34: The female protagonist who changed her path of ruthlessness 3

Su Meng knelt on the ground: "This Disciple knows she was wrong; please punish me, Sect Master."

"Punishment is certain." Qin Jiuge swept his gaze over the three treasures in the Immortal Cave, "However, since you were able to find this Immortal Cave, it can be considered some Opportunity."

"The Nine-Turn Golden Core and the Cultivation Technique belong to the Sect, but this 'Qingluan Sword' shall be bestowed upon you."

Su Meng was stunned: "Bestowed upon me?"

"What, you don't want it?" Qin Jiuge smiled without warmth.

"I want it! This Disciple thanks the Sect Master for the reward!" Su Meng hurriedly kowtowed.

Qin Jiuge put away the Medicinal Pill and the Cultivation Technique, then turned around and said: "After returning to the Sect, go to the Law Enforcement Hall yourself to receive thirty lashes and be confined for one month."

"Yes." Su Meng lowered her head and replied, but she felt relieved in her heart. Thirty lashes and confinement, while painful, were still better than having her cultivation crippled and being expelled from the Sect.

Furthermore, she had obtained the Qingluan Sword. In her past life, this sword was a Medium Grade Spiritual Artifact with infinite power.

Qin Jiuge saw the joy flashing in her eyes and sneered inwardly. The Qingluan Sword was indeed good, but he had secretly set a Restriction within the sword. As long as Su Meng dared to use this sword to the detriment of the Huanggu Sect, the Restriction would trigger, instantly crippling her cultivation.

"Let's go." Qin Jiuge flicked his sleeve, taking Su Meng and disappearing from the valley.

Upon returning to the Huanggu Sect, Su Meng began her month of confinement after receiving her punishment. Meanwhile, Qin Jiuge began a much larger layout.

He first used the Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique obtained from the Immortal Cave to exchange for the "Sect Luck Enhancement Formation" from the System shop. This formation could gather the Sect's Luck, allowing the Disciples to have constant Opportunities and doubling their cultivation speed.

Next, he personally took action, refining three hundred and sixty-five Formation Flags to set up the "Zhou Tian Star Formation." This formation could draw upon the power of the stars; not only was its defense invincible, but it could also assist Disciples in cultivating star-based Cultivation Techniques.

Finally, he opened the "Dao Enlightenment Cliff," allowing Disciples to meditate on the Dao before the cliff. On the cliff were one hundred and eight sword marks he had left behind, each containing the true essence of Sword Intent; how much one could comprehend depended entirely on their personal fortune.

The prestige of the Huanggu Sect grew stronger with each passing day. Three months later, the Sect Grand Competition was held as scheduled.

What shocked the entire Cultivation World was that not only did all the nearby Sects attend, but even top-tier Sects from the Central Plains, such as the "Heavenly Dao Sect," "Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion," and "Danxia Sect," sent Elders to observe the ceremony.

Even more unbelievable was the strength displayed by the Huanggu Sect Disciples. The top ten on the Prodigy Ranking were all at least at the Early Golden Core Stage. The top three, Ye Chen, Lin inflammation, and Lu Ming, had even reached the Peak Golden Core Stage, with combat power comparable to ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivators.

The most stunning battle was between Ye Chen and the True Disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect, the Early Nascent Soul stage Bai Tianhua. Everyone thought that Ye Chen would undoubtedly lose, as the gap between the Golden Core and Nascent Soul was like a chasm.

However, Ye Chen only struck one sword. One strike drew upon the stars of the heavens, transforming into a falling galaxy. Bai Tianhua did not even have time to summon his Magic Treasure before he was pressed to the ground by the Sword Intent, vomiting blood and conceding.

The entire venue was deathly silent. Then, earth-shattering exclamations erupted.

"Star Sword Intent! This is the legendary Star Sword Intent!"

"The Huanggu Sect actually has such a Prodigy!"

"If this child does not die prematurely, he will surely become a Sword Immortal in the future!"

The Elder of the Heavenly Dao Sect had a livid expression, but he had to admit: "The Huanggu Sect is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

After the Grand Competition ended, the Huanggu Sect's reputation soared, and countless Loose Cultivators and children of noble families vied to join the Sect.

Meanwhile, Su Meng finally finished her confinement. She walked out of the confinement room, looking at the brand-new Sect, looking at those unfamiliar Prodigy Disciples, and looking at the Zhou Tian Star Formation hanging high in the sky; her heart was filled with mixed emotions.

In this life, not only had the Huanggu Sect not declined, but it had become even stronger. Yet, her status within the Sect was becoming increasingly marginalized.

"No, I cannot go on like this." A ruthless glint flashed in Su Meng's eyes, "I must become stronger, I must make everyone look at me with new eyes!"

She decided to take a risk and go for that Opportunity that no one dared to touch in her past life: the "Blood Demon Legacy" deep within the "Demon Abyss."

It was said that this was the Legacy left behind by the ancient Blood Demon; the recipient could ascend to the heavens in one step and become a giant of the Demonic Path. But the price was that one's Heart-Nature would be eroded by the Blood Demon's will, gradually losing one's self.

In her past life, several evil Cultivators had attempted to obtain it, but they all ended up becoming monsters that only knew how to kill. Su Meng thought that since she had returned through Rebirth, her will was firm, and she would definitely be able to resist the erosion.

What she didn't know was that all her plans were under Qin Jiuge's observation. Inside the Sect Master's hall, Qin Jiuge watched Su Meng's figure quietly leaving the Sect in the water mirror, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold arc. "Finally, she is about to step into the real trap."

The Demon Abyss was located at the junction of the Eastern Region and the Southern Frontier, a bottomless giant rift valley, shrouded in blood-colored mist all year round.

Legend had it that in ancient times, the Blood Demon was besieged and killed here by Cultivators of the Righteous Path; before falling, he used his own flesh and blood to transform into this Demon Abyss, cursing everyone who entered. For thousands of years, those who entered the Demon Abyss faced ten deaths for every life, gradually becoming a Forbidden Ground of the Cultivation World.

Su Meng stood at the edge of the Demon Abyss, looking at the churning blood mist below, a trace of unease rising in her heart. But thinking of the ending where she suffered humiliation and died tragically in her past life, and thinking of her marginalized status in the Sect in this life, she gritted her teeth and jumped down.

The blood mist surged toward her as if it had a life of its own; countless whispers echoed in her ears, and various illusions appeared before her eyes. There were enemies from her past life mocking her, the cold gazes of her Senior Brothers, and the mocking expression of her Master, Qin Jiuge...

"Get lost!" Su Meng shouted sharply, urging the Qingluan Sword, its sword light protecting her body. The Qingluan Sword let out a clear cry, and it actually dispersed some of the blood mist.

Su Meng felt a surge of joy: "It really is a good sword!" She continued to fall, and after falling for a full three hours, she finally stepped onto solid ground.

The bottom of the Demon Abyss was a blood-colored world; the ground was dark red rock, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of blood. In the distance, a palace built of white bones loomed in and out of sight.

"That's it!" Su Meng's eyes lit up. She proceeded carefully, encountering many demonic creatures along the way, but they were all killed by the Qingluan Sword. This sword seemed to have a natural suppression against demonic creatures, making her feel more and more that she had come to the right place.

Finally, she arrived in front of the white bone palace. The palace gate was tightly closed, with ancient blood-colored runes carved on it. Su Meng, following the rumors she had heard in her past life, cut her wrist and smeared her blood onto the runes. The blood was absorbed by the runes, and the gate slowly opened.

The interior of the palace was incomparably empty, with only a blood pool in the very center, and a beating heart floating in the pool. "The Heart of the Blood Demon!" Su Meng's breathing quickened. As long as she refined this heart, she could obtain the Blood Demon Legacy and her cultivation would soar!

She walked toward the blood pool without hesitation. Just as she reached out to touch the heart, a sudden change occurred! The heart suddenly exploded, turning into countless blood threads that instantly entangled her.

"Ah!" Su Meng struggled in terror, only to find that the blood threads were like living creatures, frantically drilling into her body. Even more terrifying was that a violent will rushed into her mind, beginning to erode her Divine Soul.

"No... don't..." Su Meng screamed in pain. She finally understood why those who attempted it in her past life had all failed. This was not a Legacy at all, but a trap! The Blood Demon was not dead at all; he was looking for a suitable body for Rebirth!

"Little girl, not a bad body." An old, evil voice rang out in her mind, "This seat has waited for over three thousand years, finally waiting for a suitable vessel." "Rest assured, I will use your body well and make your name resound throughout the Cultivation World..." "Oh no, it is to make this seat's name reappear in the world!"

"Get out!" Su Meng resisted with all her might, but her Divine Soul was as fragile as an infant's before the Blood Demon. Just as she was about to be completely devoured, a dazzling golden light suddenly erupted from within her body. The Qingluan Sword flew out automatically, with dense runes appearing on the sword blade, transforming into a golden chain that firmly locked the Blood Demon's will.

"This is... the Demon Sealing Restriction?!" The Blood Demon screamed in terror, "You plotted against me!" In the golden light, Qin Jiuge's figure slowly emerged.

"Old ghost Blood Demon, it has been three thousand years, and you are still so stupid." Qin Jiuge chuckled, "Did you really think I would let my Disciple come here to die?"

"It's you! Qin Jiuge!" The Blood Demon shrieked, "No, that's not right, you aren't that..." "You can die now."

Qin Jiuge raised his hand and made a grasping motion in the air; the golden chain contracted, forcibly extracting the Blood Demon's will from Su Meng's body and condensing it into a blood-colored bead. Su Meng collapsed on the ground, her face pale, her whole body trembling.

She looked at Qin Jiuge, her eyes filled with fear and lingering dread: "Sect Master, you, you have been monitoring me the whole time?"

Qin Jiuge put away the Blood Demon bead and said indifferently: "If I hadn't set a Restriction in your sword, you would have already been subjected to Possession by now."

Su Meng lowered her head, only then realizing the true purpose of the Qingluan Sword. "Why..." Her voice was hoarse, "Why didn't you just stop me directly?" "Why did you let me experience all this?"

"Because you must pay the price for your own choices." Qin Jiuge's tone was cold, "After your Rebirth, you could have turned over a new leaf, cultivated properly, exposed Ruo Yan's schemes, and reconciled with your Senior Brothers."

"But what did you choose?" "It was evasion, it was transferring your anger, it was selfishness, it was taking shortcuts." "I didn't..."

"You didn't?" Qin Jiuge interrupted her, "Do you think I don't know?" "You secretly contacted several Sects that kicked the Huanggu Sect when it was down in your past life, wanting to borrow their influence," "You privately collected dirt on your Senior Brothers, preparing to blackmail them in the future," "You even planned to take revenge on the entire Sect once you became strong."

Su Meng shuddered, her face turning ghastly pale. How could he know?!

"Surprised?" Qin Jiuge sneered, "I perceive the past and the future; your little schemes are like reading patterns on my palm in my eyes." "Su Meng, you have never truly reflected on yourself." "The tragedy of your past life certainly had faults from Ruo Yan and your Senior Brothers, but do you not have any responsibility?"