Shi Shu looked at the evil spirit before him, and his lifelong wish was finally fulfilled. His body felt light, but he paid no mind, his gaze shifting to other battlefields in different spaces.
Over at Qing Ling's side, she faced the girl before her and spoke, "Always haunting me! Xie Mei, you always choose me as your opponent."
"That's for sure, I must avenge the past hatred."
Xie Mei smirked, her face contorting into a grimace. Qing Ling shook her head, "So you're still holding onto that?"
"I will never forget. Today, I will disfigure your face. That is my goal. The sight of your face makes me sick."
Xie Mei then moved with light steps, her black dress swirling as she instantly appeared before Qing Ling, her claws extended, attacking.
Qing Ling raised her slender, snow-white hand to meet the attack. The two women clashed.
The hatred Xie Mei harbored for Qing Ling was evident in her eyes, as if they shared a deep, ancient enmity.
As Xie Mei's attacks came, Qing Ling's palms moved rapidly, intercepting each strike. Simultaneously, Qing Ling deflected the attacks and counter-attacked. Qing Ling's fighting style leaned towards defense-to-offense; unlike a fierce offensive, she advanced steadily from within her defense.
Seeing her attacks being completely nullified, as if striking cotton, weak and ineffective, Xie Mei kicked out her left leg, instantly lunging at Qing Ling.
Qing Ling dodged the incoming leg, evading Xie Mei's attack. Xie Mei's claws then struck with even greater speed. The figures of the two women blurred into two black streaks, darting and colliding within the space.
Both were speed-type combatants; no one could surpass them in speed. However, due to Qing Ling's personality, she remained on the defensive, finding no opportunity to seize the initiative.
Xie Mei, growing impatient at her inability to defeat Qing Ling, increased her attack speed. Qing Ling shook her head, knowing her opponent too well. She then slowed her movements, and suddenly, Xie Mei's attack missed.
Qing Ling struck Xie Mei's body with a palm, channeling ghost energy into it. With a boom, Xie Mei was sent flying backward.
Tumbling in the air, Xie Mei steadied herself and said impatiently, "You're still as troublesome as ever!"
"Thousands of years ago, you used to call me 'older sister.' Do you refuse to now?"
Qing Ling's eyes were filled with memories. Xie Mei roared, "Older sister? You think you deserve that? That 'older sister' from thousands of years ago was the last time. Do you think you are worthy of being my sister? I can barely contain my hatred for you."
"I know I hurt you back then, but I apologized afterward, even compensated you. I willingly abandoned my physical form and severed our ties. Yet, you allowed yourself to be blinded by hatred, joined the evil spirit clan to seek revenge, assimilated with them, and became this."
"Hmph, you think your compensation was enough? You stole the man I loved. I was more beautiful than you, cared for him more than you did. You, on the other hand, never even glanced at him, never spoke a word. And in the end? At the wedding ceremony, he embraced you and confessed his love. What did that make me? A clown? I became everyone's laughingstock. In the end, you became the bride, all because your aptitude and talent were superior, and the clan didn't object. As for me? I was left out, with only this story for posterity."
"You felt guilty, apologized to me, and committed suicide. And then? He willingly sacrificed himself to protect your soul, merging his physique with yours, making you a ghost god. You never considered his feelings, never loved him. In the end, the man I loved died because of you. I joined the evil spirit clan only to avenge him. Only then did I know what I had to do."
"My entire life is for revenge. You showed no remorse for his death, but I couldn't let it go. You never even said thank you."
Xie Mei spoke with a ferocious rage. Qing Ling's expression turned regretful. Perhaps influenced by Xie Mei's words, Qing Ling made no move as Xie Mei struck her, willingly allowing herself to be pierced. However, Qing Ling's body was composed of a ghost soul and ghost energy; even if impaled, she would not die.
As Xie Mei's attacks continuously scattered her form, Qing Ling was powerless to defend, recalling past events, feeling as though she deserved all this anger.
Xie Mei spoke, "You think enduring this is enough? Is that enough? Will he return? Will he? It's all because of you, so die! I hate you!"
Perhaps hearing Xie Mei's words, the ghost energy surrounding her dissipated. Xie Mei's claws were about to strike Qing Ling. At this moment, Qing Ling deactivated her incorporeal state. If this attack landed, she would die.
Qing Ling closed her eyes and then spoke, "It's all because of me, so let it end!"
Suddenly, a voice echoed in Qing Ling's mind, "No, it's not your fault, nor mine. I did it willingly. Whether I liked you or not, I would have chosen you in the end. This was my choice, not your mistake. Don't blame yourself."
A figure appeared in Qing Ling's mind. Seeing the familiar male figure before her, Qing Ling asked, "Is this your final message?"
The figure then dissipated. In the outside world, Qing Ling's eyes snapped open. She then clenched her fist, catching Xie Mei's claws. Xie Mei, believing she had succeeded, froze at the sight.
Qing Ling, holding Xie Mei's claws, spoke, "I did nothing wrong. The fault lies not with me, but with your heart, your twisted heart."
In Xie Mei's eyes, the familiar male figure appeared beside Qing Ling, his tone and voice identical. Xie Mei was then flung away by Qing Ling.
Qing Ling slowly stated, "I did nothing wrong. The fault lies with your twisted heart, your will. You chose to fall yourself. I did nothing wrong. I will no longer blame myself. I am me. I have never been wrong, not in the past, not now. What others think is their business, and it matters not to me."
Instantly, Qing Ling's body began to sprout skin, flesh, blood vessels, and nerves. Xie Mei, looking at Qing Ling, cried out unwillingly, "This ability was originally mine! Mine! It should not be yours. I will take it back!"
Xie Mei's expression grew more terrifying, completely different from before. Indeed, it was precisely for this ability that she had chosen to love him, approach him, and then seize this power.
But then, that incident occurred, and this ability was inherited by Qing Ling. Since she couldn't defeat Qing Ling, she chose to join the evil spirit clan to gain power.
Qing Ling spoke, "Deep within a person's heart, if it is twisted, it signifies that your future path is blocked. Qing Xin, you have no future. Only those with a clear heart have an infinitely bright future. Maintaining one's true self is crucial. Never forgetting your true self is the most important thing on life's path. Your true self is your future path, and the future path is decided by oneself."
"Ghost God's Armament. I am god, human, and ghost. My path is one I forge myself!"
As Qing Ling's words fell, she appeared in the sky in a brand-new form. She had regained her body, her true body, to live as a human once more.
Qing Ling looked at Xie Mei before her. Xie Mei was consumed by fury, dark energy erupting and transforming into countless black serpents lunging at Qing Ling.
Qing Ling, in turn, emanated ghost energy, which also formed serpents, charging towards Xie Mei's corrupted serpents. Both their techniques stemmed from the same lineage, family traditions. The outcome was a draw.
"Ghost Energy Dance!"
"Evil Spirit Dance!"
Releasing the same techniques, countless ghost and evil energies appeared around both of them, filling the space. With the same hand seals, the ghost and evil energies around Qing Ling and Xie Mei erupted. They pushed their hands forward simultaneously, the ghost and evil energies like a curtain of water, sweeping out like the night, colliding instantly.
An explosion occurred, and both Qing Ling and Xie Mei retreated. Xie Mei exclaimed, "Impossible! Thousands of years ago, you weren't my match. Now we're even? This is impossible!"
"What's impossible about it? With my true self intact, I will journey further into the future. Your path, however, is fixed. A twisted heart will only keep you stagnant. True inner strength and power do not come from external things, but from the purest part of one's own heart—that is one's true self."
"One's true self is the driving force behind a person, the motivation for life. A true self allows different people to have different ways of living. A true self promotes growth and the path to achievement."
"I... I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Die!"
Xie Mei descended into madness, her entire being enveloped by raging evil spirit energy, like a shrew.
Qing Ling sighed. Only now did she understand why he had sacrificed himself to save her. It was all for the safety of the world. It was all voluntary. Qing Ling had no reason to blame herself.