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Qiaoqiao's eyes darted about. Then she looked at the purple-robed woman beside them, whose beautiful eyes held sorrow, and visibly froze. [Huh, isn't this the Devil Cloud Sect's Purple Baleful Intent Devil Woman?]

Elder Ning: !

What was she saying?!

This mortal woman before her was the daughter of the sect master of the Devil Cloud Sect-the foremost sect in the devil realm-the renowned Purple Baleful Intent Devil Woman?!

How was that possible?!

Second Senior Sister Xiao Tingyu, who was among the crowd, was startled too. She squeezed over to Qiaoqiao. "Qiaoqiao, what did you just say?"

Qiaoqiao sweetly greeted her as Second Senior Sister and blinked innocently. "I didn't say anything."

Xiao Tingyu understood. What she had just heard was her little junior sister's inner voice. But wasn't what her little junior sister was thinking far too shocking? That woman looked like a mortal without the slightest cultivation, no matter how she looked at her!

Even Shen Ji frowned. Why would his little junior sister slander Ling'er like this?

Could she still be half asleep and talking in her dreams again?

Still, he could not help glancing at Ziling. Almost simultaneously, Elder Ning and Xiao Tingyu swept their gazes over as well.

Being watched by all three at once made Ziling tremble inwardly. Why were they all looking at her with those expressions? Had her identity been exposed? That was impossible!

There was not the slightest trace of devil presence on her. How could these foolish cultivators possibly see her true face? There was absolutely no way she had been exposed!

That must have been nothing more than a coincidence.

Ziling composed herself. As though she could not bear to put him in a difficult position, she said softly, "Shen Ji, you don't have to say any more. Just let me leave the mountain..."

She lowered her eyes and shed tears, her spirits dimmed with sorrow. "I heard that Ethereal Peak doesn't allow outsiders to stay. Although I have no one to turn to for now, I'll find somewhere to shelter eventually. You don't have to worry about me. Even if I run into another Demon Beast, that will only mean I have a bitter fate..."

"How could I let that happen?!" Shen Ji grew anxious. "Ling'er, you can't leave!"

Others did not understand her, but he knew she was a gentle, beautiful, kindhearted woman, pure and without blemish.

Back then, she had reached out to help him when he had been in such a wretched state. Now that she was in trouble, how could he refuse to help her?

Without her, how could there be the Shen Ji of today?

He bowed down and kowtowed, his tone resolute. "Elder, you may punish me however you wish. I beg you to let Ling'er stay at Ethereal Peak temporarily to recover."

"I have no complaints or regrets about giving her my spirit root. Once Ling'er has a spirit root, I'll ask Master to accept her as a disciple. Then she'll be able to stay here rightfully."

"Shen Ji..." Ziling was surprised, delighted, and touched. He was actually willing to defend her like this before the elder.

[Wow, how touching.]

[But it looks like Eldest Senior Brother got kicked in the head by a donkey. Is a spirit root something you can just give away?]

Shen Ji: ...

Elder Ning: Qiaoqiao, well said!

Shen Ji had the best aptitude among the disciples. He possessed an innate sword bone and a supreme-grade spirit root. Losing his spirit root would damage his foundation, making it difficult for his cultivation to advance even an inch from then on. It might even slowly regress. This act was simply destroying his own future.

But Shen Ji had set his heart on doing this and would not listen to advice.

At the thought, Elder Ning could not help feeling heartbroken. She pressed a hand to her chest, even her breathing growing uneven.

Second Senior Sister and the other disciples could not help lamenting on their eldest senior brother's behalf either.

Looking at Shen Ji's besotted face, Ziling secretly gloated. So much for the noble, pure-hearted eldest disciple of an immortal sect. Wasn't he still putty in her hands?

As long as she won Shen Ji over and successfully infiltrated Ethereal Peak, her plan would proceed without obstruction. When that time came, who could stop her?

Heh, a pack of fools.

She sneered inwardly while still pretending to be so moved that tears shimmered in her eyes. "I'm so touched that you would do this for me... But what will you do after giving me your spirit root?"

Shen Ji said, "Ling'er, don't worry about me. Without my spirit root, I still have my innate sword bone. Now that you've lost your parents, you have no one to rely on. Without a spirit root, you really would have nothing left."

[Pfft.]

Qiaoqiao could not help chiming in inwardly, [She still has a sucker like you!]

Shen Ji's expression stiffened.

[First, he sacrifices his spirit root for her, then keeps her at Ethereal Peak, then falls hopelessly in love with her. Step by step, she bewitches him into helping her steal the sect's supreme treasure, the Flowing Cloud Divine Lamp, turning him into a notorious traitor to his sect.]

[Once the Purple Baleful Intent Devil Woman gets the divine lamp, she kicks him aside. Poor Eldest Senior Brother. By then, the devil woman will already have swindled him out of both his body and his heart. He turns dark in his fury and falls onto the devil path, becoming the number one Devil Cultivator, only for the devil woman to use him as a shield against the righteous path. In the end, over a hundred cultivators surround and attack him, and he dies horribly. He gets stabbed a full hundred and eighty times before he dies.]

[Tsk, tsk. Isn't that just too tragic?]

She shook her head as she thought.

The immortal crane: Wow, what a truly miserable man.

Elder Ning, who heard her inner voice: ?!

What?!

Ethereal Peak's most promising eldest disciple would betray the sect, fall onto the devil path, and ultimately die a horrible death?

Hearing Qiaoqiao's inner voice, Elder Ning felt her already slightly cracked heart shatter into eight pieces with a snap!

No, she absolutely would not allow it!!

Second Senior Sister's expression changed too. Eldest Senior Brother's fate is so tragic...

But how did Little Junior Sister know?

Before, her little junior sister's thoughts had been about nothing but eating and sleeping. How had such explosive revelations suddenly appeared?! She glanced at Elder Ning, whose expression had changed drastically, and knew that Elder Ning must have heard too. Even the crane lord beside Qiaoqiao let out a squawk.

Looking at the other disciples, she saw that none of them showed any reaction. It seemed they could not hear it.

In other words, the only ones who could hear Qiaoqiao's thoughts were Elder Ning, herself, and this crane.

No-

She looked at her eldest senior brother's rigid back. There was one more person: Eldest Senior Brother.

Earlier, when he heard his little junior sister say that Ziling, a mere mortal woman, was the Purple Baleful Intent Devil Woman, he could still tell himself that his little junior sister was probably not fully awake. After hearing his own fate, Shen Ji truly could no longer remain calm.

His brows furrowed deeply. Just how much did his little junior sister hate him to curse him like this?

He could not help wanting to turn around and demand an explanation from his little junior sister, only to hear Elder Ning ask, "Miss Ziling, you encountered a Demon Beast attack at the foot of the mountain, and Shen Ji saved your life. Even setting aside the debt you owe him, if you truly have his best interests at heart, how can you accept this with such peace of mind?"