After the Villainess Awakens

Like the gates of hell suddenly bursting open, the entire courtyard was flooded with Barrows Bones. They swarmed over the cultivators, most of whom lost their spiritual power. However, they still had their swords in hand.

At the forefront, You Zishu held his long sword, Snow Spirit. He stood with two other high-level disciples, shielding the powerless cultivators behind them. Sensing its master's battle intent, the Snow Spirit sword hummed softly.

"Kill them! Kill all these murderers! They destroyed our 'Fire Seed'!" The mayor, lying on the ground, shouted at the approaching Barrows Bones.

Before his voice faded, You Zishu's Snow Spirit sword sliced through the mayor's throat.

Blood sprayed out, like a red ribbon unfurling from a war drum, signifying the start of the battle. It was also as if the restriction forbidding cultivators from harming ordinary people had been broken.

These Barrows Bones only looked like ordinary people, but they were not.

You Zishu, never a man of many words, infused his Snow Spirit sword with spiritual power. He swept it across the first row of charging Barrows Bones, cutting them in half. Then, he coldly said, "Kill!"

As soon as his voice fell, the courtyard descended into a living hell.

Most cultivators had lost their spiritual power. Without it, the high-level disciples could still hold their own against these untrained ordinary people.

However, the low-level disciples, whose swordsmanship was not as refined, were overwhelmed by the sheer number of Barrows Bones. They struggled to defend themselves, all their sword techniques forgotten. All they could do was fight desperately for their lives.

Before the barrier shattered, as Leng Mingshi ran towards the house, she had fed Fenlian a Shapeshifting Pill, refined from the Red Serpent's demonic energy.

The Painted Skin, after consuming the pill, instantly grew in size. After a year, it once again revealed its true form as a great demon. With a wicked grin and a crooked mouth that she didn't have time to fix, she swallowed a dozen Barrows Bones in one gulp.

Smacking her lips, Fenlian said with disgust, "Ugh, they taste awful. So smelly."

The sudden appearance of the great demon startled many disciples. Unsure whether she was friend or foe, one of them instinctively stabbed his sword at Fenlian's heel.

Fenlian yelped in pain and turned around furiously. "Are you blind?! I'm on your side!"

Some low-level disciples found themselves shielded by her massive, house-sized flat body. With a casual wave of her hand, she sent a Barrows Bone, who was trying to chop off her toes, flying through the air.

"Little Mei, my dear, come up to my shoulder. I'll help you break through the seal. Tonight, you must not hold back. Your master wouldn't blame you for saving lives."

Fenlian extended her palm, the size of a bed, and lifted Xiao Mei onto her shoulder. Then, using her inner demonic power, she forcefully cracked the seal on him.

Instantly, the stench in the courtyard was replaced by the fragrance of plum blossoms. On Xiao Mei's usually timid and shy face, plum blossom marks gradually appeared. They crawled across his eyebrows, extended past the corners of his long eyes, forming exquisite and enchanting flower petals. These were real plum blossoms blooming on his face.

His meridians and blood vessels gradually bulged and changed color. His neck was covered with the bark of a plum tree, and roots extended from his feet, digging into Fenlian's shoulder, truly making them "one flesh."

His arms transformed into plum branches, extending from Fenlian's shoulders and effortlessly piercing the flesh of the Barrows Bones.

Most disciples knew Xiao Mei. He was known for his gentle nature and never quarreled with anyone. He was always shy and easily embarrassed.

Yet, now, they saw him standing on the shoulder of this giant Painted Skin. Wherever his plum branches touched, the Barrows Bones were ripped apart, their intestines spilling out. He was a fearsome sight.

You Zishu, who stood at the front, wielding his Snow Spirit sword with a frenzied air, naturally saw the two demons who had joined the battle.

His brow furrowed instinctively. There had never been demons under the Righteous Path's sect leader, and his master had warned him against associating with untamed demons.

However, he also knew Xiao Mei. He was a disciple under the Third Elder. He had been doing odd jobs in the sect for years, and the Third Elder had sealed his demonic power, which meant he had been tamed to some extent.

But where did this Painted Skin come from?!

At this moment, there was no time to dwell on such matters. In this courtyard, he was the only one left with spiritual power. The surrounding area was filled with death Qi, making it impossible to replenish his spiritual power.

The two mid-level disciples beside him, although they hadn't smelled the death Qi, had their spiritual power dispersed when the Barrows Bones pounced on them.

These evil creatures even had their clothes smeared with the foul-smelling lamp oil.

The blood sphere that had previously rolled out of the woman's belly had swallowed several Barrows Bones, forming a blood-like creature.

The blood creature charged towards them. It didn't seem to possess much combat power, collapsing with a single strike. However, countless blood droplets flew out from it. Even though You Zishu was extremely cautious, he was still splattered by some.

Feeling his spiritual power slowly draining away, he began to panic for the first time. He wasn't afraid for himself, but for the lives of the low-level disciples behind him.

What was even more concerning was that he clearly felt he had killed many Barrows Bones. Yet, somehow, these creatures seemed endless, constantly gathering from the darkness of the town.

The initial few hundred had almost all fallen, but hundreds more emerged from the town.

Coupled with the blood creature that continued to grow stronger by absorbing the dead Barrows Bones, You Zishu, despite wielding his Snow Spirit sword tirelessly and becoming drenched in blood, couldn't keep up. The disciples had lost their spiritual power, and the relentless Barrows Bones and the blood creature were closing in.

Meanwhile, Leng Mingshi, who had been thrown into darkness by the overturned bed, tumbled down the stairs. Relying on her enhanced vision from consuming the Demon Eagle's eyes, she quickly made out her surroundings.

It was a narrow and cramped secret room, covered in dust. There was a dilapidated bookshelf. Leng Mingshi didn't need to search; she immediately spotted Ye Kulang, less than a step away from where she had fallen.

She didn't bother getting up and simply rolled over to him. She checked on the emaciated Ye Kulang, who was now nothing but skin and bones.

His hands and feet were bound, his mouth gagged, and he was tied to the leg of the bookshelf. The stench in the air was unbearable, filled with the smell of decay.

"Ping'an?" She turned Ye Kulang over. He was completely unconscious. Seeing him so thin, she knew he had been suffering in this dark secret room for a long time.

Leng Mingshi quickly took out a Small Rejuvenation Pill, crushed it, and mixed it with water from her water pouch. She carefully poured it into his mouth.

An ordinary person in this state wouldn't survive even with this. He must be on the verge of death. The Small Rejuvenation Pill was mild; if she had fed him a regular Rejuvenation Pill, even a healthy person would have bled from their orifices and died.

But there was no response. The Small Rejuvenation Pill, which could restore a cultivator's spiritual power, had no effect on this dying child.

Leng Mingshi watched as pus and blood oozed from Ping'an's eyes, which should have been clear and bright. Her vision blurred with tears. She immediately took out another Rejuvenation Pill, specially refined for her by Xuan Zhu, and fed it to him.

They had risked everything to come back and save this child. This child carried the hopes and beliefs of all the disciples. He couldn't just die tragically here!

The spiritual power of the Rejuvenation Pill flowed through Ping'an's body. Through his thin skin, Leng Mingshi could even see the spiritual power colliding, searching for an outlet.

In the end…it was no use.

He was already on the verge of death, clinging to life, perhaps just to find his mother.

Blind, he had gone from door to door, clinging to who knows how many of the murderers who had harmed his mother, calling them "Mother." Did he know he was dying? Did he even know if he was alive?

Leng Mingshi took a deep breath and exhaled shakily, tears blurring her vision. Her hands supported her weight on the ground, her heart filled with a chilling despair.

She couldn't help but think of her own mother. In her dying moments, why did she go to that disgusting man? Perhaps…perhaps the last person her mother wanted to see wasn't that old beast, but…her?

A whimpering sound escaped Leng Mingshi's throat, like a wounded animal on the verge of death. She choked back sobs, her heart filled with a surging resentment that threatened to burst out of her.

She didn't resent anyone else but herself.

At that moment, the spiritual power of the Rejuvenation Pill in Ping'an's body slowly dissipated. He completely lost his breath, his last trace of life gone.

But then, Leng Mingshi felt something bumping against her side, inside her storage bag.

She hurriedly and tremblingly took out the Soul Gathering Pouch from her storage bag. As she opened it, she saw Ping'an, holding his mother's hand, walking out.

The wisp of Ping'an's soul that had just died on the ground merged with them. Both figures were faint, mere remnants of their souls. But thanks to the life force from the Rejuvenation Pill, they now appeared slightly brighter.

"Thank you, Sister. I found my mother."

Ping'an spoke. His eyes had regained their clarity, and his skin had returned to its former appearance, completely different from the skeletal child on the ground. His chubby face, with its baby fat, was full and adorable.

Leng Mingshi shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I still couldn't save you…"

"No, Sister, I just wanted to find my mother, and you helped me find her," Ping'an said. "Without my mother, I don't want to live either."

Leng Mingshi lowered her head, her lips moving silently. She understood how he felt. Back then, hadn't she thought the same way? But her mother wouldn't let her die. How could a mother bear to see her own child die?

Leng Mingshi looked at the woman standing beside her, holding Ping'an. Her soul was even fainter than Ping'an's, but she had a contented expression on her face as she gently caressed her child's head.

"It's alright. It's my fault he's dead. I hid him here, gagged him so he wouldn't cry out, and tied his feet so he wouldn't run out and be discovered. But I couldn't fight the evil thing that was living inside me. I kept forgetting about him…and that's why he died so tragically."

The woman burst into tears. "It's all my fault."

"Mother, don't cry. Ping'an is not in pain, not hungry, and not afraid of the dark…"

Leng Mingshi was too choked up to speak, but she still asked, "What do you mean by 'living inside you'? Were you pregnant?"

The woman's expression contorted for a moment. "No, how could I be pregnant with an evil creature's child? It was they who put that evil thing inside me. It fed on my flesh and blood, corrupted everything about me, and finally burst out, turning into more of those disgusting things. They called it…the Fire Seed."

The woman continued, "When I was occasionally lucid, besides sneaking food to Ping'an, I tried everything to kill the evil thing inside me. But I was too weak. I failed to protect my Ping'an…"

Mother and son embraced again, but they didn't cry. Instead, they kissed each other with smiles on their faces.

Leng Mingshi felt as if her eyes were burning. She couldn't imagine how, when the entire village was overrun by evil creatures and she herself was parasitized by one, this woman had found the will to remain conscious, hide her child, and endure endless humiliation and torment.

Yesterday, when the disciples were driven out of the town, was she conscious? When she saw hope arrive and then disappear, did she ever think of giving up? Did she ever consider jumping off the city wall?

Leng Mingshi wiped her face fiercely and cried out, "But you're just remnants of souls…you're destined to sink into the River of Forgetfulness."

Remnants of souls couldn't enter reincarnation. With such a major incident happening in this town, the Soul Reapers from the underworld would arrive soon. When that happened, their souls would be taken to the River of Forgetfulness, where they would dissolve and disappear, losing all consciousness and future.

Ping'an would never be able to find his mother again.

Mother and son didn't seem to care about death, but upon hearing that they would be separated, they clung to each other and wept.

The woman couldn't help but plead with Leng Mingshi, kneeling down and kowtowing to her. "Fairy, please save us. We just…we just want to be together."

"Sister…" Ping'an also hugged Leng Mingshi, begging her to help them.

Leng Mingshi was on the verge of breaking down. Life and death, reincarnation, they all had their own order. Cause and effect, retribution, none of it could be interfered with by humans.

Ping'an and his mother's love in this life could only end here.

Cultivators were forbidden from interfering with reincarnation, from meddling in matters of life and death.

But as Leng Mingshi was embraced and pleaded with by the two remnants of souls, she felt no weight on her body, yet an immense pressure on her shoulders, weighing her down so much that she couldn't lift her head. Her breath caught in her throat, and she choked back sobs, unable to utter a word of refusal.

She took out all the pills she carried with her. They were all precious to her, but none of them could prevent a remnant soul from being taken away by the Soul Reapers.

At that moment, Leng Mingshi felt true despair. No matter how hard she tried, how tirelessly she cultivated, what could she do?

She couldn't rewind time and return to her mother's side. She couldn't even help this tragic mother and son stay together for a little longer.

Leng Mingshi swept aside all the pills, a demonic obstacle forming in her heart.

"Sister, don't cry," Ping'an said, his already fading hand reaching up to cup her cheek.

He wiped away her tears.

"It's okay. Don't cry. I found my mother. That's all that matters."

"Yes," the woman said, forcing a smile. "Sinking into the River of Forgetfulness means we'll become one. We'll be together in a different way." Although they would forget everything.

Upon hearing those words, Leng Mingshi felt as if her heart had been struck by something. She stumbled back, her thoughts churning like a raging sea, crashing down on her.

Becoming one…being together…

Becoming one!

Leng Mingshi scrambled back and retrieved the cauldron that Xiao Mian had given her, the one that could change size.

Holding the cauldron, she said to Ping'an and his mother, her voice trembling, "I'm an alchemist. I'm not good at fighting, only at running away. I can't even help those disciples who are fighting for their lives outside."

"But…I'm good at extracting life force for alchemy. I can create thousands of pill formulas. I can even use parts of demons and magical beasts in my alchemy to control their behavior!"

Leng Mingshi's eyes were bloodshot, burning with a crazed light. "I was thinking…since I can extract life force, could I also extract death Qi? Could I extract and refine souls?"

Just then, the distant sound of a drum echoed. The disciples and the evil creatures engaged in a fierce battle outside were all swept by a gust of cold wind.

The wind was so cold that it seemed to drain all the warmth from their bodies. The disciples and the Barrows Bones froze, their eyes drawn to the black vortex that had appeared in midair.

First, a horse head emerged, followed by a figure riding a black horse, holding a gleaming silver hook. The figure landed in the center of the battlefield.

The figure was completely shrouded in a black cloak, its stature tall and imposing. If not for the overwhelming Yin energy and the gleaming silver hook, both the figure and the horse would have been completely invisible in the darkness.

The figure reined in the horse and surveyed the scene, taking in the struggling disciples and the corpses scattered across the ground. "Well, well," a voice said.

The voice, emanating from beneath the cloak, belonged to a woman. It sent chills down one's spine. This eight-foot-tall Soul Reaper was not a he, but a she.

She paused briefly, then unexpectedly backed her horse up and gestured with her hand, as if inviting them to continue. She showed no intention of joining the battle. "Carry on, little immortals. I'll leave you to it."

After a momentary pause, the battle resumed with renewed intensity. The Soul Reaper on horseback watched the spectacle unfold, not because she didn't care about right and wrong, but because it was an ironclad law of the underworld that Soul Reapers were forbidden from interfering in mortal affairs.

However, it didn't stop her from commenting, "My, my, it's been ages since I've seen demons and cultivators fighting side by side against other evil creatures."

"Oh? There are two hiding underground? Let me just… Wow, that cultivator leading the charge is quite handsome, isn't he?" Her eyes, hidden beneath her cloak, sparkled as she looked at You Zishu.

The Soul Reaper, who had been about to collect the remnants of souls underground, was momentarily captivated by You Zishu's light-colored eyes and his pale, bloodstained face, which resembled that of a hanged man.

His paleness and deathly aura appealed to her underworld aesthetics. It was rare to see a living person like this. The Soul Reaper was mesmerized.

This inadvertently bought Leng Mingshi precious time. After she had shared her crazy idea with Ping'an and his mother, they agreed to let her try without hesitation.

With everything ready, before lighting the furnace, Leng Mingshi knelt before it, holding all the remaining Rejuvenation Pills in her hands. She asked Ping'an and his mother, "I can't guarantee success. I don't even know what you'll become after the refinement. A pill? Something else? Or maybe you'll disappear completely, just like sinking into the River of Forgetfulness."

"It's alright, young lady. Just try your best," Ping'an's mother said. "You don't know this, but under the mayor's skin was a Barrows Bone. And that mayor…was my father."

The woman seemed to have difficulty speaking, but she continued through gritted teeth, "Those Barrows Bones took over human bodies, but they have no sense of human morals or shame. They…they don't differentiate and do as they please."

The woman added, "When I was conscious, my only reason for living was to protect Ping'an. After experiencing all that, what else is there to fear?"

The woman hugged Ping'an tightly, and he nuzzled against her affectionately.

Leng Mingshi had already guessed as much. From the way the Barrows Bones had screamed in unison when she stabbed the woman's belly, she knew…perhaps they had already merged into one being after a hundred years of soaking in blood and their souls being trapped together.

They couldn't tell who was who, let alone understand morals or shame. No matter how well they disguised themselves as humans, they were nothing more than living corpses driven by their desires.

She nodded at the woman and swallowed all the Rejuvenation Pills in one gulp. As the returning spiritual power surged through her, she channeled it into the cauldron, igniting the furnace. This time, she wasn't refining a beast or life-giving herbs.

She was refining human souls.

Humans were born with a body and a soul, both governed by the five elements. Therefore, Leng Mingshi didn't even need to suppress any spiritual roots. With the furnace roaring, she tossed Ping'an and his mother, still embracing each other, into the cauldron.

The entire house shook violently. Not only was Leng Mingshi's spiritual power pouring into the cauldron, but the surrounding death Qi, including the death Qi from the Barrows Bones fighting outside, was also being drawn into the secret room.

The remnants of clouds in the sky turned blood red, staining the moon. The disciples fighting outside were oblivious, but the movements of the Barrows Bones became noticeably slower.

The Soul Reaper, however, abruptly looked up at the sky. Following the source of the rapidly converging death Qi, her gaze landed on the house. She charged through the walls and doors on her horse, arriving at the secret room.

The blood-soaked moon was a sign of an evil spirit's birth!

The Soul Reaper entered the room and looked down into the secret room from the overturned bed. But before she could make sense of what was happening, her own Yin energy was being drawn towards it!

"Holy moly!" She quickly backed away and swung her silver hook in the air, creating a swirling portal like the one she had arrived through.

She hurriedly rode her horse into the portal, exclaiming, "What kind of soul-sucking monster is about to be born?!"

She disappeared in a puff of black smoke, fleeing back to the underworld. But as she dismounted at the entrance of the underworld, she noticed with a pang of distress that despite her hasty retreat, her Shadow Steed's hindquarters had been partially absorbed!

Her horse now had only half a butt!

She immediately rushed to the Ghost King's palace and reported the imminent birth of this unknown evil, which even spared no Soul Reaper, exaggerating the details for good measure.

The Ghost King, his entire being shrouded in ghostly Qi, resembled a shapeless black mist. He was seated on his throne, surrounded by countless scrolls containing the jumbled records of life and death. The scrolls formed a circle around him, four layers deep.

He was already overwhelmed with work, and upon hearing the report, his ghostly Qi condensed.

After a moment of silence, he sighed. "Here we go again…"

"Leave it be. You shall collect the souls after the chaos subsides," the Ghost King said before dismissing the Soul Reaper with a wave of his hand.

The Soul Reaper returned to her own hall and removed the platform shoes she wore to appear taller. Without them, she was rather petite, her black robe dragging on the ground.

Inside her hall, she used her silver hook to create a small portal just large enough for her face to peek through. She then peered down at the ongoing battle below.

Thousands of Barrows Bones were hiding in this small town. The disciples fought tirelessly, slaying countless enemies, their bodies piling up. However, the blood creature grew larger with each passing moment, engaging in a fierce battle with Fenlian and Xiao Mei.

However, the movements of the Barrows Bones became increasingly sluggish. Even the latecomers were drawn towards the mayor's house, their bodies frozen, unable to move. They could only watch helplessly as the disciples, like farmers harvesting crops, swiftly beheaded them.

Meanwhile, in the secret room, Leng Mingshi was drenched in cold sweat. The spiritual power flowing from her hand into the cauldron dwindled, gradually replaced by a dense, black death Qi.

She had become a mere vessel, channeling energy. Without the Rejuvenation Pills to sustain her, the cauldron, fueled by death Qi, trembled restlessly. The refinement process was progressing much faster than with ordinary spiritual power. It seemed like the pill would be ready soon.

She had no idea what she was creating, but she was certain that death Qi, just like life force, could be used for alchemy.

At that moment, Fenlian outside began to shrink rapidly. The effects of the Red Serpent Shapeshifting Pill were wearing off, and she could no longer maintain her demonic form.

Xiao Mei's seal was only cracked, not completely broken. He had been borrowing Fenlian's demonic power, and now that she had lost it, he naturally weakened as well.

The instant Fenlian collapsed, the house-sized blood creature, now unrestrained, swatted away several low-level disciples with a single blow.

The Barrows Bones, their morale boosted by this display of power, pressed their advantage, forcing the exhausted and powerless disciples towards the back of the mountain.

It was clear that the back of the mountain was the burial ground of the Barrows Bones. They intended to drive the disciples into the mass grave to nourish the unborn Barrows Bones.

Just as the disciples were pushed back to the rear courtyard, a deafening explosion shook the ground. The houses in the courtyard were ripped apart by the sheer force of the blast, disintegrating into dust in midair.

A blinding beam of spiritual light shot up into the sky, piercing through the blood-red clouds that shrouded the moon. A powerful wind swirled around the courtyard, drawing in life force from all directions.

The spiritual light continued to soar, shattering the blood-red clouds that had stained the moon…

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