Qingchen summoned ice blades, sending them all stabbing toward the Six-Eared Demon Monkey.

Ning Xiang clapped and cheered. "You're amazing, Master!"

Lu Qingchen called forth a raging blizzard, freezing the Six-Eared Demon Monkey until he was nearly rigid.

Ning Xiang praised him loudly. "As expected of Master! A true role model for us all!"

Lu Qingchen conjured an ice formation, trapping the Six-Eared Demon Monkey within.

Ning Xiang piled on the flattery. "Master, you're so formidable!" She also took the opportunity to belittle the Six-Eared Demon Monkey. "Unlike that stinking monkey, who swallowed all those demon cores without improving one bit!"

The Six-Eared Demon Monkey flew into a rage. Who the hell are you talking about?

He was fired up!

The Six-Eared Demon Monkey felt his cultivation soaring by leaps and bounds.

This damned female cultivator had successfully ignited his fighting spirit.

He felt he was about to break through the Nascent Soul Realm.

Today, he would kill these two human cultivators and eat them. No, he would eat the male cultivator and leave the female outside, suffering in despair like a mandarin duck bereft of its mate!

Lost in thought, the Six-Eared Demon Monkey failed to notice the keen, bitterly cold sword qi piercing his body. His demon core had already been cut out.

The Six-Eared Demon Monkey charged at Lu Qingchen.

At that very moment, Ning Xiang felt her body rush forward beyond her control, placing her in front of Lu Qingchen.

She looked up at Lu Qingchen with a smile that was sorrowful yet beautiful. "Master, as long as you're safe, your disciple can die without regrets."

Huh? Why was Lu Qingchen so slow on the uptake?

Ning Xiang grabbed Lu Qingchen's hand and made him support her waist.

Lu Qingchen: "..."

He remained silent for a long while before saying, "Ning Xiang, the Six-Eared Demon Monkey is already dead."