After throwing the two disciples from the Moon-Bathing Temple to the old Daoist in the Golden Pill stage and informing him of a visit in the near future, Bai Qiuran took Tang Ruowei and Zuo Yanfei to meet Su Xiangxue.
"Azure Nether Sword Ancestor!" Tang Ruowei shook her head vigorously to remind herself of her orientation, then turned to Bai Qiuran and asked, "From what my master said, is Sect Leader Su related to the demon clan?"
"She’s not like her mother, who might take pleasure in killing. But, if someone were to provoke her..." Bai Qiuran glanced at Su Xiangxue, who nodded calmly in acknowledgement. He continued, "She carries half the bloodline of a flood dragon, and the current demon emperor is a nine-headed flood dragon."
"Let me introduce you. This is Su Xiangxue, the current leader of the Hehuan Sect and one of the three giants of the Demon Alliance."
"I'm teaching students here, can we focus, please?" Bai Qiuran shamelessly patted Su Xiangxue on the shoulder, acting as if they were close friends.
"Ah?" Bai Qiuran waved his hand, saying, "If you want to target any handsome man in the future and find it hard to do so, just tell me, and I’ll keep watch for you."
Tang Ruowei asked him something, and nearby, Cui Luo suddenly reacted, crying out as she rushed over. Bai Qiuran glanced at Su Xiangxue, who nodded again. He added, "She has half the blood of a flood dragon, and the current demon emperor is a nine-headed flood dragon."
"This person is..."
"Two thousand years ago, the human race had just recovered from the war against the demon clan. At that time, the remnants of the demon clan within the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands were ruthlessly driven away or exterminated. It was in this context that the demon emperor saw an opportunity and led an army from the demon realm to invade the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands."
"Remember to take the long way around if you see her in the future." Bai Qiuran rolled his eyes and continued, "Of course, I wouldn’t underestimate the one in front of me. The technique she practices, Mirage and Shadow, integrates the royal techniques of the demon clan. After my modifications, it has reached the level where it can summon torrential rains or snowstorms, and just with a look, it can make any male cultivator below the Nascent Soul stage turn into a decorative stone while female cultivators become mighty tides."
"Remember to take the long way around if you encounter her." Tang Ruowei asked again.
"Two thousand years ago, the human race had just recovered from the war with the demon clan. The demon emperor seized the chance and invaded the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands." Zuo Yanfei exchanged glances with Tang Ruowei, but seeing the smile in Su Xiangxue's eyes, they politely bowed and said, "We meet Sect Leader Su."
"Certainly, as a mother, she is competent and treats Cui Luo well, or else Cui Luo wouldn’t have carried a grudge against Bai Qiuran all these two thousand years." Tang Ruowei continued to ask.
"If you want revenge, you should first escort Princess Bai Ling back to the demon realm before anything else."
"I'm going to fight you today!" Bai Qiuran pointed to Cui Luo, who was directly knocked dizzy by him, and said to Tang Ruowei, "This is my reason for letting her off this time."
"Ah?"
"Actually, you don’t have to be so restrained. She’s a reformer. Under her leadership, the Hehuan Sect hasn’t caused any deaths during their practices. Their chain stores in the Joyful Realm have received great reviews across several states. Everyone is happy."
"Let me introduce you. This is Su Xiangxue, the current leader of the Hehuan Sect, and one of the three giants of the Demon Alliance."
"So, what do the terms demon clan, demon emperor, and demon realm mean?" Su Xiangxue quickly interrupted her. After all, she had heard many tales of love turning into hate, and the Princess of Shangxuan also loved gossip.
Bai Qiuran looked at Su Xiangxue, who nodded in acknowledgement, and then Bai Qiuran elaborated further, "She has half the blood of a flood dragon, and the current demon emperor is a nine-headed flood dragon."
Bai Qiuran smirked and pointed at his own face with his thumb. "Oh, that’s because I killed her mother."
Bai Qiuran had no shame as he waved his hand, "If in the future you want to target any decent handsome man and find it difficult, you can tell me, I’ll keep watch for you."
"Ah!"
"Actually, you don’t need to be so restrained; she’s a reformist. Under her leadership, the Hehuan Sect hasn’t harvested any lives in a long time. The chain stores in the Joyful Realm are doing well across several states, everyone is glad."
"So, how do you explain the situation with that female demon who hates you so much? Did you reject her?"
Bai Qiuran looked serious for a moment, then said, "You wait."
He slapped Cui Luo across the face, and she was once again knocked back, befuddled.
"I guess I understand the reason for your three-thousand years of singlehood, Master."
"Didn’t I just say it's normal for her to hate me?" Bai Qiuran said.
"Of course, as a mother, she is competent and treats Cui Luo well, or else Cui Luo wouldn’t have held a grudge against Bai Qiuran for two thousand years." Tang Ruowei attempted to clarify further.
"You want revenge? Escort Princess Bai Ling back to the demon realm first!"
Bai Qiuran looked serious for a moment, then said, “You wait.”
“Ah?”
Bai Qiuran nodded and added, “But you'll need to keep your distance from this one."
"Remember to take the long way around if you see her."
"Ah?”
Bai Qiuran's expression was nonchalant, he added, “So it's no wonder she hates me.”
"You’ve seen it, the elders of the Moon-Bathing Temple and half of the disciples are now left with just a hand."
"Is that true? It's absolutely unbelievable."
Zuo Yanfei and Tang Ruowei exchanged bewildered looks but were forced to smile when Su Xiangxue glanced over.
"Can you really do this without hesitation? Why keep a demon like this? Didn’t you tell me to eliminate evil?"
"You'll see for yourself." Bai Qiuran stated with conviction, smirking slyly.
“Cui Luo, calm down! It’s fine.”
"Every being has spirit: whether plants, stones, animals, or awakened creatures that cultivate and transform into demons, we refer to them all as demons. And as the name implies, the demon emperor leads the demon clan, ruling over the demon realm, which was established many years ago when the first demon emperor opened up another space in the void, connecting it with the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands through spatial rifts."
"So, does Sect Leader Su have ties to the demon clan?"
Bai Qiuran unabashedly patted Su Xiangxue's shoulder.
After a moment of silence, Bai Qiuran suddenly vanished before the three of them. In the next instant, he appeared again, this time dragging a confused Cui Luo along with him.
"Two thousand years ago, the human race had just recovered from its battles against the demon clan. Under those circumstances, the demon emperor seized the opportunity to lead an army into the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands."
"Is it true what you said?"
"You’ll see for yourself!”
"Of course, this one in front of me cannot be taken lightly; her skills have reached a level where she can bring forth torrential rain or blizzards, and with just a look, she can turn any male cultivator of Nascent Soul stage or below into a decorative stone."
"Wow, that sounds intense!"
The end of the previous war took a toll, and when the remnants of the demon clan were sent back, one person chased them down to the demon realm, slaying the demon prince and all his aides cleanly.
"Of course, it’s normal for her to hate me."
"Now, let’s turn our attention back to her mother for a moment, what’s the deal with Cui Luo?"
"Just keep quiet for a while!” Bai Qiuran scolded playfully.
"Yes, but that’s your blood connection!"
"How did it come to this?"