After Constantly Courting Death, I Became the White Moonlight - Chapter 17

“Sect Leader He never mentioned anything like this happening in the Ancient Wood Forest!”

Outside the Mystic Mirror, a man in white robes stood up angrily. “Now look at this mess—at least forty percent of them will probably perish in there!”

Someone let out a heavy sigh. “And to make matters worse, the Little Zhongshan Secret Realm only allows Foundation Establishment stage cultivators to enter. We can’t interfere at all. We can only wait two days for the secret realm to close on its own and release the disciples. In such dangerous conditions, what are we supposed to do?”

He Xiaocheng frowned deeply, no longer carrying the calm and composed air he had earlier. He fixed his gaze on the bizarre scene within the Mystic Mirror, watching the Ancient Wood Forest’s unnatural changes. “The Little Zhongshan realm has opened many times and nothing like this has ever occurred. That ten-thousand-year Dragonblood Tree doesn’t seem to have gained sentience or spirit—it’s more like… it’s gone mad.”

For a moment, silence took over.

Then, a woman’s light, leisurely laugh broke the tension. “Are the elders truly so lacking in confidence in their own disciples? The changes in the Ancient Wood Forest may be dangerous, but the ones we sent in are the top talents of each sect. If they can’t even handle this, how are they supposed to survive after leaving the sect and venturing into the wider world?”

The speaker was none other than Qu Feiqing from Glimmering Light Island.

Her tone was lazy and relaxed. Her skin was fine jade as she idly twirled a strand of her long hair, not a trace of panic on her face.

With a slight smile, she continued, “The trapped disciples aren’t in immediate danger. Rather than panic, why don’t we stay calm and observe how others respond? I’ve seen quite a few interesting little ones—I’m very curious to see what they’ll do next.”

In the cultivation world, the strange and unpredictable were commonplace. Fortune and peril often went together. Every cultivator would eventually face situations where their life was on the line. How they handled it—and whether they made it out—depended entirely on their own luck and capability.

The sudden change in the Ancient Wood Forest was just one such test.

Her words caused many to look hesitant and thoughtful.

“But,” she added, “as soon as Ning Ning heard that her junior brother was in danger, she rushed into the forest without regard for her own safety.”

Popping a grape into her mouth, Qu Feiqing leaned lazily against the back of her chair, casting a glance at Elder Tian Xianzi. “The juniors under Elder Tian Xianzi certainly seem close.”

Tian Xianzi chuckled, his eyes filled with anticipation. “Well, Ning Ning was never one to follow the rules.”

Qu Feiqing gave a soft hum in agreement.

…

Inside the Ancient Wood Forest, the air reeked of blood.

Dense, deep red mist floated like smoke, wrapping itself eerily around the stillness. Vegetation that once glowed faint blue or green now appeared soaked in blood. Though they still emitted dim light, the glow had become a stifling crimson.

Ning Ning continued to try communicating with the system in her mind, but it remained completely silent—like it had been blocked off.

The deeper she went, the stranger and more terrifying the forest became.

Thick vines twisted and darted about, their shadows madly writhing like a horde of demons, resembling grotesque, clawed fingers constantly thrashing at the earth.

And it wasn’t just the vines—even the flowers and plants seemed to have gained a sinister consciousness. Petals opened and shut without warning, giving the illusion—under the crimson light—of bloodshot eyes spying in the darkness and blinking quietly.

After the great war between cultivators and demons, the demon race suffered great losses and faded from sight. Yet now, in this spiritual energy-rich forest, an endless stream of demonic energy had begun to rise… The implications were deeply troubling.

Ning Ning swung her sword again, cutting through a vine attacking from behind.

Disciples from various sects rushed past her in retreat, but she alone pushed forward against the tide. Her figure was slender but unwavering—like a sharp blade, slicing through the red mist along a path entirely her own.

—No. Not entirely alone.

Someone else was moving forward too—a young female cultivator.

She wore the robes of the Myriad Sword Sect. Her appearance was striking and aloof, her expression like a wintry breeze, and her thin lips were pressed into a flat line—betraying no emotion.

She clearly noticed Ning Ning and turned her head expressionlessly. “Myriad Sword Sect, Su Qinghan.”

This was their first meeting, and the sudden self-introduction was unexpected. But Ning Ning wasn’t surprised—this kind of behavior fit Su Qinghan’s character perfectly.

As the daughter of a Myriad Sword Sect elder, Su Qinghan was a natural-born prodigy and had grown up proud and lofty. She was the quintessential sword cultivator—cold, quiet, always ready to draw her blade, and fond of one-on-one duels.

Her social approach was direct to the extreme. If she didn’t like someone, she wouldn’t even glance at them. If she was interested in befriending someone, she would boldly make the first move.

Now, with everyone else fleeing, only the two of them had dared to push deeper into danger. That alone was enough for Su Qinghan to deem Ning Ning worth getting to know—regardless of her sword skills.

Ning Ning gave her a warm smile. “Xuanxu Sword Sect, Ning Ning. Nice to meet you.”

Su Qinghan nodded slightly in response, her tone calm. “So it’s Junior Sister Ning Ning from Elder Tian Xianzi’s lineage. May I ask what brings you into the forest?”

“I heard that one of my junior brothers was trapped by the ten-thousand-year Dragonblood Tree. I came to rescue him.”

Ning Ning scratched her nose a little sheepishly. “It’s a personal matter, really—not much to talk about. I assume Senior Sister Su is here to slay the demonic threat?”

Su Qinghan shook her head. “Junior Sister Ning Ning, you shouldn’t sell yourself short. Being willing to risk your life for a fellow disciple—that is no small thing.”

She spoke in a surprisingly refined and formal tone—not quite what one would expect from a sword cultivator.

“Now that the ancient forest has undergone a sudden mutation and demonic energy is overflowing, I heard that the first to cause harm was that Dragonblood Tree. This upheaval is very likely connected to it.”

Su Qinghan continued, “You’re going there to save someone, and I’m going to eliminate the demon. Though our paths differ, they lead to the same destination—near the Dragonblood Tree.”

Ning Ning nodded and gave a soft “Mm” in response.

The deeper they went into the forest, the denser the demonic aura became.

By the time they could see the Dragonblood Tree’s gnarled branches in the distance, the oppressive pressure from the demonic energy had grown so heavy it felt almost solid—like an enormous weight pressing down on their chests, making even breathing difficult.

Compared to what the forest once looked like, this place had become a hellish purgatory devoid of humanity.

The writhing tree branches resembled thick serpents. Some slithered silently underground, while others hovered brazenly in midair. Mist as red as blood formed a dense fog that gave Ning Ning the illusion of standing in a sea of crimson.

Several cultivators had already been tightly cocooned by layers of vines, wrapped into airtight chrysalises. Su Qinghan whispered that this was how the demon race extracted spiritual power—the people trapped inside wouldn’t die but would instead become a continuous source of nourishment.

As for the Dragonblood Tree at the center—

Ning Ning had never seen a tree so massive.

Its height reached the skies, its lush canopy blotting out the sun. From the tips of its leaves seeped an eerie crimson hue, as if it were bleeding. The dense foliage allowed not a single sliver of moonlight to pass through. Beneath the cracked bark were thick, ancient roots like giant claws slowly unfurling, gripping the blood-red earth tightly.

The concentration of demonic energy was far beyond what she had imagined.

Ning Ning furrowed her brows silently. With the tree’s level of cultivation, even if she and Su Qinghan joined forces, they might not be able to defeat it.

—After all, it was over ten thousand years old. No way it didn’t have some serious tricks up its sleeve.

She held her breath and steadied her mind, but her heart skipped a beat when she caught sight of a scene near the Dragonblood Tree.

A black-clothed youth had not yet been fully wrapped by the vines. Covered in blood, he was still gritting his teeth and resisting.

It was truly Pei Ji.

His current state was dire—he was on the brink of collapse.

The more the vines were cut, the fiercer they became, attacking in relentless waves. Though most were slashed apart by his sword, some still managed to pierce his skin, leaving gruesome gases that exposed bone.

His face was obscured by the blood-red mist, and Ning Ning could only make out his dark silhouette and the bright splashes of blood that erupted from his body—redder than the spreading hue across the forest floor.

Pei Ji was clearly running on empty—his strength depleted, his spiritual power nearly gone. Even so, he stubbornly resisted, sword flashing as he stood ramrod straight like a lean but unyielding pine tree.

Dozens of vine-whips lunged from all directions like venomous snakes, but Pei Ji no longer had the spiritual strength to divide his sword aura.

His arms, calves, and neck were all tightly bound by the vines, whose sharp thorns pierced his flesh. He gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound, still clutching his sword with white knuckles, blood vessels surging in his eyes.

He was already almost completely wrapped up.

“Senior Sister Su,”

After a moment of thought, Ning Ning transmitted a message, “We’ll need a better plan to deal with the Dragonblood Tree. But before that, can you help me with something?”

She paused again. “Senior Sister, aren’t these naturally formed magical beasts and monsters usually not too… bright?”

…

Meanwhile, the Dragonblood Tree was leisurely toying with its new prey.

Its coiling vines burrowed deep into flesh and blood, while even more surged forward in endless waves like a starving pack of hounds scrambling over each other for a bite.

The blood-soaked youth had nearly become a figure made of blood. The sword in his hand let out a faint hum, but he no longer had the strength to fight back.

Just as the vines were about to completely engulf Pei Ji, a sudden flash of white sword light pierced through the overwhelming red mist from a distance.

The writhing vines froze in place for a moment, then collectively turned.

Because of its immense age and need for vast spiritual energy, the Dragonblood Tree allowed no other trees to grow nearby, lest they compete for nutrients. In the ring of pale green grass surrounding it, stood a young girl.

Ning Ning raised her chin slightly, her smile cold and arrogant:
“I thought you’d be some terrifying monster but turns out you’re just a tree. If I kill you, does this whole mutation end?”

Insolent brat!

All the vines lying in wait on the ground suddenly sprang into the air, adopting aggressive stances. But Ning Ning showed no fear—instead, she calmly drew her sword.

Having lost most of its patience fighting Pei Ji, the Dragonblood Tree didn’t bother attacking one strand at a time this time. Instead, it formed a massive web of vines and lunged straight at her.

Just as the net was about to reach her, Ning Ning curled her lips into a grin and said sweetly but firmly, “Senior Sister Su—now!”

—A decoy!

The vines abruptly froze, instinctively abandoning her and whipping around.

Sure enough, another sword cultivator—Su Qinghan—was dashing swiftly toward a certain direction, sword in hand. Judging by her path—

She was heading straight for the prey it had just caught!

This trick again? Trying to lure it away?

The Dragonblood Tree wasn’t falling for it!

Dozens of vines surged forward like unsheathed blades, aiming for the second swordswoman. But Su Qinghan’s expression didn’t waver. She silently recited her sword incantation, and in an instant, sword energy erupted.

Her sword light split into six pale-blue projections, encircling her.

A cold wind stirred. Sword light bloomed.

Sword energy surged like a river. Wherever her sword passed, faint ripples of light shimmered like the rise of a dragon from water. In just a moment, more than half of the vines had been cut down.

The dragon blood tree was completely enraged, and the blood-red hue on its leaves deepened ominously.

Just as it was about to unleash its full power to teach this arrogant little sword cultivator a lesson, it was suddenly caught off guard—another sharp sword wound struck its body.

The attack had come in the direction of its new prey.

Its branches slashed through the air as it twisted around toward the source of the pain, letting out a shrill, furious screech.

—Ning Ning had somehow made her way to Pei Ji’s side, her Star Scar Sword gleaming with radiant light.

The dragonblood tree finally understood.

While it had been convinced it saw through a diversion tactic and had focused all its attention on dealing with the newly appearing sword cultivator, the bait it had dismissed and ignored had actually…

…broken through the layers of restraints imprisoning Pei Ji.

This had been Ning Ning’s plan all along, one that leveraged people’s natural assumptions—

—and the slight lack of intelligence that comes with being a spirit creature.

Judging from the overwhelming demonic energy in the area, the dragonblood tree’s strength was clearly unfathomable. These vines were merely appetizers. If they confronted it head-on, this plot would’ve needed a new title.

“No One Survived: The Ancient Forest Edition.”

So she had acted as the bait in a feint, drawing its attention at just the right moment with a loud cry, shifting the dragonblood tree’s focus onto Su Qinghan.

Believing it had outsmarted their scheme, the tree would instinctively view her as a non-threat and direct all its focus onto Su Qinghan instead.

But what it never expected was that the very first one who had charged out as bait was actually the one meant to rescue Pei Ji.

By first letting it believe it had the upper hand, the dragonblood tree would lower its guard and buy into the deception entirely.

Unfortunately, the dragonblood tree had never played competitive video games, and thus would never understand that this move…

…was what gamers call: “You guys stall them—I’ll backdoor their base.”

=====

Pei Ji bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, and his dazed consciousness finally sharpened a little.

The vines had already covered his eyes. His vision was pitch-black, and all he could hear was a long, piercing buzz. Everything else drowned out.

The parts of his body that had been torn open by the vines burned with excruciating pain. Every breath dragged waves of searing agony through him. His dark eyes were as deep as a shadowy pool, glinting with a flash of fierce resolve.

Pei Ji had never shown mercy to his enemies—and he treated himself the same way.

The current situation was dire. If he wanted to break free, he would have to gamble everything, concentrate the last of his strength, and pierce through the vines in one strike.

But his body was on the verge of collapse. Using that method would cause irreversible damage to his internal organs—life or death would be up to fate.

The metallic taste in his mouth grew stronger, and Pei Ji gave a cold, self-mocking smile.

He had no other choice.

No family, no friends, no lucky chances or secret techniques to rely on. He had long gotten used to dancing on the edge of life and death, barely holding on to this shattered, barely functioning life.

Like when he was a child and encountered a wolf pack deep in the mountains; when his mother locked him in a pitch-dark room for three days and nights without food or water; or when he encountered a demonic beast on the way to join the Xuanxu Sword Sect, forced to fight it off with a rusty iron sword.

Even if he died, no one would care. In his world, there was no such thing as salvation or miracles—only self-reliance.

His eyes were bloodshot, threads of crimson spidering across his pupils. With a cold expression, Pei Ji silently began reciting an incantation, channeling spiritual energy through his broken meridians and torn flesh.

His whole body burned, and the pain nearly robbed him of all sensation.

His sea of consciousness trembled. Just as he was about to trigger his power, a flash of white light suddenly burst before his eyes.

It was an immense sword strike.

—A brilliant, snowy sword light descended like a silver river from the heavens. Dazzling like strings of pearls, it sliced apart the vines that bound him tightly and shattered the oppressive darkness surrounding him.

The sword wind surged, shredded branches flying everywhere. In the blurred haze of his vision, Pei Ji saw a girl’s black hair swept up by the wind—

—and eyes brighter than the moonlight.

Pei Ji’s long-dormant heart gave a sudden jolt.

“Ah, little junior brother.”

Ning Ning looked up at him, secretly sighing in relief, though outwardly still maintaining the act of a cold-hearted villainess. She lifted the corners of her mouth in a smile:
“You’ve still got a breath left, huh? Not dead yet?”

“It—it’s Ning Ning, waaahhh!”

The sword spirit inside his heart, Chengying, was practically weeping with joy:
“She came to save you, Pei Ji! She—she did!”

She—

Pei Ji’s head throbbed violently. Why was she here?

Back when the anomaly had first broken out, he hadn’t seen his senior sister anywhere nearby.

That thought hadn’t even fully passed when, without warning, the boy’s eyes widened—

Ning Ning had pressed a hand against his back and pulled him firmly into her arms.

Although the action was completely routine, without the slightest hint of tenderness, Pei Ji instinctively held his breath.

The blood and grime from his wounds smeared all over her chest, but Ning Ning didn’t show a trace of disgust. Instead, she casually said:

“Hey, I didn’t come here just to save you. I just happened to see a pitiful-looking guy that seemed familiar and figured I’d help out along the way—got it?”

She smelled faintly of gardenia, a scent completely at odds with the blood-soaked battlefield.

Her warm breath brushed softly against his ear as she spoke, like a gentle current of electricity, tingling from his earlobe all the way down to his heart.

Pei Ji lowered his eyelashes and gave a soft “mm” in response.

The Dragonblood Tree noticed Ning Ning’s movements and immediately realized it had been tricked. It was furious.

For a moment, the forest roared with wind, and blood-red sap began seeping from the tree trunks as if the forest itself were weeping blood—an eerie and unsettling sight.

Hundreds of vines rose into the air, no longer targeting Su Qinghan. Instead, they vowed to destroy the sword cultivator who had played them like a fiddle.

But there was no way she’d stay put and wait to be attacked.

After realizing its “home” had been stolen, the Dragonblood Tree would surely abandon Su Qinghan and turn on her again.

Ning Ning had anticipated this, which was why she had instructed Su Qinghan to lead the creature far away while she rescued Pei Ji—buying them precious time to escape.

That’s the downside of trees gaining sentience. They still had wooden brains—never all that bright.

“Things might get a little bumpy. Hold on tight.”

Exchanging a glance with Su Qinghan in the distance, Ning Ning pressed both hands against Pei Ji’s back. Her voice was light and bold: “Let’s go.”

The moment her words fell, a flash of white light burst beneath her feet.

Luckily, the vegetation around the Dragonblood Tree was sparse, making sword flight easy and unhindered.

Wind and the girl’s voice rushed into his ears as Pei Ji heard her speak seriously, “Don’t go getting the wrong idea and think I’m doing this out of kindness. I charge for rescues, okay? You’d better consider how many spirit stones this one’s worth.”

Ning Ning was still working hard to maintain her “vicious supporting character” persona when another sword light silently appeared beside them. Standing atop the sword was Su Qinghan, who had escaped effortlessly.

The young sword cultivator gave her and Pei Ji a quick once-over, then revealed a knowing look. “So this is the junior brother you were willing to risk your life to save?”

The Startrace Sword trembled slightly in Ning Ning’s hand.

But as a die-hard straight woman and senior sister of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, she failed to notice Ning Ning’s expression had changed at all, and instead continued with a touch of envy, “I was wondering earlier why Junior Sister Ning Ning would go to so much trouble to rescue someone. Now I see—the two of you must be very close. Unlike my own junior brother, who’s a little rascal and gives me endless headaches—”

At this point, she suddenly raised her voice in confusion, “Strange. Why is your face so red, Junior Sister? Did you get poisoned or something?”

Ning Ning forced out an awkward but polite smile.

She just wanted to wave goodbye to this cruel, beautiful world.

Senior Sister Su, do you even know?

You, you are troublesome little fairy, are the most poisonous of all.