After her senior sister was reborn, she actually became a powerful and arrogant protagonist?!

Chu Luobai stood in the open space of the cave, carefully sensing the wind direction inside.

Judging from the winding, uphill route they just took, it's clear they had quite a few twists and turns.

By now, they should already be near the Blackstone Sect.

It's even possible that they're already directly within the Black Stone Sect's territory.

A sudden breeze blew into the cave, which was particularly noticeable in the almost stagnant cave filled with the smell of blood.

"there."

Chu Luobai quickly found the passage leading to the outside world from among the many passages.

Qiu Lin glanced one last time at the pile of black ash on the ground, his worry deepening.

In the shadows at the tunnel entrance, several men dressed as bandits lay sprawled out.

It was so quiet, as if it had fallen into a deep sleep.

"Senior sister, should we deal with these people?"

Qiu Lin frowned, seeing that Chu Luobai seemed to ignore him and was about to pass by, so he couldn't help but remind her.

"No need to do anything, they're already dead."

Hearing Chu Luobai's indifferent voice, Qiu Lin rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked again at the man leaning against the corner of the wall, the one closest to him.

The other person had a rosy complexion and closed eyes, looking as if they were simply asleep.

They...are they dead?

Qiu Lin was still somewhat skeptical.

Suddenly, a cool breeze blew through his robes, touching the man in an instant.

The man's body turned into fine dust and was instantly blown away, disappearing completely into the air.

"this..."

Qiu Lin's eyes widened, a strange feeling rising in his heart, a chilling sensation like a venomous snake spitting out apricots crawling up his spine.

How can a person turn into a pile of dust?

"The Demon Language Worm lives by devouring spiritual power. If the object it parasitizes does not have spiritual power, it will need to be nourished by flesh and blood."

“Cultivators are devoured for their spiritual power, and mortals are devoured for their flesh and blood, ultimately becoming nourishment for these demonic insects.”

A hint of mockery flashed in Chu Luobai's eyes, as if he were both sarcasm and a sigh.

"In the face of this Demon Language Insect, everyone is truly equal."

Qiu Lin was speechless for a moment, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

"Everyone there is beyond saving. They willingly offered their bodies to the Demon Whisperer, and death was their predetermined fate."

"Voluntary support?"

Qiu Lin glanced back one last time at the few 'corpses' that looked no different from ordinary people, but whose insides had been completely devoured.

She quickened her pace to catch up with Chu Luobai and asked the question that had been bothering her.

How could anyone willingly support something that looks utterly disgusting?

"It is said that the Demon Language Insect can break through the limitations of the Spirit Sea. There are always cultivators who are unwilling to let their cultivation stagnate and use all sorts of means just to improve by a little bit."

"Qin Xiao was born with poor aptitude and a bad temperament. Even if he cultivated smoothly, the peak of the Void Refinement stage would be his highest level."

Qiu Lin listened in silence.

People always suffer because of their desires.

Cultivators yearn to become richer and achieve higher levels of cultivation, just as mortals yearn to become richer.

When faced with immense temptation, they will resort to any means necessary.

The bandits in Blackstone Town were like that, and so was Qin Xiao, this so-called righteous cultivator.

Seeing Qiu Lin remain silent and his expression turn somewhat gloomy, Chu Luobai reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder.

He patted her twice and then comforted her in a gentle tone.

"There are millions of people in the world, including countless different races. Everyone has different thoughts and chooses different paths."

"They chose their own path; there's no need to pity them or feel sorry for them."

...................................................

at the same time.

Qingyun Sword Sect.

What would normally be a two- or three-day journey was completed in a single day thanks to Zhao Jingren's relentless pace.

Inside the building behind the arena on the main peak of Qingyun.

Zhao Yushi propped his legs up on the long table, looking completely at ease.

He delegated the sect leader's miscellaneous tasks to the other elders.

Aside from his identity as the sect leader, his life was actually not much different.

"Gao Hong was so busy before, I thought being the sect leader was so difficult."

Suddenly, two disciples rushed in through the door, looking flustered.

"Master, something big has happened!"

Seeing this, Zhao Yushi felt his good mood vanish and couldn't help but frown.

"How can a disciple of the Sword Sect act so rashly?"

"What major event could possibly happen to my Qingyun Sword Sect? It can't be some blind demonic cultivator rushing up the mountain, can it?"

"No... Sect Leader..."

The disciples who rushed up the mountain were panting heavily, their faces filled with panic.

"Senior Brother Zhao, he..."

Before the disciple could finish speaking, three more figures walked in through the door.

Zhao Jingren, who was being held in the middle, was pale and bleeding from the corner of his mouth. He was about to faint.

To his left was a girl he had never seen before, with a round face that was tense and her lips almost pressed into a straight line.

"Have demonic cultivators really attacked the mountain?"

Aside from demonic cultivators, Zhao Yushi couldn't think of anything that could have injured Zhao Jingren, a cultivator at the Dao Integration stage, so badly.

Could it be that scoundrel Fu Cheng'an?

"Sect Leader, demonic language insects have appeared in the southern part of Qingzhou. Disciple Chu Luobai and disciple Qiu Lin are investigating their origin."

Zhao Jingren said weakly, "The journey took three days, but we only had one day to travel, and we also brought Nan Yue with us."

He almost exhausted all his spiritual energy before he finally reached the sect.

Although he wasn't seriously injured, Linghai became unstable because of his risky behavior.

"What did you say?! The Demon Whisperer?!"

Zhao Yushi slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and a hint of panic flashed in his usually calm eyes.

"The matter of Zhao Jingren's Demonic Language Insect concerns the entire Qingzhou Realm. It cannot be fabricated out of thin air. Do you understand?"

“What I have said is absolutely true.”

Zhao Jingren raised his hand and brushed it over the storage ring on his right hand, revealing four shriveled, pale gray-brown corpses of the Demon Language Insects.

The stench emanating from it caused several disciples nearby to involuntarily take two steps back.

"It really is..."

As someone who personally experienced the insect plague that came from the southern border years ago, he could still recognize these demonic insects even if they were cut into hundreds of pieces and ground into ashes.

"Where exactly did you and Chu Luobai find it?"

With a wave of his hand, Zhao Yushi displayed an extremely detailed map of Qingzhou.

“Circle the exact location, and we will also draw out all possible routes for Chu Luobai’s investigation.”

"You, go and ring the bell outside the Qingyun Hall, summoning all the elite disciples to see me. From today onwards, the mountain gates will be sealed, and no disciple may descend the mountain without a valid reason."

"The only thing I can do by contacting you is to ask those talisman cultivators to come and help as soon as possible."

"besides..."

Zhao Yushi methodically assigned the tasks, and finally his gaze fell on Nan Yue.

"you are?"

Nan Yue quickly took out the jade pendant that Chu Luobai had given her and handed it to Zhao Yushi with both hands.

"My name is Nan Yue. I was fortunate enough to be chosen by Senior Chu Luobai and wish to join your sect."