Chapter 80: The Ancestor’s Belated Rebellion (Part 7)

“What do you think could possibly turn a person into that state?”
On the path down the mountain, Ling Qiong asked Jiang He, curiosity brimming in her tone, gossiping about the cause of Cheng Tinghan’s death.

Jiang He replied, “Ancestor... was everything you said just now really true?”

“Of course it was,” Ling Qiong stopped in her tracks, turning back with eyes slightly widened. “You’re not suspecting I killed her, are you?”

Was she really that kind of person?
She’d only met Cheng Tinghan once—why would she kill her?

“That’s not what I meant,” Jiang He said quickly.

Ling Qiong raised an eyebrow. “Then what do you mean?”

Jiang He frowned with concern. “Did you only see Cheng Tinghan back then? Didn’t notice anything else?”

He feared this little ancestor might still be hiding something from him, just like what happened today, only finding out once trouble had already broken out.

Ling Qiong turned her head away, gave a small, airy snort, and denied, “No.”

Jiang He let out a sigh of relief and answered Ling Qiong’s initial question, “It’s most likely the work of some kind of demon beast. But... Cheng Tinghan had no trace of demonic aura on her, which is rather odd.”

Demon beast...
Demon Suppression Tower...

Ling Qiong pressed her fan to her chin, muttering under her breath, “Could it have escaped from the Demon Suppression Tower?”

Jiang He caught only the vague phrase ‘escaped’, and asked cautiously, “Ancestor, what did you say?”

Ling Qiong waved her little hand dismissively. “Nothing. Let’s return and get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”

Jiang He: “...”

—

The next day.

What had happened to Cheng Tinghan was already known to Yan Weishan.

The Tianqing Sect was already holding a funeral, and during the ceremony, someone from another sect died as well.

Yan Weishan naturally had to inquire, to give some kind of explanation.

“I heard the Tianqing Sect has already identified the culprit,” Jiang He reported the latest development.

Ling Qiong lounged lazily on a chaise, lifting her gaze indolently. “They’ve caught it?”

“Not yet,” Jiang He replied. “But from what I’ve heard, it seems the thing escaped from the Demon Suppression Tower.”

...So it really was?

Jiang He was about to say more when a commotion sounded outside.

“What’s happening out there?” Jiang He immediately called over a disciple to ask.

“Brother Jiang He, something’s coming our way.”

“What is it?”

“Seems to be a demon beast...”

A demon beast?

Boom—

The ground shook. Not far away, a building collapsed in a thunderous crash, cries from the crowd soaring skyward.

A massive beast, black as night, its shape like a cross between tiger and leopard, leapt from the ground. With a powerful, graceful movement, it landed atop a rooftop and let out a thunderous roar.

—

The deep, lingering sound sent chills down everyone’s spines, raising the hairs on their necks.

Disciples of the Tianqing Sect gave chase, quickly surrounding the beast.

Ling Qiong blinked, her gaze entranced.

So this is a demon beast?

Isn’t this just like a companion pet from a game!

She wondered about its rank... its physique looked pretty good.

The demon beast let out a couple of low growls, then lunged at someone in midair. Its claws sliced through the air, sending several blades of spirit-charged wind flying.

Yet, its aim was not to attack them.

It wanted to escape.

So after that strike, the demon beast bounded across the rooftops, trying to break free from the encirclement.

“Stop that beast!”

“Don’t let it get away!”

At first, only Tianqing Sect’s disciples joined the fight, but soon others staying at the compound joined in as well.

Blocked from escaping, the demon beast grew agitated, its entire body radiating a murderous aura.

The battle drifted closer and closer to Ling Qiong.

“Ancestor, we should leave,” Jiang He urged, sensing danger.

“Get out of the way—!”

Someone shouted.

Jiang He instinctively glanced over.

The demon beast had somehow drawn near, leaping from above. Its shadow completely enveloped Ling Qiong.

The girl stood there, her figure delicate and thin, head tilted up slightly, motionless as if spellbound by the sight.

With a single swipe, the beast could tear her in half.

People in the distance couldn’t bear to watch.

Jiang He’s pupils contracted, and he cried out in panic, “Ancestor!”

—

Splurt—

A blade pierced flesh. The massive beast crashed down from the air, its hot blood splattering everywhere.

As the dust settled, the girl stood beside the fallen beast, her small face wrinkled in distaste as she looked at the bloodied fan in her hand.

The next moment, she tossed the fan aside and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her hands.

Everyone: “...”

What just happened?

This wasn’t at all what they’d expected.
They’d pictured the little girl being torn in two—or flattened into a meat patty.

Not this: the demon beast lying dead, and the girl casually wiping her hands in disgust.

“Did any of you see what happened?”

“No...”

—

Everyone’s expressions were a mix of confusion and disbelief, the atmosphere eerily strange.

Not only had the rest not seen clearly—even Jiang He, who’d been closest, ready to dash forward, hadn’t seen what happened.

The demon beast had pounced from above. All he saw was the little ancestor flick open her folding fan and wave it at the creature.

The beast’s massive body blocked much of the view.

By the time it hit the ground, what he saw matched what the others did.

Compared to the others, Jiang He was able to process it much faster—after all, this was his ancestor.

Ling Qiong finished wiping the blood from her hands and looked up to find countless eyes fixed upon her.

Whoa! Why are they all staring at me like that... It’s kind of creepy.

Ling Qiong hesitated, her lips parting. “It tried to attack me, so I fought back. That’s not a problem, is it?”

Everyone: “...”

How had they ever thought this little girl was weak, without any cultivation?

If you can’t sense someone’s cultivation, it means one of two things: either they have none, or they’re so advanced they’ve returned to a state of perfect concealment.

—

Yan Weishan and the Third Elder arrived together.

The demon beast lay dead on the ground.

“I heard it was the Young Mistress who subdued the beast?” the Third Elder asked a disciple nearby.

That girl’s cultivation was extraordinary after all.
They’d really misjudged her.

“Yes,” the disciple replied.

“Where is she now?”

“She’s gone back to her room,” the disciple said, glancing at the door.

Jiang He and the others waited outside, the door tightly shut.

Just as the Third Elder looked over, the door creaked open.

Ling Qiong emerged, her attire still mostly black, but clearly a different set from before.

This one was more ornate, with different patterns.

She stepped onto the flagstones, cracked from the earlier impact—yet now, under her feet, they seemed to gleam like white jade, making her appear like a princess descending from the clouds.

Yan Weishan was crouched beside the demon beast, examining it.

The Third Elder approached Ling Qiong, offering words of thanks for her heroic intervention—mostly polite formalities.

“Was this the one that killed Cheng Tinghan?” Ling Qiong asked, nodding toward the beast.

“No,” Yan Weishan answered coolly.

At the sound of his voice, all the hushed whispers in the background ceased instantly.

Ling Qiong looked over.

Yan Weishan’s eyes were downcast, fixed on the beast.

“There’s no trace of Cheng Tinghan’s aura on it. This is not the killer.”